#The happy couple agreed on no actual strippers but said i was the next best thing 😎(love that for me!!!)

[satans-knitwear]

I FORGOT I WAS INVITED TO AN ENGAGEMENT PARTY TOMORROW. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLANNING MY OUTFIT FOR MONTHS. IM GOING TO PERISH.

Treat me ~ Tip me

[zaharadessert]

No Time To Hesitate

Summary: When Emma agrees to do Mary Margaret a favour she has no idea what she's in for. Luckily, it turns out better than she hoped.

Rating: T

Length: ~5,000 words

Notes: Thanks to @whimsicallyenchantedrose for betaing! Written for @teamhook. I hope you enjoy it my love and that it makes you smile!

Tagging: @jrob64 @xhookswenchx @kmomof4 @wefoundloveunderthelight @superchocovian @lfh1226-linda @jonesfandomfanatic @tiganasummertree @onceratheart18 @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @itsfabianadocarmo

Also on AO3

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“Emma, you know that favour you owe me?” Mary Margaret said casually as they both sat at the breakfast bar one morning.

“You mean other than being your maid of honour?” she replied once she’d swallowed her mouthful of cereal.

“It’s for a good cause?” she tried tentatively.

“So, I take it you picked an idea for the school library fundraiser?” Emma asked, putting her bowl down on the counter.

“Actually, I picked several, but I only need you to help with this one event, I promise.”

There was a beat when Emma looked at her best friend’s wide-eyed pleading gaze and then she sighed in defeat.

“Fine, but if it turns out to be terrible, you owe me,” she said, poking her friend in the arm.

“Deal!” Her friend replied brightly, apparently unconcerned by the threat.

With everything else that happened over the next couple of months with Mary Margaret and David’s wedding, Emma almost completely forgot about her promised involvement with the fundraiser. She had Mary Margaret bachelorette (classy and refined, and no Ruby there will not be strippers) to organise. She’d had dress fittings for Mary Margaret as well as trying to organise the rest of the bridesmaids into some semblance of order and into the same damn dress.

At least that appointment had been more hilarious than the wedding dress appointment. Ava, Mary Margaret’s mother was… extremely picky, and while she’d ‘donated’ five thousand dollars to the dress budget she thought that meant she had the deciding vote. When Mary Margaret had been practically in tears begging her mother to let her get the dress she loved, Emma had to step in. It wasn’t a dress Emma wouldn’t have picked for herself, but she loved it on Mary Margaret. She suggested that the consultant take Mary Margaret back to the dressing room for a minute to think things over and come out in the dress she wanted and then turned on Ava. She’d told her that if Ava wasn’t going to get off her high horse, she could have her money back and get out and Emma would help her best friend pay for her dream dress. Leo, Mary Margaret’s father, had shot her a wink as he’d squeezed his wife’s hand. Emma had always thought they were a weird couple but somehow, they’d always made it work.

Emma had never been so lucky in love, and that had never really bothered her, but it had seen her moving back to her hometown and back in with her college room mate who had moved to the town to be with Emma’s adoptive brother, who was now the town Sherriff. That had been five years ago, and Mary Margaret and David were engaged about to be married, and Emma needed to find somewhere else to live…

Because there was no way in hell she was sharing a loft apartment with newlyweds.

It didn’t take living with newlyweds for lines to be crossed, apparently just being engaged for this long made them forget the boundaries Emma had set out.

It was great to see her brother and her best friend so happy but…

Emma was never going to eat tacos ever, ever again…

She was desperately hoping that she managed to find somewhere to live before more foods were rendered as no goes.

When February rolled around, Emma wondered how she had forgotten about the promise she’d made Mary Margaret five months ago. Admittedly she’d attended the Halloween fundraiser, and the Winter Wonderland fundraiser but because of the wedding she hadn’t had to do anything for them.

Apparently this one was not going to be such a breeze to get through.

“I agreed to what?” Emma blinked, convinced she’d misheard.

“Relax Emma, it’s just a bit of fun and you know how people in this town are, they’ll be talking about it for weeks even if nothing comes of it, and the more they talk about what you guys were willing to do for a fundraiser the more money we’ll get for the library!” She rambled with enthusiasm.

Emma took a deep breath.

“Just so we’re clear, you definitely owe me for this… Who in this town is single and willing to participate anyway?”

“Well, uh… several people, actually…” she said vaguely. “Graham, August, David’s friend who joined the Navy, Robin, and he’s bringing a friend to fill in a gap because I had someone drop out.”

A week later, Emma felt a little uncomfortable, having donned a dress she only used to use for honeytraps at Mary Margaret and Ruby’s insistence. At least they’d picked one that she could wear a bra under, which made her feel less exposed, and of course she’d picked her best bra so that her boobs looked amazing. She’d curled her hair and done her makeup like she’d barely bothered with in years and yes, so maybe the dress was a little snugger than it had been the last time she wore it, but she felt good.

In fact, she felt damn hot.

She’d been surprised by some of the faces in the side room the girls were waiting in. Apparently, they weren’t supposed to see the guys until they walked in the room, so that it was a surprise. Emma had just rolled her eyes and followed Ruby through the door. There were a couple of people in particular that Emma had found herself avoiding over the last five years. Her brother’s ex, Katherine, who had at least parted ways with her brother amicably was in town for an extended visit and was just here for a bit of fun had come over to talk to her straight away. But Lily and Tamara had lingered on the other side of the room not looking her way.

Emma squeezed Ruby’s hand reassuringly and headed over.

“Look, this is a small town, and I know you guys are avoiding me as much as I’m avoiding you… but… can we act like actual adults for maybe the first time ever and forgive each other?” Emma tried.

Things had been said and accusations had been thrown, way back when. Before Emma had left for college the three of them and Ruby had been inseparable, but the summer before they all went their separate ways… things had exploded. Emma and Neal had been dating for years, the whole town expected them to have a high school sweetheart story like David’s parents had. And sure, David’s Dad hadn’t been perfect, but he had always tried and that was what counted. Suddenly, Neal had stopped trying, and two weeks later Emma had found out he’d slept with Lily while they were drunk and an afterparty Emma had declined attending because she had to volunteer at the station the next day.

Tamara had sided with Lily and Ruby had sided with Emma and the pair of them hadn’t spoken to either of the other two until a few years ago. Ruby had been unable to avoid them because she’d taken over running her grandmother’s diner, Emma had never held that against her.

Lily looked like she might actually cry, which for the resident tough chick of group was saying something.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, hugging Emma tightly for a moment before pulling away and dabbing at her eyes.

“He played us, and we should have taken it out on him instead of each other,” Emma said carefully. Lily had been drunk, and she had apologised, it was Neal who had been so nonchalant about it, saying that as Emma hadn’t been putting out he’d started looking elsewhere. “So, we’re here to have fun and talk to some ‘hunks’ for five minutes at a time huh?”

“Yeah, whatever this town has that classes as hunks anyway,” Lily scoffed. Clearly her hopes weren’t high either. But really Emma was here to get the kids of this town a better school library and she couldn’t believe how much it was going to cost.

Ten minutes later, after a lot of applause from the auditorium, David opened the door. “Are you ready ladies?” he called. There was a shuffling of feet, hair was checked, and skirts were tugged, or fluffed, or smoothed. “Regina, ready to meet the guy of your dreams?”

She let out a derisive laugh and headed over to the door, it seemed like all the women felt like they were being duped, especially the mayor. But she took David’s arm and let him guide her onto the stage to take her position outside her first booth. Katherine was next, then Anna, Ruby, Belle and Lily left Emma and Tamara alone in the room. She was fairly sure she was never going to get over Tamara’s involvement with the whole thing, but she was going to try and save her friendship with Lily all the same.

“Your turn, Emma!” David called with a grin and David rolled her eyes, letting David guide her out under the stage lights so old Emma was surprised they still worked. Maybe they should raise money for new lights for the Town Hall next?

Oh god, she’d been spending way too much time with Mary Margaret.

“Good luck, Emma,” David said, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he stopped outside door number two.

A moment or two later, Tamara was escorted to door number one.

“So ladies, you have five minutes, and once you’ve worked your way down to door number eight you head back up to door number one! Have fun, your time starts… NOW!” Mary Margaret shouted into the microphone.

Jesus, who gave that woman access to amplified sound? Emma thought as she stepped up to the door. She took a deep breath and opened it.

“Hey, beautiful,” greeted a familiar but enthusiastic voice.

“Hi Graham,” Emma said with a smile of her own as he stood up to pull her into a hug and give her a kiss on the cheek. Graham was the lead Park Ranger, having stepped down from being Sherriff a few years ago after a mental breakdown that had meant David taking over. “I’ve been wondering who else Mary Margaret roped into this. How have you been?”

“Well, I figured it was about time I gave life another try, and where better to start than meeting eight beautiful women in one night?” He asked with a smile and a playful wink.

They knew they weren’t going to match with each other at the end of the night, because they had tried too soon after his breakdown and her moving back to town for it to have a happy ending. But they’d become good friends, and Emma had grown to trust Graham. So, four minutes and thirty seconds later they had been chatting easily and parted with another hug.

Emma was secretly hoping to throw people off with their predictions so that no one won the prize and Mary Margaret had to concede that while plenty was raised this was kind of a terrible idea.

Behind door number three Emma found August, a childhood friend who’d gotten lost and got on a train and didn’t know where he’d come from and ended up in the system. When he’d eventually found his way home, Emma was invited to visit, which was when she’d met David, James, Ruth and Robert. Ruth and Robert had fallen in love with her, having found themselves unable to have any more children after the twins and always wanting a girl. She’d hadn’t been the tiny princess most would have wanted, but the spunky, teenage, blonde had made an impression. Ruth and Robert hadn’t rested until the adoption papers were signed.

So they’d spent a while catching up, mostly talking about August’s father and his carpentry business that August had mostly taken over.

Door number four revealed Victor Whale, a Surgeon at the local hospital. He was a bit of a creep, but not in a nasty way that made Emma’s skin crawl the way Neal’s dad had. He was just an overtly obnoxious flirt who went about it all the wrong way. He and Ruby had dated in the past but Ruby had called off their on again, off again insanity for good about six months ago. Still, he seemed to know nothing was going to happen and seemed content to try and make her laugh with increasingly ridiculous innuendos.

When Emma opened door five she was faced with a thoroughly miserable looking Neal who already had two bright red cheeks from where Ruby and Lily had obviously slapped him.

“Hey Ems, long time no see…” he said, standing to greet her.

“Yeah, there’s a reason for that… asshole…” she said and promptly kneed him in the groin.

A loud ‘ooooh’ rolled through the crowd as Emma stepped back out the door and slammed it shut, hard.

“I told her that was a bad idea, but apparently he insisted, and donated a few hundred dollars,” David murmured as he pulled Emma into a hug.

She took a deep breath and took a step back.

“Honestly, I’m fine, but tell her she owes me more than one. I’ve been trying not to assault people anymore.”

David laughed and kissed her on the forehead before heading back into the crowd.

Door number six revealed Robin, David’s friend from College who had joined the Navy and would be his best man at the wedding. Needless to say, they ended up chatting about a lot of wedding stuff for the five minutes they had.

Emma had laughed as she opened the seventh door. Will Scarlet was a local miscreant and had been since they were kids. Sure, he’d straightened up now, but there was just no way in Hell. She was starting to wonder what Mary Margaret was thinking, she wasn’t going to pick any of these men. It wasn’t like any of them were ugly, well except Neal, but he was rotten to the core and she was fairly certain none of the women here tonight were going to pick him.

Door eight was someone Emma hadn’t met before, who apparently ran a reindeer farm about five miles outside town and rarely made it in to do anything other than shop because he was the only person around to run the farm. He was a nice enough guy, smelled a little earthy maybe but he had his head on straight. If Mary Margaret was looking for someone Emma could take to the wedding as a plus one, she didn’t think she’d complain about Kristoff, but… She had a suspicion he’d already had his mind blown by someone he’d seen before.

So, she bid him goodbye, and headed back up the line to door number one. He was either going to be desperate, and glad his last visitor was wearing a tight dress and heels, or he was already going to have been swept of his feet by any of girls one through seven he’d already met that night. Still… she’d had fun, chatting and ‘getting to know’ six other men, started to patch things up with her ex best friend, and kneed her ex in the balls so even if this guy was a bust the night wasn’t a total loss.

“Are you ready for your final five minutes, ladies?” Mary Margaret called over the sound system. The crowd cheered. Emma had to wonder who the hell was interested in this rubbish.

“Bring it on,” she mumbled under her breath.

“In you go!”

Emma opened the door and was instantly sure there had been some mistake. He was already on his feet, and reaching for her hand, which he took and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“Pleasure to meet you, love, I’m Killian,”

“Emma,” she managed to mutter quietly.

“Sorry?” he asked. “Didn’t quite catch that?” he prompted, an encouraging, open smile that reached his eyes causing the corners of his full lips to quirk upwards into the moustache that completed the look of the respectfully but not overly maintained scruff lining his jaw. His eyes sparkled with mischief and Emma knew she was done for even if admitting it would mean she’d potentially never owe Mary Margaret another favour in her entire life.

She cleared her throat, “Emma, Emma Swan.”

“David’s sister?” She nodded. “Here, let me get your chair,” he said, moving to pull it back a little so that she could sit down easier and pushing it in as she sat down. It was only then that she realised he’d only gripped the chair with one hand and the other…

Emma took a breath. She’d heard about this guy. This was the friend of Robin’s who’d agreed to fill in at a weeks’ notice. Who’d been in the Navy with him but wasn’t anymore because…

“So, are you around for long? Mary Margaret said you’re a friend of Robin’s from the Navy?” she ventured cautiously.

“Aye, we served together, both Lieutenants under my brother as Captain, but I’ve been out a few years now, as you’ve probably noticed,” he said, tapping the prosthetic hand.

“I’m sorry, that must have been awful,” she said, with a frown creasing her forehead.

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, as my brother used to say,” he deflected with a wry smile, though he glanced away for a moment. “Fucking stupid thing to say,” he mumbled.

“No, it’s alright… I take it he’s…”

“Dead, aye,” Killian replied quietly.

Without thinking, Emma shifted forward in her seat and placed her hands over his, taking the prosthetic the same as she did the normal one and Killian tensed. Emma felt the calloused fingers under hers and desperately ignored the clench in her gut at the thought of what those fingers might feel like in other places.

“I know what it’s like to lose people, David was never the same after James’ bike accident. But he sounds like he was a good man, and I’m sure he’d be proud of you. Tell me what other kinds of things he used to say?” she tried carefully, not wanting to upset Killian, but hoping that maybe… showing that she was interested to get to know even the parts he might sometimes struggle with would work in her favour. It was heavy going for a five minute first meeting but…

“That a man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets,” Killian replied easily, and the way he looked at her through his lashes with his blue eyes blazing at her and his thumb caressing the back of her hand had her swallowing and forcing a smile back onto her face as she blushed.

“I uh…” Emma stuttered, her mouth suddenly dry.

“Too much? I apologise,” he said quickly.

“No I… It’s okay, honestly,” she assured him. “I just… twenty minutes ago I was kneeing my high school cheating scumbag ex in the balls so… this is quite the turnaround.”

“A woman who knows how to take care of herself, I like it,” he said with a swipe of his tongue across the back of his teeth, Emma had to fight not to squirm as she wondered what he was imagining doing with that tongue.

“I used to be in bail bonds, thank you very much,” Emma informed him, straightening her spine a little.

“Oh really, what was your speciality?”

“Honey traps…” she said, leaning forward and squeezing her elbows together under her breasts to push them forward.

It was his turn to have to collect himself.

“I see…” he said, dragging his gaze back up to her face. “And I have to say… your ex is clearly an idiot who didn’t deserve you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” she said with a soft smile.

“Anytime, love,” he said with a fresh grin on his face and an earnestness in his gaze that floored her in a different way to the salacious tongue was doing.

“So… do you call all the girls love and kiss them on the hand or…?” she asked, trailing off at the end of her question, not really sure what the other option was.

“Love, is… kind of a habit, but I can try to stop if it annoys you,” he offered, and Emma could tell it was a genuine one.

“No, I… kinda like it,”

He grinned.

“And that’s time, ladies, please exit the booths,”

“I don’t work that quick!” Came August’s loud protest from a couple of cubilcles down.

Emma snorted and then flushed furiously.

“It’s been a pleasure, Emma Swan,” he said, getting up to pull out her chair and leaving her with another kiss on her hand. “Thank you, for the best five minutes of my life.”

Emma raised an eyebrow.

“If that was the best five minutes of your life, I’ll blow your mind when I’m not being watched by an audience.”

Killian leaned in; his eyes darkened with desire at the promise in her words.

“I might have to hold you to that, Swan, if you don’t mind?” he said his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Emma had to force herself to step away.

“You should know, that if you’re playing me right now… I have a gun and I’m not afraid to use it…”

“And a knee you have very good aim with too I hear,” he replied immediately, his gaze never leaving hers.

Someone banged a fist on the door.

“We called time; did you lose your hearing too Jones?” David called.

Killian winced just a little, but it was enough for Emma to notice. She yanked open the door with a face like thunder and glared up at her brother.

“That was uncalled for David!”

He had the good sense to look sheepish.

“Sorry, Jones,” he said, his neck tinged pink with embarrassment.

“It’s fine, mate. Honestly,” he added, when Emma looked back at him. “Not that I don’t appreciate you coming to my defence, Swan,” he asked with a wink.

Emma rolled her eyes and stepped out of the booth, past David, who handed Killian a sheet of paper and shut the door again.

“Now the gentlemen have been given their scorecards, and the ladies are having theirs handed out now. You have the numbers one through ten available, each can be used only once, and you can leave spaces blank if you’d rather not give them a score.”

Emma nodded when she was handed her scorecard and turned to the table behind her.

She immediately wrote ‘I’d rather burn in hell for eternity’ on the dotted line next to Neal’s name.

She filled in the rest of her numbers with an amused smile, and wrote her own predictions down next to each guy for who she reckoned would score each of them a ten, just for her own amusement. She wasn’t cruel, but the fact was she’d only met one man tonight whom she had any interest in dating whatsoever.

She just had to hope her gamble paid off.

Once the cards were collected in, the ladies and gents were sent into their opposite rooms again to await the verdicts. At least now they were given sparkling wine to take the edge off, they’d only had water up until now.

The wait was soon up though, as David came to collect them all, and directed them to stand on the tiered rostra that had been set up on one side of the stage.

“Well, we are happy to announce a lot of potential matches tonight,” Mary Margaret said, beaming brightly as she took centre stage once more. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their donations and predictions and I am pleased to announce that the prize for the winner will be a Spa day for Two at the three Bears Day Spa, followed by dinner at Bella Notte Italian restaurant.”

The crowd clapped.

“Unfortunately, one of our men didn’t quite understand the scoring rules, so I’m afraid Neal Gold won’t be going home with anyone.”

Neal shouted something Emma didn’t quite hear, but there was a sudden commotion and suddenly he was laid out on the floor, and Killian was being held back by Robin. For a moment everyone stared.

David picked Neal up off the floor and escorted him off the stage.

“Apologies, everyone, the man has a rather foul mouth and he’s been saying some quite unpleasant things about our lovely ladies all evening. I’m afraid, I’d had enough.” He cleared his throat. “And we can all agree every single one of us who gets a match tonight is a lucky man, right?” he asked the crowd. There was a cheer and the tension Neal had caused was gone in a moment. He nodded politely at Mary Margaret who smiled and nodded back before turning back to the crowd.

“So, I’m happy to announce that the winner of our grand prize predicted all the matches that happened tonight,” Mary Margaret said, taking over the attention once more. “If our esteemed Mayor could please step forward,” Regina rolled her eyes, but Emma saw her glance across the stage and found herself looking over to wonder who she’d picked.

“Could the man who gave her a ten please step forward?”

There was a drumroll from somewhere and Emma and Ruby started to giggle with the insanity of it all, Lily soon joined in and for a moment it felt like they were back in high school waiting to hear who would be announced as Prom Queen.

With a flourish, Robin stepped out of the group of men, and presented Regina with a single red rose.

“If I might have the honour of a proper date milady, I’d love a little more time to get to know you…” He said with a roguish smile. Regina took the rose and Emma realised she was blushing.

“I’d like that,” she said quietly. Robin offered her his arm and they made their way off the stage to where a few tables had been set out with a bottle of champagne on them.

Emma watched as Belle matched with Will. Then Anna with Kristoff (there goes my backup, she’d thought), Whale with Katherine, to which Ruby had suggested his salary might help him keep up with her expensive taste. Lily was called forward to meet a blushing August, to which Emma whooped and clapped louder than anyone else. They had been fighting it for years as far as Emma was concerned. Finally Ruby, suddenly giddy with excitement, was told she’d matched with Graham.

She was so happy for her friends Emma had barely realised Killian was the only man left, and both she and Tamara had yet to be matched. She glanced across at the other woman and shot her a smile. Tamara leaned over and whispered.

“You’re safe blondie, I bat for the other team,” she looked into the crowd and shot a wink at someone.

Emma looked at her in surprise. “Since when…?” she hissed, for all the time they’d spent together she’d never realised.

“Kinda forever, I… had a crush on you for a while…” she admitted with a shrug.

Emma pulled her into a hug. “I’ve missed you Tam,” she said as she pulled back.

“I missed you too,” she beamed.

“If you two are done, Emma, I… well I guess it’s no secret who gave you a ten is there?” Mary Margaret said, amused as Killian didn’t hesitate to join Emma in the middle of the stage before he’d even been called up.

“You won’t regret this, Swan,” he promised, taking her hand and leaning over it to kiss it again before holding out her rose.

“Oh, I will, but not for the reasons you think…” she laughed.

“Actually, before you two go. Emma if you’d like to make these predictions official… Make a donation, because… Well ladies and gentlemen, Emma drew a grid on the back of her scorecard and predicted all the tens, and was within one point on most of the rest of the scores…”

“What do you say, Jones, fancy a spa day followed by Italian for dinner?” Emma asked.

“Aye, love, I think I can do that…” he said, his tongue sweeping across his lips. Emma had sudden auditory imaginings of the kinds of sounds he’d make while getting a massage and couldn’t wait to kiss him. So, she did, grabbing the lapels of his leather jacket and crashing her lips against his.

It was like someone had set a fire in her blood, an all-consuming need had come over her and if she didn’t stop she was going to forget she was in a room full of people she was going to have to face every day for the rest of her life. His hand tangled in her hair as his other arm slipped round her waist, pulling her closer. Emma moaned, tilting her head, wanting more as his tongue pressed into her mouth…

There was an explosion, and confetti rained down over the entire hall, as Emma pulled back laughing breathlessly.

“Somehow, I think this was about more than buying books for kids for Mary Margaret …” Emma said over the loud music that had started to blare into the room and the sounds of people dancing.

“Fancies herself a matchmaker, does she?” Killian asked, blinking paper off his lashes. She could feel the press of his prosthetic at her back, holding her close. The solid warmth of his arm wrapped around her. “Can’t say I’m unhappy with the outcome…” he reasoned with a cheeky wink.

“How much do I owe you Mary Margaret?” Emma called without looking away from Killian.

“Does this mean you are bringing a plus one to the wedding now?” she called back.

Emma rolled her eyes.

“What did I tell you?”

“At least give us one date to get all the nitty gritty out in the open, lass,” Killian replied.

“We’ve got time for nitty gritty?” she asked, her teeth catching her lip.

“Aye, love, I’ve got all the time in the world. You’re looking at Storybrooke’s new Harbour Master,” he told her, still grinning.

Emma gaped at him and then grinned, pulling him back in for another kiss.

[peeterparkr]

limits of desire⤳t.h.||10

chapter 10: throw your bridal shower.

story summary: you met Tom a night he was trying to sleep with you, it didn’t work and you became best of friends. Wedding bells might be ringing for when you both realize what you really feel.

summary: the one with the Toblerone, the questionnaire & the lingerie

pairing: fuckboy!tom holland x best friend!reader

warnings: swearing, angsty, fluffy, harry potter, alcohol mention, sex mention, i didn’t proof read lmao

word count: 6.3k

previous chapter next chapter series masterlist wanna be tagged?

“What even is a Bridal Shower?” Sam asked. 

Tom and Haz had tried to set up the perfect bridal shower since y/n told him. They were good at planning parties at the last minute. But, those parties usually involved alcohol, music and chips. Nothing too complicated. However, a bridal shower was a whole different thing. 

Poker night was definitely going to go way different than the boys had expected it to go. For starters, Haz and Tom's house was covered in flowers, with tables and chairs around. There were cheesy signs with messages like 'Here comes the Bride', 'Put a Ring On It' and ‘Miss to Mrs.’. There were pink flowers, and in the refrigerator, to Harry's surprise, there was no space, due to the pink cheesecake, the pink chocolate cake, and the pink champagne. Haz and Tom had started shopping and decorating as soon as they had left the dance class. 

"Don't tell me the toilet is the pink too," Harry complained. 

"Alright, Tom," Tuwaine rolled his eyes. “I never thought I'd say this, but here you go...Magazines for bridesmaids, from various countries.” 

“I found videos on youtube,” said Harry. “I sent them to you.” 

“I made a board on Pinterest,” Haz said. “And i shared it with you.” 

"Although honestly, everything would be easier if you went to her hotel room and told her how you feel," Sam suggested. “You know, show up with some flowers, maybe champagne, or maybe show up with some cards, Love Actually style, and tell her how you feel.” 

“That could work,” Harry agreed. "But hey, I already ordered some pizzas and here are the beers, drink them since the fridge is full," he said while sipping his beer. 

"No ... No, you don't understand," Tom wrinkled his nose, "It's not just preventing this wedding, it's also showing her I'm not against them." 

"You're not?" Tuwaine asked condescendingly. 

Tom sighed, thinking about the blue box in his drawer. "I bought something." 

Haz raised his eyebrows. "What? A ring?”

“If you did, then…maybe you could go and propose to her,” Tuwaine suggested.

“Don’t be silly! He can’t propose to an engaged woman,” Sam rolled his eyes. 

“Neither can’t he confess his love, then,” Harry added. “At this point it’s… complicated.” 

“Did you really buy a ring?” Haz asked, 

"No, no ... Nothing, nothing," Tom cleared his throat. "Now, I need to turn this place into a dream place for y / n, uh ... Actually, I also made a board on pinterest, as crazy as it sounds, I have everything here, there will be a hot chocolate bar ..." 

"Tom," Haz stopped him. "Sam made a point." 

"I know, but it's not that simple." 

"Isn't it easy to tell her that you love her?" Tuwaine laughed. "Man, I’m telling you, it took a long time for you not to tell her, already." 

"If I have waited so long I can wait longer," Tom added. “I want her to see that I can really take things seriously, you guys understand?” 

“I think rather, you are afraid, Tom,” said Harry. "I think you're afraid of being rejected as you rejected her." 

"Maybe, yes," Tom admitted. “But hey, wouldn’t you feel that way? You saw how she was looking at  Miguel, right? ” 

“ Yes, Tom, but I also saw how you danced with her today, I've never seen her have that chemistry with someone else, not even with Miguel on the night of the party, ”Haz insisted. 

"That's what it all relies on," Tom said. "She may have feelings for me, but she thinks I'm not fit for her." 

"Have you told her that you have changed?" Sam asked. 

