#Christmas Party Places Los Angeles

[kidsworldfun]

In Los Angeles, Kids World is the Christmas Party Places For Kids. This is the location if you require a communal area where you and your children can enjoy yourself. Kids World LA is an excellent place to find out more.

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

You can call me babe...not just for the weekend | Conrad Fisher x Reader

Advent calendar day seven: Tis the damn season

Summary: You and Conrad explore a road you never did before when come back to your hometown for the holidays

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

Bundled in your warm coat and scarf, you walked down the streets of Boston with a cup of hot coffee in your right hand, looking for last minute presents while drinking in the feeling of home. Around you, the shops were adorned with twinkling holiday lights, painting a very different picture than in Los Angeles’s December. Especially with the light layers of snow all over the city. 

Although you loved living in Los Angeles, there was nothing better than a snow-y Christmas. 

You missed it the past two years. 

The faint scent of fresh fir and pine coming from the Christmas tree market at the end of the street brought a nostalgic smile to your lips. When you were little, your dad would let you pick a tree — which was always way too big for the living room.  

You entered the bookshop, browsing around for a possible novel to read during your vacation when your eyes caught a familiar face between the aisles. 

‘’Conrad?’’

Hearing his name, the brunet lifted his gaze. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. You. In Boston. 

‘’Hi,’’ he said, completely struck. 

You walked over to him, pausing your shopping, and Conrad put down the book he was holding. 

‘’I haven’t seen you in a while. It’s good to see you.’’ 

He had changed — grown — since you last saw him. His hair was a bit longer at the back and his jawline was sharper, but he still had that navy sweater he wore to every Christmas party at school. It has reindeers and snowflakes on it. 

‘’I just got here last night,’’ he explained, giving you a small smile that fell soon after, as if regretting it. ‘’I didn't know you were coming this Christmas.’’ 

‘’I was beginning to miss the snow,’’ you said, then took a sip of your coffee. ‘’How’s your mom?’’ 

Conrad was relieved for a conversation shifter. ‘’She’s great.’’ He smiled again. ‘’We’re hosting a massive Christmas dinner this year and, you know her, she went all out. She turned our house into a place that looks like it came straight from a cheesy Hallmark holiday movie.’’

A chuckle spilled from your lips. Susannah always loved holidays — 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas. She tended to go a bit overboard with the decorations, but she always prepared the most delicious feasts for her guests. Although she was no Martha Stewart, her dinner table was one for the magazines. 

‘’Did your dad put the big star at the top of the house? I couldn’t see it from my window last night.’’

‘’Eh, no.. He didn’t…’’ You could sense that Conrad was holding something back, something he didn’t know how to tell you.  ‘’Dad moved out last summer. He…’’ There was a short pause before he spilled the truth, having never said it out loud before. ‘’He cheated on my mom.’’ 

Your stomach sank and your heart ached for Susannah. You never would have taken Mr. Fisher for a cheater, but you can never really know someone.

‘’I’m sorry.’’

‘’Why for? You’re not the one who had an affair with his secretary,’’ Conrad said, clearly still pissed about the situation and resenting his dad. Getting a silence from you, Conrad took back his words. ‘’I should not have said that…’’

You shook your head. ‘’It’s okay,’’ you assured him. ‘’Is Jeremiah coming for the holidays? He’s in college now, right?’’ 

‘’Yeah. Him and Belly both go to Finch, so they are driving together tonight. Steven should get here tomorrow.’’

Steven. You hadn’t heard of him in a while. The last time you spoke to him was to congratulate him for getting into Princeton. The big news was the reason why you had changed his name for Princeton boy on your phone. It was a nod to one of your favorite movies — A Cinderella story.

A smile drew on your lips. ‘’Seems like everyone is back in town this year.’’ 

‘’Like the old days,’’ Conrad confirmed, his smile tighter than yours.

⁂

The second time you ran into one of the Fisher brothers, you were getting lunch by yourself at your old favorite café and typing a few lines for your next novel. Christmas chaos had started at home and writing was impossible with your mother’s holiday music blasting while she was working on tomorrow’s dinner. 

You heard him before you saw him. 

‘’Oh my god, am I seeing right?’’ 

You raised your head, recognizing the dark blond curls spilling from under his hat that just entered the café. He skipped the counter and went straight for your table, pulling you in for a hug.

‘’I can’t believe you’re here! It’s been so long,’’ Jeremiah said, his smile so big you would think he had won a trip to Cabo. 

You talked for a few minutes, catching up on small things, but he unfortunately couldn’t stay long as he was meeting with Belly to go Christmas shopping. You wished them good luck, the shopping malls likely chaotic forty-eight hours before Christmas. 

‘’Before I go, there’s a huge New Year party at Este’ house next week,’’ Jeremiah informed, fixing his jacket and grabbing his coffee from the table. ‘’Everyone is gonna be there. You should come.’’

It was kind of him to invite you, but you were hesitant. 

‘’I haven’t spoken to anyone since moving across the country, I doubt they’ll want me there…’’ 

Jeremiah tilted his head, giving you a look. ‘’Don’t say that. I’m sure someone will be interested in hearing about all of your celebrity friends. If you tell anyone you’ve met Ariana Grande in a restaurant, they’ll want to be best friends.’’ 

You shook your head. Of course he would mention Ariana Grande. The two of you used to sing her music in the car and have midnight release parties every time a new album came out. 

‘’I don’t have any celebrity friends to gossip about. And if I did, I would be a bad friend for gossiping about them at a party in my hometown.’’ 

⁂

A Hallmark holiday rom-com was playing on TV when you received a text from Conrad. His contact picture was a selfie of you and him at the beach in Cousins. You visited him for the 4th of July the summer before you parted ways to different colleges. 

From Conrad: Do you want to drive around and look at Christmas lights together?

A smile drew across your face. It was an old tradition from when you were kids. The two of you would walk around the neighborhood on the first night of Christmas break and look at all the decorated houses. You always looked forward to that special night. Then, when Conrad got his license, you broadened your itinerary to other neighborhoods and added hot chocolates and stolen holiday desserts from your respective houses to the tradition. 

You didn’t bother changing out of your pajamas, adding a sweater over your shirt and slipping on your boots before heading out. 

‘’Where’s your coat?’’ Conrad asked when you opened the passenger door and got in.

‘’We’re staying in the car, I don’t need it,’’ you replied, closing the door and pulling your seatbelt.

Conrad sighed and turned the heater higher. 

‘’I’m gonna be honest, I was surprised to get a text from you. I got the impression that you weren't as pleased to see me as I was yesterday.’’

‘’No. It wasn’t that,’’ he assured, taking his eyes off the road to look at you briefly. ‘’To me, it was unlikely that you would come to Boston again since your life is in Los Angeles now. I was just shocked to see you in town.’’ 

 A teasing smile curled on your face. ‘’Aw, you were starstruck by me?’’

‘’I didn't say starstruck…’’ Conrad protested, shaking his head as you twisted his words around.  

The conversation was quickly dropped, something massive and green catching your attention on your side of the street. ‘’Oh, look on my left, they dressed up their 50 feet skeleton in a Grinch costume!’’ 

⁂

‘’What are you doing here?’’ your mother asked, her arms crossed as swatched you in the kitchen making yourself a cup of tea on New Year’s eve, eyeing you with a mixture of disbelief and surprise.

You gave her a confused look, a teaspoon in one hand and a teabag dangling from the other. ‘’I’m on vacation… Mom, did you have too much eggnog or something?’’ 

‘’I mean, what are you doing at home on New Year’s eve? Don’t you have a party to go to? I’m sure your old friends missed you.’’

Letting out a sigh, you resumed preparing your tea, pouring hot water into the cup. ‘’Jeremiah invited me, but I don’t think I’m gonna be going. We can watch Ryan Seacrest’s Rockin New Year together—’’ 

Your mother leaned against the kitchen counter, a faint frown on her face. ‘’You should go. No twenty-year-old should stay at home on New Year’s eve,’’ she insisted, glancing at the clock on the wall. ‘’Is Conrad gonna be there?’’ 

You shrugged, stirring the tea. ‘’I don’t know.’’

She pointed at your cup. ‘’Give me that tea and get ready for that party.’’ 

⁂

Leave it to you to be overdressed at a small town New Year party. Since moving to Los Angeles, you had to level up to their standards of fashion, but now you were sticking out like a sore thumb in this suburban crowd.

You walked further into the house, trying to find familiar faces, but you didn’t recognize half of them. They must have recognized you by the sour look they gave you. You couldn’t tell if it was because of your dress or because they didn’t like that you were at the party.  You tried to ignore them. There was a reason you left town and it wasn’t only for bigger career opportunities. 

‘’Happy new year!’’ Belly greeted over the loud music, grinning excitedly with a red cup in her hand and a pair of ‘2024’ gold glasses on her face. She pulled you in a hug, giving you a better welcome than your old classmates. She held you at arm’s length, looking you up and down. ‘’Wow, that dress looks so good. It’s like a mirrorball.’’ 

You smiled and thanked her for the compliment. ‘’You don’t think it’s too much?’’ 

She shook her head. ‘’It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed,’’ she assured you, quoting Susannah. ‘’Come. Steven has been talking about you non-stop since Jeremiah told him you were in town and coming to the party.’’ Belly gave the boys a glance on the other side of the room, both talking by the windows, then pulled you through the sea of people. 

‘’There she is,’’ Steven exclaimed when seeing you approach, being the last of the group to see you. 

You pulled him in a short hug. ‘’Hey, Steven.’’ 

Seeing your empty hands, Jeremiah offered to get you a drink. He enumerated the small selection available in Este’s kitchen, but your attention was drawn away when you caught Conrad sitting with a couple of friends on the couches with a beer in hand. Your eyes lingered on him more than necessary. You couldn’t help it, he looked so handsome in a button up and sweater. 

‘’So, which one is going to be?’’ Jeremiah said, still waiting for your choice of drink.

As the night went on, you lost sight of him. You and Belly laughed while the boys did karaoke, duetting musicals and acing every song. Parties in Los Angeles were not as laid back. Everyone would have booed if someone had pulled out the karaoke machine. 

Steven was in the middle of an impressive solo when you caught Conrad heading outside to the balcony. You glanced at your friends, then back at the sliding door, and excused yourself to the bathroom. You came to the party in hopes to see him, you couldn’t not talk to him.

As you stepped onto the balcony, the cool night air enveloped you, causing goosebumps to rise on your barely covered skin. Even with tights, that dress was not approved for the winter chill. Trying to ignore the high chances of catching a cold, you walked up to Conrad, who was leaning against the railing, gazing at the illuminated neighborhood by himself.

‘’I’ve been looking for you,’’ you said, your voice breaking the silence. 

‘’Me?’’

You hummed, joining him in his gazing. ‘’Aren't you cold out here?’’ 

‘’No, not really.’’ He shifted his eyes to you, noticing the absence of a coat over your shoulders. ‘’You sure are cold.’’ 

You chuckled, rubbing your arms in a futile attempt to generate warmth. ‘’Maybe a little.’’

Without asking, Conrad pulled you closer, wrapping a comforting arm around your shoulders. ‘’Better?’’ 

You leaned into his side, a smile gracing your lips as the woodsy undertones of his cologne enveloped your senses with every breath. ‘’Better.’’ 

‘’How was your Christmas?’’ he asked.

‘’Great.’’ Your answer came across as cold, but it wasn’t intentional. ‘’Did Susannah make you wear matching Christmas sweaters again?’’

Conrad groaned, confirming that she did. ‘’She got us matching pajama bottoms too, this year. It’s horrendous.’’

‘’I’m sure you looked cute— that it was cute,’’ you quickly corrected. 

‘’I assure you, it was not,’’ Conrad denied, shaking his head at the memories. ‘’Mom put reindeer ears on Jeremiah’s head for the family portrait and I had a Santa hat.’’ 

You could totally imagine Conrad in a Santa hat and Christmas pajamas. 

‘’Conrad?’’ He hummed, waiting for you to continue. ‘’Do you ever think of us? The ‘us’ before I moved to California?’’ 

The two of you were very close since third grade, but once you moved to California, you got radio silence from Conrad. No texts. No phone calls. Nothing. 

‘’What do you mean?’’ 

You distanced yourself from him, preferring to be cold rather than close to someone who was playing fool. ‘’You know what I mean.’’

‘’You’re going back to L.A. in a couple of days. It doesn’t matter…’’ 

‘’It does!’’ you finally said, a mix of emotions coating your voice. ‘’I miss us. I miss us everyday, and after these past days, I don’t think I can go back to not speaking to you. I’m asking you one last time, Conrad, if you miss us too, please say it so we can stop acting like stupid teenagers and face what this is like adults.’’ 

Inside the house, you could hear people loudly counting down to midnight, meaning there wasn’t much time left. 

Talking about feelings was always difficult with Conrad. He preferred to bottle them and be miserable instead of facing them. 

‘’Of course I do,’’ he admitted with a rare vulnerability. ‘’No one matters more to me than you.’’

You didn’t hear the countdown reaching its end when you leaned up and pressed your lips against his, finally exploring the road untraveled by. You thought it would feel strange to cross the friendship line, but it wasn’t. It was easy and comfortable. 

Conrad pulled you back to him with a hand on the small of your back, the sequins of your dress scratching his skin. You wrapped your arms around his neck, as if you were scared he would break the kiss too soon or just…run.

When the kiss did break, Conrad didn’t run. He was smiling down at you as cheers roared from inside the house, the clock having struck midnight. 

‘’It almost doesn’t feel real,’’ you said, looking into his beautiful eyes. 

Conrad leaned down to kiss you again. ‘’How about now?’’ He had an ever present smile on his lips, the kind of smile that couldn’t be broken by anything. The kind of smile that was from pure happiness. 

Starting to feel too cold, the two of you headed back inside to grab your coat and leave. As you were maneuvering through the people, Jeremiah didn’t fail to notice Conrad’s hand holding yours. He elbowed Belly, who squealed excitedly.

—

All and more taglist:  @kenqki  @hawkegfs  @gillybear17   @black-rose-29 @fudge13 @cece05 @laylasbunbunny @gemofthenight @beautyb1ade   @mellabella101 @vxnity713  @bisexualgirlsblog @queenofslytherin889 @thatbxtchesblog @softb-tterfly @ethanlandrycanbreakmyheart  @xyzstar  @graceberman3   @mikeyspinkcup @jackierose902109 @daisydark @laurasdrey @mischieftom @fanatic4niall @peterholland04 @idkwhattonamethisblogs  @lexasaurs634  @notasadgirlipromise @zoeynicolas @thejuleshypothesis @multi-fandom-bi-bitch @lexasaurs634  @notasadgirlipromise @thejuleshypothesis  @katherinejess  

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[whitemancumslut]

REQUEST ALWAYS OPEN

kiss her & don’t tells= pink

instagram blurb= blue

not released yet/ ☓= red

LONG HAIR HARRY↓

Temporary Fix *

summary During the On the Road Again Tour, Harry uses his bandmate’s girlfriend as a distraction from his previous relationship.

PRINCE HAIR HARRY ↓

Grounded *

summary: in which your boyfriend skips a party to be with you.

Attention Span of A Goldfish *

summary: harry proves his point.

Good Boy *

ask: Subrry so gone that he keeps eating you even after you have already cum and are overstimulated but he can’t stop because he just wants to be a good boy for you 😩 I HOPE YOU ARE WELL

LOVE ON TOUR↓

Harryween *

summary: y/n loves harry’s costume.

Midnights *

summary: in which, harry is horny late into the night.

Orgasm Denial w/ Subbry *

ask: su -susss-sub harry pls mama pls pls PLEASE IM BEGGING BANGING MY FIST AGAINST THE GROUNG

Tripping, Falling

summary: subspace blurb

Happy new year

summary in which harry and y/n celebrate their second new years together and y/n makes a big decision in order to keep her and harry’s relationship alive.

DAD!HARRY↓

Harry’s Daughters

Stranger Things Release + Dating Rumors

Los Angeles Residency 4 and 5

(better together series)

PHH/LHH as a dad

Santa Baby *

summary: In which, the Styles’ family is spending their first Christmas in one their homes, in Y/n’s hometown, Boston.

WORST DADDY EVER

summary in which Angel is upset with her father and calls him the worst dad ever.

LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO *

summary: harry and his wife have kitchen sex

The Start of HS4…

HUSBAND!HARRY

Pregnancy Announcement Extended

Los Angeles Residency 4 and 5

Grammys ‘23

summary harry and y/n are up against each other.

The Start of HS4

SOON TO BE DAD!HARRY

Pregnancy Announcement Extended

NERD!HARRY↓

The Cute Tutor *

summary harry is completely obsessed with y/n. but when harry volunteered to be y/n’s tutor just as an excuse to see her every week, he had no idea having an attraction to someone you’re tutoring would become such torture. but harry is completely oblivious to y/n’s flirtatious manner towards him.

cw: phone sex

BOYFRIEND!HARRY↓

Open *

Best of Friends

summary actress!singer!reader is best friends with the one and only harry styles. many suspect romance between the two… but can you blame them? here are some of their birthday post for each other throughout the years💕 face claim, gracie abrams

Princess Treatment

18+ subspace aftercare with no plot

Subrry x Mean!Y/n

ask: can you please write subrry with mean dom y/n? <33 i feel deprived of subrry lately 😭

Precious *

summary In which Y/n is busy and isn’t able to tend and take care of a small sensitive Harry.

Breed Me *

summary: Harry breeds his wife with baby #2

Sad Harry (blurb)

summary harry’s sad and doesn’t know why.

DAD’S BESTFRIEND!HARRY↓

Beautiful Corruption *

You’re Pretty When You Cry *

CHEATER!HARRY↓

Party Pleaser

summary: where y/n tends to think she can blackmail harry to get what she wants but harry puts her in her place awfully quick by making her plead for a gut wrenching orgasm.

ALL MINE *

PROFESSOR!HARRY↓

Edge of Seventeen

BEST FRIEND’S DAD↓

Relentless *

Better Than Me*

DADDY!HARRY↓

Play Date ft. Zayn Malik *

EX BOYFRIEND!HARRY ↓

BAD KIND OF BUTTERFLIES *

summary:

OLDER!HARRY↓

Relentless *

Better Than Me *

FWB!HARRY↓

SHOULD’VE SAID IT *

summary: In which Harry and Y/n had a situationship a few months back. Y/n gets a new boyfriend who she claims she loves deeply but when Harry comes back and they hook up it makes all of his feelings for her suddenly come back. But Y/n claims Harry is too late.

STEPBROTHER!HARRY↓

WHOSE GONNA BRING THE POP TO THE CINEMA?

ask: HEYYY!! I LOVE your writings! can you please write one, where they fuck in the cinema OR ANY PUBLIC SEX? Either stepbrother h or dbf harry. I don’t care which one you choose, I just want that to happen.

FRAT BOY!HARRY↓

LAST CHRISTMAS

summary In which Harry and Y/n had relationship troubles last christmas and are excited to celebrate their first christmas together.

FETUS!HARRY↓

GANG!HARRY↓

STEPDAD!HARRY↓

PORNSTAR!HARRY↓

LIVE ON TOUR↓

BROTHER’S BESTFRIEND↓

[gretavangroupie]

Vigilance (Chapter 6)

Word count: 14.1k

Warnings: 18+ as always, drinking, language, fluff, angst, smut, violence.

This story is a very special collaboration with my best pal @gretavanmoon.

HER POV

FEBRUARY 2021

You hit send, delivering the new hire paperwork to your new boss from the comfort of your brand new apartment. The final class of your degree and your advisor was able to help set you up to accept an internship at Collective Artist Management. The company you had your eye on for months. You had set up email alerts last fall hoping to see the listing for an intern come up, and on that lonely New Years Day you saw the job posting. You applied immediately knowing there would likely be hundreds of people desperate for the opportunity. 

You spoke to your advisor about it, and somehow she knew someone and the internship was suddenly yours. The only stipulation being that you would finish out your degree and move to Nashville, Tennessee. A city you had never been to, with no friends, no family and no sense of comfort. But maybe this was the fresh start you needed, still haunted by the ghosts living in your hometown. 

Things with Jake never got better, never seeing him again after that fateful day. Never even speaking about it. He left for tour and you left for school. All there was was silence. Your heart broke into a million pieces. You thought you'd be with him forever. Funny how life takes your plans and turns them inside out. 

You dreaded each holiday spent at home, knowing there would be a chance they would all be there. But to your surprise they never were. Three Thanksgivings passed with empty place mats, Christmas came and went each year, never to see any of their smiling faces. They had moved on from this life and had started anew. Sam kept in touch the first few months after you and Jake ended things, but eventually he dropped off too. You tried not to take it personally, knowing that they were onto bigger and better things, but you still felt that pang of sadness not only of losing Jake, but losing your best friend too.

For a while you would watch them through social media. Watch them tour, watch them live out the dream they always told you they would. But at a certain point it started to do more harm than good. So, you did what you had to do and you blocked them. All of them. It hurt and you hated it but you couldn’t bear it anymore. They changed. You changed. You weren’t in their orbit anymore. It was easier to not know, than to know anything at all.

So you put your head into the books, burying yourself in your classes, soaking up every bit of knowledge you could. Ending each semester with perfect grades and the years breezing by. You always imagined yourself in Los Angeles or maybe even New York. Never Nashville. But again, life has a funny way of skewing your plans, so here you found yourself. A new city with new people, wishing and hoping that maybe you would be able to fill the hole in your heart with new friends and new lovers. Leaving the past behind you, as much as it hurt. 

—

The first week of your internship was spent going over everything crucial to know in the job. Where to be, where not to be and who you should and should not talk to. You learned about the labels you worked with, labels you no longer worked with and you met your boss, Allison. 

You would be working as an Artist Liaison Intern. A long fancy title for unpaid coffee runner, and fulltime errand girl. In reality you would be helping coordinate flights, travel visas, help schedule cars and bus transportation, even help plan parties. There were really no limits on this job title and you were more than thrilled to be working with Collective. You knew after your first year of college that you wanted to work in music. Work with bands and artists like the ones you grew up with. While it hurt to think that they helped pave this path for you, you thought that maybe the pain of it all was just the universe pushing you towards the life you were destined to have. 

Your boss Allison started each day with a checklist of what needed to get done, and then would delegate tasks to you. Recently they had all been tasks that would eventually come together to build the pieces of the Label Release Party. A party for all of the bands and artists releasing new albums in the coming year for that particular label. The client for this quarter's party was UMG.

You were handed a binder of information from the last party and began to delve into the specifics of what exactly needed to get done. Each day was spent alongside Allison and her team building the foundation of this party taking place in just two months. Over 30 artists would be there, and UMG had no budget, so you and the team almost had full reign over the entirety of the party.

The nights were long and the interns from other departments became the new friends you were hoping for all along. Dragging you to bars after work each night, drinking away the stress of each day. You were beginning to feel happy here in this new city. Happy with your new friends, and happy with the life you were building for yourself. Allison had mentioned the possibility of the internship turning into a full time position more than once so you were sure to be on your ‘A’ game at all times, really hoping that you wouldn't have to leave at the end of all of this. 

As the date of the party drew nearer, so did the anxiety. Was everything perfect? Would the label be happy? Couple that with the stress of your impending Graduation and you were borderline losing it. Allison seemed more than happy with your work and with the party only a few days away, everything began to fall into place exactly as you hoped it would.

—-

APRIL 2021

Smoothing your black dress out with your palms, you look yourself over in your full length mirror one last time before rushing out the door. You wobble down the stairs in your heels and make quick strides to your car. As you put the key in the ignition you slide your heels off and throw them into the passenger seat. You back out of the parking space and try to remember to take deep breaths. Everything you had worked for was banking on tonight. The fate of your job was banking on this. One slip up could make or break you, and you would be damned if you let another good thing get away.

Your heels clacked loudly against the tile floor of the lobby. The label had insisted on the party being hosted somewhere ‘cool and hip’ so when Allison suggested The Blue Room at Third Man Studios they were instantly sold. It was large enough to hold a crowd but intimate enough to feel exclusive. As you stepped into the main space you saw all the decorations and all of the things you had been preparing come to life. The signs, the food, the table placement… everything was perfect.

Allison rushed over as soon as she saw you, frantic with her hands full of paperwork. “We have an hour until artists start showing up. Do you have the flash drive?” she asks.

“Of course, it’s in my bag. I got it from Hazel this morning.” You say handing her the small metal drive.

