#also it’s been about 2 and a half weeks since she texted me her new number but I haven’t and don’t want to talk to her still

[galariangengar]

💭

[nathaslosthershit]

Media Interrogation [Part 2] (LN4)

(Read part 1 here!)

Summary: He had prayed the media would leave his newfound ‘friend’ out of their questions, only focusing on the race. But Lando Norris would soon see he wasn't so lucky.  A/N: I don't know how Twitch works so excuse the poorly explained streaming things.

A little less than two weeks after Lando had met his new neighbor, they had spent any time they could together, and any time they couldn’t they were texting and calling. It was exciting, they weren’t dating per se, still trying to get to know each other before they jumped into anything, but this newfound friendship had been great for both of them. Slowly, Lando had been introducing her to some of his friends, and with all the new faces, she didn’t feel half as lonely as she used to. 

It was wonderful.

He had warned her about the stream, leaving the details of him turning bright red, giggling, and Max admitting that Lando had called her his “cute neighbor” out. But, of course, after she spent far to long going through the #landonorris tag on various social media sites, she had found a clip of the interaction. Seeing how giddy he was about it, even after meeting her for only a minute, made her giddy as well, happy to know that it seems her feelings weren’t one sided.

He had invited her to the race, being as it was at Silverstone, but the thought of going there and meeting new people and being seen by the media so soon after her and Lando just met made her nervous, so she politely declined. 

Although he was a bit upset, he understood her reasoning. 

Before the race, Lando was with Oscar giving various interviews, with mostly race related questions. ‘How was the car feeling?’, ‘you think you guys can give Max a run for his money this weekend?’, etc. It was easy and he wasn’t worried about intrusive questions.

Until they opened it up to the fans.

When they said they’d take fan questions, Lando began to sweat. Beside him, Oscar let out a laugh, knowing what the first question was bound to be.

“Lando, it seems you made friends with you “cute neighbor” while streaming, have you guys talked more?” one of the fans asked.

Shit.

He probably should have warned her this would happen but, maybe it was wishful thinking, he hadn’t expected to be asked about it. And maybe his cute neighbor wasn’t even watching. 

“Uhhh” he said as he let out an awkward laugh, “Yeah, we have talked a bit more. The cookies were really good so I’ve been trying to get the recipe.” Lies, he hadn’t asked for the recipe, he just wanted her to make the cookies for him again.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Another fan yelled out.

There was a beat of silence from Lando, causing fans to laugh at his awkwardness around the situation. Oscar, now feeling bad for his teammate, jumped in.

“He shared some of the cookies with me too. He wasn’t kidding when he said they were really good. Might have to ask her to make me a batch.” Oscar jokes. 

Seeing as he wasn’t going to answer the girlfriend question, which wasn’t even a proper question as the fan just yelled it out instead of waiting to be picked, the interviewer moved on. 

He really hoped she wasn’t watching this.

She was totally watching this and enjoying every second.

It felt nice to see Lando blushing so profusely at the mention of her, which made her feel better for also blushing profusely when he talked about her.

Since she saw the stream, she had noticed he definitely had a bit of a crush on her, but she didn’t know how deep it went. If it was a tiny crush that was bound to fade as they became closer, or if this closeness was going to lead to an even bigger crush. Only a few weeks into their friendship though, and she had already fallen fast and hard.

She couldn’t do anything. She'd never do anything, even though she so badly wanted to. All her new friends were Lando’s, if he wasn’t as serious as she hoped about his feelings, it would crush her. She wouldn’t be able to stay friends with him and in turn would lose all the new friends she had made. 

So she vowed to not make the first move.

Eventually, three months had gone by and the pair only became more inseparable. Instead of planning mini vacations and trips between races, Lando always tried to get home so he could see his favorite neighbor, who he now knew he had massive feelings for.

She had started work and it was going great! Her worries about being alone if she lost Lando went away as she made more non-Norris-acquired friends. 

The two had also graduated to an even deeper level of intimacy. They weren’t sleeping together, or straight up kissing. But holding hands, cuddling, kisses on the cheek or forehead, were all normal for the pair. Sure it seemed so childish to dance around their feelings at their grown age but it's all they could do for now.

Baking had become a new hobby as well. Before moving, she couldn’t really say she was much of a baker, only doing it when it came to birthdays or bake sales. But with Lando becoming increasingly more obsessed with her cookies, she had started to branch out with other flavors, even throwing in muffins or a pie. 

She had just finished a new recipe her mom sent her, which were divine, when she knocked on Lando’s door, flashbacks to the first time they met those few months ago going through her head.

Lando, also like those few months ago, had been streaming when he got a knock on his door. Smiling to himself as he already knew who it would be, which the fans most certainly caught, he quickly excused himself to go open it. When he saw her there, he immediately pulled her into a hug.

“I’ve missed you.” He mumbled into her neck.

“You saw me yesterday.” She laughed, happy to know he missed her as much as she did him.

“Can’t blame me for wanting to see my favorite girl all the time.” He replied.

“Favorite girl, huh? It's an honor. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a title.” She teased.

“Your cookies, of course!” He said as he pulled back, when she shot him a look, he continued, “and your wonderful personality, and how great of company you are.”

“That's more like it. Speaking of, I tried a new recipe and, not to toot my own horn, these are the best yet.” She said as she grabbed the container of cookies from her bag.

“Yes! Thank goodness I was beginning to experience withdrawal. I am streaming right now, they are always asking about you since the- anyway, could I do a taste test? You can join me, I think the chat would love it. I would love it. But you don’t have to if-” He began to ramble, clearly feeling awkward at almost admitting just how much she is brought up on his streams.

“No, that sounds great! I definitely join.” She immediately regretted the words the moment they left her mouth but the look on Lando’s face stopped her from taking it back. He has lit up in a way she hadn’t seen and all she wanted to do was forever make him light up that way.

He quickly pulled her to his streaming room, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling her onto the screen. “I’ve returned with cookies, oh and of course a special guest. Guys, please don’t be weird. Be normal or I'll end the stream.” He joked, but also prayed that his fans would for once listen and try not to embarrass him for their own entertainment. He knew they wouldn’t listen though.

Immediately after saying that, someone donated and got their message read out loud,

‘Are you the cute girl that gave him cookies?’

“Uh I don’t know. That depends. How many cute girls give you cookies, Lan?” She teased.

“Oh hundreds, I am constantly drowning in sweet baked goods. My trainer hates me now.” He teased back.

“Then I guess I should take these back, don’t want to make your trainer even more mad.”

“Over my dead body. Seriously, you’d have to pry these out of my cold dead hands. Anyway, this is a taste test of a new recipe, as was explained to me ‘it's the best yet’. You guys can’t eat them obviously so I’ll try to be descriptive.” 

After one bite, Lando started moaning in a way that was uncomfortable for everyone except him. Her face had never felt hotter at the sounds he was making and she was far too scared to check to see if her face was as red as it felt.

Do you hear him make those noises a lot?

“Alright! I told you if you guys made it weird I’d end it, so you lost your privileges. Goodbye everyone, think about what you did.” Lando was kidding, his fans knew it, but it was a pretty crazy question to ask. Not that the chat cared.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting all that.” She said once he turned off the stream.

“I know, I’m sorry they get like that.” He replied, feeling bad that he hadn’t explained well enough what she should expect. 

“No, I thought they would be worse to be honest, I meant the moans you were making from my cookies.” “Oh come on they weren’t that crazy, and the cookie was amazing, I had to.”

“Lando, those noises were nothing short of erotic, I was worried how far you were going to go if you had another bite.” She teased.

They both laughed and after a few seconds, a beat of silence fell over them. As they looked into each other’s eyes, the energy in the room shifted. Finally, Lando spoke up.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked.

“Please,” She replied.

Explosions, fireworks, sparks, whatever you want to call it, they felt it. It was so cheesy but it was so electric, they couldn’t help but feel like they did in the movies.

After a much needed breather, before going in for more, Lando asked, “Let me take you out, properly, please? Like an actual date.”

“Only if it's not a seafood place, I’m allergic to fish.” 

“Good God, I’m gonna fall in love with you.”

[helen-with-an-a]

I was thinking a little piece for jflem where both her and her gf are in the Olympic village at the same time but for different sports - maybe they’re pretty fresh with each other too (u can pick which sport but I was thinking something niche like weightlifting or sailing - have fun with it!!)

Hiiii, so I was an artistic swimmer (aka Synchronised Swimming) growing up and that's a really niche sport so I chose that one hehe. Also this is my first time writing for Jessie but i think I might start writing for her properly. I liked the idea of a new relationship but I might make that into a fic of its own so I haven’t included it here. I hope you enjoy this one - I really liked writing it.

Meet Me at the Rings

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Description: Jessie and R reunite in the Village

Word Length: 1.5k

You cried the day you found out you were going to the Olympics again. It was technically your second time – you had gone to Tokyo, but you were counting this as your first proper time since you now had the crowds and the freedom to truly enjoy the competition.

You knew that your country had qualified for the Olympics some time ago now, but with the nature of all team sports, you didn’t know if you were going. You were an artistic swimmer. Some people called your sport easy, or pointless. But you knew what it had taken to haul your team into qualification. There were only 8 spaces on the full team, and 2 reserves. The nerves had been bubbling away since the qualification competition. You had swum in every routine since you made the national squad just before your 17th birthday, but you were well aware of how fickle sport could be. One bad performance, and you wouldn’t be on that plane to Paris. You were at home with Jessie when you got the phone call. The phone call. The one that told you, you had been selected to go to Paris. You could barely remember the conversation – too busy freaking out that you were to be an Olympian … again!

Not even thirty minutes after your phone call, Jessie’s phone buzzed. Her turn. She had confided in you a few weeks earlier that she was nervous about getting into the team. You knew her fears were unfounded – she was Captain for crying out loud. But you understood where she was coming from. It was the anticipation that made everyone nervous.

That night had been … eventful, to say the least. Tears were shed, excitement voiced, nerves expressed, and love shared. It was perfect. Even more perfect was knowing that this time, you were able to see Jessie and probably watch a few of her matches too.

It was far too warm in Paris. It was hot and sticky and sweaty in the bad way. The rooms didn’t have air con, and the tiny little handheld fan Jessie had gifted you before you left wasn’t helping much – although every time you used it, you remembered her little soft smile and wide brown eyes that graced her features when she handed it over. You had been teased mercilessly by your teammates. The blush that bloomed across your cheeks each time you thought of Jessie would have been embarrassing if you were bothered enough. Your coach had joked that you looked like a meerkat whenever someone in red walked past. You just couldn’t help yourself. It had been too many weeks since you last saw Jessie in person. Your training camp had been a month long; the first two weeks being in London and the second half being in Lyon. Facetimes and texts were not doing it for you. You needed to feel her again, you needed to have her arms around you, squeezing you just so and have her pepper kisses into your hair.

You were even more excited knowing that she was soon to be in the same location as you. Her group games had been in St-Etienne, and you had watched her matches religiously – ignoring the jeers from your friends whenever she was on screen. You had never been the biggest football fan, often favouring water sports rather than anything running related. But that had all changed the moment Jessie had entered your life. You were easily her greatest fan. Your off day was Sunday, which meant that more often than not, you were in the crowd, her name and number splashed across your back. But now that she was in Paris – you were shaking with anticipation. Not only of being reunited with her, but you were finally able to be in the crowd. And you hoped she was able to sneak away to watch you too.

Your competition hadn’t started yet, having it be scheduled for the 2nd week of the games. But you hoped she was able to sneak away. Your heart jumped at the thought. She had never been able to watch a full competition in person before. It seemed a little strange, you were at every home game (and a good few away games) yet she hadn’t been to yours. You had brought it up to her once – she reassured you that she watched every moment of the live stream, especially when it was your country’s performance. But your competitions were usually during the season, and often lasted a week or so that she just couldn’t take off from football. You knew this, and you completely understood – especially since she was the one that earned the most … far more than you ever would for your sport. When you first met her, you were training full time and worked two part time jobs to get by. When you eventually moved in with her, she had insisted you drop down to just one. She could see how much it was killing you – the early morning trainings, the late-night shifts, never having free time to relax. You knew with Jessie’s salary you didn’t have to work any extra jobs if you didn’t want to, but that felt wrong on so many levels that you never entertained the thought for more than a few seconds. But all the sacrifice was worth it. You were now in the Olympic village. Waiting for your girlfriend to join you. This is what you had dreamed about as a young girl.

