#Got Confronted at the Airport | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

youunravelme · 10 months

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this is how you fall in love

author's note: let it be known, i've never been to jfk airport, and it probably shows. sue me. also sorry this took SO FUCKING LONG to write. it lowkey put me in a writing slump because it's just a monster but i hope you can forgive me. this fic is literally 18,952 words long, so i apologize in advance.

pairing: mat barzal x reader

summary: when confronted with the idea of going home without a date, you lie and say you have a boyfriend. which would be fine, except you haven't dated anyone seriously in a year. so instead of facing the ridicule of your family, you ask mat.

warnings: cursing (this is a given at this point), mean girl behavior?

you weren't quite sure why you said it.

actually.

scratch that.

you were 1000 percent sure why you said it.

you could not, would not be the family embarrassment yet again.

if you got one more wedding invitation in the mail, you were going to scream. you were happy for all your college friends, really, you were, but it was the presence of this one particular wedding invitation from your cousin angela that had you seething.

mainly because it was accompanied by a phone call from your mother.

"i told angela that she didn't need to put a plus one down for you, but she insisted. so don't feel bad if you don't have someone, sweetheart. plenty of people are still single at your age."

maybe it was the irritation at your mother's condescension, or the exhaustion from being the butt of every family joke for the past five years, that had you saying something you wish you could take back.

"i do have someone, mom!"

her scoff resonated through the speaker. "honey, you don't have to lie--"

"i'm not lying! it's mat!"

the pause that followed your white lie was louder than the new york city streets just outside your apartment.

"your friend, mat? you told me you'd never see him that way!" she accused.

you shrugged, despite her not seeing you. and thank goodness for that, she'd immediately know you were lying if she could see your face. "something just clicked."

"how long has this been going on?"

"a few months."

"and you never told us?"

"we wanted to keep it lowkey until we knew this was something real."

your mom hummed but seemed appeased. "well, i can't wait to meet him. you are coming down a week early, right?"

in hindsight, you should've told mat immediately instead of postponing it until two weeks before you had to leave. but he was out of town for games, then you had a work trip, and then time slipped away from you.

but there was nothing you and a tub of bubblegum ice cream couldn't accomplish together.

at least in matters of mathew barzal.

he answered the door a few seconds after you knocked. a smile overtook his face until his eyes dropped down to the ice cream in your hands.

"what do you need?" he asked with a quirked brow.

"who says i need something?" you blinked in what you hoped was an innocent manner.

mat sighed and opened the door wide enough for you to come in. "because you have ice cream, and you showed up at my door unannounced." but he took the ice cream from your hands anyway. "how'd you even know i was home?"

you shrugged and plopped onto his couch. "i checked your location."

mat blinked. "you have my location? since when?"

you rolled your eyes. "you make me sound like a stalker, you made me share my location with you when i was out drinking with my coworkers and i demanded to have yours as well."

you didn't get to see mat's face because he was walking into his kitchen to put the ice cream away.

"so why are you here?" he asked once he returned.

"can't i just come over and visit my best friend?"

mat blinked. "no. you want something. what is it?"

you threw yourself back into the couch cushions and groaned, tossing an arm over your eyes. "you're not allowed to judge me."

"well that doesn't sound fun."

"mat, i'm serious, okay? i got myself into some shit and you're the only one i trust to help me out."

you felt the couch cushions sink next to you. a hand removed your arm from your face. "are you safe?" he asked. "are you in trouble? do we need to get the police involved?"

you looked at the concern on his face and sat up immediately. "no! no no no no no! it's not like that, i just happened to lie to my mom and need your help."

"why would you need my help to lie to your mom? you're not making any sense."

you took a deep breath and squeezed your eyes shut. "i told my mom we were dating so i had someone to bring to my cousin's wedding."

a pause, followed by mat's obnoxious laughter.

"you told your mom we're dating?" he choked out between cackles. "how did you manage not to vomit after saying that?"

you rolled your eyes at his barbs. "you were the first person to come to mind! what else should i have done?"

"jeez i don't know, told the truth?"

you flopped back onto the couch again. "no, mat, you don't understand. you didn't hear how she was talking to me! 'plenty of people are still single at your age!' i mean the gall of that woman!"

mat laughed again. "'gall?'"

"yes, mat, some of us use words bigger than a fifth grader's vocabulary."

"careful, that's no way to talk to your boyfriend, now is it?"

you scoffed. "boyfriend? are you--" then it hit you. "you'll do it? you'll be the fake love of my life?" you jumped off the couch.

mat smiled and leaned back into the cushions. "ask nicely."

you rolled your eyes but a smile was already pulling at your lips. "mathew michael paul barzal, will you please be my boyfriend?"

he crossed his hands behind his head and smirked. "calm down, you don't have to beg."

"i would throw something at you, but you're already doing me such a huge favor."

"you owe me one," he smirked.

oh, you'd owe him big.

one week till going home

"okay, so how did we meet?" you and mat were seated at a booth in a coffee shop the both of you liked to frequent.

"no need to reinvent the wheel," he said. "let's just tell them the truth."

"that we met at a bar through mutual friends? that's so unromantic!"

mat rolled his eyes. "we're not a fucking rom com, sweetheart. we're lying to your family and being as honest as possible makes the lying look more convincing."

you sighed and sat back in your seat. honestly, you had no reason to be frustrated. mat was doing you a favor, not the other way around. and with it being the offseason, it wasn't lost on you how much mat was giving up to play house with you. he could be visiting his own family instead of lying to yours.

yet here he was, sitting across from you with his disgusting black coffee.

you must've been staring at his cup because he snapped his fingers in your face. "what? what're you staring at?"

your face twisted in disgust. "can't believe you like that shit. no cream or sugar?"

mat eyed the frappuccino nestled in your hands. "i'm sorry, i didn't realize milkshakes qualify as coffee nowadays."

"you're just mad that my drink tastes good."

mat rolled his eyes. "keep telling yourself that."

you looked down at your phone at your notes app agenda. you deleted the intricate backstory bullet point and moved onto bullet point number two.

"okay, how long have we been dating?"

mat blinked. "you're the liar, you tell me."

god, why were you friends with him in the first place?

"i told my mom we've been together for a few months but i'm not sure what constitutes a few."

mat shrugged. "let's say we got together around the time of my injury when you nursed me back to health and realized how handsome i was."

you rolled your eyes, but wrote it down in your notes app anyway. "okay so where was our first date?"

"am i the one who has to answer all of these questions? who says we even need all of this? it's not like they're gonna lock us in a room and interrogate us separately."

"my brother would say otherwise." mat gestured for you to go on. "when we met his girlfriend, my family immediately separated them so they could bombard them with questions. but since everyone will be focused on my cousin's wedding, we should be good."

"who should i be worried about?"

you thought for a moment, in your opinion, your entire family was a concern in terms of introducing them to mat.

there was your brother, who could be an ass in a heartbeat; though, when you thought about it, he'd probably just leave the two of you alone.

your dad and mom would probably ask a few questions. your grandmother would probably be too busy trying to stuff her cooking down his throat to really pose a problem.

if you were being honest, you were concerned about your cousin, angela.

she wasn't what you would call a "girl's girl." throughout your childhood, it was like she was competing against you in a competition you didn't want to be in. who had the bigger birthday, the most friends, the most boyfriends, the bigger house, the better car, the better college.

it used to bother you more when you were younger. the way she'd flirt with your boyfriends or bribe your friends to hang out with her. it was made worse by the enabling of your parents and aunt.

"just keep an eye out for angela," was all you said.

mat's brow furrowed. "your cousin? why?"

you'd never fully told him about your less than perfect relationship with her, but considering the two of you were in a public setting and he wasn't your therapist? you kept that information to yourself and just shrugged.

"we don't have the best relationship."

mat seemed to understand you didn't want to speak on it anymore so he nodded and gestured to your phone. "is your phone ready to be seen by your family?"

"i'm sorry, what? why would my family go through my phone?"

"they'll at least want to see that i'm your lock screen, you're mine, after all."

"i am not." but mat held up his phone and sure enough it was a picture of you and him after one of his games, wearing his jersey with your arms wrapped around his waist. "you're shitting me, why?"

mat shrugged and locked his phone, placing it down on the table. "i looked good in the photo."

you wanted to call bullshit, but he was already doing you a favor, so you let it go.

"fine," you said. "i'll change my lock screen." you scrolled through your photos until you found one you liked.

"can i see it?" he asked.

you immediately held your phone to your chest. "no!"

"i showed you mine!"

"that sounds like a you problem!"

"but it's not fair!" he whined.

"life's not fair, barzy."

he rolled his eyes but dropped the subject, knowing full well he could make you show him just by bringing up the favor he was doing for you. but for some reason, he decided to let it go.

"anything else?" mat asked before checking his watch.

you looked down at your notes app and couldn't find a reason to get him to stay. "no, i think that's it. why, do you have somewhere to be?"

he shrugged. "just meeting up with a couple of my teammates."

"during the offseason? don't you get enough of each other during the regular season?"

"sure, but we miss each other sometimes. i mean we go from seeing all the time to nothing. plus you got me staying in the city a little longer than normal."

you rolled your eyes. "you didn't have to say yes."

but he smiled anyway. "i know." he stood up from the table and knocked on it once. "text me the dates of travel this week so i can put them on my calendar. i'll get the plane tickets. let me know if you need anything else!"

he pressed a kiss on the top of your head and then he was gone.

an older woman stood up and walked towards you and smiled. "i just wanna say, you and your boyfriend are so cute together!"

maybe the whole fake dating thing would be easier than you thought.

going home

you slept over at mat's the night before leaving for the airport because it would make things easier on marty who agreed to drive you both to the airport. you weren't exactly sure how mat convinced marty to do it, but you made it a habit of not asking questions you didn't want the answer to.

"thanks again for the ride, marty," you said from the backseat.

originally, you and mat were fighting over who got to sit in the front, but not in the way others might expect. he said it was polite to let ladies sit in the front (which, when has he ever called you a lady?). you said he had the longer legs and needed the space.

marty groaned at the both of you to stop wasting his gas and to get in the damn car, i swear to god, barzy.

you got the backseat simply because you got in and shut the door before mat could pull you out.

"where are you and barzy headed?" marty asked.

"back to my hometown. my cousin is getting married," you supplied before he had time to ask follow up questions.

"and you chose barzy to be your date?"

you awkwardly chuckled. "tito was already in canada and i didn't have it in me to ask him to come back to the states."

"oh fuck off," mat said from the front seat.

the drive continued with you sporadically staring out the window or tuning into the conversation mat and marty were having about offseason workouts and the nba finals. when marty pulled up to the airport, mat was the first one out, opening your door a beat later.

he grabbed both of your bags in his hands, saying a quick thanks to his teammate for the both of you before shutting the trunk.

"i can carry my bags, mat."

he laughed, but otherwise continued on like he hadn't heard you. if you were a better woman, or maybe someone who hadn't been friendzoned for the last few years, you would've acknowledged the veins in his arms popping out under the strain of your luggage.

but you'd been down that road before back before you were friends and just admiring a handsome stranger from across the bar.

look at how that turned out for you.

you were expecting to split up at TSA since you knew mat had pre check and you most certainly did not. you were expecting him to hand your bags over (a backpack and a carry on) and head in the pre check lane.

so imagine your surprise when he not only refused to hand your bags over, he continued walking to the normal security check.

"mat," you hissed, but he kept walking. "mat." you stood on your toes and grabbed his shoulder to keep him from walking, but he brushed you off. so you stopped moving altogether until he noticed you weren't following him anymore.

"will you come on? you're gonna make us late!" he turned around, looking exasperated for some reason, like he wasn't the one being weird.

"mat, you need to go that way." you pointed to the pre check area.

he blinked at you, rolled his eyes, and turned around and kept walking.

"mathew michael paul barzal, where are you going?" you called after him, practically running to catch up to his long strides.

"i thought it was obvious, i'm headed to security," he deadpanned.

"but your security is that way mr. pre check."

"i'm not doing pre check. i'm going through regular security like you."

"why?"

mat glanced down at you and by that look alone, you would've thought you were the dumbest person alive in his mind. "please don't play dumb, it's not cute."

"i'm not playing dumb! and i don't care about being cute!"

"i'm not going to abandon you at tsa. i'd feel much better if we stick together, happy?" he stopped walking altogether and fixed you with a look. one that kept you rooted to your spot. "you happy, now?" you nodded. "good, let's go."

you followed after him and got in line.

tsa took a total of 20 minutes to get through. mat insisted you go first which meant you put your backpack on and grabbed your carry on before he could.

"you're ridiculous," he said as the both of you started the trek towards your gate.

"you sound like my mother," you quipped.

the rest of your walk was spent in peaceful silence. the both of you made it to the gate with about thirty minutes until boarding, which was the latest you'd ever arrived to a gate before.

you and mat argued about when to arrive the night before.

he won.

mainly because he was the one to tell marty when to pick you up from his apartment.

it felt like no time had passed when the gate attendant started speaking over the intercom. instinctively, you zoned out. you weren't an idiot, you knew when to board. this wasn't your first rodeo.

but mat started standing up when the gate attendant started calling for the first group.

you tugged his shirt sleeve. "mat, what the hell?"

it was a good thing your family wasn't there to see all the drama that unfolded between the two of you in the airport. anyone who watched the two of you since you'd arrived wouldn't believe you were in love.

not when you were actively getting on each other's nerves.

"will you stop?" he swatted your hand away only to grab it a second later to tug you into a standing position.

"what are you doing? we don't get on the plane yet--"

but he cut you off when he shoved a plane ticket in your hand with the words first class written on it.

"mat..." you trailed off. "what is this?"

he glanced down at you and rolled his eyes. "don't act like you've never seen a plane ticket before."

"asshole. why is it first class?"

he shrugged but wouldn't meet you eye. "i get more leg room."

"but why wouldn't you just put me in economy? mat i can't afford to pay you back for this!" you were panicking and beginning to think about how much you'd have to save before you could venmo him the full amount. you were about to pull your phone out to see how much it would cost before he grabbed your hand again, this time squeezing it in his own.

"don't worry about it," he said calmly. "i wasn't gonna let you sit alone, and i have the money for it, so i did it."

"but i can't afford--"

"i was never gonna let you pay me back anyways, so don't even think about how much it cost." while still holding onto your hand, he guided the both of you over to the gate entrance where your tickets were scanned so you could board.

you were sitting in first class moments later.

mat let you take the window seat while he got the aisle, saying it gave him more space, but you liked to think it was because he knew you liked watching the changing landscapes.

when the plane took off, mat leaned his head back in the seat and plugged his airpods in, closing his eyes as he did so. you mentally slapped yourself for forgetting yours, stupidly thinking that maybe mat would want to talk when he'd been uncharacteristically quiet the entire trip thus far.

you sat back in your seat and looked out the window as the clouds passed by. worries of how your family would react to mat, or worse, how mat would react to your family, filling your mind.

god you didn't think you could stomach losing him. in fact, maybe your entire idea was too risky. you'd take being the butt of the family jokes for years to come if it meant you got to keep mat. if you lost him--

your hand was squeezed twice.

you looked away from the window to mat who was holding your hand again and had an airpod out.

"you're thinking too loud," he said. "you okay?"

you nodded but it was clear he didn't believe you. nonetheless, he didn't push. instead, he held an airpod out to you. the tones of some pop song filled your ear.

mat didn't let go of your hand for the entire rest of the plane ride.

as soon as the plane hit the tarmac, mat was taking his airpod back and stuffing both into the case and back into his backpack. you texted your mom to let her know you'd just landed and would be getting an uber to her house.

while you were texting your mother, mat was grabbing your bags and holding up the line so you could slide out.

he didn't even acknowledge the glares and eye rolls being shot at both of you.

you and mat started your walk off the plane and towards the exit of the airport.

"so remind me who i need to be concerned about meeting? is it your dad?"

you laughed. your father was a lot of things, intimidating was not even remotely close to one. "not even close. it's angela that's the problem the problem."

"angela's the one getting married, right?" you nodded. "why are you concerned about her? she'll be too focused on getting married."

you laughed. actually, cackled. "she's had this planned out since we were seven. i'd bet my first born child that she has all of this finalized months ago."

"anything else i should know?" he asked.

you thought to yourself. what could you say about angela that wouldn't be mean but still be true?

"just....stay close. we need to go everywhere together, understood?"

he furrowed his brows. "even to the bathroom?"

you thought back to that one time in 11th grade when you didn't follow your boyfriend to the bathroom. "especially then," you said.

"got it. stick to you like glue."

you were staring at your phone and opening up your uber app when mat nudged you, but you ignored him.

but he nudged you before just grabbing your phone out of your hand.

"what?!" you asked.

he pointed. "is that your mom?"

a cold chill went down your back as you made eye contact with the woman who was your carbon copy holding a sign with yours and mat's (albeit spelled wrong) names on it. she was smiling and waving erratically with the hand that wasn't holding onto the poster.

"oh my god."

before you could even stop him, mat was walking towards your mom with an award winning smile. to your absolute horror, he placed your bags on the ground and allowed her to wrap him in a hug.

you zombie walked over to them, like you were trapped in some fever dream.

"honey!" she squealed when she pulled away from mat. "you didn't tell me how handsome mat was!" she said not so quietly.

god you wanted to die. curl up and die right there on the airport floor.

mat was snickering into his fist at your reaction.

maybe you should've asked beau instead.

home

your mom parked the car in the driveway; she nearly swooned when mat opened your car door for you and grabbed all of your bags.

"such a gentleman," was all she said before heading up the front porch.

the two of you followed your mother into your house where your dad, your brother, and his girlfriend sat in the living room.

"mat," you started. "this is my dad, my brother cody, and his girlfriend harper. guys, this is mat."

"i would wave, but my hands are full."

"oh honey, stop being rude and show mat to your room."

you blinked. "you mean, our rooms, right?" your mother and father were very traditional in that sense. so you'd banked on having to share a bathroom at most with mat.

not an entire bedroom.

not a tiny bed.

"we're not gonna act like the two of you haven't slept together already. i was born at night, but not last night," your father said from his position in the recliner.

you could hear mat choking on air while your brother cackled.

"besides," your mother cleared her throat. "cody's old room has been converted into an office, so that just leaves the queen bed in your room, sweetheart. that won't be a problem, will it?"

you shook your head, though you very much wanted to curl up in a hole and die. "no ma'am, that'll be fine."

your father crossed his hands over his stomach and leveled mat with a heated stare. "just because i know the two of you have slept together does not mean under any circumstances that it should happen under this roof. do you understand me, son?"

mat nodded, though he looked the most uncomfortable you'd ever seen him. "yes sir."

"oh honey," your mother started. "let them go settle in. dinner will be in an hour."

you led mat up the stairs and to your childhood bedroom. you finally gave up on offering to help carry the bags. mat, for the most part, looked happy to do something with his hands all things considered.

the room hadn't changed much since you moved out and away from home. the walls were still lilac, the carpet was still cream.

but the dolls you had growing up were missing, and for that, you were thankful.

mat dropped the bags on the ground and shut the door behind him. his shoulders relaxed for the first time since getting off the airplane.

"your family's nice," he said.

you immediately flocked to him until there was only about a foot between you. "mat, i'm so sorry. i didn't think they'd make us share a room, they never let cody do that growing up."

he smiled and placed his hands on your shoulders. "it's okay. it's just for a week. we've fallen asleep together on the couch before, it'll be just like that, just in a bed, okay? and i promise i won't stare when you get changed."

you nodded and wrapped your arms around his waist. "this is already so overwhelming."

"hey, we're the dream team, okay? i'm the best liar ever. we've got this in the bag."

and when he sounded so confident, how could you possibly believe otherwise?

the two of you got settled in your room before completely kicking off your shoes, changing into comfier clothes (with you in the closet and mat in the room) and settling into bed just to scroll on your phones. your mom came knocking before too long to tell you dinner was ready.

dinner was a pot of spaghetti, your mom's best dish. everyone was seated by the time you and mat made it into the dining room. mat, ever the performer, pulled your chair out and took the seat to your right, choosing to sit next to your mom rather than your father.

"are you waiting for a grand invitation? dig in," your father grunted. his irritation immediately kicked everyone into gear, with your family passing around garlic bread and filling plates with pasta.

the table was quiet aside from the sounds of forks scraping against the plates.

"so mat," cody started. "what do you do for a living?"

"oh," he said, wiping his mouth. "i play professional hockey."

"an athlete?" your mother questioned. "i thought you learned from the last one."

you about dropped your head into your plate. "mom...."

"sorry, sorry, i know we said we wouldn't talk about him, but he's going to be a part of the family soon."

mat's neck should've snapped from how fast he whipped it to look at you.

you nudged his knee under the table with yours. later, you hoped he'd understand.

harper cleared her throat. "what team do you play for?" she asked. "i grew up a devils fan, so i have to know."

"islanders," mat smirked, like it was something to be proud of, and to him, it was. to your family though? they were more concerned with the upcoming college football season to really care.

"oh god," harper replied. "at least you don't play for the rangers."

mat took a sip of his water. "agreed."

"do you still have all your teeth?" cody asked.

you inhaled and started choking on what you guessed was a spaghetti noodle. mat reached over and immediately started patting your back quite forcefully until your airway was cleared.

"yeah," mat said. "still have all my teeth."

"how did you two meet?" your mom asked. clearly your family was in interrogation mode, but at the very least these were questions you prepared for.

"at a bar through some mutual friends," mat answered, knowing good and well they weren't looking for you to say anything, their eyes were solely focused on your best friend.

"and out of all the girls, you picked this one? did you know she couldn't tie her shoes till she was in third grade?" cody laughed.

mat didn't.

which was odd, because he was usually the first one to poke fun at you.

"you wet the bed until you were nine," you shot back, ready to diffuse the tension.

a loud laugh burst from harper's mouth. not even her hand over her lips could quite muffle the volume of it.

cody rolled his eyes but held his hands up. "laugh all you want, harp. you chose this."

she smiled and leaned into him. "i did."

you stared until mat's hand landed on your thigh, effectively snapping you out of your daze. you looked at him and gave him a small smile before eating more of your mom's cooking.

dinner was over shortly thereafter, with small talk being made between the six of you. when it ended, mat was the first one up, grabbing both of your plates, while you grabbed the cups, and followed you into the kitchen.

"oh no, you're not washing dishes," you said when you saw him put the plates in the sink. but he made no sound of hearing you. "mat!" you hissed before placing your cups in the sink and grabbing him by the arm. "you're not washing dishes! you're a guest!"

"neither of you are," your mother walked in. "you just got here. your father and i will clean up dinner, the two of you can go relax and unwind. i'm sure you've had a long day."

"i can help--" mat started.

but your mom started twirling a hand towel with a smile on her face. "don't make me smack you with this, mat." and the very sight of that coupled with the lighthearted threat had you both sprinting out of the kitchen. you'd grown up in that house long enough to remember the sting of the towel on your legs when you annoyed your mother.

you also remembered trying to get back at her once and failing completely.

your father passed the two of you as he walked into the kitchen while your brother and his girlfriend took their spots on the couch. it only left one seat left in the room, your dad's chair. but combined with the air travel, the early morning, you were left exhausted and nothing sounded better than showering and crawling into bed.

"we're gonna head upstairs, long day and all," you said to cody and harper, the inference was that they would tell your parents.

mat followed you up the stairs and into your childhood bedroom. "you take the first shower," you instructed. "i have to wash my hair and it'll take longer."

he nodded and gathered his clothes while you searched your bag for a set of modest pajamas. he finished his shower in about twenty minutes.

you hopped in the shower and went through your routine, washing your hair and body before stepping out and drying off. when you got back to your room, mat was laying in bed under the covers watching the tv on your dresser.

in true fashion, he was watching espn.

"don't you get enough of this during the season? i didn't even know you liked baseball." you crawled into bed and cuddled into mat's clothed chest like you always did.

mat shrugged, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. "i was waiting for you to come back to decide what we should watch."

you hummed and buried your face into his shirt.

cuddling wasn't abnormal for the two of you, most movie nights at mat's place ended with you in similar positions. you were aware his friends made fun of him for it, but mat thrived off physical affection and you were all too willing to give it to him.