“Thank god, you’re a lifesaver. I really couldn’t have done all of this without you.” she says, accepting it and walking off, before turning to look over her shoulder. “By the way, the job is yours, welcome to the team.”

Your jaw dropped and she smiled and walked away rushing off to the sound booth. You did it.

You spent much of the evening on cloud nine, running around tending to the needs of the guests and helping with catering and even at the bar. The slideshow went off without a hitch and the artists seemed more than happy with the display the team had procured for each one of them. You watched in awe as each artist flashed across the screen, standing to be recognized. As it reached the final few artists a name flashed across the screen that almost took your breath away. The single from the impending album played in the background as the slide read ‘Greta Van Fleet’. 

You’re sure the blood drained from your face as you nervously scanned the room looking for the guys and their representation. In the far left corner of the room you saw Josh, standing with his drink accepting the applause the crowd gave him. He looked so different since the last time you saw him. Granted it had been almost three years since you blocked them all, never once searching them or the band knowing it would send you back to square one. Hearing their new music playing now was the first you had heard them in years. Josh’s voice had matured and their sound had become rock solid. They truly did make it. The guitar playing sent a shock right to your heart though, reminding you that you could very well be in the same room as him right now. You scanned the table where Josh sat but found only him. Part of you was thankful that it was only him but the other part of you felt punched in the gut at the stupid hopefulness you felt. 

As your eyes fixate on Josh, you quickly realize that if he sees you he will want to talk so you tear your eyes away hoping to keep a low profile for the rest of the night. You keep your head low working at the bar and keeping to yourself, that is until Allison found you, pulling you away from your quiet task.

“Want to go meet some of the people you will be working with? Wait, you want the job right?” she asks.

“Of course I do! Yes!” you reply eagerly. 

“Then let's go!” she says pulling you behind her. 

She ushers you around the room, introducing you to executives, co-workers you hadn’t met yet, and even a few artists you’d be working with. Your head was spinning as you tried to process all the new information coming in while simultaneously keeping an eye out for Josh, doing your damndest to avoid him.

After a few hours people began to slowly filter out and you started to collect empty place settings and pack the nameplates back into the little box you plucked them from. Feeling like the coast was clear you slipped your heels off as you worked paying no mind to the few guests still lingering near the bar. 

You heard the doors open to the room and you saw the familiar fluff of curls cross the room, back to the table he was previously seated at, scanning over it before grabbing his keys. As you watched him, his eyes flicked upward meeting yours.

You look away quickly hoping he wouldn’t recognize you, but you kick yourself because it’s Josh, and you knew he would. He inevitably makes his way over to you, rushing, pushing chairs out of the way in order to get to you as quickly as possible.

“Y/N?” he questions, as he stands in front of you. 

You turn slowly to face him, as you nod. “Hi, Josh.”

Expecting to be met with anger or resentment you furrow your brow waiting for his next words, but instead of that you are met with a beaming smile.

“Oh my god, it is you. I…I thought it was you earlier, but I couldn’t tell. I convinced myself that it couldn’t be. I… Oh my god, how are you? What are you doing here?” he asks, shocked.

“Well…I kind of live here now. I work for Collective Artist Management.” you say nervously. “I graduate next month.”

His hand reaches out and lands on your arm, and you smile to yourself. Typical Josh, always touching. “Y/N, that is amazing! You fucking did it, huh!” he says gripping your arm. “You live here? In Nashville?”

“Yeah, I moved here at the end of January, beginning of February… something like that. Been working and trying to meet new people and get to know my new city.” you reply.

“How did we end up in the same city again?” he laughs, a sound you have sorely missed. 

A smile strung across your face at the sound, bringing back the memories you have tried so hard to bury deep inside your brain. He pulls his phone from his pocket, and taps the screen a few times before flashing it to you. “Is this still your number?” he asks.

You examine the screen seeing your name and the emojis you selected all those years ago, still sitting peacefully next to it. “Yep, that’s me.” you reply.

“Good, can we uh… can I text you? Maybe we can get drinks tomorrow or something?” he asks.

“Yeah, that would be fine. I’m sure I have a lot to catch up on.” you laugh. 

A giggle leaves his chest as he replies, “Yeah, just a bit. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

“Yep, talk to you then.” you say, before being pulled into his chest for a hug. As his arms wrap around your neck you catch a whiff of him, and you are instantly catapulted back to a time you have tried so hard to forget. 

He releases you and walks away shoving his hands in his pockets tossing you a smile over his shoulder.

Your mind is positively reeling, you had no idea that he lived in Nashville. Where were the others? When did they move here? Obviously they had made it pretty big if they were signed with UMG…

As the night wrapped up and you drove yourself home you let your mind wander down those old dusty paths you had roped off for so long. You thought of Sam and your last conversation with him about Elle. How things weren’t going too well and things were only getting harder. 

You thought of Danny and Josh and the last time you heard them play. But mostly you thought of Jake and how you left things, broken and beyond repair.

As you showered the night off of you, you thought some more, wondering if meeting Josh for drinks was a good idea. Not sure if you wanted to reopen those old wounds. Though the more you thought about it, years had passed. You had changed. He had clearly changed, filling out more and carrying himself more authentically. You felt compelled to know this new Josh so you decided you would go, and you would leave the past behind you. 

—-

The text from Josh came in the early afternoon, startling you from your book.

Josh: Fable Lounge at 8?

You: See you then!

You rifled through your closet for what had to be an hour. What the hell do you wear to meet up with an old friend in a new city? At a swanky bar nonetheless? Your bed was littered with different items of clothing strewn about, a pile for maybe, a pile for no, a pile for absolutely not. After a half hour of madness, you finally decided on some tight jeans with a black tank and green bomber jacket. You let your hair hang naturally, it had grown quite long, and you decided to let your natural waves be. Simple makeup and some winged eyeliner, and you were out the door. 

Thankfully, Josh was already at the bar when you arrived, having a casual conversation with the bartender pouring his drink. You walked up and took the stool to his right, trying to take him by surprise.

“Heyyyy, there she is!” He brought you in for a hug. “It’s so good seeing a familiar face in town. Whatcha drinking tonight?”

“Rum and Coke” you reply.

He nods his head to the bartender and he begins to make it. The two of you sat, drank, and laughed, catching up on each other's lives. After a round or two, you felt your body begin to relax. 

“Don’t have anyone steady in your life?” he asked, sipping from the side of his glass. 

“No, nothing serious.” You suddenly became shy, and he knew why. “Things just haven’t felt right...in a while. Ya know?”

“Do I know?” He asked from the side of his mouth. 

You sighed heavily. “Of course you know, Josh. You’ve always known.” you reply.

He smiled his know-it-all smile, “Hmm... Well… maybe you’ve found yourself back in the right place again.” He smirked, and lightly clinked his glass to yours. The blood drained from your face. What on earth did that mean?

You heard the door open behind you, catching Josh’s attention as a smile played upon his lips. Turning to see what he was looking at, the blood drained from your face. Oh. My god. In walked Danny, Sam, Jake, and…a girl. On Jake’s arm. 

“SURPRISE! Look who I found!” Josh moved his stool to reveal you, as all of their jaws dropped simultaneously. 

“Josh, what the fuck!” You said quietly in his ear, gritting your teeth through a fake smile. 

Rounds of hugs came quickly from Sam and Danny, while Jake and the mystery girl stayed quietly far enough away that they didn’t feel the need to partake in your greetings. 

Sam immediately made his way over to your barstool. You inhaled a quick breath to prepare yourself for this. You spun the swivel stool and faced him. What you came face to face with wasn't at all what you expected. 

He was taller, had filled out a bit, and god damn, he was absolutely gorgeous. His hair was a bit longer, rested below his shoulders, and was finger-tousled. His skin seemed to glow, especially in this lighting. It looked so soft, you had to stop yourself from reaching out to touch it. He had just a little bit of dark peach fuzz around his lips and chin that countered the silken look of his skin, but it suited him well. His eyes, though. They hadn’t changed. Deep brown, sanpaku shaped, and they still squinted into little half moons when he smiled too hard. Which he did, the second you turned to face him. 

“Y/N?! Are you kidding me?! What are you doing here? With Josh, nonetheless!” He shoved Josh’s shoulder from behind, causing him to choke a little on the drink he was swallowing. 

“Why didn’t you tell me we had an old friend in town?!” Sam asked him without taking his eyes off of you. 

His fucking smile.

He was grinning ear to ear, genuinely happy to see you. His perfectly straight and white teeth sat behind his gorgeous lips. You always envied the hell out of his smile. 

Before you could speak, he was lifting you off the stool into a giant bear hug that felt more like a back-cracking than a formal hello. He set you back down to your feet and you gathered yourself, flustered by his newfound confidence. 

“Surprise? I guess?” You returned his beaming smile, and you felt him lower his head and catch your eyes, taking you all in. In another unexpected instance, you found his hand on yours, lifting it to spin you around. When you had done your full turn, he met your gaze again. 

“You look spectacular. Haven’t changed a bit,” he said with a knowing wink. 

But, you had changed. Though you had long since lost your freshman 15, you had gained it back in all the right places, finally forming into the full shape of a grown woman. You’d let your hair grow, and decided to change up your style a bit. New city, new you, of course. 

Sam took the bar stool next to you, leaving the rest of his group behind. You cleared your throat, mind flashing with dread as you caught Jake in your peripheral, sitting three stools down. Thankfully Josh and Danny separated the two of you. Sam motioned to the bartender and ordered a tequila soda. Next, his elbow was on the bar, head leaning into his hand, looking directly at you. You downed the rest of your drink as you met his gaze. 

“What the hell are you doing here, Y/N?” He said quietly through a giant smile. 

“Well, my internship brought me here, actually. Remember I was in school? I majored in Music Management and Marketing, so I took an internship and I’ve been working at Collective Artist Management learning how the logistics of the industry work.” you say proudly.

You sipped hard on your skinny straw, getting nothing but watered-down rum. “I basically buy plane tickets, help plan tours and throw big parties for a living now. Anyways, we hosted UMG’s new release party the other night. And, lo and behold, I ran into Josh. Well, he ran into me. We got to talking… He invited me out for drinks. But- he failed to tell me he was bringing the whole family. I didn’t even know you guys lived here.” You rolled your eyes to the side to look toward Josh, but he didn’t hear you. 

“That’s amazing. Leave it to the universe. So, you’re living here now?” His gaze was dreamy and intense, like he was hanging on your every word. He folded the straw in half over the lip of his glass, and sipped it from the side. 

“Yeah. For now, at least.” You grinned at him, and he returned it. 

The drinks continued to flow, and the conversation did too. Danny had made his way over to you, embracing you in one of his all-too-familiar bear hugs and it felt like no time had passed at all. Josh told 5 or 6 stories, Danny announced that he was finally going to purchase his dream guitar tomorrow, and Sam explained, in detail, all the restaurants you just had to try as soon as humanly possible. 

Jake…and the girl, Sophia, you learned….stayed put in their seats, adding very little to the conversation, and never once giving you the greeting everyone else did. 

“Shots?! Anyone want a shot? Let’s do shots.” Classic Samuel. He clapped his hands together, successfully signaling the bartender. Your face was now well on its way to feeling warm and numb from the liquor, and you threw your head back in aggravated laughter. The bar had gotten significantly more crowded, and the atmosphere was heady. 

“Sam, I have to get up tomorrow!” You objected while the bartender lined up the shot glasses. 

“Yeah, at what, 11am? You’ll be fine, don't be a baby.” he smirked.

You rolled your eyes. What was this, high school again? 

“Besides, we’re celebrating! It’s a reunion!” He slapped the bar top candidly. 

The six of you crowded into a small circle and raised the tiny glasses into the air. You ever so briefly made eye contact with Jake from across the circle, and he looked away as soon as your eyes could focus. 

“To new memories and old friends, may we be ever compliant with what time throws toward us, and may we accept with grace and dignity!” Josh bellowed, slightly slurry. Everyone clinked glasses and downed the warm liquor. You welcomed it, though these people felt like home, you couldn’t have felt more out of place. 

You turned back to the bar, wiping your mouth of the droplets that had escaped your lips. Sam joined you in his original seat. His eyes were locked onto the side of your face and you almost felt them burning holes into the side of your skull. 

“What, Samuel?” You said sharply through a tight smile. 

He smiled a curt half smile, his eyes hooded but confident. “Let’s get out of here.” He nodded his head toward the door. You might have choked on your spit if you had been a tad bit more drunk. Your eyebrows raised in shock. 

“What? L-like...leave? You and-” you motioned to yourself and him, questioning if you had heard him right. 

“I hate this fuckin bar. It’s too uptown for me. Not my style, ya know?” Sam said, standing up and pulling out his wallet. “I know someplace else that is more our speed.” 

You were speechless, unsure of what to say. But you were well on your way to being more than tipsy, feeling just right, on the brink of confidence overtaking your personality. What the hell, right? You could afford to learn about a few new bars in town, and you were with your best friend. Well, old best friend. And the man at the other end of the bar couldn’t seem to care less if he spoke to you tonight or not. Not that you cared. 

After Sam paid his bill and yours, which you didn’t object to out of old habit, he clinked the pen closed and replaced his wallet. “Let’s go!”

In a rush of hands whisking you from your chair, the two of you were quickly pacing toward the door, hand in hand. 

“See you guys later, we’re going to get into some trouble. Get the bail money ready, bitches!” Sam hollered to his brothers still seated at the bar. 

You didn’t know what to add except a quick shrug and a passing wave of goodbye. You met Jake’s eyes as Sam pulled you past, and the look on his face was unreadable. Pissed? Maybe. Sad, confused, silent.

The outside air was enough to sober you up and make you feel more drunk all at once. The two of you paced down the sidewalk quickly; your arm tucked under Sam’s. 

“Where are we going?” You pressed. 

“A fun place. Don’t worry about it.” His hair was blowing in the chilled air, and his face was as happy as you remembered it to always be. Carefree Sammy, always so eloquently unbothered by anything. 

As you walked into the next bar, you were met with a darker, more relaxed atmosphere. The place was small, and instantly felt cozy. Wooden walls, a lava lamp on the bar, plastic chairs at the tables, and a jukebox on the far wall. Ah, yes. Definitely more your speed. 

“Rum and coke?” Sam asked as you approached the bar. 

“Yes please.” you responded. 

The night continued on, the two of you laughing, sharing old stories, getting significantly more intoxicated…but neither of you daring to touch on the subject that was lingering in the air. 

Honestly, you didn’t want to bring it up. You knew it would happen sooner or later, but time had passed. Things had changed. People had moved on. You were adults now. And you were enjoying yourself, things were light and airy and giggly with your old friend again. It felt like old times. Cheerful, breezy, nostalgic. Sam brought about an air of peace that you had so missed. 

“I can’t buhlieve my old friends are FAYYYMOUS!” you raised your voice overtop of the old rock song playing from the jukebox, hand landing on Sam’s knee. 

He looked at you a little sideways. 

“Have you really not kept up with our music, Y/N?” He acted a little offended. “We’ve toured the world, released two albums...we kinda uh, won a Grammy...” he laughed through the last word. 

Your eyes widened and your stomach flipped. How could you tell him that you’ve been actively ignoring and going out of your way to block out every word involving their band name on your social media? How could you explain that seeing their faces on your screen or hearing them play in your car brought back such sickening memories that it put you in depressive episodes for days?

Even seeing them here, now, in the flesh made you feel so uneasy it was hard to think straight. 

“I heard one of your songs playing in the grocery store once.” You swallowed hard. “Safari Song, I think? It was wild, just minding my own business, picking through the fruit bins, listening to my old best friends play on the radio in a super public setting.” 

He was silent. 

“I knew you guys had made it, but honestly, I...kind of… Don’t seek you out. It really just…hurts? Kind of. I don’t know. After everything.” you stammer.

Sam placed his hand on your knee and leaned forward. “No, I get it. I really do. It would be strange. But, hopefully one day you’ll come to a show. Let us show off for you a little bit?” He smiled a cheesy smile. 

You half cocked a smile back, and put a strand of hair behind your ear. “Yeah! Maybe one day.”

You knew going to see them play would be absolutely mind blowing. Watching their fans go nuts, hearing their new music and how they’ve grown as musicians, watching Jake. Your stomach felt sick at the thought. 

When the night was growing toward a close, and the bar had begun to empty, you and Sam found yourselves two of the only few people left at the bar, heavily and drunkenly engaged in a game of quarter bounce. You’d had a blast with him this evening, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t noticed how the neon was glowing off of his skin, radiating and accentuating his perfectly developed features. 

Or how sexy it looked when he pulled his hair back into a low bun when the game got intense, a few strands falling into his face…You sincerely flushed when he kissed you on the cheek after making three quarters in a row. He beamed with contentment, comfort, warmth. Never letting the smile fall from his face the whole night. He was being his goofy self, making you laugh until your stomach muscles hurt, but all the while you found yourself intensely and overwhelmingly attracted to him. For the first time you saw him. Not his brother. 

“You cheated! That’s not fair!” He practically yelled. “You don’t get three chances, it’s in the rule book!”

“What rule book, Sam? The rule book doesn’t exist!” You slurred through hearty giggles, knowing well and good that you had in fact, cheated. 

He walked over to you slowly, taking his pointer finger and playfully poking you in random spots across your face. You tried to swat him away, to no avail. 

“Cheater!”  *poke* 

“Cheater!”  *poke* 

“Pumpkin!” *poke*

“EATER!” he taunted.

You grabbed his hand to pull it from your face, he knew he was pissing you off. He sturdied his arm, which in turn pulled your whole body into him. You suddenly found yourselves chest to chest, faces impossibly close. 

His nose bumped yours, and normally you would back off, feeling awkward and embarrassed. But his eyes darted down to your lips, and back up to your eyes. Your lips were mere centimeters from his. You could feel his breath, warm and heavy, exhaling lightly onto your partially parted lips. His eyes traveled slowly back down to your lips, and you felt his sturdied arm relax. Your heart began to pound in your ears. You’ve never been this close to Sam before. His hand was still on yours, and without moving his face away, he turned your hand into his, and interlaced your fingers. You swallowed hard, tasting the essence of his tequila on your tongue. 

“I don’t like pumpkin.” was all you could whisper before his lips were crashing onto yours in the most heated, yet cautious way. His lips were warm and soft, and he let out a small exhale through his nose at the contact. God, your stomach fell straight to the floor; he felt so sweet. You felt his body relax, and his fingers tighten around yours. After a few seconds of exhilaration, you parted, the both of you darting your eyes back and forth between each others. Each of you exploded into lighthearted and drunken giggles. He let your hand go, and you stood, taking all of him in with your eyes. 

“I love pumpkin,” he said through a chuckle. 

——

A ten minute walk down the sidewalk, and a short but exhausting trek down side streets found you and Sam approaching his front door. A little bungalow of a place tucked away from the main part of whatever neighborhood you were in. You were still sufficiently intoxicated, probably more so than you truly needed to be. But you were high on the night, on the festivities, and on Sam’s lips. You suddenly felt all your inhibitions melting into the ground below you. 

“This is me,” he said, fumbling with the keys as he unlocked the door. When you got inside, he walked over to a tiny lamp and switched it on, sending a light orange glow into the small but spacious area. You kicked off your shoes and hung your jacket on a chair. You made your way to his couch. You plopped down and let it begin to relax you. 

“Another drink, or some water?” He asked lovingly. 

“How about both?” You replied. 

“Excellent choice.” he smiled, disappearing to the kitchen.

He returned promptly with two glasses full of some type of iced amber liquid and two bottles of water. 

“Cheers,” he mumbled quietly as he sat down next to you on the couch. 

“Cheers, Sammy.” you smiled.

Your head was spinning. From the alcohol, from the kiss, from seeing Jake’s brand new face after so long of not seeing him every day. 

The kiss. Your drunken state brought the memory of what happened just now at the bar, amplified, back to the forefront of your mind. You sipped from the glass, then chugged some water. For the second time tonight, you felt Sam’s eyes boring into the side of your face. You slowly turned to look at him. Your face went hot when you met his sultry gaze. Good god, he was so beautiful. Even more so, now, in his matured state and in this dim lighting. You felt your heart flutter. 

“Yeeees?” You teased. 

Sam rested his head on the back of the couch. His breath hitched.  “I’m gonna ask you a question, Y/N. And I need you to answer honestly.”

That shouldn’t be too hard, as the alcohol had given you quite the air of confidence, suddenly at just the perfect spot of leaving you feeling like you had no filter.

He put his head down, and was toying with a frayed string on his shirt. “Did you- ever? Umm... Did you ever feel anything for-” 

He was stumbling over his words. You raised your head to look at him with more attention, brows furrowing trying to show him that you were listening. 

He huffed. “Did you ever love me, y/n?” Your name rolled off his tongue effortlessly, like he’d spoken it one million times, because in reality, he had. 

Your eyes widened. You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. 

“I know you loved me, but... I felt so strongly for you for so many years, but I never had the guts to tell you. I was too-” he cut off his words again. You felt like you may pass out at his confession. He stared up at the ceiling, letting his words finally fall. 

“You were my absolute best friend. Like, even more so than my brothers or Daniel. It was different with you. I could tell you anything and you’d never pick on me or judge me. I trusted you with my secrets. And I think you trusted me with yours.” he said.

He reached down to grab your hand once again, interlacing your fingers like you had at the bar. “I always thought, you know, one day I’ll do it, I’ll get the balls to tell her. Then- everything happened...” he stammered off, both of your brains revisiting a dark place that you’d had tucked away in the very deepest crevices of your brain. 

He turned to look at you now. 

“I think I always knew about you and Jake. Even before he told me. At the time, I don’t think I did. But looking back now, I think I knew it. In my bones, ya know? I just kept lying to myself because I always thought it’d be you and me in the end.” 

You felt a tear fall directly from your eye and onto your chest. He gingerly brought his hand up to your face and wiped it away. 

“After all this time, and even after Elle and our careers and everything getting busy and taking off..I think I realized that I’m not in love with you anymore. I finally feel…like I can break myself free of the chains you held me in for so many years.” He smiled, his words weren’t meant to hurt you, just let you know.  “I think I finally fell away from you, y/n. And it feels…” 

“It feels what, Sammy?” You asked through another tear. 

He huffed again. 

“Huh, I dunno. Liberating? If that’s the word.” He laughed a little. You couldn’t help but smile. You turned and wiped your tears away, letting out a choppy sigh. 

“Dammit, Sam. You made me emotional.” you said, laughing at yourself. You rolled your head back again. You allowed a few moments to pass, silently. 

“No.” You said, finally. 

“No what?” he asks.

You paused, collecting your words. “I never loved you like that.”

Sam took a deep and quick breath through his teeth, readjusting himself on the couch. “I didn’t think so.” 

The two of you sat in silence for a few minutes, taking turns sipping your drinks and exchanging looks. 

“So, now that we’ve established that we aren’t in love with each other, want to talk about that sweet little kiss at the bar?” Sam said in his normal cheeky tone. You realized you were still holding hands. His thumb was lightly massaging the back of your hand. It felt like pure electricity. 

“Honestly Sam, I don’t want to talk about it.” You answered. You took the last bit of your drink, and placed the glass on the coffee table. You took his drink from his hand, and placed it next to yours. You moved your body so that you were able to throw your leg over top of his, and bring yourself to carefully sit on his lap, facing him. 

“I just…kind of want to kiss you again.” you said quietly in a questioning tone, watching his face closely to gauge his reaction. Of course, his eyes widened, and the look on his face was hilarious. Pure and utter surprise. His head lulled back against the couch, and once your words and action had settled in his mind, he put on that seductively shy smile. 

“Do you, now? I thought we didn’t have feelings for each other?” he peeked at you through one eye, hands beginning to grip tightly on your thighs. 

“We don’t. But that doesn’t mean I don’t find you…attractive.” you twirled a piece of his hair between your fingers. The silky brown strands, thick and plush.

“I’ve always found you attractive, y/n. Caught my eye the first day I saw you.” His hands were squeezing harder now, moving slowly from your straddled knees up to your upper thighs. 

“Gorgeous from the get go. All the guys in school fawning over you.” He continued intermittently squeezing the thickness of your thighs, eyes scanning over your whole body as if he was committing every inch to memory.

“Guys coming up to me to see if they could ask you out...as if I’d have any problem with it.” His thumbs had now inched impossibly close to your heat, gripping the fold where your legs met your hips. He dug the pads of his thumbs into your groin, eliciting the tiniest sound to escape your lips.