Your phone buzzed,

My J ❤️🤍⚽️: I’ve just got to the village

My J ❤️🤍⚽️: Can you meet me by the rings in like 20 minutes?

My Baby 🩵💙🩵: OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

My Baby 🩵💙🩵: Ur here??????????

My Baby 🩵💙🩵: And yes I can meet u at the rings!!!!!

My Baby 🩵💙🩵: Already omw

The speed you leapt to your feet was comical. You were practically running out of the canteen towards the Olympic rings. You heard your friend’s laughter as you disappeared, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Jessie was here. Excitement bubbled up in your chest. You could already imagine her walking over, the grey team Canada jumper on, regardless of how hot it was outside. Her black joggers and white trainers. You could image the little pink blush on her cheeks fanning out over her freckles and her loose brown curls tucked behind her ears. You looked down at yourself quickly, double checking that you looked relatively presentable – although there wasn’t much you could actually do about it now. Walking past a window, you assessed your reflection. Hair? Fine. Outfit? Acceptable. Face? It’ll do. Why did you feel a little nervous? This was only Jessie. Jessie, your girlfriend. Jessie, the love of your life. Jessie, the girl you were head over heels for. Jessie, the person you hadn’t seen in more than a month.

Regardless of how in your head you were, you knew exactly when she was nearby. It was like a signal had gone off in your brain. You looked up, head whipping from side to side as you scanned the crowd.

There she was.

Dressed exactly as you imagined, down to the accreditation worn like a cross-body bag. You squealed, pushing yourself of the wall you had been leaning on and sprinting in her direction. You launched yourself at her. Arms around her waist and scooping her up so her feet were dangling in the air a little. It didn’t matter that you were in the middle of the Olympic Village, thousands of miles away from where you lived. You were finally home. You felt your heart lift, the pressure that had been baring down on you all week, all month really, was gone in a moment.

“Hi, baby,” she whispered, her head buried in your shoulder.

“Hey, J.” You felt the tears welling up. “I missed you so much,” you sniffled.

“I missed you too, my beautiful girl.” You leaned back slightly, using your hands to guide her face out of your neck and taking your time to let your eyes rake across her face. She looked a little more tanned than the last time you saw her. But beyond that, she looked exactly the same. Gorgeous and perfect and safe.

You saw her eyes flick down to your lips, a small smirk dancing on her face. You leaned in, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She frowned slightly, a crease forming between her eyebrows. You kissed the corner of her mouth this time, just slightly too far away from where she wanted you.

“Kiss me,” she whined, a demanding tone to her voice. You knew if you were at home she probably would have stomped her foot.

“So impatient,” you teased, although you were just as desperate to finally feel her lips on yours.

“Shut up,” she pulled you to her, effectively ending any more jokes on your end. She tasted like she always did. Heaven. Her lips were soft and a little chapped. You hummed softly, ignoring the fact that you were essentially making out in an incredibly public place.

You parted eventually, resting your forehead on hers.

“You smell like chlorine,” she smiled, her breath wispy in the best way.

“You taste like oranges,” you countered, pressing another swift kiss to her lips.

She sighed gently, wrapping her arms around your waist.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” you whispered.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” she whispered back.

I hope you enjoyed <3<3<3<3

[mrslankyman]

Sinfully Gorgeous pt. 2

Vox x (fem) over lord reader

Smut

Word count: 5K

Working on: Part 3 - cancelled (sorry!)

3 weeks. 

It had been 3 weeks since you shot that porno with Vox. So why in the HELL was everyone in HELL still raving over it?!

It wasn’t anything special.

It was a brand deal and that was it. It wasn’t like you knew it was going to be Vox. Valentino stated after the shoot he chose Vox since it would boost you both. Sure it did but at what cost?

Your phone was flooded with texts and emails from sinners asking if you and Vox were a thing.

Have you joined the Vees?

Were you and Vox fucking on the low?

How long were you two together?

All these questions were getting to your head and making you sick. 

You laid back in your expensive bed. The silky pillows that most sinners could never afford comforting your head. Phone in hand you scrolled through your feed. Vox’s news show popped. 

“Top of the hour sinners. Today we will be discussing the ongoing discussion that I and I'm sure our lovely {Y/N} is seeing too.” He clasped his hands together and turned to the screen in front of him that was showing photos of sinners questions.  

“Has {Y/N} joined the Vees?” He read aloud. “No she has not, though I would not be opposed to the idea.” He chuckled, sending a wink to the camera. 

You groaned and fast forward on the video stopping when a clip of the porno popped up on the screen. Curious of what he would say about it. You hadn’t talked to him since a day after that was filmed. 

“How did it feel to fuck the {Y/N}?” He chuckled as he read that aloud. A smirk crawled onto his face. “Well folks I’ll tell ya. It was better than any sex I myself have ever had.” He leaned forward covering half his mouth with the side of his hand. “A little secret for you all, she has the tightest pussy you’ll ever fuck in hell.” He laughed leaning back. “Yes folk it’s true she was definitely a virgin and safe to say I took that card from her.” His cocky laugh echoed in your head. 

He took your virginity? 

What was he a fucking idiot?

Embarrassing you on Hell's public news. 

You were not a virgin, far from it and for this cocky ass tv faced man to state he was the lucky one to take it from you made you seeth. 

You instantly opened up your messages and searched his name in your contact. Typing out a text. Fingers flying across the screen as anger edged in every digital word typed. 

{You}: who in the HELL do you think you are? Saying you took my virginity on the fucking news? Real mature of you. What the fuck are we teenagers in high school. If you ever fucking do something like this again I will make sure you and your little fucking news channel are never broad casted again. 

{Vox}: Wow, didn't suspect you to see it so soon. What's the matter, I was just messing around. I bet it was the best sex you’ve ever had, why not say your best was also your first? 

{You}:oh were cocky as fuck huh? You really think you were the best? Keep dreaming. 

{Vox}: I must have been something for you to go off script. 

{You}: fuck you, you went off script as well. 

{Vox}: oh you wanna fuck me again? Maybe I'll make it an even better time, we can make our own script. 

{You}: you know what I meant. Never fucking mention me on your little show again. It was a one time deal. 

{Vox}: aren’t you just a ball of sunshine. Whatever you say darling. I’ll erase that part of the segment from the show and their memories. 

{You}: good, the only time your fucking mind control has been used for an actual purpose. 

{Vox}: Or I can just keep it up. You know you’re not being very kind. 

{You}: oh fuck off this is hell. I don’t need to be kind to the man who just publicly embarrassed me. 

{Vox}: and the man who publicly pleasured you. 

{You}: just take it down. 

{Vox}: yes ma’am. 

You groaned and turned your phone off. Throwing it to the floor and laying down fully. Pulling the covers over your head and closing your eyes. Sleeping the anger and annoyance off. 

—

Your alarm buzzed in the morning. You groaned and woke up grabbing your phone from the floor and turning it off. But not before you saw the message from Alastor. 

“You’re a virgin?”

That fucker didn’t delete the segment!

You dashed around your house putting on an outfit and doing your make up the fastest you had ever. Your shoes were on in seconds and out the door you went. 

You called a cab and got in, instructing them to take you to the Vees tower. Of course you know the consequences of this.

Everyone would assume you were going to see Vox in a different way. When in reality his ass was going to get a fist in his screen. 

The cab dropped you off and you paid them before getting out. Marching up to the front of the building. A few people looked over. Snapping pictures and videos. You rolled your eyes and pressed the buzzer on the door. 

“Who is it?” Voxs voice played through the small speaker.

“{Y/N}.” The second you said your name the doors opened. You smirked slightly and headed inside jumping as the doors closed behind you harshly. 

“Vox! Where the fuck are you we need to have a talk!” You yelled walking around the lobby looking for any sign of him. Footsteps echoed down the hall and there he was. A smile on his stupid flat screened face. 

“Ah {Y/N} So nice of you to stop by-” You grabbed him by his suit's flaps and slammed him against the wall. A groan escaped his lips and his screen displayed a loading circle before his eyes came back. 

“You asshole, I told you to take that segment down!” You screamed in his face without giving a second to think. “Do you know who the fuck I am?! I will end you!” You leaned into his face. Your spit landing on his screen. He glared at you but on the inside he was loving the attention. 

Your hands on him was enough to make him melt. But he had to be sure not to display it too much. Or you’d let go and call him weird. 

“You can end me anytime you want.” His words were smooth and flirtatious. He obviously did not understand the gravity of the situation he was in. 

“You do not wanna fuck with me Vox.” You warned re-shoving him against the wall. He grunted and grabbed your arms. “You know I would love to fuck with you.” He chuckled, eyeing you with a smirk. “You little-” Your grip tightened on him getting ready to shove him again. 

“{Y/N}!” He yelled his right eye widening as he used his mind control on you. You froze your eyes going wide. Your grip on him faltered as you shook your head. The daze wears off. 

“Why don’t you calm down?” He offered, pulling your arms down from his suit. “Don’t use that fucking mind control shit on me.” You pulled your arms away from him. He sighed and rested his hand on his hips. “Yes ma’am.” His voice was full of annoyance now. 

“Delete the segment. That’s all I want. I’ll leave you alone and you do the same.” You held out your hand. “Deal?” You tilted your head, pink fire appearing around your palm. 

“No deals. I just promise I will. I’m no idiot. I know how you pull strings.” He pushed your hand away, the fire disappearing. You groaned and pulled your hand back. 

“Very well.” You nodded even though a part of you knew he would never take that segment down fully. 

“I’ll go delete it.” He fixed his tie, closing his eyes. “Good.” You said before a ding came from your phone. You held it up. “At Voxs darling?” Alastor had texted. A part of you hated Charlie for getting him onto this phone kick. He was so against technology until he was told he could text you whenever. 

Vox opened one eye as he heard the ding. He eyed you and read the text. The words Darling and Alastor made his circuits spark. Why in the hell did that old timey prick have your number? 

“I better leave before everyone in hell assumes we're seeing each other. I do not need that in my life.” You shoved your phone in your pocket. Looking up at Vox whose face had a rather.. Concerning smile displaying. 

He let out a laugh though it glitched. He stepped closer to you. His hand grabbed your arm pulling you to him. “Why the fuck is the radio demon texting you?” His voice deepened. Eyes squinting as he grabbed your phone from your pocket. 

“Hey!- what the fuck.” You squirmed in his grip. A tsk tsk came from him as he used his eye to unlock your phone. Reading you and Alastors messages. Anger surged through him as you both had been sending jokes about him. His grip on you tightened and he squeezed your phone in his other hand till it shattered into pieces. 

“Vox what the fuck!-” You watched as he broke your phone, your attention being snapped back to his face as he slammed you up against the wall this time. 

He laid his arm next to your head on the wall and his other hand gripped your neck.  

“I’m not taking the segment down. You wanna talk shit about me to that damn radio demon go ahead. I'll say whatever I want about you. You are nothing to me.” His words were low and strung out. His eyes were wide and red drool dripped from his mouth. Though his grip on your neck was tight it wasnt hard enough to really choke you out. 

That was one thing he did not want to do. 

He was pissed off but not necessarily at you. The idea that Alastor got more of your attention than him is what pissed him off. He knew it was such a stupid thing to be mad over.

But he wanted you. Even if he had to pretend he didn’t. 

Your eyes squinted and you squirmed under him. Truthfully he didn’t scare you. This position didn’t make you feel threatened, it made you feel.. Other things. 

In a dark and twisted way his anger really made you think of that shoot. How his hands gripped your sides and he’d moan before glitching out. 

“If you wanna scare me you’re gonna have to try harder than this.” You grabbed his face. Your hand pulling him closer. “Cause all I can think about is you glitching out before you cummed inside me.” Your words made his screen display a light shade of red. 

“I-”

“You want that again hmm?” You kissed his screen. “Want to feel my tight pussy as you said? I guess since it was the best I’ve ever had you’d think I would’ve been begging you for more.” You whispered, making your voice low and seductive. His grip faltered as his screen turned red. His eyes drooped as you talked to him sensually. 