"Yes," Tom sighed. "She doesn't believe me." 

"We need an insider," Tuwaine suggested. 

"We just need to convince not only y/n, then," said Haz. "She has a very poisonous voice there by her side." 

"Lizzie," Tom growled. "And how to make Lizzie convince herself?" 

"Ask her for help, for the party!" Sam suggested.”Maybe she’ll think you’ve changed, too!”

Tom thought about it. "Okay, okay," he said as he pulled out his phone, texting Lizzie asking about ideas for the shower of y / n. 

"I don't know," Haz hesitated. "I think Lizzie isn't so happy with y / n's wedding either." 

"Do you think so?" Tom raised his head. 

Tuwaine was the first to let out a laugh. "Tom, please, the only thing Lizzie wants in this life is for y/n  to get away from you." The other friends followed his laughter.

“Really?” Tom frowned. 

“Yeah, but I heard her speaking at the party,” Haz said. “She told Hannah how she was unsure, that y/n should not marry someone she had just met.” 

“She’s right about that,” Tom rolled his eyes. 

“But still, she doesn’t like you,” Tuwaine added. 

“Oh, no, she likes him just fine,” Sam teased. “But she’s angry Tom doesn’t like her in the same way.” 

Tom rolled his eyes, but he received a text from Lizzie. 

“Flowers, lots of flowers,” it read. 

And he knew Lizzie meant that text. Because y/n loved flowers. 

“Have the place be presentable. Fairy tale with taste, not too much.” She textured again. 

"Ah, that's fine ... Now, you have to ... Transform this men's cage into a dream place," Tom said with little desire. 

"What is a bridal shower, again?" Harry asked. “Do you have to bring strippers? Oh, what if you're the stripper for. ” 

“No, no, no! it's not a bachelorette party, ”said Tom. "Actually, uh ... I don't know, I just know that we have to do the centerpieces, oh and plan games." 

"Games, yes, I had some of that on my board on pinterest ..." Haz said. "Here it is! 30 games to do in a Bridal Shower! ” 

Harry took Haz's cell phone, reading the games. 

"great, that sounds promising," Tom said, he looked too stressed. "Hey, let's see." 

Harry read the list. "You know, most of the games are really coupley things," said Harry. “You know… for couples who have been together for a long time. It would be easy if it were you. ” 

“You could make a game like that, right? Let her understand that she doesn't know Miguel and that you Tom, are the one who should really be with her, ”Tuwaine said. 

"Yes ... Yes," Tom cleared his throat. 

"Yes, the nearly-wed game," Haz said. "I'll send a text to Miguel, I'll have him answer the questions and-" 

"You have his number?" 

"I had to spend a whole day with him, man, what did you expect?" Harrison sighed. “But, let's ask him questions and let y/n try to answer them. And vice-versa, make y/n answer a questionnaire, and we have Tom answer it. ” 

“Cool, now help me out wit these,  ‘the thanks for coming’ gifts,” Tom said, as he took out little bags. 

"Toblerones?" Asked Harry as he looked into the bag. 

"Yes..." Tom smiled. “Toblerones.” 

“And… is this Harry Potter themed? I thought the theme was pink.”

Haz laughed, “the theme is the night Tom fell in love with her.” 

——

Not far from there, y/n was not having a good time. She felt her head was going to explode. She was sure that whatever that had happened at the dancing lesson was not insignificant. She was in her hotel room, with Lizzie sitting on the edge of her bed while y/n was complaining against the pillow. 

Lizzie was drinking from her glass of wine while staying quiet.

"Are you done?" She asked her friend. 

"No," answered y / n. “I have serious problems.” 

“Needless to say.”

“I love Miguel,” said y/n, more for her than for Lizzie, who decided to remain silent. "I mean ... I don't know why I'm doing this." 

"Y / N, you’re not over Tom," Lizzie told her. 

"What are you talking about? I'm over him… No, wait, I'm not over because I was never… above him, ”Y / n closed her. eyes. "I mean ... You know what I mean." 

Lizzie poured her a glass of wine. "Okay,y/n, it's time we talked." 

"Talk about what?"

"Talk about how you have been in love with Tom for a long time already?" 

Y / N glared at her friend. "No ...that is not true." 

"Come on, y / n, I can assure you that I know the day you fell in love with him." Lizzie sighed. "it was just shortly after you met, when you had that great big  essay, you remember? The big Christmas party? We were on finals.” 

"That ..." 

"You fell in love at that time, and ... if I didn’t know Tom any better, I also believe that he fell in love at that precise moment. ” 

Y/N took a sip of her wine glass. Yes, she remembered it too.

5 years ago. 

It was cold, y/n had not stopped sneezing, and she had a mixture of tissues, notes and books around her bedroom. Her eyes were covered with dark circles and her nose was red. She was curled up while trying to read yet another book so she could finish her essay on the criticism of contemporary media, talking about free speech with legal terms and other nonsense that y/n did not remember due to her illness.

She was almost finished but, y/n, like the great student She was, she was still editing it. There was a party, Tom had invited her and her friends. Haz and he were celebrating the finals and Christmas. Honestly, it was yet another way to get girls to bed. 

Y/ n's friends had been gushing about how amazing it was that y/n was now friends with a celebrity. And they were insisting on how y/n should be dating Tom, thing which, y/n of course declined, being that because clearly Tom was not the kind of guy you go out on dates with, but someone for a one-night stand. Y/n didn’t want that.

Besides, she liked him, as a friend, of course. 

But she wasn’t going to the party, she had an essay to finish. Besides, she felt worse and worse by each second. Every second her cold was killing her. 

"Are you sure you're not going?" Rachel, her roommate, asked. “It's you whom he invited.” 

“I am sure, I don't want to risk getting even more sick, have fun, get out, and I hope you get some.” 

She had sent a text to Tom, telling him she wouldn't go to his party because her body had decided to betray her, but she wished him luck and asked him to please not sleep with any of her friends, she didn't want things to be uncomfortable. 

-C'mon, please join us, it'll be fun, you know what they say, drinking whiskey is like going to the doctor

-Who says that? 

-I just did

-I'm sorry, I really wish I could, but I need to rest, have fun, tho!

So she curled up in her bed, coughing as she covered herself. She fell asleep. But not for long because someone had knocked on her door. Y / N, covered with a blanket, approached the door, which opened only to reveal a coated Tom who had a pizza box in one hand and another box with other things under it. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked, perplexed as Tom surrounded her to enter the room. 

"I came to take care of you," Tom said. "My God, you're a mess." 

"Take care of me?" 

"Yes, I told you I would throw that party to spend time with you, you decided not to come so I assumed I would bring the fun to you," Tom said with a smile. "I will help you clean up and then we will watch a movie," Tom said, leaving the box with things on her bed and the pizza on her desk, while throwing out y/n’s tissues and cleaning up her mess. 

Y / N looked at him perplexed, with a smile, but not without , of course, sneezing.

"Hell, you sound terrible," Tom scoffed. “I believe you now, I mean I saw you with the red nose but it could’ve been makeup.” 

“What… what is this?” Y/n asked approaching the box. 

"A care package." 

Y / N burst out laughing. “Really?” 

“Yes, hey, I told you that I wanted to be your best friend, right? I think it's a good start, besides, you deserve it, I've seen you kill yourself for school, you need a break, ”Tom said, as he approached the box. "It has everything you need, I know you're old-fashioned and you still have a DVD, so I brought your favorites, Harry Potter." 

Y / N smiled as she looked at the box. It had the Harry Potter movies, vitamin C supplements, chapstick, lotion, medicine,gatorades, tissues, advils, tea bags in a new cup, popcorn, toblerones (y / n's favorites), a pair of socks and a blanket . Y / N's heart melted. 

Tom finished cleaning up the mess y/n had built up while y/n watched him and helped him with it. She saw him, for the first time, in a different way. 

"Besides, I brought pizza, because I'm sure you forgot to eat," Tom said. “Now, put on the movie, snuggle up, take your pills, while I'm going to search for some hot water for your tea, okay?” 

“But… Tom, your party,” said y/n. 

"There will be more parties, silly," Tom laughed. “A friend needs me.” 

And y/n had felt like her body was quickly warming up, and she was sure it wasn't a fever. And in that moment when she saw him smile, y/n understood many things about Tom. What she had seen from the beginning, just a few weeks ago. Tom was someone who cared. Tom was meticulous and loyal as a friend. 

And she suddenly felt that her stomach was churning, maybe she could blame the same cold, but she had decided to ignore it. Blaming it on illness, when she was completely sure that she had fallen in love with Tom. She saw it with different eyes, and although it was too early to say it, she had seen him with blind eyes. 

“You didn’t have to do this,” she told him as soon as he came back. 

“I sure did, you deserve to have fun, too,” Tom chuckled. “Look, I will also take you out for breakfast tomorrow.” 

“Hmm—breakfast?” 

“Fine, brunch so you can sleep a bit more, alright?” Tom grinned. “But actually sleep! I’ve seen how you live on coffee and you should actually sleep more.” 

Y/n chuckled, he was right. They stayed quiet for a bit. 

“The pizza is great, but you know what I’m craving right now?” She looked at him. 

“strawberry cheesecake,” Tom guessed. 

Y/N blinked. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she laughed. “I was actually thinking about that!”

Tom’s eyes widened. “No way!” 

Y/n giggled between coughs. “Yes! How could you even guess?”

Tom shrugged. “We were meant to be friends, y/n,” he smirked. “Now, let’s prove if this is destiny or not. What dessert am I craving?”

She looked him in the eyes. “I—well,” she bit her lip. “Chocolate truffle cake.” 

Tom blinked. “Now that is creepy.” 

Y/n raised her eyebrow. “Really?”

“Really, that is creepy.” 

“Maybe we read each other’s mind—“ she smiled, as she snuggled with her blanket and her old Mickey Mouse plush. 

“Still creepy,” he laughed. 

“You know, I need to take you to this bakery, it’s near here, I discovered once when it was raining and I had nowhere else to get in, it’s sooo good, they have all kinds of dessert.” 

“Like strawberry cheesecake and chocolate truffle cake?” Tom grinned. 

“Yes, like strawberry cheesecake and chocolate truffle cake.”

That had been the first of many times curled up watching Harry Potter. It became another tradition between the two of them, who shared it only with each other. And since that day, y/n had not been able to let her feelings stop growing. But Tom had taught her that he was not a good match, that Tom was simply not built for relationships. 

Which brings us back to today, where she was drinking from a glass of cheap wine in a hotel room with Lizzie. 

"I'm not in love with him," said Y / N, trying to convince her friend. 

"You are," Lizzie told her. "Y / N are you sure you're going to marry a man when you love someone else?" 

"I don't know, Lizzie, it's complicated," said y / n. “It's… I love Miguel, he loves me like someone should love me. I don't have to beg him for his love, do you understand? Miguel doesn't go around reminding me that he can't love me. ”

“ Y / N. ” 

“ Maybe, Lizzie, I was in love with Tom, I can't… I don't know, I think it's something that had to happen, and you're right, It all happened that night, when he decided not to go to his party to take care of me, ”she smiled as she remembered. 

“Yeah.” 

“But, being honest, Lizzie, why wouldn't I fall in love with him? Have you thought about that?  I mean, he ... he gave everything for me, that night is just one of many, I thought maybe he felt something too. I mean, how many times didn't he pull an all-nighter himself to help me with an exam? Or how many times wasn't he there comforting me to cry with me? It was... the little details, from knowing my favourite chocolate to knowing that I accumulate notebooks. ” 

“ I know. ” 

“ But, it seems I always found a way to avoid it, as if every time he knew he was doing something to make me fall in love… He was with another girl, and yet with another girl. ” 

“ I know, I was one of the victims, I was an aware victim, though. ” 

“ You were? ” 

“ Y / N, the last time I slept with him was to prevent you from doing it, we both know Tom, he always plays that little game with you, he always looked forward to playing with you and ... And I saw that several times that you were just about to give in, but, as someone who once slept with him, I didn't want you to feel that, you know? I didn't want you to suffer that particular disappointment, ”Lizzie said with a little guilt. “Oh, I don't know,y/n.” 

“Come again?” 

“I think I saw the way you saw him, and sometimes I came to think that Tom felt the same about you and then… Then he did those things, and he turned around to flirt with whoever was in the room. ” 

“ Thank you for bringing that back, ” y/n sighed, gulping down her wine.

"Tom doesn't know how to love,y/n, or ... or maybe he does, I don't know, he's scared, that's what I see, and being honest, I can't stand it," Lizzie said. “Because in spite of everything, he is the man who has made my best friend cry the most.” 

She was right. 

“No… I don't know,” y/n ignored her gaze, knowing she was right. "But he's also a very good friend." 

"I can't deny that," Lizzie said. “But I think, I think you have to let him go.” 

“I know,” said y/n . “I tried that, I did that, and for six months, I was fine, I missed him too much, because… He's my best friend, and he's always there for me.” 

“As long as you have him close,” Lizzie told him. "You'll continue with that doubt, with that hope." 

"But you saw him today, right?" Y / N insisted. "You saw how he looked at me, and… oh Lizzie, when I was dancing with him, I felt ... I felt everything, even more than with Miguel." 

The two finished their drinks and Lizzie filled them again. They remained silent, while pretending to watch the background film they had been playing all this time. 

"Y/N are you sure you want to get married?" Lizzie asked. "I understand that you want to forget Tom, but is getting married necessary?" 

Y/N did not answer suddenly but looked at her cell phone. She had a photo of Miguel as her background, as if to remind herself that he was her fiancé and not Tom. However, when unlocking it, she had a picture with Tom. She checked her notifications, and there was what she needed, a message from Miguel. Poetry, Said poetry she loved. 

“Laugh at the night, at the day, at the moon, laugh at the twisted streets of the island, laugh at this clumsy boy who loves you, but when I open my eyes and close them, when my steps go, when my steps return, deny me bread, air, light, spring, but never your laughter for I would die. ” 

Y/N smiled to herself.

"Yes, I want to marry Miguel,"  she said confidently. “I just need to see a picture with him to remember why I want to do it, I guess… I guess I'm having all these thoughts because I know I'm going to let Tom go, forever.” 

“Forever?” 

“Yes , I don't want to live tied to him, and if I don't let him go ... I'll stay there like a fool, dancing with him just to see how he goes and ends up sleeping with another girl, I can't keep hopeful in that fantasy of him finally falling in love with me, ”y/n reminded her. "So ... after the wedding, I don't know ... Well, for starters, I'll stay there with Miguel, I'm going to leave London." 

Lizzie approached to hug her. "Take me with you. You can't leave me. ” 

Y / N let out a small, forced laugh. “I have to go, and I will, because I will love Miguel, and we will build a life together.” 

“Is that what you want?” 

“Yes.” 

“Okay, y/n,” said Lizzie, as she looked at her cellphone, she erased her last notification. 

"Am I crazy?" Asked y/n.

"Very crazy, but I think Miguel will do you good," Lizzie told her. "However, if you're going to get Tom out of your life ... And after being so many years in love with him ..." 

"What?" 

"Well, if I were you, I'd have a little fun," Lizzie hinted with a smile. “I mean, you both would have to get each other out of your lives, then…” 

“Lizzie! You're saying that… ” 

“Yes, sleep with Tom, ”Lizzie laughed. "What could go wrong?" 

"I am engaged!" Claimed y / n. 

"That didn't stop you today," Lizzie reminded her. “Think about it, it was a joke… But, it would be good if you actually knew who you were in love with.” 

“Lizzie!” 

“Y/N! You’ve been in love with him for five years now. You’re getting married! And you’re never going to see him again, sleep with him, then he will have to kick you out it of his life and you will have to kick him out of your life, and you’re good! And you won’t live without knowing what it was like to sleep with probably the love of your life!” 

“He’s—not the love of my life,” lied y/n. “Miguel is.” 

“Whatever! You know you want to sleep with Tom!” Insisted Lizzie. 

“No, no. That is why I have to go back to Mexico, I will continue with that plan! if I spend 10 more minutes alone with him, I will not be able to control myself. ” 

“Do what you want y/n, ”Lizzie laughed. "It was just an idea." 

Y / N rolled her eyes. “Idiot.” 

“Oh, sometimes I appreciate that you didn't sleep with him,” Lizzie laughed, while y / n now served them both more wine. 

Y / N shook her head. They were silent for a while, watching the movie that was in the background. 

“Was he…” Y / N cleared her throat. “Was he good?” 

Lizzie smirked and raised her eyebrows. "Very." 

Y/N laughed. "I mean, with all that experience, wouldn't expect anything else." 

Lizzie laughed. "Boy knows his ways," she admitted. "And tell me ... Miguel?" 

"It's ..." Y / N flushed. "Well, nothing to do with the British guys ... He moves differently." 

"Different good?" 

"Oh, definitely, different better!" Y/n chuckled. 

Both friends started laughing to each other and gushed about the other guys they'd dated. Having fun, remembering fun anecdotes. 

—

Y/N had showed up to her bridal shower with just a slight hangover. Big was her surprise when it wasn’t a disaster. It was… perfect. Pink, very pink, but perfect. With a few touches of white and yellow thanks to the flowers Tom had chosen. 

It was cheesy but with taste, and incredibly nice. Tom served pizza, which perfectly captured y/n’s request of ‘nothing too big’. There were some big pillows on the floor where they’d be playing after. It reminded y/n of a slumber party of sorts. 

Tom was the only man around, because he was her maid of honor, of course. He was nervous and he seemed a bit out of character. Although, he had been acting that way since y/n had come back.

“Lizzie, hello,” he greeted her. 

“I’m impressed,” she admitted. “This is the best shower I’ve been to.” 

“Really?” Tom cleared his throat. “Thank you, I hope y/n likes it.” 

Lizzie raised her eyebrows at him. “What’s the theme, though? I mean… it’s lovely—“

“Ah it’s… pink, I guess,” Tom lied. “Pink slumber.” 

Lizzie gave him an authentic smile. “With strawberry cheesecake and pink chocolate cake, I see… and I saw you had some Harry Potter hints, too.” 

“Well, y/n loves Harry Potter, I guess I just threw in a bit of what she loves,” Tom accepted. 

“I see,” Lizzie gave him a sad smile. 

The party continued, and y/n, with a glass of champagne on her hand, eventually approached Tom. 

“Tom, this is adorable,” she told him. 

“I’m glad,” he grinned. 

Y/N was nibbling on a Toblerone. “I’m… seriously, thank you so much.” 

“I’m not going to lie, I was going to a Mexican themed party, but I realized that I could’ve gone in a… totally not appropriate way and that would’ve been bad, so the theme is… Pink, simpler, nicer.” 

Y/n chuckled. “Yeah, and oh thanks for the Toblerone, I totally love these,” she chuckled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “You look nice today.” 

Tom blushed looking down. “Thanks, you look… spectacular, that dress is beautiful.” 

Y/N smiled but cleared her throat. “Oh… eh, and I just… wanted to thank you for coming to the dancing lessons with me.” 

“Anything for you,” Tom said looking into her eyes. 

Y/N blinked. There it was again, that promise which held so much but his love. 

Tom smiled. “And oh, listen, the only Mexican thing is the music, listen to it, it’s… lovely,” he said turning the volume higher. “this is actually a song named ‘Solamente Una Vez’, am I pronouncing that right?” 

Y/n chuckled. “Yes, I think.” 

“Well, it’s a song… About falling in love just once,” he said looking into her eyes. 

Y/N cleared her throat as she gulped down her champagne. “Nice, uh… Did Miguel recommend it?” 

Tom closed his eyes. “No… He, he didn’t.” 

Y/N looked away, Lizzie quickly saw her and ran to save her. 

“Tom, let’s start with the games!” She suggested. 

Soon enough they were gathered around on the pillows and on the couch, waiting for the games that Tom had prepared. They were all cheerful, and happy. 

Tom chuckled. “Well, as you may know, I don’t truly know how these things work. Maybe I went a little over the top,” he announced. “I feel weird being surrounded by all these women.” 

“Are you really, though?” Lizzie nudged Rachel, who was definitely not happy to be there.

 Tom blushed, clearing his throat. “Anyway, uh--” 

Y/N glared at Lizzie. “It’s amazing, Tom, thank you.” 

“I had to do a little research, because I thought initially this was supposed to be the bachelorette party… And I didn’t have time to cancel the strippers!” 

Anna, y/n’s mom’s eyes widened. “Tom!” 

He laughed. “No, I’m joking, I’m joking… But with uh, the little research I made, the bridal shower is to…” Tom gulped. “Support the marriage and celebrate the bride,” Tom said looking at y/n. “The beautiful and most amazing bride.” 

Y/N chuckled and mouthed a thank you to Tom. 

“Enough of this,” Lizzie yelled. “Let’s play the games.” 

“Well, I thought it’d be a good time to quiz all of us on knowing the bride,” Tom smirked. “I’m gonna pass some… questionnaires and we will see who knows her the best, we will also be competing against the groom,” Tom laughed. “Who was kind enough to send his answers by text.” 

They laughed and started filling it up. 

Y/N looked at the questions, and bit her lip. There was no way in which Miguel could’ve answered all of them right. Probably, the only one who could really answer them all was… Tom. 

“Well, let’s start, an easy one, okay?” Tom grinned. “Uh, where did the bride and groom meet each other?” he asked. “Y/N, love, mind checking my answers while I check Miguel’s?” 

Y/n smiled at Tom. “Mexico, when I was stuck in a rainstorm.” 

Tom grinned. “Who got that one correct? Check all your answers then. And let’s see, Miguel got that one correct.” 

“Wait, uh, Tom… “Lizzie intruded. “I’ll… ask the next one, and we can keep asking them.” 

Tom shrugged. “As you wish.” 

Lizzie looked down. “What’s y/n signature drink?” 

“Iced coffee…” Y/n answered. “But…Pink mimosas if we’re talking alcohol,” she chuckled, winking.  

Tom chuckled. “And… the groom’s answer was… Beer and… Tequila” Tom raised his eyebrows. “I think Miguel thinks he’s dating me, instead.” 

Y/N chuckled. “Okay, to be fair with him, back in Mexico, I did only drink just that,” she admitted. She looked down at Tom’s answer. ‘Iced coffee, except when it’s cold, then hot cocoa, and pink mimosas if it’s alcohol’. Y/N gulped. 

They continued with more questions, some of them Miguel guessed correctly, but most of them he didn’t. However, each question, Tom had guessed it correctly and with all the ‘buts and whys’ answered right beside it. He knew her, entirely. And she had kept drinking from her champagne while either of her friends refilled her glass. 

“What’s her go-to karaoke song?” Y/N’s mom asked after a few questions. “Easy, I can answer it, Dancing Queen!” 

“While that answer is partly correct Anna,” Tom chuckled. “That’s only when she’s sober.” 

Y/N blushed embarrassed. Her mother stared at y/n chuckling. 

“Oh yes, her rendition of Toxic, might be the best I’ve seen,” Hannah laughed. “The choreography.” 

Y/N laughed, embarrassed. She was still sober enough to know she wouldn’t need to perform it. That didn’t mean she would. 

“I’ve got to differ,” y/n answered. “While both of those options are correct… Tom was the one who guessed it fair and square,” Y/N chuckled awkwardly as she stared at his answers. Her three go-to karaoke songs were there. 

“You all missed ‘You’re the One that I want’ from Grease,” Tom laughed watching her. “Shall we?” He asked as he looked for his phone, and searched for the song. “No, no, I’m not doing it,” Y/N laughed, while their friends cheered. 

“Oh my god,” Anna giggled. 

Tom stood up, reaching for y/n’s hand. “C’mon,” he said before starting the song. The piano gave y/n’s chills. 

She smirked. “Tell me about it, stud,” she said. 

The rest of the party continued, after y/n’s and Tom’s performance, it suddenly got more interesting. But nothing too weird, Tom hadn’t really done anything wrong and y/n was just waiting for him to hook up with one of her friends. He didn’t. He hadn’t even flirted with them, he had only smiled and listened to them, but no flirting. He had remained incredibly decent and had only paid attention to y/n. Maybe, y/n thought, he was no longer afraid to flirt with her because he thought that y/n wouldn’t fall because she was engaged. Little did he know that was the bigger problem. 

The questionnaire had remained on her head, for the rest of the party. Miguel hadn’t been able to answer most of the questions. His answers had been incredibly naive and basic, while Tom’s were on point, as that question about her favourite movie in which he answered: ‘She says her favourite movie is Death Poet Society, which it is, but The Princess Diaries might be her actual favourite.’

But the party ended, it had been perfect. And y/n wasn’t sure if had been the recent conversation she had had with Lizzie, or if it actually was themed to that night. Y/N couldn’t stop thinking about it. The pizza, the Toblerone, the Harry Potter things and the blankets. Maybe it was her imagining stuff. 

That didn’t impede her, of course, from booking her flight to Monday that very next monday. She hadn’t told Tom. But she had asked him to go shopping the next day with her, with Lizzie’s idea still roaming on her head. Hooking up with Tom one last time before she got married. As a cleanse. But it wouldn’t make any sense. 

Besides, she needed to know where he was in that situation, which brought her to the next day after the party, Saturday, only two days before her flight. A stupid decision, really, to bring him over to check on some ‘clothing’. She had stalled, because she really didn’t want to see it. 

However, Tom had been perfect. A perfect maid of honour, he had asked been her confidant, asking if she was actually ready to do all of this. 

Tom had been particularly quiet and seemed to have his head elsewhere, but he was still there. 

They were walking past the particular shop wanted to visit. Victoria Secret. 

“I need to check the lingerie,” she sentenced as she dragged him to the shop. Tom turned red. 

“What?” 

“For the wedding night!” Y/N chuckled, seeing him turning tense.

“Well, check it with Liz! Or Hannah! Not with me,” Tom coughed, awkwardly. “No.” 

“Are you crazy? You’re the perfect person for this job! Who’s taken more lingerie than you?” She laughed as she walked over to see the babydolls, and the teddy’s. 

Tom squeezed his eyes shut. “Fair point.” 

He followed after her. 

“Let’s put your whoring to some use,” she laughed. 

Tom followed after her. He was sweating. 

“You get nervous around underwear?” Y/N teased. 

“I can’t be recognized here,” he mumbled. “Especially not with an engaged woman,” Tom reminded her. 

Y/N laughed. “Ah, please, people know we’re just friends.” 

“Are we,” he mumbled, but y/n chose to ignore it. 

She kept going through the racks as Tom tried to ignore her, scrolling through his phone, texting, until y/n walked into the fitting room. 

“So, have you talked to… Miguel?” Tom asked as he strolled in front of the room. 

“Yes, yes, I...can’t wait to see him again. 

“Of course,” Tom answered. “Well… Uh, yn? I have to thank you.” 

“Me? I should be thanking you… the bridal shower was incredible,” Y/N told him as she put on one of the red teddy’s she had chosen. 

“Right… But I have to thank you, for well, asking me to be your maid of honour, yeah… it’s gonna sound crazy, but you’ve really opened my eyes to the whole idea of marriage.” 

Y/N stayed quiet, thinking about the ring she had found in his drawer. She faked a laugh. “Right.” 

“I mean it,” he said. 

“Have… you met someone Tom?” She asked him, not wanting to hear a very specific answer. 

“No.” 

“Then how can you be serious? I mean, would you buy a ring without having a girlfriend?” Y/N questioned. 