“Everyone wanted you...but you were mine…my best friend. I can’t tell you how many times I had to stop myself from sneaking you away into the basement…” his hands were still working your muscle at a sickening pace, thumbs rubbing small circles close, but not close enough. 

“But I must say, when I saw you at the bar tonight…” his hands moved from your thighs to your ass, gently but tightly squeezing. “…I knew I wasn’t going to be able to take my eyes off of you for the rest of the night.” His voice had grown low and gravely. His normal frivolous attitude had shifted into something darker and more sinister, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t absolutely craving seeing more of this side of him. 

“Of course I was always attracted to you too, Sam. I mean, God, look at you.” He shied away at your words, a rosy blush filling his cheeks. “Watching you play your guitar was always my favorite. Everyone knows you as the bass player, but I always knew you could do both. Talented at both.” You brought your forehead to rest on his.

“You fell into another world when you played. Played anything, really. So talented. I always caught myself having to drag my eyes away from your hands...” you found his hand and intertwined your fingers again. “Just because I didn’t have the same feelings for you then, doesn’t mean that I never wanted to…do this.” your voice trailed off, sticky and full of lust. 

You brought your hands to his face, tracing his beautiful cheekbones with your thumbs. You weren’t sure what had come over you. Curiosity, mostly, and drunken and immense attraction to this man in front of you. Your mind flashed with every warning sign and inhibition it could to stop you from doing this- your friendship with Sam, everything with Andy, the fight, Jake….

You worked to ignore every single red flag your body was throwing at you, and to just go with what felt right right now. 

And what felt right was kissing Sam again. 

So you did. 

This time, it was slow and mellow, testing the waters and seeing how he felt. You slowly moved your lips across his, sweetly taking your time and allowing for this strange adjustment. You pulled away to catch his eyes, and in seconds, he had his hands back on your waist, harshly pulling you closer toward him, and down onto his hardening length in his jeans.

Oh.

He found your lips again, and parted his slightly to allow you more access. You took the opportunity, and deepened the kiss, lightly flicking your tongue across his lips, testing the uncharted waters. He met your tongue with his, and damned if he didn’t taste sweet. Your hands found his hair, and tangled into the roots, which only spurred him on. Your brain was flipping and flying everywhere at once, but you liked it. 

He tightened his grip on your waist again, and dug his thumbs into your sides, eliciting a sharp breath from you. You parted, meeting eyes. You both began to laugh, and again, you rested your forehead on his. 

“This is...weird.” you said. 

“Yep. Very weird.” He parroted back. Suddenly he was lifting you from his lap and laying you down on your back on the couch. He climbed to lay on top of you, and what began as innocent explorative kissing quickly shifted into a heated, frenzied makeout session. Your kisses became raw and wanting, you were both fighting for control as you let your instincts take over. 

He was an excellent kisser, and you took advantage of that. All four hands were gripping and fighting and pulling, trying to find any kind of purchase that may assist in getting each other undressed. The sounds he was making were causing you to absolutely pool with desire for him. You were both panting and sweating at this point. Both of you unsure what step to take next. Cautious, flustered, embarrassed… But wholeheartedly comfortable and yearning for him. And him for you. 

“Sam,” you asked. 

“Y/N” he answered. 

“Will you umm, take my shirt off?”

Without another word, he was lifting himself off of you and removing your shirt above your head. You realized he had never seen you in a bra before. His eyes were blown out with lust just from looking at you, and seeing him look at you that way ignited something in your chest. 

You felt a strange and wanting passion burning, one that felt uninhibited and carnal. For Sam. With Sam. Your best friend. Why did all of this feel so good?

You decided to go with your gut. You were both consenting adults, just looking for a little fun. What did you have to lose? 

SAM POV

Jesus Christ, what is happening right now? Am I dreaming?

She looked absolutely stunning in nothing but her bra. A pretty little maroon lace thing. You gave her a smile and a look of admiration, hoping that she didn’t feel any kind of shyness toward you. 

You’ve wanted this for so long, so many years. You thought it was never going to happen. Especially after so much time being apart, but look where the universe has landed you.

“You’re really gorgeous, y/n. Seriously.” you implore.

You were returned a sweet smile. “Thank you, Sammy.” 

Her smile made your heart melt. “Can I take yours off?”

“Mmhm, absolutely babe.” She sat up and grasped the shoulders of your tee shirt, pulling up and taking the shirt off. She let it fall to the floor. Her eyes raked over your torso, sparkling slightly in the moody light. Beautiful. 

As you took in the sight of her upper half, you noticed something. Right on her ribs. A tattoo. 

“What’s that? I never knew you had a tattoo..” you asked. 

“Oh yeah...I got that a really long time ago. On a whim-” she tried to push the subject away. 

“It’s a constellation, right? Stars…oh it’s the Little Dipper.” you eyebrows furled. 

What? Where had you seen this before? Old images fluttered through your mind.

Shit…Jake’s guitar. His carvings.

You lifted your head to speak, to ask her if it was a tattoo for Jake. Did he have the same one? She cut you off before you could ask. 

“It’s a long story...for another time, Sam.”

You decided to leave it at that. 

She made her way on top of you again now, in the original straddled position. “Hm, you like it here, huh?” You joked, and began peppering her jawline with tiny kisses. She let her head fall back, giving you access to her neck, and you swore you could have taken her right then and there. 

Her skin was so soft, and tasted so sweet. And the floral smell of her hair was making your head spin. She cawed a little bit at your touch, which enticed you to bring your hands, ever so carefully, to her breasts. You gave them a small squeeze, and bravely slipped your hands underneath the bra, gently massaging, keeping your mouth on her pressure points. 

She inhaled sharply at the new sensation, and gave the prettiest little moan, spurring you on again. You found her nipples, and gently twisted them between your fingers. That, she loved. 

“Shhhhit Sam,” she groaned, then backed away and looked directly into your eyes. In seconds her mouth was attached to yours, bringing back the intense kissing from moments ago. These kisses were deep, forceful, and intentional. Your tongues were wrestling, exploring each other’s mouths as your hands began to haphazardly grab anything and everything. You mewled into her mouth as she grabbed a fistful of hair on the back of your head, pulling it back to look at her as she craned over you. She grinded her hips down onto you again, making the need for her all the more difficult to bear. Both of you were insanely starved for one another. 

You decided it was time to move. You couldn’t wait any longer, and you had barely done anything but land one foot on second base. You grabbed underneath her thighs, standing and lifting her with you. She giggled. You met eyes again, this time with a question written on your face. Her arms were wrapped around your neck, hands lightly massaging the back of your head. 

“Can I take you in my room?” You asked, more confidently than you anticipated. 

Her eyelids were half open, her hair a mess, anticipation dripping from her aura. 

“Please,” was all she stated. 

You walked her down the short hallway into the back bedroom; you were thankful it wasn’t too messy in there. Not like she would care anyway. She never did. 

There was only the significantly bright moonlight coming through the windows, and you decided to not turn on the lamp. The pale blue light was already illuminating her skin in the most beautiful way. You gently set her down on the bed, never breaking from her kiss. She began to scoot herself backwards up the bed, you crawling overtop of her, following her lead. When she found herself in a position she was satisfied with, she settled a little bit and broke away. 

“Can we get under the covers?” She asked. You smiled knowing you’d give her anything in the world right now. 

“Sure, we can,” you replied. “Are you cold?”

“Kinda, just want to feel comfy.” She responded breathlessly. You stood from the bed and reached under her to pull the comforter down. Before crawling underneath, she made a show of unbuttoning her jeans, and pulling them and her panties all the way off. Good god. 

You followed suit, undoing your belt and letting your pants and underwear hit the floor. You crawled in next to her, heart pounding, mouth dry, and skin absolutely on fire with want for her. Condom? Yes, in the drawer. Got it. 

For a minute, the two of you laid in complete darkness save for the blue light barely tinting the room. Your faces were close, your breathing steady but labored from the intensity of the past half hour. You couldn’t quite see her face in the darkness, but somehow, it made it all the more alluring. Maybe it was better to have one of your senses muddled, it would also help with the anxiety you felt rushing through your bloodstream. I can’t believe this is actually happening. You ran your fingers lightly over her arm, down her side and back up to her face, bringing a sense of intimacy back after the shift. 

“You okay with doing this?” She asked shyly. 

“I’m absolutely okay with doing this.” You maneuvered to roll her to her back, resting on your elbows on either side of her head, face to face. 

“Don’t take this the wrong way, y/n, but my feelings for you have drifted. They’re almost gone, actually...please don’t take that as anything malicious. I’m still very much in love with the person that you are. You’re one of the most important people in my life, even if the last time we saw each other we left on a…less than high note.” You breathed, long and heavy.  “Life’s short, I don’t have any ill feelings toward you. The past is in the past. You’re one of the only people I’ve ever had in my life that I’m completely comfortable with. And to be completely honest, I’ve felt very comfortable learning about you in…this...way…so far…so if you’re okay with it, I’d really like to fuck you senseless.” 

She burst out with laughter, covering her face through deep belly laughs. “God, I missed your dumb ass.” She playfully slapped you across the arm. “I feel the same, Sammy. This doesn’t have to be that serious. Just two friends making each other feel good.”

“Exactly.” And you meant it. The only feelings you felt for her right now were lust. Respectful, platonic, gorgeous lust. 

“Alright then, come fuck me senseless Sammy.” 

You laughed as you dipped down, laying a hot, wet kiss right between her breasts. You landed a few more right beneath the swells, unintentionally finding a sensitive spot. Her back arched. 

“Mmm...I plan on it, babe. But first…”

You then drug your tongue right down the center of her chest and stomach, tracing her sternum down to between her hips. 

She hummed with surprised anticipation, instinctively running her hands through your hair to pull the strands back that had fallen from the hair tie. 

You slowly began to run your tongue along the outsides of her lips, teasing her. She groaned a sound that you didn’t recognize. 

“Too personal?” you asked, half joking, half truly wanting permission. 

“You really think I’m going to turn this down, Sam?” She responded, giving you the go ahead. 

With that, you dipped your tongue languidly straight from her opening to the top, stopping at her clit and running circles over it with slow, intentional waves. 

Her body language let you know she was okay with it, as she immediately had a tighter grip on your hair. You began to go to work after that. She tasted like heaven. Just how you’d always imagined. But you’d never tell her that. 

You switched between quick and sharp movements to slow, calculated swirls, paying special attention to her reactions and banking them away in your memory. She was writhing, legs falling open as wide as they could only to close again and squeeze around your head. You brought a hand up to tease at her entrance, not entering all the way so as to add to her anticipation. 

Her body was shaking and spasming as you felt like you were bringing her closer to the edge. You moved your eyes to look up at her, and she met your gaze. Fucking beautiful. She smiled deviously again, mouth cocked open in pleasure. She gave one last final tug on your hair before she toppled over the edge, her body quivering and vibrating through the orgasm. 

You sat up, her hand meeting your mouth to wipe off her wetness. 

“Jesus Christ Sam. Tell me again why you never snuck me away to the basement?” She said through pants of exasperated breaths. 

You met again in a heated kiss, her pulling you into her by your hair, neck, shoulders…anything she could get ahold of to close the gap between you. 

You felt her reach between you and take your length in her hand. She wasted no time in letting you know what she wanted, the strokes of her hand rough and depraved.

“Wait,” you said. 

You reached into your bedside table and tore a condom off the long strip, opened its contents and removed it. 

“Look at you being responsible...” She giggled as you slid it over yourself. 

“Hey, I haven’t talked to you in years, I’m not trying to jeopardize my future love life because of silly old you.” You knew that would get under her skin. 

“You asshole!” She punched your shoulder. “I’m clean and healthy, I’ll have you know. I’m the one that should be worried, Mr. ‘We’ve traveled the world and won a Grammy' blah blah bla-" 

You quickly placed your free hand over her mouth, effectively muffling her words. 

“Shhhhhh, I’m trying to fuck you senseless.” you tease.

No sooner than you had finished your sentence, she bit hard into your hand, pulling your middle finger into her mouth. Her tongue was rolling and nibbling and sucking, it sent a chill down your spine and all the blood rushed straight to your dick. She might kill you tonight. 

That was enough to send you over the edge, no more fucking around. You rolled your body on top of her, and pulled your knee up to spread her legs. Your finger was still in her mouth, and your hand was covering it. 

“Y/N, are you… a brat?” You grabbed your length in your other hand, and began teasing at her entrance, eliciting a little moan from her. She arched her back into you, looking for more. 

She shook her head side to side, “huh uh” she spoke through your hand, smiling giddily. Then she pulled your finger into her mouth impossibly deep, you could feel the back of her tongue on your fingertip. She swallowed. God, your head was spinning like a top. 

“Hmm really?” you growled, bringing your mouth to her ear. “Because it seems like you might be.” On your last word, you pressed your dick into her, filling her to the hilt. You left your hand across her mouth, forcing her to stay quiet. Her eyes shot closed at the feeling of you filling her. 

You stayed still, taunting her, letting her get used to the feeling. When in all reality, you were taking the moment in. You wanted to savor it, feel it completely. You wished you could take the condom off, feel her completely and wholly. She felt so warm and so tight, you could only imagine what she felt like skin to skin. 

She spit your finger from her mouth. “What happened to the senseless part, Sam?” 

You took that as an invitation to go ahead. You began slow thrusts, so as not to move things along too quickly. Immediately she was writhing beneath you, hands moving up and down your back and into your hair. You did your best to find a rhythm, but she was making things impossibly difficult with her reactions. Shit. She felt amazing. 

You began to pick up the pace a little, grabbing her leg and bending it to wrap around your waist. Apparently, that was the right spot. Your moves were sensual. Senseless, but sensual. You let your head fall to her ear, biting the lobe and running your tongue behind it. 

“Fuuuuck yes, Sam,” she spat out breathlessly. You were beginning to lose composure, but were far from being finished with her. Her sounds alone could send you into a frenzy at this point. She began to whine a little as you blew cold air onto the places your tongue had left. 

You sat up, grabbed her hips and propped yourself up on one knee, towering above her. This new angle was stellar, you had a full view, though dark and still slightly under the covers, of what was happening. You watched yourself slide in and out of her, and began to slow your pace. 

“Take it off, Sam.” she said in a demanding tone. 

“What?” You breathed. 

“Take the condom off.” 

You fumbled your words. “Sh-really? Are you sure? I was just joking earlier, I’m clea-"

“Sam, I trust you more than I trust anyone in my life. Take it off.” she pleaded.

Who were you to deny her that? You removed yourself from her, and the two of you worked together to slide it off. 

The air had changed just a little. You peered down to her blissed-out face. “I wanna feel you.” she whispered. 

The rush of blood to all your extremities was enough to knock you over. She had no idea what she was doing to you. Her natural confidence was newfounded, she always had it but, damn. This was something else. 

She pushed you backwards, and switched your places. You found yourself underneath her again. You immediately reached for her warmth, wanting to touch her. You found her clit, and began making small swirls over top of it. You reached down a bit further, and gathered up her wetness, bringing it to make everything impossibly slick. She tilted her head back in a moan. 

“God, babe. You’re so wet. Is that all for me?” You asked in a teasing tone. 

“No idiot, it’s for me,” she playfully rolled her eyes as you laughed. 

“Touché.” You walked right into that one. 

You quickened your swirls with your thumb, and added a finger inside her. 

“Shitttt Sam, really?” You began pumping your finger in and out while continuing your assault on her clit. After a few seconds of undoing her, she grabbed your hand and pulled it away, then lifted herself to let you enter her again. The raw contact had the two of you falling onto one another, bodies instantly turning into puddles as she slowly sat all the way down, and bottomed out. 

“Jesus Christ, y/n….ffffuck meee, you feel so-” you could do nothing else but sit up slightly, finding her lips again and bringing her to a deep and sensual kiss. All the while moaning hard into her mouth. There were no words to describe how good she felt. Velvety smooth on you. 

She began bouncing slowly up and down, almost breaking contact completely before setting herself back down again. Her hands were on your pecs, squeezing and kneading them as her head rolled from side to side with pleasure overcoming her face. She was absolutely stunning. 

You reached up to grab a fistful of her hair, you wrapped it all around your hand tightly and pulled hard, bringing her face close to yours. Your foreheads rested on each other as she continued riding her way into oblivion. Both covered in a sheen of sweat, you found yourselves enraptured in pure ecstasy. 

The eye contact, the hitched breaths, the quick and deep kisses…you should have been doing this a long long time ago. Her sounds were becoming more and more strangled, like she was going to tumble over the edge at any minute. You began lightly rubbing her back, and she sat back up, stopping the bounce, now simply grinding in circles. 

“You’re so fuckin beautiful, y/n.” She smiled deviously, and you reached up a hand to her throat, squeezing gently. “That ok?” You asked. 

“Fuck yeah, it’s okay,” she replied. 

Yep. She’s going to kill you tonight. 

You felt yourself twitching inside her, and you knew it wouldn’t be long. Luckily, you could tell she was beginning to come apart herself. You reached for her clit again with your free hand, letting her take the reigns while she held onto you for dear life. 

The sounds she was making were nearly pornographic; you were glad you didn’t live in an apartment. She reached a hand up to grasp the wrist of your hand on her throat, squeezing it tightly, signaling you to do the same and you obliged. Suddenly she was collapsing and falling apart, soaking you in the process. You watched as she rode herself through it, pupils blown out and face beautifully contorted. She smiled when she came back to. 

“God damn I wish you could see yourself…” you trailed off again. She began bouncing harder now, quickly bringing you to the brink. 

“Where do you…I’m-” she quickly hopped off of you, squatted down, and took your length in her mouth, pumping with her hands and mouth. That was all it took…you exploded into a million pieces, sending your streams into her mouth. She squeezed your thighs on the come down, and left no mess behind. 

Once you landed back on earth, she removed her mouth, and chuckled. You were left breathless, wordless, mindless- everything was gone from your brain. 

“Are you fucking serious, y/n?” you said through labored breaths. “I think that was the hottest- you’re literally-” you stammer. You couldn’t even form sentences. You covered your face in disbelief as she climbed up to lay next to you. 

You could do nothing else but pull her into a tight squeeze. “Where have you been all my life?” You ask through an expectant smile. 

She lifted her head and looked at you sarcastically. 

“Oh yeah, up my brother’s ass.” You replied, just waiting for her next playful blow to your shoulder. 

SMACK. 

“There it is. I’m sorry. I deserved that one.” you said, massaging your collarbone. 

“Don’t be a dick Sam, that’s a touchy subject.” she scoffed.

You sighed. “I know it is, I won’t pick on you anymore, college girl.” you tease again.

That one landed you a pillow to the face. 

“Sam, I’m serious. Quit while you’re ahead.” she warned. 

“Ok, ok sheesh.” You paused and pulled her in closer, softly kissing her lips. “I am ahead, aren’t I?”

You decided to not delve anymore, ruin a good feeling. You let yourself drift off to sleep, curled up to the once love of your life, who surprisingly, at this point, no longer held you completely captive. For some reason, even after all of tonight’s events, your heart didn’t beat the same for her anymore.

——

You woke up the next morning tangled in your sheets, but no longer tangled up with her. She had found her spot on the other side of your king bed, perfectly comfortable in her own space. Your head pounded a little from the dehydration setting in. 

The sound of crunching gravel had you snapping your head towards the window as you heard a car pulling up, stopping in front of the house. You rubbed your eyes and hopped over to the window, peeking out the blinds. Shit. Jake. You’d forgotten he was bringing a portfolio of paperwork over for you to sign off on for the label. You shook her awake. 

“Hey, y/n, wake up, hey!” Her eyes opened one at a time as she craned her neck to look at you. 

“Listen, Jake just pulled up, don’t go anywhere.” She shot up out of the bed, and at the same time, you both realized you were still completely nude. 

“SHIT!” You both chimed, clobbering over the bed trying to find clothes to dress yourselves. 

She was pulling a pair of your sweatpants on and you were pulling your shirt over your head as you heard the front door open. You forgot he had a key. 

“Sammy boyyyy! Awakennn!” you heard Jake beckon from the front door. You motioned to her to be quiet with a finger over your lips as you walked out, closing the door behind you. 

“Good morning brother. You’re awfully chipper for it to be this early,” you said through a yawn, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. You walked over to start a pot of coffee. 

“And you’re awfully fully dressed to have had what looks to be a rendezvous last night, hm?” he quipped back. 

Fuck. That was fast. 

You turned around slowly to see her green coat hanging from his finger. He looked around, noticing her boots on the floor, and her purse hanging on the back of the chair. You had no words. 

“Didn’t bother to take her home after getting into some trouble last night? Or was the trouble you got into here?” he scoffs.

His voice was deeply quiet, but not mad. He seemed to just want you to explain. 

Just then, you heard your bedroom door close. And here she came, waltzing through your home like she owned the place, donned in your tshirt and sweatpants. Oh hell. 

“Good morning, sunshines! How is everyone this morning?” she asked, like absolutely nothing in the world could faze her. Jake was taken by surprise, you noticed his body language instantly turn from confrontational to timid. 

“Jake…hey. It’s really good to see you.” She sweetly walked over to him, and took him in a completely professional hug. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk much last night, Sam and I got caught up in some nostalgic conversation.” 

He was still holding her jacket. Neither of you spoke a word, but instead just stood, too stunned to reply. 

After the longest pause, Jake finally spoke. “Uh yeah, hey y/n.. it’s good to see you too. It’s been..umm..a while.” You could tell by his tone that though he was trying to be cordial, he was dying to have his own nostalgic conversation with her. 

“It has.” she replied, crossing her arms. The three of you stood in awkward silence for a few beats. 

“Hey Sam, um, I’ve gotta be at work in a bit, could you run me home?” she asked.

“Yeah, yep. I can do that.” You said, rushing around and looking for your keys. 

“Thanks.” She started walking back toward your room to gather her things. “Jake, see ya around.” And she was out of sight. 

You felt the weight of the world crashing down on you from just one look from your brother. He stared at you silently seething before he finally spoke, “Just sign the fucking papers and take them back to Josh.” He tossed her jacket across the table, and left your house without another word. 

——

“Do you have any regrets?” You asked her as the two of you sat cross-legged on the end of your bed. 

She took a deep cleansing breath, and shook her head. 

“No. I really don’t.” You felt relief completely wash over your body, as you were scared that in your drunken state last night, you may have made the wrong decisions. 

“Do you?” She side-glanced to you, afraid of the answer you were going to give. 

You mirrored her action. “Nope.”

“Still don’t have any feelings for me anymore?” She pressed. 

You let this one sit with you for a second.  “Honestly, I don’t think I do, y/n, as strange as that sounds.” She agreed with a nod. “But I had a really good time last night. Like a really good time.”

She smiled. “I did too. Who would have thought that sleeping with your best friend actually wouldn’t be weird?” The two of you sat in relieved silence. “I’m glad we can be honest with each other again. I missed that.” she said sweetly. “I missed you.”

Three years ago, those words would have made your life turn upside down and fall into a frenzy, but, her words didn’t sting. They didn’t make your stomach do flips. Instead, they gave you a strange sense of comfort and sentimentality. A sense of familiarity. 

She was so endearing, enrapturing. You still felt a draw to her, something deep and archaic, that you couldn’t explain. You suddenly felt an innate pull to chase that feeling again and again, not having any idea where it might land you. And also not caring where it did. 

JAKE POV

You flung the door to your Jeep open, and hopped inside, slamming the door shut behind you. You were seething with anger. Anger and betrayal and disappointment. You gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles, and felt a sharp pain radiate through your right hand. The lasting effects of your fractured hand still hanging around even after all this time. You scoffed at the irony. Her, still tying you to some of the worst pain you’ve ever experienced in your life. 

You thought you were free of it. Did you miss her? Of course. Things were left on terms that weren’t great. But the phone worked both ways. She didn’t try. She faded away so quickly. 

You thought you’d proven yourself time and time again of wanting to be with her, and only her. But it wasn’t good enough. She had her reasons, and they made sense from the outside looking in. But not to you. Not for you. 

She was gone.  And you thought it was for good this time. You’d finally found separation and ripped the band aid off. You found what felt like happiness again, in Sophia. And now, here she was again, crashing into your new life like a freight train. Into Sam’s life. And apparently into his bed. 

You were speeding down the highway, eyes crossing at the feeling of betrayal from your brother. How could he do this? But more importantly, why were you so affected?