"just turn on a movie," you mumbled.

he selected a random mission impossible movie that you couldn't give two shits about. but when the movie and your fresh shower were coupled with mat running a hand up and down your back?

you were out like a light.

exploring the hometown -- the dress shop

it was an alarm that woke you up right as the sun rose. you groaned into your pillow, burying your face into the fabric. a warm arm tightened its grip around your waist. for a moment you freaked out, trying to wriggle away from the person who had you locked in, but the person grumbled and groaned.

"if you keep moving like that, i'm going to need a cold shower. so stop."

oh.

mat.

oh.

you immediately stopped moving and relaxed back into the bed.

"we need to talk," he said.

"can we talk later? it's barely even morning."

but mat had no intention of letting you sleep in. he used his arm to forcibly turn you over to face him. when you looked him in the face, his hair was mussed and in his eyes. before you could even stop yourself, you hand was reaching and moving the hair out of the way.

"what did your mom mean when she said the last athlete you dated was joining the family soon?"

you groaned and shoved your head into his chest, but he lightly pushed your forehead away from him so he could look you in the eyes.

"i'm serious," he said.

you sighed. "i dated this guy in 11th grade, his name was owen and he played football. he was the starting tight end and a grade older than me." you avoided looking at him and instead traced the letters on his islanders t-shirt with your fingers. "things were great, he was nice and all, so i invited him to my birthday party. he went to the bathroom, and i noticed he was gone for awhile so when i went to look for him, he was making out with angela."

mat's grip tightened on your waist. he said your name quietly, but you shook your head.

"it's fine," you said. "i told my parents but angela didn't get in trouble, not really at least. my aunt pressured me to make up with her for the sake of 'family' and 'feminism,' so i accepted her half assed apology and congratulated her when they got engaged a year ago."

"what a bitch," was all mat said.

"mat..."

but he was sitting up and pulling you with him. "no, don't brush this off. what she did was shitty. and your family just expected you to forgive her and watch her get married to him?"

"mat, it happened years ago. forgive and forget."

"i think you mean resent and remember," he grumbled.

"can we just go back to sleep? it's too early for this."

mat huffed but sank back into the mattress.

the two of you fell back asleep until light was hitting you in the eyes. "get up, sleepy heads! you can't sleep the day away!"

you groaned at the sound of your mother's cheering, or maybe it was the bright ceiling light blinding you, either way, the way you woke up the first time was better than this.

"mom, what time is it?"

"a little after 8."

you and mat groaned in unison. "you couldn't let us sleep in?"

"there are things that need to get done, sweetheart. do either of you have something to wear to the wedding?"

"mom, it's too early for this."

she sighed and probably rolled her eyes, something you would notice if you weren't too busy burying your head in the fabric of mat's shirt. in turn, he was burying his face in your hair.

"fine. you two can sleep the day away, but i expect the both of you for dinner tonight and to be dressed appropriately for the family dinner tomorrow." she left shortly thereafter.

"family dinner?" mat asked into your hair. "how is that different from regular dinner?"

"it's with the entire family, not just mine. you'll meet all my cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents there."

"sounds like a lot."

"it is. they did this when my cousin andy got married two years ago."

mat hummed into the top of your head. "sounds exhausting."

"if you don't wanna see me for a month after this week is over, i wouldn't blame you."

he brought you closer to him, which you didn't think was possible considering you two were already pretty close. "i always wanna see you."

you smiled into his shirt, which you were pretty sure he could feel, but neither of you drew attention to it.

"we need to get up," you sighed, pushing away from him just a little.

"i'm already up."

on cue you felt something around your hip that had you squealing and falling out of bed laughing. "you absolute douche!" but it had no real bite since you were holding your stomach and rolling around on the floor laughing.

"what am i supposed to do when i wake up with a pretty girl pressed against me? ignore nature?"

you rolled your eyes and got up, searching through your bag for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "get dressed, asshole."

by the time you made it downstairs after taking care of your hair and brushing your teeth, your mother had set out a few granola bars for breakfast.

"i would've made eggs and waffles, but i'm already swamped with helping your aunt, i just didn't have the energy this morning."

"thanks, mom," you smiled and kissed her cheek once before grabbing a granola bar.

"do you know what you're wearing to angela's wedding?" she asked.

you nodded while you chewed your bar. "i brought that blue dress i wore to cody's graduation."

your mom's face twisted into disgust. "that old thing? honey, you can do better than that."

you waited until your mother turned around to roll your eyes only to catch mat coming down the stairs in a t-shirt and jeans.

god he looked so good it should be criminal.

but instead of fawning over him, you just threw a granola bar at his chest with he caught with an ease. "what're we doing today?"

"shopping apparently," you grumbled.

"oh don't give him attitude, honey. you should've packed something more appropriate to the wedding instead of that ratty dress you brought."

"it's not ratty!" you weren't sure why you were defending a dress you didn't care about, you'd only grabbed the first dress you saw in your closet. maybe it was the fact that she was so quick to dismiss something you chose to wear.

"that dress is years old, sweetheart. it's time for something new."

"thanks for the constructive criticism, mom. you never fail to give it at the best times," you deadpanned. you glanced back at mat who was stuffing the granola bar in his mouth. "you ready to go?"

he nodded, still chewing as you started walking towards the door.

"dad! i'm taking your car." you grabbed the keys, then mat's hand, and tugged him out the door.

neither of you spoke until you were already five minutes down the road.

"are you okay?" mat asked, eyes warily staring at your from the passenger seat. "you're gripping the wheel pretty tight."

you looked down at your own hands and eased up. "she just--" you groaned. "she always does this, criticizes me or what i wear. i know she means well, but it's irritating."

"for what it's worth, i liked the blue dress."

you gave him a small smile. "the problem isn't you, mat, it's not even the dress. if my mom thinks it's ratty, angela definitely will. and at the end of the day, i think that's what my mom is trying to save me from."

"why doesn't she just tell angela to mind her own business?"

"question of the year," you grumbled before pulling into the parking lot of a local boutique.

the two of you got out and headed inside, though mat looked a little out of place. "what's the dress code for this wedding anyway?"

"i'm sure if you brought a dress shirt and some slacks, you'll be fine."

you looked around, occasionally checking the dresses on the racks, but nothing caught your eye.

"can i help you find anything?" that voice nearly stopped you in your tracks, it was someone you hadn't thought about since you left for college.

you turned around and smiled at the woman in front of you. last time you saw her, you were standing in matching caps and gowns. you sat next to each other at graduation, and before that, you shared a few classes together. if it wasn't for the bright red hair and the comments your mom had made in the past about her staying in town, you never would've recognized her.

you hoped she wouldn't recognize you.

but she said your name in shock and smiled. "it's been so long!" she said. "back in town for angela's wedding?"

and really, you had no reason to dread this conversation, meredith was as nice as she was in high school. but you weren't sure if anyone was ever this happy to run into someone they knew from high school.

speaking of, you couldn't even remember why you weren't closer to her in high school.

"meredith, hi," you replied. "yes, i'm in town for her wedding. are you going?"

meredith nodded and smiled. "i'm actually her maid of honor."

of course she was.

that explained why you weren't close friends in high school.

"that's so exciting!" you smiled through a clenched jaw.

"i was shocked to hear you weren't in the bridal party though. is everything okay?" meredith sounded genuinely concerned, and while she was sweet, you never remembered her being very observant.

you shrugged. "we've grown apart since i moved away, it's water under the bridge."

meredith nodded until her gaze shifted to behind you were you assumed mat had just appeared. "who's this?"

"this is--"

"i'm mat," he held his hand out to shake. "her boyfriend."

meredith shakily grabbed his hand, you could see it tremble in his grip. "meredith," she practically swooned. a moment passed before she let go of his hand.

you had to keep from rolling your eyes. you were no stranger to mat's effect on women but it didn't make it any less obnoxious.

"we're looking for a dress for her to wear to the wedding," mat explained as his arm snaked around your waist. "i think she looks amazing in anything, but if you could find her something summery that matches her complexion, maybe a nice sundress, that would be very helpful."

you looked at mat like he'd grown a second and third head while meredith scrambled off to find something to fit his description. "are you okay?"

"why wouldn't i be?"

"you just listed of a theme of clothing without even batting an eyelash."

mat shrugged. "i was just being efficient. if you don't like what she picks out, we can always find something else or go somewhere else. but i thought the summery vibe would look nice with what i packed."

"and what did you pack? a white shirt and black slacks?"

"guess you'll have to find out in a few days," he quipped before lightly booping your nose.

meredith came back with an arm full of dresses and ushered the both of you back to the dressing rooms. she handed the articles of clothing to you and whisked herself away citing that she'd be around if you needed anything.

which was perfectly fine with you, it meant you didn't have an audience to trying on dresses.

"try the green one on first!" mat called as you shut the door behind you.

"you're not running the show here, barzal. as much as you would like to think otherwise."

you put the green one on first anyway.

you looked in the mirror, not sure if you liked the sleeves or the cut of the dress. was it too short for a wedding? it felt too casual.

"are you gonna show me? i'm assuming it doesn't take ten years for you to put on a dress, sweetheart," mat said.

"i'm not doing a fashion show for you, barzy."

"your boyfriend would like very much to see what you're getting, baby."

you rolled your eyes, mainly because he had a point. but amidst your irritation, hesitancy rose up but you didn't know why. mat had never given you a reason to be insecure, he was more than affirming about your place in his life and your appearance. you had no reason to be insecure, but yet it was rising up anyway.

still, you opened the door.

you poked your head out to see mat sitting on his phone until he heard the creak of the door. "well, let me see you!" he said.

you came out from behind the door as confidently as you could manage.

only for mat to let out a low whistle.

"oh shut up," you whined.

"you look good, baby," he smirked. "almost too good to wear out in public." you flushed under his scrutinizing stare that seemed to linger on some areas more than others and the nickname made heat slowly crawl up your neck.

"you're such a flatterer."

"just calling it like i see it, honey."

"will you quit it with the nicknames?" you covered your face with your hands.

"am i embarrassing you, baby?" he asked, voice much closer now. you didn't know why until you felt two hands on your waist.

"no."

mat pulled your hands down and smirked as he placed his palms back on your waist. "liar."

you rolled your eyes. "do you like the dress or not?"

"it's not about my opinion, do you like it?"

you all but stomped your foot in frustration. "mat," you whined. "what was the point of coming out here if you're just going to defer to my opinion?"

he shrugged like it wasn't bothering him to be that close to you; unlike you, whose heart was racing a mile a minute. "because i like to see dresses on pretty women, specifically you."

you shoved him away with a light push on his chest. the skirt of the dress bunching up a bit as his grip was pulled away.

"lemme see the next one!" he called as you walked back into the dressing room.

you tried on three more dresses, all of them garnering a similar reaction from mat, but none really feeling like the dress you should be wearing. none of them were nice enough to wear to the wedding without your mother, aunt, or angela saying something smart.

your hope was diminishing when you got to the final dress. it was plain in comparison to the others as far as beading and lace went, just a simple navy blue dress with a deep v and a small slit up to mid thigh. but you tried it on anyway.

"i don't know about this one, but i kinda like it. i wanted to know what you think," you said as you came out the dressing room.

mat looked up from his phone.

only for his jaw to drop.

you shifted your weight from foot to foot, back and forth, as you waited for a comment from him. mat, in all your time as friends, was never hesitant to share his opinion, but the longer he stayed silent, the more fearful you got that maybe this dress wasn't the one you should be wearing.

"do you not like it? i can--"

"no, you're getting it." he stood up and called meredith over who seemed to have been hovering just out of sight, like she was waiting for that exact moment. "she's getting this one, can you ring it up?"

meredith smiled but looked back and forth between you two. "of course, she'll have to take it off but--"

"mat, are you sure? i'm not even sure about this."

"baby," there he went, using another pet name. "you look fantastic, and even if you didn't, which you do, i took one look at your face and could tell you loved this dress. you're getting it." he said it so confidently you were inclined to believe him.

you started reaching for the tag on the dress. "how much is it--"

he ripped the tag off and handed it to meredith along with his card. "will you ring this up for us while she gets dressed, meredith?" he asked.

"mat, you don't have to pay--"

“let’s be honest, this is more for me than you." he said it so confidently, how could you possibly say no to him? "go get dressed," he said. "i'll be out here."

you quickly changed into your other clothes and grabbed the dress on your way out. mat quickly took the dress out of your hand and wrapped an arm around your shoulders. you didn't think anything of it until he pulled you in and placed a kiss on the side of your head.

you would've read into it had meredith not been in plain sight.

he must've done it to keep up the act.

meredith took the dress and wrapped it in a box that mat refused to let you carry, just like he refused to let you see the receipt. you told him that you'd just venmo him, but he ignored you all the way to the car.

preparation mode

your mom had ordered pizza for dinner which you and mat had taken up to your room. no one in your family batted an eyelash considering you both cited it as having a long day and wanting to unwind.

"so tell me about your family, the ones i haven't met yet," mat said through a mouth full of pizza.

you were currently wearing one of his t-shirts that you stole from his apartment a month ago and a pair of running shorts while you leaned back against the headboard. "well, there's my uncle mike, he's my mom's brother and the oldest in their family. for the most part he minds his business, he's on his fourth marriage and probably the last one because him and his wife don't even care to mask their indifference towards each other." you took a huge bite of your pizza and swallowed it before continuing. "then there's aunt patty who is angela's mom and she's about as nice as they come but also she's super passive aggressive and let's angela get away with everything."

"sounds like she's not actually nice, and you're just conditioned to think she is."

you rolled your eyes. "we don't have time to psychoanalyze my familial relationships, barzy."

"sure we do, if your aunt lets your bullying cousin get away with everything, then she's not actually nice."

"what does that make her then, smart ass?"

"a pawn." and he said it so lightly that you didn't even think about it for a moment. when you finally registered what he said, you furrowed your brows. so mat continued. "anyone who lets their child 'get away with everything' even when they're wrong is not a parent so much as they are a pawn in their child's game."

you blinked at him once. then a second time, wondering when your best friend had been replaced by your therapist.

"what?" he asked.

"i'm just trying to figure out what happened to my best friend. it's like you were replaced by dr. phil."

mat rolled his eyes. "i'm allowed to be wise on occasion."

"is it an occasion if it's never happened before?"

"what makes you say that?"

"i'm saying someone who gets hit in the face with a hockey stick or a puck every other game doesn't always have the best wisdom."

"but i do now! and that's what matters." he took another bite of pizza and hummed to himself.

"what?" you asked. "what was that hum about?"

"tell me about your other family members."

you explained how your cousin andrew (otherwise known as andy) was the oldest of angela's siblings and was married two years ago to his wife kelsey. they were distant from angela because she announced her engagement at kelsey's baby shower, but in true family fashion, that incident was pushed under the rug.

then there was thomas who was a year older than you and angela who had an affinity of sleeping around and generally not giving a shit about anyone or anything. he would say what he wanted when he wanted and for that reason, he was one of your favorite relatives. because, for the most part, he was the only one other than your grandmother who called angela out on her shit.

"what about your grandparents?"

you shrugged. "my grandfather died a few years ago and my grandmother is still around. she's honestly my favorite family member, though i'm sure that has nothing to do with me and cody being her favorites."

"oh i'm sure," mat said.

"and that's my mom's side of the family." you slapped your thighs and took a sip of your drink.

"what about you?"

you looked at him, confused at what he could possibly be talking about. "what about me?"

"you've told me about your family, tell me about you."

you scoffed. "mat, we're friends, what could you possibly want to know about me?"

he shrugged. "tell me something i wouldn't know. if you don't, i'm going to go downstairs and ask your mom to bring out the baby photos."

you rolled your eyes and sighed heavily, like it was some burden on you. "fine. when i was a kid, angela stuck bubble gum in my hair and i had to get a horrendous haircut. cody made fun of me until it grew out again."

"i bet you were still cute."

you got up from the bed and picked up a picture frame off your dresser. for some reason, your mother insisted on decorating your room with your worst moments, hence why your prom photo was hanging in the stair way. you handed the picture frame to mat who immediately smiled at your seven year old self smiling with two missing teeth and a shitty haircut.

"oh," he said.

"what?" you asked.

mat looked up with a huge smile on his face. "i definitely would've had a crush on you as a kid." you rolled your eyes and shoved him in the shoulder. "hey!" he protested. "i would've! you were cute!"

"shut up, you would not. i bet seven year old mat was the cutest boy in his grade and too worried about hockey to look at seven year old me."

"he might've been, i'd never know. but all i'm saying is if seven year old me knew seven year old you? he'd be in love. well, as much love as a seven year old can feel. in fact, i would've given you my favorite pokemon cards if you'd asked."

you could feel heat creeping up your neck at the idea, and how far it was from the truth. your classmates gave you hell for the way your hair looked, and it was such an odd and unbelievable story that no one took you seriously until the next school year when you grew your hair out.

"well, do you have a photo of you as a kid? it's not fair that you get unlimited access to all my childhood photos and i don't get to see you!"

mat rolled his eyes but pulled out his phone and scrolled through his camera roll. he flipped his phone around so you could see a photo of him in hockey gear with a big smile on his face. "aw mat," you cooed. "you were so cute."

"would you have had a crush on me?"

you thought about it for a moment. "i actually had a crush on this guy in my grade named frankie, so probably not."

mat's jaw dropped. "so my crush would go unrequited?"

"mat, honey, we didn't even live in the same country. this whole situation is hypothetical."

"tell me, did frankie play hockey?"

"what? no."

"was he funnier than me?"

"mat how am i supposed to know if second grade you was funnier than frankie?"

he shrugged. "i don't know. but was he?"

"he was the class clown."

mat groaned and fell back into your pillows. "seven year old mat is crushed. he stands no chance."

"honey, i cannot stress this enough, this is a hypothetical situation."

but all of a sudden, he stood up to his full height and walked towards you with the picture frame still in his hands. he placed the frame back on your dresser and closed the distance between the two of you. "what if it wasn't hypothetical?" he said, his tone shifted from playful to serious.

you locked his phone while you looked at him, to say you were confused would be an understatement. "what're you talking about?"

he shrugged and placed his hands on your waist, pulling you closer until you hips touched and it was like electricity struck your nervous system. "what if--"

a knock on the door interrupted anything mat was going to say. the two of you jumped apart. "hope you two aren't naked!" cody's voice sounded through the wooden door. "we're having a movie night and mom made it clear that you two need to be downstairs in five minutes."

"we'll be right out!" you called, though your eyes were still locked on mat's.

he reluctantly let go of you as you cleared your throat. you didn't know what was different about air around you, how it felt tense and warm at the same time.

you headed downstairs with mat trailing behind you and sat on the couch next to each other. you weren't sure what changed, but when mat put his arm around you like he had done in the past, you fought every urge to tense up. what was going on with you?

when the movie was over, and it was time for all of you to go to bed, you and mat dressed in separate rooms. you were in bed by the time he returned and you were too busy controlling your breaths to notice his hesitancy.

he called your name quietly, but you squeezed your eyes shut and evened out your breathing. mat pushed a strand of hair behind your ear as he got in bed before he wrapped an arm around your waist pulled your back to his chest.

your heart beat against your ribs loud enough you were sure he could hear it. you weren't sure why, or what it was, not even your ex boyfriend had your heart beating like that, and it took you months to get over him.

when mat finally fell asleep, you relaxed, and pulled yourself gently and slowly out of his hold.

you placed a pillow between you two.

it was on the floor on mat's side the next morning.

the "big family" dinner

"is this appropriate enough to wear to dinner tonight?" mat came into the room wearing a plain white tee and black jeans with adidas.

it should be a sin to look that good in something so simple.

"if you were anyone else, i'd say no," you replied.

he blinked. "what does that mean?"

"i mean somehow you make really plain outfits look good."

he smirked. "you saying i look good?"

"oh please. like you don't know."

mat put both of his hands in his front pockets and leaned his shoulder against the wall. "maybe, but it sounds better coming from your mouth." you rolled your eyes and shoved him aside as you gathered your clothes in your hands. "what're you wearing?"

"a shirt and shorts." you walked into the bathroom across the hall to change into your outfit before going back in the bedroom to get your shoes.

mat let out a low whistle much like he did at the boutique. "is that my shirt?"

you looked down and saw the islanders logo on the front and shrugged. "must be."

"when did you grab this?"

"must've been during one of our sleepovers." you walked right out of the room and down the stairs to join the rest of your family. the six of you (your father, mother, brother, his girlfriend, mat, and you) would be riding in two separate cars. cody tried to convince your parents that mat should ride with them while you rode with him, but you quickly shot that idea down. you wouldn't say you were embarrassed of your parents, but you surely weren't going to leave mat to his own devices with them.

which is how you ended up sitting in the backseat of your dad's subaru with a foot of space between you and mat.

"mat, honey, tell us about your family! do you have any siblings?" your mother asked from the front seat she tried to give him earlier.

"you have longer legs!" she said.

"and my dad would literally punch me in the chest if i didn't let you sit shotgun," mat replied.

"i have a sister, her name's liana."

"oh, liana!" your mother gushed. "what a beautiful name! i should've named you that, honey!"

"mom," you whined. "you don't think it would be weird to have the same name as mat's sister?"

she hummed. "i guess, when you put it that way..." your mother shook her head. "how'd you get into hockey, mat?"

"mom, mat's gonna be interrogated all night long, can we save the questions for later?"

"baby, it's fine," mat assured you. your heart picked up just a little at the pet name but settled down when he turned his attention back to your mom. "i grew up playing it," he said. "my dad used to play as well."

it was like your mom fell in love with your boyfriend even more. "see honey? he continued a tradition that his father set for him!" you kept yourself from snarking back and rolling your eyes and just smiled. "i wanted my daughter to be a nurse like me," she explained to mat. "but she wasn't interested."

"mom, i can barely handle the sight of blood and you thought i would be okay in the icu?"

mat cackled. "you should see her when i have cuts and bruises from games, she pulls out gloves and about douses my wounds in peroxide."

"i'm not gonna get a blood borne disease because of you, barzal," you replied.

he rolled his eyes but smiled at you anyway.

you zoned out for the rest of the car ride as your aunt's house grew closer. mat, ever the observant friend, reached out and grabbed your hand in his, squeezing it three times until you looked at him.

"you okay?" he mouthed. when you finally nodded he sighed and brought your hands to his lips, kissing it once before placing your joined hands between the two of you. your heart soared at the gesture, but you looked back out the window before he could see it.

your father parked the car in front of a giant house you were all too familiar with. memories flashed before your eyes of summers spent swimming in the pool in the backyard and playing with toys in angela's room.

"be on your best behavior," your mom directed towards you with a knowing look in her eyes. you weren't sure why, you hadn't made a scene in years, though you were contemplating it if your mom kept harassing you.

you and mat slid out of the backseat and followed your parents to the front door. your mom didn't even bother knocking; she opened the door and left it open for the rest of you to follow. mat trailed behind you, grabbing your hand at the last minute before walking through the front door.

you were immediately accosted by a plethora of voices and music, unknowingly, you gripped mat's hand a little tighter as your aunt rounded the corner with a glass of champagne and a large smile. you saw as she greeted your parents with hugs, careful not to spill her drink. when her eyes focused on you, or rather the hand you were holding, there was a sense of smug satisfaction that occurred when you saw the poorly disguised shock on her face.

"hey!" she greeted. "i see you brought a friend."

before you could say anything, mat was taking his hand out of yours and shaking your aunt's hand. "i'm mat, the boyfriend."

aunt patty smiled and then looked at you, like she was evaluating something. "nice to meet you, mat," she said before bringing you into a hug and giving the same salutation she gave your parents. "angela will be excited to see you, both of you!" she said.

doubtful, you thought. very doubtful.

aunt patty ushered the both of you further into the house; mat's hand returned to holding yours until it was time to go outside in the backyard and join the rest of the family, then his hand moved to your lower back.

the two of you walked outside and watched as your family mingled in the backyard.