“Too bad I wasn’t.” You cooed, kicking him in the crotch. He groaned and keeled over. Holding his crotch in his hands. “Fuck fuck fuck..” He groaned in pain as you stepped over him. 

“You owe me a phone.” You spat on his withering form and walked out.

–-

Safe to say he gave you a new phone. That part of the segment was erased. To your knowledge from the general public of hell. Knowing Vox he probably cut it from half the people's memories and kept it in the other to confuse them. 

What an ass hole. 

Today you were off to Alastor's radio tower. He wanted to have you on this new segment he was working on. Whatever that meant. 

You had made it to the Hazbin Hotel. Charlie showed you to Alastors tower. You thanked her and headed inside. He greeted you and showed you the different buttons and the mic. Getting you accustomed to the technology before having a seat with you. 

Not having a camera in your face was both relaxing and strange. This seemed more like a conversation you were having with a friend that just so happened to be recorded. 

“Today I am here with my dear friend {Y/N}.” Alastor spoke into his mic. Smiling your way as you said hello. 

“So why don’t you tell everyone what it’s like to be the fashion overlord?” He handed you his mic. Urging you to introduce yourself further. 

After the basic introduction was done he began to ask you questions. It slowly became clear to you what he was doing. 

“What is your opinion on Vox?” He smirked and leaned your way. That question made you groan.

“That man? Come now Alastor. You know he isn’t something to talk about.” You leaned back in your chair and your reply made Alastor chuckle. 

“Go on dear. Just tell us about him.” He leaned the mic closer to you. 

“Fine.” You took the mic and leaned up. 

“Vox is something. Not the kind of something you’d want either. He is terrible in bed.” You snickered at the idea that Vox would be listening to you. “Oh is he now? I do believe we all saw that video dear. It seems the opposite.” He eyed you a shit eating grin on his face. 

“That’s what a script is for.” You sneered. 

“There's a theory you went off script. After all that Valentino did post it.” He checked his claws smirking. 

You groaned as Alastor was just doing this to stir drama. He hated Vox but loved to mess with you. So he was playing both ways. 

“Anyways, besides that he is a prick and snoops on everyone. He is fucking insane but I suppose that’s why he’s here. If you are thinking about trying to get with that man please do so he will leave me alone.” You handed the mic back to Alastor. He was holding in his laugh. “Thank you dear for your lovely insight on that clout chasing mediocre video podcasts.” He ended the broadcast and sighed.   

—

About 4 hours after the broadcast a ding sounded from your phone. Either it was Alastor or some random person. 

You checked the message and groaned as the name displayed on your screen. 

Vox.

Of course. 

You slid open your phone and sat down on your couch to answer him. 

{Vox}: doing a broadcast with the radio demon to degrade me? Really. After you begged me to delete your segment.

{You}: what's the matter? Thought you liked being degraded 

{Vox}: I'm not doing this. I’m gonna have to make you understand. 

{You}: oh really? Why don’t you just face that you suck in bed and you suck even more as a person. 

{Vox}: I suck in bed? Oh sweet heart. I don’t believe that's what you truly think. 

{Vox has sent a video} 

You pressed play, wishing you didn’t as a clip from the porno played. You were riding him moaning his name and begging him to go faster. His fingers digging into your sides as he rammed into you on your command. 

{You}: have to give the audience what they want.

{Vox}: oh yeah? What if there wasn’t an audience? 

{You}: then none of that would’ve happened. I’d be as quiet as a mouse.

{Vox}: we’ll see about that. 

{You}: what's that mean? 

:seen 3 minute ago: 

“Bitch.” You turned your phone off and laid down on the couch. Letting your mind wander back to the shoot. Perhaps you did enjoy him a little more than you’d like to admit. But you’d never tell him that. Or anyone for that matter. 

It’s bad enough there were more theories going around on you two. How the hatred was an act so you could keep things private. How it was fake or just a stunt for money.

You’d let the public guess and argue over it. You had no intentions on stating anything as of yet. 

So not thinking much of anything you turned on your tv and sat back. 

You sat up a little as you tv went to static. A blue glow came from it after a moment and a shock wave burst from it. The room went black and then the tv turned back on. Vox stood in front of you. Blocking the tv from view. 

“What the- Vox what the fuck!” You sat up all the way as Vox stepped closer with a smile on his face. 

 “We don’t have an audience here.” He leaned down looming over you as. Leaning back into the couch you slowly smirked. “Oh is that so? You wanna see if you can really work your magic on me?” You teased him watching as his face grew more annoyed. 

“Yes I do.” He put a finger under your chin and lifted it up. “I wanna prove to you that going off the script was because I am good at what I do. Not because you wanted to promote your bullshit brand.” He chuckled and moved you down on the couch to a lying position. 

“Oh you really wanna prove a point? Then I'm gonna make mine. I bet you can’t make me make a single sound.” You snickered as he threw his hat off to the ground. 

“Fine but I'm gonna make you eat those words.” He leaned down and kissed you. You rolled your eyes and opened your mouth. 

He slid his tongue inside your mouth. You closed your eyes and let your tongues tangle together. 

His hand slid down your sides and grabbed your jeans. You didn’t make a noise, the only sound was your pants rubbing together as Vox began to grind against you. 

A part of you just wanted to give in. Let him take you and win. But the bitch inside you wanted to win to shove it in his face every day. So you suppressed your moans and pulled back from the kiss.

He stared down at you and smirked, “Come on.. Just a little peep.” He groaned and made a quick upwards motion with his hips. It felt good you wouldn’t lie. 

You shook your head and smirked though earning an annoyed groan from the man above you. “Good thing we just started.” His voice was low as he undid your pants and yanked them off with a swift movement. 

You stared up at him and smirked. He slid off his blazer and undid his tie. The only thing left was his striped shirt. 

You sat up and pushed him down instead. He looked at you confused before smirking. He liked this and he didn’t care if you didn’t care in the moment if you didn’t like him how he liked you. Any form of attention from you was good. 

The feeling of you sitting on his bulge made his screen glitch as a low moan escaped him. He wanted to hear your approving moans as well but you weren’t giving it to him. You just moved against him with the best poker face he had ever seen. 

“F- fuck..” His voice buffered as he grabbed your hips and lifted you off him slightly. He didn’t want this to be over too soon. 

“I’m gonna break you. Just you wait.” He clawed at the sides of your underwear. Breaking the thin fabric, grabbing them as they fell down. He tossed them to the side and looked at you.

You blushed. Thanking Lucifer a blush didn’t count as a noise. That action was pretty hot. The desire in his eyes shone through. He slid off two of his claws. Just as he did for the shoot.

He lifted his hand to his mouth and licked them. Red saliva littered them. You anticipated the feeling of them inside you. Trying to prepare yourself so you didn’t moan. 

But he didn’t just slide them in. He circled his fingers around your clit. 

Smirking as he saw you twitch. Biting your lip before going back to a straight face. 

“Oh come on. I almost got you.” He laughed and slid one finger in. Pushing it in and out before adding the second and curling them inside. 

He kept pumping them in and out at different paces trying to make you moan. Anything really. A small gasp or groan. 

He wasn’t given the pleasure. 

You just closed your eyes and enjoyed the feeling. You hadn't met a man who could finger this good. He sure was something and you would love to keep this up. But his fingers just weren’t like his dick. Which was under you twitching and leaking pre cum. 

Just waiting for it’s turn inside. So you grabbed his wrist and he slid out his fingers. 

“Come on.. I’ll only give it to you if you beg.” He smirked and slid his finger down your slit teasingly. You shook your head. 

“Come on!” His voice statticed and he shoved his dick inside you. The amount of force you had to use to suppress your moan was astounding. 

He groaned as he noticed you didn't make a sound. 

“Fine, but I'm still gonna give you a damn good time. So you can’t say im shit at this.” he pulled out of you and flipped you over. Pushing you down under him. He wrapped your legs around him and slowly slid inside you again. Leaning his head back a quiet moan escaping his lips. 

You grabbed his shoulders and bit your lip. With each steady thrush the feeling of giving up echoed in your mind. It was starting to hurt holding in your noises. His eyes were squeezed shut, teeth bared and red drool dripping from his mouth. Blue static came from him as soon as he picked up his pace. 

“F-f-fuck.. I fucking hate you.” He slammed into you and a quiet moan escaped your lips. 

His eyes shot open and he looked down at you. Your face was red and sweaty. You covered your mouth, a smirk displayed on his face.

“What was that?” He taunted and slid all the way out of you then back in. A quiet moan escaped your mouth again. 

“Yeah that's right, I knew you couldn’t last forever.” He chuckled, his cocky attitude back. He kept his thrush gentle and slow. You gave in and let your moans fill the room. Vox loved the sounds. All your attention on him every moan, grunt, and whimper from your mouth was for him. It made his dick even harder. “Vox..please.. Please I'm.. I’m almost..” You stared into his eyes on the verge of orgasm. 

“Go ahead, we’ll do it together darling.” He slid his hand down and circled your clit and thrusted into you on more time. His cum filling your inside as yours too gave way and hit your orgasm.

His screen glitched out and his voice buffered as he moaned your name. 

After you both came down from your highs you looked into his eyes. 

“I hate you.” You glared at him. 

“You may hate me but I know you love him.” He chuckled as he slid his dick out, rubbing it against your slit. Earning an annoyed groan from you. 

“This was fun. Good to know you enjoyed it.” He winked and stood up. Putting on his clothes. He walked down your hall. You groaned and looked down at the cum on your couch. Annoyed now. 

He came back with a damp towel. He pushed you down gently and cleaned you up. Then rubbed the excess off the couch. 

“Gotta keep my toy clean.” He pinched your face before sliding his claws back on. 

“Least you have decent manners.” You scoffed and sat up. 

“Of course.” He smiled and glitched out. Disappearing into the tv. The room went black before the lights turned on. 

You got dressed and sat on the couch. Embarrassingly repeating the way he moaned your name in your head over and over. 

Why did you let him win? 

—

Today was your and Alastors photo shoot. You were modeling Sinfully Gorgeous but just a few of the modest outfits. With Alastors old time camera it made things look more classy. So he had agreed to do a small shoot in your studio. 

He had arrived about an hour ago. He was all dressed up just waiting for you now. You had gone for an old timey style of makeup and hair. 

Walking out of your dressing room he looked over. His eyes widened and a pleasant smile erased the plain one. 

“You look lovely darling.” He titled his head. “Thank you. You look rather handsome yourself.” You complimented back, gaining a chuckle from him. 

“Shall we do this?” He stood up straight. “Yes.” You replied back heading over to the backdrop. It was plain white but it made the photos show up better.

You did a few different poses and outfits. Some silly and others professional. 

“Wait, I have an idea.” You smirked and Alastor looked at you with a confused smile. 

“Voxtek is sponsoring this shoot. Part of a contract deal after that shoot with Valentino. I made Vox sign a contract to sponsor whatever I want when I want since I had to.. Fuck him” You rolled your eyes. 

“Right.” Alastor chuckled. He knew better. You and that tv headed fucker for sure had something going on. But you were his friend so he wouldn't say his true opinion. Though he sure as hell did back at the hotel. 

“I know just the way to tick him off.” You smirked at him and he instantly knew what you meant. Loving the idea of pissing off Vox for fun. 

—

You did a few poses. Holding each other. Alastor dipping you and finally the ones that would piss Vox off the most. You knew Alastor wasn’t one for these types of things. Though he agreed he did not mind if it was just to piss off Vox. 

You had ordered your helpers to set up a chair. They did as asked and Alastor sat down.

“Go head darling. I wanna see the look on his face when he sees these.” You both laughed as you sat between his legs.

Alastor gripped your chin and turned your face to his. His smile on his face. Though it was a more intimate one. He sure played this well. You look into his eyes with as much passion as a smirk displayed on your face.

 The photo was taken and you stood up. Slinging your legs over Alastors lap, your assistant changed the camera's angle to get a side view. Alastor looked into your eyes. “Excuse me if I am not good at this.”He chuckled and you smiled. “It’s okay.” You both had a short laugh before getting ready for the photo. 

He closed his eyes and you leaned in. Pressing your lips to his. He kissed you back but he wasn't hesitant. He just wasn’t sure how to move his lips. You pulled away the second the photo was taken. 