——

A few hours later, you pulled into the parking lot of the practice studio in a cloud of dust from the gravel. You put it in park, and removed your sunglasses. You saw stars. Maybe you shouldn’t have had that last drink. You flipped down the visor and checked your appearance. Eyes bloodshot, cheeks red. Perfect. You popped a piece of gum into your mouth, and replaced the sunglasses. You were the last one to arrive, as usual. 

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling and calling. And I thought I was the one always late.” Josh spat as soon as you opened the front door. “God, you reek of bourbon. You idiot, are you drunk?” 

You straightened up, and leaned in closely to your twin. “Please. Stop. Talking.”  you all but slurred. He held his hands up in surrender. 

“As long as you can fucking play... I can’t believe you drove like this. Stupid, really.” He spoke as he turned and walked toward the booth. 

You joined everyone after taking your guitar from the case and plugging it in. 

“Jacob.” Sam said in a blank tone. 

“Samuel.” you answered short and clipped. You cleared your throat. “Alright. Let’s get going.”

The tension was thick. The air was heavy. You felt flush, and you were starving. A headache had begun to creep its way into your forehead. You made it through the first few songs without too much trouble, thanking your muscle memory for doing its job while you struggled to even see straight. As time went on, though, you began to struggle a bit. 

“Christ Jake, I can’t catch your cues if you don’t play them!” Josh yelled. “We’ve got to get this shit tight.” 

“Just do it again.” You spoke. 

You heard a collective scoff come from Danny and Sam. You turned to see them rolling their eyes in aggravation. 

“Do either of you have something to say? Because I’d like to hear it if so.” You raised your voice, pushing the guitar to hang around your back. 

“You sound like shit, Jake! Just get it together so we can wrap this up.” Sam answered in his whiny youngest sibling tone. It struck a nerve. 

“Wrap it up? You heard Josh, we’ve got to get this tight. We aren’t going anywhere until we hit it. Besides, where the fuck do you want to go in such a hurry, hm?” You felt heat rising in your face. You knew exactly where he was going. 

“You’re the one who keeps fucking up! We all sound fine. Maybe you shouldn’t have gone to the bar at 2 pm.” The last bit of his sentence trailed off under his breath. 

“Son of a bitch, here we go,” you heard Danny mumble, setting his sticks on the drumhead. 

“For your information, Samuel, it’s none of your business what I do with my free time. So I’d shut it before you really piss me off.” You swung your guitar back around to the front. 

“I don’t know, I think it’s kind of all of our business what you do in your free time, seeing as how it might constitute you coming to practice fully fucking drunk and unable to play the simplest of chord progressions...” he spat as you cut him off. 

“OK Sam. Since we should know everything about each other at all times, why don’t you tell the family what you were doing last night, then? And this morning? Come on, we need details… No secrets anymore.” Your words were flying now, rage filling you to the brim. You held your fingers against your lips, eyes meeting Sam’s and sincerely waiting to hear what kind of reply he had. 

Josh and Danny waited in anticipation, all eyes on Sam. You felt the alcohol still pulsing through your veins, vision still blurred. 

He cleared his throat. 

“Alright, fine. I was with y/n. We went out. Got drunk. And she came back to my house.” He stopped there. It was silent for a few beats. 

You felt absolutely defeated. Heartbroken. Truly let down, and the tone of your voice matched it. 

“Sam, did you sleep with her? Did you sleep with my girl?” You felt your lip quiver just a little, succumbing to the encompassing blur that the emotions and whiskey had left you in. 

He looked behind you, then met your eyes. He bit the inside of his cheek, and nodded slowly. 

There was no way to describe the feeling that overtook you. The only way to explain it was just plain sickness. Not madness. Not fury. 

You turned around to face away from everyone as you collected your thoughts. The silence that fell on the room was deafening. You quickly pulled the plug on your guitar, tossing the cord to the floor.

“Let’s just... Meet back up tomorrow morning. It seems like we all might need some time.” Josh thankfully spoke up. “Jake, I'm driving you. Let’s go.” 

——

Josh didn’t say much on the drive, and you were a bit relieved. You needed a second to just sit and stare at nothing. Your head was still spinning and all you could do was lean it against the headrest and close your eyes. After a few minutes of Josh’s reckless driving, he slammed a water bottle to your chest. 

“Chug it, asshole. We’re here.” You slumped down in your seat, feeling like the world had dropped all around you. You unbuckled your seatbelt and slowly trudged your way up the walkway, following far behind Josh who was waiting at the door. 

When you made it inside, you immediately went to the fridge and pulled out yesterday’s leftovers. Not even bothering to heat them, you dug in. 

“Jesus, you are fucked up,” Josh said, taking a seat at the island. 

“I haven’t eaten in 20 hours.” you said, monotone. 

“She’s really got you in your feelings again, doesn’t she? I thought we were past this.” Josh said, crossing his arms.  “Lay it out for me, brother. I’m here to listen. Tell me what’s going on so I can try to help before the band implodes.”

You took a deep breath, throwing the to-go box in the trash and screwing the top off the water bottle. “I don’t want to. You can just go home. Thank you for the ride, though.” you muttered, walking into the living room to hopefully pass out on the couch until tomorrow. 

“Oh no you don’t.” you could hear Josh’s footsteps behind you. You felt slightly aggravated, and the headache was getting worse. 

“Josh, you saw what happened at the studio! It should be self explanatory! Do I need to recount every fuckin detail?” You raised your voice to him.

“Have you talked to Sam about it? Or did you just assume their situation?” He asked. The question actually stunned you. 

“What do you mean assume their situation? He told me! He told all of us!” Your arms were raising with your voice now. 

Josh kept his calm and collected, as always. “Yeah, but have you talked to her?” He asked again, with no emotion in his voice. 

“When the fuck would I have had time to talk to her? I just saw her for the first time since they left the bar last night. All cuddled up in conversation over there, didn’t even bother to say hello.” you were rambling now. Placing blame where it didn’t need to be placed out of resentment. 

Josh just sat with his arms crossed raising a brow in question. 

“Why didn’t you go say hello? Like the rest of us did? Just because Sophia was there? You and y/n aren’t together anymore. It’s been years. It would have been perfectly okay for you to go and catch up with an old friend.” He said matter-of-factly. “But you just sat there, and kept to yourself. Kind of rude, honestly.”

You let out an exasperated sigh and fell harder into the couch, laying out with your legs outstretched. 

“No, it wouldn’t have been okay, Josh. It wouldn’t have been perfectly okay and you know that.” You covered your eyes with your hand. “Shit will never be perfectly okay between me and her. It’s like the universe just fucks us over any chance it gets. I thought I was free of it, moving here. Finding Sophia. But everytime she comes around again it’s like my whole world turns itself upside down. Why can’t I just move on?” you plead.

You felt yourself spilling your feelings to your brother. Thanks a lot, Bourbon. 

“And now we see her for the first time in fuckin years, and she hooks up with Sam? Are you fuckin kidding me?! She completely forgot about everything we went through together? Everything I said and did…she just disappeared. After I tried so damn hard for us.”

Josh sat stoic, milling over your words. He knew something you didn’t. 

“Just let it be, brother. You have a serious girlfriend now. They’re adults. We’re all adults. Not much you can change in this situation.” Josh had a look on his face that you knew too well. 

You sat up quickly, “You talked to her, didn’t you? Before we got to the bar. What did she say?” You pressed. 

He stood up grabbing his keys, “She said exactly what you think she said, Jake. Now go to sleep. You look like hell.” And with that, he left the house. 

‘She said exactly what you think she said.’ 

Coming from someone who shares your brain cells, you knew what he was implying. 

Maybe she does still feel the same. 

HER POV 

“Thanks for the ride, Sammy. I’ll talk to you later?” You asked, hopping out of Sam’s car. 

“Yeah, see you this weekend!” he says, putting the car into drive and pulling away.

You walked upstairs to your apartment door, and let yourself in. You plopped down your bed, mind absolutely racing with the past day’s occurrences. 

Excitement from seeing Josh and everyone again for the first time in years, in your new city. 

Giddiness and some confusion from the whirlwind of sleeping with Sam. 

And pure anxiety from simply being in the same building as Jake. And his new girlfriend. You still held resentment toward him, and the way things were left between you. The way he never reached out again. The way he let you slip through his fingers so easily.

You let your mind trip and stumble over every detail, while watching your ceiling fan spin slowly above you. You tried to keep your eyes locked on one fan blade while it spun, following it around in circles for it to only make your eyes dizzy and lose track of it.  It was funny, the metaphor that wrote itself in your mind. You did nothing but chase Jake around in circles for years, only to lose track of him time and time again. 

Fate was funny. And you didn’t understand why your mind was so heavy on him after having a very satisfying go-around with his brother last night. You covered your face with your hands. 

FUCK. 

You SLEPT with Sam! Moreover, you essentially initiated it! You felt embarrassed and ashamed, the normal guilt that always follows a one-night stand. What the hell were you thinking last night? You didn’t have feelings for Sam like that. You never have. 

But you let him know that. And he understood. The feeling, or lack thereof, was mutual. You took a deep breath, and tried to talk yourself through the mantra of “Sex is okay between friends. Consenting adults. It doesn’t have to have meaning. It’s a natural, carnal, physical need.”

You laughed at yourself, raising your eyebrows.

It was an excellent lay. 

And you’d be lying to yourself if you said you wouldn’t be willing to hook up with him again. Visions of his face and his body and his hands on you replayed in your mind’s eye. Purely physical. Pure lust. Mirrored bodies that already understood each other so well, the physical touch was just an extension of it.

But it wasn’t Jake. Nothing has ever been like Jake. Before or after. After Andy, Jake let you know what it felt like to make love, not just have sex. He cared about his every movement, every touch, intentional. You’ve never felt a connection like that with anyone ever before. You had a hunger for him that was unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Insatiable and honest, no barriers or boundaries, and the feeling of complete and utter love. 

But you knew you’d never get that feeling back. You’d only be chasing it around in circles for the rest of forever, slipping up and losing track of him over and over. 

You sat up and attempted to clear your head. Sam had invited you to a party this weekend, and it was already Thursday. You only questioned going for a split second, until Sam’s begging puppy dog eyes wrapped you into saying yes. You had always had a hard time denying those eyes.

Maybe you’d end up back at home that night. But, more than likely, you wouldn't.

You knew it would be Sam’s bed you’d wake up in, and furthermore, you’d like it.

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Outtake: Plan A

Taglist: @gretavansara@jordierama@starshine-wagner@gretavanfvckface@gretavanmoon@gvfjess @misshunnybeebee@fretaganvleet@gvfpal@joshkiszkas@ascendingtostardust @raviolilegs@sammysprincess@gvfpal@objectsinspvce@lallisonl@gvfpal@raviolilegs@jaketlover@ascendingtostardust @indigostreakmorgan @jakemarrymeibeg @fakeplastiqtree @radmads-gvf

[princessdimondheart]

Rave | Gaz x Reader

Pairing: Gaz x f! Reader

Summary: How Kyle met the love of his life while covered in holo glitter.

WC: 2,930

Warnings: 🔥- NSFW 18+ MDI, PnV, unsafe sex, creampie, oral f! receiving; 😭- slight angst

Edited: No; added Sarah’s outfit bc I forgot 🤦‍♀️

A/N 1: Sorry for the long wait as I healed my cut finger. It still hurts btw. I said Christmas didn’t I? It’s still Christmas here lol 😅😅 Reader is nicknamed Angel. My first smut 😳 If I messed up anywhere please tell me. I’m not 100% satisfied so I might add or change things later on.

A/N 2: I could not pick which outfit reader should wear. 😖 It’s between these two= Outfit 1 and Outfit 2: Top, Bottom ; the makeup is the same for both= Eyes, Lips ; Shoes for both but matte instead of velvet ; Nails are a bit more simple ; Kyle’s outfit will be linked in the fic. I’m not a fashion expert so I’m not sure if these fit well but I like them. I hope you enjoy! Leave a comment or note if you do. 😊

Masterlist

Character banner ©️ Me

Kyle was happy when Price decided to send him on a special training mission across the pond to the states, at least he was for a while. But then FOMO hit him when he realized that he would be missing out on a few missions. The training would last for a few months. Two months too long in his opinion, but here he was those months later and he had finally completed his training. Kyle was certain that his Captain would be proud to learn that he had made it to the top of the class. 

Now, he only had a few days left before he had to ship back out to the UK. He’d planned to chill in the barracks and maybe go to a bar for a couple of drinks. However, that was not the case when he received a random text from his cousin. 

Sarah had moved out to California from their hometown after she got accepted into UCLA. She was very excited when she heard about her acceptance. Kyle believed it was because she could now party it up without the scary eyes of their very religious grandmother baring down their necks. At least that’s how he felt when he first left home to join the military. 

Sarah had invited him to go out to a festival or perhaps it was a rave? He wasn’t sure because he had never been to one before so this was sure to be a new experience. He’d never been one to party, even less given that he’s living a military and not a typical college life style. However, he can say that he can handle his own with a couple of pints. 

He glanced back to her text to make sure that he had input the address correctly. He was lucky that her new home wasn’t too far from the base he was staying at so he could take the bus that ran through the base. Sarah had decided that the gloomy skies of England were no match to the sunny skies of Los Angeles, so after graduating she found a job in engineering and found a place to call her own. He was honestly happy for her and was genuinely surprised that she had messaged him since they had not talked in several years. He had a suspicion that their grandmother called her about him being there. 

The bus stop was only a few blocks away from Sarah’s house so he had to walk the rest of the way. It was early, almost 8 am on a Saturday, so Kyle was certain that his cousin was likely still sleeping in. He made sure that his walk took longer by taking in his environment. It must have been because of his military mindset that had him checking the area for security risks. He knows that L.A. has a bad rep but his cousin living in a decent neighborhood didn’t mean that there were no risks. Kyle didn’t see that many people out that early. Only a few dogs walkers and a mother pushing a stroller with a baby that seemed not too happy to have been woken from their sleep based on theirs incessant crying. Kyle winced when they walked by. 

Kyle made it to his cousin’s door in 15 minutes. She opened the door after two knocks with a few minutes in between. 

“Kyle! You’re here!” She engulfed him in a tight hug, her arms squeezing against his torso with enough strength to pop his back. “Ahhh!! It’s been forever!”

“Gah!” He wheezed as his arms were crushed to his sides. “You have gotten a lot stronger, Sarah. Please let me go.”

“Oh! Sorry. Sorry. I get a bit excited about this stuff. You know me!” Sarah let him go and cover her mouth with her hand to try to hide her laughter. Then, she flexes an arm. “I just did arm day so I’m pretty pumped.”

Kyle laughs, “Your noodle arms are nothing compared to mine.” He teased her while flexing his larger arm muscles. It was like they were back to being kids and laughing and making fun of each other. 

“Har. Har. Kyle!” She rolled her eyes and gestured into her home. “Get your ass inside, Popeye.”

“Who?” His brow rose. She stared at him blankly. 

“Just get in, you uncultured swine!” Sarah started pushing his back to get him in. He resisted of course, but after a few seconds he let her have her way and stepped through the threshold. 

They settled on the couch and began to catch up. He learned about her job and that although it wasn’t her dream job, she was still happy about working there. Kyle didn’t tell her that much about his work being that almost all of it was classified but he shared that he too enjoyed working with his team. Overall, they were happy that the other was happy. 

“Now, what’s this about a rave? Festival?” Kyle felt like he didn’t know what he was saying. “You wanted to go out later tonight?”

“Yeah! It’s a rave with festival vibes.” Sarah explained and he nodded along. “We have to dress up a bit so we can look cool I guess. That’s why I wanted you to come a bit early, though not this early!” 

“Sorry.” She chuckled at him. 

“Don’t worry about it. I should have known that with you military types that I should have specified the exact time. That’s on me. But! Now we have more time to go over what you’re going to wear!”

If Sarah could be more excited she’d be bouncing off the walls and out the door. Her face bright like the huge grin pulling at her lips. 

“Oh… I was just gonna go like this.” He gestured at himself but apparently that did not go over so well with Sarah. She had a grossed out face. 

“A button up with kakis? What are you Jake from State Farm?” Another cultural reference that he lacked an understanding of. Sarah’s accent had become more Americanized but her British voice would shine through on the occasion. “No, no, no! I will not be seen with you dressed like that, love!”

She stood up. “I think I know what to do.”

Kyle almost panicked. “Please, no cheeks handing out and nothing too girly.” His brows furrowed together. “Damn… what would my team say if they saw me like this??”

“They’d say nothing because they would see that you had girls hanging off of you. You know some girls like men who are in touch with their feminine side?”

“I don’t have a feminine side.” He pouted. 

“Well, now you do!” Kyle cursed himself at being more open about what she could dress him in. He just hoped no pictures made it back to the Task Force. 

~~~~~

Kyle and Sarah walked amongst the crowd heading into the music festival grounds. There were so many people there, and from what he could see, not so many security guards or police. His training had him looking around and eyeing any suspicious looking people. Although that was kinda hard when every other person had their ass and titties hanging out, with even more glitter on their bodies than he had. 

They made it through security which was just a metal detector and the guards checking their bags. Then their passes were scanned and off into the throng of people they went. 

“My friends texted that they were near the food stalls.” Sarah glanced up from her phone. “I told them we’d meet up with them. Come on, let’s go!”

She took off and Kyle followed after her. He felt like a protective older brother as he glared at anyone who gave her weird looks of lust. Sarah was pretty and everywhere she went she always garnered looks of appreciation from strangers. She was currently wearing a yellow outfit that complimented her skin tone rather well. Her hair was long and styled back in curls. Large hoops adorned her ears. She was also wearing a large yellow coat which he thought she was crazy for because of the heat, but she assured him that it would get colder as the night went on. He was certain that her new white shoes wouldn’t stay that way afterwards. 

~~~

His own outfit wasn’t too bad if he was honest, although the sheer crop top was new for him. He liked the baggy pants that Sarah picked out and he paired it with his black combat boots. Sarah had given him two thumbs up and started messing around with her makeup bag. He was checking his outfit out in front of the mirror when he saw a hand with a makeup brush making its way to his face. 

“Woah! What’ya doin’!?” He pushed her hand away. Sarah huffed. 

“Just adding to the vibes. Come on it’s just some glitter, you’ll look so hot that girls will be falling all over you.” She grinned. 

“You say that but I’m not so sure…” He squinted at her. 

“Ugh! Just let go!” She shook her arm around. 

“Okay, Elsa.”

“Bitch-!”

~~~~~

Sarah found her friends in the crowd by the food stalls. She squealed and yanked on his arm in their direction. Introductions were made and the group went together where the concerts were happening. The crowd wasn’t as pushed together as Kyle thought but he never took his eyes off the group for too long, not wanting to lose sight of his cousin. Call him overprotective if you want. 

They found a spot near the middle of the crowd. The girls danced around him and he bobbed his head to the music despite it not being to his taste. Maybe he tapped his foot but he won’t admit it. Although, he’ll admit that the live band was rather good. 

From the corner of his eye he saw arms shoot up and wave around. He followed the movement down and saw the form of a girl dancing and singing along to the song. Her wrists had multiple beaded bracelets, fingernails perfectly manicured. Her lips were in a smile, sparkling with her lipgloss, and her eyes reflected the bright colors of the strobe lights. Her makeup was pretty but he had no real knowledge about that. The more he looked the wider his eyes dilated. 

The girl wore a black three-piece bra, high-waisted bikini bottoms and skirt-wrap combo with flowers and tuffs of faux feathers. Her arms had long sleeves and she wore a matching choker necklace. Chains dangled from her form and bounced as she jumped and danced. His eyes lowers down her legs and to her feet in very tall heels that he was amazed she was jumping around in. He thought she’d break an ankle. 

When his eyes went back to her face, she was already looking at him. Brow raised in question and lips slightly pouted. Damn those lips. He flinched back a bit when their eyes connected. His cheeks burned at realizing she caught him eyeing her up. 

“Hi!” She said rather shyly, or really, she yelled over the music. 

It took him a moment to respond. “Hello, Miss?”

She yelled her name but said that everyone called her Angel, and he gave his own in return. The music changed to a faster beat and the people around him were dancing closer to each other. 

“Wanna dance?” Her hand reached for his, fingertips sliding softly up on his forearm. He could feel the slight scratch of her nails. It sent shivers up his back. 

He felt like a teenager with the slight nod to her question he gave. His damn voice was caught in his throat. He was better than this. Smoother at flirting with pretty ladies but right now all of his experience was failing him. 

She giggled at him, not that he could hear it but felt it as she drew herself closer to his chest. Her breasts pressed to his shear shirt. Her hips swayed with the music and his hands automatically rested themselves there. Angel raised her hands, gliding them on his chest. Her fingers teased the sides of his throat before curling behind his neck. 

As her nails scratched the short hairs there, he brought her hips closer to his. She was definitely aware that she was affecting him physically. He ground his hardness against her. They both moaned at the feeling. His eyes were droopy with lust, they glanced at her pouty lips. Someone from behind bumped him closer and he let his lips lock with hers. 

Kyle’s hand tangled in her hair pulling her closer. She moaned and his tongue slipped past and tangled with hers. He tasted her lipgloss and the sweetness of the alcohol she drunk earlier that night. Both reveled in each other’s touch. 

The moment was cut short by whoops and whistles to their left. When they separated, Kyle looked over and saw his cousin and her friends cheering him on. Sarah must have noticed that he wasn’t as close to them as before. His cousin gave him a thumbs up and a fist pump. The girl in his arms hid herself in his chest, her cheeks warming. As if she wasn’t just grinding up on him as they were making out. 

“Ah… sorry, that’s my cousin and her friends.” He chuckled, abashed. 

“It’s okay.” Angel smiled at him, taking in his pretty eyes. 

~~~~~

They spent the next few hours dancing, kissing, and occasionally touching more than what would be socially acceptable. During one of the set changes, Kyle introduced her to his cousin and her friends. They hit it off rather quickly. At the end of their night, Sarah decided to stay overnight with her friends and Kyle chose to go home with Angel after she invited him. Her apartment wasn’t too far from where they were at anyways. 

“I’m sorry… I don’t usually do this. Bringing home a stranger.” She glanced down. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment. 

“Don’t worry. I don’t do that either.” His lips tugged into a small grin. 

She looked up at him and smiled softly. Her eyes drifted to his lips. Kyle noticed and began to inch forward until their lips met. It was soft. Her lips and the motions were slow and sweet. Very different to the one in the heat of the festival. Her hands rubbed up his mesh shirt, nails scratching softly through the thin fabric before clasping tightly behind his neck. His own hands rubbed on her waist in slow circular motions. 

Their kisses and touches ached and Kyle began to quickly lead her back into the room. Not that he knew where he was going. His first mistake as the beautiful woman he was currently in a delicious lip lock fell from his arms. 

She yelped when her body hit the back of her couch. The suddenness of it causing her to tip backwards. She landed on the plush cushions with a soft ‘oof.’ Kyle looked down at her in shock, mouth open but no words came out. Part of her legs and feet dangled over the top. She looked up at him, eyes glancing back and forth between his own, dumbfounded before her the corners of her lips turned up and a giggle started. Then it turned into full blown laughter. Kyle grinned at her cute reaction and joined with a chuckle. 

She lifted her hands up to him and as he began to pull her up, she yanked him down over the couch with her. Giggling all the while. His arms stretched out to catch himself on the cushions. He could barely think before her lips were on him once again. This time there was more heat to it. More passion. 

Her hands were cupping his face. Fingers rubbing softly against his freshly shaven face. He shifted their bodies into a more comfortable position and put his weight onto one arm before bringing the other hand up. He let it glance lightly against her body until it rested softly against the crook of her neck and shoulder. His thumb rubbing her neck with an equal softness. 

He felt more than he heard the soft groan that left her lips, muffled by his own. Her legs shifted and he felt her knees up against his hips. Kyle gave into the temptation and lowered his lower body until he was flush against her. This time he heard her moan. He shivered in delight. 

Her tongue flicked out to lick his lips and he let her in. Their tongues danced against one another. Damn he loved the taste of her. 

Angel pushed him back so that she could reach behind her to unclip her top. His mouth immediately latched on her nipple. Her back arched, a pleasured sigh escaping her lips. She felt herself getting wet, her slick soaking her black bottoms and she bucked her hips into Kyle’s. His moan vibrated through her chest. 