"who do we talk to first?" mat asked.

you shook your head. "no one. we go grab food first. my family is easier to handle with food."

mat nodded and followed your lead to the table with assorted finger foods on it. the two of you grabbed a plate full of food and found a table to sit.

it wasn't long before the table filled up with cody and his girlfriend who'd arrived moments after you did.

"did you give him the family run down?" cody asked before taking a bite out of one of his deviled eggs.

"this isn't amateur hour, cody. i spent the entire evening yesterday prepping him."

and a coffee date and plane ride dedicated to perfecting a fabricated story.

as if reminded that you two had appearances to keep up, mat reached back and draped his arm around the back of your chair and leaned back in his own. he looked so comfortable doing so you would've believed him to be genuine.

it wasn't long before your other family members came over, your grandmother to start. both you and mat stood to greet her. she wasted no time pulling you into a hug and kissing your cheek, holding your face between her hands and smiling.

"my, my, my, you've grown," she said.

"you say that every time you see me, grandma," you replied.

"and i mean it every time." her eyes dart to over your shoulder where you're positive mat is towering over you. "and who is this?" she asked, but it was clear by the smirk on her face that she already knew. the entire family probably knew given how much your mother liked to talk about your love life.

"i'm mat," he said and extended a hand out to shake.

your grandmother immediately let go of you and all but pushed you out of the way to hug mat who didn't even hesitate to embrace her back. when your grandmother pulled away she smiled and glanced back and forth between you and mat.

"so you're the gentleman who stole my baby's heart?"

mat gave your grandmother a megawatt smile. "no ma'am, you have it backwards. i just tricked her into dating me, still not sure how i accomplished it though."

your grandmother looked back at you and all but swooned. "you didn't tell me how handsome he was."

you blinked. you weren't sure what kind of magic ability mat had but the fact that you grandmother looked ready to become a cougar or push you down the aisle said something.

"didn't think he was your type, grandma."

she rolled her eyes but the smile on her lips said enough. "you and that attitude, girl, i've missed it. i hope she doesn't give you this much trouble, mat."

he only reached around your grandmother and tugged you into his chest. "oh this one? she usually gives me a run for my money," he said before placing a kiss on the top of your head.

your grandmother looked at you and smiled.

and just like that, he'd won over your grandmother's approval. it was a record for you, actually. even your best boyfriend had to meet her several times to win her over.

and mat did it in a matter of minutes.

really, it wasn't fair how charming he was.

"well," she said. "i'll let you two finish eating, i'm sure your cousin will make her way over here at some point." and on cue, your grandmother and you met eyes and shared an understanding. while your grandma loved angela, she, unlike your aunt, was not blind to the passive aggressive comments made by your cousin over the years.

mat pulled your chair out and pushed it in as you sat down before taking his place next to you. his hand immediately made its way onto your thigh, his thumb stroking the outside of your leg.

he leaned in and murmured in your ear. "that went well."

you swallowed the weird sensation in your throat that probably had nothing to do with his touch and proximity.

"a little too well if you ask me," you replied. "she likes you a lot more than my other boyfriends."

mat shrugged like that wasn't the highest praise you could give him. "to be fair, your exes have always been shit."

"they have not!"

cody chimed in from across the table. "they have." you glared at him but he seemed unfazed. "do you want me to tally the boys you've brought home?" but he didn't even give you a chance to answer before he started listing your exes on his fingers. "there was cole who skipped your birthday because it wasn't important. then there was conrad who had the weird relationship with his sister. then there was randall who wouldn't speak to you for days on end and then text you out of the blue."

you rolled your eyes. "those don't count, those were high school boyfriends."

cody deadpanned, though you both knew he skipped one particular boyfriend who happened to be the shittiest. "oh i can skip straight to college and post college if you'd like. you've given me plenty of material to work with." so he continued. "there was yohan who didn't have a bed frame, just a mattress on the floor."

"we were in college!"

mat chimed in. "a mattress on the floor is bad, babe. you can't excuse that."

you huffed and sat back in your chair as cody kept going.

"what about peter who refused to ever get your number and only communicated through snapchat? or lance who had the armpit fetish?"

mat nearly spit out his drink. "a what? what does that even mean?"

you groaned and put your head in your hands until a new voice chimed in.

"it means that she wore a lot of tank tops when they dated, per his request. isn't that right?"

you looked up and saw the rock on her hand before you ever saw her face.

"angela," you said and tried to smile, though the poorly masked snicker made by cody told you it probably looked more like a grimace. "hey, long time no see."

"alright, that's our cue, harper," cody mumbled before him and his girlfriend left the table.

she smiled and fixed her eyes on mat. "and who is this?"

mat, as if sensing the challenge she was presenting, moved his hand from your thigh to around your shoulder. unlike meeting your grandmother, he didn't stand up or offer a hand, he just nodded and smile. "i'm mat."

"and who is 'mat?'" she asked in what she believed was a charming way.

you had to keep yourself from rolling your eyes.

"i'm her boyfriend," mat said before placing a kiss on the side of your head. it was with premature smug satisfaction that you witnessed the smile on angela's lips falter just a little. but then you remembered the times before when you introduced boyfriends to family and how angela looked at them with some sort of predatory gleam in her eyes when met with a challenge.

and mat's indifference to her was the biggest challenge of all.

a tall blond man walked over and wrapped an arm around angela's waist. "baby," he said. "i got you a drink." and he handed her a flute of champagne.

she sipped it but never took her eyes off mat.

"who're you?" owen asked. you had to keep yourself from rolling your eyes. all those years ago, you thought his blunt ways of communicating were charming, now they just grated on your nerves.

"honey, this is mat, the infamous plus one."

"boyfriend," mat corrected. "simple mistake, i get it. it's not like the rsvp's asked for a relationship definition or anything."

"how long have you two been together?" owen asked.

"a few months," you answered in unison, which immediately made angela quirk a brow. you started sweating, your hands started shaking in your lap.

almost as if sensing your nerves, mat reached over with the hand that wasn't around you shoulders, and placed it on your thigh, rubbing smooth circles into your skin.

goosebumps formed on your skin, but for an entirely different reason that a cold breeze considering it was nearly sweltering outside.

"we've been friends for awhile though," mat said. "known each other for about as long as we've been in new york."

angela hummed, but didn't seem convinced. "okay," she smiled. "enjoy the party."

when she walked away with owen in tow, you let out a sigh.

"you okay?" mat mumbled.

"that went better than i thought."

"i thought you said she was mean," mat said.

"she typically is, maybe she's changed though. it's been a minute since i came home."

mat hummed, but maybe your earlier conversations convinced him of angela's normal behavior, because he didn't seem like he believed you.

"don't hum at me," you said. "she could!"

mat shrugged and leaned back in his chair, his hand squeezed your shoulder where it rested. "okay," he said before placing a kiss on your temple. "i trust you."

the night continued on without much incident. cody got a little too drunk, but that was to be expected. your uncle, his wife, and your cousins all came by and said their hellos, but for the most part, you and mat just stayed at the table and talked.

it was moments like that when you forgot how easy it was to just be with him. you couldn't count the amount of times you found yourself sitting on his couch with your head in his lap, his hand in your hair, as you ranted about your shitty day at work or a frustrating phone call with your parents. days like that were typical with mat, because he made it so easy to just be.

you felt most like yourself when you were with him.

and sure it sounded a little codependent, but you were almost positive he was your other half.

but not in a romantic way.

never in a romantic way.

after all, he was way out of your league. the amount times he had women approach him at bars when the two of you went out were astronomical.

you were forever the friend, and you weren't really all that upset about it. so long as you had mat, you'd take him in whatever capacity he'd give you.

the night was quickly coming to an end. harper had cody's arm wrapped around her shoulder, assuring everyone she would be driving them home. mat's hand had found a new home on the small of your back as he guided you out and back towards the front door, following your parents who insisted on hugging every family member goodbye.

you felt your body lean into mat's touch and the side of his body, your own feeling drained and exhausted.

"hey," he leaned down and mumbled in your ear. "i'm gonna go to the bathroom, i'll meet you at the car?"

you looked up at him, faces close together. you were taken back to earlier when you almost kissed and for a moment, you found yourself imagining a world where you could. where you could lean up and figure out what chapstick he used.

"yeah," you stuttered out when it was clear you'd stayed quiet too long.

"great," he smiled before kissing your cheek and disappearing down the hallway.

you were immediately crowded by your mom, aunt, and to your displeasure, angela.

your cousin stumbled up to you with a bright smile on her face as both of your mothers talked to each other. "your friend was cute," she said. "wouldn't mind running away with him." she giggled, but you saw the truth in her eyes, the calculated stumbles and fake drunken smiles.

"oh, angie's had too much to drink," your aunt said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "you know how drunk people can be."

"i've always heard drunk words are sober thoughts," you stated.

your mom scoffed and waved a hand in the air. "oh honey, that's just a saying, angela doesn't mean what she says, not while she's intoxicated. after all, i have done plenty of things while drunk that i didn't mean in the morning."

you squinted at your mother, completely baffled by her excusing of angela. which, after all these years, shouldn't surprise you.

"what'd i miss?" mat popped back next to you like he was summoned.

"oh nothing--" your mother started.

"mat!" angela screamed, throwing her hands up in the air before wrapping them around his shoulders. "if i wasn't getting married tomorrow, i'd run away with you! it's too bad my cousin here didn't introduce us before!"

mat peeled her arms off his body and pushed her away as gently as he could. "before what? before you stole her high school boyfriend?"

what.

the hell.

angela's smile dropped right as your mom's and aunt's eyes widened. "and i'm not a fan of running." he grabbed your hand and pulled you out the front door, and waved down harper who was about to pull out of the driveway.

"we rode with my parents," you said, still in a daze from what he said.

"we're riding with harper and cody back," was all he said.

harper unlocked the doors for you and mat but didn't even bother asking why the two of you decided to switch rides.

the drive back to your childhood home was pretty quiet save for the country music playing softly over the radio. it wasn't your favorite genre, but you weren't going to complain.

by the time you made it home, you were exhausted. mat trailed you up the stairs after locking the front door behind him because harper mentioned something about taking cody back to their apartment instead of staying.

when he finally walked in the room, you were already changing out of your shorts. maybe it was a testament to how tired you were, or how long you had known each other that made you not give a shit about changing in front of him. you did, however, try to stay decent, so you waited until you had your pajama shirt on to remove your bra before sliding into bed.

mat had apparently walked out of the room to change while you had your back to the door because he came walking back in wearing basketball shorts and a tee shirt, like he did the other nights.

"you okay?" he asked, getting in to bed and sliding next to you. he bumped his shoulder with yours.

"why wouldn't i be?" but you wouldn't look him in the eyes.

"c'mon," he said. "you can be honest with me. i'm your best friend."

your eyes watered at his words, the ones he spoke in front of your family, and the ones he spoke just then. "thank you," was all you could get out.

he pulled you into his arms and for a moment, you were taken back to similar circumstances.

like when you watched marley and me. or when your neighbor with the cute dog moved away.

mat had always been there.

"what're you thanking me for?"

"no one's ever stood up to her like that."

mat scoffed. "i wasn't just gonna let her disrespect our relationship like that, real or fake." he kissed the top of your head. "i almost didn't say anything, wanted to keep the peace, but then i saw the look on your face and couldn't keep quiet."

"what look?"

"the kicked puppy look." you looked up at him as his thumb stroked a line on your cheek. something must've passed over your face because his thumb stopped its motion. "what?" you sighed and shook your head. "c'mon," he said. "you can tell me."

you sighed. "i just--i don't want her to take you away."

mat tilted your chin up and ducked his head down so your foreheads touched. "you're not gonna lose me, especially not to your cousin, okay?" you nodded. "i need to hear you say it, baby."

but how could you talk when he called you by pet names? how could you breathe when you could kiss him if you just lifted your chin.

damn.

did he know the effect he had on you?

"baby," he prompted.

"okay," you said. "i trust you."

"and that's all i ask." he kissed your forehead and pulled away, all too soon if anyone asked you. "now, let's watch a movie, i need to destress after tonight."

you settled into the pillows and laid your head on mat's chest as he scrolled through netflix with one hand; the other arm was wrapped around your back.

the wedding

the next two days were spent with you and mat walking around the city, nothing noteworthy happened.

but you woke up on the day of the wedding dreading what was to come.

the ceremony itself wasn't until that night, which gave you the entire day to worry about angela and mat.

his words should've comforted you, but you were too caught up in why you cared. he was your best friend, angela didn't want him that way. and mat was too loyal to let a girl come between your friendship, he never let it happen with his previous girlfriends.

but there would be times when you wouldn't be together that night. could you honestly expect mat to hang around the women's bathroom every time you needed to use it? you were lucky he got along with your brother and your grandmother as well as he did, but your grandmother would definitely leave early and cody would definitely ditch anyone in a heartbeat if it meant he'd get laid.

"you okay?" mat asked, placing his hands on your shoulders as you stared in the bathroom mirror. "you've been in here a minute. at first i thought you were taking a shit, but you left the door open." he rested his head on top of yours and made eye contact with you in the mirror.

"just stressed about tonight," you admitted.

"you got nothing to stress over, you got me, and we're not getting married. we'll just get drunk and party. sounds like a great time to me!"

"god, if i'm like this at someone else's wedding, i can't imagine what i'd be like at my own."

mat shrugged. "i wouldn't let you be stressed. i’d make sure to give you the wedding you want."

you pulled away and turned around, brows pulled together like attracting magnets. "wouldn’t that be weird though? you making sure my wedding was what i wanted?"

"considering it would be my wedding too, no i don't think it would be weird." he shrugged and said it so casually, you almost didn't register what he said. but when it sunk in, your cheeks heated up and you broke eye contact before lightly shoving him away.

"you're such a flirt," you said, hoping it wouldn't give away the way your heart raced in your chest.

"doesn't mean it isn't true!" he called after you. mat flicked on the fan and shut the door. "now watch a movie, i don't want you to hear me shit."

"we're not even in the same room, dipshit!" you laughed before heading back to your room and turning on netflix.

mat joined you after about ten minutes in the bathroom and the two of you watched a movie until your parents shouted from downstairs to start getting ready.

you got ready in the bathroom simply because that was where you makeup was. mat took the bedroom simply because it was easier. you put on your dress, fluffing out the ends to make sure no part of it was wrinkled before you started on your makeup.

you were finished rather quickly, mainly because mat kept calling your name like a child, waiting for you to fix his tie because he didn't know how to.

when you walked out of the bathroom, though, mat met you in the hallway. his eyes were focused on the tie in his hands until he heard the door open. he glanced up and his jaw dropped.

"fuck," he mumbled.

you could feel the heat going up your chest and your neck until it settled in your face. "do i look okay?"

mat swallowed and nodded. your normally chatty best friend was rendered speechless for the first time since you met him. he cleared his throat and gestured to you. "i knew buying that dress was a good move."

you rolled your eyes and smiled as you walked over to him. you took the tie out of his hand and wrapped it around his neck, tying a windsor knot until it was snug against his throat.

"i think you're trying to choke me."

you scoffed. "if you learned how to tie a tie, this wouldn't be a problem."

"if i learned how to tie a tie, i wouldn't have an excuse to be this close to you." his hands snaked around your waist and pulled your hips close to his.

"you should know you don't need an excuse to get close to me." you tried out the flirtation a little, unsure if he was joking or not, but given how his eyes lit up just a bit, you were pretty confident he was serious.

"baby--"

"sweetheart! we need to be leaving soon!" your mother called up the stairs.

you and mat sprung apart like the other had spontaneously caught on fire. neither of you would make eye contact too embarrassed to have been interrupted by your mother. though you couldn't meet each other's eyes, you managed to see mat gesture for you to go down the stairs first.

"you both look so cute!" your mother gushed as both you and mat entered the living room. "go stand in front of the fireplace! i have to get your picture."

you rolled your eyes. "mom, this isn't prom night." but mat was already tugging you over to where your mom was pointing and wrapping and arm around your waist.

your mom snapped a few pictures before hurrying the two of you and your father out the door. the wedding didn't start for another hour, but the venue was thirty minutes away and your mom wanted to make sure your aunt wasn't going to have an aneurysm.

mat held your hand as you walked down the front porch stairs towards the car. his grip was tight and firm. when you finally joined him on the sidewalk, you expected him to drop his hand, but he held onto it even tighter, lightly swinging it between your bodies.

he didn't let go until you got into the back seat of your mom's car.

he lightly chatted with your parents while you stared at the space between the two of you. the entire week had your mind whirling, you two were just friends, but sharing a bed, the physical closeness, the flirting, the near kisses, it was all driving you insane.

sure, you thought mat was good looking, but you'd long given up the hope that he'd ever like you. he was mat and you were you. even if there wasn't a large disparity between your perception of both of your physical attributes, you still would've felt the divide.

he was everything, practically your best friend.

and that alone was too important for you to risk on some juvenile feelings.

mat nudged you with his elbow. "you okay? you've been quiet."

you blinked back into the present, noting that your mother had turned on abba and was singing to dancing queen while your father hummed the tune under his breath. both of them were too distracted to notice or hear mat's question.

you nodded, meeting his eyes briefly before looking away, too scared to get caught in their orbit once more. "yeah," you said. "just thinking."

"uh oh. that's not good," he joked. but you didn't laugh. his face turned serious and he nudged you once more before grabbing your hand in his own. "you can tell me anything, you know that right?"

"of course," you replied.

he squeezed your hand twice and didn't let go until you got out of the car.

as your father pulled into the parking lot, you got a good view of the venue. a large building with tall windows and music blasting throughout the open doors.

once you got inside, your eyes were immediately overwhelmed by the visual stimulation of large flower arrangements everywhere with the most pricey looking lighting fixtures dangling from the ceiling.

it was extravagant, and everything you would've expected angela's wedding to look like.

"oh god," mat mumbled under his breath, loud enough just for you to hear. he leaned down, placing his hand on the small of your back. "remind me not to do this much at my wedding."

you rolled your eyes. "what if it's what your bride wants?"

he paused. "do you want something like this?"

"god no."

"then i don't need to worry."

you lightly shoved his shoulder. "quit joking."

"who said i was joking?" he asked.

you stared at him until your dad cleared his throat and reminded the two of you that you still needed to find your seats at the ceremony.

"honey," your mother grabbed your arm. "do you want to come with me to see angela? i'm just gonna check on her and your aunt to make sure everything is ready and together."

you were shaking your head before she could even finish getting the words out. "nope."

"honey, it's your cousin's wedding."

"and she didn't even make me a bridesmaid. i'm sure she'll be fine waiting until the reception to see me."

"i thought you weren't angry about that! i told you not to take it personal."

it took every ounce of will not to roll your eyes. mainly because mat was standing there, and if you let it slip how frustrated you were, he might step in and make your mom hate him. "i don't care, mom. but if she wanted me to see her before the wedding, she would've made her part of her bridal party. but she didn't so i'll see her when she walks down the aisle." with that off your chest, you grabbed mat's hand and marched towards the group of chairs where the ceremony would take place.

you quickly chose a seat close enough to see the actual ceremony happen without being too close that you could see angela promise her life away to the ex she stole from you.

"that was intense," mat commented. "you sure you're okay?"

you sighed and contemplated putting your face in your hands if it wasn't for the makeup you put on earlier. "i don't know why she wants me and angela to act like we're best friends, it's gone on like this for our entire lives, but it's never worked. angela has never liked me, and i'm tired of pretending like it's my fault. i don't even know what i did to make her constantly try to undermine me."

mat looked around before grabbing your hand and tugging you towards what you guessed were the bathrooms, away from the prying eyes of nosy guests.

"it's not your fault," he said, bending down so you could look each other in the eyes. "there's nothing wrong with you, either, okay? she's blind if she can't see how amazing you are. and your mom is wrong for trying to force a friendship. you understand?"

you nodded.

"i need to hear you say it, baby."

"i understand." a beat later. "thanks, mat."

he kissed your forehead and grabbed your hand. "anytime."

the two of you found your old seats taken by an older couple, so you sat in the same row as cody and harper who had shown up while you were gone.

the wedding started shortly thereafter with your parents joining you in the same row. your mother looked relatively calm for what you knew had to be a shitshow in the back room. angela was very particular, and while there was nothing wrong with that were it anyone else, your cousin's strong opinions often stressed your mother and aunt out.

the music started playing and the bridesmaids started walking down the aisle with the groomsmen and owen. you didn't recognize most of the girls, probably because you hadn't been around angela's friends since high school and you never came to her birthday parties after you graduated (not that she invited you anyway). the one bridesmaid you did recognize was meredith from the dress shop. she looked beautiful in her lilac dress. and her smile did nothing to giveaway what chaos the dressing room was in before she walked out.

with everyone in their places at the front, the music changed tune. every guest, including you, stood to their feet and turned around. everyone watched as the double doors opened and angela came walking down the aisle in a princess gown with her father escorting her.

she smiled brightly, probably basking in the attention she was receiving. she didn't even look at owen until she got close enough to the front that there was no one else for her to smile at.

i'd do it differently, you thought. when i get married, i won't be able to take my eyes off his face.

the officiant told everyone to sit and continued on with the ceremony. you mostly blocked it out, peering at mat who looked more interested in the ceremony than you were. he caught your stare a few times and smirked before grabbing hold of your hand and kissing the back of it.

and your heart soared every time.

mat was an affectionate friend, this much you knew. anytime you picked him up from a roadie, or when he came over after you just got back into town, he'd hold you in a death grip hug for five minutes at the very least. most of the hugs involved the two of you swaying side to side with mat mumbling how much he missed you into your neck.

all that to say, you weren't a stranger to his affection.

you were, however, unused to the kisses and pet names, all of which started as soon as you introduced him to your family.

it was the crowd cheering that startled you out of your stupor. you glanced at the front to see owen dipping angela in a kiss while the photographer captured the moment.

and maybe it was the bitterness in your chest speaking for the teenager who lost her first serious boyfriend, but the kiss itself looked more performative than like true love.

mat extended a hand to you when you realized everyone was standing and heading to the tables to eat.

"you alright?" he asked once your hand was secured in his own. "you keep zoning out."

you shrugged. "just thinking."

"about?"

"how do you know if you love someone?" you asked, replaying angela and owen's kiss in your mind. you were so preoccupied, you didn't notice mat scratching the back of his head and blushing.

"well, you uh," he stuttered. "why're you asking me? haven't you been in love before?"

he wouldn't meet your eyes, his own kept focusing on avoiding bumping into people as you made your way to an open table. mat pulled your chair out and didn't sit down until you did.

"i don't know," you continued on. "i thought i was, but i never saw forever with those guys."

"thank god," he mumbled.

"what?"

he looked up all doe eyed and innocent. "hm?"

"what did you say?"

he shrugged. "i didn't say anything. you must be hearing things."

you rolled your eyes, but the smile on your lips said you weren't really bothered by his lies.

cody and harper joined you at the table; your parents took the last two seats. all six of you sipped at the water on the table and waited for your dinners to be ready.

"so," harper started. "what did everyone think of the ceremony?"

you could've groaned, not because you weren't interested in weddings, you loved them.

just not angela's.

and talking about all the beautiful aspects of it sounded like a violation of your eighth amendment rights.

"oh it was so gorgeous, she looked fantastic," your mother supplied, fawning over your cousin as usual. but it was when she looked around the room before she leaned into the table that your attention was piqued. "patty was scared the wedding would need to be called off. said something about how owen was getting cold feet, she wouldn't say why though."

were you a horrible person for internally rejoicing at angela's possible stressor?

maybe just a little.

but you'd taken the high road your entire life. so in your opinion, it was warranted and earned.

mat nudged your knee with his. "at least look concerned," he mumbled with a smirk playing on his lips.