He sighed. “I don’t know I just…. I don’t know.” 

Y/N bit her lip, before she walked out of the fitting room, slowly, staring into his eyes.

 He chuckled as he sat down. “Well?” 

She smirked as she batted her eyes before walking out with a pink and black corset, tied to the black pantyhose she was wearing. 

She walked over in the sexiest way she could, with a slow pace and a lascivious look, seeing Tom getting red and flustered. His mouth opened in awe as she smirked before twirling a finger around her hair. 

Tom’s eyes couldn’t be more opened as y/n saw him practically undress her with his sight. 

“Well, you think Miguel will like it?” She popped the question. 

Tom suddenly shook his head and coughed. “No.” He looked away. Before chuckling and walking over. 

“It’s… just…” Tom giggled. “Cute.” 

Cute? He had basically already eaten her three times with the glance he had given her and he said it was cute? 

“Cute? I don’t wanna look cute on my wedding night!” Y/N complained. 

Tom rolled his eyes. “Well, that’s how you’ll look, you’re… cute, y/n,” He gulped. “Maybe try something else.” 

Y/N sighed, before getting back to try on more. 

Eventually, she decided on one, even if Tom wasn’t convinced. This had been the first time he wasn’t all supportive of everything, but he seemed flustered. 

Y/N had insisted on going to the bakery, where she wanted to talk alone with him, she was finally telling him. 

“So… why did we come today? It’s Saturday? Are we seeing more wedding stuff related, tomorrow? We’re still up for brunch, right?” 

“Tom… No, it’s… it’s my last day in London.” 

Tom blinked. “What?” 

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, but… I didn’t know how I’m… I’m moving to Mexico with Miguel and I… Tomorrow’s my last day in London.” 

And it was probably her last Sunday with Tom.

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[userdokja]

The Fall | Ben Solo x Reader | One.

Summary:  In which the reader is Poe’s best friend but doesn’t like Rey for him and Kylo has a crush on Rey. Then one day Poe and Rey get together, Kylo and the Reader helps each other to break them apart, then realizes that while they were doing it… They were falling for each other Instead.

Based on this

Warnings: Curse words, Soft Ben so this isn’t really a Kylo Ren x Reader, Fluff, My Writing and Grammar. 

Tagging whoever said Yes to this post 

@drawlfoy @jcc04220 @espacioytiempo @xxsirensong @i-am-lokii-of-asgard

Tell me if you want to be tagged for the next chapters, I’m just tagging you in the first part:)

Two

====

Being Poe Dameron's best friend was like a job, a fun job. Even though he's older than you you'd have to be the one who's looking out for him since he's mostly the one doing stupid things.

So when you heard that he was dating Rey, you jumped into protective mode.

"Rey? Isn't she the one everyone flirts with?"

"It's not her fault she's pretty." Pie grinned, "we're meant for each other."

You weren't sure about that, Rey and Poe were had too much in common, that's normally supposed to be a good thing but with them? They're going to end up hurting each other, Rey is someone sweet and kind and flirts with everyone without knowing it, while Poe  was a playboy who flirts with everyone on purpose.

The thing is, everyone is after them.

"Please just meet her for me?" Poe gave you the puppy eyes.

"Jesus, fine. Where?"

"The club, later at 9:00 pm?" You just nodded at him. "Thank you, so much."

He gave you a hug and kissed your cheek, you just rolled your eyes at him and continued your work.

----

You were arrived at the club at exactly 9:00, you wore your normal jeans and shirt.

Poe was already inside with Rey in his arms, you waved as you approached them.

"Hello, you must be Y/n. Poe's told me so much about you!" She gave you a big smile and shook your hand, too sweet.

"Nice to meet you." You gave her a small smile, she lead you to the bar to sit down and talk about stuff... You learned that she was actually okay, but that wouldn't change your mind about her and Poe.

"Hey, wanna go dance?" Poe said to her.

"Yeah sure! Y/n wanna join us?"

What Kind of question was that? "No, no I'll just stay here. With my drink." You lifted you glass up to show her that you had company, she nodded at you and walked away with Poe.

You were alone for atleast 30 minutes, for 30 minutes Poe and Rey we're dancing, and they still were, a tall guy in a black sweater took the seat beside you.

"Give me the strongest you have." He told the bartender, you tried not to stare at his face, or his hair just to try and remember where you saw him.

"Rough night?" The bartender asked him as he placed the drink in front of him.

"I guess..." He mumbled back, and took a shot out of his drink. "The girl I like is out there with an asshole."

"Ah, unrequited love. Must be a pretty girl for her to catch your attention." The man said, and the stranger beside you sighed before turning around to look at the girl he likes.

"There she is... Rey Kenobi."

Your eyes widened at the name, you choke on your drink making the two men look at you.

"So you're saying Poe Dameron is an asshole?" The long haired man furrowed his eyebrows at you. "I say Kenobi is a flirt."

"Poe is a playboy, which makes him an asshole." He says "Rey doesn't deserve that."

"Poe's not a playboy, a lot of girls are just after him..... And sometimes guys."

"And you're one of those people?" He raised his eyebrows at you and you scoffed at him.

"I'm just his best friend, and I don't like that Rey girl for him." He was about to say something but you cut him off. "I have nothing against Kenobi, she's a flirt without knowing it. But them together? The whole school would be a mess."

You took another sip from your drink and looked at Rey and Poe dancing like they're so in love.

"If only I can make him break up with her, but I don't want to be a bad friend." You look away from them and stood up from your seat.

"Hey, wait!" The long haired guy called after you. "Maybe you're trying to be a good friend, you know? Because you don't want them to hurt each other."

"What are you saying?"

"I can help you become a good friend." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. You look away from his to Rey who was having a drink with another man while Poe was still dancing, you look back at the man in front of you and laughed.

"Thank you, but... No." You said, trying to be polite, you were pretty sure the dude was drunk.

"Come on, If we do this we both get what we want. You get your best friend back and I get a shot with Rey." You bit your bottom lip and anxiously tapped your foot on the ground.

"Fine, let's give it a shot." You finally said. "My name's Y/n."

"Kylo Ren, nice to meet you." You looked at him with an amused face. "What?"

"Your real name."

"It's Ben, Ben Solo." You placed you hand on his and gave it a light shake. "Want to sit down and talk about it?"

----

You spent your night talking about Rey and Poe, their dislikes and something that can break them apart.

"We can get through Poe better." Ben says, It was already 11:40 and you were still in the same position you were in earlier.

"I have to agree on that, if only I can make him do something stupid."

"Of course you can, he's your best friend. I'll make him go to a stripper bar or something, Rey won't like that and she'll for sure break it off with him." He said, it was actually a good plan but a bit risky.

"Rey's going to blame us for making Poe go there."

"So?" He asked.

"Then our relationship with the both of them will be ruined you idiot." You playfully slapped his arm, "we've been doing this for hours."

"And we still have nothing."

You sighed in defeat and sipped your drink, you picked up your bag and finished your drink.

"This just isn't going to work out, Ben. I already feel so bad about doing this... And the thought of being responsible for them breaking up will be too much." You smiled at Ben sadly. "I'm sorry, but if they're really not for each other they'll break up within a month, Poe's relationships never lasts that long."

"It's fine, It was a stupid idea anyway, I hope I still see you around L/n."

"You too, Solo."

You were wrong, so wrong.

After a month, Poe's been bringing Rey into your shared apartment. And they would cook together as if they were this lovely couple you'd absolutely love to be with.

But no.

You had nothing against Rey but her sweetness and kindness seemed so... Fake.

"Are you still up for tonight?" It was your birthday, and since you live too far away from your parents Poe promised to be the one who's going to spend it with you.

"Uhm, yeah sure." Poe mumbled against Rey's neck, they also show too much PDA which you definitely don't approve of.

"Be there okay? Same place at 6?"

"Same place at 6." He repeated, at least he's still going to be with you.

----

When you arrived at your favorite restaurant you expected Poe to be a bit late like always, but you didn't know he'd be missing for an hour.

You already finished your food and drinks when you received a call.

"Hey, Y/n I'm very sorry about today It's just Rey needed help with her homework." Poe said through the line.

"Homework? Homework? Poe you don't even do your own homework." You felt your cheeks burning up.

"I'm sorry for not showing up-"

"I don't care about you not showing up, I'm mad because you'd put her in the line first instead of yourself. Not that it's a bad thing but for Christ's sake-"

"Look, Happy Birthday. But I really need to go now-" Poe cut you off, and for a second you could hear music blasting in the background. "I'll catch up with you later okay? Love you!"

The line was cut off, you wanted to call him again and scream at him, tell him how fake his new fucking girlfriend is.

"Stare at it longer it's going to melt." A deep familiar voice spoke, you looked up to see Ben, "That's Poe isn't it?"

"Yeah, he's still with Kenobi." You said, he took the unoccupied seat in front of you.

"You told me they'd be over in a month." He called for the waitress and ordered some food, you waited until he finished to explain.

"Rey's got him wrapped around her finger. Even got him to not go to my birthday."

"It's your birthday?" You nodded as a reply. "Well Poe's an asshole."

"So is Rey." You teased. "Why did you like her anyways?"

"I've known her since we were kids, until she went with those popular kids and we didn't talk much. I still like her even though she's different, don't know why."

"First love, I guess?" He laughed.

"Maybe." He sighed. "Happy birthday by the way.."

"Thank you." His food arrived and you ordered some fries for yourself, you spent the night talking with each other and talking about silly stuff.

"Hey since them being together makes us miserable, why don't we continue our plan?" Your eyes widened as you shook your head.

"No."

"Let's just give it a try. Just once and then we”ll stop trying to break them up." You thought about it this time, If they're going to break up anyways then why not just do it sooner? You're just going to make it a bit easier for them.

"Fine, we're going to do it." He raised his fist up.

“Finally!” 

-

-

A/N: Still don’t know If I’m going to continue, I’ve already written chapter two but again, I’m not very sure about this fic since I feel like it’s going to be awful. But i think this would at least be up to three parts so it’s a short one

Permanent tags: @aintnouseofpretending @just4muggles @heartbeats-wildly @lookinsidemyhead @katiegoddessofmischief

Star Wars Tags: @melcutie

[ladyfogg]

Cold is the Night - 11/20

Cold is the Night - 11/20

Fic Summary: You and Pat have known each other for years but this summer, everything will change. As the two of you start to grow close, your matching tempers threaten the foundation of your rocky friendship and prevent both of you from realizing your true feelings. Cold is the Night Masterpost. 

Fic Song: Cold is the Night by The Oh Hellos. Fic playlist can be found here. 

Pairing: Pat Murray/Female Reader

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Language, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Multiple Chapters

Gif by @ joemazzellos-blog 

You and Pat were at least texting again and it made him feel a thousand times better. 

While he had been able to get his feelings off his chest, he understood that it would take you a little longer. He was willing to wait while you worked through your stuff. 

Even though he missed you like crazy.

The guys tried to help make him feel better and while he appreciated the effort, there wasn’t much they could do. So when Vinnie invited him to a party, he refused. 

"I don't want to go." Pat took a long drink of water as the guys started to gather their things.

"Murray, you have to," Maz said, patting him on the shoulder. "It'll do you good to unwind."

"Going to a loud party with a bunch of people I don’t know just doesn't appeal to me," Pat said, shrugging his friend's hand off. After yet another abysmal practice, he just wanted to go home and be alone with his thoughts.

"Come on, Murray! It’s the first party me and Nellie are throwing as a couple," Vinnie said. "It’s going to be craaaay."

"I'll see you guys next week,” Pat said.

"No! You'll see us tonight!" Vinnie exclaimed, blocking his path. "We're all going to get our drink on and our dance on and forget all about our shit for a few hours." He began to dance, bumping against Pat in the process. Making as little contact as possible, he gyrated his hips, rolling his body around Pat like a crazed snake. 

“Vinnie, dude, please don’t,” Pat pleaded. 

“Pretty sure my sister will be theeeeere.” Vinnie continued to dance. 

That got Pat’s attention, as he was sure Vinnie knew it would. You still hadn’t seen each other since the fight and though you spoke regularly again, it wasn’t the same. He wanted to see you and if there was a chance you were ready to see him, he’d take it. 

"Alright fine, if I agree to go will you stop using me as a stripper pole?"

"No promises."

Pat smiled despite himself, shoving Vinnie out of the way. "I'll be there. But I'm going to complain the whole time."

"Wow, there's a shocker," Dells smirked. 

Pat flipped him and everyone else off as he walked away. 

“Party starts at eight!” Vinnie called, now dancing up on Garvey. “Don’t be late!”

Once Pat got home, he immediately headed for the shower. There were still several hours until the party but he felt gross. As he washed away the dirt and sweat from practice, he couldn’t stop hoping you would be there. He thought about texting you but didn’t want to seem overeager. He had been trying to play it cool ever since your talk.

Once he felt less gross, he wrapped a towel around his waist and went into his room. He had to figure out what to wear. Normally, he didn't give two shits about his clothes but he felt like he should at least make an effort.

He chose a pair of dark jeans and a button-up short-sleeved green shirt that complimented his hazel eyes. Or so he was told once. He was just flattening his hair in the mirror when his dad knocked on the door.

“Pat, I was gonna order a pizza…” Brian paused as he saw his son getting ready. “You going out?”

“Yeah, Vinnie and Nellie are having a party,” Pat said. “I thought I’d go for a little while.”

“That’s great! I’m glad you’re hanging out with the guys,” Brian said. “Is your lady friend going to be there?”

“Dad, no one says lady friend anymore.”

“Well, you won’t tell me who she is so until I have a name to go by, it’s ‘lady friend’.”

Pat sighed before he told his father it was you he was talking to.

“Oh, Vinnie’s younger sister, right?” Brian asked. When Pat nodded he smiled. “I know you two were having problems. Is it all worked out?”

“Well, no, but we’re getting there,” Pat said. He gave up trying to make his hair do anything other than what it wanted to do. “She needed time so I was giving her space. I honestly don’t know if she’s going to be there tonight but I hope she is.”

“Well, when you two work it all out, you should invite her over for dinner,” Brian suggested. “I’d like to get to know the girl who has my son actually fixing his hair.”

“Fuck off, Dad.”

Brian chuckled, taking that as his cue to leave. “Have a good time. Be careful. And not too late okay? We're helping your uncle move tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know."

It took all of Pat’s willpower not to go to the party early. It helped that he didn’t know how many people he would actually know there, and when he pulled up to Vinnie and Nellie’s place, the smattering of cars told him it was a lot more than he anticipated. 

He walked through the door and was met with a wave of sound. 

“MURRAY!” a few of the D-Backs exclaimed. Nearly everyone was there, even Fotch, who stood drinking a beer with his arm around a tiny brunette woman. 

Vinnie threw his arm around Pat's shoulders and steered him into the living room. "Murray actually made it! Someone get him a drink."

"I'm good." While he absolutely wanted alcohol, he was determined to remain sober until he knew for sure if you would be there or not. 

"You're such a poop!" Vinnie declared, clearly several drinks in.

"Oh leave him alone, Vinnie," Ty ordered. "Murray, you sure you don't want a beer?"

They were all being unusually attentive and it made him suspicious. "I'm fine," he said, knocking Vinnie's arm away 

Nellie entered the room carrying a large plate of snacks that she placed on the coffee table. That distracted the guys and gave Pat a chance to back away. 

Unfortunately, he didn't get far before Nellie took notice of him. She smiled and pulled him into a hug, which surprised him since that was the first time she had ever done so. 

“I’m so happy you could make it!” she declared.

“You are?” he asked with confusion. 

She smirked and glanced past his shoulder. “Looks like I’m not the only one.”

Heart hammering in his chest, Pat turned around and the breath was stolen from his lungs as he saw you standing in the doorway, two bottles of wine tucked under your arm. He said your name, but it was so soft he doubted you heard him. It didn’t matter. You were staring at him with equal intensity.

“Hi,” he said. 

“Hey.” You smiled. 

Nellie took the wine from you. “Now I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about so I’m just gonna go.”

“Hey, little sister!” Vinnie bounded up to you but Nellie shoved the wine into his hands before she pushed him away. 

“Nope, leave her alone. They need to talk!” she scolded. 

Pat was sure people were staring, but he didn’t care. He also had a feeling they knew you were coming and we just waiting to see the show.

“I didn’t know if you would be here," he said.

“I almost didn’t come.”

“Glad you did.”

“Ugh! Fucking kiss already!” Barone yelled. Gina sat on his lap and slapped her hand over his mouth. 

“Shut the fuck up, Barone!” you and Pat said at the same time. 

That broke the tension between you and you both laughed, along with the other guys. They finally turned their attention away.

“Come on, Murray.” You grabbed his arm and led him through the house and out onto the back porch. 

The air was still warm from earlier which was kind of gross. Pat didn’t mind. He was just happy to finally be in the same place as you again and not have a whole room-full of people watching his every move. 

“First, Pat, I want to say sorry.” You didn't waste time getting right to it, clearly knowing what you wanted to say.

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Yeah, I do,” you said. “See, I’ve been with someone who was a jealous asshat. He would pick fights with anyone who he thought even looked at me. So when you started fighting that guy, my reaction was purely instinctual. I shouldn’t have taken my anger on him out on you.”

"You're not entirely to blame. I'm to blame just as much as you are," he said. "Maybe deep down it was jealousy."

"Murray, you have nothing to be jealous about."

The way you looked at him gave him butterflies in his stomach. There was a softness to your gaze he had never seen from anyone. At least not directed at him. Yet there you were, looking at him like he was your goddamn world.

"I know that now. I should have remembered it then. I'll try better next time."

"Me too. I'm sorry I walked away. I should have at least talked it out."

"Yeah, we're not exactly the type of people to talk our anger out right away."

You snorted in amusement. "We're a mess aren't we?" you asked as you leaned on the porch railing. 

Pat copied your stance. "Yup."

You fell into silence, listening to the sounds of the party inside. 

"My ex made my life hell," you explained. "It's why I haven't dated in awhile. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely over the fucking prick. It's just hard to let myself be open to something new."

Pat listened intently, understanding where you were coming from. He couldn't imagine what you had gone through or what you must be feeling.

"With you...I'm willing to try," you went on. "I can't promise I won't withdraw again. But, thank you for giving me space. And for the ridiculous amount of flowers."

Pat blushed. "You're welcome. I was worried it would be too much."

"My living room looks like a goddamn fairy garden. Next time, one bouquet is fine."

"Which one's your favorite?"

You told him which one you liked the best and he made a mental note. Once more you fell into silence, enjoying being in each other's company again.

Pat wanted to hold you, to assure you he'd do better next time. He never wanted to make you feel like you did with your ex. You must have felt him staring at you because you looked back at him with a smirk. 

"Murray, just fucking kiss me already."

He didn't need to be told twice. Quick as a flash, he cupped your face and kissed you with everything he had to offer. All the desire he had pent up over your separation flooded out of him into one hell of a kiss.

You molded against him, arms wrapped around his waist with a moan.

Pat's world exploded with color again. The gray cloud lifted slightly and he felt warm for the first time in two weeks. 

Breaking the kiss, he kept you close, afraid to let go. "Fuck it feels good kissing you."

"Fuck yeah it does. Do it again."

"So demanding."

"You love it."

He pushed you against the side of the house, kissing you deeper than before. Your leg wrapped around the back of his knees, pulling him flush against you. Pat could feel the outline of your body along his and before he could stop himself, he slid his hand under your shirt to feel your smooth skin.

Now that he could touch you again, he never wanted to let you go. 

You moaned into the kiss, nipping at his lips. "We should...probably...stop now."

"Probably." 

But you didn't. You kept kissing him, chasing his lips if he even attempted to pull away. Pat was no better. One hand slid down to grab your ass so he could grind his growing erection against your thigh.

You placed a hand on his chest and lightly pushed him back. 

With all the willpower he could muster, Pat broke the kiss, his forehead resting against yours. "The things you do to me."

"Haven't done anything...yet."

Pat took a deep breath and then took another step back, breaking contact with you. He had to try to will his obvious arousal away but that proved incredibly difficult, especially when your eyes strayed downward.

Your hands reached for his belt and that when he snapped back to reality. He gently stopped you. "Whatever we do next, I don't want it to be on your brother's porch." Saying the words out loud was an instant boner killer.

You seemed to remember where you were and pulled your hands away. "Ew, me neither." You also took a deep breath. "Fuck, how can kissing be that fucking intense?"

"I have no fucking clue."

"Come on, let's go get drunk."

"Yes please."

Hand-in-hand, you led Pat back into the house to rejoin the party.  

[punkpoemprose]

Naked Soul: Chapter 15- This is Gospel

Universe: Modern AU (Stripper AU) Rating: T (Teen & Up) Length: 3182 Words

Hey look, I’m finishing the thing... or at least getting close. 2-3 more chapters to go, and maybe it won’t take me almost two years to write the next one? Editing? I don’t know her.

[Master Post of All Chapters]

 Anna smiled as she watched Kristoff and Elsa pour over some paperwork related to his and Sven’s ice business. She was supposed to be working on her art history homework, but it was far more interesting to her to watch him nod along to whatever it was Elsa was telling him. She’d been pretending since Monday that she didn’t know that something was going on, Sven had already been over four times and it was only Thursday, and Kristoff had been asking Elsa for her opinion on “business-y things” that really didn’t mean much to Anna. Elsa had been the one being groomed to take over the family company, and Anna had never been expected to do much other than to dance, so their sneaking about didn’t make much sense to her anyway. Whatever Kristoff was up to as far as things went with his business didn’t much affect her, and even if they did they could speak about it directly in front of her and she had a feeling she probably wouldn’t really “get” much of it anyway. She was smart, but business just wasn’t her thing.

She flipped her book closed quietly and kept her eyes on the pair sitting in the living room. She could see them well enough through the archway from her place at the kitchen table, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying at the distance. There was something tempting about it. She’d been quite the snoop in her childhood, shaking her presents, listening through doors and vents, even going so far as to hold letters up to the light when they looked interesting enough to warrant her attention. Of course, it had never gained her any particularly useful information, but that didn’t stop her now, the playfulness rising in her after so many years laying dormant.

It was easy enough for her to push the chair out quietly, only needing to push it to the side enough to untuck her legs from beneath the table and swing them out to the floor beside her. She smiled to herself and thought, not for the first time, that there were certainly benefits to having a dancer’s body. It was, however, the first time in a very long time that she’d thought it while clothed.

She snuck her way over to the doorway barely able to contain a gleeful giggle when she made it undetected. It was easy enough to tuck herself between the end of the cabinets and the door jamb, but she had a harder time hearing what it was that they were saying in the next room, particularly because it seemed she’d started listening in the middle of the conversation.

“…with him of course you’ll limit your risk, which you know already. I don’t really know why you want my help, you’ve done this all before.”

“Yes and it took me years to get everything settled when I did it on my own. You’re far better at this sort of thing Elsa.”

Anna could practically hear the blush in her sister’s voice as she responded. Elsa never knew how to take compliments, though she was beginning to now, she never got out of it without a flush.

“Well I went to school for it, and I was groomed and all. Hopefully once everything is sorted you’ll be needing another business advisor.”

Kristoff’s laugh was warm and deep. Anna was certain that she would have been able to hear it from the table, or anywhere in the house. His laugh was one of her favorite sounds in the world. Even when he was laughing at her for doing something ridiculous she loved it. Kristoff’s happiness was infectious.

“And give up the free advice? No, I’m sure you’d scare others off, but my skin’s thicker than that Elsa. I won’t be asking for anyone else’s help.”

Elsa sighed and Anna heard feet hit the floor, making her jump and nearly tumble into the side of the cabinet. She managed to stay still though, and as she planned her escape, she heard another thud of feet on the hardwood.

“Your sister’s right,” she said, “you are stubborn.”

“I prefer endearingly attached to the way I like things. Of course, you know Anna says the same about you.”

“And she’d be correct,” Elsa replied with mock imperiousness that quickly faltered entirely and devolved into laughter, “The curse of elder siblinghood?”

“That would imply our sisters aren’t just as stubborn,” he said, “not that I would ever say that to their faces of course.”

“Not if you have any good sense,” Elsa responded, and Anna heard footsteps coming her way.

She made to stand quickly, hoping to move out of the way of he pair with enough speed to go undetected, but instead caught the back of her head on the overhang of the cabinets and tumbled sideways.

Kristoff ducked down to help her up before she could even say “ouch” about her head. His pulling her into his embrace and giving her a concerned look was almost enough to make up for being caught, but not quite enough.

“Snoop,” Elsa said good humoredly as she stepped past her and Kristoff and headed for her room and away from the pair of them.

Anna flushed, but relaxed when Kristoff kissed the place she’d hit her had, confirming her suspicions that he had not only seen her hit her head, but probably noticed her snooping in the first place.

“You okay?” he asked once they were alone, tipping his head down to look at her face.

“Yeah. I think I hurt my pride more than anything.”

He smiled at that and she leaned her head up into his, her eyelids fluttering closed to enjoy a quiet moment with him as their foreheads touched. She’d go after Tylenol in a few minutes for the bump she’d given herself, but it felt nice to wrap her arms around him in return and savor a minute alone.

Chaste loving moments were the norm for them now, and Anna was still trying to figure out how’d she’d gotten so lucky.

“I want to take you out on Saturday,” he said after a few moments passed in silence, “Dinner, maybe a movie? It’s been a while since we went on a date.”

She opened her eyes at that and leaned back so she could see his smiling face. He looked a bit shy, as if he thought even for a moment that she’d say no, unable to keep herself from beaming up at him at the mere suggestion.

“I’d love that.”

                                                             ***

It was easy enough to forget about their unplanned meeting with Anna’s stalker. He was, if nothing else, true to his word. They didn’t see him again after that day in front of the studio.

Anna had stopped working at the club for the most part in the last couple weeks as teaching classes at Gerda’s studio took up most of the time she wasn’t spending on school or at home. She taught three different classes and while she drove herself there so he hadn’t seen, and he hadn’t been told for certain, his mother and Della were evidently among one of her class’s students. He just prayed that they weren’t in her fan dance class. Anything else he could handle.

He’d find out soon enough. They had a recital coming up and he and Elsa were going to support Anna. That Elsa might also want to go to see his sister potentially fan dance was something he was actively trying not to think about.

He and Elsa were alright. They had an understanding, they liked each other, and he was happy to invite her into his family in any way she’d like to join it. He was also doing his best to pretend he hadn’t caught her and Della making out on his front porch like teenagers the other night, and Elsa at least seemed to appreciate his feigned disinterest in their relationship.  

“I’m taking Anna out on a date,” he informed Elsa as he walked through the kitchen, “On Saturday, I’m going to tell her… so yeah… if you and Della want, we’ll be out for a few hours.”

Elsa, who was staring into her coffee cup like she was very interested in its contents nodded. Della had her own place, but it was over an hour out of town and Kristoff was happy to let her and Elsa have his place for a few hours, especially given it was Elsa’s home too. He supported their relationship entirely, but of course that he didn’t really want to see his sister make out with anyone. He liked that they were happy together, he really did, but he didn’t want to see anyone he called family kissing anyone, and the fact that two of them were kissing each other made it twice as weird.

He still wasn’t sure who he should tell to have who back by nine or who he should jokingly threaten. He didn’t even want to pull out the classic “what are your intentions with my sister/ girlfriend’s sister?” for fear that Della would hit him, or worse, describe her answer in detail. It was throwing off his older brother game.