Kyle kissed her chest some more before sliding back and removing his shirt and unbuttoning his pants. Her hands helped him pull them down, leaving him in his boxers. 

“Where’s your bed?” He held her hands and helped her up off the couch. Angel led him to her room, she removed the rest of her clothes and heels and laid her bare self on the soft bed. Kyle stood by the doorway and just stared at her beauty. Her legs were slightly open and he could see the glimmer of her slick weeping from her pussy. 

Angel’s face burned at his intense gaze. “Kyle?”

That broke him out of his lustful haze, swiftly removing his boxers. He hung heavily, his arousal twitching against his navel. The tip flushed and his veins throbbing. Angel licked her lips as he grew closer. 

Her hand reached for his cock but was quickly intercepted by Kyle’s larger hand. “Let me…”

Angel let herself fall back as Kyle took his place between her legs. Instantly sucking and licking at her soaked pussy. His hands held firmly on her thighs, not letting her rub against his head. Kyle’s tongue flicked on her clit and she moaned rather loudly that she was sure she’d get a complaint about it later. 

“Oh, fuck! Kyle!” Her nails scratched at his short hair. 

The wet, juicy sounds of her slick and Kyle’s sucking turned her own, making her even more wet. He licked stripes up and down her pussy, then slipped a finger in rather easily. She was panting now, little moans interdicted with louder ones. 

He added a second and then a third, really stretching her out for him. The bed sheets had her juices pooled beneath her. His fingers pumped faster and his mouth sucked harder on her clit. She moaned loudly as her walls clamped down on his fingers as she orgasmed around them. The sounds coming from her nearly made Kyle cum but he held the base of his cock with his free hand to stop his load from blowing too early. 

His fingers slipped from her pussy and he watched as her slick lips clenched around nothing. 

“Kyle, please…” Her eyes were pleading, flicking between his eyes and his straining dick. 

“Angel…” He moaned as he tapped his tip against her clit. She wiggled her lower half in an attempt to get him inside her. She whined when he pulled away but groaned as Kyle pushed his tip just barely inside. 

He huffed and then pushed all the way in, earning himself beautiful, pleasure-filled noises. He was halfway in when she half sat up and pulled him closer, locking their mouths in a heated kiss. His hips jerked forward the final few inches until their hips were touching. His arms and thighs shook from the pleasure he was feeling. Her plush pussy was sucking him in, clenching against his thick cock. Desperately trying to milk him for what he’s got. And he had a lot to give. 

The first few thrusts were overstimulating, so Kyle went torturously slow. It didn’t last too long before he was pounding into her sweet pussy faster. Their bodies coming together created wet lewd sounds. His cum filled balls slapped against her ass with each hard connection. Kyle could feel her wetness dripping down his balls. The viscous fluid becoming creamier with each thrust. 

“There ya go, love.” Kyle panted. “Look at those tits bouncing every, every time I fuck my cock into ya.”

He looked down at her boobs bouncing with his thrusts. A hand reached out to pinch at her nipple. Her hips bucked in sync with his. 

“Ah! Ah! Kyle!” He pinched and twisted her nipple harder. “Fuck! Fuck!”

He thrusted his cock into her faster than before. His balls beginning to tighten while her walls clenched harder onto him. 

“Kyle~!” Her voice going a higher pitch. The bed creaked with their thrusts. 

“Shit! Ah! That’s it, love!” Kyle’s eyes began to roll back as his creamy cum left his body and streamed into hers. “Yes, ah! Fuck! Fuck!”

The feeling of Kyle’s hot cum squirting into her made Angel cum harder than she’s ever cummed before. Her legs shook violently and her back arched off the bed. Kyle’s pace slowed but her didn’t slip out as he came to a stop. Both panted hard and Kyle wrapped his arms around her, flipping them over still connected. 

A surprised squeak slipped her lips and he chuckled. Then she groaned softly at the new position. He didn’t move, however, instead tightening his hold on her. 

“Cuddler?” She teased, palms splayed over his chest. She could feel how fast his heart was beating as he took deep breaths. 

“Can’t blame me for hugging an Angel.” The laugh that shook her body was making Kyle giddy. The movement made him groan as her pussy clenched on his softening cock. 

“S-sorry.” She bit her lip. She took the moment to push against him and he let her go. Kicking a leg over, his cock slipped out along with a gush of his cum. “Ah!”

Kyle hissed as his cock slapped against him covered in both their fluids. He felt his dick hardening watching his cum drip from her twitching pussy lips. 

Angel then laid next to him, her head resting against his chest. Her hand reached over his stomach to his hand. She held it as she slipped one of her bracelets she made for the festival over onto his wrist. 

“To remember me…” She said it so softly, he almost missed it if he wasn’t staring at her in awe. His cheeks burned as feelings he’s rarely ever felt before churned in his chest. Her dilated eyes looking back just as fervently. 

On its own, Kyle’s hand reached for her chin pulling her into a deep kiss. She moved over him again, one of his hands on her ass cheek to help not that she needed it. He gave it a tight squeeze making her moan into his mouth. 

They continued their moment together past sunrise. Kyle made sure to bring her pleasure as many times as Angel could take. He hoped he’d spend more time with her in the future but knew it was unlikely since he lived on another continent. Silently, she hoped the same thing. 

Masterlist

🔖 Taglist:

@sae1kie

[madameaug]

LEAK?! || JK x OC

Pairing: Celebrity Jungkook x Non-celebrity Jennette

*note* this is not a cont of "Meet the Mod". I'm just writing ideas as they come to me (carry on :)

WC: 1.4k >

Warning: implied sexual encounter

------

Jennette patted herself on her back, proud that she stepped out of her apartment in a public space with the current shit show her relationship was in. Four months ago, the couple celebrated their second anniversary. Jennette made it a habit to have more intimate plans for their anniversaries as her boyfriend was one of the most popular male celebrities in the world. Fighting the swarm of fans and paparazzi would zap any romance the couple would try to keep. However, Jungkook was adamant this year, to do something outside of his luxurious apartment. He wanted to treat his lovebug.

And with genuine intention, he wanted their anniversary to be special. Jennette fondly remembered the day. They had a couple's massage, and Jungkook rented out a movie theatre so they could watch the Blockbuster hit 'Barbie'. A movie that Jennette was really looking forward to see, since the trailer dropped on YouTube. To end the night the pair ate at a five-star Brazillian steakhouse and filled their bellies with tender, well-seasoned poultry. For dessert, they took that back to the hotel room that Jennette happened to be staying at. In the room, the couple engaged in the most passionate, face-fanning, toe-curling rounds of sex.

Jennette saw stars that night. Their bodies molded into one. Jungkook centered on Jennette's pleasure, and Jennette did the same. The day was perfect. Til it wasn't.

Jennette had to leave South Korea to return to her work obligations in the United States. Her phone delivered a heart-dropping notification as she got off her connecting flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta. One that sourced anxiety in Jennette for the next four months. The hotel they were in for their anniversary placed a hidden camera in their hotel room. The camera recorded the intimate moment shared between the couple.

Clicking on the video, Jennette realized that only her voice and moans could be picked up on the video. She wanted to dig a hole and lay there for the rest of her life. Her gasps of pleasure were not available for the public domain to laugh and critique. Words only meant for Jungkook were now, being flipped to mock her. To make matters worse the leak occurred right as Jungkook was in the middle of promoting his single 'Seven'. He couldn't fly to Atlanta to comfort and soothe his girlfriend, as he would be in legal trouble for breaking those contracts.

Leaving Jennette alone to cope with the unwanted attention. She can't lie and say that breaking up with Jungkook didn't cross her mind. But she knew that was a cowardly approach to dealing with the situation. She loved him and would only be punishing herself with a breakup. Plus, it's not like Jungkook knew about the camera; she just wanted to lean on his shoulder for support.

"Jeanie!" Jungkook rushed over to his girlfriend, engulfing her in a hug. His outfit was so casual and baggy. A white tank top with a zip-up jacket. A gold chain that Jennette bought him for his birthday laid against his skin.

"I'm so sorry baby." Jungkook kissed her lips repeatedly expressing his feelings through his affection. His hands pulled her hips towards his pelvis wanting no space between them. Jennette slipped her hand around Jungkook's lips to stop the kisses.

"We need to talk." Jennette took Jungkook into her office building. Her job working within the capitol building in Georgia meant that this was the secured building she had access to. Cameras were not allowed within a 5-mile radius of the building or in each employee's cubicle. Meaning there was total privacy.

Jungkook took a seat in the small chair across from Jennette's desk. He took note of the framed picture of the two on her desk. It was a picture from Jennette's birthday party. Since her birthday was a few days before Christmas, Jennette chose the theme of her birthday to be the North Pole. Obviously, she and Jungkook were Mrs. & Mr. Claus. Jungkook was dressed like Santa with a fake white puffy beard and a fake belly. Jennette looked like Mrs.Claus. She wore a velvet red down with white cuffs. In the photo, Jennette and Jungkook are biting into a shared chocolate cookie. They were so cute.

"I can't believe this happened." Jennette paced in her office. Both her hands wrapped around the back of her neck. She rotated her neck in both directions, trying to relieve some tension in her body.

"I called Bang PD and he's got his best lawyers drafting paperwork to sue the hotel for everything. They won't get away with this."

Jungkook reached out to hold Jennette's hand. It was clear that Jennette was reluctant to accept Jungkook's affection. Her hand was limp within his. Eyes steady at the ground.

"Baby?"

It was hard for Jungkook to imagine how Jennette would respond to the leak. He wanted to call her several times over the four months they were physically apart. He wanted to get in her head, as it was rare for her to be so quiet about something like this. With this new attitude, he couldn't help but notice at the shorter text messages he was receiving. The lack of emojis in her text messages, and the increased grammatical typing in their text messages. It was like to she backtracking in the relationship. Speaking so formally to him, one time addressing him as his full name 'Jungkook'.

"Don't let this get you down, baby. We can come up from this." Jungkook so optimistically. A trait that Jennette genuinely loved about him, but now it seemed to annoy her.

"It's easy for you to say that, Jungkook, it's not your voice they hear. It's me." Jennette vented. While she didn't want Jungkook to necessarily be heard on the video, she just wished that she didn't have her entire look being picked through with a fine tooth comb. Before she deleted her social media pages, men sent her the most inappropriate messages, trying to learn more about her sexual desires. Some even outright sent videos of them pleasuring themselves to her moans. She felt dirty.

"Uh-uh. Don't call me that." Jungkook spoke.

"Jungkook I'm serious."

"Ow!" Jennette rubbed her bottom. Jungkook was quick with the heavy-handed tap he gave her bottom. She cut her eyes at Jungkook.

"Come here." Jungkook motioned to Jennette with his arms wide open. With a gentle tug, Jungkook wrapped his arms around her. His chin rested on her forehead. Jennette wrapped her arms around Jungkook, taking note of the wider shoulders he now has. Her fingers could feel the muscles on his back.

"I'm sorry. I've just been dealing with a lot." Jennette looked up at Jungkook.

"And I missed you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there four months ago. But I'm here now, and I don't plan on leavin' either."

Jennette leaned in closer and kissed Jungkook. The kiss was slow and tender. They took their time catching up with each other. Nothing seemed as important as them re-establishing that connection. The connection that got them through so much in the past. The same connection that would get them through this seemingly small hiccup.

"Why couldn't the video pick up you moaning." Jennette playfully rolled her eyes.

"I don't make noise baby that's why."

"Pfft. Please. 'Baby yes, yes. Do that again." Jennette deepened her voice trying to sound like Jungkook during the night in question. Both of them were quite vocal in the bedroom. That was how comfortable they were with each other.

"You gonna do me like that." Jungkook nuzzled his forehead against Jennette's. "If I recall, I was instructed to 'beat it up'. So I was just following your lead, baby."

Jungkook laughed when Jennette shoved his chest. She scoffed at his accurate account. She grumbled, 'whatever'.

"But on a serious note, don't stress anymore. I'm gonna handle this. I promise." Jungkook extended his pinky finger.

With a smile on her face, Jennette intertwined her pinky with his. If Jungkook said he was going to do something, Jennette believed it. Never once had he let her down.

"I know you will." Jennette waved their connected hands for a second, letting out a deep breath.

"And who told you to come out of the house looking this good?" Jennette joked. Jungkook smiled, feeling good, feeling the wall between them crumble down. While the leak wasn't under wraps yet, he still felt good. Things with Jennette were good. And in the moment, that was all that mattered.

A/N: Those who are in the path of the hurricane- pls stay safe !!!

A/N: Yall see JK's new cut, I'm kinda digging it

[girlgroupshots]

Day 5 - SNSD Taeyeon

pairing: tiffany x taeyeon (taeny) content warning: somnophilia word count: 900 rating: M for mature summary: tiffany comes home for the holidays. taeyeon comes.  consider buying me a coffee if you enjoy!    

“I wish you could be here this year.”

A small pout crossed Taeyeon’s features as she stared at her phone screen. The picture coming through the facetime call was a familiar one, intimately familiar in fact. Tiffany Young laughed playfully at the expression she was given, giving an apologetic look in return.

“Aw, baby! I wish I could be there too,” Tiffany replied. “Next year. Or you could join me…”

This was the difficult part of having a long distance relationship where both parties were active in different parts of their life. The two months Taeyeon had gotten to enjoy Tiffany’s company all to herself were heavenly and yet it seemed their time ended right before the holidays and Tiffany had to return to the States.

“Maybe if you give me some incentive I’d consider it.”

“Yah! Do you need incentive to stay with me?” Tiffany laughed in disbelief. “Unbelievable!”

“Eleven hours is a long flight!” Taeyeon protested jokingly.

“Who are you telling!”

Both girls fell into laughter at their antics, which, in the end, only made them wish that they were in each other’s physical presence even more. A brief silence fell over the call and Taeyeon’s expression became melancholic once more. Noticing her girlfriend’s face, Tiffany attempted to cheer her up.

“Maybe for New Years I’ll be able to fly over. If things aren’t too crazy.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” Taeyeon muttered.

“Well, yeah, obviously,” Tiffany teased, her voice soft. “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”

The rest of the call continued on a lighter note, the two women exchanging recent stories and laughing over memories from Christmas past. When it was time for Taeyeon to go to bed she did so reluctantly, with dreams of Santa bringing her the one person she wanted for Christmas…

It was well into the night when Tiffany turned the lock on Taeyeon's door. Quietly she peered in, hoping her girlfriend's dogs wouldn't give her away. It hadn't been easy pretending like she was in Los Angeles when really she was in Seoul during the facetime but as far as she knew, her deception had gone off without a hitch.

It seemed not a creature was stirring as she entered the home. Tiffany quietly placed down her bag and tiptoed through the halls towards the bedroom she was all too familiar with. Getting there in nothing more than a trench coat and red lingerie had been a freezing experience that she wasn't keen on repeating but it was worth it for this moment alone.

She peered into the bedroom, spotting a sleeping Taeyeon in the moonlight. Briefly taking a moment to appreciate the sight of her sleeping beauty before stripping down and making her way into the bed.

"Sleeping topless?" she muttered, her cold hands moving to Taeyeon's petite breast beneath the sheets. "Just what were you hoping Santa would do?"

Taeyeon shivered, her nipples turning hard, but didn't stir from her slumber, her body instinctively snuggling closer to Tiffany's. A slight smirk crossed her lover's expression as she began to fondle her breast more freely.

"Was this what you were hoping to get for Christmas?" she whispered in her ear.

Her girlfriend might not be the most well-endowed member of their group but that didn't mean Tiffany wouldn't take the opportunity to warm up when handed it. She massaged the other woman's breast, sucking on her neck as she did so. Slowly her fingers made their way down over her bare abdomen and past her navel. Her hands had warmed up fondling her breasts causing Taeyeon's body to relax and subconsciously arch into them with need.

"So wet for me already," Tiffany teased, her fingers dancing past her lover's sleep shorts and to her slick folds. "Just what are you dreaming about, huh?"

Her fingers dipped deeper into her sex and Taeyeon's thighs instinctively clutched around them. Still, she pushed deeper. One knuckle, then another. It was like clockwork that she could expect the singer's tightness to be waiting for her whenever she came home. Because that's what Taeyeon was to her. More than any one city or country she was home.

Taeyeon's thighs began to part, inviting a second digit to her sex. Quiet moans had started mixing in with her erratic breath as Tiffany began to properly pump her fingers in and out of her. She was keen to use her long fingers to pay attention to her most sensitive parts as well; teasing her clit along the way. What surprised her most was how Taeyeon remained asleep through it all. What Tiffany wouldn't have given to know what she was dreaming about in that moment.

She remained asleep up until her body shuttered and clenched around her lover's fingers; a silent orgasm washing over her. Unable to resist the temptation, she raised her slick fingers to her lips, licking them clean.

"Nngh...Fany?"

Taeyeon had finally begun to stir, looking at Tiffany with a drowsy but aroused look. "You know I was having the strangest dream."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Tiffany laughed softly, stroking her hair.

"Remember that old toy you lost during our vacation ?"

"I wonder why that came to mind..." Tiffany said coyly. Though the look from Taeyeon told her the gig was up. Cupping her cheek she leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, "Merry Christmas, baby."

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ AND 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (are you shocked lol)

Hey!!! I’m just surprised you asked for more than one thing lol!

57 for⚡️

—-

“What are you smiling at?” Buck asks after a second, when it’s clear Eddie is more interested in his thoughts than his smoothie.

Eddie just winks. “I’ve got a lot to be smiling about.”

🗲🗲🗲

Not that Buck expected any differently, based on his conversations, but everyone at work is happy for them, too. It’s sort of just a happy time at the 118, more generally. Chim and Maddie married. Buck and Eddie engaged. Hen and Karen working to adopt their foster daughter, Mara. Everyone is doing well.

“Let Athena and I throw you a party to celebrate,” Bobby asks on their first shift after the proposal.

“A party?” Buck asks.

“An engagement party,” Bobby insists.

Buck grins. This feels like some sort of honor. He hadn’t done this for Chim. In fact, the Lees had done it for Chim. The people who were pretty much Chim’s parents. More important than his parents.

“That would mean a lot, Bobby. Thank you.” Buck tells him.

“That’s really kind,” Eddie agrees.

Bobby smiles warmly. “Good. Leave it to me. I’ll send you some dates.”

Buck feels sort of surreal about the whole thing, truly. He’s engaged. To Eddie. Probably the coolest person on earth to be engaged to. Definitely the coolest person, actually. And the people he loves beyond that are eager to celebrate him. Oh, and they are also going to have another kid at some point. Insane. Insanely, fantastically perfect. He wishes he could step back in time and tell his past self this is where he’d end up. He wouldn’t have believed it.

He wouldn’t have believed he’d get here. He wouldn’t have believed someone would want to be here with him. The fact that it’s Eddie? Somehow totally magical and entirely sensible all at the same time.

☆☆☆

The honeymoon-like bubble that follows their engagement pops after a few days. And it’s sort of Eddie’s fault.

It’s not that it pops in the way that anything bad happens. They don’t fight or anything like that. More like, Eddie makes the unfortunate but probably ultimately necessary choice to talk plans. Not just wedding plans, like Chris has been bugging them to do. But, like, all of them. What does any of what they’ve decided on look like, logistically?

Unfortunately, logistics aren’t always sexy or romantic. They’re… Logistical.

Eddie brings this up during a dinner where Christopher is not present. Hanging out at a friend’s, luckily for them.

—-

60 for 👑:

—-

“Be right there,” Chim replies, distracted. He walks away from the Christmas card, determined to forget about it.

Of course, he doesn’t.

👑👑👑

He Googles them later that day, during some downtime at the station. He shouldn’t. It makes him feel creepy. But he does it anyway.

He doesn’t Google Maddie. He’d like to make this clear. Just her parents. Really, just her father.

He, as it turns out, is the primary owner and stakeholder in a company called Castle Restaurant Group. He and another partner own a series of fine dining - really upscale places - around the state. Primarily Los Angeles. Chim searches through them. They’re the kind of places frequented by celebrities; athletes, pop stars, real housewives.

Yeah, these people have money.

Chim locks his phone and puts it away. There’s no point thinking about her.

Not that he gets much of a chance anyway. Twenty minutes later, Captain Wallen sits them down and tells them he’s leaving. After their next four off, on New Year’s Eve, a new Captain will be starting. Some guy called Nash out of Minnesota.

Chim has given up hoping that they’ll be good. The least he can hope for is that this one isn’t another Gerrard.

iii.

If he had any chance of forgetting about her, those chances are dashed on December 29th. Chimney is off work, making a pretty run of the mill grocery trip, when he runs into her again. What are the damn chances?

Chim likes going to a supermarket right beside a Portuguese bakery. It’s a bit out of the way, but the bakery makes it all worth it. The bread and pastries are truly beyond compare. Plus, it always makes Hen smile when he brings her an egg tart at the beginning of a shift.

It is at this bakery, with Chim’s groceries sitting in the car, that he runs into Maddie. He’s halfway through placing an order when she walks into the shop, bell on the door chiming to announce her arrival. Chim glances over his shoulder; nothing more than compulsory curiosity. He does a double take when he realizes it’s her, nearly dropping his debit card onto the floor.

Maddie is dressed in simple jeans and a powder blue sweater. She looks soft and striking all at once.

“Oh,” Maddie exclaims, looking at him. “I know you!”

Chim blinks. “You do?”

As if he doesn’t know exactly what she’s talking about. He’s just floored that she recognized him.

“You were the paramedic at the mall!”

“Yes!” Chim confirms. “With Santa.”

“Is he okay?” Maddie asks.

“Well, we don’t get follow ups,” Chim admits. “But he was stable when we left him.”

“Oh good,” Maddie smiles. It’s such a kind smile. “That’s good to hear.”

The clerk at the counter clear her throat, signaling to Chim that he's holding up the process.

“Right, sorry,” he mutters. He looks back at Maddie. “One sec?”

Maddie nods.

Chim turns back to the clerk and finishes his order as quickly as possible.

[bradandchris]

Well, that was that then. Brad had himself a New Years Resolution. His resolution was to not have a resolution for the year that was new in the moment where he was. That was on the beach in Santa Monica at the end of 2023.

While he was there staring into 2024, he was also giving up lent for lent, and trading in Columbus Day for an Akron knight. He would just need to convince Elton John to take a holiday to Ohio in October. It was a good thing leaves died pretty. He could use that to his advantage.

If that didn’t work out, Brad would try a different time of day. Akron Dawn for example could score an obvious sponsorship assuming people in Ohio did their dishes upon waking up. It sounded like something people in sensibly sized Midwest cities might do.

The notion never crossed his mind in Brad’s 22 years living in Los Angeles. Why would anyone born and bred in Southern California ground themselves where it could crack open and swallow you whole at any second? Midwestern sensibility just didn’t stack up here.

Akron was in Ohio right? Brad could never be sure even with a smart phone in his hand. Miss Information was everywhere and there were no places to hide. How would you know where to go anyway?

All the cities in Ohio looked exactly the same to Brad. You could be in Toledo or Cincinnati, and it wouldn’t make a lick of difference even if you were at the local library checking out books. As long as ‘Ohio’ was somewhere on your library card or drivers license, you were golden.

At least that’s what Brad imagined. The locals likely didn’t feel the same way.

On the eve of a change in one of many calendars used across the globe, Brad took a minute reflect upon what had yet to happen by asking questions in the present tense.

Did all the oceans in California look the same to people from Ohio? Those from the two bucks an eye state (post inflation), were human beings dealing with a relative relative spendy reality. That part was clear. The rest of it got fuzzy as he didn’t know anyone from Ohio he could ask.

Brad wasn’t sure how many oceans he was looking at in the first place. They all kinda mixed together with few if any official boundaries. To call the water in front of him by one name took it from Will Rogers in Cali all the way to Bondi in Australia, but it was hardly the same water. The whole thing read as a gross over generalization as everything Pacific.

Each day it was less and less surprising to Brad that more than 90% of the sea floor failed to be mapped. We as a species held not a clue as to what was down there yet some of us were already taking tours of outer space which was technically nothing itself. Was that not why we called it space?

Whatever.

Brad didn’t want to put too much into space tourism or an overrated holiday like NYE, or even Christmas for that matter…

Brad stopped himself there. If he took that thought any further he could start getting answers. That could take him into resolution territory where he resolved to not go yet already was.