"i do! i am!" you said just loud enough for him to hear. mat looked at you until you cracked under his gaze. "okay, so i might be just a little smug, sue me."

he rolled his eyes, but the smile playing on his lips said he was far from annoyed.

your family continued to make idle chatter until the dj started announcing the bridal party. it wasn't anything that hadn't been done before; the bridesmaids and groomsmen danced their way into the room. moments later, angela and owen came in with their hands riased and cheering along with everyone else. your entire table joined in with the other guests and clapped and hollered until it was no longer socially acceptable.

dinner came out shortly thereafter.

again, it was nothing that hadn't been done before. a simple pasta dish with a side salad wasn't anything to celebrate. the food was absolutely delicious, you wouldn't lie about that, it was just interesting that angela, who prided herself on being different, had planned a party that didn't even crack your top ten favorite weddings.

but she'd never sought your approval anyway, so why would she start now?

you were shocked out of your intense thoughtfulness by an arm wrapping around your shoulder. mat didn't even look phased as he pulled you just a little closer to him, talking with your dad about the upcoming season like they'd been friends for ages.

the weight of his arm was comforting, reminding you of times he'd slung it across your shoulders after a game and pressed a kiss to your temple or when you sat next to each other at bars.

others had looked at your relationship with a microscope. sydney and grace both had asked multiple times if there was something more with the two of you and looked skeptical whenever you gave them a funny look while saying no.

he was your best friend, always would be so long as you never fucked anything up.

"how's your pasta?" mat asked.

you blinked. "same as yours."

he rolled his eyes yet again and kissed your temple. "smart ass," he mumbled against your skin.

dinner was barely over when music started playing, marking the sign of the first dance. angela and owen danced to "can't help falling in love" while everyone looked on. they didn't talk, they seldom even smiled until, like they were suddenly struck by electricity, they remembered they were being photographed and had all eyes on them.

you bided your time, sipping the water in your glass, because you knew mat was gonna drag your ass onto the dance floor like he had before at other parties and weddings.

sure enough, as soon as the song ended and the party music started, mat's hand was in yours, tugging you towards the center of the floor.

you dragged your feet as a front, just wanting to prolong the feeling of his palm encircling your own. you didn't know the name of the song, just like you didn't understand the light feeling in your stomach when mat pulled you close and placed his hands on your waist.

"in case i forgot to tell you," he shouted into your ear over the pumping music. "you look really pretty tonight."

you could feel the heat crawl up your neck. you ducked your head so you couldn't see him, but he pulled your chin up to look him in the eyes.

"don't get shy on me now," he teased, though his eyes weren't full of mirth like they usually were. they were soft, like sunlight filtered through a bedroom window. "come dance with me."

the two of you danced, hips shaking and moving to the beat of the music. mat always had a grip on you, whether he was twirling you around or had both hands on your hips.

you couldn't remember ever having this much fun at a wedding.

who would've thought it would've been angela's wedding?

but the music slowed down, usually signaling that it was your time to sit back down until hey ya! came on. so you made a move to step off the dance floor and head back to where your brother sat nursing a glass of bourbon, but it was a callused hand that kept you in place.

"where do you think you're going, baby?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips. "you owe me a dance."

you hesitated, knowing that in the past, you'd danced the night away, but with him here, in front of your family, with your grandmother giving you a smile, you didn't know you could fake it any longer. you couldn't keep pretending that you weren't completely infatuated, overcome with love for your best friend.

your hand would've started shaking had he not had a steady grip on you.

mat pulled you close. "c'mon, i won't even step on your toes. i promise."

you relented and let him pull you back into the middle of the floor. he placed his hands on your waist and, for a moment, you thought you were dreaming. in another life, you'd be wearing white and be the prettiest person in the room. in another life, you'd have matching gold bands on your fourth fingers.

in another life, he'd be yours.

you wrapped your hands around the back on his neck, playing with the hair there absentmindedly.

"you're far away," he said. "come back to earth for a minute. what're you thinking about?"

you shrugged. "wondering if i'll ever get this," you answered honestly, even going as far as looking him in the eyes as you spoke.

"you'll get it," he said without a doubt in the world to be found. "i'll make sure of it."

"what about you? do you want something like this?"

he glanced around the room, eyes landing on the newly married couple in the center. "not if i'm not marrying you."

you blinked, heart in your throat. he looked so honest, but you'd known him long enough, seen who he's dated too many times, to know he was joking.

he had to be.

right?

so you laughed, closing your eyes and tilting your head back so that you unintentionally missed the small look of confusion married with hurt on mat's face. you did it to protect yourself, to keep yourself from getting hurt, and unintentionally hurting him in the process.

"i can never tell when you're joking, barzy," you smiled, hoping it covered the shake in your voice.

"but i--"

"may i cut in?" you glanced to your left and saw your smiling grandmother.

"oh i--" mat stuttered, flustered in a way you'd never seen before.

"sure!" you interrupted his train of thought. "i have to pee anyway."

besides, mat was probably safest with her anyway. angela wouldn't try anything while your grandmother was standing there.

you stepped away, waist feeling cold from the lack of contact and made your way towards the bathrooms.

it wasn't that hard to find the restroom, it was just a longer hallway. but it was far enough from the reception that the music was only a faint bass noise.

you walked into the bathroom and did your business. fluffing your hair and fixing your dress in the mirror when you'd finished washing your hands. you opened the door and saw shiny black shoes before you saw the man standing across from the woman's bathroom.

"owen?" you asked. "the men's bathroom is a little further down the hall."

"i know," he said, pushing off the wall to move closer to you.

red flag.

"what?" you asked, moving slightly out of the way so he couldn't push you back into the bathroom. "have you been drinking?"

"sober as a judge."

you furrowed your brows. "what?"

he took another step closer to you while you quickly turned so your back was no longer against a wall, but towards the party. if he kept advancing towards you, the weird tension would soon be out in the open and surely he would stop then.

right?

"i'm sorry for what i did back in high school."

"owen, what are you talking about?"

"for cheating on you. you're all i've ever wanted and it's my biggest regret to this day that i ever let you go."

you were gonna be sick.

"owen, you don't know what you're talking about. you love angela. you got married to angela. she is your wife."

"but i want you." he reached out to touch your hair but you backed up quick enough to just miss his hand.

"no you don't," you said. "you decided i wasn't enough nearly ten years ago."

"but you looked so good and so happy with him, with max or whatever his name is--"

"--mat--"you corrected.

"--it made me miss us. don't you miss me?"

"i don't even know who you are anymore, owen! that person you knew in high school isn't me anymore, and you don't get to decide you want me now just because i'm happy and you aren't."

"we were so good together!"

"we were sixteen, owen! we were children."

"but--"

"i gave you just about everything i could possibly give, and you decided it wasn't enough. you decided to get with my cousin while we were dating instead of breaking up with me. you decided to marry her. and now you get to live with that decision." you spun on your heel and were met with mat's stare. even in the dim lighting, you could see his jaw clenched.

"mat," you breathed like it was your last breath.

"you okay?" he asked.

"yeah," you said. "just telling owen where the bathroom was."

you both knew it was a lie, especially if the look on mat's face was any indication, he'd probably heard enough of the conversation. you allowed yourself to be guided back to the recpetion with mat's hand firmly placed on the small of your back.

you two kept dancing until it was time to send angela and owen off. while mat gathered your things, you said goodbye to your extended family members because you two were leaving tomorrow afternoon to head back to new york.

which scared you.

this last week had been amazing. pretending and playing house with mat meant unlocking feelings you'd pretended didn't exist for the entire duration of your friendship. and while you wished you'd never unlocked pandora's box, part of you was happy you could never go back.

a warm and weathered hand tugged on your forearm and snapped you out of your reverie. "don't let that boy go." when you looked down, your grandmother was staring at you with earnest eyes. "he loves you the way you deserve to be loved."

your eyes welled up with tears as you hugged her. "thanks, grandma."

"i mean it. don't come back without him, you hear me? i need great grand babies soon."

you flushed at the idea and whined. "please don't tell me you said that to him!"

but she didn't answer you, she just laughed.

"you ready?" mat asked, walking over with your brother and harper following closely behind. "cody said he'd give us a ride home."

"treat my baby right, mathew," your grandmother said. "or else i'll have to fly to new york and kill you, you hear?"

he smiled. "yes ma'am."

you hugged your grandmother tight. "i love you."

"love you more."

mat ushered you outside, following behind cody and harper to their car. none of you were interested in the send off, even if was only going to take a few seconds.

the four of you got into cody's car and drove off before your parents could admonish you for leaving early. cody and harper talked amongst themselves about bills and what their own wedding would look like whenever cody proposed (and if you knew him like you thought you did, it would be soon) while you and mat just held hands in the backseat.

it was weird, the physical touch even when no one was looking. but you weren't complaining about it, if anything, you were clinging to it, scared that once it finally ended you'd go into withdrawal.

cody parked outside of your parents house and let you and mat in before driving off. you headed upstairs, with mat on your tail, ready to get undressed and to curl up in bed with a stupid movie.

"that was fun," mat said. "did you have fun?"

you sat down on your bed and started taking off your shoes. "i always have fun when i'm with you," you said absentmindedly. a moment of silence passed. you looked up to see mat shifting from side to side. "are you okay?"

"what did owen want?" he asked honestly.

you sighed and stood up, walking towards him. "i'm not even sure. he started professing how much he missed me, but i shut it down because i don't have feelings for him."

a glimmer of hope. "you don't?"

"nope."

he nodded. "good."

you took a deep breath and stepped closer to him. "i could never go through with it anyway, i'm in love with someone else." please please please don't let this past week be a joke to him. please let him be a horrible actor.

he stared at you.

a moment of silence.

his eyes searched your own, like they were looking for something.

you could feel the tears well up in your eyes at the thought of his rejection. you'd take being heartbroken, but you couldn't take losing your best friend.

and then.

his hands were on your cheeks, his lips were on yours, and your heart had jumped into your throat. your arms wrapped around his neck and into his hair.

when you finally broke apart for air, mat was smiling. "i'm guessing you were talking about me?" he asked, though the smug tone in his voice said he didn't actually need to know the answer. not when the kiss had already confirmed his suspicions.

"you're such an ass," you jokingly shoved him away, but he caught your hand and used it to pull you back in, to kiss you once more.

"but this ass loves you." he paused. "that sounded a lot more romantic in my head than it did coming out."

but you smiled anyway. "this ass loves you too, barzy."

and two years later, standing in front of everyone in a white dress, you couldn't help but smile. lying usually got you in trouble, but you couldn't have imagined a better ending.

#mat barzal #mathew barzal #mat barzal imagine #mat barzal x reader #mathew barzal x reader #mathew barzal imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #nhl blurb

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onsomenewsht · 4 months

Text

now playing: Don't Tell My Mom

< track 3 || track 5 >

》 Alexia Putellas x Reader (past), María León x Reader (platonic), Leah Williamson x Reader (platonic)

》 words count: +1.5k

》 what you don't know won't hurt you, oh / Mama, I'll lie, just for you

As soon as your phone lights up with a Facetime call, you know.

No warning message, no text just to make sure you’re free to talk. A cold Facetime request from María, one of your best friends but definitely someone who means trouble if calling like that.

Launching yourself on your sofa unceremoniously, you accept the call and your fate as Mapi’s grin appears on your broken screen. How can she be so smug even miles away goes beyond you.

“Who died?”

Not the most warm way to start a conversation.

“Hola a ti también, nena” (Hello to you too)

“You look awful”

She looks amazing, she’s practically glowing and you’re happy for her.

Also, you’re happy for yourself too. It’s a relief this is not the scolding call you’ve been waiting for quite some time. It’s coming, you can feel it, but Ingrid enters the frame and you immediately know this is good news.

“Tienes que ser buena conmigo” (You should be nicer to me)

Mapi really isn’t the type to tiptoe around something so you don’t get why she didn’t start this conversation by screaming the news. Or making the journey and knocking on your door directly.

You let her be, she probably wants to enjoy it.

“Why should I? I moved to another country just to avoid it”

“Nena”, she pauses and her smile dims for a moment.

She knows English better than she lets everyone believe, so she gets the quip - or your attempt to joke about it. You’re not sure if it’s because of what you said or something else entirely, the two of you have yet to talk about the reason why you’re single and in another country.

Your transfer was eventful, to say at least. The faded blonde didn’t handle it very well, having taken you under her wing when you first moved from a mid-table club in your home country to Barcelona Femení - after a couple of years on a loan in different leagues too.

María’s the one who welcomed you in the locker room with rapid words and contagious enthusiasm. She kept talking with you in Spanish, even if you needed an entire year to be able to hold a simple conversation in your third language, but she’s someone you relied on since the very beginning.

María’s also the first one to realise something was growing between you and Alexia, the first - and the loudest - to cheer when you mindlessly kissed in front of the team mid night out, the first one to give you both a shovel talk.

Sometimes it’s way too easy to forget how many people you can hurt with a decision that’s just your own to make.

You feel the need to take the conversation back on track.

“When is the wedding?”

“¿Quién te lo dijo?!” (Who told you?!)

“Your stupid face”, thankfully the Spaniard gets her brightness back at your words, “And I can see that huge rock even from here!”

Ingrid is matching a beaming smile, moving her hand closer to the camera and you can’t hold back your own joy. They truly deserve the devotion and support they share with one another. If you have to be happy for someone else’s love, you’re glad it’s for them.

And that ring is impressive.

The memory of a beautiful ring hidden in a shoe box in the back of a closet makes you shiver. Is it still there or she got rid of it as first thing after dropping you off at the airport? Does Mapi know about it?

“Show off, that’s worth my value”

“Tonterías!, no eres tan buena” (Bullshit, you’re not even that good!)

“You are, she’s just too proud to admit it”, at Ingrid’s first words you immediately remember why lately she’s the one you like the most of the two.

“Haz la maleta y no quiero excusas, volverás aquí” (Pack you beg and no excuses, you’re coming back here)

Mapi’s witty remark is not missed, she saw you growing up and developing your very own unhealthy coping mechanism. Maybe you have a tendency to avoid confrontation, what about that? She goes for any adrenalin rush activity available when in denial so she’s not in the position to judge.

You shift uncomfortably under their gazes, sitting upright but hitting the back of the sofa with your head.

You may be in a different country and there may be a screen between you and the pair, but María is still like a big sister to you and the other girl is basically the only reason you’re still sane and survived throughout your friendship with the Spaniard.

However, you can’t let them know how broken you are, not when you regret nothing that led to this.

“Why not Norway?”, worth a shot.

“We’re basically going to celebrate in any corner of the world, I don’t think you can miss this”

“Then I can be anywhere else, Ingrid”

“Mapi’s family is gonna be here”, and you’re her family too it’s what she’s too considerate to say aloud but you all hear anyway.

“I don’t think is a good idea, no one want me there”

“That’s not true”

“Nena, por favor!”

The silence is deafening, when you find the gut to look at your friends it’s easy to remember the love, the support, and respect that bond your relationships.

A transfer to another country, all the attempts to hide from the consequences of your own choices, the hearts broken. None of those things are really able to cut those kinds of connections.

“I’m happy for you two”, you say with the biggest and most sincere smile in a while.

Mapi accepts your decision to keep the conversation light, focusing on this happy and long awaited news.

She’s glowing and you really are happy for her, for them. The desire to celebrate their love, to be there when they will share such pure joy with all the people they care about, sweeps away your fears of being confronted by the human form of the consequences of your own choices.

When the call ends, the usual weight you feel between your ribs doesn’t make your breathing heavier and the familiar bitter taste of guilt doesn’t pervade your mouth.

You book a ticket to Barcelona before it all comes back to you.

“Mapi and Ingrid are getting married”

“It’s a plague!”

Leah is unlacing her boots, the two of you the last ones in the changing room after an additional training session the blonde insisted you needed.

You’re playing in a slightly different position here, but you feel like those extra hours are more for her sake than your own, scared that you will find a way to avoid your new teammates if not involved in any possible activity.

You indulge her, you’re used to demanding and perfectionist captains after all.

“I have to go back to Barcelona”

“I bet, she’s gonna drag you there personally otherwise”

“María is not that―”

“I’m talking about Engen”, she smirks and she is right, Ingrid is way more effective in her convincing methods.

Still sitting on the bench in your training gear, you let her understand you’re not ready to leave yet. Not the room nor the conversation.

“What’s the problem, trotter?”

She managed to give you the worst nickname possible, making fun both of your way to run on the pitch and the fact you spent the past ten years in five different countries - it’s probably also a quip about the circumstances that bring you here but you give her the benefit of the doubt.

“No problem at all, I’m happy for them”

“They’re really cute”

“They are”, you miss them.

You miss the familiar embrace and the easy banter you share with María, you miss the warm support and the nights out with Ingrid, you miss the silence and the comforting methods Keira always found to take your homesickness away, you miss the funny and the cheerful attitude you wrap yourself around with Jana, Claudia and Ona. You miss them all.

You miss Alexia.

You miss how she always finds time to walk her dog out, doesn’t matter the weather or her busy schedule. You miss the subtle way she turns the radio’ volume up when a song she knows you like is on, and the not-so-subtle way she pretends to hate them all just to sing with you on the first chorus. You miss her body fitting perfectly all over your life, when moving in your house like it’s built around her, or when she’s ideally positioned on the pitch to receive your pass, or even when her hands find yours despite everything and everywhere you are.

You miss Alexia but you don’t deserve to grieve something you killed yourself.

“Do you need a pep talk from Kim?”

“Don’t you dare!”

Last time Leah called on your team captain to put up with your somber mood, you ended on the bench for two games yet sent her a nice bouquet as an apology - and as a thanks for the help.

“Look, you can’t hide from her forever”

“I can definitely try”

The smile she directs to you is both amused and bushed.

“I just don’t think our closest friend’s wedding is the best occasion to meet her for the first time after… well, after everything”, you admit while repeatedly hitting the changing room’s wall with the back of your head.

“Maybe not, maybe we will have to face them in the next Champion League’s draw”

She jinxed it.

#alexia putellas #alexia putellas x reader #woso x reader #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso #ap11 #leah williamson x reader #mapi leon x reader #mapi leon x ingrid engen #here we go again #my wo(rd)so #dont know how to fell about this #let me know if you hate or love me #as always #please forgive my english and my spanish #Spotify

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samodivaa · 1 year

Text

Deny the truth,set my world on fire (Part 1)

Bucky Barnes x Reader (Winter Soldier x Reader)

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ Part 2⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ Part 3 ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆* Part 4⋆*･ﾟ:⋆* He knew that she was having an affair...she denies, but the love marks on her body are still there. She can't tell him the truth, it will break him - the Winter Soldier is indeed inside of him, fucking her at night and Bucky doesn't remember. ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ Warnings - heavy angst, betrayal, smut, non consensual, dom!Soldat. rough!Soldat Words - 2000

Bucky was already waiting on the couch, tormented by the decision he has made – to confront her. Y/n enters their shared apartment, carelessly smiling at him. She seemed so generous about her love – a constant presence and support since the fight on the airport years ago. Grace and patience and consideration is what she made him master once again, these little qualities are in his control, thanks to her kind soul. Y/n helped him forgive himself and he chose to return love and compassion, chose to fight his past. Wakanda was their secret - beautiful and peaceful. Her heart was born open and although his hands were empty at the time, he filled them with the soft fire made from the two ember eyes. The dreamy mind is full, overflows with tender memories… When she enters a room, it blazes with red, pink, roses, but behind her blossomed spirit stood a façade he was not aware of. The floral presence is poisoned, spreading into him. And just like the deadly nightshade, she is indeed is a poisonous flower.

"How long has this been going on?" he asks coldly, taking a sip of his bottle before putting it back on the table. A stressed dove, mournfully looking at her as he gets up. "How long?" he asks again. „Bucky, what is the matter with you?“ There won’t be a chance of escape, he steps closer, towering over her as some sort of a warning. He just came back to life, laying under the warmth of it and is already being burned by the person who he trusted the most. Abstained for far too long, he needs to hear her says it – he needs the truth to devour his life. "Can I ask what happened to your neck?" pointing to her neck, his tone is still neutral, but his eyes are exhausted by the phantom following his mind the past days. Love makes knots, now it is brutally tearing them apart. He ran from the darkness of his nightmares for so long, only to find himself in a situation darker still. „I don’t know“ she is wearing a turtleneck shirt, she hates those – inside she is crumbling as much as her lies. “You don’t know?” his tone strays to the realms of anger – it consumes him, fear ensnares her until her back hits the wall behind, Bucky not withdrawing from her face even for a moment “Who was it?“

"No one, Bucky" she manages to retain her posture, not giving him the satisfaction of telling the truth. The blade of her words hit a nerve. "You’re terrible at lying" He crosses his hands, nails digging into his arms. Silence looms for a while before he nods, his dearest love painting his misery and his eyes ache with the weight of the unspoken truth. “So no explanation, got it" „I don’t know how I got them…“ Bucky’s eyes narrow slightly, trying to shackle his intention of breaking something. "So you have no idea what happened to your neck? Are you making fun of me or do you have brain damage“ his tone finally rises as he takes the collar of her shirt between his metal fingers, pulling it down rashly to reveal the bite marks. The image wraps around his throat as a wreath of spikes. “Who did that to your neck, because I am sure that it was not me“ „Jesus Bucky, why are you so angry, I didn’t do anything. We literally spend most-“ He laughs devilishly, still holding her by the colar. “Just so many bad things happening in my life. Nothing important, nothing new, just one thing after another, you know?” There is no such thing as life for him , it's just catastrophe. Unmoored and alone, his eyes become full of tears. The only still part is his body. He gives her one more chance to say something, to explain herself in any way, but the silence is pain chiselled forever into his chest, it hurts more than words. "Don’t be angry, please…let me go…“ "Don’t be angry…don’t be angry" he whispers as a lullaby, staring into her teary eyes. His eyebrows furrowed at her audacity to even cry. "We shared a life and you to cheated on me" His favorite beauty and terror on myriad levels keep her silence. He decides to let go of her collar, his fingers clenching to fists as their drop weightlessly to the sides of his body. "You expect me to believe this…? Really, y/n?” he says , his expression is still angry, but it appears softer "If you didn’t want to tell me because you‘re afraid, it‘s fine. Just be honest and tell me that, why are you still lying? That hurts me more than you think." „I am not…“ He stands there unmoving, staring at her and it seems like he‘s still processing this realty of her not having any concern towards him. Her mind is resting whilst his is grieving, wondering and reasoning. He can’t gain control of his dreadful spirit, he is the shell he was back at Wakanda. A tear runs down from the wet, dreamful eyes, landing on his cheek as he looks down, trying to hide it from her. Bucky takes a step away from her and rubs his eyes. His hands are shaking and it‘s obvious that he doesn’t want to cry in front of her. Their love is his apparition, a figment of his imagination. He observe her for a moment, he is dying in that house, buried underneath the floor of their shared past and she just watches it unfold. Bucky finally shakes his head in disbelief. "So you‘re telling me you have no idea where that bruise came from?" a weak laugh escapes his lips, choking back a sob. „You’re lying, I know it“ he says in a calm voice, but there was a quiet threat hidden beneath it. „I don’t want to leave, Bucky“ "And I don‘t want to get cheated on" he counters with an angry scream as his pain is infinite at this point. All kind of thoughts stirring inside of him. „I won’t say it wasn’t meant to be, because it was. We were. Only for a short while, maybe. But we were.“ It makes him tremble to remember their daily life, but now he is unsure which pain is worse: the shock of what happened or the ache for what never will. „I can’t tell you...I can’t...I will leave“ she whispers, having found a comfort in hiding. "Fine, leave then!” Bucky snarls, before he spins around as his heavy footsteps resonate through the quiet room, but he stops himself to look at her for the last time – the end of the line.