“Thanks for letting me know, we have plans though, so you and Anna will have the place to yourself… maybe all weekend?”

He cleared his throat and poured himself a cup of coffee, “Oh, alright. Have… fun?”

To his profound surprise Elsa laughed.

He whipped his head around and found her covering her mouth with her hand, trying to hold it in, but failing entirely. He couldn’t help but laugh as well. They were a bit ridiculous.

“She’s teaching me karate, I’m going to one of her classes and then dinner and she offered to let me stay and I think I want to.”

He smiled fondly at Elsa’s nervous grin. He supposed he was glad that if his sister had to be dating someone that it was her. Elsa was good people, he couldn’t say he agreed with everything she’d ever done or said, but her intentions were always good, and he wouldn’t pretend that he didn’t notice how much healthier she’d seemed lately, both physically and emotionally. Della was good for her, and she was good for Della and it was all that mattered.

“You should,” he said with a nod, “She’s actually not a half bad cook and her apartment is really nice… don’t tell her I said that though.”

“Of course not,” Elsa agreed, turning back to the stack of paperwork she had in front of her before asking, “What about you and Anna? Not that I want to pry, but I was wondering what you were going to do before you tell her the ‘big secret’.”

He noticed her doing air quotes and snorted, glad he hadn’t taken a sip of his coffee until after. It really wasn’t a big secret, it was just something that needed finalizing before he told Anna, and with everything about to be in place on Friday he was excited to tell her on Saturday. He’d thought that it was cute the night before when she’d tried to be sneaky about listening in to his and Elsa’s conversation, but he was just happy she was excited.

“I was thinking a movie and dinner, nothing major. It’s not like I’m proposing…”

Elsa took a long drink of her coffee and then shook her head, “Some would argue it’s bigger than proposing, but for what it’s worth, and I don’t profess to know much about this sort of thing, I think not doing anything big is a good idea. Anna loves you and she’ll be excited no matter what, so keeping it simple and comfortable will mean you get her most honest reaction to the news and I think that’s what you want?”

He nodded, taking another drink. Elsa was wiser about people than she professed to being, it just seemed that her best answers came related to Anna. He was happy to be part of the rebuilding of their relationship, to be a soft place for them both to land. He’d been raised in a big family, and to be the only one invited into their small band, except Olaf, seemed a great honor.

“I… uh…” he cleared his throat again, “Yeah, I do. And on that note…” he paused, trying to decide how he wanted to phrase the particularly delicate thought that came to his mind, “If you decide not to stay at Della’s place… a text or call ahead as to when you’ll be home might be… pertinent.”

Elsa looked away from Kristoff and drained her mug, the flush on her cheeks matching the heat he felt in his own.

“Noted.”

                                                            ***

The movie had been nice.

Anna laced her fingers through Kristoff’s and leaned her weight into his side slightly as they walked down the path between the theater and the new restaurant they were going to try. She thought fondly to the moments during the film when his hand had found hers, the way he sought her physically at times reminded her that his interest in her wasn’t something he had to think about. It was deep and instinctual and real, just like the way she loved him.  

“We need to talk about something,” he said softly, his hand giving hers a little squeeze. She almost froze in place, her feet falling out of stride with his.

“Okay,” she said weakly, she didn’t want to be nervous, but she’d seen enough movies in her time to know that needing to talk often meant things she didn’t even want to begin thinking about. “A bad something… or?”

“No. Not bad, just different. Maybe good? I think it will be anyway.”

“Okay,” she felt a little more confident about whatever it was. Kristoff wasn’t the sort of person to lie about how things were going, and if he thought whatever change he had to talk to her about was good, she could feel comfortable in the fact that it would at least be okay.

“Do you want to talk after dinner, or?”

She gave him a look, raising her brow, “Well you can’t bring it up and then make me wait.”

He chuckled and the sound of it caused her to melt into his side a little more as they stood together on the sidewalk. “I mean I could… but no, I shouldn’t, should I?” He leaned over to her and she pressed up onto her toes when he kissed the crown of her head. It felt nice to be loved so openly after so many days spent worrying.

“I’m starting a business.”

He said it into her hair, and she thought for a moment that maybe she hadn’t heard him right, but, no, she knew that she had. She was pretty good at listening after all.

“Oh, okay? I thought you already had…”

He looked down at her and she met his eye to see him nodding.

“Yeah, I do. The ice business is nice and all, it’s just side income though and I think that I want to stop working for someone else for most of the year. Sven and I were talking about it and I think it would be nice to be able to be our own bosses year-round, so we’re starting a construction company together. Elsa’s been helping us with the paperwork and financials.”

She smiled. That was why he and Sven had been meeting so much lately. It also gave her answers for what she’d overhead between him and Elsa.

“Oh! Okay.”

He nodded and started walking again towards the restaurant with her at his side. She hadn’t been worried per say about whatever it was he was going to tell her, but she hadn’t expected that of all things. She was happy for him.

“I just thought I’d run it by you… I mean…”

He was flushing.

“It’s a risk. I have a pretty good feeling it’s all going to work out, but I didn’t want to finalize anything without talking to you about it because whatever I do is going to effect you now and… in the long term…”

She blushed in return. She hadn’t thought about that. Well she thought about the future with Kristoff, she thought about it more than any single person might consider normal, but she hadn’t thought that he’d thought about it.

“I… oh. Yes, that is… That is something I want. Long term. With you. Thank you for making me a part of your…” she shook her head, “Oh hell…”

Thinking about Kristoff making it a point to include her in his decision-making process for something so major, knowing that he was thinking about a future with her… She didn’t have words for it. It made her feel warm despite the cool early spring air around them, and she was going to show him her appreciation.

She stopped again and reached up to his coat, pulling him down to her height and making him turn so she could kiss him.

He seemed surprised for a moment but followed her lead and let himself be kissed. His arms wrapped low around her waist and smiled against her lips when she palmed his cheek.

“Want to skip dinner?” Anna asked after a moment, feeling the sudden need to have him somewhere other than the middle of the street in front of the restaurant they were planning to try.

He didn’t respond but caught her hand in his and walked her to the parking lot.

                                                            ***

Kristoff leaned against the kitchen counter in his boxers, taking slow appreciate sips of coffee as he watched Anna, clad only in his bedspread, amble into the kitchen with mussed hair and one eye open.

“When did morning get so… early?”

He snorted and nearly choked.

“They decided on it while you were sleeping, sorry.”

She groaned and retreated towards the living room.

“If I didn’t have homework to do I’d go back to bed for another hour.”

He couldn’t help but to grin. She was something else, and she was all his.

“Maybe breakfast before homework?” he offered, “Or, you know, at least pants?”

She dropped the blanket off her shoulders and looked down at herself, forcing him to nearly laugh again when she looked down at herself like she had only just realized that she was in fact naked.

When she turned to him with a slightly more awake and twice as devilish look, he knew where she was going.

“Or you can put my lack of clothes to good use before Elsa gets home and I can put off work a little longer?”

“You’re insatiable,” he teased, setting his coffee down on the counter to follow her through the living room and back to their bedroom.

He could get used to mornings like this, and in fact, he was happy that last night had confirmed their agreement that they should have many, many more mornings like this.

[kpoptrashibnida]

Enough Pt. 5

A/N: What is up everybody!!!! I am finally done with the next part of this series! I was able to finish most of it on my flight last night. I did not edit it though, so hopefully there aren’t too many errors. I’m currently at the Houston airport, waiting for my flight back home. So I want to post this before I have to board, which is soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry if the description of the dresses don’t make sense. I do have photos for reference though. So if you guys want me to post them, let me know and I’ll do it. Okay that’s all. Happy reading!

The following weeks passed by in a flurry. Between the final preparations for Mina and Suho’s wedding, to filing all the necessary paperwork for your move to the States, weeks flew by and you swear you got whiplash. It was the night before the wedding, you were staying at the hotel where the wedding would take place. Mina, Eunji and you were sharing a room since you were going to get ready together in the morning.

“And then her face when the stripper gave her a lap dance was the best!” You cried out, laughing so hard and holding your stomach as you told Eunji about Mina’s bachelorette party.

“Aw man, that sounds like it was so much fun! I’m so bummed out I was sick that day and couldn’t make it! I would have killed to see that!” Eunji complained as she wiped tears from her eyes.

“I’m sorry but I’ve never had a guy, that’s not my sweet fiancée, grind down on me like that! It was so awkward!” She wailed and covered her face with her hands, making you and Eunji laugh.

“You guys we gotta stop drinking. None of us, especially you Mina, can be hung over for tomorrow.” Eunji, the voice of reason, said as she collected the empty cocktail glasses and put it on a tray outside the hotel room for room service to pick up.

“You’re right. I have a nice buzz but we should really get ready for bed.” Mina agreed, getting up and heading to the bathroom.

Eunji slept soundly in one bed, Mina and you decided to share a bed for the night. Mina’s back was facing you and you tried to focus on her soft breathing so you could fall asleep. Sleep seemed to be avoiding you that night and you were getting frustrated because you were actually tired. Mina turned around to face you and saw you were still awake.

“Hey, you okay?” She whispered, peering at your face intently. You were always surprised at how well your best friend knows you.

You smiled softly at her, booping her nose with your finger. “Yes, I just have a lot in my mind.” You replied softly.

“Are you stressed about the move?” She inquired, knowing that you were leaving to the States the day after her wedding. She was a little upset she wasn’t going to see you once she was back from her honeymoon. She actually tried talking Suho into changing the destination of their honeymoon to New York so she could see you, but of course he knocked down that idea. Insisting that the Maldives was more of a honeymoon spot than New York.

“Not really. I’m literally all packed. I’m not taking everything with me, just the essentials.” You said, knowing you were going to buy anything you needed in New York. The apartment the company was proving was fully furnished, so you didn’t need to worry about that.

“Are you nervous about seeing Chanyeol tomorrow?” She asked tentatively.

“No? I honestly haven’t even thought about him.” You said honestly, Chanyeol being the least of your worries. You were literally trying to escape his existence, so one more day of dealing with him is not a big deal.

“Hmmm. You know, I think Suho didn’t ask Chanyeol to be a groomsman because of how he’s treated you.” Mina said in a satisfied tone, making you laugh quietly.

“I don’t know why you told him in the first place, they’re friends.” You chastised her, feeling bad about having Suho exile his friend from the wedding party.

“I don’t think it matters. I think he asked Sehun to be a groomsman because they’re cousins. He’s kind of bratty because he’s the youngest of the family. He was actually upset that he’s not the best man.” Mina said rolling her eyes, realizing she’s going to have to deal with that for the rest of her life since Suho is close with his cousin.

“Well that makes me feel better. Sehun is nice though.” You commented, thinking back to the few times you interacted with him during the rehearsals.

“Yeah but he can be a bit douchey too. He hangs out a lot with Chanyeol.”

“Hey babe. We should probably sleep. We don’t need to give the make up artist unnecessary work.” You whispered, feeling your eyelids flutter closed.

“Hmm.” Mina hummed in agreement, her own eyes closing slowly.

The whole morning was a rush, from makeup artists coming in early to do your makeup and the hair stylist with her team made sure your hair was styled to perfection.

You and Eunji helped Mina into her wedding dress, a gorgeous mermaid style gown with a sweetheart neckline that plunged down the middle and stopped right before her navel. The bodice was covered in an intricate flower lace detail that gave the dress a romantic look. It also had removable sleeves that started ¼ down her arm and flared out from the elbows and cinched delicately around her wrists. Her hair was in loose waves and styled in a half up hairdo, showing off the neckline of her dress. You felt yourself tear up because she looked so beautiful and you couldn’t believe the day was finally here.

Your dress was a very beautiful off shoulder satin piece that cinched around your hips in a Grecian style design. A slit running up to your upper thigh, the bronze color of the dress complimenting your skin tone. The sleeves and the neckline draped beautifully, accentuating your breasts. Eunji’s dress was almost identical except hers did not have a slit up her thigh.

Before the ceremony and reception, you were going to take the photos. It was set in a gorgeous park, really giving the best possible background for the wedding photos. Seeing Suho cry the second he saw Mina really was the highlight of the photo shoot and thankfully the photographer got it all on camera. You were all trying to be careful, making sure Mina’s dress wouldn’t get dirty as your location varied throughout the park. After the photo session it was time to go to the hotel where both the ceremony and reception were taking place.

Suho’s parents walked out first, taking place at the front where their designated seats were. After them was Mina’s mom, who took her seat opposite to the Kims. Eunji was next with Sehun and they took their place at the left side of the platform. After them it was you and Kyungsoo, walking to the right side of the platform. You held Kyungsoo’s arm tightly in fear of falling. Your heels were a little higher than your comfort zone and you felt like a newborn deer. You thought you had broken them in enough, but the heel was too thin and it didn’t make you feel stable. He smiled softly at you as he tightened his arm around yours, a silent promise to keep you upright.

Everyone stood up the second when they herd the music change and the doors open for Mina and her father. Even though Suho already saw her during the photo shoot, he couldn’t help but get emotional all over again when he saw Mina make her way down the aisle. The look of pure love they shared made your heart melt, making you tear up at the feeling of love and gratitude you felt towards your two friends.

The ceremony was very beautiful and emotional, the majority of the guests wiping happy tears from their eyes. Once the I do’s were shared and the official kiss was made, the guests all stood up and clapped for the new married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kim. Mina and Suho exited the ceremony room first and headed out to the reception hall. You and Kyungsoo were next after them, sharing a sweet smile with each other as you make your way to the reception hall. Eunji and Sehun were the last to join the little parade. Everyone was excited for the party to start.

“And I just want to thank everyone for coming out today to celebrate with us the happiest day of my life. Thank you!” Suho said as he lifted his champagne flute up as a toast and everyone followed. “Now I invite my best man to come up and give a few words.” He said with a big grin as he walked off the stage, guests clapping for him and the best man that was taking his spot on the mini stage.

“I’m a man of very few words, so here it goes.” Kyungsoo started, making the guests laugh. “I’ve known Suho for most of my life. I’ve seen him through some of his best times, some of his worst times and a whole lot of humiliating times. I gotta say that I know him very well. But the side I saw of him when he reunited with Mina was a side I had never seen before, and that’s how I knew he found the one. Mina, you’re a lucky one. I’m glad you two have found each other and I hope your love and happiness lasts for your lifetime. Thank you.” Everyone clapped at Kyungsoo’s beautiful speech, a couple of stray tears falling down your face. You swiftly wiped them away without ruining your makeup, knowing that you were up next.

“Now I invite the gorgeous maid of honor to come give a speech.”

“Wow, I don’t know if I can beat that, you really outdid yourself there Soo.” You smiled, not noticing the slip of the nickname you mentally gave him. “Well, I can only say that I am extremely happy for the two of you. Mina is the love of my life and I know I am hers as well, sorry Suho.” You shrugged, making everyone laugh. “But I knew Suho was someone very special for Mina the day she ditched me at the bar to leave with Suho. To talk, of course.” You winked, a wave of laughter erupted throughout the hall, making Mina turn a bright shade of red and Suho laughed and clapped his hands like a dumb walrus. “Anyway, Mina never ditches me. So that’s how I knew he was special. And he is even more special now because he is married to the most beautiful, caring, smart and witty woman I know. I love you two and I know your love will outlive all of us. To Mr. and Mrs. Kim!” You cheered, everyone applauding as you got off the stage.

You made your way to Mina and embraced her in a tight hug. “I love you so much.” You whispered, trying hard not to cry.

“I love you more.” She whispered, hugging you tightly.

The party was in full swing by now, people dancing and many of them interrupting Mina and Suho’s dancing so they could take photos with them. You sat at the wedding party table, sipping champagne as you happily watched your best friend dance with her husband.

“Why are you all alone?” Kyungsoo asked as he took a seat next to you.

“I’m drinking. And I really want more dessert. But I don’t want to get up to get more because I don’t want to look like a fatass.” You said, rubbing circles on your belly, pushing it out in an exaggerated manner so it could make your belly look bigger.

Kyungsoo laughed at your silly antics. “You are far from fat. But do you want me to go get you some? I don’t mind.” He said, pointing to the dessert bar.

You sat up on your seat with a gasp. “Really? You’d do that for me?” You asked like an excited child.

“Of course. What do you want?” He asked as he got up.

“Ooh a brownie and another vanilla cupcake. But one with the purple rose on top.” You instructed, a very serious look on your face.

Kyungsoo smiled at you and made his way to the dessert bar. You sat there, drinking your champagne happily until he came back.

“I have the goods!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, placing the plate with the sweets in front of you.

“Oh my gosh, thank you so much!” You said, swaying excitedly on your chair, diving right in to the baked goods.

“Alright! How much have you had to drink?” He questioned, giggling at your tipsy attitude.

“This many.” You said with a mouth full of brownies, holding up 5 fingers and looking like a cute child.

“Alright you need to sober up.” He said and waved over a waiter. He asked him for one glass of water and a cup of black coffee.

“Why are you so good to me?” You asked rhetorically, finishing up the last of your coffee.

“Do you feel better?” He asked, noticing the fact that you looked more yourself and less loopy.

“I do, I think I’m almost fully sober.” You said, stretching your tired back.

“Wanna go dance? I’m sure that will help you sober up more.” He said with a smile.

“Yeah lets go!” You said excitedly, getting up and holding his hand as he led the way to the dance floor.

You two were having fun and being silly, really just enjoying each other’s company. You danced about three songs before your bladder alarmingly signaled that it was time to get rid of all the liquids you ingested earlier.

You told Kyungsoo you needed to use the restroom and made your way as fast and as safely as you could with high heels and a full bladder.

When you came back you noticed Kyungsoo was waiting for you near the bathrooms, looking a little serious.

“Is everything okay?” You asked as you approached him.

“Yeah of course.” He said with a smile that looked a little forced. “Want to dance some more or are you good?” He asked.

“Let’s dance a bit more before I have to leave.” You said as you both made your way to the dance floor.

As soon as you got there the song ended and a romantic slow song started, making some people leave the dance floor and all the couples seemed to stay to dance. Kyungsoo looked at you with a furrowed brow.

“Do you mind?” He asked, hesitantly reaching for your hand.

“Not at all!” You said smiling, pressing your body to his and holding his hand tightly in yours. Even with your impressive heels, he was still a couple inches taller than you, forcing you to look up at him as you two danced the song together. You smiled at each other softly and let the rhythm of the music guide your bodies. Kyungsoo pressed you closer to his body and when you didn’t react negatively or pull away, he leaned down and pressed his lips softly to yours. You closed your eyes and enjoyed the sweet moment. You both pulled away before either one had a chance to deepen the kiss.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” He said shyly, a cute blush caressing his cheeks.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” You assured him, squeezing his shoulder.

“I don’t want to be brash or too forward, but would you like to continue this…?”

You closed you eyes and sighed, hating the timeing life seemed to have with you.

“Kyungsoo…” You groaned, leaning your head on his shoulder.

“What?” He chuckled

“Normally, I totally would. But I’m leaving tomorrow to the States and you are such an amazing guy, I don’t want to just have you for one night and have that be all. You deserve a lot more than that.” You said honestly.

“I get it, don’t worry. I’m glad you think so highly of me.” He said with a smirk, looking somewhere behind you.

“You’re welcome. You can come visit any time though.” You reassured, both of you smiling and enjoying the rest of the dance.

After the dance you looked for Mina, wanting to have enough time to say good bye since you had to go home to change and catch a red eye at an ungodly hour.

“Hey babe.” You said coming up behind her.

“Is it time already?” She asked with a pout, knowing it was time for you to leave.

“Yes. I know, I hate this.” You say as you embrace her. Swaying lightly to the rhythm of the song.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to vsisit you as soon as you’re all settled in.” Mina assured.

“Absolutely! You better come!” You said in mock seriousness, breaking the hug. Your conversation was interrupted by a high pitch squeal/laugh combination. You both looked over to the source of the sound and saw a girl pressed against Chanyeol, his arms wrapped around her waist, tickling her softly thus making her sound like an excited chihuahua. He glided his lips along her neck, whispering something to her ear, making her nod her head quickly. She grabbed his hand and started to pull him through the crowd, not before Chanyeol looked straight at you, sending you a wink that made your heart bang against your chest. You chuckled softly, chastising your silly heart for its muscle memory of Chanyeol’s tactics.

“Oh my god. Is he serious?” Mina asked as she saw Chanyeol leave with one of Suho’s distant cousins.

“Typical Chanyeol. God I don’t know what I ever saw in him.” You say honestly, proud of yourself for not having feelings for him anymore.

“This is the only reason im glad you’re leaving. So you don’t have to deal with his bullshit.” Mina said, rolling her eyes.

“Speaking of which, I have to go now.” You two embraced in a tight hug once again.

You left the hotel with a wave of determination. You were going to make the most of this move. Not just in your professional life, but also in your personal life.

***

Chanyeol could not keep his eyes off you the whole night. You looked incredibly gorgeous in your satin dress and he couldn’t stop staring at the way it hugged your body. That uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach again and he couldn’t shake it off. He also could not shake off the jealousy he felt at the fact that Kyungsoo just liberally put his hands on you. He knew he was your partner, but it still bothered him.

He was sitting down watching Kyungsoo make you laugh and bring you dessert. He couldn’t help but see how happy and care free you looked, an expression he never saw you wear when you were with him. He saw the two of you get up and head to the dance floor. He couldn’t stop staring at the way you smiled and laughed and dance around in a silly way, just enjoying yourself and not caring what others think. When he saw you make your way to the bathroom, he decided to have a little fun.

“You know, she’s not as innocent as she may appear.” He said, walking up to Kyungsoo. Even though both men are friends with Suho, they don’t particularly belong in the same group of friends. In fact, Kyungsoo was never fond of Chanyeol and Chanyeol always thought Kyungsoo was a bit uptight.

“Chanyeol, how lovely of you to come over and say hi.” Kyungsoo said sarcastically, not in the mood for the tall man's antics.

“Always so charming Soo. But seriously. She’s a really good lay. Have you been able to find out yet?” Chanyeol really wanted to piss him off and get under his skin.

“Do not speak of her like that.” Kyungsoo bit out harshly, not believing his ears. Chanyeol could really be a jerk sometimes.

“This is cute. How protective you are if her. Have you known her long?” He asked in mock interest.

“That’s none of your concern. Now leave before she comes back and you make her uncomfortable.” Kyungsoo said pointedly, not giving him an option.

“Now noble.” Chanyeol bowed and walked away, satisfied at the fact that he made Kyungsoo mad.

He watched as you came out of the bathroom, completely unaware of the interaction that just happened between the two men. He watched as the two of you walked back to the dance floor. He felt a jab of jealousy jolt his heart when he saw the way you slow danced. He wanted to look away but for some reason his eyes wouldn’t budge, his stare glued to the two of you. He finally managed to look the other way when he saw your lips touch Kyungsoo’s, the sight almost unbearable and he couldn’t understand why. He got up from his seat and made his way to a group of girls that looked pretty enough and most likely desperate enough to go home with him tonight. He started to talk to a girl that was one of Suho’s distant cousins.

He watched you make your way to Mina and he made sure that the girl he picked for tonight grabbed your attention. He tickled her stomach, making her squeal in a way that might have been endearing to some, but it irritated his ears. He made a point of kissing her neck and asking her if she wanted to go home with him. She eagerly nodded, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the exit. Chanyeol looked your way and felt his heart jump when he saw you looking at him. He sent you a wink and followed what’s-her-name out to his car, ready for a night of trying to get out out of his system. He’s had enough of these confusing feelings.

Previous                                                                                      Next

[deafeningnightcollection-things]

Worlds Collide ~ TEEN WOLF

Chapter 2: My best friend is definitely a werewolf (S1 E1)

Cassie was anxious to get to school the next morning and make sure Scott was alright. She dressed quickly and ran downstairs, hopeful to avoid awkward questions. But parents seem to have a sixth sense for when their kids are trying to sneak out and her dad was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, and he didn't look very happy.

He did his best to keep his voice at a whisper, hoping that her mom wouldn't hear them. "You're lucky that your mother is a deep sleeper, and didn't hear you climbing out your window in the middle of the night. What the heck where you thinking? They found a body last night. If this town lights up like it did with the Hale fire, we're going to have to move, again."

"I know, I know. He's after us, but we're stronger than we've ever been. Would it really be so bad if he found us now?" I'm tired of running. "We can't run forever, dad."

Her father sighed. They'd had this same fight for years. "You don't know him like we do, we can a lot of things others can't, but he can do more. More than anyone should be able to." He paused, clearly not wanting to escalate the argument further. "I'm going to be home late tonight, Dr. Draile is out sick today and they asked me to cover his night shift. Your mom is going on a trip for a few  days, thankfully she's not too freaked out cause she hasn't heard about the body in the woods yet. If you need anything call Melissa, she's off tonight."

"Ok." She smiled tiredly, "I know that you're trying, it's just frustrating because I know that we could be doing so much more. I'm tired of being afraid."

"I know." He embraced her gently, "now lets get out of here before your mom comes downstairs and yells at us both."

Cassie laughed, a little more subdued than usual, but still a laugh and it felt good. "Ok"

The drive to the high school seemed to go by in a flash. She was worried about Scott, she'd spent nearly an hour debating with herself whether or not to go back out and look for Scott, eventually she'd decided that it must've been a normal wolf, it had to be. Still, she couldn't completely banish her worries, even though they were social pariahs at the best of times, Scott and Stiles still managed to attract more danger than anyone she'd ever met.

"Bye, dad." She waved as she jumped out of the car quickly and made her way towards Scott and Stiles.

"Dude, let me see." Stiles was motioning impatiently at Scott's shirt.

"Unless Scott's has a stripper career that I don't know about, I'm gonna need more context than that." Cassie said, inserting herself between the two. She was only mildly bewildered by what she'd heard, it was no where near the oddest thing she'd heard Stiles say.

Stiles answered impatiently, clearly anxious to see whatever was under Scott's shirt. "Little Scotty here, claims to have a huge freaking bite in his stomach. But I say pics or—"

"What!" Cassie exclaimed looking to Scott anxiously, it couldn't be. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." His eyes met hers quickly, trying to alleviate her panic. "Stiles is exaggerating."

"Let me see." She stated emphatically, holding his gaze.

Scott lifted his shirt reluctantly, "I told you it's not that bad."

No. No. NO. It has to be a coincidence, normal wolf bites look the same as werewolf bites, right?

"Cassie, you ok? You seem a little spacey." Scott was looking at her curiously.

Don't be weird. "Yeah, fine... Just didn't get much sleep last night." She sent a halfhearted glare at Stiles, curse him and his stupid ideas. If she was right this stupid idea was going to have much bigger consequences than a couple weeks grounding or a detention.

"Seriously though, this is awesome." Stiles barreled on, oblivious as usual to his friends' unease. "First a body, now this, at least something interesting it finally happening in this town."

"What do you think bit you?" Cassie tried to ignore the dread growing in the pit of her stomach.

"It was dark but I think," don't say it, "it was a wolf." Scott...

Don't freak out. "That's weird. I thought there hadn't been wolves in California for a long time."

"Yeah." Stiles agreed vehemently, "it's been like 60 years since there was a wolf sighting."

"Well, if you two don't believe I saw a wolf than you won't believe I found the other half of the body." Scott said with a hint of a smile.