The annual practice never played out well for Brad despite being out himself. While others made money Brad beat himself up. By the President’s Day circuit party he was always in a downward spiral. If Brad ever OD’d it would likely be there smack dab in the depths of the Southern California rainy season swallowed whole by the first round of judgement preliminaries for White Party in Palm Springs.

Seeing where he was, Brad pulled himself off the bitter party of one path to that of personal responsibility. No one besides himself stuck around any NYE resolution to ensure he followed through. It may be paid for but did it matter where the money came from? While the commitment was squarely his, it often turned out the enthusiasm was not.

Brad paused to fix the back of his swimmers. They began riding his youthful 22 year old butt muscles while doing all this thinking. Did he really workout every day just so his clothes could malfunction?

Maybe. He could def take the notion somewhere sexy. Too bad there wasn’t a pen and paper around. Was this why people wrote their name in the sand? That whole notion read downright silly standing so close to the world’s biggest eraser.

When all was said and done, the greatest part about having a perky butt wasn’t sex or attention. It was having a place to set things down where no pockets were available. Brad always offered the space to others where he could think enough to do so. Ironically, the last thing he wanted to be was an ass.

The notion spurred another thought. Brad would ask Chris to look for a date on his butt when he came back from the concession stand with lunch. All this male beauty comes with a shelf life apparently so his boyfriend should probably know when to stop eating it. To that, and out of respect for himself, he should probably check Chris’ butt too. Brad needed some action and the whole notion just brought forth was good enough to jumpstart a very fun afternoon.

These things only needed to be paper thin with two men in the equation. An impromptu hamster inspection of the men’s locker room at the local gay watering hole instigated a wild three way with Brad and Chris’s neighbor Luke just a few hours earlier. Unsurprisingly, not a single hamster turned up at the gym, but the whole debacle did put a new spin on wood shavings.

A rouge wave reached high enough to grab Brad’s attention and bring him back to the present tense. Brad looked at his phone but he didn’t have any gauge as to when he and his thinking drifted off. Well, at least he came around this time with his swimmers still on. He lost two pair just in the last 24 hours.

Now where was Chris with the food? Brad was craving curly fries and a big fat dill pickle.

[spookymultimedia]

Homesickness

After dropping out of college Cartman visits home after years of being away from it

I remember the morning I left for California. I was fresh out of highschool and had packed up all my things. I didn't tell anybody I was leaving, not even my Mom. The night before I left I had argued with her over something stupid. I called her a bitch and slammed my bedroom door. When I knew she was asleep I took my bags, stuffed them into my cheap minivan and hit the road. By 3 am I was out of Colorado. People called me, but it's dangerous to drive while on the phone, so naturally I ignored them all day long. I didn't call back either. They didn't matter. To my surprise Kyle had called me the most, but I didn't notice that for years. The last time I had seen him he had smacked me in the face and called me a fag after I tried to kiss him at a graduation party. I blocked his number. I left everything behind and didn't look back. Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I had just stayed a little longer. I've lost so many years to LA. I wonder what Kyle had to say to me.

Los Angeles was massive. I was a small fish in a huge pond that had come to learn that the world didn't revolve around me. I came into the city with high ambitions. The plan was to get my business degree, get into the marketing industry and get rich and famous with my genius ideas. LA was nothing like home. It was nothing but hot pavement and smoke filled skies. The place smelled like piss. The classes were intense and full of rich students who came from parents who were agents or producers. Friendships didn't exist, only networking. No one spoke to you unless they wanted something from you. The weather was hot, it was like hell on earth.

The first year was lonely and frustrating. It felt like no one respected me. It turns out people didn't owe me anything. I had this rude awakening that I wasn't special, I was just like any other asshole trying to make it big. My confidence ran thin and nothing seemed to matter anymore. Business in LA was no place for a boy from a little mountain town in Colorado. I tried to persevere for one more year but my second Christmas there broke me.

There I was in my tiny little dorm room with the air conditioner on, eating a cold ham sandwich. Everyone else had family to visit while I had no one. I was watching TV when a Christmas commercial came on. There were four little boys building a snowman together and running inside to drink hot chocolate. The commercial was about Duracell batteries, somehow. The commercial reminded me of home. I lost all composure and started crying. I just wanted to go home. I wanted to see the big white mountains in the sky again. I wanted to feel the cold again. I wanted to see the stars over the trees again. I wished I hadn't left at all. I needed to go home. So I called Kenny's house phone. I was lucky he picked up. I explained everything to him and headed home.

Kenny picked me up from the Airport and drove me back into town. A sense of nostalgia washed over me, the town looked just the same as I had left it. There was a new building or house here and there but it was just as I remembered it.

“Do you think my Mom will be happy to see me?”

Kenny blinked at me and cocked his head.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Did- don't you remember?”

“Remember what? What happened?? Take me to my house!”

“But- Eric. It's-.”

“What?”

Suddenly I spotted the street my house was on.

“ Pull over!” I pulled out my old house key and rushed out towards home.

Kenny pulled over and tried to run after me without slipping on the ice. Oh gosh the cold air felt heavenly. The mountains were right where I left them. It was so good to be back home. I unlocked the door and-

“Mom!!” I cried out

The house was empty.

“Mom?” I called out with less enthusiasm. I hadn't seen this place empty since I was a baby. It looked like how we found it when I was only 3 years old and my Mom had just moved in. The walls were empty, there was an imprint of where the couch should be, and where that big fat TV was, and-

“Oh Cartman! It's so nice you could visit! How was California?” Rang out a familiar voice. I turned to see Kyle's Mom.

“Did. . .did she move away?”

Her smile dropped, “Oh Eric hunny, didn't you get the- oh you don't know! We tried to call you.”

“About what?” I walked outside to talk to her. Kenny stood behind me with a sad look on his face.

She stepped forward and grabbed my hands.

“Eric, sweetie, your Mom died two weeks ago.”

I stared blankly at her as my stomach dropped. At first I didn't react. I repeated the words in my head to try and understand them but they still left me confused.

“She was missing for a couple of days, and when we tried to call her or knock on the door she wouldn't answer. The police picked the lock to her house and let me check on her.” Tears flooded her eyes.

“What happened?” I mumbled, bewildered.

“I don't know, I found her in bed and she was dead. I didn't see any drugs or anything that could have killed her. It's like she just died in her sleep.”

“Oh.” Was all that could come out of me. I felt completely numb at that moment. All the sunshine in me was gone. I came back here to be happy but everything I was coming back to wasn't there.

“Are you alri-”

“Oh well look who came back in town!” A voice squawked out from behind me. I turned around and regretted it. It was none other than Mr.Garrison. I couldn't believe he was still breathing. I wish he wasn't.

“Hello Mr.Garrison.” I mumbled

“How was California? Huh?”

“I dropped out.”

“Oh so you quit!?” He chuckled harshly. He leaned against his cane and cackled like a fucking hyena. I glared at him.

“Yes I quit ok!! I'm a fucking good for nothing quitter! Are you happy!!!”

“ I told you, you weren't cut out for California!! You really thought you were somethin’ huh? You just thought you could just pack up your things, go to Cali-fucking-fornia like all the other dumbass liberals and make your dreams come true!? Well guess what! The world doesn't revolve around you bigshot!!”

He stabbed his finger at my chest. I winced and growled.

“You ain't shit Eric Cartman. And you'll never amount to anythin. I was like you once you know, a hot shot. Serves me right for thinkin mountain town hicks like us can get famous. You're best bet at gettin on television is becoming a fat-ass r*tard*d

hoarder for everyone to point and laugh at.”

I shoved him to the ground and punched him.

“SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!” I screamed and hit at him hoping I'd knock his brains out.

I attempted to choke him out but Kenny ripped me away from him. He grinned at me as blood fell down his nose while Ms.Broflovski helped him up.

“Hit a nerve there didn't I?” He taunted and chuckled. I ran inside and ran back into the empty house. I took a moment to breathe before I sat down and stared around at the room quietly, trying to remember how the place had looked. I thought about the buzz of the TV and the cheap ass cakes I ate every day. I glanced at the kitchen. In my mind I remembered the smell of freshly baked cookies and bacon. It was weird, all my good memories about my Mom were about food. I would watch her cook so I could remember to do it on my own when she was too drunk to cook food for me. Well, when I put it that way it sounded sad, but the food was good. Was that it? Just food and treats. Was there anything else to our relationship? Everything else I felt about her was resentful.

I looked upstairs and walked up. I went into her room and looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary. No suicide note. No drugs. No alcohol. Not a single thing that could have caused her to die. I hated the answer. It was just unsatisfying. She just died for no fucking reason. How lame is that!?? I glanced at the closet where I knew the sex toys were. I left the room before my brain could linger on the upsetting memories I had buried away. It was better not to think about it.

I walked to my room, it was empty. Those assholes gave away my childhood toys!! My Clyde frog! My mega men. My sock puppet. It was gone and all that was left was this empty shell of a room. I looked at my door, playing back the night I left. I remembered the last thing I said to her.

“Eric, are you sure you want to leave for college?? You could wait a little while, you're still young.”

“Stop trying to guilt me into staying at home with you!!”

“Don't raise your voice at me!”

“Then stop treating me like a fuckin baby!! You're so afraid of being by yourself it's fucking pathetic!!”

“Eric- please-”

“JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU LITTLE BITCH!! I'LL DO WHATEVER I WANT!!” I slammed the door in her face and ignored her crying.

I'll never get to talk to her again.

She's dead and the last thing I did was call her a bitch and slammed a door at her face. God I'm an asshole.

I walked back to the living room in a tired daze,Kenny looked at me with those big hazel eyes of his. I fell to my knees and couldn't handle it all anymore. I curled up on the floor and choked out into tears. I sounded pathetic. I felt like I was a 10 year old kid crying and kicking on the floor because he didn't get what he wanted. I was 10 years old again, throwing a fit. I wanted to go back. I didn't do my childhood right. I want it back!! I want my Clyde frog!! I want my Terrance and Philip!! I want Chef!!! I want my Cheezy Poofs and my Snacky Cakes!!! I want my Swiss Colony Beef log and Christmases with presents and snow and food. I WANT MY MOM!! I fucking hated her but at the same time I wanted more than anything was crawl into her lap and cry until she hugged me and fixed everything.

But she didn't come back. She would never come back. I took it all for granted and now I was stuck here to face being an adult. I felt Kenny pull me into his arms and squeeze me tight. I hid my face in his shoulder and cried for an hour. I couldn't tell if I was grieving or tired. I felt like a tired little baby in need of a nap. So that's what I did. I fell asleep in Kenny's arms and dreamed about her. In my dreams she was making chocolate buttered waffles and everything was okay. I didn't want to wake up. But I would have to eventually.

[lesliesknopes]

madney fic recs 🔮

decided to make a post of my favourite madney fics because there are so many underrated gems and they can be impossible to find.

1K-10K

as you wish by lilythesilly (1K)

“As you wish.” 

“Ah!” Jee-Yun holds her sippy cup up to the television, like she’s toasting Westley on screen. 

“That’s right, Jee-Jee,” Chim says and reaches down to grab her when she toddles back over to him. “It means ‘I love you’.” 

--

Or, Chim watches The Princess Bride.

touch me with slow hands by maddieandchimney (2K)

Maddie and Chimney celebrate their engagement when it's just the two of them.

midnight under moonlight by lullatone (2K)

“So, what you’re saying is, is that your father is a-”

“A werewolf, yes.”

“Which means you and Albert are also-”

“-also werewolves, yes yes."

How am I supposed to tell you? by IGotOutOfTheOceanForYou (3K)

Summer camp counselors Maddie, Josh and Linda meet their new team member, but for one of them he ends up being more than just a new colleague.

i like you a latte by lilythesilly (3K)

“How long are you and Maddie going to pine over each other from a distance before you actually do something about it?” 

Chim sticks his finger in his mouth and holds it up in the air. “Wind says I have about another six months, but the Santa Ana’s say eight.” 

“Chim,” Hen says quietly, which stops him in his tracks. Oh god, she’s about to say something sincere. “You deserve to be happy.” 

It leaves a sour taste in his mouth and he tries to swallow it down. “C’mon, look around me! There is an espresso machine shaped like a volcano right there.” But she continues to hold his gaze, and in Chim’s experience not taking Hen’s advice is always a mistake so he relents, “I am happy. But I could be…happier I guess.” 

Hen smiles gently and squeezes his shoulder, picking up the now empty pastry tray. “So then do something about it.”

-

Or, a Madney Coffee Shop AU.

mountain sounds by lullatone (4K)

Anyway, the point is Maddie’s supposed to be on vacation right now.

Instead she’s stuck on some dirt road with a flat tire, no cell service, and a sneaking suspicion that she made a wrong turn a few miles back. 

AKA: Maddie gets stranded and meets a very handsome bearded man in the woods.

& part two!

 we just got the start wrong by theyarnmaidstale (4K)

After weeks of being at odds, Chimney knows exactly how he and Maddie got off on the wrong foot, but now, as he's kissing her under the mistletoe at Bobby's Christmas party, he'd kind of like to get on the right one.

Those who hate Los Angeles, have never been in love by olimakes (6K)

He pulls out his phone again.

“Chimney?”

It takes him a minute to answer, a minute to pull his eyes away from the screen and meet Maddie’s concerned gaze.

“What is it,” she asks.

He licks his lip. “It’s, uh, it’s my father. His assistant at least.” Maddie frowns and he continues. “He’s coming to LA. Apparently, that means sending a four-page email via his executive assistant. Not a phone call.”

Or, learning that his father is visiting, Chimney struggles.

10K-25K

Alone together by jupiterfics (13K)

There aren't a lot of places Buck can sit comfortably with his thoughts, but here—out on the water, body weightless as long as he lies still, no sound but the lap of the waves and the breath thrumming in his chest—here there's nothing in the world to drag him down, no anger no worry and, most of all, no regrets to fill his lungs and suffocate him. Here on the water it's fine that he's alone.

He wonders if Maddie felt alone when she died.

or;

Five years after his sister is legally declared dead, Buck finds his way to Los Angeles and joins the 118, hoping he can make Maddie's memory proud.

And the universe smiles down on him.

This World May Lose Its Motion, Love, If I Prove False to Thee by louderthanwords (18K)

Maddie arrived in L.A. eight months ago after fleeing the cult she was raised in and her abusive pastor husband. Now as she moves into her own apartment and continues to build her new life, Maddie’s friendship with Chimney begins to blossom.

& part one (although not madney centred)

in another life, i would be your girl by madneyfiles (25K)

Maddie and Chimney are in a secret relationship, knowing their love won't be approved by their parents, who are fierce business rivals. Their plans to run away when they turn 18 are shattered when Maddie's marriage to Doug is fixed by her parents after she turns 18. The only reason Maddie feels compelled to agree? Her brother, Evan.

25K-50K

She Made Herself Stronger (by Fighting with the Wind) by princessfbi (35K)

“Books are my love language,” Maddie said as she handed Chimney the book. “Movies are yours. This is a movie, right?”

Chimney jerked his head up in alarm as he looked at her and Maddie couldn’t help but laugh as she dropped the ruse.

“I’m kidding. I know Fight Club is a movie.”

The Madney Bookstore AU we all deserve and the Buddie Teen Romance to add a spice of chaos.

(Don't) let this be the end by yourestrongerthanyouthinkyouare (43K -INCOMPLETE)

Evan Buckley has a sister. He never talks about her, not because he hates her but to keep their memories safe in his heart, because from the moment she stopped talking to him, memories are all he has left. Maddie Buckley gave up everything to save her brother and she never regrets doing it, but she would do anything to hug him one last time.

50K+

sometimes a shadow wins by maddieandchimney (52K)

It's been Chimney and Doug against the world for fifteen years, so when Maddie unwittingly gets caught between the two best friends, everything changes.

You Are So Much More Than Your Father’s Son by louderthanwords (82K)

She knew it was a risk to leave. After ten years of being married to Sergeant Doug Kendall, Maddie knew exactly what it might cost her to flee Hershey with her son and daughter. She just hopes her brother can forgive her for the danger she’s brought to his doorstep when she arrives in LA with her kids after five years of silence.

& part two & part three

Stronger than Fear by diaz_evan (90K)

“No, wait! Chimney!” Buck rushes out but is stopped immediately by three armored Peacekeepers. “No!” He pushes against their arms, fighting against their killer grasp. He gathers all his strength and breaks through, so he can be seen from the stage. “I volunteer!”

Maddie and Buck are District 12's Tributes. The fight to keep each other alive begins now

[my buddie fic rec list]

[theknightmarket]

“Do you want to do this again sometime?”

In which Damien and the DA end up going to a party under false pretenses.  

TW: sexual references (teasing)

Pages: 20 - Words: 8000

[Requests: OPEN]

“You have to help me.”

Hearing that as soon as your friend of, at this point, 20 years bursts panting and sweating profusely through the door was not the best way to start the day. Good thing that you’d had your fair share of French toast and coffee, so you were able to swirl around in your chair to gauge the situation soberly. Damien didn’t look scared, if a little nervous, but he wasn’t happy. You remembered him talking about some dinner party the day before, which he would attend a few hours after he left. Still in his formal attire, so he had spent the night unwilfully. He also lacked a bowtie.

“Did you hook up with someone?” 

Much to your amusement, he went beet red the second the words escaped your mouth. It was painful to try not to laugh, but the single chuckle that breached the air had him rushing over to sit next to you, and he laid his cane on the table. A small attempt to hide his face was made with his free hand, though, you knew better. You had seen better, too, so you pat him on the back and left to pour another cup of coffee for the poor man. 

From your position at the countertop, you heard him mutter, “You don’t have to say it like that.” 

Oh. 

Normally, it felt great to be right. It was your favorite hobby, actually, but this time… this time was something different. Your eyebrows crossed and a faint intake of breath made it difficult to focus on the mug in your hand. Grip steadily clenching and loosening, the thump of your heart stilled. This should have been more concerning, the idea that some medical defect would put an end to your life before it had even begun, but Damien having stayed the night was somehow worse to you. 

Still, like any good friend, you brought the cup of coffee over to him and, making sure to avoid jostling him, set it down near his crossed arms. The steam faded into his eyes while he stared at the intricate design; he had always liked this mug, it was probably the best one out of your whole collection, in his opinion. A little golden retriever with a Christmas hat. Cute. 

He took it gratefully and gulped it down within seconds, the warning that it was hot not fully registering in his mind until half of it was gone. Then, the pain started, and it started strong. Damien was never one to curse but, in this moment, that didn’t matter. All the words in the book came pouring out of his mouth, alongside any coffee left that could cause more pain. It wasn’t until the glistening burn started to dull itself into a sting did he cease the speaking and start the fanning, not that it would help. 

You looked on with empathy and a small tinge of told-ya-so-ness. Either way, you quickly fetched a cold cup of water and bottle of honey, which, from experience, would work better than just waving at the burn. It didn’t take any coaxing to get him to open his mouth, so it was comparatively easy to help than when the roles had been reversed. 

Luckily for you, Damien wasn’t physically able to point out this fact, so you mumbled, “You’re such an idiot,” as you handed him a slowly melting ice cube. 

He rolled his eyes, momentarily distracted from the pain, but the curl of his lips downward and hiss were back the next moment. 

After some minutes of pampering and healing, the mayor was able to speak again, even if it was only a few words per sentence – his coffee had gone cold by now, too, and you rose from your chair to throw it down the sink like a prisoner into jail. Yours was already gone, drank in an orderly and non-painful fashion, so you just placed your mug into the sink next to Damien’s empty one. 

Despite the interlude, your mind still wandered back to his situation. Whoever he had been with, they must’ve been special to get with the mayor of sunny Los Angeles. You wondered what it was that drew him to them; maybe it was their looks alone, but Damien wasn’t that shallow, was he? Maybe they had a nice chat and it just escalated from there. You wondered how his sister would take it, since she was always so protective of him. You wondered if they would continue to see each other, if they knew each other already, if they had been together for a while now and you just didn’t know it, you wondered—

“I didn’t… hook up with anyone, you know.”

Oh, thank God. 

It had never felt so good to be wrong! You would have paraded around the kitchen if you hadn’t company, but that company you did have was Damien and he had not been with someone last night. Shoulders relaxing and that easy-going smile returning to your face, you whirled around to look at him again. 

“Then, why on God’s green earth, would you need my help?”

Damien sat up straight, pressed his hands across the table, and steadied his breathing. These were tell-tale signs that he was going to delve into a story, probably go off on a tangent, too, if you knew him well enough. With this knowledge, you cheerfully dashed back to your seat and dramatically leaned in close. 

The sudden burst of crimson on his face didn’t go unnoticed, but the reason for it did. You were too excited for the story of why he came back your apartment disheveled and lacking a bowtie to care. 

He started with a cough, “So, I went to that party last night.” You nodded. You were one to send him on his way with a good pep-talk and adjustment of his collar. “I’m aware.”

“I got there around six-fifteen, stayed in the car for another fifteen minutes and then went inside. I spoke to the Mr. Witz and his daughter Bethany.” You knew about Mr. Witz, he was an old guy in his late 50s and hell-bent on establishing his banking systems in L.A, hence why Damien was invited. “After being offered drinks, I took one and went to talk to, um, I think it was Mrs. Peterson, Mr. Daveed, and Mr. Ockley.”

With a light chuckle, you interrupted, “I’m starting to think you’ve killed someone and are trying to construct an alibi, Dame.” 

“I’m not! I didn’t, I just—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know you didn’t,” waving him off, you finished, “Please, continue.”

Another cough to clear his throat, and he was speaking again, “It was around half-nine when I spoke to Mrs. Harrows and then was I introduced to her daughter, Penelope, I believe her name was. We were talking nice and having a fun time, but it was obvious when we got into the subject of, uh, romancewhy Mrs. Harrows really brought her daughter to the party.” 

You nodded, knowingly, because, after most nights out with the rich and infamous - Mrs. Harrows amongst them­ – Damien had a habit of bursting into your apartment and ranting about whatever had gone wrong or even right this time. You always welcomed him with a smile and a drink, something that should have become tiresome after the thirteenth time that month, but they key word there was should. It didn’t, surprisingly, but you thought you knew why, and to be completely honest, that idea scared you. This exact scenario was the reason behind that fear. 

“Mrs. Harrows, I would never speak ill of her, but she was determined to get her daughter into my, well, good graces. Of course, I wasn’t initiating by any means, but then she left myself and Penelope alone to get some champagne, and I realized that this determination might’ve been genetic.”

You grimaced at the implication, feeling bad for both Damien and the girl, but less so for her because… obvious reasons. Nothing that you wanted to trouble yourself with, in the presence of Damien, you wanted to pay as much attention as you could. 

“So, for the better half on an hour, she was trying to charm me, and I was trying to get away. I even resorted to asking Mr. Witz about his insurance schemes.” His speaking was speeding up, and his tone was growing gradually more nervous, to the point that you were wondering if he was going to have a stroke. Eventually, though, he completely stopped still at the end of a sentence. His eyes held a look of remembrance, faint fear, and a hint of something else. You couldn’t quite pinpoint it, and you didn’t have his monologue to distract you from thinking about it. It wasn’t confidence, it wasn’t excitement, it was almost sad in a way. Disappointed, but for what, you didn’t know. 

“And then,” he began again shakily, “she asked if I would like to go for a stroll around the gardens.” 

“Scandalous!” you mocked, even though you knew full well what that really meant. You had been invited to a good amount of those kinds of social gatherings, and, nearly every single time, someone would approach another and ask to go out around the gardens. At this point, it was basically a marriage proposal, but no one was insane enough to refuse such a request if not for a good reason, none of which Damien had. Penelope Harrows was a nice girl, beautiful and, by all means, well-off. Damien, meanwhile, was single, equally rich, and with no one at his side throughout the evening to drag him away. So, there was the question – if Damien hadn’t lied to you, why had he not gone home with her?

The mayor rolled his eyes, smiling all the while, but he continued the story, “Of course, I said no – but she was insistent,” that blush rose from the dead, coating over the bridge of his nose to both ears, “and, when I refused again, she asked why.”

Damien was already getting choked up with words, them bundling together in the middle of his throat and halting breathing altogether. He knew what he wanted to say but getting it out was a much harder task than putting the sentence together. After a few seconds of floundering, his resolved crumbled – just as his knees felt despite being sat down – and he opened his mouth with a sigh. 

“I told her I was engaged.” 

Oh.

“To you.” 

Oh. 

You don’t know what you had expected, but it definitely wasn’t this. Hell, you would’ve been less surprised to hear he had just insulted her and gotten fired. However, that was not what had happened. And you had mixed feelings on the idea. 