“You aren’t terribly bad.” You joked, gaining an eye roll from him. 

The last photo was one of you both standing. Alastor kissed you one last time but in this one his eyes were looking at the camera. A bigger dig at Vox. 

—

“Thanks for helping me.” You thanked Alastor as you had gotten the photos ready to be sent out to Voxtek. “It’s not a problem. Anything for an old pal.” Alastor smiled as you both walked out of the studio. 

—

Vox sipped on his coffee until a ding came through on his screen. He flicked his finger and sent it to one of his monitors. He opened the email and sifted through the photos your team had emailed him. 

He groaned as it was you and Alastor. Pissed off that the radio demon was getting your attention now. 

His anger was pretty controlled till he got to the attachment labeled ‘surprise.’ 

A part of him hoped it was some sinful photos of you in your outfit. Though to his dismay it was not. 

He opened up the file with a smirk on his face only for it to be erased in a meer second as his eyes landed on you and Alastor kissing. He gripped his desk claws digging into it. Leaving a mark. 

He groaned and looked at the next photo. Alastor kissing you and eyeing the camera with that smug grin tugging on his lips. He screamed and slammed his fist into the monitor, cracking it and causing the screen to glitch out. 

The monitor turned off as he kept punching it. His screams and groans of anger echoing through the room. 

“The fuck is your problem?!” Velvette asked as she slammed open the door. 

Vox turned around to look at her. A deranged smile on his face as his eye twitched. 

“Set up my showroom. If this bitch wants to play dirty we’ll play dirty.” He pulled his hand out of the monitor watching as his blood trickled down his arm.

[sidekick-hero]

It's finally here, my entry for the @steddiesummerexchange. This is a gift for my dear friend @starryeyedjanai - I was so delighted when I found out you were my giftee 💜💜💜 Your prompt 'Steve can't get his inheritance until he marries someone' really tested me and took me out of my writing comfort zone. I hope you like it and that I did your prompt justice! Special shout out to the best beta in the whole world, @acasualcrossfade 💜🙏

Pairings: Steve/Eddie, Robin/Chrissy Characters: Steve, Eddie, Robin, Chrissy, Max, Dustin, Wayne Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake Marriage, Platonic Stobin, Platonic Hellcheer, idiot4idiot, Friends to Husbands to Lovers, Humor and Fluff and a smudge Angst

Summary:

When Steve's grandmother dies, he finds out that he can only get his inheritance - half a million dollars - if he marries someone. It's her way of forcing Steve to live a heterosexual life. Sucks for her that gay marriage has been legalized since she wrote her will. Sucks for Steve that he doesn't have a man or woman in his life to marry. Cue Eddie Munson, roommate and best friend of Robin's girlfriend Chrissy and the guy Steve has had a crush on for years. What could possibly go wrong?

Read on AO3 - the fic is finished and has 4 chapters, the last one will drop June 24

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Chapter 1 (5.6k) under the cut

"Rob! Robbie!" Steve yells as he walks into their two-bedroom apartment, kicking the door shut behind him. "Robin Juniper Buckley, where are you?"

He hears the telltale clatter of dishes and sure enough, he finds his roommate and best friend in their tiny kitchen washing the dishes. It's his turn to do them, but his schedule has been hell this week. He's been spending so much time at the firehouse cooking for a crew of five to twelve perpetually hungry firemen and women that the thought of cleaning up their kitchen at home has made him want to cry.

"I'm here doing the dishes, because if I didn't, we could have proven Darwin's theories right here in our kitchen." Despite the scolding words, she doesn't look particularly angry at him, and he figures he'll be forgiven in no time. She knows he's been working himself into the ground lately, pulling double shifts whenever his boss will let him. Living in Chicago is expensive enough, but Steve also has to think about Max's education. There's no way his little sister can't live up to her full potential just because their parents are assholes who stopped caring about their children the second they turned out not to be the perfect son and daughter Richard and Emily Harrington wanted them to be.

He walks up to her and hugs her sideways, resting his head on her shoulder for a moment as he mumbles, "'m sorry, Robs. I'll make it up to you."

She sighs, and he knows he's already forgiven. "I know you will. It's okay. Not like I forgot to do something once or twice."

He leans back to look at her for full effect, waggling his eyebrows. "Oh, like when you started dating Chrissy and were so busy having sex that you barely left your room or her apartment?"

Robin swats at him with the towel slung over her shoulder, but there's a smile on her face at the memory.

"Okay, now that we've established that you're jealous that I have an incredibly sexy and wonderful girlfriend," Robin says, ignoring his indignant Oi!, "do you want to tell me why you stormed in here yelling out my full name, which I've clearly forbidden you to use except in emergencies?"

Her question brings back the excitement that propelled him from the grocery store to her apartment in record time, and reminds him of the news he's been dying to share with her in person, rather than by phone or text message. He needs to see her reaction firsthand.

Taking hold of Robin's shoulders, he locks eyes with her azure gaze, unable to contain the grin that splits his face in two. "She’s gone!"

Robin blinks in confusion, prompting him to clarify. "Grandma Harrington, she's kicked the bucket, bit the dust, you name it."

A puzzled expression lingers on Robin's face momentarily before realization dawns. "No way! She... really?"

Unable to contain his excitement, Steve gives her a gentle shake. "Yes, really. Grandma Harrington finally called it quits."

They look at each other, their grins widening until they both look like madmen. Steve is aware that all of this is probably a highly inappropriate way to react to the death of a human being, but Eleanor Harrington had been the worst human being Steve or Robin had ever had the displeasure of meeting in their lives.

She had visited her son and daughter-in-law infrequently over the years, never giving them much warning when she was coming over and occupying one of their guest rooms for the unforeseeable future. More than once, Steve had come home to find her sitting at the kitchen table or on the sofa, staring at him with her judgmental gaze, disappointed in him before he even crossed the threshold. Any friend who had the misfortune to accompany him was ordered to sit with her and be interrogated, always found wanting as her grandson's companion. Everyone was beneath a Harrington, even Tommy, even though his father was a lawyer. ‘Too many freckles and that awful grin’ was one reason, ‘I don't like the way he looks at you, Steven, too greedy’ was another.

Robin, who had become a permanent fixture in Steve’s life after becoming his project partner in one of their shared classes his junior year, hadn’t fared any better. To this day, Steve has no idea how Grandma Harrington found out that Robin was queer, because at that point Robin hadn't even been out to her parents, only Steve. But when she did, she had spit at Robin. Steve had lost it then, too angry, too hurt to think rationally. He had thrown caution to the wind and come out to her, too, even though the thought of liking boys was still new to him, something he was still trying on to see how it would fit.

He doesn't even know what he expected to get out of it. Certainly not acceptance or even approval, no matter how much a part of him still craved that from his family. The only thing he got was her calling them both horrible names and saying such cruel things that Steve had to hold Robin and wipe away her tears afterwards.

That episode alone was reason enough for Steve to hate the old woman. Never mind that she had raised his father to be a bigoted, heartless man who had never learned what it meant to truly love anyone, not even his own son or daughter.

When their faces begin to ache from smiling, Robin shrugs casually, as though dismissing the significance of the moment. But Steve knows better. He knows the weight of hurt and resentment they both carry because of that woman.

"Rest in peace, I suppose," Robin remarks with an air of detachment, and Steve can only offer a noncommittal hum in response, realizing that any words he might speak would only add to the inappropriate nature of their conversation.

"Alright, so what does this mean for you, Steve?" Robin asks, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Is this going to change how you deal with your family?" She pauses briefly before adding, "And what about your inheritance?"

Steve offers a slight shrug, his expression turning pensive. "I'm not entirely sure yet, Robs," he begins, his tone serious despite the lingering excitement from their earlier celebration. "I mean, I guess it means I don't have to deal with her anymore, which is definitely a relief. But as for the rest of the family, I don't know. They've never been particularly warm or welcoming to me, you know that. I mean, you’ve been there when they wanted to send me to a psychiatrist to help me get over being queer. I doubt they've changed much since then."

Robin nods in understanding, recalling the numerous tales Steve had shared about his family's cold demeanor and their refusal to accept him for who he is. She reaches out, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I mean, you know she was loaded. So yeah, there is an inheritance, but -" Steve continues, his gaze distant as he contemplates the implications. "There's a condition in Grandma Harrington's will. I can only inherit if I marry someone.”

Robin's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Marry? Seriously? That seems archaic, unfair, and downright manipulative."

Steve lets out a wry chuckle. "Tell me about it. Grandma always did enjoy her control games. It's probably her way of trying to mold me into the perfect, straight grandson."

"You've got to be kidding me! Seriously? You... what, have to marry some woman so you can be the perfectly acceptable heterosexual son and grandson your family always wanted? Fuck off!" Despite the heavy topic, Steve can't help but smile at Robin's outrage on his behalf. He could always count on her. After all, she was there to pick up the pieces when his parents told him in no uncertain terms to either learn to be straight or leave.

He left and lived with the Buckleys until Robin graduated and they moved to Chicago together. It was the best decision he could have made, even if it still hurts some days.

For a moment, they both fall silent, each lost in their thoughts. Then Robin squeezes his hand again. "We'll figure it out, Steve. We always do. And hey, maybe this is the perfect opportunity to really stick it to them."

"What do you mean?"

A devilish grin spreads across Robin's face. "Tell me, does her will say that you have to marry someone, or that you have to marry a woman to get your inheritance?"

Oh.

Oh.

Steve looks at Robin, his eyes wide with sudden understanding. “You’re a genius, Buckley,” he says, grinning. “I think it’s time for us to pay my attorney a visit.”

Turns out Robin is right. It seems that Grandma Harrington wrote her will at a time when gay marriage was still illegal in most states, and never thought to change it after the courts made it legal in Indiana and Illinois in 2014.

Steve's lawyer, who he honestly couldn't afford if it wasn't for the fact that she was an old family friend, agreed to help him pro bono just to give his bigoted parents the middle finger, as her sister was a lesbian. She said that the requirements of the will would be met if Steve married a woman as well as a man. As long as it was a legally recognized marriage, he would get close to half a million dollars. Enough to pay for Max's education, the rest of Robin's student loans, and maybe even a small house here in Chicago for him and Max once she was done with college and wanted to live with him until she was ready to be on her own.

The only problem was that Steve didn't have anyone to marry, woman or man.

His last serious relationship had been in high school, for crying out loud. Not for lack of trying. Steve loved love, but love apparently didn't love Steve back. Robin insists that's because he's sabotaging himself. She thinks deep down he's afraid of getting hurt again, so he only falls for people who a) he can't have or b) are a terrible match outside the bedroom.

She might have a point, he thinks in his more introspective moments. He has no shortage of options, and he always finds someone to hook up with, but he rarely makes it past the second date.

"Maybe you could hire someone?" Robin suggests, sipping her Dirty Shirley. After seeing John for some legal advice, they had gone straight to their favorite bar to hold a strategic summit over drinks.

So far, they have only made it to the drinking part.

Sighing deeply, Steve considers the idea for a second before shaking his head vehemently. "No way. I'm not paying some stranger to marry me. It's probably illegal anyway, and it sounds a lot like prostitution."

He knows it's the wrong thing to say when Robin raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "And what, Steven, is wrong with prostitution?"

"Nothing. Nothing’s wrong with it. A job like any other job,” he hastily assures her.

His answer seems to satisfy her and he knows she's right. It's just that sometimes the things he's been raised to believe, thanks to his extremely conservative parents, are hard to leave behind. They have a tendency to bubble back to the surface when he least expects it.

"That's what I thought. But I get it, it feels wrong to pay someone to marry you."

"Exactly. And I mean, it's about trust. Who guarantees that they won't double-cross me somehow and run off with all the money? I can't risk that."

He looks over at his best friend, his platonic soul mate, whom he trusts with his life and, more importantly, his little sister's life. Right now, he thinks, there’s only one person he could imagine being married to.

"How about we get married?"

He regrets it as soon as he asks.

Not because he thinks Robin wouldn’t do it, but because of the two of them, she is the one in a loving, stable relationship that could very well end in marriage one day. It's unfair of him to put her in a situation where she feels like she has to choose between Steve and Chrissy.