"Dude. Really?! That's amazing." Stiles might as well have been jumping up and down. This boy was way too excited by a murder. "The only thing better than that is Lydia Martin." Stiles attempted to say suavely as a certain redhead passed by, "h-hey, Lydia."

As usual she walked by without sparing in glance in his direction. Stiles brushed it off, but she knew it had to hurt. She clapped him on the shoulder gently, "better luck next time, buddy."

He glanced at her gratefully, a small smile tugging at his cheeks. "Thanks," he said softly, before turning to Scott. "This is your fault, both of you." He pointed an accusatory finger at her and Scott, "I'm a nerd by association."

Cassie laughed, and for a moment everything felt normal. Just for a moment she wasn't worried about her entire life in Beacon Hills being uprooted because of some stupid midnight adventure in the woods. She threw an arm around each boy, "well then, nerds. We'd better get inside, don't want to be late on the first day. Scott's enough of a problem child as it is."

"Hey," Scott was quick to defend himself. "Every time I've gotten in trouble has been entirely Stiles' fault."

"Hey!" Stiles replied indignantly. They all laughed.

Their first class passed uneventfully, and it was easy to pretend there wasn't a weight on her shoulders. The second class made it harder to ignore. Their teacher was droning on incessantly about the syllabus and talking about a body in the woods like it was nothing. Teachers really don't feel anything. Scott glanced out the window, something evidently having caught his attention. Sure enough there was a cute girl sitting on a bench in front of the school. Cassie nearly rolled her eyes. Boys, she thought exasperatedly.

The girl's voice drifted towards Cassie's sensitive ears. "Mom, three calls for my first day is a little over-doing it..." She said into her cellphone, exasperation clear in her tone as she rummaged through her bag. "Everything execpt a pen, oh my god did I actually forgot a pen!" She closed her bag with a sigh as the vice principal walked up to her. "Okay okay, I gotta go, love you..."

Cassie glanced back at Scott who had been watching the girl intently. This time she did roll her eyes, but a nagging doubt tugged at her. He seemed like he could hear what the girl had been saying. She tried to ignore her doubts, Scott was just staring at the pretty girl. For some reason that didn't alleviate her doubts.

Not two minutes later the girl walked into their class. Oh great, now Scott can spend the entire period staring at a girl. She shared a half-exasperated half-amused glance with Stiles. "Class, this is Allison Argent." The V.P. introduced her. Argent? Could she be? No. There has to be more than one family named Argent, but in Beacon Hills? Can it really be a coincidence? Cassie shook her thoughts away, today was going to be normal through sheer force of will. If she let things spiral out of control the next step would be her parents packing bags and flying out to the furthest reaches of Canada.

Allison walked forward, taking the seat behind Scott, and next to Cassie. Scott turned towards her, a faint blush on his cheeks, and handed her a pen.

Why did you have to drag us into the woods Stiles? ——— The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully, the most interesting thing that happened was Scott doing some light stalking/eavesdropping on the new girl. She managed to stem her oncoming panic by promising herself that she'd get answers after school. The last bell seemed to ring out of nowhere. Cassie walked down to the lacrosse field by herself. Scott and Stiles had to go to the locker room first. Normally, she'd wait for them, but today she needed a moment to clear her head.

The bleachers were relatively full, back to school hype always pulled a decent crowd. She waved to a few kids as she sat down, including Danny who had just emerged from the locker room. She was so lost in thought that she didn't noticed Lydia and Allison sitting behind her until Allison tapped her on the shoulder.

"You're Cassie, right?"

"Yeah." Cassie answered cautiously, she wasn't sure how much the Argents knew of her family, but she still wanted to keep off their radar.

"You're in my English class." Cassie resisted the urge to sigh.

"Yeah. That's me..." She chuckled slightly, hoping to diffuse an awkward situation. It didn't work. She tried a different tactic. "So, how do you like Beacon High so far?"

"It's ok." Allison shrugged, "we probably won't be here very long, anyway." Cassie almost smiled at that, good. Less hunters in town the better. Cassie nodded noncommittally, before turning back to the field.

Scott and Stiles were on the bench as usual, but as she watched Coach Finstock walked over to the bench. He pressed a helmet to Scott's chest, "McCall, you're in goal."

Scott replied awkwardly, a little flustered, "but I've never played goal before."

Coach clapped him on the shoulder. "Exactly. It'll give the boys a confidence boost on their first day back."

"What about me?" Scott shifted uncomfortably.

"A few bruises won't kill you, McCall." Coach clapped him on the shoulder one last time.

Scott paled a little, but never the less walked towards the goal with determination. Stiles just shook his head, she could practically hear the thoughts going through his head. You're going to die. She leaned forward in her seat anxiously, hopefully there wouldn't be any rampaging werewolves on this field today. Especially with an Argent in the stands.

The boys lined up one by one to take their shots on goal. Various people in the stands cheering as their respective friends took a shot, but Scott blocked every one. Stiles leapt to his feet shouting, "that's my friend. That's my friend!"

Cassie smiled widely, knowing how important it was to Scott to do well this season. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "go, Scott. Yeah. Whoo, whoo." Underneath the helmet, Scott's eyes found hers and he smiled. More boys took shots on goal, and Scott blocked more and more shots. It seemed as though no one could get a ball passed him. Finally, it was Jackson's turn. Oh boy, she thought to herself. If something goes wrong it's going to be here.

The tension was palpable in the air. Jackson squared his shoulders and ran at Scott, attempting to bowl him over. But Scott stood his ground, appearing to catch Jackson's ball effortlessly. The people in the bleachers cheered, it really was a good save. Too good. Her gaze flicked between Scott and Stiles, how do you boys always manage to stumble into the worst situations?

Why now? Beacon Hills had been quiet since the Hale fire, six years of nothing, and now this. She couldn't think of any other wolf in town. What are you up to, Derek? She was tempted to leave before practice was over, but Scott and Stiles would notice, and that would lead to questions that she wasn't ready to answer. How do you tell your best friend that he's a werewolf?

The rest of the practice went by very quickly, Scott didn't miss a single shot. Cassie met them on the field as soon as practice ended. "That was amazing, Scott."

"Thanks, Cas." He answered, pride shimmering in his eyes at what he'd done. She smiled.

"You did good too, Stiles." She added turning to her other best friend. "It takes skills to warm a bench that well."

"Yeah, yeah." Stiles swatted her away with a roll of his eyes. "You were good out there, Scotty boy. First line may not be a pipe dream after all."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Are you ever going to stop calling me that?"

"Nope." Stiles puffed out his chest proudly. "I've already come up with five ways to work it into my best man speech."

"Of course you have." Scott cringed half playfully.

The conversation ended abruptly as they reached the locker room. "See you in five." Cassie nodded. She walked around to the front of the school slowly, arriving at Stiles' blue Jeep only a few moments after the boys.

"So where are we headed?" Cassie glanced between Scott and Stiles.

Scott glanced at Stiles before answering, "back to the Preserve."

Why do I let you drag me into these things? ——— Beacon Hills' preserve was chilly. Leaves crunched with every step, and branches fluttered in bursts of wind. The whole scenario felt so similar and yet so different from the previous night. Stiles walked a little ahead of Scott and Cassie, leading the way forward like usual, but so much had changed in a night. Scott had changed.

Unsure how to broach the topic, she tried the first tactic that came to mind. "Scott, you seem different today." Still the truth, just not all of it. "How're you feeling?"

Scott shook his head. "I don't know. Something's off, I can feel it. It's like my senses are on overdrive. I can see things, hear things, smell things. Things that I shouldn't be able to."

Stiles, ever the curious one, couldn't resist a conundrum. "Things like what?"

"Like..." Scott sniffed experimentally. "I can smell the mint gum in your pocket. I can hear Cassie's heart beating."

"I don't have any..." Stiles fished around in his jacket pocket, finding a piece of mint gum, neatly wrapped in foil. Glancing at it oddly, he tossed it back into his pocket. "Hmm... So this all started with the bite?"

Scott nodded. Cassie could practically see the pieces falling into place in Stiles' head, but this had to be too ludicrous, even for him and his wild imagination. "What if I'm dying? Like everything in my body is just fritzing. And then...blegh."

"You know what, I think I have heard of this." Stiles began, in that overeager way that almost always signified mischief. "It's super bad, like crazy bad, but only once a month."

"What?!" Scott was clearly freaking out, maybe on the verge of an existential crisis. "What happens once a month? Is it fatal?"

"No." Stiles eyes continued to glimmer with mischief. "They call it lycanthropy." Stiles spread his hands wide for emphasis.

"Is it serious?" Scott squeaked, growing paler.

"Only on the night of the full moon." Stiles howled.

Cassie smacked him on the back of the head. "This is serious, Stiles!" Her voice was louder than she'd intended, both Scott and Stiles looked at her a little oddly. She rarely raised her voice, but her panic was slipping through.

"Jeez, Cas. It was just a joke." He rubbed his head, wincing exaggeratedly. "You really pack a punch." He winced once more.

"Sorry." She glanced at Scott, and then Stiles, then back to Scott. "I'm just worried about Scott." Stiles nodded.

"I'm pretty sure I dropped my inhaler somewhere around here." And just like that the tension diffused. Scott walked forward to a patch of leaves. It had been dark last night and even with her advanced senses she couldn't tell one batch of decaying leaves from the next. Scott crouched down and began rifling through the leaves. Cassie moved to help him when the sound of leaves crunched under foot reached her ears, she saw Scott's head snap up.

"You're trespassing," an angry voice called out from behind them. "This is private property."

Derek. She tried to keep her face neutral, and not punch Derek. She saw his eyes widen a fraction as he looked at her, they hadn't talked since before Laura died. This whole problem had something to do with him, there were no other wolves in town. Well, there was Peter, but he was in a coma.

Stiles in his infinite bravery shrunk away meekly, "we didn't know, dude."

"Yeah, we were just looking for something... The preserve is big, we must've wandered here by mistake. Forget it, we'll just go now." Scott said stepping up next to Stiles.

As Scott turned to go, Derek tossed something to him. He caught it with lightning fast reflexes, and Derek quirked an eyebrow, his suspicions no doubt confirmed. Scott opened his hand, to reveal his inhaler.

"Uh thanks." Scott looked up, but Derek had vanished. "That was weird."

Stiles smacked Scott on the arm eagerly a few times. "Dude, do you know who that was?!" Scott shrugged. Cassie didn't answer, she had no reason to know Derek Hale. "That was Derek Hale, his whole family died in a fire like six years ago."

Cassie glanced back and she could see Derek, standing just out of normal human eyesight, watching them.

"Didn't he move away after that? What's he doing back here?" Scott wondered aloud, glancing back just as Cassie had.

Stiles shrugged. He knew something didn't add up, but he didn't have all the facts. She had more, but they still didn't add up.

"I gotta get to the clinic, Deaton's expecting me soon." ——— Stiles dropped Scott off in record time—breaking even more traffic laws than usual. Stiles turned to her as they sat in the parking lot, engine idling, "where to now, my padawan?"

Cassie raised an eyebrow, "one of these days you're going to stop referencing Star Wars."

"Never."

Cassie laughed, "well, master Jedi. Could you please take me home now?"

"I think I can arrange that." His eye twinkled as he deftly shifted into gear and backed out of the vet's office. The ride home was filled with amicable silence, that Cassie was thankful for. She was still trying to figure out how all the pieces fit into the wolf puzzle.

As she turned to leave the car, Stiles put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you normally talk to Scott about stuff, but I'm here too. I know somethings wrong, no pressure. Just... when you're ready, I'm here."

She squeezed his hand gently, "thank you." Stiles is a better friend than I give him credit for. Stiles nodded. She stood on the porch, until he was out of sight, then she broke into a run, heading for the preserve. It took her less than 10 minutes to reach the preserve on foot. She then followed the familiar trail, through the brush and leaves, to the charred house. She paused outside, listening, only hearing one set of footsteps in the house, and knowing that Derek would've heard her approach, she marched in.

"You've got some explaining to do, Hale!" She yelled at the quiet house.

"And you still know how to make an entrance, Cassaia." Derek appeared in front of her. It still felt so strange to hear her birth name, only a limited few knew it and even fewer ever said it. She shoved him harshly into the wall behind him.

"Why is it that you show up back in town the same day my friend is bitten?" She flung the accusation out hotly, her temper refusing to stay on its leash.

Derek sighed. "I didn't bite Scott, and I don't know who did. But I do know that whoever bit him, killed Laura."

"What?" She breathed out in a startled gasp. She released him, backing up a few steps.

Derek nodded bitterly, "there's an alpha running around the woods with my sister's power, and her blood on his hands." His eyes flashed their familiar icy blue. Tears welled up in her eyes and her blood boiled even hotter.

"The monster that killed Laura is just running around biting teenagers! Why?!" She threw the words at Derek like an accusation.

"I don't know, but I've been trying to find out." Derek answered calmly under her tirade, she nodded, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She reached out a hand before wrapping both arms around her friend, Derek's arms wrapped around her back firmly before releasing. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there enough when Laura died."

"I know." He met her gaze steadily.

"I'm going to help you find the alpha, and, I promise, we'll make him pay." She wasn't thinking about her parents, or keeping under the radar. At that moment, she was thinking of how kind Laura was, and how sweet Derek used to be and how their family didn't deserve any of this. He nodded. "Be careful. Ok? A beta alone can't defeat an alpha." Please don't be rash. I don't need to see another Hale tombstone. Derek was silent, she knew he wouldn't answer, he could be so stubborn and reckless.

She turned to go, "Cassie. You too." She didn't answer. So maybe we're both a bit reckless.

[27dragons]

Name of Piece: The Bliss of Ignorance Square Filled: R3 - didn’t know they were dating Rating: T Warnings: None Summary: Bucky and Tony are friends. It only makes sense they’d do nice things for each other. But there’s nothing between them. Really. Created For: @tonystarkbingo

Bucky was playing paper football with Clint when Tony pushed into the coffee shop, arms laden with thick books, as usual. Bucky felt a warm little spurt of fondness. Of all the friends Steve had made while Bucky was deployed overseas, Tony was his favorite. Bucky waved, then dragged over a chair from another table.

“That stack must weigh almost as much as you,” he said as Tony dropped the books on the table with a relieved sigh.

“Just about,” Tony agreed. “But they don’t have ebook versions, so...” He shrugged. “It’s okay, I only need them for a few days.”

“Mechanical Engineering and Robotics,” Steve read off the spines. “Fundamentals of Robotics Design. Tony, what the heck? You took Fundamentals three semesters ago.”

“Yeah, but I thought I should brush up.” He grinned and bounced in his seat with barely-suppressed excitement. “I got that internship with Fujikawa!”

“What! Tony, that’s fantastic!” Bucky said, amidst the others’ congratulations. “You’re gonna blow ‘em away.”

“I hope so,” Tony said. “I mean, it’s just an internship, I know I won’t be actually working on design or anything, but--”

“They’ll be lucky to have you,” Bucky promised.

“Thanks.” Tony opened one of the books and took out a small stack of pages held together with a paperclip. “Of course, now I’ve got to fill in all this new hire paperwork. Anyone got a pen I can borrow?”

Natasha had one, because she was prepared for everything, always.

Bucky and Clint went back to their game while Tony muttered over the forms he was filling out and Steve and Nat bickered good-naturedly about whose turn it was to decide where their next date would be.

“Oh, dammit,” Tony sighed. “They want an emergency contact number. There’s no way I’m putting my parents on here.”

Tony’s wealthy father had cut Tony off after they’d fought over what Tony should major in, among other things. In defiance, Tony had gotten loans and was finishing up his degree on his own terms. Bucky was ridiculously proud of him. “Put me down, doll,” Bucky suggested.

“Really?”

“Sure,” Bucky said. “I’m mostly on night shift anyway, so I’ll be around when you blow something up.”

Tony huffed, but wrote Bucky’s name and number on the form. “Robotics doesn’t really involve a lot of explosions,” he said. “More’s the pity.”

“Okay, so when you accidentally create an evil robot that’s bent on destroying the world,” Bucky amended. Tony laughed, and Bucky ruffled his hair.

[’ware the readmore!]

Tony pushed open the door to Bucky’s apartment. Bucky had given him a key when it had come up that Bucky’s apartment was closer to the Fujikawa office than the fourth-floor walkup that Tony split with Clint and Pietro. “That way you’ve got a place to stash your books an’ stuff so you don’t gotta lug ‘em all that way,” Bucky had said.

It was handy; Tony kept a couple of changes of clothes at Bucky’s, too, in case he had to work late and crash on Bucky’s couch. And Bucky had given him space in the fridge, too, so Tony could eat dinner there before taking the subway back to his own apartment. They often ate together, in fact -- Tony’s dinner was Bucky’s breakfast.

Bucky was in the kitchen already when Tony came in, humming tunelessly as he made a mess of the eggs in his frying pan. He looked up with a bright smile when Tony came in. “Heya, dollface! Good day?”

“Yeah, actually,” Tony said. “I found a little flaw in the design I was proofreading, and my boss said I probably saved the company a couple of months on the project and a shit-ton of money.”

“That’s great!” Bucky said. He threw his arm around Tony’s shoulders and squeezed him in a quick hug before going back to his eggs. “We should go out to celebrate.”

“Speaking of celebration,” Tony said, “your birthday is coming up. You going to let me plan a party?”

“What? You don’t gotta go to any trouble for me,” Bucky said.

Tony glared at him. “It’s not trouble if I want to do it. C’mon, it’s the first birthday you’ve had since you came back stateside. Let us take you out and have some fun!”

Bucky made a face like he was going to argue, and Tony turned on the pout. Bucky could never resist Tony’s pout.

“Fine, okay,” Bucky sighed. His mouth twitched like he was trying to suppress a smile. “Nothin’ too crazy, though, okay? It’s just a birthday, don’t really mean nothin’.”

“I promise,” Tony lied cheerfully, and whipped out his phone. “Cancelling the hunky male strippers now.”

Bucky laughed. “Nah, you might as well keep those,” he said. “Makin’ Stevie blush is the best present you could give me, anyway.”

(“Oh my god,” Bucky said, three weeks later. “I thought you were kidding about the strippers!”

“Buck, I never kid about strippers,” Tony said solemnly. He’d had to badger Clint and Bruce and Natasha into helping him pay for it, but it was totally worth it for the way Bucky’s eyes had bugged out and the blush that climbed up out of Bucky’s collar.

“Best birthday ever.”)

Steve and Natasha were completely disgusting together pretty much all the time, but for Valentine’s Day, they took it to new heights. “Ug, get a room,” Bucky complained.

“Or,” Clint suggested with a practiced leer, “put on a show.”

“You have a boyfriend,” Bucky reminded him.

“It’s okay, I’ll film it for him.” Clint thumbed on his phone and turned on the photo app.

“Gross. Stevie, what the hell happened to the evils of the industrial marketing complex, huh?”

Steve managed to tear his gaze away from Natasha. “I guess when you’re this much in love, you’ll take any excuse to show it.”

“Oh gag me,” Bucky whined.

“Kinky,” said Tony in his ear. “We haven’t even gotten to third base yet.”

“Jesus!” Bucky jumped. “Where’d you come from?”

“Just got here.” Tony dragged out a chair and dropped into it, then tossed a package into Bucky’s lap.

“What’s this?” Bucky picked the box up and turned it over.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Tony said. “The bodega on Seventh already has their chocolate on post-holiday markdown.”

“Nice!” If Bucky was going to have to watch his paired-off friends being all sappy and cute with each other all day while Bucky was single, it was nice to have consolation chocolate to go with it. “But don’t think this means I’m putting out.”

“What about this one?”

Bucky leaned over Tony’s shoulder to read the Craigslist ad. “I dunno, this guy sounds like a creeper.”

“They all sound like creepers,” Tony pointed out. “It’s a roommate-wanted ad.”

Bucky chewed on his lip. He could appreciate Tony wanting to move out of Clint and Pietro’s apartment to give the two their privacy, but he didn’t like the idea of Tony living with a stranger. Especially not with the creeps and drug dealers that seemed to be all Tony was finding on Craigslist.

Fuck it. “You could always move in with me,” he said. Bucky’s apartment was small, but he had it to himself.

Tony gave him a wide-eyed look. “I already impose on you enough.”

“Nah. Half your stuff is at my place anyway, you might as well just bring the rest.”

Tony rubbed at the spot on his chest that meant he was considering it. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah,” Bucky said. “I don’t want to go back to night shift, but losing the pay differential kinda sucked. Little help with the rent and bills would be nice, honestly.”

“I’m graduating next semester,” Tony reminded him. “Once I get a real job, I can help out a lot more.”

“Bet Fujikawa’s gonna snap you right up,” Bucky said. “They keep re-upping your internship. They know you’re a keeper.”

“Okay,” Tony said. “Yeah, we can make that work. I bet Clint and Piet will be relieved to have the place to themselves, finally.”

“Everyone wins,” Bucky agreed.

Tony heard the door open, but didn’t look up from his homework. “Welcome home, snugglebug.”

“Hey there, shmoopsie,” Bucky shot back. The ridiculous pet names had started as mockery of Steve and Nat, and then turned into their own private joke. “Anything interesting happen today?”

“Rhodey nearly had a nervous breakdown in the computer lab when the printer ran out of paper and the IT guy said they wouldn’t be around to refill it until tomorrow,” Tony reported. “But I told him I’d print his paper here and drop it off when we meet up for drinks later. That okay?”

“As long as it’s not a hundred-pager,” Bucky agreed.

“Nah, just twelve.”

“No worries, then.”

“Oh, and we got our invitation to Steve and Nat’s wedding in the mail,” Tony said. He pointed at the table that was more of a dumping ground than a useful surface. “Singular invitation. One of them, for both of us.”

Bucky snorted as he picked it up and turned it over. “Fancy,” he commented. “What, no ‘and Guest’ for either of us?”

“Steve did say they were trying to keep it small and intimate,” Tony pointed out. “If either of us were dating anyone, they’d already know about it.”

“They didn’t have to send us an invitation at all,” Bucky said. “Seeing as we’re both in the wedding party.”

“I think that’s just so we can mark our dinner preference,” Tony said. He squinted at his homework, erased a line of math, and reworked it.

“Oh, yeah, here’s the card. Oh, you already filled it out for us. How’d you know I’d want the chicken?”

“Because you only like steak if it’s still bleeding, and there’s no way to get real rare steak from a catering venue.”

“You know me so well.” Bucky messed up Tony’s hair on his way past. “Guess you’ll be an okay date.”

“I hope I catch the bouquet,” Tony quipped. “Then you’ll have to marry me.”

Bucky snared Steve’s elbow and drew him aside. “Stevie. I hate to be a wet blanket at your own rehearsal dinner, but...”

“What’s wrong, Buck?”

“The room you got for me an’ Tony... Look, I’m super grateful to you guys for putting us up, but there was some kind of mix-up with the hotel, an’ they said they can’t change it without your say-so ‘cause it’s on your credit card.”

“Oh.” Steve looked relieved. “Is that all? We can swing by the front desk and do that. What’s wrong with the room?”

“It’s only got one bed.”

Steve hesitated. “That’s... that’s a problem?”

“What do you-- of course it’s a problem!”

“Sorry, Buck,” Steve said, his eyes wide. “I didn’t know. You guys have been together so long, I just assumed--”

“Wait,” Bucky said. “Wait wait wait. What do you mean, together? You mean Tony and me? Like, together, together?”

“Well... yeah?” Steve blinked. “Aren’t you?”

“Of course we’re not!”

“What do you mean, ‘of course’? You an’ Tony have been living in each other’s pockets for like... two years now. He moved in with you!”

“That’s no different than when he was livin’ with Clint and Pietro! It ain’t like we’re suckin’ face everywhere!”

“We just figured you weren’t all that demonstrative in public. Besides, you flirt with each other all the time,” added Steve.

“It’s a joke.”

Steve put his hand on Bucky’s shoulder and looked at him gravely. “Is it?”

Bucky’s mouth fell open, but no protest came out. Over Steve’s shoulder, Bucky could see Tony, laughing as he thumb-wrestled with Pietro over the last slice of bread. Bucky caught himself smiling fondly, and Steve patted his shoulder. “Maybe not as much of a joke as you think, pal,” Steve said. The jerk.

“I’ll... get back to you on that room thing,” Bucky said, unable to tear his eyes away from Tony.

“You do that, Buck.” And Steve was gone.

Shit. Shit. How had he never realized... All their friends thought they were dating? Had been, for... for years.

And sure, they lived together. They went everywhere together, but that was just convenience. It was nice, having company when you were out running errands. It was good sense not to wander the city alone, too, especially when you’d been out having a good time.

And okay, neither of them had gone on any dates in the last couple of years, either, but that was because Tony was focused on his studies and his internship and Bucky was...

Was...

Oh, fuck, was he in love with Tony?

How long had that been going on?

“No dice with the room?” Tony asked when Bucky came back to the table. It was fine, Tony had figured there was a possibility that the hotel’s double bed rooms had already been booked. They could share a bed for two nights; it wouldn’t be that much of an imposition.

“Uh. There’s sort of a... thing,” Bucky said. He looked a little pale.

“Hey, you okay?”

“What? Yeah. Yeah, I’m just...” Bucky looked up and down the table, then took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for something. “Come an’ take a little walk with me?”

“Sure,” Tony said, pushing his chair back. “You sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah,” Bucky said, leading Tony away from the noise and down a side hall. “I just... Um.” When the rehearsal party was out of sight and almost out of earshot, Bucky stopped and leaned against the wall. “So... the reason we got that room,” he said, eyes on the peeling wallpaper, “is ‘cause apparently everyone thinks we’re. Y’know. Together.”

Tony blinked. Then blinked again. “You mean together, together?”

Bucky huffed out a little laugh. “That’s ‘xactly what I said.”

“Oh my god,” Tony said. “Why the hell would they--” Except it made perfect sense, didn’t it, if you were on the outside, looking in. Bucky and Tony spent all their time together. They flirted. They gave each other gifts. They spent their holidays together. They gave each other Valentine’s gifts and planned each other’s birthday parties. They were each other’s emergency contacts, for fuck’s sake. “Huh.”

“Yeah,” Bucky said.

Tony was beginning to understand why Bucky looked so poleaxed. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about it -- Bucky was one damned fine looking man, after all. But he’d never taken it seriously. Bucky was not just gorgeous but smart and brave and funny and kind, and Tony was lucky enough just being Bucky’s friend. But apparently their friends thought there was more there. And he couldn’t help but understand why. “We’ve been dating all this time, and didn’t realize it,” Tony said.

“I guess so.”

Bucky glanced up, and Tony was arrested by the look in Bucky’s eyes. Longing and hungry. Bucky’s eyes dropped, but only to Tony’s mouth and neck, and Bucky licked his lips, let his teeth drag over his bottom lip.

Oh. Oh. Bucky... wanted that?

With Tony?

Tony’s breath hitched and Bucky’s eyes snapped back up to meet Tony’s gaze.

Tony swallowed. “It’s a nice bed,” he said cautiously.

Bucky nodded slowly. “Looked very nice. Big. Comfy. And it’d be a real hassle to make the hotel change our room now. It’s getting late, and all.”

“That’s true,” Tony agreed. “Maybe we should just keep it.”

“We are here together,” Bucky pointed out. “The invitation said.”