Bucky watches her leave, already nostalgic for his love. He doesn’t say a word, not even bothering to close the door as he stands in the doorstep, watching her go. Y/n notices him staring from the darkness of the doorway as she makes her way into the world. Bucky’s inner self is shutting down more and more, as though to protect himself, but it became inaccessible even to himself. Over the next couple of days, Bucky shuts himself completely in his lonely home. He only leaves the apartment to buy alcohol and some food. His days are spent either drinking or sleeping, and when he‘s awake and sober, he just sits on the couch blankly, staring at the wall. He is composed of nothing, but illness – a phantom built out of pain. The days turn to weeks. With his heart broken, he despises life. Rising from a grave with each morning, wallowing in his sadness and alcohol. („What went wrong...Did I do something wrong?”) he wonders for weeks repeatedly, tears again rolling down his cheeks. „What did I do to deserve this“ he screams, slamming his metal fist into the wall, there is nothing but a stain in his heart, it grew – infecting the whole heart. He slowly slides down, sitting on the ground as he buries his head into his arms and starts to cry.

- Two days before she left - „Bucky, baby…I don’t wanna do anything tonight, let’s just sleep“ he was getting harder and harder, pressing into her back to let her know. He whispers in her ear, but the voice is huskier than usual and filled with seduction „Цветок...“ (Flower) Bucky’s control is slipping once again and y/n gups at the realization. The metal grip tightens on her hip, drawing her even closer to his clothed cock. Fingers pass through the fabric of the nightdress, pulling it upwards to reveal her butt cheeks. His warm hand, spilled under her body proceeding to lightly trace his fingers over her nipple. She knows to her remove the panties by herself, not wanting to anger the Soldier from the very beginning as it happened last time. He groans, closing his eyes to savor the scent of her hair. Vibranium fingers digs his into her soft skin, leaving prints of evidence. „No, don’t…please…he will see“ she desperately tries to voice her concern, knowing there is no way of fighting him in this state. „Пусть он увидит…“ (let him see) His breath fanned the skin of her neck, sending chills to the bone.

He dragged his length through her wetness, pushing in fully leaving y/n with no time to adjust. Tears roll down her beautiful face, why this keeps on happening? The warm touches of his human arm move to from her nipple to her stomach „Я хочу ребенка...да.“ (I want a baby…yes) She takes a deep breath, sometimes regret settles in for not telling Bucky that the Winter Soldier was very present and real. He never seems to remember, they operate as different people. She whimpers at the cold touch to her clit, he was flicking it, making her body shake. His hand returns to her hip, grabbing it harshly as he starts thrusting deeply. His pace becomes erratic, being closer to his orgasm. Soldat forcefully holds her in place so he can fill her with hot cum. Her reality hurts so much. She wants to get away, but when she had tried before – resulted in him being close to sadistic. His fingers trail to her hair, removing it from her neck and he sinks his teeth. Goosebumps trickle up there, from fear, from pain as he slowly turns her head towards him – there is no sight of Bucky.

#winter soldier fanfiction #winter soldier x y/n #winter solider imagine #winter soldier x reader #winter soldier x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x reader #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes x you #winter soldier imagine #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes x f #bucky barnes x female reader #dark fanfiction #angst

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eddiesghxst · 11 months

Note

perv loser eddie is something that can actually be so personal. it’s in the way he’s such a loser borderline obsessed little stalker.

i’m not quite sure how to put this into words but he is whipped, the true definition. yes he loves you, blah blah blah. let’s go deeper into that love. it’s psycho, when he sees you for the first time his heart bursts, he follows you around in the halls when you’re in school even tho you don’t know him and he doesn’t even know you. you think it’s a weird coincidence that he’s always there. And when you confront him, his knees literally almost drop to the ground in your presence. when you go see him during a hellfire club session, he stops all d&d when he sees you wait outside the closed door. he ignores all protests from the guys that this is a huge campaign, one HE’S been planning. it doesn’t even matter, he would end all d&d sessions 15 minutes early if you asked him to, he’d cancel a session if you slipped him a note before saying you’d be home with no panties on, he’d forget to tell dustin that he had to blow him off because you needed him to take you out to a new chick flick movie.

like i said previously about the inspiration from an ex thing, i love the way cigarette smoke smells. my ex was a smoker and he knew this and it was “our thing”

i think eddie would be majorly turned on if he found this out. i’m not talking about something odd like this ex of mine would blow smoke in my face or whatever but i’m just saying it was a comforting smell. i’m currently out of the country in europe where everyone smokes and i can smell it drifting up to my apartment window. i can just imagine calling eddie who’s back in indiana and telling him how horny you are, how the smell reminds you of him. he’s such a fucking loser tho. he’s been desperate since you’ve been away, having withdrawals, he’s an addict. he fucks himself to sleep with his hand every night and fucks himself awake every morning trying to get some release, his flesh light and hand won’t ever compare. he smokes and plays guitar and thinks of you, each exhale of smoke and he gets anxious thinking about you.

but when you’re back, he doesn’t let you out of the trailer for a good 24 hrs. his only plan is to smoke with you and fuck your brains out. i mean fucking like a madman. he’s fucking his anger and stress out on you, stress about you being away from his side, anger that you’ve been touching yourself away from him. i’m not talking 2 orgasms and you’re done. we’re talking about several upon several chain orgasms he’s bringing you. he wants you sobbing, he never wants you to leave his side.

he’s a loser.

- 🫶 anon (i went overboard)

no bc ur so right stink. everything abt this is so fucking correct, i’m sick to my stomach i want him

————

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, eddie has no spine when it comes to his girl. meaning, he will drop everything he’s doing to please you or do whatever you ask for, no matter the request (if he’s in a mood, he might bitch about it a little, but he will bitch and get the job done okay).

so when you ask eddie if he can pick you up from the airport on the day he’s planned to have dnd, obviously eddie pushes his campaign back because hello, his girl needs a ride.

he’s waiting for you at your terminal with a single rose and a cute little teddy bear and you giggle when you see him because he looks so out of place wearing his usual black leather clothing and heavy chains whilst holding the soft items.

you tell him all about your trip on your way to his trailer, telling him about your time sightseeing and trying new foods and meeting new people.

you’re still rambling about your trip when you walk into his trailer, but it doesn’t last long before eddie’s got you bent over the edge of his bed, clinging to the soft teddy bear and moaning his name. “fuck, i missed this pussy. did she miss me? she miss how good i fuck her, hm?” he pants against your ear. you quiver beneath him, crying out for him as you push back against his hips.

“feels so good, eddie. gonna cum, please can i cum?”

and eddie’s shaking his head and clicking his tongue, “no i don’t think so, sweetheart. i gave you one rule—- told you no touching and you broke that rule.“ he says, low with a patronizing tone and you sob into his sheets as a chorus of sorry’s leave your mouth.

“so you don’t get to cum until i say you can, okay? and i plan on really taking my time with this precious cunt of yours since she seemed to miss me so much.” his hand cracks down on your ass cheek and you cry out as he lets out a satisfied hum.

and eddie kept true to his word, he didn’t let up until he was thoroughly satisfied and you were nothing but a cock drunk mess. you both wouldn’t have it any other way <3

————

more loser perv!eddie ♡

#🫶 anon #this is bible #everybody turn to whorephesians 12:19 #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #drabble #eddie x reader #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things fanfic #eddie munson smut #eddie x you #perv!loser!eddie #perv!eddie x reader #perv!eddie #eddie munson blurb #loser!eddie

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munsonluhvr · 4 months

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RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT ME [PART 1]

synopsis: modern!cowboy!steve harrington x country!fem!reader | the small town you grew up in became unbearable by the time you graduated from high school. you fled to the big city, far away from farms, southern accents, and cows, leaving your family and friends behind. but, you return back to your hometown for a family wedding, and forced to confront someone from your past - steve harrington. word count -3.7k warnings: angst, complex friendships/family relationships. not spellchecked, but will be tomorrow.

𑁍 part 2 & part 3 coming soon...

Stepping off the airplane, the sun shines brightly in your eyes, acres, and acres of farm land outstretching in front of you. The heat is thick, nearly unbearable after sitting in a nicely air-conditioned plane for several hours. Your suitcase and backpack weigh heavily on your arms; you adjust to make them easier to carry.

“Y/n,” you hear off in the distance, and you make shade with your hand, squinting to look at the exit of the airport to see who’s calling your name. You see your grandmother, grandfather, and parents jumping up and down, waving their arms.

It’s been quite some time since you’ve been to your hometown, everything looking so familiar and foreign at once. Already, barely off the airplane, you notice how everything is so different from the city, from the environment, the sweet smell of grass and farm animals, the low hum of crickets and cicadas buzzing around. Even the people are different, the southern accents and cowboy boots, jeans splattered with mud and hard work. You know you’re home.

You hustle across the pavement, suitcases in tow. Your family rushes towards you with excitement, their arms and bodies embracing you with excitement. “It’s been far too long since I’ve seen my granddaughter,” your grandmother says, cupping your face in her soft, wrinkled hands. “I think I’m going to kidnap you, so you never disappear for years and years again.”

You laugh softly, comforted by the presence of your family, the people who know you best. You had fled this small hometown of yours, seeing something bigger and better. Though you had the greatest childhood memories, catching frogs in the creek, swinging for hours on the tire swing, cookouts at your grandparents farm, you felt as though there was something more, something else beyond small-town living. Though you aren’t sure you ever found it.

“C’mon, now. We got some surprises waitin’ for you back at the house.” Your grandfather says, ushering you towards the parking lot. All different sizes and colors of trucks filled the parking lot, shaggy dogs sitting patiently in the beds of the car. You groan. “Surprises?”

You barely had time to think as you and your family drove home, your grandparents and parents chattering and asking you endless questions about your life in the city. You answered each question, your eyes trained out the window as farms pass you by, multi-colored cows and horses looking back at you. The warm summer air blows through your hair, the thick heat causing sweat to accumulate at your hair line.

Rolling the wheels over the gravel and dirt driveway, your grandfather’s red truck bouncing side to side, you pull up to your grandparent’s large farmhouse, chickens scattered all across the lawn. There’s balloons, tied to the front step banisters, other cars parked alongside the driveway. “How many people are here?” you ask, looking between your family members in the car.

“Oh,” your grandmother says, looking over at you from the passenger seat, a mischievous smile on her mouth. “Just the whole town.”

You laugh softly, feeling already drained.

Your grandfather halts the car, your mom reaching over to rub your arm. “Don’t be overwhelmed.” You nod, biting at your bottom lip. You step out of the car, dusty dirty clouding your shoes.

“Go on in, I’ll get your bags.” Your father says, gesturing towards the car. You nod again, walking towards the house with your grandparents and mother. The front porch groans under your body weight, the frailness of the aged wood demonstrating how it should be replaced soon. You turn the doorknob, the chatter of voices coming to a halt as you let the door swing open, tens of eyes looking back at you.

In unison, countless people yell, ‘welcome home,’ bright smiles on their faces. As you look around, you recognize that it’s all of your grandparents friends, all of them looking older then the last time you saw them; some of your family members, your cousin who’s getting married in several days. You also recognize your friends from high school, most who decided to stay nearby after graduation, welcoming you back with excited faces. They all rush towards you, hands grazing your cheeks, soft pats on your back.

You greet people as they come up to you, your mind aching with overstimulation. The elderly guests tell you how much you’ve grown up, how beautiful you are; your friends catch you up on the latest gossip, what other classmates are up to; your family telling you how much they’ve missed you, how excited they are for your cousin to be getting married, the event bringing everyone together again.

“I’m so excited that you’re a bridesmaid,” your cousin, Heather, says. “I hope the wedding goes well – we’ve put so much effort into it.”

You hum, your mouth becoming dry. You feel the need to disappear. “It’ll go great, I’m excited to be a part of your special day.”

At last, you’re able to escape to the kitchen, searching your grandparents cupboards for a cup. You find one, turning the faucet on to let the ice, cold water rush out. You stick the cup under the faucet, taking sips as the cup fills.

“Never thought I’d see you again,” a deep voice says from behind you, causing you to turn around. Your heart drops to the bottom of your stomach, your skin flushing with heat. Steve Harrington leans against the kitchen island, arms crossed in front of his chest. His blue jeans are splattered with dark paint, his boots stained by grass, a cowboy hat settled low on his hair, covering his infamous, brown hair.

You swallow, turning around to lean against the kitchen sink. “Steve?” Your heart thumps against your chest, churning begins in your stomach. It’s been so long since you’ve seen him.

Steve hums, nodding. “Barely recognize me?”

You shake your head. “Of course, I remember you. I could never forget you.” And despite that being true, you tried for many years to forget Steve.

He still looks as beautiful as he did in high school; time has been kind to him. Steve, of course, looks more like a man, his form filling in nicely. His bare arms are tanned, sun kissed, his arms strong and muscley. Even from where Steve stands, you can sense he must work on a nearby farm, his musk tangled with the smell of the outdoors and horses. “I’m surprised,” he says, an edge to his voice. “You ran away so fast after graduation; barely said goodbye.”

You lean against the kitchen sink farther, the edge of the counter cutting into your back. “You always knew that was the plan, Steve.”

You and Steve had been close in middle school, two peas in a pod. He was a true country boy, finding refuge in the time you both spent at your grandparent’s farm. Steve was always there to ride the horses, riding as far as your grandparent’s property allowed. He was the person you’d build forts with using fallen down trees, who taught you how to fish in the creek, capture lightening bugs in jars. You and Steve spent so many hours outside, seldom coming in before the stars were able to be seen against the dark, black sky, smelling like grass and summer air, fingernails caked with dirt.

In high school, you and Steve remained friends, but the adventures outside came to a close. You both got your own friend groups, though by living in such a small town everyone was friends with each other. You’d go to small parties; Steve would be there too. You’d watch the football games in the stands, Steve would be beside you, a blanket in his hands to throw over your laps. You always knew Steve cared for you, always be there to swoop you up in his beloved pick-up truck.

Steve shrugs, crossing his boots as he leans against the kitchen island. “A lot of time has passed, I guess. How’s the big city?”

You open your mouth to respond, suddenly feeling vulnerable in front of Steve, as if you’ve met the person you feel like you can confess to that the world isn’t particularly great when you get out of your hometown’s limits, but your grandmother comes barreling in to the kitchen; her hands clasp when she sees that you and Steve stand only a foot away from each other, talking for the first time in years. “Look at you two together; it’s almost as if no time has passed.”

You smile, looking down at the floor, as your grandmother makes her way over to you and Steve. She outstretches her arms, placing them on yours and Steve’s bicep. “I just wanted to tell you Steve that the horses need to be brought in from the pasture, there’s going to be a storm tonight and they should be in the barn.”

You frown, looking between your grandmother and Steve. “Nana, why would Steve bring in the horses; I can do it.”

Your grandmother laughs, placing a hand on her mouth. “I guess I forgot to tell you, but Steve works for your grandfather and I now, works for the farm.”

You nod slowly, your eyes landing on Steve. You suppose you aren’t surprised; Steve always loved the farm as if he was a part of the land himself. Steve nods too, looking towards your grandmother. “I’ll get right on that. I’ll see you around y/n.” Steve steps away from you with a curt nod, exiting the house from the kitchen door that leads out to the backyard.

“Such a nice young man.” Your grandmother hums, watching the curtains flow with warm summer air. Outside, the sky has darkened inch by inch, dusk beginning to creep over the town. “He’s a hard worker too. Always asks me what you’re up to in the city and what not.”

You raise your eyebrows, glancing at your grandmother. “Oh?”

Your grandmother smiles when she finds you looking at her, a curious look on your face. “Oh yeah. I think he’s always been in love with you, ever since you were little, out running through the fields like wild things.”

Your cross your arms over your chest, clearing your throat. “That’s not true, grandma, we’ve always been good friends.”

Your grandmother hums, then shrugs, turning back towards the living room where house guests still mingled. “You’d be surprised,” your grandmother says over her shoulder, walking out of the kitchen. “How distance makes the heart grow fonder.”

The next morning you wake up in your childhood bedroom, with a raging headache. Mingling with friends and family proved to be an exhausting task, overstimulating too. As you wake up, you look around your room, trinkets bringing back memories in an instant.

You see your vanity, old pieces of makeup and perfume scattered around the countertop, pictures of your friends wedged in between the mirror and its frame. On your shelves, old, tattered books about horses are wedged in between glass figurines of horses, their sparkly eyes staring back at you. Horse ribbons, royal blue, and bright red, hang from all corners of your room. You feel comforted by your things, the memories like pieces of candy, sweet and savory.

The window is open halfway, the curtain billowy as it blows in the wind, warm summer air making its way into your room. Faintly, you smell food cooking, bacon and pancakes wafting through the air. Your stomach growls loudly and you decide it’s best if you get up for the day.

In your pjs, you creep down the staircase, noticing that everyone else’s bedroom doors are open and vacant. Once you get to the kitchen, you see your parents and grandparents, and the family dog, sitting around the kitchen table.

“Nice of you to join us,” your mother says, stabbing at a piece of scrambled eggs. “Grab yourself some breakfast.”

The kitchen is bright with light, slightly messy with bowls of batter, cracked egg shells covering the countertops. “What are your plans for today, y/n?” your grandfather asks, watching you put together your breakfast.

You shrug. “Heather needs me to do one last fitting for the dress later today but that’s it. I’ll probably just hang around here today.”

“Might as well go to the barn,” you grandmother says. “I bet the horses miss you.”

Your father hums, sipping from his cup of orange juice. “That would be nice to see you at the barn again, spending time with the horses. To see you be a country girl again instead of a city girl.”

Everyone at the table laughs, even you, but your grandmother groans. “I don’t know how you bear living in the city, living in the country is so much better.” You bite into a piece of bacon, the sweetness of it mouthwatering; bacon isn’t this fresh in the city.

You smile as you notice how you agree with your grandmother; your younger self would be so disappointed. “Very true, grandma.”

After breakfast, you venture up to your room again. You feel like your old self again, almost a glimpse of the past, as you pull your boots on, a pair of throwaway jeans fastened by your old turquoise belt you saved up for in high school. It’s been a long time since you’ve been near horses, or been in a barn, and you’re ready to get your hands dirty.

You make your way out of the farmhouse, taking the dirty path to get to the freestanding yard out in the field. Though it still looks the same, the red paint has chipped off, exposing the brown wood of the structure. The field is fenced off with white rails, the horses walking happily through the tall grass, bending their long necks down to graze. As you approach the barn, the sweet yet tangy smell of horses accumulates you, tickling your nose.

Inside of the barn is cool, a nice refuge from the sun that beats down outside. Chickens run aimlessly down the center aisle, clucking with alarm, little bits of hay and grain crunch underneath your feet. You notice some of the horses have chosen to navigate their way inside to their shady stalls. You walk down the aisle, noticing how your grandparents have bought new horses. You get to the end of the barn, looking out to the tree line that meets the vast and open farm property. You look to your right and see a plaque hanging on the door: ‘Dolly’

You can hardly believe it as a light brown horse blinks back at you. Dolly is your childhood horse, you’re sure she’s elderly now. You open the stall door, reaching your hand out as the horse greets you happily. You decide to pull her out to give her a groom.

After tying her to the wall, and getting your supplies, you begin to brush Dolly, each sweep calming you immensely. You work in silence, only the sounds from the farm animals fill the silence. That is until a figure appears at the end of the door – Steve.

You look back at Dolly, training your eyes on her. Though it’s not line that makes you invisible; Steve clears his throat as he sees you standing in the aisle.

“Hey,” Steve says, a bag nearly the same size of him in his arms. He plunks it down on several bales of hay and you read that it’s horse feed.

“Hey,” you say, looking back at Dolly.

“It’s like I’ve seen a ghost,” Steve says, glancing at you, then picking up a bale of hay, carrying it towards the end of the barn. “Seeing you in here.”

You frown, your arm slowing to moving in small circles. “What do you mean?”

Steve shrugs, his face obscured from the darkness of the barn, his outline only clear to you. “We used to be in here together all the time, remember? Then when you left it’s been just me. It’s like a flashback to high school when I see you, here and now, with Dolly.”

You suck your cheeks in, chewing on the insides of your cheek. “Oh.”

You watch as Steve pulls bolt cutters from his back pocket, clipping the string that holds the hay together apart. “It’s a good thing. I like it.”

You clench your jaws, nodding slowly. “So, you work at the farm now?”

Steve nods, pulling flakes of hay off. “Started right after graduation, never stopped.”

“You always did love the farm; I think even more then me.”

Just then, Steve laughs, standing up to look towards you. “Remember all the fun times we had? When we’d stay out so late until your grandparents would come looking for us with flashlights? Man, those were the times; I think about those memories a lot.”

You smile, beginning to brush Dolly quicker. “I also remember when you’d scare me with frogs, holding them up to my face and letting them jump on me. That never stopped in high school either, you knew I hate frogs.”

Steve hums, a playful smile on his face. “I guess I kind of had a crush on you back then. But don’t worry, I’m over that now.”

Silence rolls over you and Steve, his confession startling you. Steve liked you at one point? Suddenly you remembered what your grandmother had said in the kitchen last night. How had you never realized that?

Steve clears his throat. “Are you going riding?”

You shrug, glancing at Dolly. “I was thinking about it. Want to join?”

Steve looks at the hay he was disassembling. He shrugs. “I guess I could spare a few minutes.”

You smile, then nod. “Great.”

You and Steve tack up the horses in silence, dancing around each other as you grab the saddles. Once you’re set to go, you use a bale of hay to mount Dolly, lining up behind Steve as you both guide the horses out to the pasture.

Your skin automatically gets hot under the sun, the temperature a big difference from the shade in the barn. The crickets chirp loudly, the breeze blowing the tall grass lightly. You and Steve guide the horses along the perimeter of the fence, going at a slow lope. As you ride along the farm, you remember all the places you and Steve would play, skin slight with sweat as you imagined yourself as a princess and a knight, as cowboys running along the train tracks.

You remember the twinkle in Steve eyes, how his chubby cheeks would turn pink from sun exposure and exhaustion, his knees covered in scrapes and dirt. You smile to yourself, as you imagine the young version of Steve coaxing you to jump from the swing that was tied to a tree branch into the stream, or how he carried you back home when you twisted your ankle, tears threatening to spill out.

“What’re you smiling for?” Steve asks, glancing over at you, his face shaded by his hat. He holds his reins in one hand, letting his other hand rest on his thigh. He guides his horse close to you, your legs nearly brushing.

You smile, shaking your head. “Just thinking about the mischief, we got up to when we were kids.”

Steve smiles, looking ahead of him. “Those were the good days. High school wasn’t bad either. Just too bad you had to leave us.”

You glance at Steve. “Not like anything would have changed if I stayed.”

Steve shrugs, glancing back at you. “Us not talking for years would have changed.”

You glance away, looking straight ahead. “I know, I’m sorry for not keeping in touch.” Steve shrugs, shaking his head. “You did what you had to do; I know this town always felt too small for you. Did you ever find what you were looking for?”

You shake your head. “No,” you say simply.

Steve nods, letting silence come in between you two again. You ride next to each other, letting the memories roll through your minds.

You ride for the next little while, until you hear a loud bell ring from the farmhouse. Even from far away, you can see your grandmother’s body standing on the porch, her arms waving. It must be time to get your dress fitted.

“I should probably get back,” you say, beginning to turn Dolly around. “Heather needs me to get my bridesmaid dress fitted one last time.”

Steve nods, following you as you head back towards the barn. “I’ll race you.” Steve says, kicking his horse forward before you can object. You gently kick Dolly forward knowing Dolly is no match for Steve’s much youthful horse.

Once you and Steve get to the barn and down from your horses, you walk the horses into the barn, retying them to the wall. You work quickly, knowing Heather gets impatient with time.

“You know,” Steve says, pulling his saddle off, “Jason Carver is having a little get together tomorrow. You should swing by – or I could pick you up.”

You nod, tossing Steve a smile. “Yeah, sure, that sounds fun. We could catch up too.”

Steve nods, returning a tight-lipped smile. “Okay, great.”

You pat Dolly as you return her to her stall, watching as she goes straight for her hay, You walks towards the door, turning to glance at Steve. “Thanks for the ride. See you tomorrow.”