Worst of all, he knows she still wants to say yes to him. He can see it in the soft, sad way she looks at him. They both know they'll spend the rest of their lives together anyway. The simple truth of both their lives is that they would do anything for each other, walk through fire, face any horror the world could throw at them, just to see each other happy. And it's not like they couldn't get a divorce later, so Robin could still marry Chrissy, sure. But it would take something from her.

"Steve, I -"

"No, wait, don't answer that. It was a stupid idea, I shouldn't -"

"It's not stupid, it's just -"

As they talk over each other, their voices clash until they both instinctively reach over, silencing each other with a hand over their mouths at the same time. Their wide-eyed surprise quickly gives way to laughter as they realize the absurdity of the situation.

Steve is the first to recover from their fit of laughter, quickly sobering up to reassure Robin in a mild voice. "Seriously, Robs, I shouldn't have asked you to do this because it puts you in a shitty position. I know how much you love Chrissy and it wouldn't be fair to either of you. Especially when the two of you could finally get legally married. I don't want to take that away from you and make you agree to a fake heterosexual marriage like it was the 80's."

She looks at him with her big blue eyes, impossibly soft, and takes his hand in hers.

"Steve," she begins, her voice as gentle as her gaze, "thank you. For getting it, I mean. It wouldn't be all fake, though. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But you're right, I'm not in love with you and you're not in love with me. And we both deserve to marry someone we feel that way about. In a perfect world, we would. I mean, I don't even know if Chrissy would ever want to marry me, but," Robin stops here, her eyes widening in sudden realization. "Oh my God, Steve!" Robin cries out in excitement and wonder, her reaction clearly colored by the strong cocktails their favorite bar always provided, before her voice becomes softer again, but no less wondrous. "I really want to marry her. I want to marry Chrissy so badly, Steve, I can't believe I didn't know.”

"And I can't believe you're realizing this after I asked you to marry me. Way to keep a guy's ego in check," Steve jokes with a big grin on his face. It's less news to him than it is to Robin, to be honest. Ever since Robin stumbled into their apartment with a piece of paper in her hand with a number on it, gushing about the gorgeous woman she had just met at the bookstore where she works, Steve knew his best friend was completely smitten with Chrissy Cunningham. That was four years ago, and they are still going strong, obviously madly in love.

She throws her arms around him and says, "I'm sorry," not sounding sorry at all, still giddy with her newfound realization. "I'll make it up to you. I actually might have an idea how we can get you your inheritance and still stick it to Grandma Harrington."

"I sense a but."

"But I can't guarantee it'll work."

"And..."

"And you might not like it at first, but honestly, it's genius, you just have to trust me. And if it really doesn't work out, then we'll get married and you'll pay for my 'I'm-sorry-I-love-you-please-stay-with-me-even-though-I'm-fake-marrying-my-best-friend' vacation with Chrissy. And the divorce."

Maybe it's the three beers he's already had, or maybe it's the fact that Robin would actually marry him just to help him out that makes him agree. He's sure he'll regret it along the way, but maybe he should take a leap of faith. If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't. No way to find out but to try.

Drunk Steve is clearly an optimist.

"I feel like I'm going to regret this, but all right. What's your plan?"

Robin grins mischievously, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she leans back, holding Steve at arm's length.

"Steve Harrington, you won't regret this, I promise," she declares, her tone brimming with confidence.

Steve rolls his eyes good-naturedly, unable to suppress a chuckle at Robin's enthusiasm. "I'll hold you to that, Robin. But seriously, when do I get to know the master plan?"

Robin's grin widens, but then she sobers slightly, a hint of seriousness creeping into her expression. "I need to talk to Chrissy first. It's... complicated. But I'll tell you everything as soon as I can, I promise."

Steve nods, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension swirling inside him. "Okay, fine. Just... don't keep me waiting too long, okay? I've had enough surprises for one night."

Robin reaches out, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "I won't, Steve. Trust me, this is going to work out. You'll see."

Despite his lingering doubts, Steve can't help but be swayed by Robin's unwavering confidence. With a nod, he squeezes her hand back, a silent agreement passing between them. Whatever Robin's plan entails, he knows his best friend has his back. And maybe, hopefully, they'll come out on top after all.

Drunk Steve should not be allowed to make any decisions, sober Steve decides.

Because he instantly regrets trusting Robin's secretive plan as soon as he steps into their apartment a week later, only to find not just Robin, but also her girlfriend Chrissy and Chrissy's best friend and roommate Eddie lounging in their living room.

All eyes turn towards him as he enters.

Robin's expression is the most transparent. Though the furrow between her brows is subtle, her lip-chewing and rhythmic tapping betray her worry, likely anticipating his reaction to whatever scheme they've concocted.

Chrissy, on the other hand, wears a radiant smile, her bubbly demeanor suggesting she's delighted about something. Yet, Steve can't shake the feeling that her enthusiasm might spell trouble. While he adores Chrissy and cherishes her friendship almost as much as he does Robin’s, he's well aware of her propensity for stirring up mischief.

Their shared history stretches back almost as far as hers and Robin's. It's a tradition for Robin and him to introduce their second dates to each other, one of their many platonic soulmate privileges. Steve often wonders if this practice inadvertently sabotages any chances of a third date, but he's unwilling to compromise on the importance of his friendship with Robin.

In any case, if someone can't accept his slightly unconventional bond with his best friend, they're probably not the right fit for him anyway.

Eddie's expression proves the most enigmatic. He appears utterly deer-in-the-headlights, his wide brown eyes resembling those of a startled doe. His usually pale complexion now seems even more ghostly. Steve notices how Eddie's fingers have been incessantly tousling his hair, rendering his dark curls resembling more of a chaotic bird's nest. Steve recognizes this as one of Eddie's nervous ticks, alongside fidgeting and rambling. His suspicions of Eddie's unease appear justified as Eddie avoids meeting Steve's gaze, opting instead to stare down at his hands, absently toying with his rings.

Something is going on and Steve has a sinking feeling that he won't like it.

"Um, hi?" He offers tentatively, his gaze flitting between Robin, Chrissy, and the nervously fidgeting Eddie. "Am I missing something here? Is this an early birthday surprise? Because if it is, I hate to break it to you, but my birthday's not for another nine months."

Before Robin can respond, Eddie interjects, his words tumbling out in a rush. "Hey, Steve! Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it? Nah, no birthday party, man. We definitely know when your birthday is!"

"We do?" Chrissy chimes in with a playful grin, clearly jesting, as Steve knows she's the one who meticulously keeps track of important dates in their circle.

Eddie, caught off guard by Chrissy's banter, stumbles over his words. "Uh, yeah, of course! February 23rd. Remember that baseball-themed cake from last year? I almost dropped it on the icy ground!"

Steve remembers it too, mostly because he was so chuffed to learn that in order to save his cake, Eddie had taken the fall instead, choosing to land on his admittedly not very well padded backside so that the cake could live. He had been unable to sit properly at their little gathering all evening. Steve had felt sorry for him, but also fond in the face of Eddie's sacrifice for him.

"It's so good to see you, Steve. You look great today, that shirt really makes your eyes pop. Doesn't it, Eddie?" Chrissy gushes, nudging Eddie's side as he just stares at Steve in a way that makes Steve worry that he's about to go into cardiac arrest.

Eddie's mouth opens and closes like a fish. "Um..."

"Okay, what's going on, Robin?" Steve turns to the only person who doesn't act like she's on drugs or caught red-handed at a crime scene. Or both.

Robin, bless her soul, doesn't beat around the bush. "I told you I had a plan. This," and she points to Eddie of all people, "is my plan."

"That's Eddie," Steve states the obvious, but he feels he can't be blamed. Nothing makes sense, so he's glad for every single thing he knows. Then the rest of her statement sinks in.

Blinking at her, his eyes wide, he says the first thing that comes to mind. "You can't be serious!"

There's no way she's saying what he thinks she's saying. Because right now it looks like her plan to help him get his inheritance involves marrying Eddie. Which, no. No, no, no, no. Not Eddie. Maybe she means some other plan that Steve has forgotten. Like Eddie helping him with Dustin's birthday surprise, which sounded much more likely than -

"I told you he didn't want to marry me," Eddie's voice sounds loud in the stunned silence after Steve's reaction. "This was a stupid idea, I don't even know what I was thinking." Then, addressing Steve with his eyes somewhere to Steve's right, "Listen, man, I'm sorry. I totally get it, no hard feelings, okay? I wouldn't want to marry me either."

The wry chuckle doesn't sit well with Steve, nor does the way Eddie still refuses to meet his eyes, or the fact that he's started walking toward their front door. Before he can think about it, his hand wraps around Eddie's arm as he passes Steve on his way out.

"Eddie, wait." Eddie does, looking at Steve's hand wrapped around his forearm. Steve's grip isn't tight, so Eddie could easily break free, but he doesn't. He just looks, quietly waiting. Still not meeting Steve's eyes.

"I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I was just surprised, okay? A little warning would have been nice." The last part is mostly for Robin, who at least does look contrite at his words.

"It's fine, Steve, really. Don't worry about it. Now, if you'll excuse me. Places to be, things to do, see you when I see you, you know the drill."

Steve could let him go, maybe should let him go, because Eddie is obviously embarrassed and the whole situation has gone south anyway. But Eddie doesn't sound fine, and Steve feels terrible about his lack of a brain-to-mouth filter. Something that is usually Robin's specialty.

So instead of letting Eddie walk out of the apartment, Steve steps in front of him to block his way. "Eddie, please wait. I really didn't mean it the way you think I did, you have to believe me. You're a catch, okay? Anybody would be lucky to marry you."

And okay, wow, he didn't mean to say that, but it's the truth.

"You really mean that?" Eddie asks, pulling a strand of hair in front of his mouth. It looks incredibly cute and Steve wants to kill Robin for putting him in this position. She had said that he would not like her plan and that should have been reason enough for him to stop her. Because now he's between a rock and a hard place.

Either he lies and lets Eddie walk away thinking he's not good enough to be married, even if it is a scam to get his grandmother's inheritance. Or he tells the truth and risks getting his heart broken or their friendship ruined.

Because the thing is, Steve means every word. Steve has had a crush on Eddie for years. He's been able to keep those feelings in check because he and Eddie never spend time alone together. It's always group hangouts, or Eddie being there when he and Robin visit Chrissy, or Eddie joining them when they meet at their apartment. It also helps that Eddie keeps his distance from him. Sure, he's nice enough to Steve, but every time Steve tried to get close to the other man, his efforts were rebuked until he got the memo and stopped trying.

Before he can come to a decision, Robin steps in.

“I’m sorry we’re springing this on you, Steve. I could’ve prepared this a little bit better but Chrissy and I were so excited that we found the perfect solution, we couldn’t wait any longer.”

“And this is the perfect solution,” Chrissy jumps in, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Tell him Robin!”

Infected by Chrissy's enthusiasm, Robin’s voice carries an equally excited note. “You said it yourself, you’d need someone we can trust. And you trust Eddie, don’t you?”

Steve can feel Eddie’s eyes on him. “Of course I do.” He doesn’t miss the sharp intake of breath next to him at his decisive tone. Eddie’s a great guy, him rejecting Steve’s advances doesn’t change that.

Of course he trusts him because Eddie never gave him any reason not to.

But he remembers the stories Chrissy told them to explain why Eddie was a little wary of Steve. Apparently, Eddie didn't have it easy growing up. Chrissy wouldn't go into details because it's Eddie's story to tell, but she did mention that people used to treat Eddie like a criminal, a fuckup, trailer trash. Especially the jocks and rich kids at their high school, so since Steve was kind of both, Eddie had been wary of him.

So much so that Steve had overheard Eddie asking Chrissy once, early in her relationship with Robin, why Robin kept bringing that rich asshole jock over all the time. The words had hurt, but Chrissy's explanation had softened the blow. Still, he'd stopped trying to flirt with Eddie after that because he'd figured that even if Eddie came to accept him, he'd never be interested in going out with someone who reminded him so much of all the bullies in high school who had made his life a living hell.

All of which makes it easy to see how Steve's implicit trust could come as such a surprise to him. Which still kind of stings, because Steve had hoped that the last four years had shown Eddie that Steve was not what Eddie expected him to be just because he grew up rich and popular and into sports.