“Hang on, I want to try something,” Tony said. Bucky stared at him, and Tony leaned in, felt the soft rush of air as Bucky sucked in a breath. “Yeah?”

Bucky nodded, and Tony leaned in a little closer to brush his lips against Bucky’s once, twice, a third time.

Then Bucky’s hand curled around Tony’s neck, fingers pushing through Tony’s hair, and pulled him in for another, deeper kiss. Tony’s stomach filled with butterflies and a rush of heat flooded Tony’s body. “Oh god,” he croaked.

Bucky reached for Tony’s hand, lacing their fingers together, then glanced at Tony shyly. “Okay? If they see? If they know?”

Tony grinned. “Honey, apparently we’re the only idiots who didn’t know.” He squeezed Bucky’s hand tighter. “Come on, let’s go back to dinner and make everyone sick at how sappy we are.”

“Steve and Nat have it coming,” Bucky agreed. “And then after dinner...”

“After dinner,” Tony said, thrilling at the thought, “we’ll go back to our room and take advantage of that very nice bed.”

~fin.

[elegant-phff]

Two.Was I Not Good Enough?

Alexandra Larsson

February of 2015

The sun shined brightly against her bedroom's window.Alexandra's eyes fluttered open and she slowly woke up.She took a deep breath,happy to finally get a free day after so long.With the increase in her popularity,her demand in the industry also increased.At first she was ecstatic at the thought of her new popularity.That's what I have always wanted,she used to think in the beginning.Slowly but surely,she started to dread all the attention.It seemed like the people were even more interested to pry in her life.Every gossip/hollywood media outlet dug hungrily for dirt on her.Fortunately for her,she didn't have that deep of any secret.The only information they found that was worth sharing for them was the fact that her father was in the military only a few years ago.Taking part in UN Peacekeeping missions and wars.The world was not so surprisingly shocked about the revelation.An actress coming from a military is not really common. Also she has always been private about her life because she was strictly instructed not to talk about her father's profession as it may end up being harmful.People have a lot of opinions about her background,she precisely ignored most of the comments on the internet.Unfortunately,Alexandra was a curious person...too curious for her own good.She may or may not have walked in on her sister and future brother-in-law planning their future early or being intimate in other words."You are getting side tracked author,"says everyone reading the story right now.Yes I broke the fourth wall,anyways back to the internet..."Oh my god,she is such a disrespect to her father.He used to risk his life to protect the country and she is acting in movies and dressing in slutty clothes,"One user said on twitter.It actually made her laugh how it's 2015 and people still aren't respectful to this industry.Yes,sometimes its dark,she believea the conspiracy theory that Beyonce is the leader of the illuminati but she'd rather keep her mouth shut.Now,another user said," I think it is great how her family is appreciates her dreams and allowed her to pursue this career."That comment made her smile.'There are still nice and supportive people out there Alexa,'She thought to herself.

Sighing she got out of her bed.For other people it was an ordinary Thursday,but for the Larsson and Jonas family,it was two days before Summer and Nick get married.Saying that Alexa was happy was an understatement.She was over the moon,not only had she set them up but those two were two of the most important people in her life.Her heart swelled with happiness when she'd see them together.She could only hope that she and Henry would also have a future like them.Alexandra was obviously the Maid of Honour(the decision being completely confirmed after Alexa threatened to reveal to the guests all of their embarrassing adventures)and she had asked Henry to be her date to the wedding,to which he gladly agreed.

Discarding her clothes she hopped into the shower.Feeling her muscles relax under the warm water she went through her errands for the day.The girls --- which included the bride, the bridesmaids and her mother,were going to be staying her her place till the wedding.Her house was big enough to hold that amount of people and seeing that she lived alone it was no problem.She made a mental note to clean her house,first thing after having breakfast.She was in no mood to face her mother's wrath for not keeping her house in order.Turning the shower off,she hopped off the shower and wrapped a towel along her body.She changed into a comfortable hoodie and a pair of yoga pants.She grabbed her phone before moving towards her kitchen.She started making herself chocolate chip pancakes and a cup of hot coffee.Anyone who knew Alexandra Larsson,they'd know how much she loved her coffee.She couldn't properly function without coffee and her day could never start without a cup of really strong caffeine.Quickly finishing her breakfast,Alexa arranged her house,knowing her friends and family would make an appearance soon.

The first one to appear was her sister.The soon to be bride clearly stressed out over last minute arrangements.Alexa tried her best to calm her older sister as much as possible,although she knew,no matter what,the couple would be anxious and nervous up until they are in the aisle.The next people arriving at her door step were Natasha,Natalie,Isla,Tinashe and Ammy --- her sister's bestfriends,also her bridesmaids.The last one to arrive was her mother,who was looking over the last minutes changes.Throughout the day the girls shared laughs,smiles and ultimately helping Summer calm her nerves.Throughout the whole day Alexa noticed the shine in her eyes.That look in her sister's eyes made Alexa almost cry.She was genuinely so happy for her sister.Summer deserved all the happiness she was receiving.Prior to the year Nick and her got together,she suffered a terrible heartbreak from her first love.Summer had found out that he was using her to make his ex-girlfriend jealous and their relationship lasted longer than he'd wanted to.Unfortunately,her sister had fallen for that guy in that short period of time.

The next day was the bridal shower,also known as the bachelorette's party.She was strictly instructed by her sister to not include strippers in her plans.Although she hadn't had the idea in her mind,she pretended to consider it just to tease her sister."Come on,let loose!it's your last day as a single lady...you gotta enjoy yourself!"Alexa exclaimed dragging her sister to the bar of the yacht they were in.Alexa was already tipsy... much to her future self's dismay."Okay,okay!"Her sister shouted over the loud music,surrendering to her.Everyone in the yacht   chanted 'shots!shots!shots!'Summer was giggly and swaying from side to side in a not so gracious way,the plastic tiara almost falling off' her head.After the party was over Alexa helped her sister to bed.

The next day,which was the wedding day was busy from the morning.I bride having woken up with a hangover was not happy...the maid of honour in a similar condition.Thankfully their mother's bitter but magical remedy helped heal their hangover quickly.The hair stylist and makeup artist for the day had arrived and they started working on Summer.The rest of the girls got ready...helping each other when needed.When the clock hit 1 pm,the bride put on her wedding dress and the last minute touches were done.Everyone was in awe looking at the bride.Thankfully her mother wasn't there or else she'd have cried a river.Just after 20mins they were situated inside the car,Alexa carefully handling Summer's train.The location of the wedding was a beautiful Chapel situated in Central London.

The moment the car came to a stop in front of the chapel Alexa's eyes went up to her sister and then to her father who was waiting outside.With a simple nod from Summer,she started helping her out of the car.Tightening her grip on the bouquet of flowers,Summer walked up to her father."Are you ready dear?"Samuel asked his eldest daughter,his eyes swelling with pride and almost tearing up at the sight of his daughters.Summer was the mommy's girl while Alexa was the daddy's girl but there were certain moments in which Summer and their father shared a very strong bond."Ready as I'll ever be,"Summer smiled and took her father's hand and started walking towards the Chapel.Samuel and his two daughters sharing a knowing look made their way to the Chapel.Alexa carefully carrying the train with the other bridesmaids behind her.When they made it to the aisle,she saw Nick---along with his best man,Joe and his other brothers and friends as the groomsmen.She could see Nick's eyes tearing up and it made more tears stream down Alexa's eyes.She could hear Summer sniffing in front of her.When they reached the other side of the aisle,her father gave Summer's hand to Nick and carefully Alexa let go of the train,taking her position along the bridesmaids.

The minister started saying the prayers and everything but Alexa had tuned out all of those.Her eyes travelled to the guests in front of them.She quickly scanned the people for Henry...she grinned when her eyes met Henry's.Henry  gave her a thumbs up to keep her motivated throughout the ceremony.Henry's eyes travelled back to the couple getting married but Alexa's eyes never left him.She had noticed a change in him in the past week.Throughout the ceremony he had avoided eye contact as much as possible which was weird for Alexa.'I will ask him later,'she thought to herself.Turning her attention back to the couple saying their vows and when they said "I do's" everyone cheered loudly for them.Alexa could see her parents standing proudly alongside Nick's parents,her mum by then bawling her eyes out while her dad tried to keep a stern expression.

"You may now kiss the bride,"The minister said.Nick grabbed Summer by the waist a little too eagerly and kissed her.Everyone cheered.After the ceremony was done Alexa walked up to Henry."Hey you!"Alexa exclaimed smiling."Hi love,"Henry smiled reaching down to kiss her."What did you think of the ceremony?"Alexa inquired."I think it was beautiful...it will be us one day"

A week after the wedding

After the wedding things went back to normal quickly.The newly wed couple had gone to honeymoon in Bahamas and were staying there for three weeks.Plopping down on the couch,Alexa turned on the telly.The world was still blazing after the news of Prince Harry's engagement with actress Meghan Markle.Alexa was intrigued by how much the prince had changed in the past years.He had matured.He had gone to war,he genuinely served people and had turned into a compassionate person.He had changed severely since she had met him.In the last three years the two hadn't met once.Although she had met Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge a couple of times but never Harry.She was happy that he had found the person he wanted to spend his rest of the life with.

Glancing at the clock Alexa turned the telly off and went to her room to change her clothes for her date with Henry.Opting for a comfortable yet a bit formal look she wore a blue print jumpsuit with a white polka dot jacket and her Michael Kors shoes.The couple hadn't had spent much time together in the past month.The only time they had properly spent time in a month was at her sister's wedding.

Just when she finished apply her lipstick her phone vibrated indicating she had a text.'I am here xx' She smiled.Grabbing her blazer she head out."Hi,I've missed you!"Alexa exclaimed kissing Henry."So have I,come on we are gonna be late for the reservation,"Henry replied guiding her to his Range Rover.

Throughout the dinner Henry had been nervous and fidgeting a lot.Alexa had noticed it and when she confronted him about it he brushed it off.When the desert arrived Henry stood up taking Alexandra's hands."Love..."It was Henry's nickname for her."The past two years that I had the honour of spending with you have been amazing.I cannot help but imagine the coming years with you by my side...you and me against the world."Alexa's eyes started tearing up knowing where this was going."I want to make you my wife,"Henry continued.

"Alexandra Chase Larsson will you give me the honour of becoming Mrs.Henry Cavill?"Henry asked getting on his knee and he brought out a turquoise diamond ring.But Alexandra's eye never left his.Unable to form words she only nodded and Henry pushed the ring in her finger.She immediately helped him stand up and hugged him tightly."Oh my gosh,I love you so much!"Alexa finally said."I love you too my love,"Henry replied smiling.

Just after the proposal they went back to Alexandra's house,the girl insisting that he  spend the night.The next morning was spent calling all of her friends and family informing them about the engagement.Everyone was overjoyed.The couple had decided to announce their engagement by them both posting a picture of the ring captioning,"She said yes!" And,"I said Yes!"Just by that the world was going crazy.The Hollywood favourite couple were officially engaged and everyone couldn't be more happier.Two high class engagements in two weeks!Alexa started reading an article about there engagement written by the Daily Mail,

           [Picture Above: Alexandra Larsson and Henry Cavill attend the BAFTAs 2014 together. Source:Getty]

'The Hollywood 'it' couple Alexandra Larsson and Henry Cavill are officially engaged!You are ecstatic right?So are we!So is everyone really.The couple started dating back in 2014 introduced by fellow mutual friend Chris Evans.The couple is set to marry in fall of 2016.Celebrities are congratulating the newly engaged couple via social media.Including best friends Selena Gomez,Taylor Swift,Averly Martins [YouTuber,Cousin] and co stars Sebastian Stan,Robert Downey Jr,Gal Gadot and Chris Hemsworth.Sources close to the couple say that Alexandra would first concentrate on promoting her upcoming movie Captain America:Civil War and after the release will be taking some time off to plan the wedding.

Make sure to check back in to THE DAILY MAIL to get new updates about the couple!'

Alexandra chuckled at their excitement."It seems like they are getting married instead of me!"

Alexandra had started looking for wedding dress because she wanted to find the perfect one and didn't want to rush last minute.

March of 2015

After looking over millions of dresses Alexandra had found the one.Returning from the bridal shop she decided to pay a surprise visit to Henry as they both had been busy with the wedding preparations.The dress was still at the bridal shop for the alternations.

When she entered the neighbourhood she noticed that there was another car in Henry's driveway.Thinking a friend was over she parked her car beside it.Opening the door with her key she tiptoed her way in,not wanting to ruin the surprise.Making her way to her fiancé's bedroom she heard muffled noises coming from the door.Growing suspicious,she quietly opened the door.

Alexandra Chase Larsson was a strong woman.She didn't take anyone's shit.She was prepared for anyone to throw anything at her.Dealing with anxiety,self consciousness and depression from a young age she build a wall around her.The walking guarding her from the people.But Alexandra was not prepared for the sight in front of her.Her fiancé completely naked with a blonde woman bend down in front of him --also completely naked.Their moans were the only sounds in the room."I love you,I love you,"they chanted while thrusting.

Agony,that's what Alexandra felt.Her eyes burning red with anger.When she heard them say I love you's her anger only escalated.Did she mean nothing to him?What had she done wrong for him to betray her like that?All these questions roamed around her head.Wanting to make her presence known she pushed the door farther away and clapped her hands."WOW!Look who it is everyone!Award winning actor Henry Cavill banging a girl behind his fiancée's back,wow just wow!"Her words laced with sarcasm.The couple untangled themselves.The girl hurriedly tried to put on her clothes which were scattered around the room and left the house,ashamed that they had been caught while Henry put on his pants.

"Love,I can explain,I swear.Just hear me out!"Henry tried to justify."Oh really?Okay then,explain."Alexa said crossing her arms.Henry just stood there unable to form words."I-I-I swear love I never meant to hurt y-you..."

"Don't you dare call me love.You lost the right to call me that the moment you decided to betray me.I know you have no justification for your deeds.But just answer my questions.Why?Why did you do it?"Alexandra cut him off.Henry's eyes were filled with guilt."I-I don't know..."he trailed off."WHAT DID I DO WRONG FOR YOU TO HAVE HURT ME LIKE THIS?"Alexa shouted."WHY DID YOU EVEN PROPOSE TO ME IF YOU WERE BETRAYING MY TRUST BEHIND MY BACK?"She added."Babe,I only love you...that's why I proposed!I only want to spend my life with you,"Henry explained."Oh really?you should have thought about it when you were saying I love you to her while fucking her Henry!"Her eyes filled with agony.She wanted to rip his head off."She means nothing to me,you mean everything to me...you are my entire world,"Henry said trying to reach over for Alexandra but she was quick to slap his hands off."You know what?we are done,fuck you!you don't deserve me.You utter piece of shit!"Alexandra exclaimed taking the ring off her finger and throwing it at him."No please,you can't do that!"Henry said."I can't?Well watch me!"

"You betrayed me Henry...I trusted you.You-You know now that I think about us.We weren't ever suppose to be together.You were never someone I should spend my life with.I have trust issues and y-you know that.I built walls around me that are unbreakable.You couldn't break them,Instead I let you in.It was my biggest mistake.I let you in .You found out about my insecurities and you used them against me!You know how much I hate cheaters.You know the only thing I ever wanted was your love and loyalty but-but you just threw away everything we had!We are done.Don't you dare show your filthy face to me ever again!"Alexandra said and walked away from him.Getting into the car Alexa took a deep breathe,trying to calm herself down.When she saw Henry come out of the house,she quickly drove out of the driveway.

She was mad.Mad at herself for trusting him.How could she have been so stupid?How couldn't she notice it?It wasn't the first time Alexandra had been cheated on.Her first love,Logan who she had dated in college had cheated on her as well.It tore her apart.That was when she built her walls.That was when she started having trust issues.High school and college were the worst years of Alexandra's life.Having dealt with bullies,Alexandra suffered from anxiety,depression and self-consciousness.She thought after all those years no one would be able to hurt her ever again.But it happened and it was entirely her fault.How could she not connect the dots?Henry would often judge her decisions---making her doubt her decisions.He wasn't always there for her.There were so many things wrong and she was only realising them then.Henry wasn't able to break her walls.She let him in and it was her biggest mistake.

That day Alexandra didn't cry,she wasn't sad...she was angry.Angry at the world for treating her that way again.The time she thought she'd finally get the happiness she deserved but faith had once again played her and took everything away from her.

She wasn't broken.Henry didn't break her and as they say,'What doesn't kill you,makes you stronger.'Alexandra was stronger.Stronger than someone trying to break her down.It was the beginning of a new Alexandra Chase Larsson.

Alexandra Chase Larsson was a force to be reckoned with and this time,she'd prove it to the entire world.She was a boss,she was ethereal and last but not the least,she was ELEGANT.

[Author's Note]

Whaddup peeps.Believe it or not this chapter took 3 days to write.I am pretty proud of this and it is sooo long!Anyways,you guys may be wondering "WHERE IS HARRY?WE ARE HERE FOR HARRY!!"I know I know!I just wanted to go into Alexandra's background a bit at first and the events in her life which would eventually form the Alexandra Harry falls in love with (or not).I swear there is more Harry in the next chapter.I just wanted to spend a few chapters dedicated to Alexandra's characteristic and I thankfully finished it in two long ass chapters.HOPE YOU LIKED IT!VOTE AND COMMENT PLEASE IT MOTIVATES ME TO UPDATE.

Bridesmaids dress: (The middle one is Alexa's)

           Date outfit:

           Her sister's wedding dress:

[summerinsacramento-blog1]

Seeing the forest when you’re stuck in the trees

One week later, I feel rationally better. My heart hasn’t caught on, but I don’t feel the deep sting I felt before. Now, it’s a numb little tingling that I can ignore. Every day, it’ll sting less and less, but its probably gonna be a point of sadness I hold for years when I remember what 22 felt like. And that’s fine. I have years to heal and move on. I turn 23 in 27 days. That can be the night I officially start a new chapter. One without my last love, but a year where hopefully I feel self-love that I never felt before.

With that said, I am writing this while listening to The Weeknd’s new album about how hes heartbroken for the umpteenth time, so we’ll see how this goes. My friend said I should actually listen to this now, as its what I need. Ricky if youre reading this and I hate myself after this, it’s on you.

This is the story of a young boy who is processing heartbreak in a new city, new career, and a new frame of mind. This is the story of what I have learned in the last week, when my life was pulled out from under me in what I believe will be the best possible way. It sucks now, but I’ve learned something, tangentially related to the relationship.

The title

In order to understand this, I want to start by letting you see who I am. I graduated from college in 2017. It hasn’t even been a year since I stopped living my life in terms of “you have 3 months to prove yourself, go.” Until today, I never realized just how much that had affected the way of life I was living.

My mentor today totally slapped the shit out of me with this one: “Stop thinking in the now. Do what will make you happy 10 years from now. Everything is else is just experience. Not everything has to work.”

That man met me 4 hours ago as I type this, and he’s managed to being me back from a stage of confusion to clarity.

He then hit me with this one: youre not playing with the same rules anymore as when you were in college.  You’ve been living on 3 month blocks of time. You need to learn to work towards a deep future, which you do not have the vision for now.

It hit me immediately that he’s right. For the 5 years since I left home, I have essentially lived my life in such a microscopic scale that I never learned how to see past the tree I was currently on. I lived life climbing a tree, seeing what was coming, and walking to that… but that means that I followed a track. I went from class to class, job to job, woman to woman, hoping to get what I wanted, but the thing is

You can only see trees that are in your field of vision that way, and this is incredibly slow.

Also,

this assumes you want to stay in the forest.

I’ve been thinking about this all day, because I need to learn how to think that way and get off the trees and start walking. I need to go to town and make friends that will last years here. I know I have the same feelings in Phoenix (more on that down the road), but I can’t leave myself with no options in Sacramento. I don’t even mean romantically here. What if I still don’t know what I want? What if I make a Friend in Sacramento with a haircut business and he trains me to be his recruiter? What if I meet a young couple in Sacramento, and they pass me all of their furniture because they’re leaving the city to start a new life? What if I meet a kid in Sacramento who needs a mentor and I commit to making his life better? What if I meet a woman in Roseville who runs a night club and she wants to pay me to be a stripper?  What if I what if I what if I what if I get out of the house and find out.

Both he and my trainer have pointed out to me that I cannot rely on my job to bring me happiness, I have to make it on my own, and I have every intention to. I will be leaving my apartment in 3 weeks and moving to the city. Density is the greatest asset of a city; the only finite resource you have is time. So Im starting a journey of self discovery. I’m joining the sister chapter to the club I loved the most while at Arizona State. I joined a volleyball league. I’m going to every work social from here out for young people – I refuse to wallow in the sadness anymore. I already told the girl I loved all the good and the bad. Everything from here on out is overkill. I won’t be sad, as itll sully the memories of the times we weren’t. Don’t be fooled, I am hurt, but I am taking it as a good hurt instead of sinking to the dark place I was in 2016.

 Speaking of 2016: The Dark Descent of Drunk Depressed Jairo

(For the sake of the other people in this story, I am changing names. If you are my friend and know, cool, but I don’t want to breach their privacy as I share mine)

This story actually starts in 2015, and I sat on it for a long time. It was during an event I ran. Three powerful figures that still mar my self-conscious were there. Girl 1 was texting me throughout the day. Girl 2 and 3 were there. I don’t want to drop too many details, but I remember thinking “Girl 3 is super nice, but I shouldn’t hit on her because she won’t appreciate it.” I had been trying to get at Girl 2 for weeks. Girl 1 was dumb as all hell for being interested in me and getting me first down the line.

I dated Girl 1 for a year. The second half of that year was the most miserable point of my existence. I remember I asked my friends if I should leave at month 5. They said I needed to give her time, and I suffered for 6 more. All this time, I kept having constant desires to leave her for Girl 2 (I NEVER acted on these. It was more of a “why does this girl treat me better than the one who claims to love me?), and she was jealous of Girl 2. I can’t blame her. My 21st bday was during that time, and after ending things I started being a degenerate in plain view of everyone. I am not proud.

But it was okay, I was on a high tree and I knew the kind of tree that I would climb. Drunk me wanted to climb, and there are entire weeks of my life where I drank every day.

Give it like 2 months, and I was starting to talk to this girl, I’ll call her girl 4. I thought that was the tree I would climb next – and boy did I try. We even agreed to go on a date. It never happened though, because in the days in between, I definitely linked up with Girl 2, sort of fast. Just as fast things ended.

Anyway I managed to fall from two trees in like 3 weeks, and I was going nuts for 6 months after. This is where the spiral took off. My grades took damage and I lost interest in most things, and I was so hurt that my search for my future was taking so long, and I kept getting hurt while trying. Why was this forest so thorny? I gained like 20 pounds in liquor weight, which I barely got rid of recently.

That is, until I linked up with Girl 3 once again in 2017 and this time by accident. We were together for what are the happiest days of my life so far. There will be better days, but I haven’t seen them yet. At least not so concentrated. Whatever it was though, I loved her for who she was for a year, and I want to believe she genuinely loved me back.  It did hurt, however, that I always told her the above story, and I would say that I finally picked the right girl. I was on the right tree.

As of last week we know that isn’t true. She cut off the tree under me, but she did it at the right time. And actually, it was on the 3rd anniversary of the day those three girls flowed together into my life.

I was sad because I was on the ground. Tired of climbing and thinking I finally climbed the tallest tree in the forest and found the best spot, only to tumble.

But there was another force at play that I never saw coming. Her name is Girl 0. There is no romance there, we are just good friends, or rather, were. Eight years ago – she was my best friend in 8th grade before we drifted apart. She came back into my life to make sure I was okay, and in the past 6 days we’ve rapidly realized that were good friends still. That gave me so much perspective. Time moves on for everyone, but my best friend from middle school and I collabed for another album ten years later, and with no resentment. She’s coming to my 23rd birthday and that’s exciting!

I also realized that I no longer have resentment for G1 ort G2 since almost 2 years have passed, and I won’t resent G3 at some point. Well, I don’t resent her the same, but one day I’ll either stop missing her, or will feel differently than now – I can freely admit she was the most special girl of my life, and she’ll be a tough act to follow. I kind of wish me moving 800 miles didn’t drive us apart, but I’m also glad it did because now I have to force myself to walk along this forest, no matter how scared I am. I will grow from this. G4 is engaged now, to the boy that she would link up with after me. I’m happy for her, genuinely.

  Regardless, that was the lesson I needed. I need to step down from the trees. Its time I start walking and stop looking for anything in particular short term. I can’t go through this forest one tree at a time. I need to pick a direction and walk it. That’s scary because I don’t know the future, but it was scary before, and I made little progress. Maybe this scary time is what I need. Maybe I need to just keep going and remember that the first 18 years didn’t count, the next 4 were a trial period, and the most recent 1 was me playing with the rules that no longer worked. I got X amount of years left, and I gotta make them count.

 On a similar note, I would like to thank every single person who came out in support of me. You guys are the best, and your friendships, some way old and some way young, have helped me remember that I am loved, and that I am never truly alone.

On another note: The Weeknd’s album was okay and did not make me feel sad. The man almost gave Selena Gomez a kidney though, so maybe he was in deeper love than I was.

On another nother note: If you take the height of the 8 girls I consider exes and plot it, it makes a sine wave with an average around 5’4”. If the pattern holds, the next girl I date has to be taller than me. We’ll see, but maybe I’ll start climbing again, just differently now.

[lia-jones]

Growing Stronger - Chapter Eight - Tipsy Lullaby

Victor woke up with the sound of his phone alarm, set at 5 am, the time he usually went for a run. He scrambled to turn it off, hoping the buzzing sound wouldn’t wake the slumbering figure next to him. He noticed she took a deep breath, but didn’t stir. Letting out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, he slowly released himself from her grip.

He got out of the bed, remembering how everything had begun. Like most unusual things, it happens with people doing things they wouldn’t normally do. In all the weddings he had to attend, which weren’t many, he never attended a bachelor party. He considered it a waste of time, years of being single should suffice to encompass all the experiences a man should have before getting married. If the groom needed a night of strippers and binge drinking to say goodbye to his old life, then he never lived at all. Life was a lot more than lap dances and nasty hangovers.

But Victor was the best man, he had to attend. Luckily, Goldman didn’t care much about strippers, Diane cared even less. The happy couple concocted the perfect solution: a single large room, divided by wooden panels, the men on one side, playing poker, chatting and drinking responsibly, and the women on the other side doing… whatever they had planned to do. Victor had no idea what that was.

The night began with Goldman, 8 hours earlier, talking to Victor at a corner of the room, looking particularly nervous.

“I hope you don’t mind me telling you this.” Goldman started. “But Diane wanted me to talk to you… About Andrea.”

“No need to talk about it. Whatever happened won’t happen again.” Victor tried to end the subject, but that only made Goldman fidget more.

“Well, Sir… I apologize, but Diane insists that we talk.”

Victor raised his eyebrows at Goldman, surprised, for two reasons. One, once he had closed a subject, it was final, so it was very courageous of Goldman to insist. Two: it was clear Diane had put her future husband on a very tight leash. Goldman would rather face his boss than his future wife.

“See… Andrea has already mentioned that it may not be a good idea for her to be maid of honor, due to your… differences. It’s very important to Diane that she is. I wanted to ask you, with all due respect, Sir, if the two of you could talk, agree on a… more peaceful dynamic between you two?”