Steve waves, watching as you turn around, your legs tanned from the time you just spent out in the sun. His heart squeezes as he remembers you, thinking of the way his younger self would spend all day together, out in the field together, then how he’d go home and lay in his bed exhausted, but his mind would race as he’d replay the day over in his mind.

Then he remembers how in high school, he would watch you with your friends, how you switched your tom-boy clothes for skirts, and the feeling he had when realized he loved you and that seeing you in skirts made his day. Steve, as he watches your walk back to the farmhouse, how he loved to be near you, the late-night drives home from small get togethers or sitting with you at the football games. How your face lit up against the stadium lights, how you’d cheer, a toothy smile on your face.

Steve has had so many questions, relying on your grandmother to feed him pieces of information about your life in the city, wondering if you have a boyfriend in the city, if you miss being in the country or miss him. Now here you are, like a gift from heaven. Now you’re back home – right where you left him.

#stranger things fanfiction #stranger things x you #stranger things x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington stranger things #steve harrington x fem #steve harrington x y/n #cowboy!steve harrington

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eimids · 8 months

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Big bad flight

Lionesses x reader

Ok but imagine this lucy during this fic.

kinda part 2 for emotional support water bottle but also not. Just a blurb about reader being scared of flying.

Warnings: flying, angst but 90% fluff, probly full of mistakes

You were supposed to be flying to spain to have a match against them. Spending your childhood in England, you rarely travelled. At least not by plane. Although you were 19, you only have been only once in a plane. But now being part of the lionesses, meant flying.

You didn’t admit your nervousness to anyone. You just wanted to brush it off and get over yourself. The day of flying came too fast for your liking. You had training, some recovery, dinner and then you were supposed to go to the airport and take off.

Training went quite smoothly and recovery was nice. You got a massage from one of the physician’s at it helped you to take your mind off of the stress of flying. During dinner though, you barely ate which didn’t go unnoticed by your teammates. Lucy was eyeing your plate and you most of the dinner. She didn’t say anything, just decided to keep an eye on you.

Esme was really helping your nerves when she sat down with you in the bus. She talked about making a bracelet for you and was asking what colors you wanted. You went with basic blue and pink. She then tried to teach you how to make them but it didn’t really work out for you so you just laughed and gave up after your third attempt.

When you arrived to the airport your nerves kicked in again. Lucy noticed how you went silent and weren’t you usual talkative self. For you, now was the time you realized that you were actually going to have to be in a medal cage in the air. It sounded horrible.

“You okay kiddo?” Lucy asked when she walked to you. She took your bag in her arms to carry it for you.

“Yeah I umm” You started but didn’t find the words.

“It’s okay to be nervous” Lucy said which confused you. How did she know? “I noticed you’ve been a bit weird all day so I just figured it was about flying?” Lucy told you.

“Yeah I’m not really used to traveling by plane and I just don’t like the idea of being kilometers in apart from the ground” You answered truthfully. It felt nice to talk to Lucy about it.

She continued to talk to you as you made your way through security, baggage claim and all that. Then it was time to board the plane. You stayed close to Lucy the whole time. She was your safety net during this flight.

“Ooh is someone scared of flying?” Kiera teased you as she noticed you were paler than usual and not talking at all.

“Shut it Kie” Lucy confronted her girlfriend. She knew that it was enough for you to be scared, you didn’t need the teasing.

You sat in a window seat with Lucia next to you. Kiera sat in the isle seat. During this all you had your water bottle secured on your backpack. It was the other thing that calmed you down. Sipping from it once in a while, it calmed the nerves to have a familiar activity.

You were fiddling with your fingers and scratching your cuticles. Lucy just took your hand in hers and squeezed it. You started to plai with her fingers instead of your own. Playing with her rings and listening to miss Swift was enough to get you through the take off.

Your nervous tick being drinking from your water bottle came with the fact that eventually during the flight you had to leave the comfortable safety of your seat and walk to the bathroom.

You didn’t want to bother sleeping Lucy and just walked to the bathroom of the plain. Just then the turbulence kicked in. Just in time when you locked the door and started to pee.

Your heartbeat quickened and tears were brought to your eyes. You quickly just washed your hands and went back to your seat that was your safety. Lucy was there. Having been woken up by the turbulence.

“Come here sweet” She said and opened her arms for you. You sat in your seat and leaned yourself on her arms. They secured themselves around you. The pressure felt nice.

“It’s okay y/n, we’re about to land” It was Kiera this time that talked to you.

You nodded and stared to play with Lucy’s rings again. It was distraction from the shaking of the plane.

Quick enough you were landing. It was a big relief for you and the lump in your throat was washed away. Lucy gave you a smile of assurance that this would stay between the three of you.

When you got off the plane you were quickly the same bubbly girl the whole team knew and loved. You were quick to catch up with Less and Ella. They were laughing with you the whole bus ride to your hotel.

—

Sweet little blurb <3

#woso x reader #lionesses #lucy bronze #wlw post #kiera walsh #fluff #woso community #woso fanfics #blurb #lucy bronze x kiera walsh #x reader

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ax-y10 · 10 months

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"I'm Just Tired"

In which- Your boyfriend looks increasingly tired and run down, and he finally breaks when he gets back from his tour.

A/n: you know that clip of young Wilbur saying "I don't thank myself for any of my accomplishments. That's why I'm not happy", this is entirely based off of an edit vid I saw of it. If any of you aren't happy, plsss dm me and I'll help you as best I can. Pls don't suffer in silence.

Chapter info: sad little pouty Wilbur, Wilbur not having faith in his abilities, kissing (cute little nose kissessssss), phone calls, exhaustion, nicknames (Wilbur from Lovejoy, sweetheart blah blah blah)

Pronouns: None (You/Yours)

Masterlist:

Every call you had while he was on tour, he looked increasingly tired. Of course he was going to be tired, it was essentially a new city every night and you were going to allow that. But when he started looking exhausted, that was when your suspicion arose. He looked like he wasn't getting proper sleep, his texts were shorter, and his bandmates were messaging you asking questions. He wouldn't be losing interest, you knew him too well. But when he got back from tour, you asked him about it.

When you met him at the gate at the airport, you were almost taken aback by his appearance. He look disheveled to say the least. His hair in each and every direction, his shirt buttons buttoned wrong, his string on his sweatpants left undone, his socks mismatched, and the bags under his eyes dark and heavy.

"Hello, my little Wilbur from Lovejoy! How are you, sweetheart?" You spoke excitedly.

You were met with a strained smile, a low mumble, and arms wrapped loosely around your waist. You waved to Ash, Mark and Joe as they walked up to you, and Wilbur's loose hold on your waist tightened, desperate to get back home and lay in your arms.

You squeezed his shoulders reassuringly, letting him know you'd be home soon. You peeled him off of you and walked out to the car, him trailing behind like a lost puppy, Ash, Mark and Joe following.

It felt like the longest 45 minutes of your life driving home, telling the boys that they can stay for the night so Wilbur could stop whining, despite how adorable it was when he whined at each inconvenience. Every turn you took, Wilbur didn't bother holding himself up and let himself flop onto you. Every red light you stopped at he leaned against you and mumbled at his bandmates when they poked fun at him.

The smile on his face when you all got home and he got settled in bed was enough to warm up your entire day, even if it was a lopsided smile and a strained mumble of appreciation of a comfortable bed and his favourite person. The last thing on his mind was confrontation, so you left it for the morning when he felt better.

"Good morning sweet. How'd you sleep?" You asked, voice raspy and broken up from sleep, as you looked up at Wilbur staring at your sleepy face.

"I slept better with you here."

"Are you alright? You seem more exhausted lately?"

"Eh, I don't thank myself for any of my accomplishments. That's why I'm not happy. I don't thank myself for getting here, and being up on these stages and performing at festivals. I don't thank myself for my streaming success. I don't even thank myself for my friends and I feel horrible about it." Tears welling up and brimming his eyes, you pulled him back down to lay against you, squeezing him tightly.

"Darling, you are absolutely amazing. If you can't thank yourself, I can always assure you. And we can make sure we can fix it," a smile spread across his face and a nudge of his hand against your own was enough to tell you he loved you but wanted more sleep. You pressed a bunch of kisses along the bridge of his nose and the tip before fully relaxing.

"Alright, goodnight lovely. Get a bit more sleep and you'll feel better," You whispered and fell asleep with him.

#wilbur soot #wilbur soot imagine #wilbur soot x reader #wilbur x reader #wilbur #wilbur fluff #wilbur imagine #wilbur imagines #wilbur soot fluff #100 follower event #follower milestone #100 followers #event

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justmystyles · 4 months

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Series

Now You're In My Life

summary: a chance meeting at a diner turns your world upside-down and leads you on a whirlwind romance with one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

(More Than) One Shots

(One shots that got away from me, but aren't quite a series.)

Lost (2 Parts) Lose You to Love Me A run-in with your childhood sweetheart brings up old memories, and lingering feelings. Lost and Found You and Harry reconnected a month ago, and he insisted you come along for the final show. when your emotions start to get the better of you, you wonder if you and Harry could ever really just be friends.

End of the Road (2 Parts) Home Stretch As the tour comes to an end, the schedule starts to visibly take its toll on Harry, and you can't help but worry. Crossing the Finish Line It's the final show and Harry charms you into making good on a promise you made last time you were together.

Big Winners (3 Parts) Harry and Y/N have been friends for fifteen years, they finally work together on an album, and it leads them to a night that will change everything for them. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

One Shots

All I Ask*

You're finally starting to get over Harry, what happens when fate brings you back together?

Having Your Baby

You get some life changing news, and come up with the perfect way to tell your husband.

Wallflower

You're sitting alone at a wedding, can a handsome stranger help you come out of your shell?

Line of Fire

You and Harry have been keeping your relationship off the radar, but his concern for you overwhelms his need for privacy.

Coming Home To You*

Harry comes home early and catches you by surprise in the best way possible.

Scars

Can Harry be the comfort you need after falling back into old habits?

Ooh La La

After a revelation on movie night, you and Harry decide to reenact one of the scenes.

Love Don’t Cost A Thing

Harry loves to spoil you, but you're having a hard time adjusting to his lavish lifestyle.

The Battle in Barcelona

A crazy crowd at the airport comes between you and Harry.

Misplaced Emotion

As Harry prepares to jump back into the spotlight, he has a hard time re-adjusting to public life, and it manifests in the wrong way.

Good News All Around

You reach a big milestone in your life, but feel overshadowed when you call to tell Harry about it.

Perfect Harmony

You're in the final days of the tour, and Harry makes a suggestion that ends up changing everything.

Lights, Camera, Action

What was supposed to be just another job becomes the start of something new.

Business or Pleasure?

You return to Love on Tour after an extended break, but after your last interaction, you come back to an awkward situation with Harry.

Reigning it In

You're about to participate in your first horse show, but the nerves overwhelm you. Harry finds you just in time.

Family Portrait

Harry has a couple of heartfelt surprises for you while you're visiting him on tour.

All or Nothing*

You find a new way to tease Harry during a tour visit, which leads to a new way to drive him crazy.

With this Ring

Harry takes his commitment to you to a new level.

Veiled Insecurities

Harry has some insecurities about your relationship, but instead of talking to you about them, they end up coming out in the wrong way.

Heart Song

As a former member of the Love on Tour band, and current girlfriend of Harry, he asks you to reprise your spot for the final show.

Road to Recovery

After reading some negative comments about yourself, you nearly spiral back into old habits. you try to keep it from Harry, but he finds out and confronts you about it.

A Work of Art

After procrastinating for a few weeks, you finally make moves to finish your assignment, but run into an unexpected road block.

He's Not Me

You introduce Harry to the guy you're seeing, and you see a side of him you've never seen before and are shocked by his reasoning.

Sharing is Caring

You can't find your favorite handbag, Harry assures you he doesn't have it, but you see some photos tell a different story

Cantaloupe

In this one shot/flash forward from the Now You're In My Life storyline, you and Harry recap the big news from your family's Thanksgiving dinner.

Like Riding a Bike

Despite being on break, Harry manages to find his way back onstage.

Fa La La La Freakout

You will be meeting Harry's family for the first time over the holidays, and you are desperate for them to like you.

The Morning After

The morning after Harry's 30th birthday, you're hungover and Harry reminds you of your drunken actions from the night before, leading to a conversation you never expected.

Baby-Baby-Baby

Harry meets his niece for the first time, the joy and excitement are quickly replaced with a whole new set of feelings when his best friend, Y/N joins him at the hospital.

Smoke & Mirrors

Harry asks you to move to London with him, but a new opportunity for him makes things a little more complicated than you'd both expect.

(*) - NSFW

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kriffingstars · 7 months

Text

johnny mactavish; t-shirt

pairing: Johnny MacTavish x Price!Reader summary: Uncle Price doesn’t know how to feel about you wearing Johnny’s t-shirt warnings: verrrrrry slight age gap (I imagine reader to be around 20, Johnny is 26), allusions to sex a/n: hahaha left you all on a cliff hanger! sorry not sorry. this series is intended to be released in non-chronological order, which allows me to write whatever i’m in the mood for. it alsoooooo allows you guys to send in requests so keep ‘em coming. prompts, lines of dialogue, non cod gifs. and once again, thank you all for your continued support! i promise i will post a continuation of found out, but i want to flesh the relationship out a little more so we can understand everyone’s reactions better, and build on the lead up to the Price/Soap confrontation

You expected the morning after to be awkward. One night stands aren’t really your thing, especially when said one night stand works with your Uncle and you already have feelings simmering beneath the surface.

Never one to disappoint, Johnny is sauntering into his bedroom with a mug of coffee and a plate of bacon and eggs. It’s not his smile or the corny, but still somehow endearing joke he makes, that causes you to laugh.

No, it’s the kiss the cook apron he’s wearing with nothing but the boxers he slipped on when he got out of bed, long before you were awake.

Once both things have been handed off to you, he’s pressing sweet kisses to your forehead before chasing after your lips.

In the sanctity of his flat, nothing else matters, it’s just the two of you, and the surprising domesticity.

“I want to take you out, proper date. Dress up and everything for you.”

He admits as you rest your head in the crook of his neck, breakfast long since finished. His hands dance innocently on the outside of your thigh, appreciating the feel of your skin on his.

“I’ve got nothing to wear,” you giggle, pressing your face further into him.

You don’t think you ever want to leave his embrace.

“I don’t mean now,” he mumbled, another kiss to your crown.

“I mean when you’re home. I’ll pick you up…want to do things properly with you.”

Now’s not the time to question about what your Uncle is going to think of it. That’s a worry for later, and whilst you’re here with Johnny you’re going to make the most of it. Leave the overthinking for when you’re back in your own bed at home.

The morning slips away far too quickly for either of you. Johnny savours every moment he can, as if this is the only chance he’ll have.

It will be for a while. Two weeks at least, until his leave is over. He knows he can’t go back to base too soon. I mean he would, but he knows you’d hate the thought of him spending any extra time in the barracks, instead of the comfort of his own home.

When it’s time to get your things packed and ready for the short flight home he chucks a t-shirt from his draw at your head, muttering about how it would be more comfortable than the smart top you were wearing yesterday.

It doesn’t really match the bottoms you have, but you think it doesn’t really matter and Johnny’s not thinking about anything other than he wants to see you in his clothes more, because you look mesmerising.

The drive to the airport isn’t that long, but it’s spent in constant conversation. By the time you’re out the car, your sides are aching from laughter, and you’re beaming at the Scot in front of you.

“Safe journey, text me when you’re home.”

And that’s all he really says as a goodbye, before letting the hand resting gently on your waist slip a little lower and connecting your lips in a sweet kiss.

It leaves you yearning for the slightest bit more, and you guess that was his intention because with one more peck to your cheek his heading back to the car, glancing as he goes and flashing you that boyish grin that lights up his whole face.

The flight is uneventful, and before you know it your bag is in the boot of your Uncle’s car as he drives you both home.

It’s uneventful, mundane conversation about how your conference was, and what he’s been up to in your absence.

Even if it is mundane, it feels like home, and you relish the time you get to spend with the man, before he’s jetting off to some country in need of him.

It’s only when you’re in the kitchen, making the both of you a brew, when Johnny comes up in the conversation.

“That’s not your t-shirt,” is what breaks your concentration from the two mugs in front of you.

“No, it’s not.”

Fuck.

You completely forgot about it, it’s not like you can pass it off as a new one of yours either.

“Put it in the wash, I can give it back to Soap when we’re back at work.”

That’s definitely not the response you were expecting. You were expecting something more chastising and another warning about leaving the man alone and not getting too invested.

“Hope he didn’t try any funny business.”

Ah, there it is.

Your Uncle is trying to be as nonchalant as possible, and had you not had a pang of guilt punch you in the gut it would be funny. The way he’s trying to casually lean on the counter in the kitchen and carefully studying your face for any sort of micro reaction.

As good as John is at his job, when it comes to you, he can never read you quite right. Sure he can tell when you’re happy, sad and anything in between, but what irks him the most is that her can never tell when you’re lying.

Maybe it’s because your tells are exactly the same as his, and recognising that is that bit harder. Either that or you’re just as good a liar as him.

So he misses the brief flash of panic before you plaster a smile on your face, recounting how he was the perfect gentleman, and even slept on the sofa and gave his room up for you.

“I’d expect nothing less,” He surmises, as he accepts the tea from you.

He doesn’t even bat an eyelid when your phone doesn’t stop buzzing all evening, a quick, “It’s just Georgie, from uni. Wants to know all about the conference. She’s gutted she couldn’t go.” settles any doubt he had.

Of course it’s not Georgie, it’s the man he warned you about.

The rest of John’s evening, once you’ve gone off to bed, is spent sat on the sofa, catching up on the episodes of bake-off he’s missed over the last few weeks.

It’s nice, and it’s the perfect monotonous activity to tune his mind off from the ruckus that usually follows him.

It’s not long before he’s padding out to the stable door the leads to the back garden, and swinging the top open before lighting the cigar hanging from his mouth. No use letting all the warm air out.

Thanks for looking after her. Appreciate it, mate.

It’s intended as a genuine thank you, and also a subtle reminder of the conversation they had when Soap first met you.

His phone chimes with Soap’s reply.

All good mate, anytime.

Taglist: (please let me know if you’d like to be added, all requests from my taglist will get priority)

@cassiecasluciluce @misshoneypaper @unknownduck0 @iwannabealocalcryptid @darkangel4121 @clear-your-mind-and-dream @mothiing @pepsicolacoochie @samanthamarkle92

#john mactavish x reader #john mactavish headcannon #johnny mctavish x reader #johnny mactavish headcannon #john mctavish x reader #soap mactavish #soap x reader #soap mactavish x price!reader

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chrollohearttags · 9 months

Text

reverb • chapter nine

synopsis: following his talk with Armin, Eren decides to channel his energy into something more positive but finds that getting back into the groove of creating is a lot harder than expected. Luckily, a much needed visit from a familiar face and someone very dear to him helps get the rapper back on track. But will he be met with warmth and words of encouragement or incredibly tough love? A confrontation between him and the fiancé of his scorned best friend takes place as well, where the pissed off rockstar has some choice words for the equally disgruntled EJ. How will Eren respond? Meanwhile, (y/n) uses her vacation time to rest, reflect and return to her roots. A lot of her past is revealed, including the reason for her sudden shift in mood at the airport. While back home, the budding star decides to pay a visit to her old stomping grounds, where she asks for advice from a trusted loved one. But what message awaits her and will she take heed? Also, the day of the infamous yacht party arrives and Armin, the gracious host invites both his best friend and (y/n). Who hadn’t seen one another in weeks so tensions are high and very awkward. That is until an incident brings the pair closer together than before. Will they be able to reconcile or has time and distance dwindled that lustful passion?

content warning: flashbacks, smut mentions, mentions of childhood trauma, mentions of death, mentions of spirituality/tarot/astrology, depression, mental health, alcohol use, implied sex, lots of humor

word count: 12.3K (long as hell, I know!)

“You have to find something you cherish and pour your heart into it, otherwise, it’s all pointless..”

📝: here’s to hoping that I can get back to much more frequent and consistent uploads because boy do I miss this story! And I hope you all do too. I appreciate everyone for sticking around and showing this series so much love. It won’t be going anywhere any time soon. 💖

previous chapter >>> next chapter

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eighteen years ago…

“Now you gotta put a little more flour in there. You want ‘em to bake up just right…and stir it real good. Think you can do that?”

“Yesmaam, I got it, gwanny.”

“That’s my girl! Alright, and while we let ‘em bake, we can get this kitchen cleaned up. Can’t enjoy cookies with mess everywhere now, can we?”

“No ma’am! We don’t want yucky stuff everywhere.”

“That’s right! You know Grandma loves you, sweet pea.”

“I love you too, Gwanny…”

“I love you too….—

present day

the words that had been spoken during (y/n)’s deep slumber began to trail off into reality as you awoke from unconsciousness. Shooting up from the mattress as you called out to the person who was so far away. Unbeknownst, you had been doing this every single night since returning home from Texas. Three days had passed since the beginning of your month-long vacation and you had already slept through a majority of them. From the bathroom straight back to bed, with a small snack in between. An endless bout of depression you were struggling to come out of. But that’s how this time of year always went…you’d wallow and sulk, cry for hours on end until you exhausted yourself. It was a brutal and vicious cycle but hopefully, with a little help, you’d snap out of it. At least that’s what your best friend was hoping for when she all but broke into your apartment this morning and began cooking breakfast..something you weren’t aware of until you smelled the aroma of breakfast foods...along with another delectable item. The fragrant scent was so unique, you knew there was only one other person who could’ve created it, seeing as how the first one was long gone. “That’s—wait!”

hopping out of bed..bonnet and a large sleeping shirt were the only things that you were sporting as you wiped the remaining crust from your eyes and darted for the kitchen. It was there you’d spot someone sporting similar clothing with music playing and a stack of food displayed on the countertop. Bacon, eggs, grits and the most surprising? A pile of your Grandma’s famous blueberry biscuits. A recipe that has been in your family for generations! They were your favorite and every Sunday, after church, your granny would have a fresh batch waiting for you to pair with her incredible fried chicken and Mac and cheese. It was so nostalgic! However..you wanted to know what prompted all of this..

“Good morning, sunshine…you slept okay?” Niesha, with that charming, little southern accent. Her voice is light and soothing as summer rain and that gorgeous smile of hers even without a single drop of makeup on. Her natural hair styled into fingerwaves and wrapped in a silk durag, matching the PJ’s she was wearing. It was like being fresh out of high school all over again and you spent nights at her house. Staying up all night after work and dreaming about making it into a better situation. It seems that you guys had manifested this dream life and it was all coming to fruition. Sadly, at the height of it all, you fell into depression yet again. But alas, your best friend was here to pull you out of it. Scratching your eyes free of the sleep crusting around it, you took a seat at the kitchen counter in one of the barstools as she slid you a glass of orange juice. “Yeah, it was fine...Nie Nie, did you stay here all night?” your brow furrowing in concern as you took a sip but as always, she was playing coy and being cute. She wasn’t going to admit that she had watched you struggle and sob in your sleep as you called out to your grandmother. That was only after you had drank yourself silly..which was completely out of character. But it was to be expected and she’d stick beside you for as long as you needed her. Twenty something years of sisterhood and she damn sure wasn’t about to give it up now. Trying to downplay the whole thing, she just tried to change the subject and pretend the reason for her extended stay was some other reason.

“Yeah, you know my man was supposed to come through last night but he got on my damn nerves again so now I got him on punishment.” to which you’d just giggle and try not to laugh too hard because her and this supposed man were not even in a relationship nor did they have any business together. Friends with benefits and a whole heap of drama. “You and Armin are still messing around, huh? I could’ve sworn you said you was done with his ass last week. Or was that before he brought you that new Van Cleef you’re wearing anddd that new Birkin?” making your best friend nervously cackle and scratch the back of her head. “Chileee, did I say that? Girl, you know I just be talking, you can’t pay me no attention.” The two of you were joking and playing around, which seemed to lift you in much higher spirits than before. As long as you were smiling, that was a good sign for your dear Niesha. “Anyways, enough about meee..are you feeling alright this morning, boo? Had me a lil’ scared there for a minute.” questioning now that you seemed to be in a much lighter headspace, sober and more than likely, better equipped to answer to now. Truthfully, you were still a little down and it wasn’t necessarily because you were grieving but because at the moment, you were feeling a little directionless. Right before you guys came home, you got more devastating news..but as you were preparing to delve into it, she’d hand you your plate along with a tall glass of orange juice and insist you eat before you upset yourself again and became ill. You’d thank her before divulging all of the details.