Before he can get lost in his thoughts about Eddie and what he has to do to earn Eddie's trust the way Eddie has his, Chrissy chimes in again, raising a finger. "So you trust Eddie. That's like the most important thing. Second," she raises another finger, making a playful peace sign in their direction, "Eddie's single. Not like Robin."

Ah, okay, Steve can see why Chrissy is so excited about her and Robin's 'plan'.

"'m sorry, Chrissy, for proposing to your girlfriend," Steve sheepishly apologizes, giving her a crooked smile, which she returns with a sunny one of her own.

"No hard feelings. I get it, believe me. Being with Robin means being stuck with you. Just like Robin is stuck with Eddie. Which is the third reason why this is a great idea," she adds, raising another finger. "We all spend a lot of time together already. Nothing really needs to change."

Aside from the fact that Steve secretly wishes things could change between him and Eddie, he's not so sure that's true. But to argue her point would mean revealing more about his feelings than he's comfortable with, so he lets it slide for now.

Objectively, Steve knows they're right. If he didn't still feel... something for Eddie, he probably wouldn't even hesitate. Because yes, he trusts Eddie not to screw him over, and he's also a close acquaintance who's been teetering on the edge of being a real friend for years. But he's also the reason Steve had to leave last year's Friendsgiving party early because Eddie showed up with some guy who couldn't keep his sleazy hands off of him. It drove Steve crazy to see someone else have what he wanted so badly.

In the end, it is the thought of being able to give Max all the chances she deserves that finally makes him look back at Eddie.

"And you're sure you want to do this? Fake marry me, I mean. Because, Eddie... I can't tell you how much I appreciate you being willing to do this to help me out, but... you don't have to do this, okay? It's not your mess or your fucked up family, it's mine."

Finally, Eddie is looking back at him, meeting his eyes.

"I do. Wanna do this, I mean. I know I don't have to, but -" Here Eddie pauses, apparently searching for the right words. After a few seconds he breathes a sigh and continues. "Look, for once, I love the idea of sticking it to an old homophobic hag, so that's a big incentive. Also, I was actually hoping you could help me out as well. Because there's this amazing record store that's for sale, but the bank refuses to give me a loan unless I have some kind of collateral. So I'm kind of hoping that being married will sway them."

At Steve's surprised look, Eddie hastens to add, "I don't want your money! That's for you and Max. Just the fact that I'm married to someone with money will probably be enough. And we can totally do a prenup or something like that."

Eddie sounds anxious, like he's afraid he's said something wrong, when in fact he's doing Steve a huge favor and asking for something incredibly small in return. Steve thinks he can't be blamed at this point, he just has to touch Eddie. So he does, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Eddie. Really. Of course we can go to your bank and convince them to give you the loan. It's the least I can do to thank you."

It feels good to be holding Eddie like this, even more so when, after a moment's hesitation, Eddie hugs him back. Even though they've known each other for years, Steve can count the times they've done this on one hand. It's never lasted this long either, and Steve can't suppress his disappointment when Robin interrupts the quiet moment by clapping her hands excitedly, causing Eddie to pull away.

"Oh, I'm so glad we worked it out. Go us!"

Chrissy, just as excited, jumps up and down next to Robin. "I'm so happy for you guys! We can totally help you plan the wedding. It's going to be great, I know it."

Steve and Eddie look at each other in growing confusion.

"Chris," Eddie begins, his voice careful. He's clearly more experienced in dealing with an overly excited Chrissy, so Steve lets him take the lead. "You do realize that Steve and I are only getting married on paper, right? I don't think -"

"You can still have a wedding!" Chrissy interrupts, clearly not deterred by anything silly like pragmatism or logic. "It's still a special day, and you deserve to celebrate it with your friends and family."

Before Steve can say anything - what, he has no idea - Robin jumps in on the ‘you should have a real wedding’ party.

"Besides, it has to look real, right? Why wouldn't you have a real wedding if you were getting married? Everyone would wonder. It's just easier to pull out all the stops and make it look as real as possible so no one will question it."

And that... actually made a lot of sense. Goddammit.

Looking at Eddie with an apologetic look on his face, Steve says, "I guess she's right," and shrugs his shoulders in a ‘I wish she wasn't, but what can you do’ kind of way. Eddie, to his credit, just sighs and nods, accepting his fate with as much grace as he can. He glances at Chrissy, who is almost vibrating.

"Fine. Chris, do you want to help us plan a wedding?"

She actually squeals. "Yes, yes, yes!" Then she rushes over and pulls them into a group hug.

Steve, looking over Chrissy's head at Robin, opens his arm. "Come here, Buckley." It's all the invitation Robin needs to join their celebratory hug.

For just this moment, Steve allows himself to feel as if this is all real, him and Eddie announcing their wedding and their two best friends in the whole world sharing in their happiness. It's a nice feeling, and when he leans his head on Robin's shoulder and looks at Eddie, he finds him looking back with the same soft smile on his face as the one Steve thinks must be on his own.

[jflemings]

— phases

pairing: niamh charles x canadian!reader / part 2 here

synopsis: niamh is forced to watch you change

warnings: angsty angst angst, a lil smut, reader likes both men and women

a/n: this bitch is so long oh my god, part 2 won’t be this lengthy (hopefully)

♫ what’s queued masterlist

tryin' to find a new you but I heard you got lost

tryin' to figure your worth

what the hell does that cost?

niamh lazily lounges on her and jessie’s couch, her feet are comfortably propped up on jessie’s lap as the two of them share a big bowl of popcorn. zećira is sitting on the recliner to the defender’s left nursing her own bowl of popcorn, not paying attention to the way niamh shifts in her seat. the englishwoman checks her phone for what seems like the thousandth time that hour, groaning softly when she realises that you, yet again, have left her on delivered.

zećira doesn’t take her eyes off the movie playing as she speaks “she’s hanging out with the city girls” she says whilst stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth “i saw her on filippa’s instagram story”

niamh snaps her head towards her friend and teammate “who?” she questions uselessly, not even realising she was being watched.

“y/n” jessie answers, also still occupied with the movie.

“and how do you know that?” the defender says suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the canadian

“i don’t” jessie shrugs “i just figured that’s why you were on your phone”

zećira points at jessie to confirm that she’s right, turning her attention back to niamh who’s nervously biting at her nails. the two women look at eachother with both confusion and concern before jess places a soft hand on her best friend’s shin.

“what’s up?” she asks quietly “something other than her being out and about is bothering you. what is it?”

“i’ve just heard that she’s been… i don’t know? different?”

jessie’s eyes drop slightly “she’s just sorting some stuff out, that’s all”

judging by the look niamh gives jessie, it’s clear that she’s not buying whatever her friend is trying to sell her “jess that’s bullshit. don’t sugar coat what she’s going through”

“i’m not” jessie defends, her face going hard “it’s not my business to say anything, niamh”

“she’s lost!” the defender pushes, fighting the urge to raise her voice and start a fight over something that isn’t worth it right now.

zećira sinks into her seat. jessie and niamh weren’t known to argue but she knows that you’re a sensitive topic given the fact that you’re jessie’s national teammate and niamh’s… ex almost girlfriend. she blows air out of her nose in anticipation as she watches jessie’s brows furrow and shoulders tighten, fully prepared to turn off the movie and sneak out of their house before they notice.

“she’s not lost. just because she’s trying to figure herself out doesn’t mean she’s lost, god” jessie defends forcefully before shaking out her shoulders and lowering her voice “let her figure it out. she’ll come around”

when I'm kissing ya, grippin' ya thigh

I realized you are destined and meant to be mine

jessie was half right, you had come around a week later, both figuratively and literally. you had texted her that you wanted to catch up and go out for dinner at you and niamh’s favourite shared spot which then led to the two of you making out on your couch.

you were currently straddling the chelsea defender, kissing her neck feverishly whilst your hands snaked up under her jumper and shirt. her hands grip your thighs and she throws her head back, a quiet moan passing by her lips with ease as you drag your teeth over her pulse point.

“missed you” you murmur into her neck “hasn’t been the same since i left”

niamh foolishly melts at your words, one of her hands moving to grip your breast through your bra “should just come back” she says breathlessly “team needs you”

you laugh lowly as you pull yourself off her neck completely and eye your handy work, guiding niamh’s jaw so you can get a better look “the team needs me or you need me?”

niamh wines when you undo the button of her jeans and slowly slither your hand into her underwear “is there a difference?” she questions breathlessly.

“i don’t make a habit out of having my hand down all my ex-teammates underwear so i’d say there is” you tease, brushing your fingers ever so slightly over where she wants you.

the defender is clearly done with talking. she crashes her lips into yours and leans forward, unintentionally causing your fingers to press to her clit. she moans into your mouth and shuts her eyes even tighter as you move your fingers “i need you too” you reassure her just as breathlessly.

as niamh watches you get off her lap and get on your knees in front of her preparing to take her jeans off, she decides that the two of you were made for eachother.

who am I to conflict with you living your life

just know when you call

i'm at the end of the line

no matter the situation, or the time of day, niamh knew that she would always be available to you. she knew that no matter how complicated your relationship got or how hard she fell for you, she would always answer your call.

she was always the one to let you come to her in fear that she would be interfering in your life. after speaking with jessie again, and kadiesha and ashley, she quickly realised that this really might just be a phase you’re going through at the moment. before you left chelsea you really did feel lost and like you didn’t belong. there had been nights where you were questioning your career and your place in your relationships, and everytime you had gone to niamh for some advice.

niamh remembers the night you decided that kingsmeadow was no longer home very clearly. you two were just sitting in bed when you’d abruptly said that you’d spoken to your agent about transferring and that arsenal, west ham and manchester city all wanted you.

she had been shocked but supported you regardless, reassuring you over and over that nothing was going to change for the two of you. in the beginning in truely hadn’t but the more settled you got with your new club, the further niamh felt you were going.

despite this, she would still stay on the phone with you when you’d call her at odd hours almost in tears because you were scared you’d made the wrong choice, scared that maybe you should’ve just stuck it out at chelsea. niamh would always interrupt you and tell you that you did what was best for you and your career, tell you that you had done all the growing you could with the blues.

that unwavering loyalty has lead niamh here, sitting up in bed at two in the morning blinking sleep out of her eyes and staring blankly at her phone. she knows that you’d only call her at this hour if you really needed her so she sighs and answers the phone.

“niahmy” you say quietly, your voice cracking in the middle of saying her name “i need some help”

she furrows her brows as worry begins to settle in her chest “anything”

hitting all the right cues

and you leaving your mark

but i know that ain't you

you're just playing your part, baby

since moving to manchester city niamh couldn’t help but notice how you’d changed on the pitch as well as off it.

people had speculated that you’d been brought in to replace hayley raso on the wing, having built a reputation surrounding your speed and the way you could get on the end of any pass and get the ball in the back of the net. you were also infamous for the non-aggressive way you played.

now though, you were getting yellow cards for shoving, shirt pulling, late tackles, the lot. despite this, you were still scoring goals and gliding past defenders with ease, leaving people to assume that your sudden aggression came from the way city was training.

niamh knew better though. the way you train doesn’t drastically change the way you play that quickly, especially since you were never one to play dirty. as she watches you argue with the ref over a yellow card and late tackle she can’t help but sigh and furrow her brows in disappointment.

it’s so clear to her that all you’re doing is putting on an act and filling a role you feel like you have to play. she rolls her head on her neck and crosses her arms over her chest, just hoping that you’ll end the little show you’re putting on soon.

jessie drops back and cokes up beside niamh briefly “i don’t know what she’s doing” she says quietly “she’s arguing a yellow that she deserves”

niamh sighs and uncrosses her arms, choosing to place them on her hips instead “does anyone know what she’s doing?” the defender says bitterly “if she wanted to hold up the match she’s got her wish”

“did you two get the chance to talk after dinner last week?”

niamh’s face burns “not really” she answers quietly, hoping that jess will just drop it.

jessie raises her brows and smirks “right. i still think you should, she really values your opinion you know”

“…yeah, right”

I'll practice my patience

while you're getting wasted

you’re bordering on drunk when niamh and alessia walk into the bar. the drink you’re nursing spills over the rim as you dance with mary, your eyes never leaving her face as you laugh and sway your hips.

niamh walks straight up to the bar before even going to find lauren to wish her a happy birthday, ordering her usual and finding a table to sit at by herself for a moment. to anyone else she probably looks like a miserable bitch the way she’s not celebrating her national teammate’s birthday but she knows that she can’t face you sober.

the defender sips her drink and scans her eyes over all the partygoers. she spots lessi chatting away with a group of girls and hums, grateful for the fact that she doesn’t seem to be pissed about being ditched almost as soon as the pair walked in.

niamh’s alone time is interrupted by a thick australian accent “you’re a very patient person, y’know that?”

the englishwoman looks up to see alanna kennedy standing at the edge of her seat. she’s got a party hat perched on the top of her head that reads ‘BIRTHDAY GIRL’ in bold pink lettering and the streamer pompon that sits on top of the cardboard looks like it’s been rugged at more then once. niamh smirks at the sight of the australian defender adjusting her hat before taking a long sip of what niamh can only assume is a rum and coke.