It took Victor a few seconds to recover from his surprised expression before he could resume his poker face.

“I understand. You are right. I will talk to her.” Victor felt obliged to answer. If he could just have kept his mouth shut at that dinner, none of this would’ve happened. They were adults, they shouldn’t be bickering like small children. They would have to figure something out, even if for the sake of future business meetings.

“Thank you, Sir. She’s on the girl’s side of the room. Good luck!”

Victor walked slowly to the other side, pondering on what he should say. He wasn’t sure she was angry, but he could guess she probably wasn’t. Andrea was not one to hold a grudge, and had a natural inclination towards kindness. She would only lash out if she felt disrespected. As long as Victor kept a warm, honest attitude, he was sure she would be receptive.

He found her at the food table, plating the food the caterer had left.

“I see Diane keeps you busy.” He spoke, to get her attention. She looked at him with wide eyes, startled to hear him. He probably interrupted some kind of contemplation.

“Yes, she always keeps me busy.” She rolled her eyes playfully. “How are you?”

“I’m fine.” He quickly answered, anxious to cut to the chase. “Can we have a word?”

Andrea let out a hearty laughter.

“Did you get a lecture too?”

Her laughter made Victor smile. It was good to hear her laugh.

“Not exactly a lecture… Goldman talked to you too?”

“Bridezilla did… But she’s right. Look, I have nothing but deep respect and gratitude for you. Quarrels aside, you are one of the best people I know. We were friends before, how hard can it be to go back to that again?” Andrea looked at him with honest eyes. He knew she was telling the truth. Victor would always admire how candid she could be.

“I feel the same.” He admitted. “So, what’s that in that box?”

Andrea grabbed the box before he could.

“Erm, apparently it’s the maid of honor’s duty to make some very embarrassing things…” Andrea blushed.

“It smells like cookies.” Victor frowned. How could cookies be embarrassing?

“It is cookies…” Andrea lifted the lid for Victor to see, causing him to stifle a laugh. It sure was cookies… Shaped as genitalia. Penis shaped cookies and round cookies with icing drawn labia.

“Diane made you bake these?” Victor couldn’t help but chuckle at the cookies and Andrea’s embarrassment. “Your cookies are delicious, I would love to have one, but… I don’t think I can.”

Andrea looked at the content of the box for a moment, lost in thought.

“I think I may have a solution to that… Turn around.”

Victor played along with a smile, turning away from her. When she asked him to face her again, she was holding a napkin with two small round cookies in it. It wasn’t hard to guess where those had come from.

“Here.” She announced playfully. “Two very inconspicuous round cookies for you. Enjoy.”

Victor raised his eyebrow at her, taking a bite of one of them. It was sweet and buttery, tasted like vanilla with a hint of coconut. Delicious. Without much consideration, he put both cookies in his mouth. He hummed in approval.

“Are they good?” She asked.

“Mhm.” Victor was still delightfully chewing.

“Why, I’m happy you like my balls.” Andrea gave him a sly smile.

Andrea’s mockery made Victor gasp, and accidentally inhale a few lose crumbles, which led to a coughing spree. Andrea reached for a glass of lemonade for him to drink, patting his back… while laughing her head off.

He finally managed to swallow the cookies in his mouth, taking a big gulp of lemonade to wash it down. When he was finally able to speak, his voice came out like a croak.

“Don’t do that again.” He warned. Andrea burst into laughter again.

“Mr. Lee, I didn’t take you for such a prude… It’s a cookie, nothing else.” She said, biting the tip off a penis cookie.

“That’s disturbing.” He gave Andrea a frown, although he was actually having fun, seeing her playful like that.

Andrea teased him a bit more, putting a whole penis cookie inside her mouth.

“Yum.”

“Childish.” Victor declared.

It was childish. But that didn’t mean he was going to forfeit in a battle of wits. He casually took one of the round ones with labia, and making sure no one was watching, licked the icing off in one slow flick of his tongue. Andrea almost collapsed with laughter.

Victor left for the men side of the room, thinking about how he missed those fun, silly moments with Andrea. He was glad he could have them again, even if just as friends. He also wondered if he could recreate her recipe. Those cookies were really good.

After a few hours of playing and idle chatting, the men started going home. The women, however, laughed loudly on the other side of the wooden panels. Goldman went to take a look, returning with a worried look on his face.

“I need to go.” He announced. “Diane is wasted. I need to get her home.”

Victor wondered how Andrea was doing. She would probably be sober, she was usually careful and she had good alcohol tolerance. But still, he needed to make sure she went home safely. He hadn’t seen her car outside, and he didn’t want her to take a cab. He could just drive her.

As he approached her, he noticed she was a little more amused than usual. Her complexion was also paler, her eyes looked smaller and glazed over. She was drunk. Probably not sloshed, but definitely under the influence. He sat beside her, watching her closely.

“Did you bring your car to the party?” He asked quietly, not to make a scene. She turned to him, and he noticed the extra effort she made to focus on him.

“Handsome!” She beamed at him. “No, I’m taking a cab. You don’t need to worry.”

“I can see you’re unwell. I can take you home safely.” Victor looked into her eyes, to let her know he had noticed.

She took a while to answer, probably considering if she should accept or not. Fortunately, even tipsy, she was sensible.

“Yes, thank you. I may have had a little bit more to drink than I should.” She admitted.

After making sure each one of the women had someone to see them home safely, Victor returned to Andrea. He took her hand and, supporting her body with his, he got her in his car.

“Are you feeling nauseous? Do you want me to stop?” He asked, after a few minutes of driving in silence. Andrea didn’t reply, slumped against the window, seemingly asleep. Maybe exhaustion was playing a big part in her condition too. Olive told him she had been pretty busy since the gala.

Victor stopped the car by her building, on his usual spot. He opened the door, careful not to let her fall, and shook her a little. Andrea opened her eyes.

“We’re here. Can you walk?” He asked softly.

Andrea shook her head, her eyes barely open. Victor would have to carry her home.

He took her in his arms gently, afraid a sudden movement would make her sick. She leaned her head in his chest, half-asleep.

“You smell so good.” She whispered. “I forgot how good you smell.”

“Is that so?” Victor chuckled.

“I wish you wore sweaters.” Andrea complained, as Victor sat her on the stairs by her door.

“What do you mean?” Victor asked, busy looking for her keys in her purse.

“Well, if you wore more sweaters, you could leave one behind, I could keep it in a plastic bag, and whenever I missed you I could just open the bag and get a big whiff.” She smelled her hands, pretending to have a sweater in them.

“How drunk are you?” Victor chuckled.

“I’m serious.” She slurred, wobbling in her seat. “All the girls they have these mementos that ex-boyfriends leave behind, books, or CDs, or sweaters. Except you don’t like sweaters, and you’re too tidy to ever leave something back at my place. You left no trace behind. If not for our working relations, it’s like you never existed. Like you never wanted to be here at all.”

Victor said nothing, trying to figure out if there was any truth behind her inebriated speech. He simply opened the door of her apartment and picked Andrea up, taking her to her room. He sat her on her bed, going to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

He was startled by a loud thump. He bolted to the room, only to find her splayed on the floor, laughing.

“Are you hurt?” Victor watched her closely, touching the back of her head to see if she had bumped it on the floor.

“No, I’m fine. I landed on this.” She laughed, holding a towel in her hands. “I had no time to put it away, and look! It saved my life. If I were like you, Mr. SquarePants, always so obsessed with having everything in its place, I would’ve hit my head on the floor. Empirical proof that we all could use a little bit of chaos, I say.”

Victor rolled his eyes but still sighed in relief, helping her back to bed. Andrea could be extremely frustrating, but at least she wasn’t hurt.

“Drink this.” He uncapped the bottle of water. “If you hydrate, you won’t have much of a hangover.”

Andrea must’ve been parched, because she drank the entire bottle in one go. After making sure she was well seated on her bed and wouldn’t fall again, he left to the kitchen to get another bottle of water. But as he returned, he was slightly panicked to find her pulling the zipper of her strapless dress down. He ran to her, holding the fabric of the dress up, not wanting her to be naked in front of him.

“What?” Andrea slurred, a frown on her face. “I can’t sleep wearing this. It’s uncomfortable.”

“I understand that, but I’m here, and you wouldn’t want to be naked in front of me. Will you remain decent if you take that dress off?” He raised his eyebrows at her, trying to make her see his point.

“What’s the problem? You’ve seen me naked before.” She argued, peeking under her dress. She let out a giggle. “I have a bra. Do you have anything against bras?”

Victor didn’t reply, helping her take her dress off, giving her a t-shirt to put on. She reached under the t-shirt and removed her bra in a swift motion.

“You are going to be mad at me tomorrow, aren’t you? For having to help me.” She asked, her expression serious.

“You should take better care of yourself. You should know your limits.” Victor declared, unable to hide the angry tone in his voice.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, I thought I was doing ok. I stopped drinking the moment I felt it coming. It was a mistake.” Andrea’s eyes were brimming with tears.

“You can’t afford such mistakes. You need to be responsible, Andrea, you have too much to lose. I can’t be saving you all the time.” Victor felt the lecture coming, even though he didn’t want to. But he hated to see her be careless like that. Getting drunk. What if another guy got his hands on her?

“I can’t be perfect like you!” She started crying. “I want to, but I can’t. I can’t be always so poised, I’m not calm and collected like you are, I am messy! I will always be messy, I can’t help it. No matter how hard I try to always do the right thing, there will always be something I do wrong!”

“I’m far from perfect, Andrea.” Victor wiped some of her tears with his fingers. He couldn’t bear to see her cry.

“You said I didn’t want to move in because I compared you to Daniel. I didn’t. I never did.” She continued, tears streaming down her face. “I was afraid. I was afraid that you would find in me all the flaws Daniel did. I was afraid he was right, after all. That I was in fact this shitty person, and you would see it too, when we spent more time together. I was afraid of disappointing you.”

Victor couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She was the strongest person he ever knew. How could she be this insecure?

“Andrea…”

“Because I am a disappointment. I disappointed my parents when I moved in with Daniel, I am the kind of girl that accidentally gets drunk! I am the kind of girl that gets jealous over an old fling and starts a fight over it. I’m the kind of girl that slaps the man she loves and runs away, ashamed to go back and apologize.”

Victor had no time to answer, as Andrea’s lips crashed into his. His response was instinctive, primal, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her back. But he couldn’t, no matter how much he wanted it. He broke the kiss.

“Andrea, we can’t…”

Andrea didn’t listen and kissed him again. Even drunk, she was a good kisser. She always had this way of releasing something in him, something he couldn’t stop. Andrea left him emotionally naked, exposed, actually craving to break free from the prison he built for his feelings. Again, he kissed her back. How could he not? It took all the strength he had in him to pull her away. He wanted her, but not like that.

“You’re drunk. You don’t know what you are doing.” He held her shoulders so hard he was afraid he would bruise her. But he couldn’t let her come near. He wasn’t sure he would be able to pull back a third time.

“You don’t want to kiss me?” She asked him with watery eyes.

More than anything in this world. But not like this.

“You don’t love me anymore?”

I could never stop loving you. That’s the only thing in this world I can’t do.

“I did leave you. I walked out on you.” Andrea sounded defeated. “You deserved better. I’m sorry.”

She tried to hug him, but all she accomplished was to headbutt his shoulder. Victor held her tight, wanting to bring her some comfort. He ran his fingers through her soft curls lovingly, lulling her to sleep, as he felt her gradually relax in his arms. When he heard her breath become deeper and even, he laid her gently on her bed. There was only one problem: sleepy Andrea had grabbed his tie, and wouldn’t let go.

Victor lied down beside her, waiting for her to fully relax, so he could break free from her grip without waking her up. He replayed in his mind all that she told him, trying to make sense of it. Did she regret breaking up with him? Did she still love him? Was their relationship salvageable?

All these thoughts ran wild in Victor’s mind, so much that he didn’t notice his eyelids growing heavier. Exhausted, he fell asleep without even noticing, holding her in his arms, just like before.

Hours later, Victor was grateful for having his alarm waking him up. He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable knowing about what had happened the previous night, so he decided to never mention it unless she explicitly asked. He left some painkillers and a bottle of water on her nightstand, walking out of her apartment quietly. But not before leaving the tie he was wearing in one of the drawers of her dresser, hidden between her clothes, like it had always been there.

[pllsetskyonice]

for auld lang syne, my dear

Otayuri Week Day 2:  Social Media or Celebrations

Words: 1.7K

Featuring: a group chat, an inconsolable instagram fandom, and a new year’s engagement

AO3 link

Skating Gays

--10 Dec, 14:32--

Christophe: So what’s everyone doing for new year?

Katsudon: …why?

Christophe: I’m going to London and wondered if any of you wanted to join me

Victor: SOUNDS WONDERFUL YUURI AND I WILL BE THERE

Katsudon: We will?

Victor: I’m booking plane tickets now so yes, pack a bag

Phichit: This is going to make for some great Instagrams I can see it now

Phichit: I’m in

Kazakhstan’s Hero: I’ll go if Yuri goes

JJ Style: Unfortunately I’ve already got plans for new year

Russian Fairy: Such a shame

Sara: London sounds like fun, I’m coming

Mila: I’ll make sure you do ;)

Russian Fairy: LMAO CRYING MILA NO

[Russian Fairy changed Mila’s nickname to Making Sure She Comes ;)]

Making Sure She Comes ;): You coming or not yuri or do you need beka’s help?? ;)

Russian Fairy: Ffs mila

Russian Fairy: And yes I’ll go to London

Kazakhstan’s Hero: Me too then

Michele: I’ll have to go to make sure Sara is okay

Sara: For the last time I can look after myself

[Sara removed Michele from the group]

Russian Fairy: Savage

Christophe: We’re at eight so far, anyone else want to come?

Sara: Michele will probably come btw just so you know

Christophe: Alright

Christophe: Anyone else?

Georgi: Can my girlfriend come too?

Christophe: Sure

Georgi: Then we’ll be there

Christophe: Any advance on 11?

Seung-gil: Make it 12

Gaung Hong: 13

Emil: Think I can come too

Christophe: That’s 14 going, are we ready for this?

Making Sure She Comes ;): Is London ready for us?

Leo: Any room for a fifteenth?

Minami’s Boogie: Can I come too?

Christophe: Yes and yes! See you all in London!

-

phichit+chu

[Image of a selfie in Heathrow Arrivals with everyone]

Tagged: christophe-gc, yuurikatsuki, v-nikiforov, yuri-plisetsky, otabek-altin, mila-b, sara-crispino, seung-gillee, +guanghongji+, emilnekola, mickey-crispino, georgi_p, leo_iglesia, minami

6,532 likes

phichit+chu So happy to be spending New Year’s with so many great people!

View all 103 comments

Yuri+angels10 OMG OMG THEY’RE IN LONDON UK SKATING FAM WHERE YOU AT

ukskaters @Yuri+angels10 right here and we’re NOT OKAY

otabae So wish I was in London right now :(

-

yuri-plisetsky

[Image of selfie with Otabek where they have their arms round each other]

Tagged: otabek-altin

7,213 likes

yuri-plisetsky Reunited ♥

View all 135 comments

v-nikiforov @yuurikatsuki AWW LOOK AT THEM

Yuri+angels10 honestly can’t get over the fact that they’re actually together

phichit+chu #relationshipgoals

-

christophe-gc

[Video of Yuuri doing shots]

Tagged: yuurikatsuki

1,297 views

christophe-gc SHOT SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS

View all 95 comments

mila-b Did you pack the stripper pole because I think we’re going to need it

v-nikiforov @mila-b I’M SO READY

mila-b @v-nikiforov of course you are ;)

-

yuri-plisetsky

[Image of playing cards and shot glasses]

4,324 likes

View all 87 comments

yuri-plisetsky Destroying everyone at blackjack right now

otabek-altin Play drinking games, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.

mila-b @otabek-altin what are you complaining for he’s letting you win

v-nikiforov @otabek-altin @mila-b EXACTLY, I THINK I’M DYING OVER HERE

-

phichit+chu

[Image of a selfie of everyone sitting in a circle with an empty bottle in the middle]

Tagged: christophe-gc, yuurikatsuki, v-nikiforov, yuri-plisetsky, otabek-altin, mila-b, sara-crispino, seung-gillee, +guanghongji+, emilnekola, mickey-crispino, georgi_p, leo_iglesia, minami

5,132 likes

phichit+chu Adults on New Year’s Eve or a high school party? Scientists can’t tell

View all 106 comments

sara-crispino Who thought this was a good idea

v-nikiforov @saracrispino if it means I get to kiss @yuurikatsuki then I say it’s a good idea

sara-crispino @v-nikiforov YOU’RE LITERALLY MARRIED YOU CAN KISS WHENEVER YOU WANT FFS

-

christophe-gc

[Video of topless Yuuri and Victor making out]

Tagged: yuurikatsuki, v-nikiforov

2,965 views

christophe-gc Odds on them actually making it to midnight without fucking?

View all 145 comments

yuri-plisetsky Slim.

seung-gillee This is going to get flagged

yuurikatsuki CHRIS YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T POST THIS

-

phichit+chu

[Image of selfie that shows Guang Hong and Leo kissing in the background]

Tagged: +guanghongji+, leo_iglesia

4,284 likes

phichit+chu Figure skating’s newest couple?

View all 203 comments

+guanghongji+ I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to this

leo_iglesia @+guanghongji+ what you saying?? :O

yuri-plisetsky @leo_iglesia @+guanghongji+ trouble in paradise??

-

mila-b

[Image of Mila and Sara kissing]

Taggd: sara-crispino

4,862 likes

mila-b n i c e (PC: @phichit+chu)

View all 57 comments

sara-crispino ♥♥♥

mickey-crispino :O :O :O

yuri-plisetsky @mickey-crispino why are you shocked it’s not like it was a secret

-

christophe-gc

[Video of Yuri and Otabek singing Start of Something New from High School Musical]

Tagged: otabek-altin, yuri-plisetsky

2,316 views

christophe-gc AND NOW, LOOKING IN YOUR EYES, I FEEL IN MY HEART… #highschoolmusical #yuriplisetsky #otabekaltin

View all 67 comments

Yuri+angels10 This is all I’ve ever wanted in life

otabae Now all I want is for them to skate to hsm songs next season

altinfanclub @otabae high school musical on ice with otabek as troy and yuri as gabriella now that is something I’d pay to see

-

yuri-plisetsky

[Video of crowd counting down to New Year]

3,921 views

yuri-plisetsky *inserts generic new year message here*

View all 321 comments

Yuri+angels10 Happy new year!

otabek-altin Happy new year ♥

xplisetskyx Happy new year! · Translated from Russian

-

yuurikatsuki

[Video of Big Ben chiming and the fireworks going off]

4,853 views

yuurikatsuki Happy new year!

View all 306 comments

katsukidaily Happy new year!

mirakatsuki Happy new year Yuuri! · Translated from Japanese

sukeota3sisters Happy new year! · Translated from Japanese

-

sara-crispino

[Video of the fireworks]

3,596 views

sara-crispino London knows how to throw a party. Hope everyone has a wonderful new year wherever you are in the world!

View all 184 comments

mila-b Happy new year! ♥♥

xxcrispinoxx Happy new year! · Translated from Italian

emilnekola Happy new year!

-

phichit+chu

[Image of Otabek getting down on one knee in front of Yuri]

Tagged: otabek-altin, yuri-plisetsky

7,214 likes

phichit+chu WAIT WAIT WHAT’S THIS

View all 193 comments

Yuri+angels10 OMG OMG OMG

otabae IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS

Yuri+angels10 @otabae I THINK SO

-

v-nikiforov

[Image of Yuri and Otabek kissing]

Tagged: otabek-altin, yuri-plisetsky

8,431 likes

v-nikiforov Congratulations to @otabek-atlin and @yuri-plisetsky on their engagement!

View all 291 comments

yuurikatsuki I’m so happy for you two! @otabek-altin @yuri-plisetsky

sukeota3sisters We can’t believe this is actually happening! We hope you have many years of happiness together @yuri-plisetsky and @otabek-altin! · Translated from Japanese

georgi_p Congratulations to both of you! @otabek-atlin @yuri-plisetsky

-

yuri-plisetsky

[Image of the ring on Yuri’s ring finger]

Tagged: otabek-altin

10,643 likes

yuri-plisetsky New year could not be off to a better start #Isaidyes

View all 286 comments

Yuri+angels10 *frantically googles how to breathe*

phichit+chu Congratulations!!

Jjleroy!15 @otabek-altin @yuri-plisetsky congrats guys!

-

otabek-altin

[Image of selfie of Yuri and Otabek together, with the ring visible]

Tagged: yuri-plisetsky

8,152 likes

otabek-altin He said yes!

View all 247 comments

yuri-plisetsky Of course I did ♥

otabae I’M IN TEARS

seung-gillee Congratulations!!

-

christophe-gc

[Video of everyone singing Auld Lang Syne]

Tagged: yuurikatsuki, v-nikiforov, yuri-plisetsky, otabek-altin, phichit+chu, mila-b, sara-crispino, seung-gillee, +guanghongji+, emilnekola, mickey-crispino, georgi_p, leo_iglesia, minami

5,213 views

christophe-gc Happy new year everyone!! And congrats to @yuri-plisetsky and @otabek-altin on their engagement!!

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Jjleroy!15 Happy new year!

giacometti Happy new year! · Translated from German

mickey-crispino Happy new year everyone!

-

Skating Gays

--1 Jan, 15:34--

Christophe: Did everyone have a good time last night?

Phichit: The best! London was definitely a good idea!

Phichit: And I captured Otabek proposing to Yuri on camera I couldn’t have asked for much more

Sara: What about the part where they sang high school musical songs together that was cute

Katsudon: They just look so happy together, I couldn’t be more pleased for them

Christophe: The wedding’s going to be one for the books I can feel it now

JJ Style: Sad I missed the whole thing tbh

Russian Fairy: That’s what you get for staying in Canada

[Christophe changed Russian Fairy’s nickname to Russian Fiancé]

[Christophe changed Kazakhstan Hero’s nickname to Kazakh Husband-To-Be]

Russian Fiancé: And Victor what the fuck’s with all the flowers you sent to me and Otabek this morning

Russian Fiancé: [Image of several bouquets of flowers on a table in hotel room]

Russian Fiancé: SERIOUSLY WHY

Victor: I just wanted to congratulate you!

Russian Fiancé: You said your congratulations last night we didn’t need hundreds of roses and lilies and whatever the hell else to say it for you

JJ Style: So apart from an engagement, pretending it’s 2006 and many flowers, what else did I miss?

Russian Fiancé: Guang Hong and Leo drunkenly kissing in the lift when we got back to the hotel

Leo: Surprised you noticed that with how I’m 90% sure Otabek already had his hands down your pants at that point

Russian Fiancé: ,,,,not really relevant though is it

Russian Fiancé: Also Yuuri and Victor disappeared for a while before we went out and everyone knew they’d gone to have sex but no one talked about it and pretended like nothing happened

Christophe: Yuri obliterated everyone at blackjack and got everyone fucked

Making Sure She Comes ;): *apart from him and Otabek because he kept fixing the games

Katsudon: …he did?

Georgi: You were already drunk by that point because of all the shots Christophe made you do Yuuri

Making Sure She Comes ;): I was surprised you made it out ngl

Victor: You should know it takes more than a few shots to make sure Yuuri doesn’t get past predrinks

Christophe: Lmao we all know that

JJ Style: Sounds like a good night

Phichit: It was! We should do the same next year!

Christophe: Definitely

JJ Style: I might even make it next year who knows

Kazakh Husband-To-Be: Well I’d advise clearing your diaries now because that’s the date of the wedding

Phichit: WAIT WHAT

Victor: IT’S THE DATE OF THE WHAT NOW

Russian Fiancé: The wedding. You know, the thing that happens after you get engaged?

Phichit: HOW ARE YOU SO PREPARED

Kazakh Husband-To-Be: I’ve been planning this for months

Russian Fiancé: I had no idea until he proposed

Phichit: Aww, that’s so romantic ♥

Kazakh Husband-To-Be: That was the general idea

Russian Fiance: ♥♥♥

-

THE HONOUR OF YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED AT THE MARRIAGE OF

YURI PLISETSKY

AND

OTABEK ALTIN

ON THURSDAY, 31ST DECEMBER AT 2.00 PM

THE ORANGERY

KENSINGTON PALACE

LONDON

UNITED KINGDOM

-

Skating Gays

--31 Dec, 14:55--

[Christophe changed Russian Fiancé’s nickname to Russian Husband]

[Christophe changed Kazakh Husband-To-Be’s nickname to Kazakh Husband]

rest of the series on AO3 / tumblr

[escailyyy]

A grandaughter's problem

“Ah so there’s my little lightsaber, come to visit your old granddaddy eh?” Obiwan Kenobi huffed wheeling his wheelchair down the hall of his retirement haven, towards the angry form of his most rebellious granddaughter Kira, rolling his eyes at her revealing clothes he raised an eyebrow in the way only a retired member of the Special Joined, Equanimity Division of Intelligence (J.E.D.I) order could “you just missed Rey and Daisy, who by the way had a very interesting piece of gossip to share”

“Daisy and Rey don’t know anything” Kira snapped crossing her arms over her scantily clad chest, taking in his subtle chastisement and making a beeline for Obiwan’s linen closet, emerging minutes later clad in one of her grandfather’s old black Jedi Council tunics and sweatpants three sizes too big “they need to stay out of my bloody life, what gives them the right to butt in?”

“So, you haven’t been receiving flowers for a whole week in a row coupled with Slayer CD’s?” Grandfather Kenobi wondered raising an eyebrow “and you haven’t been refusing to let them read the cards that come with said gifts?” Wheeling himself to the adjacent kitchen Obiwan reached for the ever-boiling kettle that was a hallmark of the Kenobi household “have some tea Kira”

“FINE, I’ll tell you…but only because you’re you and because you’re not being a pain in the ass like Tweedle Dee Dee and Tweedle Dee Dum” Kira accepted the tea with a grudging smile and groaned “Gramps I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me!! I swear one minute I’m fine, going about my life, punching the crap out of my competition in the ring and one minute I’m not and then everything goes bloody sideways, and it’s all my stupid fault for saving Ben’s life”

“Kira, calm down, I assume it’s a long story yes?”

“Of course it is arghhh I just want to punch the bloody asshole”

“Start with the beginning, why did you have to save Ben’s life?”

Obiwan sighed, he often told himself had done a good job with the girls, Luke and Leia could vouch for that, after surviving the fall of the Emperor’s drug empire and with Anakin (no longer Vader) living out his remaining days in a high security glorified nursing home, Obiwan Kenobi hadn’t planned on one day being contacted by social services just about ten or so years later with the news that the secret son he’d had with Satine, who was supposed to be living a happy tragedy less life in Mandalore, was dead and unless he claimed custody of his son’s three orphan children the girls would be shipped off to some place far like Jakku.

So Obiwan had stepped up, retired to a modest house near the beach in Yavin IV and raised the girls himself with the occasional help from what was left of his friends.

Funny how the reason he’d abstained from mixing too much with Leia’s family was because he thought her own set of pre teen triplets were already enough work for Han and her her and in the end it turned out that it was Obiwan who found himself handing out sage advice to her.