“So you know I’ve been trying to get Granny’s house back from that bitch who took it and the state, right? Well..I had a meeting with my lawyer and he said they denied the motion to move forward with the case. Saying that she legally has control and it was signed over to her so there’s nothing I can do.” Feeling a hard lump in the back of your throat as you spoke the words out in the open. Now that you were saying it aloud, the shit hurt worse. Honestly, it was your biggest motivator for getting money and maintaining a life of notoriety. In your mind, you figured that if you obtained pretty substantial wealth and possibly enough status, you could get the best lawyers money could buy and snatch your childhood home back. Now it all felt in vain..

You were seventeen years old during the untimely passing of your grandmother from cancer..fresh out of high school without a clue about the world and nothing to your name. The only saving grace was the fact that you had her house she’d promised you since childhood in the event that something happened to her..or so you thought. As if losing the only guardian and family you’d ever known wasn’t enough, another hard blow came when you were forcefully evicted by the state only three weeks later and told that the rightful owner would be moving in. That person? Your granny’s caretaker. The middle aged woman in the pink scrubs and bright yellow Crocs who would always greet you when you came home from school..smiling in your face and being so friendly as your sweet granny lay on her deathbed. Only for that evil bitch to pull the dirty stunt of making her change her will when her mind began to deteriorate. It was a rotten trick but a legal one and there was nothing that you, a child without a red cent to show could do about it. To add to fate’s cruel sick joke, you then turned eighteen and because of that, you were too old for foster care. Technically an adult but feeling like a frightened little girl inside, you wandered the streets for weeks. Sleeping out of the car she left behind, trying to work during the day and stay safe at night. You were so scared and would cry for hours until you fell asleep in the backseat. It wasn’t until Niesha got wind of the situation and slapped the dog shit out of you for not saying something sooner. Then right afterwards, invited you to stay at her house. It was small and she had a younger sister, as well as her mom but they welcomed you with open arms.

“We’re family, baby. You like a third daughter to me and I knew your granny for a long time. We gon’ make sure you are alright.”

A direct quote from Ms. Candice Daniels, Niesha’s mom and the matriarch of the close knit little unit of three..however, you couldn’t intrude for long and as much as you appreciated the hospitality, you had to figure out a plan for your life. Ironically enough, your saving grace came in the form of a family member who had just gotten out of jail and who also played a huge role in you choosing to do pole professionally and deciding to pursue a career in entertainment. Someone who’d be reentering your world pretty soon.

“You know what? I had a feeling it had something to do with that and I’m so sorry, baby. I know you wanted it back.” Niesha, who was eating as well, reached across the counter and grasped your hands in hopes to comfort you. Even though she had already gone above and beyond, she still felt helpless and wished she could help. But she did have a bit of information that would possibly lift your spirits and possibly help you gain insight now that you were back home.. “But if it’ll make you feel better..your Uncle Bam came by real early this morning to drop off these biscuits..he said if they didn’t make you smile, he didn’t know what would.” Hence the pungent smell of butter and blueberries hitting your nose upon waking up. He was the only other person in this world with that recipe and skill to cook them. Although Niesha knew her way around the kitchen, it would take years to get that mastered. Seeing you beam in excitement at the name, she’d continue to share the rest of his message. “He also said for you to come see him today once you woke up and got moving. That he could sense that your energy was off and that he may have something to help you.” Releasing a sigh as well as a laugh, (y/n) nodded whilst taking a sip of juice. “Yep, that sounds like Unc. Lord, what does this man want now?” Playfully rolling your eyes and continuing to finish your food. As reluctant as you were, you knew he could help you through whatever. He had become somewhat of a…’spiritual advisor’ to those in the community in his later years. As gifted as he was with the ability to help others, your uncle was a bit of an eccentric. Even so, you loved him dearly and he was the only blood relative you had..or maintained contact with at least. If it weren’t for him and his partner, who knows what you’d be doing right now..

“I think you should go visit him. Get out of this house and talk to somebody. You’d rather pull teeth than go see a therapist so maybe he can figure out what you need.” And truthfully, she had a suggestion of her own that could help shift your mood and it’d involve a certain someone who had been responsible for your happiness in the past month or so. Even if you refused to admit it..

“Speaking of getting out of the house..Armin’s hosting a lil’ yacht party this weekend and he wants us to come. Said that he would love to have you there since you’re my boo and all. He wants to meet you since you missed out on the first function.” you'd listen to Niesha speak, trying to continuously sweeten the pot.. “..Really? He told you that?” “Yes he did and said that EJ would be there too.” which made your eyebrow furrow in response because if it was one thing you knew and two damn things for certain..

“I think y’all both full of it. That man doesn't come outside for nobody..especially no damn parties unless he’s getting paid.” Truthfully, they couldn’t deny that. He was very reclusive and didn’t really care to be mingling or out mixing among the crowd. That was, of course, outside of his one exception. “But he flew all the way to Texas just to see your ass so if you show up, he will too. Even so, you couldn’t be sure if you were ready to see him quite yet. After all, it had been almost two weeks since you guys last saw each other or even spoke. A lot had transpired in your personal lives and neither of you felt it right to involve the other in your problems. Hence the radio silence from each of your end. You and EJ had a lot of fun together, you couldn’t lie. Being in a relationship wasn’t plausible at the moment though. But it seemed as if your meddling best friends were determined to play matchmaker and get their ship to sail..no pun intended! “Ion know, Niesh..I mean, I’m really not up for all that right now. We just got back off tour and I’m exhausted. Miss Ackerman’s got me booked for a couple gigs, and I have a meeting with Mr. Smith too so I just don’t know— “you mean my sis, Mika? Yeah, her and Jean are coming too. We actually hung out when you were gone and bitch, she is sum’ else.” “For real? What did y’all talk about?” and of course, you were the topic of discussion. About how hard working you were but that they wish you’d rest. How you first met her and how you were her favorite client. She said that you were so sweet and that she wished all of her talents were as good as her ‘precious (y/n)’. “That and the fact that she’d be praying for Niesha because Armin was as bad as it could get. “I told her not to worry ‘cause I’mma do his ass worst if he keeps playing with me.” You were just shocked that your best friend and manager had become so close in your absence while you were in Cali. Which may have been due to the fact that not only was she your best friend but she was the only one of Armin’s women that she got along with. Niesha had a very high, infectious energy that made anyone love her. It got you wondering how EJ would react to her if the chance ever arose for the two of them to meet…. “So you all in the family now, huh? Guess I missed a lot.” Causing her to burst into her signature cackle and bop your nose.

“That’s right. So you two hermits have no excuse. You’re off the clock, you’re on vacation so enjoy it. Two people who are so busy trying to create a ‘dream life’ can’t even stop to live it. Besides, if I don’t return you to the group all happy and refreshed, them hoes gon’ jump me. They made me promise I’d look out for you so I want you to have a good time. Can you do me that one favor..please? It’s not easy seeing my sis all sad. I love you, (y/n). And I just want you to be good.” Just then, your heart would flutter and your resolve would soften. You could tell that Niesha, your uncle, even Brianne, Kelly and Syrai, despite being states away, all cared for you deeply. So the best thing you could do for them was try and make the best of this beautiful life you were given. As much as you had hoped to return to your childhood home, if for nothing else..properly say goodbye and get that closure..it was your past and you could never move forward if you kept dwelling on it. Reaching over, you’d wrap Niesha in a giant hug and the two of you shared a sentimental moment. “Oh, Nie Nie. I love you too, pookie. I’m sorry for being so down all the time. I didn’t even realize how I was affecting everybody else. You know what? Starting today, I’m getting out of this house. I’m done crying.” which elated Niesha because tears did not suit your pretty face. Flashing you yet another smile, your best friend extended her arm so that you guys could initiate your little secret handshake before pulling you into yet another embrace. The bond you two shared was incomparable. But for now, it was time that you guys parted ways. “Good! I’mma go take a shower and then I’m up outta here. Text me when you get back home, we can go out to eat or sum’.” You couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved, knowing that your tribe was as strong as ever now. You were in good hands for sure.

“Alright. What you getting into today?” and the better question may have been what was about to get into her. Looking back at you with her tongue extended, Niesha was more than enthused to fill you in. “Oh me? I’m going to go see my boyfriend. He was in the playoffs game this weekend and he came back to Miami today.” Now, it was no secret that Niesha was by far the most promiscuous of your friends group and she kept her options wide open but dating a producer one day and seeing a basketball player the next was insane. She obviously had her hands full so you’d give her a bit of relief by getting up and taking care of yourself. “Girl, ion know what I’mma do with you.” “Pray for me. That’s what you can do.” Causing the two of you to burst into laughter. But you had to say, regardless, it felt good to have someone around that made you feel much lighter. For now, you’d follow up on your earlier promise of going to go see your uncle. And hopefully gain a little clarity on your situation.

“I feel you, Granny. I know you’re with me but I don’t think you need to worry anymore. Still..what is that you wanna tell me? What do you need me to know?”

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page break

Unbeknownst to you though, you weren’t the only one hoping to gain some insight and get some help in your life right now. Although, you were probably a bit more perceptive to getting said assistance than the man you were seeing a short while ago. After sleeping in far longer than normal for what was probably the third day in a row, Eren found himself awoken to beaming sunshine and an empty bed, only surrounded by crinkled sheets and an empty Crown bottle near his pillow. Another long night of working on projects and downing liquor to drown out any intrusive thoughts that may have plagued his mind. From impending court dates to online chatter, he wanted to shut all of it out. 12:15PM displayed across the top of his iPhone screen as he rolled over and wiped his eyes. He figured there was no sense in lying here any longer and pretending to be asleep. Instead, he’d position to the side of the bed, step into his house slippers and stretch before heading towards the bathroom to perform his normal morning routine. Brushing his teeth, washing his face and getting ready for the day ahead. Or what was left of it rather…after a warm shower and getting his long locks styled into a half up, half down style and finally shaving that mustache and stubble that had begun to form, Eren felt like a new man. Now he was ready to take on any and everything…or so the hard working artist thought! Truthfully, it was that motivation and desire to curate something incredible that had driven him to a third night of drinking and producing. Sure, he was having fun with the whole process and having his friends over had put him in much lighter spirits but when it was all said and done, he was no more satisfied with what he was hearing than when he started. It was frustrating! However, his saving grace may have been coming a lot sooner than he thought..finishing up his morning routine and gathering his bearings, Eren took a look in the mirror along with a deep sigh before heading out.

He’d make his way downstairs, shuffling in those slippers and sweats down the stairs to be greeted by one of his housekeepers, and truthfully, a woman who was like family to him. “Oh, good morning, Mr. Jaeger. Glad to see you’re feeling better.” An older lady with salt and pepper hair and the sweetest southern accent he’d heard. She saw Eren like a son and took care of him accordingly but she also stayed on his case just the same. An angel on earth if he’d ever seen one and the best damn cook in the world. His very first time trying the delicacies known as soul food was by her hands and he damn near cried it was so good. As always, the two would exchange a hug.. “Good morning, miss Gloria. Sorry, I was a little busy last night so I didn’t get to say bye..” chatting as the pair made their way to the kitchen, where she’d offer to make him breakfast but he’d have to skip out on that delicious meal today because he was determined to make his new hit or die trying!

“You sure, baby? I can make somethin’ real quick. Can’t be working on an empty stomach.”

“I appreciate it, Miss Gloria. But I’ll be fine. This’ll do for now. I’m going to be in the music room for a little bit before I head out to the studio.” declaring as he retrieved a green smoothie and granola bar from the fridge. He knew that one of the key components to getting that perfect song but being a workhorse in general was nourishing his body. Or so it was what he was told! His mentor would kick his ass if she knew he was downing Dusse like water and smoking like a chimney. She told him that his voice wouldn’t be worth two farts in the wind if he kept that up. Unfortunately for EJ, he wouldn’t have to wait to be subjected to those lashings again..as Miss Gloria had a tidbit of information that she neglected to share with him. “Oh yeah! Eren honey, there was sum’ I forgot to tell you.” Before she could disclose said information, he was walking off, staring down at his phone; responding to a text about some upcoming projects he had been requested to work on. It was as he was rounding the corner to the open foyer where his grand piano was stationed did he hear..and see a sight that he was not prepared for. It was the notes for one of his earliest tracks, a song that wasn’t about violence or drugs but not the most tame either and yet, it was the most beautiful rendition he had ever heard. Only one person could take such a song and transform it this way..

“It’s about time you woke up. I would’ve had you doing vocal runs for an hour back in the day for showing up this late.”

That person was none other than five time Grammy-winning singer, songwright and the woman who taught the EJ that the world loved now, everything he knew when it came to composing; Vivian James-Ackerman. Some of his biggest hits were arrangements composed with her assistance. Oftentimes dubbed the Queen of Neo Soul, rivaling the likes of Erykah Badu, Ari Lennox and Lauryn Hill, Vivian James made some of the most sultry and vulgar lyrics sound like silk and her alluring presence had captivated the hearts of many, including her long time sweetheart and former musical rival, the AMG president himself, Levi Ackerman. Whilst taking some time away before the release of what could very well be her last album, the songstress decided to take a role at her husband’s company and her label as his creative director. So who better to help him derive inspiration and regain focus than the woman who helped kickstart it all. Seeing as how she was his biggest advocate and the one who landed him his audition with AMG years ago. Vivian never lost faith in her protege and she wasn’t about to start now. Even if his spark had dwindled a bit, his fire was far from being put out. As far as she was concerned, he had work to do!

“Aunt Vi!” akin to that of a little child seeing a long distant relative, he’d come over and embrace her. In her eyes, he was still that sixteen year old boy who came to Miami without so much as a single dollar to his name, determined to make it. That’s who he was doing this for..

“Eren, sweetheart. I’m so happy to see you. I feel like it’s been ages. How’ve you been?” That was a question he barely wanted to answer. He was certain that everyone in the world had gotten wind of his recent arrest and his fight with Mikasa was probably all the talk behind closed doors at AMG right now. So she probably already knew the real answer. Even so, his response was: “I’m doing okay. Just been a little tired.” Taking a seat next to Vivan and a sip of his drink before she turned to the side to face him. She knew better than that and before she left here, she was going to make certain that he did better than just a measly ‘okay’. Furrowing her eyebrow, Vivian, leaned back and swallowed a lump in her throat before proposing her next question. “A little tired, huh? Well a little birdy told me that you’ve had quite the week. Care to elaborate?” Which was secretly code for ‘I already know the full story and truth so you might as well tell me anyways’. And so, he’d begin to explain how when he came back from Houston, he found his driveway swarmed with reporters, one of whom decided to dent his brand new car, which made him flip out. It was that little outburst that landed him with a nice little mugshot that was circulating the internet; spreading like wildfire on Tik Tok and Twitter..causing his fangirls and simps alike to fawn over the dark hair, smile and narrowed eyes. He had gone viral for his looks just as much as his music, which wasn’t shocking..but as if getting arrested wasn’t enough. He then found out the reason for said arrest and swarm of crazed paps at his door was one of his very own best friends.

“I see.”

the only words she uttered before suddenly winding her hand back and smacking Eren upside his head shortly thereafter. To say he was taken aback by her sudden hit, that was an understatement!

“Ow! What the hell, Aunt Vi?! Why’d you do that?”

and the answer was quite simple. Because somebody, anybody needed to knock some sense in that big ass, empty skull of his. And there was no one more fit to do so than her. Seeing as how his mom was all the way in Jersey and couldn’t lay hands to him, she’d make certain to keep him well disciplined in her absence, even if he was a grown man!

“Because, Eren!..you’re always acting without thinking. I mean, honestly. Canceling on an important meeting like that last minute? What is wrong with you? We all thought you had gotten sick again and here you are gallivanting and acting like a damn teenager.” Taken aback by his mentor’s response, EJ merely scoffed at the idea that he had any wrongdoing in the situation. “I don’t understand why you’re mad at me. She’s the one that caused all of this in the first place. Why not just come talk to me like an adult. We’re best friends..” amidst his rambling, Eren would come to a realization that it took repeating aloud to truly understand. Among the complete irony in his statement as well. Here he was griping about concise communication yet it was his lack thereof that caused Mika to make the drastic decision to allow that article to be published. Sulking into his seat, he’d continue on talking..”..have been for as long as I can remember. We used to tell each other everything and when it came to my music, she always supported me. She’d listen in on all my recording sessions, give me feedback. Even though being an artist wasn’t her thing, she loved music. Her voice is still insane after all this time. She knew music..now it just feels like she’s only concerned about meeting a deadline or getting her next big break. Didn’t realize how much this industry changes people..even the ones you love..” It was then that Vivian would offer her input, caressing his back as he sat there, staring blankly ahead with a hand tucked underneath his chin.

“That’s because you guys aren’t kids anymore. Honey, there comes a time in all of our lives when we have to do things we don’t want to. I’m sure she’d kill to sit up in the studio with you and everyone else, partying and making songs. But I’m sure she’d love it even more if she didn’t have to chase you to the ends of the earth just to do her job. She’s got a ton of pressure on her shoulders as not just the head of PR..but as a daughter, a niece, a soon to be wife. Eren, sweetheart, her priorities are different now and if you’re truly her friend, you’ll respect that. Was she wrong with how she went about it? Absolutely and she has to reflect on that if she wants to keep her position but I don’t think she’s the only one that needs to do some soul searching.” Honestly, there was no way that he could attest that. `It was true..they were all grown up now so there was no room for childish feelings and antics. Her actions were only a result of the selfishness he had displayed. Scratching his ear, Eren would just release a loud sigh and shrug his shoulders once more. “Yeah, yeah..I get it.” Confessing as he stood from his seat and stared out towards the window. Her words were always so deep and meaningful..much like the lyrics to her songs. The messages in her music were meant to resonate with the soul, even if you couldn't comprehend them. She applied the same to how she spoke to others. Her spiritual persona was more than a ruse to sell albums..this was how she was.

“So what do I do? I mean, it’s not like my inspiration is just gonna come out of thin air. I can’t make an album overnight.”

maybe so but he knew as well as she did that no one was asking for such an impossible feat. The only thing they wanted was for him to try...just then, the notes of a very familiar melody began to sound out from the piano, along with Vivian’s unmistakable and mellifluous melody. A sound that was untouchable by her peers and beyond. And a very familiar song..one that the two would sing all the time during his younger days. When they were finishing up a show for the seasoned veteran, she'd ask to hear him play. Many times, it was to gauge his vocal capabilities but others? She just truly loved bonding with him over music and the fact that he had the willingness to learn. At first, he was hesitant and didn’t feel like doing so but this song always brought him a sense of comfort and peace..it made him happy. “C’mon, sing with me.” Without uttering a word outside of the lyrics, the two would begin to belt out the tune as Eren slowly shuffled back towards the bench. Eventually, he’d sit back down and tilt his head over onto her shoulder as they finished out the verse. There was something so serene about just belting your heart out with someone you loved dearly..

“There’s my EJ.” Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, Vivian leaned over and placed a gentle peck to Eren’s temple and it brought him immense warmth. Having that motherly and familial love always kept him grounded. “No matter how long you take or what path you go down, I’ll always be proud of you. Everyone will. This is a marathon, not a race. You go at your own speed, and when you’re ready..you go make this album your bitch.” which brought forth a hearty laugh from EJ, who was in much higher spirits and much more motivated. “Thank you, Aunt Vi.” But there were still two obvious elephants in the room. One being..

“Now..about this young lady you’ve been seeing…” and it was in that moment that Eren would simply roll his eyes and continue nursing his shake. It was the last thing he wanted to address, especially when he hadn’t spoken to said young lady in some days. And the fact that Vivian was in on the whole ordeal had just made it worse. Of course, he should’ve known that his mentor would be the very person that Mikasa would go and cry to.

“I don’t know what or who you’re talking about. I’m single.” What he should’ve known is that playing coy wasn’t going to work on someone who knew him as well as his own mom did. Eyeing his entire frame, Vivian placed a hand underneath her chin and offered up a smug grin in the process. “Oh for real?…so I guess the name (y/n) means nothing, huh?” The sheer mention of your name invokes an almost automatic smile on his features. Immediately, his eyes lit up and a faint smirk appeared..hell, even the memories of you guys’ shared time together began to plague his mind..that was until he snapped out of his trance! “Yes, exactly. I mean..it’s not like I don’t care about her or anything. She’s literally perfect, probably the only girl who’s had my attention but you know me..I don’t chase anyone. Besides, I haven’t even heard from her in a while. She’s probably long moved on by now. And I can’t blame her..shit, who wants to be attached to somebody who can’t stay out of trouble?” But just as Armin had told him, your absence had nothing to do with that. Trust, you had thought about him just as heavily but there was no way you were in the mental state to see him, less known behave like the girl he had seen in Texas.

“Y’know..sometimes, I think you’re your own biggest enemy, Eren. I mean, cut yourself some slack, kid. It was one screw up and an invoked one at that. Listen, stop using this as a crutch to not confront your feelings. You rather sulk than to face shit and get it done. If you truly want this music thing to work, to shut your critics up or even get the girl you want, you gotta stop looking for an excuse in everything. “Someone who stays in trouble” please..she knew you had that mile long rap sheet when she met you at the club opening and still liked your ass. You wanna see her again, don’t you?” The very obvious question needed no answer but she wanted to hear him say it. She was absolutely correct..Eren would rather run and not be vexed under the guise of not giving a fuck because it didn’t require any effort but this time, that wasn’t going to fly. Either he confronted this or it would all slip from his grasp, including you. That decade-long music career he sacrificed it all for, his fame, his happiness..he was the only thing standing in the way of that!

“..yes, I wanna see her.” “And you want to continue making music as well, right?” Receiving a nod shortly after..Vivian would close down the piano cover and slowly stand from her seat. Her work here was done and completed as far as she was concerned. But there was one more thing that needed to be said..

“Then go get it. Don’t stop until you have everything you want. You owe that much to yourself. God, it’s just like talking to that damn boss of yours. Levi used to do the same thing. Always looking for an excuse not to care about something. Pouring all his energy into work and a little bit into everything else, enough to get by. He’d tell me all the time that it didn’t matter if we ever got married because ‘we loved each other.’ And that was sufficient . Ten years with that man almost went down the drain until he came groveling because I told him I was done compromising. Being nonchalant gets you nowhere. You have to find something you cherish and pour your heart into it, otherwise, it’s all pointless..don’t sit around and lose it trying to be prideful..”

As correct as she was, Eren was beginning to have his fill of lectures from those around him. All he wanted to do now was focus on his music and move past all of this drama. Rubbing at the back of his neck, he’d exhale a deep sigh and get up from his seat to show Vivian to the door. Although it was needed, he was tired of being fussed at! “I hear you..” sighing whilst walking her towards the door. Shuffling her expensive bag onto her shoulder, Vivian turned on the heel of her Giuseppe stilettos once more before embracing her sweet Eren and bidding him adieu. As always, she let him know that she loved him and he’d do the same. At the moment, he had felt much more calm and serene than he had in some days. He was excited for what was to come now; returning to that age old cliche…knowing that he could truly accomplish anything he set his mind to! But it would seem that his peace and quiet wouldn’t last for much longer. Once he saw Vivian out, he then did exactly as he intended and returned to his downstairs music room, in hopes of getting at least one of his tracks completed. However, that hope was short lived when only fifteen minutes after getting to work; barely even getting his mixing software booted up, he was so rudely interrupted!