“what do you mean?” niamh questions almost stupidly

alanna sits uninvited and places her glass on a coaster “i love y/n, really i do, she’s great, but you have the patience of a saint”

it’s clear that the aussie is drunk, judging by her slightly slurred words and lax attitude, but niamh has a feeling that she means everything she’s saying. alanna waves her hand about and purses her lips “but you’ve gotta cut yourself some slack here charles, make a move!”

niamh rolls her eyes “i’ve made plenty of moves” she assures confidently, throwing her arm over the back of the booth seat she’s currently sitting in.

“not those kind of moves” alanna protests with a fake gag “have you told her you love her?”

niamh choked on her drink, spluttering and wiping her mouth whilst the city player opposite her just looks on with an amused twinkle in her eye. the question suddenly brings niamh back to earth. she’s sitting here having a personal conversation with a teammate of a teammate and she still has no idea what even lead to alanna sitting down with her in the first place.

the brit shakes her head just as alanna finishes off her rum and coke and slaps the table, standing abruptly whilst shaking her glass “until you tell her that, you haven’t made any moves”

you fucked with him but we both realize that he was bogus

I'm the one for you so why do I feel like I go unnoticed

I'm talking more than clothes hitting floors

we're falling off track but not the rack like a chore

the new guy you’re seeing is a twat and niamh would tell you as such if you didn’t have her in such a compromising position.

jessie, thanks to a fucking miracle, is out for the day and won’t be home until late in the afternoon, leaving you and niamh to be as loud as you want in an empty house. you’ve got her pushed up against the back of her bedroom door in just her bra and pyjama shorts, the latter of which you’re eager to take off, as you guide her hand into your own pants.

she gives you want you want slowly, ghosting her fingers over you whilst smirking, loving the sight of you squirming and almost begging for more. now that she’s got the upper hand, niamh pushes herself off the door and walks the both of you back to her bed, pulling her hand out of your underwear as she pushes you down onto the bed. you don’t have time to whine at the loss of contact because as soon as you’re in a comfortable enough position, you’re being stripped of your shorts and underwear, niamh’s fingers going back to their rightful place.

she runs a single finger over your folds, ghosting over your clit and back again in a repeated motion before using your own slick as lube and pushing herself into you.

you gasp at the intrusion “niamhy” you whine frustratedly.

“hmmm” she hums nonchalantly “you got something to say?”

“move. i need you to move”

she kisses her teeth and slowly pushes another finger in, absolutely loving the way your face contorts with pleasure “i didn’t hear a please in that sentence”

her dominant tone of voice has you uselessly bucking your hips in an attempt to create more friction “please move, niamhy, please” you beg whilst throwing your head back.

she slowly begins to pump her fingers, scissoring them every so often to ensure that she’s stretching you out enough “what would he say, hmm? what would he say if he knew i had you like this” she taunts, the cockiness overtaking her the more you beg.

the defender angles her hand awkwardly to thumb at your clit, her pace still not as fast as you would like. when you still don’t answer her she asks you again “what would he say y/n”

“h-he would say he knew” you gasp “he would say he knew all along”

“and why would he say that?” niamh taunts, now curious as to what your answer is going to be. at first she was just saying it to make herself feel like you had finally chosen her, like she had won.

“because– ah fuck” you groan loudly as niamh begins to tightly circle your clit “because he saw the-the hickeys!”

niamh can’t help but slyly smirk at the thought of her handiwork being on full display. butterflies erupt in her stomach at the thought of you stammering through an explanation, red faced and embarrassed that you had been caught and that he had figured out who was responsible for the marks that had littered your chest.

“might have to leave a few more, just to be sure he gets the hint”

even though you ain't mine it's the fact that I'm yours

you’re laying on niamh’s bare back tracing patterns down her spine delicately “what did you mean when you said ‘just to be sure he gets the hint’?” you question quietly.

niamh stirs under you ever so slightly before shrugging her shoulders “i don’t know, heat of the moment i guess”

you nod and begin to say something when your phone begins to ring from the bedside table. you climb off niamh and reach for it, pressing decline before texting back whoever was calling. you lock your phone and place it in your lap before turning to niamh sullenly.

your hand softly lands on the small of her back and you lean down to her ear “i’ve gotta go” your murmur, kissing her neck “but i’ll call you later?”

niamh nods and turns so she’s facing you. her mousy brown hair spills over her white sheets and her cheeks are still partly flushed from her comedown “tell him i said hi” she mumbles as you pick your clothes up off her floor.

you pause and fiddle with the shirt in your hands “we aren’t exclusive or official” you say softly, turning your back to her to avoid her eyes “so i’m not cheating on him”

“i never said you were”

“right”

I promise you, baby, I'm sober

just wait 'til you give in and finally come over

I can't wait to tell you

I told ya, I told ya, I told ya

niamh doesn’t really know just how she ended up in this situation.

actually, that’s a lie, she had spam texted you practically cussing out the guy you had been seeing on and off, insisting that you two were much better together.

now she stares at your contact lighting up her phone. she knows that if she leaves it you’ll eventually give up and just decide to text her but she so badly wants to just talk to you, she just wants to hear your voice.

niamh answers the call wordlessly, leaning on the wall next to the door of the club bathroom as she waits to hear what you’ve got to say.

“niamh” you breathe

“mhm” she mumbles back to you “what’s up?”

“you can’t say those things, you’re drunk and don’t mean them”

she scoffs loudly “i’m not drunk”

“well you should be!” you exclaim angrily “you can’t just say that shit”

“why not? scared your little boyfriend will see it?” she spits back just as angry, hurt and annoyance bubbling in her throat.

you go silent “he’s not my boyfriend” you speak quietly “but yeah, we’re going really well and i’m really enjoying my time with him”

niamh shakes her head and leans back against the wall, shutting her eyes and allowing a deep frown to grace her lips. she sigh’s frustratedly “yeah you’ll enjoy your time with him until he takes too long to call you back or can’t make you cum for the fourth time in a row. then you’ll come back to me”

“fuck you niamh” you spit angrily before hanging up without warning.

jessie walks out of the stall wearing a confused expression, her eyebrows furrowed and mouth pinched as she looks at her best friend expectantly. the taller girl offers no explanation as she waves her off, rolling her eyes and pocketing her phone before leaving the bathroom.

'till fate brings you home

I'll wait through your phases, phases

niamh is sat in between jessie and erin in the cafeteria picking at her food and only half paying attention to the mindless conversation being had at the table. the two of you hadn’t spoken since your argument two weeks ago and everyone could see that it was slowly killing her.

her usually bright demeanour was dull and drowsy and her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. a hard pat on the back breaks the defender out of her trance and she looks over to see erin’s smiling face

“she’ll come around” the scot tries to encourage “it’s not the end of the world”

niamh leans her head on one of her hands miserably “i’ve really fucked it this time”

erin shakes her head “no you haven’t, she probably just wasn’t ready to hear what you had to say. if the guy’s as much of an arse as you say he is then y/n will be back sooner than you think”

“it’s a phase for her niamhy” jessie assures confidently “her feelings for him are nothing in comparison to her feelings for you, you know that”

“the universe will sort you out, don’t you worry about that” erin exclaims with a final hard pat on the back “fate ‘n all that”

niamh smiles at her friend’s optimism, ducking her head to hide the blush that’s blossoming on her cheeks. jessie knocks their shoulders together affectionately before finishing off the last of her fruit and leaning into niamh’s personal space.

“all you’ve gotta do is wait it out. she’ll come back”

I'll wait, I'll wait through your phases, phases, oh

(girl, you know I'll wait for you)

[natspookie]

when you show up

an, hello anon! thanks for the req, hope you’re doing well and life gets less angsty for you:)

made reader a lil nerdy and smart here hehe and this is kind of a comfort fic for me toooooo (inspired by tasm 2)

natasha rushed through the halls, excitement filled to see you. her ap class, captain of the cheerleader squad, and extra circulars were all weighing down on her shoulders.

you had more work than natasha, badly needing a scholarship. with 4 ap classes, captain of debate team, part of school council, and varsity of volleyball, you had been tiring yourself out. hence, natasha’s plan to let you relax today, the start of your one week break.

she hadn’t seen you since tuesday, it was friday now. but you never failed to send her a little text to ask about her day.

natasha went to your favorite bakery, getting your favorite pastries, starbucks for your favorite coffee/ tea, the makeup shop right beside that to get that blush you had run out of, and got herself some jelly for her pb&js that you loved. you were always there for her, now it was her turn to show up.

natasha had already shooed away your kind roommate, wanda, setting her up with her friend who wanda happened to have a crush on, vision.

natasha used the key you gave her to your dorm and started setting up. it was nearing 6pm when she heard your keys jingle.

you shut the door and looked up to see natasha fixing the night light on your bedside table.

“nattie” you sighed, dropping your bag on the floor and jumping on her, giving her a bone crushing hug.

“i miss you too, darling” natasha laughed “waittt i’ll be back i just need to shower, im really sweaty” you kissed her cheek “i already have that fluffy towel you like set up” natasha spoke as you walked towards the bathroom “you’re an angel”

natasha had also refilled your shampoo which was her shampoo as well. when you got out in your pajamas natasha was awaiting you on your bed.

a tray of all your favorites was reheated and sat on the floor, where you sat. “you didn’t have to do all this nattie” you pouted and she flipped on her stomach, just watching you “you deserve it” “oh oh oh! it’s this croissant i love! i haven’t eaten since 10am” you mumbled “dekta you need to take care of yourself, alright”

“mhm.. you too. how was class?” you leaned against your beside table while eating” “the usual, i missed you this week” “i missed you too. but y’know its much harder when we have events to plan for school council” “are you guys in charge of planning the graduation next next month?” “yeah we’re involved in that thing… hows practice for next weeks game?”

“i almost got dropped by the new member when we were forming a pyramid” natasha giggled “are you alright?” you sat up and she just nodded, holding you back “have you eaten?” you asked and natasha thought about it “nattieeee! you need to eat as well” you held up half of the croissant and you moved beside her on the bed, embracing her with legs and arms intertwined.

natasha switched on the tv to your guys’ comfort show, friends. “i love you, thanks for being here with me” you weren’t sure if natasha was up but you said it anyways before falling to sleep

of course the day would come where you and natasha would graduate. thankfully, the college natasha wanted was not too far from your choice of college.

it was the night before your graduation when worries overtook natasha “you’ll be there for me even from a far, right?” natasha whispered “every step of the way.” “i promise we’ll make the… sorta.. long distance thing work, ‘kay?” “i need to work, i need you to function as a human being” you giggled “good” she mumbled, falling asleep

the next morning, you were going over your speech like a crazy woman. “dekta you need to relax” natasha slipped her hand into yours and rubbed circles. “i’m going to make a fool of myself… and i have to shake like 190 people” you chuckled nervously “including meeee!” “my favorite person” you teased

natasha was the loudest in the crowd when you gave your speech, of course mentioning how she helped you through your journey.

it was almost natasha’s turn to walk up and she had something crazy in mind. natasha smiled as she saw you in beside the dean.