For one, this was going to be difficult to fix. With so many influential people around Damien at the time, word was going to spread faster than a wildfire, and possibly damage a lot more, too. There were going to be death threats in your mailbox, which was par for the course, and fear for both your reputations as unbiased and objective swelled in your heart. Though, beside that little feeling was something else. A light feeling, as if the calm glow of the moon had leaked out of your stomach and into your heart. It was ludicrous and dishonest to be called Damien’s fiancé, but that didn’t stop you from grinning behind your hand. Your heart thudded in your chest when your eyes met. 

“We’ve been extended an invitation to attend another social gathering tonight at Mrs. Harrows’ estate. Seven o’clock sharp, dancing and socializing included, expect to depart around eleven.” He recited the information like a script, as if he’d rehearsed it time and time before – knowing Damien, he probably had, even in his mind to get the wording just right. 

You nodded. “Okay.” With that, you started towards your bedroom, specifically the closet which held most of your formal outfits. Shuffling through them, you picked at the ones you thought most suitable: the off-white one with cut edges, a completely black one that might have been too funeral-ly, and a more modern mix of the two. You heard the familiar footfalls of Damien’s dress shoes and his cane thumping against the wood as he approached, your head delved into the cabinet to scout out some appropriate shoes at the same time. 

“You- you’re not mad?” 

Ducking out for a second, you asked, “Should I be?”

“No, but… I mean, I didn’t ask permission to call you my fiancé.” 

“Probably half of L.A knows about us now, so why bother pretending we called it off overnight?” Besides, you wouldn’t mind it being the truth eventually. 

Your eyes blew wide and the hanger you had grasped in your hand clattered to the floor. That thought, had it actually come from you? You hadn’t focused much on romance since you landed a job as the D.A – though the odd thought about asking Damien out to dinner or a walk down the beaches would occasionally pop into your head – but now your imagination was running wild. You had a few suits in your closet in view, and each time your eyes glossed over them, you saw that damned mayor in it, standing at the end of an aisle. Were you the marrying type? This was unknown territory, way out of your comfort zone but you couldn’t deny the shaky excitement rising in you. Even the memory of your parents nagging you about getting into a relationship gave you pause. 

But was Damien considering anything? You knew he took his mayoral duties seriously, probably too seriously to be considered healthy, so would he be open to setting some time aside for anyone, let alone you? Breathing picking up and heart pounding in your chest, you realized that you were being overzealous. You could start by asking him out if you could even get past that hurdle. 

Meanwhile, Damien hummed in agreement, sitting on the bed behind you. His cane flipped between hands, a habit he had adopted when nervous ever since he had first gotten the thing. He barely needed it to walk anymore but he claimed it was just to be safe - you thought it was something to fiddle with to take his mind of off whatever bothered him. 

“So, what’s the problem, Dame?” Finally sticking your body out of the closet and toting two different outfits, you catch Damien off guard. He sputters and avoids eye contact for a few seconds, before settling on laughing quietly to himself. 

“I don’t know,” he admits. 

You lay the clothes down on your desk’s chair and come to sit down next to him again. 

“Well, there’s obviously something.” 

Silence. You tilted your head to look him in the eye, he looked away again. You moved closer, he shuffled back. 

“Damien—” his gaze immediately met yours, deep chestnut mudded with uncertainty, “—tell me what’s wrong.”

“What if it goes wrong?” 

The stark fear that consumed his voice, laced it with poisonous pessimism, had you squeezing his hand before you could think to move. His fingers clamped around your own and captured the assurance you gave him, warm and solid. 

Now having all his attention, you asked plainly, “What is the worst you think will happen?” 

His scenario was quick to flood out of his mouth, shaking every word, “You and I will show up and they immediately know that I lied, and they’ll get us alone and pick apart our stories like doomed vultures – our reputations will be ruined, you’ll lose your job, I’ll lose mine, and then I’ll be forced to marry Penelope Harrows, even though I don’t want to, and you’ll marry someone else and move away and—” Tears were brimming in the corners of his eyes, overwhelming him to the point that his sentence cut off by the silent splash of water against your connected hands. 

“Okay,” you started, rubbing tire tracks into the back of his hand, “and what’s the best thing that could happen?” 

This one took longer for him to come up with – and, all the while, you sat by him, pushing away the tears that fell and smiling to calm the ones just starting to flow – until he mustered up the words. “We go to the party and… and everything is fine.” 

There looked like there was something else he wanted to say, something else that tapped at the border of his lips, but you let it be. This was, after all, a big improvement from the bad scenario. 

Finally, you asked, “And what’s most likely to happen?” 

Damien stopped completely still as the dead. The cogs in his mind whirred at a pace faster than you were able to keep up with. Then, he spoke slowly, “We go to the party, and we talk to the other guests. They ask us questions, but we give sensible answers, and maybe they something’s it’s a bit odd, but it’s common courtesy to not poke holes in public, so they won’t prod. We go home around eleven and sleep until the morning.” 

You smiled tenderly; Damien was a rational person with rational thought processes, it just took some coaxing to get them out of him, and coax you did. This happened often, especially for public parties, and you couldn’t count on two hands how many times you calmed him down before a speech. It gave you a sense of pride that you had this down to a T, but seeing the aftermath was all the more rewarding.

You snapped to attention when your hand was squeezed once more, this time by Damien, as he whispered, “Thank you.” 

“Happy to help.” 

And there you two sat, watching each other like the most interesting show in all of Los Angeles. For you, the sparkles in Damien’s eyes danced along, bursting and cracking with the intensity of supernovas – bright oranges and blues and purples were born and died in those masses of brown. They never ceased to amaze you. The swirling, the twinkling, the parts that played against each other to create this amazing spirally galaxy. 

But, as Damien looked in yours, he found his lungs completely empty, breathe stolen away when he stared straight at you. Confined within the color of your irises was adventure untold and affairs whispered in the darkest of nights, to the one you trusted the most. There was danger sparking bombs, bombs that exploded chambers, chambers that held reward unimaginable. He hoped – promised himself as twilight overcame the sky – that he would, one day, be the only one to lie next to you and bear witness to those stories so intricate he believed he was there himself. 

What a world that would be, huh? 

He knew it was only a dream, distant and so, so tantalizing that it pained him whenever he glanced in your direction. At the same time, he couldn’t hold back. The love and loss bound to happen if he let himself slip wasn’t something he wanted to risk, but his body forced himself to. It forced him to step one inch closer, forced him to say one more ‘goodbye’ and ‘hello’ when he saw you. It forced him to recognize that, maybe, the lie of being your fiancé was more than to protect himself.

Damien felt the bed puff up at your sudden vacancy. A confused look sent your way, which showed you looking equally so.

“What time is it?” you muttered, wandering off back to the kitchen. When you arrived, the clock showed it was barely half-past ten, seemingly giving you all the time in the world, but that was a trick. You knew it would take around an hour to get to Damien’s place, then you’d have to actually get ready for the party – shower, dry, dress –, you’d end up having dinner at his, too, because God forbid someone expect to be fed at a party. Then, there was the matter of preparing yourselves with excuses and stories and—

You leaned back into the bedroom doorway and asked, “Do we need rings?” 

Damien’s face reddened and the grip on his cane tightened so much that you thought it might snap in half. Chuckling, you smiled and moved forward to sit beside him.

“It’ll be fine,” you whispered, swinging an arm around his shoulder, “if we’re together, we can get through it.” 

You heard him audibly sigh, the breath shaky and unstable, but he trusted you. That was all you needed. 

After a few seconds, you patted him on the arm and picked up the two outfits you had selected, as well as a pair of shoes you could feasibly dance in without breaking your toes. Or Damien’s if that was to happen. 

You grabbed his hand with the free one of your own and guided him to the front door. He was quick to adjust his jacket before creaking the wood open for you. A mock bow, and you were out into the fresh air, Damien closing and locking it behind you. 

“By the way,” you asked casually as your shoes clicked against the stone path, “why were you so… disheveled?” 

“I slept in my car.”

“Of course, you did.” 

The manor was a sight to behold and, standing at the base of cobble stairs, was nothing less than intimidating. Cold air rose goosebumps on your arms despite the jacket wrapped around you, fog accumulating in front of you every time you exhaled. Multiple unsteady breaths, and you still didn’t feel better off, until your hand was grasped by Damien, who stood beside you. Sounds of wheels rolling over gravel and metal doors opening behind you fell to deaf ears when a reassuring pressure calmed your heartbeat – though, there was a constant thrum not caused by the daunting role ahead of you. 

But that was all this was, right? The role of dutiful fiancé to the mayor of Los Angeles, ready to put in a good word or story with the man. You were also the District Attorney, but, somehow, you knew that wouldn’t be the focus of tonight. 

Hand in hand, you and Damien strolled in. 

Beautiful golden chandeliers dangled overheard in the foyer, spreading a unique glow to every square inch of the floor. Two staircases intertwining at the middle lead to a second floor, while a rug that pooled where you now stood trailed up the centre towards the dining room. Everything was polished to perfection, looking as though nobody had lived here for quite some time, but that was impossible to imagine with how many people flooded the rooms. Doctors, generals, even some lawyers you remembered seeing in court decorated the edges – each one was its own piece of silver-plated furniture. 

You swallowed and held Damien’s hand a little tighter.

“Oh, my good mayor!” a voice unknown to you called from the top of the staircase. 

Now, you had never met Mrs. Harrows but, by what Damien told you, this was either her or a very good copycat. Salt and pepper hair always tied up with a satin ribbon, some long dress she was sure to trip in, and mountains upon mountains of jewelry draped across her skin – her voice was even the same as he had described, high pitched but not squawking. More like a mouse that went through puberty. 

The lady rocketed down the stairs, fast despite her age, and landed perfectly in front of Damien. A small smile cracked over his mouth, and he let out an awkward chuckle. 

“Mrs. Harrows, always a pleasure to see you,” he spoke cautiously, every word running through millions of checks and balances to get it right. 

You suddenly dreaded what you would have to deal with for the next four hours. 

Brining her hand towards Damien to occupy him, she turned her sight, instead, to you. “Hmm, and this is your lovely fiancé, is it?” she asked, looking you up and down. It was, strangely, threatening for a 5’1” old woman. 

Your cheeks were already hurting from smiling so much, but you continued to do so to placate her. The grin threatened to fall when you were reduced to only Damien’s partner, though you held strong as you replied, “You are correct, Mrs. Harrows, and thank you for inviting us.”

 “Oh, it’s my pleasure, dear. I’ve always told our mayor that he needs a strong partner to help him in his life.” 

Awkwardly, Damien chuckled at his side. If his bowtie wasn’t strung so tight, you could’ve sworn you’d see smoke billowing out like a busted machine. “Yes, well…”

Mrs. Harrows smiled at him kindly, and then turned to you, asking “Now, when did you meet?” 

“We’ve known each other since we were children,” you responded. These kinds of questions were the easy part, the part that was already real and didn’t need any sudden improvisations.  

“Young love!” the lady gasped, “When did you get engaged then?”

In your mind, you were noting down everything that could come up again, the loose info that might land you in hot water if you didn’t keep it all straight. It was a tactic you used in court, but you supposed it wouldn’t hurt to exercise it here, as well. You started, “Actually, just a month ago. We went out to the town we grew up in, saw the places we made our best memories at, and then Damien proposed to me at the restaurant we used to sneak out to.”

A mischievous gleam appeared in Mrs. Harrows’ eyes, and Damien’s nervous gulp was nearly audible. “Sneak out, eh?” she whispered, in the way old grandmother’s do when anybody paying a sliver of attention could still hear them. 

You elaborated, “Every Friday afternoon, we’d get out of our houses and go to this family-owned place a couple of blocks away. They knew us and Damien tutored their youngest kid, so we got free ice-creams or milkshakes. Chocolate and mint, huh, Dame?”

The man looked completely lost in the conversation. The focus in his expression only returned when he responded, “Uh, yeah.” And then, he went back to staring into the distance. He was surprised, and worried, about your uncanny ability to make things up out of thin air. It was something good for a lawyer, sure, but it had him blinking away the shock many times in your conversation. Shoving the end of his cane into the tile, he tried to take his mind off it. 

“But we never told our parents, so we’d always have to climb in through trees or awful sounding back doors when we went back,” you finished your story with an eyeroll.

Mrs. Harrows giggled, “I won’t tell a soul- oh, but I must ask, when did you know it was right?”

That question. It appeared to stump you, and Damien took hold of your hand to assure you that it was okay. If you wanted, he would take the reins and give his own skills a try. However, you knew that was a fool’s game, so you sucked in a breath and answered, “Hmm, it was just after a dinner party, I think, when Damien practically took my door off its hinges to get into my apartment. He was all flustered and tired, and I had just finished making some coffee, so I was finished and sitting on the couch for the night. He didn’t really say anything when he came in, but he came in and laid down, looking out of it. We didn’t talk, we didn’t do anything, we just sat together until it got to around midnight and we talked. I think… that was when I realized he was it for me.” 

Damien’s grip on your hand tightened, his back straightening and his eyes widening as he remembered just that very occasion. It could have just been you drawing inspiration, but the memory was too similar – down to, regrettably, the door and midnight you mentioned – to one that happened exactly two months ago. 

“That’s precious, dear,” Mrs. Harrows cooed, and she shot a glance over her shoulder to where her daughter was chatting with a group of her friends. “I hope my Penelope finds someone like that.”

You smiled. “I’m sure she will, Mrs. Harrows.” 

“But tell me, what do you do during the day? I’ve heard all about the mayor’s duties, what do you do?”

Finally, you were able to talk about something familiar to you! Your job, something you treasured, was vastly easier to talk about. “Ah, well, I’m the District Attorney for Los Angeles, but I’ve been in touch with the other states for work, too.” 

Her once squinted eyes and pursed lips immediately disappeared with recognition. “Oh, I’ve read about you in the paper!” Without another word, your arm was wrapped by her own and you were gone from Damien’s side before you could think to protest. 

The man watched as you disappeared into the sea of strangers, a hesitant wave ducking between two gentlemen the last that he saw of you. Not even a full half-hour in and he had lost you. His first thought was to chase after you, and his foot lifted from the tile just a centimeter until he realized that the both of you would be fine on your own, that you would be fine on your own. So, he relaxed his shoulders and focused on finding someone to talk to. It didn’t take much searching for him to locate a group of friends – or, rather, people he had shared a conversation with before. 

In fact, Mr. Ockley was holding court over four men surrounding him, telling some story about the political crisis in Germany. Damien jumped in with his own opinion of the Weimar Republic, grimaced when half of those gentlemen turned out to be against the democracy and tried to play it off with a light laugh and subject change. 

The next hour continued much like that, with the mayor jumping from group to group and attempting to play nice. His battery was wearing thin though, only made worse when the most that he saw of you was the shade of your jacket in the midst of reds and blues, or the occasional smile you sent him when you noticed each other at the same time. He coped by assuring himself that he just had to wait it out until the bell rang, which reminded him too much of your days in college for his liking, and then he’d see you at the dance. Being supposedly engaged, you’d go through the motions together. You were a team. He didn’t have to worry. 

So, despite his constant affirmations and whispers of comfort to himself, why was he? Why did he continue to worry so much? It was like a curse set wild upon him by a damned witch from his past – it shook him to his core and infested his bones. And, the worst thing, he knew exactly why but couldn’t voice it. Just once he wanted to come right out and say something. Tell you his feelings and let whatever came of it be, he didn’t want to think about it. But something always stopped him. Whether it wasn’t the right time, or someone interrupted, or the words simply got caught in his throat before he could tell you.

That he loved you. 

“Now there’s a sight for sore eyes!” 

Even in his imagination, another person had to come and ruin the moment – but he couldn’t say he didn’t expect it, after all, considering who that person was. 

Damien swiveled on his heel, cane grounding him like a third leg as he came face to face with Mark, one of his oldest friends, and, behind him, his twin sister. Celine didn’t look thrilled to be there, but he couldn’t blame her; he didn’t feel lie being there anymore either, now that disappointment and sorrow filled his heart. 

“I could’ve sworn I saw our dear little District Attorney somewhere in here, so I told Celine that you’d be here, too,” Mark stated when he was within steps of the mayor.

That seemed to pique the lady’s interest because she was quick to squint her eyes at Damien and ask, “You’re not on a date, are you?”

“Ah, well, you see—” 

“I knew they’d get together eventually; I should’ve made a bet,” Mark interrupted, as he was want to do. 

Damien tried to explain, “What happened was—” 

This time, Celine was the one to cut him off, saying, “No, I definitely would’ve said he’d bite the bullet around now.” 

“No, you misunderstand—” 

“We don’t know how long they’ve been together for, maybe it was a long time ago.” 

“But that ring, Mark, it’s clean.”

“Damien is a careful man – he wouldn’t let something so special get dirty.” 

“So, it could go either way—” 

“Excuse me!”

The two, as well as some of the people close enough to eaves-drop, stopped short of another argument. Damien felt like a child in the midst of their parents’ divorce, and, somehow, the topic of his supposed relationship had devolved into their failing marriage. Not that he would say it out loud, or in public, at the very least. He paled to think what they would be like when you two really got married. If. If he really got married. 

Damien coughed to clear the air for a second before explaining in a low tone, “I accidentally told someone that we were engaged to stop them pursuing me, that is all. We are not… we’re not really engaged.” 

There was a moment of silence for the three, the rest of the party continuing to chat amongst themselves, but, for them, it was quiet while they processed the information. Mark was the first to speak, as always, but Celine did look somewhat disappointed before she looked away. 

“Well, that’s certainly more boring.” And that was that for him. The actor wandered away into the crowd, leaving Celine behind with Damien.  

Sighing, she whispered, “You really should tell them.”

Damien’s heart plummeted for fear that his emotions were that obvious. “Tell them what?” He feigned ignorance.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Damien, don’t play dumb with me.”

“I’m not playing dumb, I…” His eyes lowered when he realized he wasn’t going to get past the woman he shared a womb with for nine months. Whatever went on in their lives was no secret to the other, like Celine’s marriage or whatever Damien had going on with one of their oldest friends. Slowly, he conceded, “I only wonder when is the right time.” 

“How so?”

“Well, we barely spend any free time together, and any we do have is often after a large social event that we both would need to unwind from. I don’t want to add to their already-heavy workload, and I fear that my feeling may be unreciprocated.” 

Celine was still, thinking through a plan, it seemed, which gave Damien more fear than running for office had. He fumbled with his cane, wringing his hands around it to find some kind of comfort without you there to help. It wasn’t until she spotted something in the distance that she grabbed her brother’s arm and tugged him out of the room. Rushing through waves of strangers and acquaintances, he could barely see where they were going. Eventually, however, after side-stepping a considerable number of shoes and elbows, they came to a stop right where the night had begun.

People gossiping against the walls – shiny decorations spread to show the Harrows’ wealth – golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling – and, at the head of it all, the pair of staircases that led to, now, two people. Mrs. Harrows and you. 

And, by the will of God, you looked like an angel. 

The glow of gold that praised you, the sparkle in your eyes even from this distance, the impeccable confidence you held in the cross of your hands and bend of your back over the wooden banister. You looked out over this ocean, parted it with your vision like the red sea for Israel, and saw him. Because, of course, you saw him first. You always had. He didn’t know whether he wanted to run from this manor or run towards you, dip you backwards into a gentle kiss that could speak a thousand more words than he ever could hope to in your presence. 

Celine paused just below the landing, from where you waved with a grin before indulging Mrs. Harrows in more idle chatter. Damien’s shoes felt rooted to the floor when your eyes met, and he was only able to breathe again as you shifted them away. 

“Tell me, right here, right now – that you think they’d consider a relationship with you ‘work’.” 

Try as he might, Damien couldn’t, but the weight on his heart was none the lighter. There was still the glaring question of whether you thought of him like that, after all. 

“And don’t think for a second they don’t think of you like that.”

God damn it. 

“I don’t know if you’re deaf or blind or both, but you should have noticed by now how they act towards you.” 

Damien glanced, genuinely confused, towards his sister, to which she sent back a blunt look. 

“First of all,” Celine began, “there hasn’t been a day gone by that they haven’t spoken about you like you’re the end-all-be-all of the entire world. Really, it’s getting on my nerves, and you don’t even notice it! Every time I’ll go to their office, they’ll ask how you’ve been, if you need any help, and then there’s those looks they’ll send you when you’re obviously not looking. They put you on a damn pedestal.”

Damien was sure that she was still talking, but he wasn’t listening. He was too caught up in the idea that Celine might actually be telling the truth – that you really did feel the same way and there was a chance this could all go well. In fact, it could be the best thing that could’ve happened that night, because Damien hadn’t told you everything that he thought would be the best. He had kept hidden the part where you admit your feelings to each other and go for a walk around the gardens. You both knew what that meant. 

But, although it was the best outcome, he was terrified to initiate it, so he pledged to himself that when the bell chimed to begin the dance, he would take your hand and slip outside for some time in the fresh air. Lord knows he can’t dance with his leg.  

That was the plan that would be put into action mere seconds later, when a handbell was rung from the main hall. Damien immediately regretted thinking this but was swept away with the crowd before he could leave for good. You were slightly better off, and, although you lost sight of your friend, it was obvious where he was headed towards. Accompanying Mrs. Harrows, you moved toward the dance hall. 

It was a great place, stained glass windows that detailed wars and marriages lining each wall to the outside. Rows of tables sat flushed against those walls, which held bowls of fruit and pastries too beautiful to be eaten. It felt disgraceful, sinful, even, to be in there with such glorious views, but nobody had much choice in the matter. People would match up soon enough, Mrs. Harrows looking over her guests and making sure their needs were met. The two of your parted when she left to ask after a bachelor for her daughter – this wasn’t an assumption, she told you this as she left your side. After wishing her good luck, you went to find your own man, whose tailcoat you saw between a group of people. 

It was tough to make your way through, but you managed it, if only to see the way Damien’s eyes lit up when he caught sight of you. He fought against the tide to fall in step beside you, and he took your arm in a classic gentlemanly fashion. You ended your little journey by one of the walls, both happy to be together again after the whole night spent apart. Still, it was quiet between you two, flanked by the sound of dress-shoes tapping against the floor and the swishing of dress fabrics. 

“So, you spoke to Mrs. Harrows,” Damien started plainly. Inwardly, he berated himself for going back on his plan, but you were none the wiser as you leaned against the brick. 

You nodded and replied, “Yeah, she talked by ear off about her late-husband and kids. I’m surprised I haven’t gone deaf yet.”

Damien laughed, the sound reverberating in his chest and flowing like a river into the air. Such a pleasant sound had you chuckling alongside him. “That sounds like Mrs. Harrows, though I’ve never heard her mention a husband.” 

“I think she murdered him.” 

“Like I said.” 

The laughter trailed off into the crowds, which left you watching the dancing couples with faint interest and Damien starting to sweat. Was now a good time to ask to leave? Or would you think he was getting bored and wanted to leave the manor entirely? Good Lord, he hated this, why couldn’t he just invite you out for a normal date, like a normal guy with a normal love. No, he had to be dramatic and start out a possible relationship with lying to the masses about already being engaged, because he was dramatic, and a liar, and, worst of all, a coward—

“Do you want to take a walk?” 

But you weren’t. Your words infested his brain and took control of his like some parasite. It made him malleable and suggestable while you waited for an answer. When you hadn’t received one in five whole seconds – which, really, wasn’t as long as it felt with bated breath and a rushing heartbeat – you shrugged it off and offered, “Or, we can stay here and watch people dance. Your choice.” 

“I’d like to leave.” That was not how he wanted it to come out, but the words had left before Damien became aware of what he was doing. 

You were startled by his abruptness, leaving you to mutter barely loud enough, “Oh, uh, okay. It’s not eleven yet, but I’m sure we could get a car.” You were disappointed, but you were here for him, so you stood up straight and began the way out of the hall. 

Damien was quick to grab your hand, holding it like his life depended on it. You retraced your steps and sent him a confused look, to which he cleared his throat and spoke, “I meant, yes. Yes, I would like to take a walk.” 

And again, you smiled! Completely disregarding his mistake and pretending like it had never happened in the first place. He was surprised your cheeks weren’t hurting with how much you were stretching them, but you continued to do so – shoot everybody who waved at you or called your name a grin – until the two of you were safely out of the back doors. 