Kenobi didn’t regret raising the girls away from Coruscant, if anything he was glad Rey, Kira and Daisy had gone to small town schools and roamed the beach and woods to their hearts content.

He just hadn’t counted with their strange fascination towards the Solo boys.

Anakin (Mustafar blast him) liked to laugh trough his life support and tell him he deserved it for all the grief Obiwan ever put his former Padawan trough.

“The beginning…Well, I guess it started last year when that bantha shit of Ben Solo said I wouldn’t know how to dress like a real girl even if Jessica Pava herself let me borrow her whole wardrobe, which is a load of… ”

“Was this before or after you ruined Kylo’s chance with Rey by showing her that video of him trashing his tattoo parlor after talking to Han” her Grandfather interrupted with narrowed eyes

“a bit after, the next day I think” Kira admitted ruefully “in my defense I have nothing against Kylo, he’s just a violent weirdo who doesn’t deserve Rey”

“Kira! You told Rey that Kylo had torched the falcon with Han inside!” Obiwan scolded “And belittle him infront of her every time you get a chance”

“He’s not good enough for her! Someone’s got to make sure she knows it” Kira protested crossing her arms over her chest.

“And Daisy with Matt?”

“Those two can ruin their relationship on their own”

“KIRA LAN KENOBI” Obiwan snapped raising his voice to scold her once again “sabotaging the happiness of your sisters is not something I approve of”

“But Grandpa!”

“Just continue your story”

“Well, then I told Ben that how would he know, since the only time he’s ever been interested in girls clothes was when he’s trying to take them off some poor unsuspecting soul”

“It all escalated from there until he said that from looking at my chest he understood why guys ran away from me”

“And you punched him in the face” Obiwan guessed wisely

“I did”

“You know his hostility might have had something to do with your single-minded tendency of ruining his brother’s happiness” but her grandfather’s observation got ignored by Kira

“But every time we’ve seen each other since then is the same thing” Kira kept on talking “he was always bloody remarking on the fact that I’m too boyish and tough and violent, and screw him I might not be all boobs and ass like Bazine but I’m not a bloody guy!”

“Isn’t that Bazine the girl you called “skanky cabaret stripper” after the Solo’s last New Year’s Eve party?“ Obiwan recalled the moniker being repeated with way too much frequency whenever Kira complained about Ben Solo’s womanizing and why that made Kylo and Matt entirely wrong for Rey or Daisy

"That’s the one, she’s got fake: nails, boobs, hair, teeth and personality"Kira listed angrily before returning to the subject at hand "so last week after debating it out with Rey in Han’s garage I got fed up, I just went downtown, bought a couple of dresses that would make even someone like Solo stop and pay attention and showed up at Poe’s birthday bash with Rey”

“Yes, I remember, incidentally Daisy told me that you and I quote "looked like a goddess of darkness, but got angry and left early’ and those were her exact words”

Kira smirked she HAD looked like a goddess thank you very much, that red and black one shoulder cocktail dress with her best skull printed fishnet stockings and loose hair had been enough to make her stand out even next to Phasma (which was a feat considering Phas had the term ‘Chrome Queen’ down to a trademark and Kira always looked like a punk rock Hobbit when they hung out together) “here’s the thing Granps, Hux was there too, he tried flirting with moi, which made me laugh at every three words he said”

“Why? Didn’t you want boys to notice the pretty dress? Daisy said Hux was your type” Obiwan had long ago accepted the fact that his girls were grown up, honestly after having to give them the talk before puberty and managing to survive ten or so years of synchronized periods, he considered the whole talking-about-boys thing the least traumatic of conversation topics.

“Hey one, ew it’s Hux, he doesn’t count as a boy because he’s a ginger and please feel free to take offense, gingers are the devil” Kira pointed out making her grandfather laugh “two, everytime Armitage Hux tries flirting with me it’s only because he’s trying to look casual when he turns around to make an actual move on Phasma, constipated and anal retentive as he is” Kira snorted “and three, it wasn’t a PRETTY dress, it was a badass masterpiece of clothing that was dug out from a ceremonial tomb in the ruins of Jedha and restored to its original glory by a black market Tailor”

“Kira what have I told you about doing your shopping in the ill-obtained-goods district of Coruscant?” Old Kenobi interjected with exasperation

“It’s a dress Grandpa…Or two or three, the tomb of Wesi Ker isn’t going to miss them and they came at a lower rate than the designer garbage General Organa loves to dress Rey in”

“Force give me patience” Grandfather said elevating his eyes to the sky “Don’t change the subject young lady, what did Hux do that you left early?”

“Hux? Nothing, didn’t I just tell you that Hux has a weird fetish for gigantic and blonde bi ladies?” Kira snapped, recalling Hux smarmy compliments “it was Ben! He’s the one who called me hot one moment and as soon as he saw Hux said I looked like cheap a skin girl, the idiot, chauvinistic, pompous bantha anus that he is”

“I take it you also punched him for the remark” in fact if she hadn’t it would have been a sign of the Apocalypse for Old Kenobi

“Of course not, it was Poe’s birthday, I promised Rey that there would be no punching”

“Then what..” old Obiwan raised his finger to ask

“…I took advantage of the slit in the leg of my dress to knee him in the nuts” Kira elaborated then she added for good measure “like a lady good and proper”

Privately Obiwan hoped it had hurt as much as Kira’s pride “so you left early” he deduced with a knowing look

“And ended up saving Ben Solo’s life, when I should have left him to die”

“I take it there’s more to the story than just leaving early then”

“Look I was going to! I even made nice with Poe and everything, bought him this very nice empire era X-Wing air freshener as a gift and abstained from insulting Finn’s obvious bad taste in boyfriends” Kira protested hotly “But Poe, the bloody Tautun, had to make a whole spectacle out of it and Daisy was begging me to stay because she’s Daisy and since Solo is Poe’s best friend, he attempted to cajole me into letting him drive me home, Grandpa, the gall of him! as tough I’m some simpering little idiot who doesn’t know what nasty shit he uses the Millennium Falcon for”

“Kira, didn’t you carpool in Rey’s car that day? Ben Solo might be a scoundrel but I’d have to agree on that one” Obiwan interrupted “I know, I know, you’re Kira Kenobi and can take care of yourself, but don’t blame an old man for being a worrier”

“I was planning to use my speeder, since Phasma brought it and I knew she’d be crashing with he’s-just-a-good-colleague Hux in his fancy Coruscant penthouse”

“A speeder in a dress? Force help me Kira! Not even your grandmother ever did that and believe me, I saw Satine wear a lot of strange clothing when escaping assassination attempts back in the day”

“Solo said the same thing…Well give or take a few ‘do you plan on flashing all the Commonwealth district’ and 'Kira let me drive you home blah blah blah’ oh and when I wouldn’t listen to him he kissed me but that’s unimportant what’s important is that Dabba the Hutt’s minions…”

“Kira?” Obiwan leveled her another Jedi Council eyebrow raise “Ben Solo kissed you?”

“He did, I was trying to get away from him, he followed me to the parking lot and kissed me” She squirmed under her grandfather’s all knowing look

“Ben, the scoundrel you’ve been complaining about since you were thirteen, that Ben” Another Jedi Council eyebrow

“Yes that Ben, the same one I slapped minutes later”

“The Ben that you claim not to like”

“Grandpa! I really don’t like him, he’s an egocentric prick with a hero complex and a wandering dick” Kira didn’t like the laughter in her grandfather’s eyes not one bit and okay maybe that first kiss hadn’t been that bad and maybe he’d tasted like cigarettes and corellian wine but she absolutely still hated him

“Oh the follies of youth my child”

“Anyway, he kissed me, and don’t look at me like that I slapped the grin of his face and told him I’d never in a million years be a notch in his bedpost then he got angry and told me he’d see me in hell for that lie and I thought that was it, except it wasn’t because as he was leaving the parking lot to join the party Dabba the Hutt’s minions ambushed him”

“What is it with Solo men and angering Hutts? I could tell our one or two stories about Han in his Hutt days that would make even you feel like vomiting” Obiwan huffed as he put two and two together “he might be my namesake but Ben takes after his father too much, why didn’t they just name the boy Han junior?”

“I know! But guess what it turns out this time it wasn’t Ben’s fault” Kira smirked “I know shocking isn’t it”

“Very” her grandfather agreed bring the mug of tea to his lips

“So the twilek and the togruta mobsters ambushed him because that skank of Bazine is now Dabba the Hutt’s sidepiece, and pummeled Ben into submission before stuffing the idiot in the back of a van” then she paused “this is the part where I decided to be an idiot too and followed them in my speeder” she HAD been forced to rip her dress but the shorter length had suited her just fine

“Did you subdue them with a blaster or did you let your fist do the talking?” Obiwan hummed putting his mug down

“A Blaster but how did you know?” In fact she’d followed them into a warehouse and had started shooting warning blasts as soon as she saw Solo tied up with a bag over his head

“I raised you Kira, I know everything” was the sage answer she got

“Anyway there was I shooting at some Hutt minions, saving Solo’s ass, handing him my spare gun and he suddenly gives me that look!” Kira grumbled opening her eyes exaggeratedly and fluttering her eyelashes while trying to imitate Ben “you know the look, the pathetic one Kylo gives Rey when she’s not looking”

“Ahh the Bambi eyes”

“Yes and it’s ridiculous because I’m beating the shit out of those dumpsters for him and we’re right in the middle of a fight, what the hell Grandpa? I didn’t ask for the Bambi eyes!” Kira got angrier “that’s Matt’s deal, hell it’s Kylo’s too, but I am Kira Kenobi and I could have lived the rest of my life perfectly happy without knowing Ben was capable of directing that look at me”

Obiwan knew exactly what look she was talking about, the one that only a Skywalker could replicate, a gaze that was a mixture of awe, worship and admiration with just the right ammount of love that made mooncalfs look tame. Leia had a habit of sporting Bambi eyes whenever she looked at Han after the war.

In hindsight maybe the triplets had inherited the look from Shmi Skywalker, the blame for this couldn’t be laid exclusively at Anakin’s door.

“So he gave you the Bambi eyes and…”

“And now I’m doomed”

“Perfectly understandable”

“No I mean yes, I mean” Kira fisted her hands “We were fighting and he’s looking at me like I’m his new religion or something and then we’re tying up the twilek and the togruta and getting the hell out of Dodge in my speeder and it felt so right grandpa” she took a deep breath and a gulp of tea “and then I’m dropping him off at the Senate building and he’s kissing me again, only this time I kiss him back because dammit who can resist those stupid brown eyes when they have that look”

“So that’s why you think you’re doomed” Obiwan agreed “you’re right dear, you are very much doomed, has he asked you to marry him yet?”

“After we broke apart from that kiss”

“And now he’s sending you flowers” Grandfather chuckled “if you dislike the gesture why don’t you tell him to stop?”

“Because then I’d have to talk to him!” Kira replied then she smiled a little bit momentarily lighting up the perpetual scowl on her face “besides nobody has ever sent me flowers before, all the guys that like me are way too scared”

“What do your sisters think about it?”

“Oh Force if they knew it’s him I’ll never hear the end of it from Rey, they all know scoundrels are so not my kriffin type”

“Exept one scoundrel apparently is”

“I blame the Bambi eyes” Kira crossed her arms over her chest “and you grandpa are not allowed to tell anybody capisce?”

“Who would I tell?” Obiwan lied knowing fully well what his next topic of discussion with Anakin would be when they met up for senior discount brunch in his penitentiary’s cafe

“So what do I do? I don’t want to like him, he’s still an asshole with a hero complex and a womanizer track record”

“Trust the force?” Her grandfather joked earning him a glower from Kira “just follow your instincts Kira, that’s what my old master used to say”

“Your old master died a virgin”

“Actually Qui Gon lied to the Jedi Council about that but that’s a story for another day”

“So it wasn’t just you and vader who lied about that?…You know you Jedis had a ton of double standards” Kira needled in, much like the eldest Solo triplet, Kira had also done a stint in the Secret, Institution for Terror and Hostility (S.I.T.H) that opposed the Jedi order during her teens.

Obiwan had breathed easily when Kira’s fascination with the emperor (who was rumored to be related to the triplets mysterious mother) had dwindled from Sith tendencies down into a simple knack for collecting empire related memorabilia. As opposed to Kylo’s much more painful experience at the hands of Snoke the last head of the Sith organization.

“And that’s a lesson to learn from the old Jedi order that Luke took into account” Obiwan cut off good-naturedly “avoid double standards” he sent her a pointed look “anything else you’d like to share? I can see it’s eating you, trust me my dear if he likes you everything will be fine”

“His last flowers came with tickets to a Black Sabbath concert” Kira confessed ruefully “I didn’t exactly talk to him, but I might have sent him a text telling him to pick me up in three hours”

“I don’t know what millennials are calling that nowadays but in my time we called that a date”

“It’s not a date! I don’t do dates, dates are for pathetic people like Matt and Daisy”

“Does Ben Solo know that?” Obiwan chuckled

“Shut up Grandpa” Kira put her head in her arms and let out a scream “Force I’m so kriffin doomed”

And Obiwan did as a good grandfather would and didn’t voice his agreement out loud “it’s all right Kira, if he gets too out of hand you can just punch him again”

“What if I don’t want to punch him?” Kira raised her head from her arms

“Then you don’t punch him, simple as that”

“I don’t want to be a notch in his bedpost, I’d die if I’m just a game for his stupid nerf herder ass”

“Kira any man that even thinks that you’re the type of girl that gets used like that, deserves all the pain he’ll get when you disabuse him of the notion”

“Thanks Grandpa, that…Made me feel oddly better”

Obiwan sighed leave it to Kira to be comforted by thoughts of violent retribution “You have a Jedi blessing to break that boy’s bones if he doesn’t behave”

“And here I thought you couldn’t be a sweeter old man” Kira smiled “thank you, I really needed to hear that”

Oh Anakin would have a life support field day when Obiwan shared the latest Grandchild gossip, that’s for sure, but in the meantime Obiwan Kenobi poured more tea and listened to Kira’s dramatic death threats towards the man she liked.

He wished Satine could see him now, she would laugh too.

An: lils happy early birthday, Dark Rey was fun to write. Lilithsaur dear this fic was inspired by Franco and Sarita’s relationship in PDG. Also the girls love for quirky Grandpa Martin..

[drprescott]

Wedding by the Water ~@KayliePrescott

I couldn’t believe we were finally here in Georgia. Despite Kaylie not being fond of flying, she did great on our short flight. I think it helped that her friend PJ and PJ’s boyfriend Nate were on the flight with us in addition to my sister Phoebe and her friend Gavin. Strength in numbers? It was a beautiful drive in the shuttle to Chota Falls since the fall colors were at their peak. I think everyone was taking pictures on their phones. The driver was even kind enough to pull over at an especially picturesque spot and take several group and couple photos for us. A perfect start to our wedding weekend. Before we knew it, we had arrived at the estate and were being shown to our rooms. We decided to stay at the lodge since it has 5 bedrooms. No one else was booked. The place was ours for the weekend. Since it was still early afternoon, we decided to make sure everyone liked their rooms before heading to ours. Then, after freshening up, we’d meet in the gathering room before taking the hotel shuttle to dinner in town. 

 ----------------------- 

 After everyone was shown to their rooms and freshened up, we made our way back to the main room. Everyone was happy with their accommodations, and we decided to take a small tour before heading to town for dinner. The grounds were as beautiful as the inside of the lodge. It was amazing. We each took turns posing for pictures and taking pictures of the surroundings. After a little bit longer of looking around, we finally headed to town for dinner. 

---------------------- 

We couldn’t stop commenting on how beautiful the area was and the gorgeous fall colors. It was a relaxing and short ride into town. Dinner was casual. We wanted everyone to enjoy themselves as if they were on vacation, not feel like it was a typical stuffy rehearsal dinner. The food was delicious, and the wine pairings were inspired. The restaurant staff had certainly gone out of their way to make us feel at home and treat it like a special occasion. Once we were back at the lodge, we decided to call it a night and meet up the next day. The girls were teasing Kaylie and trying to get her to be traditional and stay in a separate room from me tonight. I was amused but didn’t look forward to spending the night apart from my bride-to-be. 

-----------------------

I finally gave into staying in a separate room but told them I wanted to take a walk with Byron before I joined them upstairs. They disappeared with mischievous smiles. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know why, I was happy everyone had dropped their walls and were bonding great, but I wasn't sure I liked what those smiles might mean. I took Byron’s hand and lead him towards one of the doors leading outside. I wasn’t in a hurry to leave him. We stopped by the gate, “Are you still sure about this? I mean this is your last chance to duck and run. Kit and Kat will only fuss for a little while.” I laughed. 

------------------------

 I pulled her hand to my lips, kissing her palm. “I’ve never been surer of anything, Sweetheart.” I knew she was teasing me, but I wanted to make sure she was okay, and we weren't moving too fast for her. “We’re in a beautiful place surrounded by friends and family. I can't imagine a better time or place to get married.” 

 ---------------------

 I grinned and nodded as I looked around, “I couldn’t agree more. I love that everyone seems to be getting along so easily. How about you? You and your sister doing okay?” I wouldn’t tell him, but I had been worried about how all of this would play out for him and her. I was excited about the time they were getting to spend together because of her joining us, but I was also worried at the same time. I didn’t want things to go badly. 

---------------------

 “I think I might like having a sister actually. Just not sure how she and her...um...roommate Gavin are doing. I swear he called her his girlfriend friend a while back, but now.” I started to laugh, shaking my head. “They’ll figure it out.” I slipped my arms around my bride-to-be’s waist. “I guess the faster we go to sleep, the closer we get to our wedding, huh?”

 ------------------- 

I laughed and nodded, “That's true, but is it bad that I just don't want to leave you? I mean we're in this beautiful place, and it's just us. Can't we just stay in this moment forever?” I couldn't wait to be his wife, but my heart, soul, everything was already his and would be forever. I just wanted to be in his arms at this moment a little longer. 

-------------------

I turned her to face me and then leaned down kissing her tenderly. “One more walk around the grounds and then it’s time for bed.” She readily agreed and squeezed my hand as we wandered along the paths that lead away from the lodge and over to the waterfall. Stopping to watch the water, I spun her under my arm in a slow dance even though there was no music anyone else could hear. “We definitely need pictures here,” I grinned before dipping her back in my arms for yet another kiss. 

---------------------

 I slipped my arms around his neck and returned his kiss, pouring all the love I had for him in it. At some point in the kiss, he had straightened us back up, never breaking this kiss. When we finally broke the kiss, I laughed breathlessly as I leaned against him. “What was that about pictures?” 

-------------------

 “Waterfall. Photographs. Wedding. Tomorrow,” I laughed. She snapped out of her dreamlike state and looked around, then laughed. “The waterfall! Right! Pictures here would be beautiful.” I shook my head and tugged her along. “You’re incorrigible, Kaylie. Good thing we’re using traditional vows tomorrow, or you might end up looking at me blankly for several awkward minutes.” 

----------------

 I laughed as I looped my arm through his and leaned into him, “I don’t think so, there is so much I would want to say, we might be there for awhile but not because I wouldn’t know what to say. Believe me, I know exactly what I would say.” And that was the truth. Byron was my world, well him, Kit and Kat, of course, I had friends who also meant the world to me, but no one compared to Byron. Being here with him, I knew why nothing had ever worked out with anyone else. No one would ever compare to him. 

-------------------

Once we returned to the lodge, I kissed her softly. Her lips, her neck, her palm and finally her engagement ring. We reluctantly said goodnight and went to our separate rooms. After checking on the guys, I quickly changed for bed and sent Kaylie an “I love you” text. When I awoke the next day, it would be our wedding day. I just had to get through a few hours “bonding” with the guys, getting our hair cut, faces shaved and lunch before it would be time to dress and head to the wedding spot near the waterfall. I couldn't wait! 

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 I slipped into my room unnoticed. It was very quiet, and that was a bad sign, so to speak. I leaned against the door and thought about tomorrow. I was going to marry my best friend and the love of my life. I couldn’t wait. I was tempted to sneak past the girls in the sitting room and go to bed like Byron said the quicker we went to bad, the faster we would be married. I had stepped away from the door when my phone went off. I grinned at the message and told him I loved him more. I listened softly, no noise. Were they in here? I risked a peek, it was empty. Weird. I walked into my room and shook my head with a grin. Pj and Phoebe were piled on the bed, snacks and Cokes piled in front of them. They both grinned at the same time, “Hi!” I laughed, “What are you two up too?” Pj grinned, “Well, we figured you wouldn’t like the traditional bachelorette party, so we improvised. Every bride deserves one. So, instead of drinks, strippers, and parties, we decided snacks, cokes, and movies.” Phoebe chimed in, “And pajamas! We figured those were a lot better than tight skimpy dresses.” I sat on the edge of the bed, “You two realize how scary alike you are, right? I mean you shouldn’t be this in sync already.” They both just laughed and shrugged. “We had plenty of time to plot and plan while you and Byron distracted each other.” I glanced at Pj, “Am I supposed to say oops?” I grinned. She laughed and shook her head, “Not at all.” Phoebe threw my shorts and tank at me. “These aren’t mine.” She grinned, “I ordered them.” I unfolded them and laughed, they were the colors of the wedding and had bride written across them, Pj and her’s matched mine. I quickly changed and soon we were lost in a fit of giggles over movies and stories we took turns telling. All in all, it was the best bachelorette party a girl could ask for.

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 Not my best night’s sleep, but I had more important things on my mind. I took a long hot shower and got dressed before meeting Gavin and Nate for a quick bite. We took our coffee to go and headed out to the rented town car that would take us to town. Then we were getting our hair cut and indulging in old-fashioned barber shop shaves. The male equivalent of a spa day...sort of. Once we were perfectly groomed, it was off to lunch at a local pub before heading back to get dressed for the wedding. 

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 The next morning started off where the night had ended, in a fit of giggles. Breakfast was delivered to us, and we lounged around in our pajamas for most of the morning. We headed down for our hair and nails to be done and before long, and after a light lunch, we were headed back upstairs to start to get ready. I was a bundle of nerves. I was so excited and nervous at the same time, I couldn’t get a handle on either emotion. 

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 I had to admit Nate and I had a little too much fun teasing Gavin about my sister. He ended up flustered and/or rolling his eyes for the most part. We made lunch last as long as we could before heading back to the lodge. Nate alerted PJ that we were back on the grounds so they could keep Kaylie hidden. I know the girls had planned some pre-wedding pictures on the grounds before we met the judge by the waterfall. “Can we get ready now?” I asked after watching him text forever. Nate laughed and put his phone away. “Come on, old man. Let’s see if we can get you ready before the girls grow old.” I shook my head as Nate and Gavin tugged and pushed me up to my room where our suits waited. 

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The girls had helped me into my dress and then we had gone down for pictures. After a little while, Pj said we needed to head back up because the guys were going to be here soon and I needed to stay hidden until it was time. We quickly made our way back to our room. I was biting my lip so much we had to fix my lipstick several times. I couldn’t help it, I was anxious, and nothing seemed to calm me down. I didn’t think I was going to be able to handle waiting until it was time to walk down the aisle, the room was way too small to pace in. 

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Gavin checked in with Phoebe once we were dressed. “Give them a few minutes to hide Kaylie, and we can go down.” I nodded and took a deep breath. “A few minutes. I can handle a few more minutes.” Nate took one look at me and volunteered to go meet the judge and photographer and take them to the site we chose. “I’ll meet you there, ok?” Chuckling, I thanked him. It would save us a few precious minutes and bring me that much closer to marrying my bride. Every minute counted. 

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 It seemed like time was going by so slowly. Pj and Phoebe had tried to distract me, but nothing was really working. I kept looking at the clock every few seconds. At one point, Pj laughed, “Do you know that saying, ‘a watched pot never boils’?” I nodded, everyone knew that I thought. “Well, a watched clock isn’t going to move either, Kaylie.” We all laughed, and I did my best not to glance at the clock, well too many more times anyway. 

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 When we finally got the ok from Nate, Gavin and I headed out to meet him and the judge. The weather was gorgeous. Not too cool and not too hot. I couldn’t imagine a better setting for us. The photographer took a series of photos of us and the judge while we waited for the girls to arrive. I hoped Kaylie enjoyed the surprise that arrived a few minutes after I did. A string quartet to play for her entrance and for the small reception afterward.

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 I think I was the first one out the door when PJ said it was time. The girls followed laughing the whole way. We double checked our hair and makeup and then Phoebe went to make sure the guys were all in place. She came back with a grin, “They're ready and waiting for us.” We hugged each other, fixed our dresses, and they disappeared through the door. I was about to walk out when I heard the music. I grinned, Byron always had a way to make something even more perfect. I took a deep breath and took my steps towards my future.

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Both of the girls looked so lovely as they walked toward us. By the look on Nate’s face, I could tell that he was picturing PJ at their in the not too distant future if he played his cards right. They might not be engaged now, but it was clear that was where they were headed. Gavin tried a little harder to hide how he felt about watching my sister Phoebe, but I noticed his initial reaction before he put on more of a neutral poker face. I had a feeling those two would figure things out in their own unique way. Finally, the music changed, and my heart stopped as Kaylie made her entrance. I swear she was gliding on air as she moved towards me. Her gown was incredible and fit her like a glove. When the sunlight hit it, the sparkle was magical. Exactly what she deserved. Once she was beside me, her hand in mine, everything else became a blur. I know we must have said our vows and exchanged rings, but honestly, all I could do was look into her eyes. Next thing I know Nate was nudging me to “Kiss my bride already!” 

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Once I stepped out the doors, all my nerves and thoughts calmed. I didn't notice anyone, except Byron. Once I laid eyes on him, it was all I could do to keep from running to him. I had to silently repeat the words “do not run” as I made my way towards him. I couldn't help but blush and giggle. Byron, who looked so handsome, and I had been lost in each other. I couldn't believe we had been so focused on each other that Nate had to nudge him. We kissed, our first kiss as husband and wife. Happy tears flowed as my heart swelled even more. I was his, and he was mine. At this moment, nothing else mattered.  

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We did it! We were married. Since there were no other guests at the lodge beside our group, we had invited the staff to join us. Soon after the first kiss we were surrounded by well-wishers. Kaylie and I were so overwhelmingly happy that we made sure that the staff were also included in the many, many….many photographs we had taken for the next hour. Was it really over an hour of pictures? Silly ones, serious ones, candids, close-ups, and group shots. Not only was the photographer taking them but everyone had their phones out except for my new wife and I. I knew that we would look back very happily on the hundreds if not thousands of shots from today. When the staff started to go back inside to prepare our reception, we finally started to wrap up the pictures. Most of us wanted to freshen up before gathering in the great room for cake, food, and dancing. We watched everyone else go inside, including the judge and the musicians, before bringing up the rear and strolling leisurely hand in hand towards our room. 

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 I couldn’t believe it. We were finally married. I couldn’t have wiped the smile from my face if I wanted to, not that I did. I was so happy. I felt like I was floating on clouds and I did not want to come down anytime soon. I hadn’t thought it was possible to laugh and smile so much. I knew that in the coming years, and when we had kids, if we had kids, we’d be able to tell them about this day. We’d be able to show them how happy we were and how in love we were. When we started towards our room hand in hand, it felt like a dream. I still couldn’t believe I was now Mrs. Byron Prescott! And there was no way I could be any happier.