“M-Mr. Jaeger, you have a guest!” the somewhat shaken voice of one of his housekeepers didn’t even register to Eren once he heard it or what she was saying. But he’d respond with a sigh and a bit of a frustrated huff, as he had no interest in entertaining anyone else for the day. He had business to conduct..regardless, his uninvited companion had other plans. “Too bad! Open this goddamn door..” and the second he heard the voice through the muffled sounds of the wooden barrier, he couldn’t help but to laugh because the only thought on his mind was kicking the ass of the person it was coming from! Because if anybody was going to catch it for interrupting him, it would be his sworn enemy. Granting his housekeeper permission to do so, she’d let him in and it was none other than the infamous Atelier Kiss lead singer, Jean Kirschtein. Without so much as even looking up from the screen, Eren donned that signature smug smirk whilst clicking away at the various settings. “You wanna tell me why your ugly ass is standing foot in my house and better yet, why I shouldn’t beat the shit out of you for showing up unannounced?” But Jean wasn’t phased by his threats or subtle attempts to get underneath his skin today..he had to avenge his woman’s honor and was here to do so regardless of what he said. “Not if I don’t kick yours first, you son of a bitch.”

EJ, swiveling around in his chair to face the obviously irate male, who had been practically chomping at the bit to get his hands on him. About a week late in Eren’s most humble opinion, but to each his own. What pissed Jean off the most was that he was seemingly unaffected by the inevitable falling out between him and his manager. Meanwhile, her little boy toy was looking to rip the rapper to shreds. “Did you call my wife a coke head, you fucking asshole?!” To which, the obviously unbothered rapper would respond with a laugh. “I said she was..past tense Jeanathan. That’s your problem, you don’t listen and neither does she. You’re both a match made in hell, I swear.” As badly as he wanted to haul off and hit him, Jean could do nothing more than suck his teeth and huff. The sheer sight of him made the rockstar absolutely livid. Especially when he considered the fact that he had watched his fiancee storm around her office and their home, angry and upset about something she refused to share. He had not the slightest clue or inkling that it was this jackass who was the root cause. It wasn’t until he all but forced the information out of her did Jean get the answer he was looking for and despite Mikasa’s pleading for him not to press the issue, he hopped into the driver’s seat of his new R8 Spyder and sped over to confront him. What he didn’t count on was for him to be moving so casually without a single ounce of remorse or concern for what he said. Especially since they were supposed to be best friends.

“Don’t try to play coy with me, you bastard. Mikasa told me everything and how you disrespected her. I don’t give a damn how long she’s been your friend, you don’t talk to my wife like you’ve lost your mind.” As composed as he seemed, Eren was truly ready to put this entire ordeal behind him and the fact that he was coming here, messing up his energy…had him ready to channel his less than savory side! Finally hopping up from his seat, he’d stand to face the other male and warn him to step off.

“First of all, pump your brakes, boy scout. I didn’t ‘disrespect’ anyone..I know accountability isn’t exactly her thing but while she was bumping those gums of hers, did she happen to mention to you how she made the call to let those dumbasses over at TMZ publish that bullshit article full of rumors and had my driveway swarmed with cameramen? Or how she thought in that pretty little, empty head of hers that somehow, that would get me to put out some music? Did she tell you that or did she do exactly as she always does…fill your stupid ass head up with whatever you want to hear, bat her eyelashes and like the pussy whipped idiot you are, you came rushing over here ready to fight me, a week later..and get dog walked, I might add. All because she lacks critical thinking skills. Did I hit the nail on the head or what?” By that time, Jean had no comeback, argument or will to debate with him after that. With more context, it was clear that she didn’t have much of a leg to stand on. As badly as he hated Eren, even he had to admit that this whole situation could’ve been avoided. And that sadly, he was also not to blame!

Sucking and smacking his teeth, Jean would place his hands to his hips before looking to the floor in disbelief. “Tcht..whatever. I’m sure she had her reasons. You don’t exactly make her job easy y’know..” despite their differences, it seemed that the two had reached an impasse. There was no point in turning this argument physical because honestly, at this point..it was futile. Like he said, a week had already passed and even though tensions were still high between the old friends, adding fuel to a docile fire would spell trouble for everyone involved. If word got back that AMG’s two biggest artists had come to blows for the PR manager’s sake, President Ackerman would undoubtedly suspend or fire Mikasa and they’d be selling their music on Soundcloud for a hot dog and three dollars. None of which they wanted to happen. Returning to his seat, Eren released a heavy breath and kicked his feet up with his hands splayed across his chest.

“Or so I’ve been told..listen, you know I care about Mika as much as you do. After all, she’s like family to me. We’ve been through a lot of shit together and I’ll be the first to admit, I give her a hard time, hell, sometimes on purpose. She may have pissed me off and I’m still mad with her but I don’t hate her..never could..I know an apology won’t mean a damn thing to her right now, but if it means anything..just tell her I’m trying, alright? You and I have never seen eye to eye and trust me, I pray for your downfall every night..” earning him a scoff and middle finger in response. Eren continued on as he glared up at the screen once more. Thinking of how the two used to sing and laugh together..a much simpler time before all the fame.

“But one thing we can agree on is that she’s the best at what she does and deserves nothing but my all. I owe her that much.” and with the heartfelt declaration, it would seem that Jean had a newfound respect for his arch nemesis. He didn’t want to admit this to him but he figured since he took the high road, he couldn’t let him be the only one showing a shred of maturity. Exhaling a deep sigh, he’d pinch the bridge of his nose and stare towards the wall, avoiding eye contact as he proceeded to give a small amount of praise to the last person he wanted to do so for...in his own way, of course! “...for fuck’s sake…you know she only goes to this extreme lengths because she believes in you, right?” which made the rapper double take, not fully grasping the point he was trying to make. “She’d never do all of this for anyone else. Hell, I don’t even know what she sees in you. Sure, she works hard for all of her clients..but you? Even though you ditched her, she stood in front of a room full of stiff ass execs and told them all that not one person on that label was a better artist than you and she was willing to bet her whole career on it.”

“Every client underneath my belt is an exact reflection of my managerial skills. If his next album doesn’t go number one, I’ll gladly relinquish my title of Public and Talent Relations Manager. But I think you and I both know, Mr. President, he isn’t going to go down so easily. You can sign whoever you want, try to replicate and copy his style a million times over but there’s only one EJ the Don.”

Those were her exact words and Eren truly couldn’t believe that she had placed such a huge wager on his success. Was she really willing to risk her entire career just for him? It was insane! But an indicator if nothing else that she was rooting for him. And it would seem that she wasn’t the only one in his corner..

“Do you get it now? So don’t make my baby look stupid, you inconsiderate asshole. She thinks the world of you..and even though it makes me sick to admit..she’s not wrong. You’re not half bad. So stop pissing around and show everybody you’re not washed up. Besides, it’s getting kinda boring on the charts without you to trample over..” offering up a snide smirk and from there, Eren knew what had to be done. Snickering, he’d mirror Jean’s sentiment. It would seem that the tension in the room had eased up quite a bit and they had come to an agreement. “Yeah, I’m sure it must be hard not living in my shadow all the time. It’s what you’re used to.” “Please, you’d still be sweeping the floors after my shows if Miss Vivian didn’t feel bad for your sorry ass.” granted, they could never just get along. But both men knew that he had something to prove and now that the air had been cleared about this entire situation, he was going to leave him to his devices and let him achieve that award winning sound only he could cultivate. But not before he gave a rather stern warning..heading to the door, Jean would turn and glare at Eren.

“I’m glad we had this talk but let’s get one thing clear..you ever make my girl that upset again, I don't care what the circumstances are, I’m beating the shit out of you without a single question asked.” but as always, Eren dismissed him with another one of his sarcastic comebacks. “I’m pissing my pants just thinking about it.’ pretending to quiver before slamming the door in his frenemy’s face. “Have a good day, Jeannie Boy. Don’t come back to my house if you like not resembling Swiss cheese.” shouting through the door before taking his seat yet again. It had been a rather eventful, exhausting day already and it had only begun. For now, he was tuning out all distractions and focusing on what was important: his craft. His one passion and love in this crazy thing he called life. This is what meant the most to him and he didn’t have time to think about bullshit publications, angry fiances or even his manager’s asinine ultimatum. This was all about him and his next project. And this time, it was personal..in what was a move that was seemingly out of character, he’d retrieve the sleek silver iPhone sitting next to his keyboard and unlock it, going straight for the camera; where he’d film a very short ten second snippet of his instrumental he had been working to curate before scrolling over to the instagram app and uploading it to his story with it simply captioned: “working..” and immediately, thousands flocked to view it. This was a new era he was stepping in and he was excited for what it held.

Little did he know..more than success on the music homefront awaited him and in a strange turn of events, he’d be getting somewhat of a second chance on a missed opportunity. One that would be coming around a lot sooner than he expected..and in a way he’d never forget.

page break + time skip: friday night, Miami Marina…Armin’s

yacht party commences!..

Friday, July eighteenth..a very warm and humid evening ; quite befitting for tonight’s events that would be transpiring. For what was being anticipated as the party of the summer, it was most certainly living up to its hype. It was only nine o'clock and people were beginning to file in by the droves to secure their spot on the Artlert family vessel known as the Cerulean, affectionately named after the crystalline waters it had sailed on in the past. The four hundred foot superyacht housed over twenty five rooms, a dining hall, three floors and a party area..ideal for housing the nearly one hundred invited guests on his list. A group of elite entertainers gathering to enjoy some fun and relaxation. Rappers, singers, dancers, influencers and models were set to join the infamous ArminHammer for this little shindig and with the chance to cozy up to the ever so handsome playboy producer and his equally attractive friends, none of them would turn this down. And of course, any other eligible bachelors coming aboard were hoping for their chance to shoot shots and score with some of the internet’s sexiest honies. Girls with top tier bodies and faces who were equally as fine in real life, strutting around in scantily clad bikinis..it was a dream. It was all about having a good time and letting loose. With AMG’s impending PalmFest around the corner, many of the participating talents were looking for a moment of cool down. With rehearsals and their own tours, albums and press releases also taking place aside from that, this weekend was one they were all looking forward to. Not for a lack of being able to afford their own cargo to cruise around on but because they knew if Armin could do nothing else, he could produce a hit and he could throw one hell of a party! Music was blaring from all ends of the deck..with everything from Young Nudy to Megan Thee Stallion, he made sure to curate all the songs that would get some ass moving on this boat. Among some of the first to arrive were his very own crew from the Dead Boys Society collective, Onyakopon and Connie Springer. Known to the world as Ony The God and Prince Cee. As talented as they were undeniably fine, the duo were known for their amped up, high energy trap tracks that would oftentimes feature Connie with his more higher pitched slightly auto tuned vocals and Ony with his deeper tone and more refined flow. They had released a plethora of songs together and even put out a joint EP that went crazy among TikTok users with their most viral song ‘Nike Tech’ being featured in edits everywhere.

“Dude, glad y'all made it.”

“With all these fine ass hoes, you thought we was gon’ miss this? Please.”

Both donning two piece Versace swim sets, torsos full of tattoos and expensive jewelry, including the VVS grills in their mouths..the two men wasted no time getting acquainted; greeting armin with a dapped up handshake whilst housing white styrofoam cups filled to the brim in their opposite ones. To say they were pregaming was an understatement. To satisfy his own curiosity, Armin asked if they had seen or heard from EJ, who no one anticipated showing up in the first place. But alas, the answer was the same as it always was when he got invited places.

“Nah man, I tried texting him but he left that shit on read. You know his ass won’t show up.” Ony stated as he began to spark up a pre rolled blunt. Which was a little disheartening to Armin. He knew that the two had very different approaches to this lifestyle and that he definitely was on the more lackadaisical side but even if just for a night, he wanted his best friend to come out and enjoy himself. The three would settle into their seats on the outside cabin; an all white leather sectional that would soon be occupied by some of the beautiful ladies he had summoned. A few were down in the bathrooms getting changed or making touch ups. Everyone was set to be here at eleven before it left the marina, set sail throughout the night and then docked back here at three am to continue partying. It was going to be a fun night indeed..

“I wouldn’t get my hopes up either..he ain’t come out the fucking studio all week. Every time I call him, he’s at his computer. That motherfucker don’t rest for nothing or nobody when he gets started.” which was the truest sentiment they had ever heard. However, they couldn’t sit and dwell on what they knew to be the inevitable. Eren just wasn’t the partying type. Sure, he was by far the most lit when it came to being on stage but he wasn’t popping out on his own time. Just then, the trio would be greeted by more familiar faces and an unexpected surprise. It was Mikasa and Jean, who were all dressed for the occasion..or lack thereof! Sporting a similar outfit to the rest of the guys, the singer escorted his bride to be onto the ship first and when she stepped before the three gentlemen who had been sitting there, it completely took them off guard!

“H-hey! Mika, Jean..what’s up?” “Hey, Miss Mika..” Although their hands and mouths were greeting them as a couple, all of their eyes were most certainly fixated on Mikasa! Sporting an all black microkini that accentuated her very tone, inked and curvaceous figure, it was no wonder why Jean was stuck like glue on her..that body was something crazy! Having only seen her in very formal business attire and Balmain dresses, this was a complete shift. Even during the days as a wild child performer, she had never shown this much skin. But that was then and this was now. No one would’ve ever guessed she was hiding all of that underneath there.

“Jesus Christ, boys. You’re not in middle school, act like you’ve seen a pair of tits before and pick your jaws up off the ground.” causing them all to snap from their trance. Lightly smacking her gum, she’d hold a hand up to Jean, who was eager to lash out about their perverse glares. “Down boy..it’s fine. Besides, mama’s off the clock and ready to submerge my liver in enough vodka to sterilize a bullet wound.” Armin, who had gotten up to greet his other bestie, was met with a playful kiss to the cheek as the two collapsed hands.

“Well you look amazing, Mika. Respectfully, of course.”

“You’re too charming.”

But before he could show them around and even offer refreshments, there was one more surprise on the docket. “By the way, we brought someone along. I hope you guys don’t mind..” of course, any friend of theirs was a friend to their entire group. Waving a hand towards the stairs, Mikasa would usher the guest up and if they weren’t already blown away by their PR manager..

“This is my gorgeous assistant and newest member of the AMG family, Ms. Sasha Braus.”

Then she’d surely do the trick! A beautiful brunette with a slender yet toned figure and a sweet, innocuous face that would have anyone gushing over her. But it wasn’t just her looks that would win everyone over but that soon to be revealed, rambunctious personality. Although she was strictly business during the day, Mikasa had become well acquainted with the aspiring young entertainer from Kentucky and needless to say, the girl was a star in the making. Her charm, demeanor..she was hilarious! Not to mention, she had never seen anyone with an appetite like hers..an appreciation dinner for her hard work had racked up a three hundred dollar bill. Even so, she had been working alongside the youngest Ackerman to not only earn money to afford her expensive move from the countryside to Miami but experience as well. She wanted to break into acting and singing so under Mikasa’s tutelage, she was sure to make it. And with none of the professional restraints to hold them back, everyone else was sure to get a glimpse of what she dealt with on a daily basis!

“Miss Mika! You didn’t tell me you were friends with the Dead Boys Society..holy shit! Dude, I’m like you guys’ biggest fan.” which brought forth a warmhearted laugh from them all. They could see that she was clearly a ball of energy. “Well thank you, miss Sasha. And it’s nice to meet you. We’ve heard a lot.” “Look, if it was about that time in Vegas, I so didn’t cheat and clear out the craps table…I’m just one hell of a dice player slash flirt. I did however clear that buffet and let me tell you, best damn seafood I’ve ever had in my life.” Causing them all to erupt in chuckles. Needless to say the new addition was going to fit right in..

“Aye, Mikasa. Your girl is pretty funny. Aye, mama. You smoke at all?” Connie, who was sitting spread legged, waved her over as he toiled with his blunt and Sasha didn’t hesitate to accept. “If Prince fucking Cee is asking, absolutely.” and from there, it was like a friendship made by fate itself. She was wild, hilarious and unbelievably down to earth. The type of girl Connie loved to kick it with! Personally, he was over the baddie model types who were tens by all accounts but had zero personality. Inviting her over, the two began to spark up a conversation; Ony joining in shortly after and that left Jean, Mika and Armin to converse. Of course, the question lingering on Armin’s mind was the obvious elephant in the room.

“I highly doubt he’ll show but..if EJ happens to come, are you gonna be cool with it, Mika? I know you two aren’t exactly best friends right now.” Her body language immediately told her answer as she tensed and leaned back against fiance, who was quick to coil his arms around her shoulders to calm those nerves. But she still chose to lie and wear a facade that it was all good.. “Yeah..I’ll be fine. Besides, like you said, I highly doubt he’ll come anyway. He hates everything that doesn’t involve work. Trust me, I won’t ruin your party.” “Yeah, and if he tries anything, I’ll just push him overboard.” Jean chimed in and invoked a laugh from them both.

“Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. For now, let’s just have a good time..” and that was something that they could all agree on! Cheering, the trio worked their back over towards the deck and proceeded with the festivities. Pouring up drinks and sparking up blunts, the festivities were about to commence!..

About an hour and a half later, the once quiet yacht was now full of guests and booming with clamor. An uproar of loud laughter, singing along to various tracks and overall chatter filled the watercraft as more people began to file in..among the second wave of attendees to board was none other than the host’s alleged lady and her best friend..(y/n). Just like EJ, no one had betted on you showing face for the occasion but once you stepped foot onto the deck, you were surprisingly met with a barrage of drunken cheers and laughter.

“Niesha! (Y/N)!”

“Hi, girls! So glad you made it..”

The first to greet you both was Mikasa, who was already a good five or six drinks into the festivities..downing a combination of vodka and tequila shots. Running her tongue along the rim, the short haired heroine made her way over and draped her arms around the two of you. It was most certainly a different light from what either of you were used to seeing her in. The normally strict and stoic manager was now as loose as a cannon. Licking alcohol off of her fiance’s exposed abs and dancing to provocative music. It’s what happened when the bigwigs finally let their hair down and have some fun. “You two look amaaazing.” donning in a drunken stupor. She couldn’t stop ogling either of you, which was to be expected. Niesha, sporting a lime green two piece with gold belly chains wrapping her toned torso. Her hair styled into perfect finger waves and her dark skin aglow with glitter. You on the other hand? An all white ensemble with matching fishnet cover ups. Thirty six inches of jet black Brazilian wavy flowing down your back and gold jewelry accenting your limbs. It was obvious that both of you were determined to have all eyes and attention on you. Which wouldn’t take long to attract..

“We could say the same for you, miss ma’am. Looking fine as ever.” Causing the executive to blush and give each of you tiny pecks to the cheek. “Well I’m not too bad. Listen, you girls better enjoy yourselves tonight. Especially you, (Y/N). You’ve been working so hard and the worst is yet to come so you better take advantage of this time off.” and you couldn’t agree more. Modeling gigs, club appearances and a special project that Mr. Smith himself had asked you to be a part of..it was a lot! But nonetheless, you were ready for what the future held. Tonight however, you were excited to celebrate and have fun. Whilst the three of you spoke, another person joined the fray. Someone who was only familiar by name alone but you had heard quite the stories about..

“Now, now, Mikasa..I know how you get when you’re drunk but please, don’t steal my girl. This beautiful lady here is spoken for..” just then, a blonde with tattoos littering his frame and a cup in hand scoured his way to Niesha’s side before tugging her towards him. He’d eventually wrap an arm around her waist, planting a searing kiss to her lips, along with a plethora to her neck. You quite honestly had never seen your best friend so happy! Despite her claiming that nothing serious was taking place between them. “Baeee, you gon’ mess up my makeup.” “I’m going to be doing plenty of that later on anyways, why you playing?...” muttering into her ear in what was supposed to be an attempt at being discreet. However, you heard it all and glared away awkwardly until they caught wind and straightened up. A far cry from her earlier trash talk about playing and dogging him. “My bad. Where’s my manners? I’m Armin. It’s..a pleasure, miss (Y/N). Please, make yourself at home. Drink and eat as much as you’d like..anybody my baby considers a sister is like family to me.” Such a sweet gesture for someone who had barely met you but you were certain that both Niesha and Eren had given him an earful about you. “Well thank you. Niesha’s told me a lot and it’s nice to finally meet you.” Accepting the sweet gesture, you’d shake hands but he was adamant on hugging you and coiled those toned arms around your frame. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all!

“Well, (Y/N)..girl, I hate to leave you but I..have some important business to take care of.” “Already? We just got here..” Not even a full fifteen minutes on the yacht and she was leaving you to go get some dick..unbelievable! But that was to be expected. She was fucking with the son of a billionaire after all and even though Niesha could pull anyone, men and women alike, she was stuck on him for various reasons. So you’d assure her that you were fine as she was being carted away by a gentle hand tugging her along. You figured she’d be preoccupied for the whole night..

“No sense in being a wallflower, I guess..”

Thinking to yourself as you glared around the deck at the various partygoers..everyone who was somebody in this city was aboard and although you didn’t make it your mission to get awestruck, it was kind of humbling to be rubbing elbows with some huge names. With a faint smile creeping across your lips, you’d take Mikasa’s sound advice and let loose for a little bit. You’d see a few familiar faces and even dance a little to the music with Connie and Ony, who had also come to say hello. However, it didn’t take long for your social battery to begin to tick. Having not even been there for an hour and you were feeling a bit out of sorts. Even with the clubbing, party goer lifestyle that influencers were expected to portray, you were the opposite and only truly popped out if a fee were involved. Even if socializing wasn’t your forte, you’d enjoy the night sky, open sea and a good drink. The atmosphere and vibes alone were worth it. Strutting across the deck, you’d pass a couple of attendees chatting about their trip to Venice on a private jet and their new designer bag they just copped. The other group chatted about getting to work with an artist from AMG. They had been dying to do so..before landing in a stool..where you were kindly greeted by a kind bartender.

“What can I get for you, miss?”

“Strawberry daiquiri, please. Thank you.” Reaching into your little crossbody to retrieve a ten dollar bill for a tip. Even though you were certain he was being paid amicably for this gig. Nonetheless, you’d peer out over the railing, into the water below..just reminiscing. Six years ago, you were barely scraping up change for food and gas money. You and Niesha both. Working some dead end job and living on the left side of your uncle’s duplex..wishing, hoping and praying for a better life. Fast forward and you were being treated to complimentary drinks on the yacht of her boyfriend, who was worth more than anyone on it. Chopping it up with world famous rappers and meeting people you had only ever seen through a TV or phone screen. It was amazing to think about..especially when you considered the fact that a few videos of you twirling a pole in your living room had gotten you here..life was crazy sometimes! But it wasn’t the only thing occupying space in your mind. There was someone who had been weighing heavy there for a minute. Despite trying to pretend otherwise and that you had moved on, you were still thinking about EJ. You knew for a fact that Armin had invited him as well but unlike you, he’d never be able to just drag his best friend along to something like this. Even still, a small part of you had hoped to see him again. It had been weeks since you guys met up in Houston. A night like that wasn’t easy to write off..that was by far the best time you’d had in years. It replayed heavily in your mind; lingering for days afterwards. You were stuck!..which made it all the more depressing to think that perhaps, the little rendezvous meant nothing to him. He probably did this sort of thing all the time..fucking fans after shows, hooking up with models and singers. He was EJ the Don after all..any girl with working eyes and ears would drop their panties for him. Still, he was the first and only person in this business that not only captivated you. Not to mention how sweet he was to you, the very first night you guys met. Maybe it was all moving too fast and this was nothing more than some illustrious fairytale. You couldn’t possibly expect a renowned rapper of all people to be enthralled with you just because you gave him some ass. It was how the game went..just had to hold your head up, take your L in silence and move on. Besides, it wasn’t as if you were expecting a relationship anyways…one drink turned into three and your mind was running circles.

However, all of your over analyzing and worrying would come to a halt when you heard faint gasps behind you along with footsteps and a deep, rather familiar voice speak out:

“Sorry, is this seat taken?”...

── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.─── ── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :

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