The air was crisp and fresh, you noticed as soon as your foot crossed the threshold. The garden was as beautiful as the dance hall, more so, even, because every inch was covered with greenery or natural effects. The gravel underneath your shoes was intertwined with stray leaves and chestnuts from the trees above, and the paths were lined with bushes of a variety of flowers. It almost looked artificial, with how perfectly placed the roses were in mossy shrubs. They winded towards a silver fountain in the centre, but that was awhile away with how sprawling the garden was. 

You seemed to be the only couple out there, and you liked it better that way. Damien did too, because it meant that he could forget social norms and the fake engagement and worry only on what was right in front of him. You, and the cacophony of fluttering butterflies you let loose in his stomach. 

You tugged your friend by the hand and started to wander along, listening to the faint cheer of the band and the crunch of gravel. 

Content to stay quiet, you inspected the surroundings, not noticing Damien’s moving mouth. No words were coming out yet, his nerves strangling any attempt to make a sentence, until he eventually whispered, “I ran into Celine and Mark.”

You hummed. “How’re they holding up?”

“Well, Mark left when I told him we weren’t really engaged, but Celine… she stuck around.” He wasn’t about to tell you what happened with her, but it was a topic of conversation he had chosen, so he had to reap the reward. Hands twisting around his cane, he spoke, “I guess, we talked about love.” 

“Did she tell you about Will?” 

“What?”

“Nothing.” 

You grimaced, hoping he wouldn’t prod further into what you knew about the affair, and he didn’t, luckily. Instead, he continued, “It made me think about what I really want, and how I’d like to go about, well, getting it.” 

There, you stopped at the edge of the water fountain. The faint trickle of water soothed you when you looked back to Damien. In the dark, it was hard to see, but his cheeks were painted red, and his breathing was catching up to him. 

“You’ve already got the whole of L.A at your fingertips, what could you ever want?” you asked, both teasing and genuinely interested. 

He was struggling for the words, the confusion getting near painful now that he was seconds away from blurting it out. “You see, I know what I want, I just don’t know how to ask.” 

You stood still for a moment and let the scenarios rush through your head. If you were right, and it was likely, then you knew exactly what he meant. You swallowed, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Of course.” 

“Then, I think I can help you.” 

He watched with eager eyes as you turned to him, your entire body matched with his. “You just have to look them straight in the eye and do it. Don’t think, don’t worry, just do it, or say it.” 

“You say that as if it’s easy.”

“It’s not. I know, because, if it were, I would’ve done it months ago.” 

There was a determination in his eyes that was revealed in the next few seconds, as if he had received blinding confirmation. A surefire confidence you had never seen before. You would’ve asked what that was, but you found yourself unable to speak for the moment; lips bound by Damien’s, you were sure those fireworks and flames were real. Every sense was enraptured – his woody cologne, your hands lightly brushing his lapels, bursting notes deafened by those brick walls, your mouths moving in unison. You couldn’t help the smile that broke the kiss momentarily, but your date was back again with a smile of his own. It was warm and sweet, contrasting the fresh air around you and it had you leaning in so far you were worried you would topple over

Still, when you formally separated, the glint in his eyes told you all you needed to know. 

“Do you want to do this again sometime?”

You laughed that glorious, genuine laugh, and laid another, this time shorter but just as sweet, kiss on his parted lips. 

“Sure.” 

[llittletingoddess]

Borderline

Midnight at the big city

At the bar drinking all on my own

Just thinking about that girl and me

How something's going wrong...

---------------------------------------

Genre: AU, Psychology, Drama, Angst, Character Study

Words Count: 1.4k

IMPORTANT: English is not my first language so there may be some mistakes, please be patient. Also note that it's based on real occurrences but do not claim to be accurate. Everything described is merely the author's point of view ♥

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July, 2022.

The evening Los Angeles always captivated the gaze of millions. Lavish parties, tipsy girls, expensive outfits... Perhaps the dream of any foreigner. After all, that's what the American Dream looks like, right? But when you're a little over 50, all these delights of life become less interesting. People consider you worn-out material because you're no longer in the loop — how do people over 50 dare to show up at the same gatherings as the hottest Hollywood stars? James Hetfield? Cool... Oh, look, it's Doja Cat with a bald head!

Yeah, LA is quite the dump. But no matter how much he hated this place, there's nowhere else to go.

James sat at the bar of some dubious pub where you'd never expect to find a celebrity, let alone one of his caliber. Leaning on his left arm, he watched the bubbles rise in his glass. He despised himself for this decision. Going through another rehab treatment and then relapsing— it was the act of a pitiful man. He promised his family, but mostly to himself, that he would never drink again. And yet, he relapsed. How foolish. When did his life spiral down into such an abyss? There's hardly any time for reflection between tours and recording albums. You have a contract and obligations — fulfill them. No one cares about what's going on inside you. On stage, you have to be the same superstar you were 30 years ago. At this rate, it's easy to turn into a soulless money-making machine. But he does it not so much for himself as for his family.

Family...

Returning to reality, James emptied his glass in one gulp and slammed it back on the counter, furrowing his brow. Was it the bitterness of the drink? He knew very well that it wasn't. Looking at the glass, he waved his hand dismissively, ignoring the bartender.

"Another one."

"Of course, sir."

Curious whispers started circulating in the pub. James Hetfield, the frontman of Metallica, in such a simple pub on the outskirts of Los Angeles! But he paid no attention. Let them whisper — public life was never easy. Taking out his wallet from the inner pocket of his jacket, James pulled out a bill and placed it on the counter, his gaze lingering on a tiny photograph that was always with him. Kirk and Lars considered it slightly strange, but when did he ever listen to them?

In the photograph, it was him and his family. There was little Marcella, who threw tantrums throughout the photoshoot, first-grader Cali, who hadn't lost her charm over the years, Castor, his pride and the heir to his legacy… and Francesca. James looked at her attentively: big blue eyes, light hair, a modest smile… It seemed like he found a literal copy of himself, someone he could always talk to, laugh with, and share stories with their children on Christmas. And how wonderful she was in bed! James had tried numerous experiments, but it was Francesca who managed to conquer Big Het's heart. She was so simple, so beautiful, his one and only…

"Here you go, sir."

A new glass of alcohol brought him back to reality. Somewhere in the background, an old Thin Lizzy song played, but he didn't care. Soon everyone would find out, and that annoyed him the most. Tabloids would write made-up reasons, attribute an affair with some socialite, and that would be the end of it. Why did it even matter to anyone why this happened? Peace — that's all he wanted at the moment.

Setting aside his wallet, James reached for the glass again. Only now did he realize that he hadn't thanked the bartender. Well, to hell with it. His hand trembled slightly, whether from nerves or the reawakening addiction. It consumes you, whispers in your head like a serpent in paradise, gripping you with its dead hold, and you'll never be the same again. Suddenly, James decided to look at his wrist's tattoo, which he got shortly after completing the first rehab program. "Lead us not into temptation." Yeah… he didn't feel like drinking anymore.

Rummaging through his pockets, Hetfield discovered a nearly whole cigar. Nowadays, he started smoking much more often, despite protests from those around him. "Stop it, you'll ruin your voice!" Lars, Kirk, and Rob all pleaded in unison. But he alone was responsible for himself and his health. Bringing the ashtray closer, he lit the cigar, releasing a cloud of smoke with a sigh of relief. The high-quality tobacco pleasantly scorched his throat, providing the long-awaited relief. But thoughts kept replaying that conversation, as if on a cheap record:

"Francesca, I think we should get a divorce."

"What?! But why?!"

Why?..

He himself didn't know for sure. After rehab, when everything seemed like it should be getting better, everything began to crumble: the pandemic, concerts, the studio, more concerts, more studio time, endless evenings in his office with a guitar in hand… but she didn't need that. She needed him primarily as a husband and father. "You're never home with all your concerts!" But how could she not understand that he was doing it so she wouldn't need anything?..

"Shit!"

A sharp pain pierced his wrist. The cigarette ash fell directly onto the knuckle of his finger. James disgustedly flicked the remaining ashes into the ashtray and sighed. He hardly felt the pain because his soul hurt more. His heart was shattered into tiny pieces, and no amount of alcohol or cigarettes could soothe it. Here he was, James Hetfield, the leader of the world's most popular metal band, sitting on his pile of money in complete solitude: his children had grown up and scattered (on tours, he hardly noticed how quickly his little birds grew up), he had divorced his wife, and besides fame, he had nothing left. But can fame provide the same care and tenderness that his beloved Francesca gave him? The question remained unanswered. And now what? Who needs an old man with a weakening body and the beginnings of deafness?

Taking another drag, James finally looked around. His gaze was drawn to a young girl who smiled back at him discreetly. Clearly a fan, one of the tens of thousands. Perhaps that was his only option - to find a young girl to spend his money on. She wouldn't nag him, but she would provide satisfaction. Sex for money, and with a girl who could pass for his daughter?! James cringed at the thought. At least not now. He wasn't ready yet. And perhaps he never would be because no one could piece together his heart again. No one except Francesca.

A notification buzzed. Judging by the familiar sound, James knew it was their secret chat with the guys. Taking out his smartphone from his pocket, he read the message:

"Hey guys, how about jamming with that new riff James wrote last week? If we don't get our fucking album moving, the fans will tear us apart!"

"I'm out, sorry. Need to help Cali with the move."

"Whatever you say, Mama Het!"

James smiled. Lars' cheeky language always made him smile, although he had long memorized all of the Danish jokes. Imagining the grumpy little Lars grumbling at everyone around him was amusing. The guys shouldn't know. At least, not yet. Their families had become one long ago, and any division always came with stress in the group. And what would happen when they found out about James' divorce? He had been a model family man, 25 years of marriage! He didn't want them to pity him. It would immediately lead to suggestions of seeing psychologists, sympathetic looks, and phrases like, "Maybe you'll still reconcile?" We won't reconcile. However much he regretted the decision, there simply was no other way. Maybe without him, Francesca would be happier. His one and only, his dear Fran.

Midnight approached. The streets grew louder, and the pub filled with new people. James felt uncomfortable in such conditions. The sheer number of people only intensified his loneliness. How was he supposed to give the remaining concerts of this year in such a state?! He needed to gather himself. Both at home and within himself. Thanking the bartender, he extinguished his cigarette and, casting a fleeting glance at the untouched glass of whiskey, smirked bitterly. There was no turning back; ahead lay concerts, the studio, the release of new music. He sincerely believed that music could distract him. James walked out of the pub, plugged in his headphones, and played one of the demo songs from Metallica's upcoming album. Well then.

It's time to start over.

[hillzhqs]

'𝚝𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗

hear those silver bells? it's christmas time in los angeles. some families actually do make the yuletide gay, managing to leave their troubles far away. other families have a merry little christmas even when their troubles aren't so far away. some presents might end up returned but some gifts are for keeps. other presents come when you least expect them and everyone knows the biggest present comes in the smallest box. then there are those boxes you wish you had never opened. have a holly jolly christmas, xoxo.

‹   ⅰ.   › you have been cordially invited to celebrate christmas eve at the kennedy estate in hidden hills, california. this year's theme is 'the colors of the season.' there will be different themed rooms throughout the home that will be color coordinated - red, green, white, silver, gold and black. the dress code is to wear one of these colors. admission to the party will not be granted if you are not following dress code. this is not a casual event by any means, so please do dress your best.

‹   ⅱ.   ›  the party will be taking place on discord. please keep an eye out for the link. while the event will be taking place over the span of one night rp time (december 24th, 2023), you can start writing on sunday, december 10th, 2023. threads can continue until everyone completes their writing.

‹   ⅲ.   ›  in the spirit of the season, kathy kennedy hosts an annual 'kathy kringle' where she pairs up people from the party to exchange gifts with one another. under the cut, please find your partner. there will be a channel in the event server where you can drop pictures and edits of the gifts called 'kathy kringle' and you can write out your characters exchanging gifts in the 'grand foyer' channel

‹   ⅳ.   › gossip girl has eyes everywhere, especially in an event as star studded as this one. if there's anything specific that you don't want leaked, please be sure to come to me before hand. if not, everything is up for grabs and can potentially be blasted for everyone to see.

‹   ⅴ.   ›  be inclusive! make sure you're writing/plotting with everyone and most importantly, have fun!!

✳    𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐤𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬   ﹕please see under the cut!

LEX -adrian fitzgerald . - DEE - julian calvary

SOPHIE -mallory wells - T - travis buckley .

KELLY - tyler cobb - SOPHIE -kaya khalid

KELLY - drew monroe - CANDICE -bentley hart

CANDICE -sienna spencer - T - vincent hart .

KELLY - madeline kennedy - CANDICE -genevieve evans

DEE - lilian hawker - CANDICE -sebastian davis

KELLY - roman barlowe - LEX -teddy taylor .

LEX -camryn kennedy . - T - hunter valmont .

BECCA - juliette hart . - KELLY - matteo rossi

SARA- oliver van horn - LEX -madden kennedy .

BECCA - stacey ortiz . - KELLY - franz wanger

SOPHIE -angel griffin - CANDICE - felicity dupont

SARA- avett marie - LEX -keanu carter .

SOPHIE -ford anderson - LEX -jade santos .

LEX -beau calvary - SOPHIE -archie sinclair

DEE - ezra basel - T - james vanderbilt .

SOPHIE -everly blackwell - CANDICE -jackson blackwell

SOPHIE -zion davis - FREY - na-eun seo

T - austen sinclair . - CANDICE -johnny kennedy

KELLY - charlotte windsor - SOPHIE -maddox mckelvie

CANDICE -adelaide windsor - BECCA - erin halliday .

KELLY - ayaz demiric- SARA- caleb khan

DEE - dominic law - FREY - penelope kennedy

DEE - gigi majok - SARA- finley kennedy

T - jordana kennedy . - CANDICE -brooke hawker

KELLY - ethan briggs - T - hana hershey ratanavadi .

SOPHIE -kacey king - DEE - carter talbot

KELLY - afia amoabeng - T - caiden sharpe .

FREY - kwame amoabeng - KELLY - seo sieun

KELLY - merve baysel - CANDICE -persephone sinclair

SOPHIE - ophelia evans - BECCA - farrah osmond

LEX -selene sinclair . - T - alabama messi .

DEE - derek taylor - CANDICE -bianca sinclair

T - bristol decker . - SOPHIE -mackenzie kennedy

[moonlitcomet]

Are there any holidays in the various regions of SRC?

Yup, lots of them. I'm going to focus mainly on stickfigure holidays because there's tons of different cultures and species, and stickmen are the most prominent.

As it stands, zero holidays exist as we know them on earth. There are several that are analogous to Earth holidays, but since so many Earth holidays are formed from religion, I can't exactly go around calling something Christmas in a world where Christ does not exist, yknow?

In the earlier months of the year, they of course have a new year celebration. However, instead of it being in the middle of winter, SRC new year is at the start of winter. In some cultures, usually eastern ones, they celebrate a new year at the end of winter when the first plants begin to sprout.

Western new year celebrations typically involve huge feasts, derived from the pre-industrial cultural necessities of hunting and preserving meat and harvesting grains so they can survive the winter. Nowadays, this typically involves cake and pastries, as well as meat-and-grain dishes like pot pies or curry rice.

In the south, where there is no winter, new year typically lines up with the start of the dry season which is usually celebrated the same way. In the east and further north, new year celebrations typically involve festivals, dressing in the colors of the spring flowers and singing colorful songs. Tons and tons of parties! Especially because it leads right into-

Spring, which is an absolute menace of a "holiday". You know how obnoxious and invasive Valentine's day can be in the USA? Imagine that, cranked up to 11, spread across the course of three or so weeks. This is the time of year when stickmen are most lovey, since their favorite flowers- the Sanor Lilies- are in bloom during this time.

Sanor lilies are a white and pink species of lily that smell very good, like warm vanilla and chocolate. They have a mild aphrodisiac effect on stickmen and some other closely related species like certain bears. Since sanor lilies are fucking everywhere in spring and are cultivated in some places for beauty products, you can't really go anywhere in stickman society without hearing about them or seeing them. It's like if dandelions made you horny. Imagine that!

Spring, which is sometimes called Elroudon in certain cultures, otherwise doesn't really have a "holiday name" and is called many different things across Cier. It's a nightmare for Sorcerers because sorcerers are mildly allergic to sanor lily pollen. Most other species like Digidevils and fauns and dragons think it's an irritating and bombastic holiday, what with it being over some lame flowers.

While SRC does not have Halloween, it does have Gourdlight, also known in other cultures by different names. Gourdlight is the most common name used in the southwest. It's a week-long holiday that shares some aspects with Halloween, Dia De Los Muertos, and Oktoberfest, among others.

Gourdlight as a holiday was coined several centuries ago, being dedicated to fear angels, which are giant mothman-like anurognathids that feed on the dark energy from nightmares. In the past, people didn't understand that fear angels are gentle creatures that help people, and coined the name "fear angel" to describe them as omens of the dead and of the dark.

As such, stickmen would put up candles and mage lights to attempt to ward off the fear angels. This evolved into putting them inside gourds, believing that a terrifying face on a gourd would ward off the fear angels, giving them the impression that the home was already haunted by one much more eerie.

Gourdlight has costumes, just like Halloween! Unlike Halloween, these costumes are brilliant and colorful, which was derived from a superstition that it would confuse the terrifying fear angels into believing that there are no nightmares to be found. The costumes were mostly taken from Raiteran culture, and adopted into southern and eastern versions of the holiday.

One tradition that is relatively recent [within the past couple centuries] is that of the gourd hunt, where one of these fellas:

is enchanted with an animation spell and allowed to run around. Kids love chasing these things! Whoever catches it, stabs it to kill the "monster", and dons it as a hat will win the hunt and get a special savory pastry.

The last one I'll talk about for today since this post is getting long will be the Winter Festival. It is a holiday only present in southwest Cier, primarily centered in Andorough City, which is surrounded by tropical regions. Several decades ago, an elder dragon by the name of Quelexeo flew over the skies of Andorough and was enticed in by the smell of food and sound of laughter. See, Andorough used to be a solely tropical region, and everywhere Quelexeo flies brings winter weather and snow with him. There's a thin strip of land across the south where it snows every year, but not for much longer than a day.

The first year that Quelexeo showed up, the entire city of Andorough was buried in a blanket of snow nearly four feet deep for the entire year. Many people died that year, having frozen to death in a new hell that they weren't prepared to endure. Quelexeo loved the food and the laughter of children that he witnessed in the city, but he noticed that his weather-affecting magic was bringing despair to the city around him.

As a way to try and give back to those who had lost so much, he would lay down in the center of the city, on top of the highest point, and announce to all of Andorough that if they were to work together and clear the snow, and bring it to him, he would give them gifts beyond their imagination. Tens of thousands of people heard his call, and those who had already been working to help their communities were the first to rush to the job.

They brought him the snow, he transformed it into outrageous amounts of food and tools to help clear it. The warmth radiating from the center of the city, with exponentially more of the community working together to restore it, eventually cleared all of the snow and left everyone with hundreds of thousands of gifts as thanks and as apologies for the dragon's wrongdoings.

However, many people thanked Quelexeo for what he did, as he brought a withering and sad city to its knees only to help them come together and help each other. Before he left, many of those who were helped and moved during the disaster asked for him to return again sometime, just for not as long and with not as much snow.

Now, Quelexeo visits once a year during his winter migration, and stays in Andorough in the same spot where he initially perched - which has since been cleared to create a park for him to rest in. During this time, people bring him snow, baked goods, and other gifts in return for his own gifts. Many of them are clothing, special food, enchanted dragon feathers, Cierites, or rarely enchanted RICE. It's the one time of year where all of Andorough slows to a crawl, as a reminder of the disaster that befelled them several decades ago.

[mcfiddlestan]

First Lines

Thanks to @mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea for the tag! 💜

rules: list the first line(s) of your last 10 (or however many you have) posted fics and see if there’s a pattern!

"I don't have nightmares when you're there"

"We should probably get some rest."

Bucky managed a lazy grin and an equally lazy nod at Steve’s words but made no effort to rise from the long sofa in Stark’s penthouse lounge. The tower wasn’t exactly home, but it was the place where everyone came to recuperate and get a warm meal, especially after returning from a mission. Bucky and Steve had only come back a few hours ago from their latest mission, providing some not-necessarily-needed support for Shuri and the Wakandans. Who knew stopping human traffickers could cause so many body aches? A slight shift on the seat to sit up and he knew there was definitely a bruised rib somewhere.

2. The Christmas Date

"I need your help."

Loki stared at the man in the doorway for a good five seconds, lips a thin red line and perfectly groomed black brows arched in curiosity. The man, a neighbor a door or two down the hall, was very tall and handsome, Loki thought, taking the time to look him over, lips turning up in a soft grin.

"Good evening to you, too, 9B."

3. "Sorry I'm late" from 100 Ways to Say ILY prompt list

Of the many duties Loki performed for the Allfather, at the bottom of the list was keeping watch on one tiny all-night diner.  A favorite of his late mother’s, the Allfather purchased it shortly after her death to appease his mourning sons. Located in a less than stellar area of the neighborhood, it took Loki roughly thirty minutes to walk to it from his homey yet tiny apartment. He found it was easy to use for meetings, pickups and drop-offs, and the like. And the food happened to be better than one would expect, and Loki didn’t always have the time to cook for himself as he wished. Nor did he have the patience for baking, and the diner boasted a killer assortment of desserts. 

4. "Take my jacket, it's cold outside" from 100 Ways to Say ILY

Tony watched the lights of New York pass under the small airplane window, for the second time in three days. He wasn’t supposed to be leaving so soon, but the trip out east didn’t go quite the way he’d expected. Ironically, the anxiety that had filled him when he boarded the plane in Los Angeles had eased away now, replaced by a strange sense of emptiness. And a broken heart.

5. "You can have half" from 100 Ways to Say ILY

Tony burst through the kitchen’s swinging door, nearly tripping as he stumbled to get ahold of himself and spun around to look back out into the dining area. People wandered around the large dining table, picking at the snacks, and pouring drinks. One half was covered with bowls and trays of food, the other with bottles and jugs, large and small, of various liquors and a few liters of different sodas. If Maria Stark succeeded at teaching her son anything in the short time she had with him, it was how to host a good party. 

6. "I'm sorry for your loss" from 100 Ways to Say ILY

“How are they handling this?” Sif’s voice was soft as she approached Frigga. They were standing in the kitchen, Frigga watching her two grown sons as they greeted the family, friends, and strangers she wasn’t ready to face yet into the home she once shared with her husband. Her heart ached at the thought that she would be sleeping alone again in their bed tonight.

7. Take A Bow

Loki rushed through the narrow hallway, coughing to clear his throat of the makeshift fog that filled the stage for the final moments of the play. By the time he reached the haven of his dressing room, his neck tie was undone and his shirt was half unbuttoned. The hurried shouts and stomps of people working backstage were blissfully drowned out as Darcy, his new young assistant, quickly closed the door behind him.

8. "I saved you a piece." from 100 Ways to Say ILY

Tony was in a bad place again. Thankfully, Loki had been with him long enough to recognize the telltale signs of an oncoming episode, varied as they could be. And he'd learned, through no easy trials, how to care for his beloved, what to do and not do, how to get him to eat and drink even when he didn’t want to. Loki was only grateful he could handle Tony.

9. "Take my seat" from 100 Ways to Say ILY

Loki loathed the schoolbus.

If Odin and Frigga would just trust him with a car, he wouldn’t have to depend on Thor to get home. Or suffer through the indignity of boarding the bus with the nerds and geeks of the freshman and sophomore variety. He wasn’t the only upperclassman who rode the bus, sure, but it was still embarrassing.

10. "I dreamt about you last night" from 100 Ways to Say ILY

“I dreamt about you last night.”

Tony smiled softly, affectionately.

“I don’t know where we were. Didn’t feel like Earth. Maybe it was some far off, distant place you visited a millennia ago. A galaxy far, far away,” he joked halfheartedly. “It was beautiful though. I’ve never seen a sky so blue. I think the atmosphere was…I don’t know. Different? You were…”

He looked up, grinning wistfully, remembering.

“Your skin was blue. With these markings. You told me about them once. When the light of the moons hit you…it was like snow glistening in the sun. You shined.”

Ok, so I did more than one line. Sue me. I don't follow rules well sometimes. 😁

Tagging @ishipanarmada @rabentochter @qwanderer @bouncydragon and anyone else who wants to play.

xoxo