“Natalia Alianova Romanov” they announced and Natasha walked up confidently up the stage and shook the dean, receiving her diploma. she shook your hand as well and whispered “can i kiss you” your eyes widened and nodded as natasha took your face in her hand and one on your back. the crowed cheered and you giggled, turning red as natasha smirked walking down.

you straightened your posture as you glanced at the dean who laughed at natasha’s antics.

either way, it ended up with you and natasha together and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

[malina-33]

Femme like you - Chapter 1

Summary: You are the new tour manager for Arctic Monkeys during The Car era. You are practically the only girl in the team, also younger than the rest (27), so your skills are immediately called into question. In particular, by the frontman who is not used to being led by a woman.

Word count: 3,1k

Warning: age gap

A/N: Hi, you all!!! I'm so thrilled and excited to do this kind of stuff, but it feels like I'm making my dream come true. This series won't be very long even though I have an eye-watering number of moments I want to release in this fic, but English isn't my first language and it's pretty tough to write in it (so if you find any mistakes don't be afraid to text me and correct). I spent a lot of time to write this small opening chapter, that’s why following parts won't appear regularly, but I promise to uptade them every 2-3 weeks! They will definitely be longer that the opener😉

I read a lot of works with Alex, 'cause my addiction doesn't seem to disappear, so this idea just popped in my head and I couldn't resist. Never thought that I would be an author, not a reader in Tumblr, but voila - here I am. I really expect you to love it❤️

And yes, I know that their current tour manager is Steven Champan, but for the story I changed it slightly, hope you won't mind :)

“James, seriously?” Alex looked away in bewilderment from the bottle of Hennessy to Ford.

“More than you can imagine” producer chuckled. “I will be with my family in Scotland, I haven’t seen them in a while, and she will replace me for the UK and European parts only, it’s about one and a half months”.

Turner looked him up and down with a displeased look, still sitting on the couch with a bottle in his hands “That’s ridiculous. She has never worked with us! She will break into all our well-established processes, not knowing the specifics of the work and will only interfere. We'll make it on our own, not the first time, man, huh?” Alex decided to soften his tone a little to appease his friend and cutely knitted his eyebrows.

“Al, you are being childish. C’mon, we have already agreed on everything, she is a good specialist, don't let yourself be deceived by her appearance” Ford threw a jacket over his shoulders, silently saying that the conversation is over.

“Just because she's your friend's daughter doesn't mean she's good!” The singer spat out the last argument hoping to reach out to the conscience of their producer.

“Give her a chance, you won't be disappointed” James said mysteriously, closing the door quietly behind him and leaving the disgruntled frontman alone with his obsessive thoughts.

***

You sat in your car in the parking lot in front of the Domino Records headquarters, nervously clutching a Starbucks cup. There were still 20 minutes before the meeting, but you arrived early. All the documents had already been signed, the agreements had been discussed, but the most thrilling moment remained - the meeting with the group itself and the technical crew.

When James Ford, your father's old friend from university and at the same time music producer for Arctic Monkeys, called you several weeks ago with an unusual request, you simply didn't have a chance to refuse. You've been dreaming of working in this industry since 16, especially since you adored this group and were at their concerts six times. Being their manager for one part of the 7th album tour sounded like a fantasy, but here you are, sitting in front of their label building, where you have a meeting with the musicians. If you caught the lucky girl syndrome, then you definitely didn’t want to let it go. At least not now.

From the trance into which you plunged by shaking coffee in the cup, you were brought out by the deafening creak of tires on asphalt. You immediately snapped out and looked in the rearview mirror. An elegant Cadillac whistled and stopped 3 parking lots away from you just passing the dividing line.

You weren't stupid not to realize whose car it was. The passenger got out, slamming the door sharply. He was wearing a beige trousers and matching jacket with black vest underneath, translucent red aviators were on despite a cloudy day. Paying no attention to your car and not even bothering to close his, a man quickly walked inside the building.

You followed the door closed behind Alex Turner itself with a blank look, finished your coffee in one gulp and also got out of the car, taking your purse from the passenger seat. Having heard about his "punctuality", you assumed that everyone else had already arrived, so you walked to the building as well. "There's no point in delaying this moment, let's start early" you bravely told yourself.

The studio in southwest London wasn't as big as you expected it to be. The guard pointed you to room 14, saying that you were already awaited. Inside, the bright corridors were hung with rare photographs, including images of early Monkeys' concerts. You smiled slightly as you looked at the photos of four young people laughing with their hands in their pockets. "Nice time" you thought.

You didn't really understand why you were so inflamed. You are all adults, lads have been warned about the change in management in advance so it won’t be a surprise for them, what could be the problem? You had enough work experience to know what to do, you were excellently good-looking and successful, then why did your palms sweat? Immersed in your thoughts you didn’t notice that you had reached the end of the corridor and stopped at the half-open door, from behind which quiet voices could be heard.

“Oi, she better buy me a bottle of beer on the way, my head hurts after yesterday. Why did I come so early, gosh?”

“It's been 5 minutes since you've been here, and you've already blown my mind’’. Seemed that it was Matt.

"I prefer to come sober to meetings scheduled in advance, but for the future I will keep in mind to see you no earlier than Tuesday, Mr. Turner”. Maybe it wasn’t the best greeting phrase, but you just couldn't resist. When you entered the room with these words, 7 surprised pairs of eyes met your figure. Alex, Matt and Nick were sitting on a leather sofa in the center of the room, Jamie was pouring water into a glass at a side table, Steven was sitting in a chair talking to Ben, who was reclining on the arm of this chair, behind them was a man whose name you didn’t know.

"I'm sorry," you quickly became embarrassed, realizing how inappropriate those words sounded. Silence reigned in the room for a few seconds, but was quickly interrupted by the awkward coughing of that same unfamiliar man. "Um guys, this is your new tour manager for these two months, Y/N Y/S" He said softly enough, stepping out from behind the chair and holding out his hand for you. "I'm Marcus, James' assistant, the rest you should know".

"Yeah, right, he told me about you, I'm very glad to meet you," and carefully shifting your gaze to the others you added "everyone".

You stood in your knee-length leather boots, denim shorts and an oversized cream-colored jacket not knowing what to do with the burning eyes on your persona.

"Actually, I brought a homemade cider as an ice-breaker, it's in my trunk, so after the official part of the meeting we can try it. Not beer, but still tasty," you said with an apologetic smile, trying your last attempt to ease the conversation. The room froze in silence once again, and in this moment Matt laughed out loud, slapping his knee and throwing head back on the headboard. Jamie and Nick joined him, smiling broadly, while Ben, Steven, and Marcus chuckled hoarsely as they looked at each other. Only Alex remained frowning as he continued to scan your figure.

"I like her already! Great move, miss Y/S" Matt said, obviously being amazed.

You breathed a sigh of relief as you sat down in the chair Marcus offered you. He was noticeably younger than the others, near your age, which immediately made you sympathize with him.

"Well, when we finally got to know each other, let's get down to business. As you all know James is on an unscheduled vacation due to family circumstances. Hence we are going to work with Miss Y/S in UK and Europe festivals, while I will assist her. I know that Y/N discussed with James all the main points about dates, places and stuff, but now we have to delve into details of the organization process itself. Ben and I will explain the tech part and the lads will share their preferences" Steven began the discussion by leaning a little closer to the center of your improvised circle. He seemed to be a very wise and at the same time charismatic man. Attractive, but platonically.

“Sorry, may I interrupt before we start” It sounded more like a statement from Alex. “How old are you, once again?"

"I'm 27, Mr. Turner. And let's make it clear, since this still raises questions. Yes, I'm quite young relative to you and indeed a stranger to your team. But I've known James for a long time, as well as your work, whose main fan I have been since 18. I have been in show business for 7 years now and worked with Maneskin at the very beginning of their career. It’s not difficult for me to provide my CV if necessary, but I’m here because I sincerely want to help my father's friend and ensure that you have the most comfortable atmosphere during your stay in Europe. I have an idea what it's like to be on tour for a year, I understand how tired you are, and that you need conditions for rest and creation. So I'll let you do your job without the interference and you’ll give me freedom to do my work properly, I'm sure we both do it very well, especially since you are not the only one, Mr. Turner, who can make a show out of nothing”. At these words the drummer whistled, turning to the gloomy vocalist, but you continued “I’m really extremely happy to be a part of Arctic Monkeys team, for me this is a great opportunity to test myself and work with such big people like you. So I don't see any problems in our interaction, taking into account that I'm here temporarily.

You glanced at the men with a soft, but tenacious look, catching your breath “Didn't seem to miss anything at this point, deal?”

Steven was the first to answer, smiling paternally at you and accepting your little speech. You also noticed that Turner shook his head, but smirked to himself, which relaxed your muscles a bit. If you didn't get along from the first sentence, then at least you can establish a normal business relationship. You understood that the nature of a rock star is unpredictable, following the development of the group and the change in the image of the frontman for many years, but you couldn't imagine that he would talk so irritably to new people. Yes, he certainly behaved ugly, but you also started the dialogue with a caustic comment. Apparently, you deserve each other.

After the temperature in the room dropped and everyone took a more relaxed posture, you began to discuss current tasks. Your first gig will be in Bristol on May 29th, so you have two weeks to get ready. In fact, everything has already been done even before the start of the whole tour. Now your duty is only to coordinate the setlists with the guys for each performance, to make sure that all agreements with venues are fulfilled, the rider is completed, the equipment is working properly, the buses are ordered, the hotels have confirmed the reservation, and the whole team has arrived safe and sound. Okay, maybe it's not so little, but you're ready for any challenge. This is your passion after all.

You will ride in a separate minivan with the management team, and not with the guys, which in general wasn’t a big surprise for you, but in hotels you will be provided with a separate room, unlike the rest of the staff, who live in double suits. You didn't know what caused such generosity, but you were pleased anyway. You talked for about an hour, agreeing to meet again at the sound check in a week, and then only before leaving for Bristol. During this time you will have to study all the venues, call the transport company and confirm the details of the trips.

Your meeting ended on a positive note, the guys were asking you about your life, your education and hobbies, you said that you had been dancing professionally for many years and even took up drumming at the university, to which Matt happily promised to give you lessons, triumphant that he finally met someone who doesn't play the guitar, but the drums.

“Be careful, Matthew, if it turns out that she is more talented than you, we’ll replace you without any hesitation. She looks better” Nick joked and immediately got the middle finger in response from the drummer. Even Alex genuinely smiled, looking back at the friend.

"Oh, don't worry, it's unlikely. But as for the cider I wasn't joking, at least I'm definitely good at that"

"Wait, did you make it yourself?" surprised Ben.

"Yes, I live in the suburbs of London and have my own small garden, I make cider for friends during the season"

"You know what, I'm already tired of this stuffy room, you say it's in your trunk?" Matt, confirming his status as the most talkative member of the group, stood up impatiently, stretching his stiff limbs.

"Yes, let's go and give it a try" you said, also getting up from your chair. “Who is with us?” you raised an eyebrow in question and the answer was six men who rose to their feet.

"Definitely need a smoke” murmured Alex in addition, patting his pockets for a pack of cigarettes.

“Damn, where did James find her?” you heard Jamie's question addressed to Steven as you left the room with Matt and couldn’t hold back a short, but self-satisfied smirk. "That's not the last ace in the hole, Jamie" flashed through your head.

"I'm asking the same question" but instead of Champan, the voice was given by Alex.

"Al, will you calm down today or not? Did yesterday's booze give you such a headache?" Cook hissed almost angrily.

But you didn’t hear the answer, moving away along the corridor to the exit.

***

When all the lads came out from the studio, you and Matt had already taken a wooden case with 12 bottles of cider out of the trunk of your white Range Rover and put it on the hood. Coming closer, Alex threw a jacket over his shoulders and took out cigarettes, offering you one.

"I don't smoke, thanks," you replied calmly. He arched an eyebrow in surprise and took a pipe of tobacco between his lips. “You better start, darling” He took a quick puff, blowing smoke in your face, and looked intently from under his eyelashes. Despite the sweet name, from his lips it sounded somehow humiliating. You didn't answer, turning around and taking one of the bottles, silently passing it to him. He thanked you, and you gave each man a bottle as well. "For the new leg of the tour! Cheers!" Steven exclaimed, raising the bottle in the air and you all clinked glasses together.

The eight of you stood in the parking lot next to your car. You and Marcus leaned on the hood, Chapman nestled next to your right, and the guys were in front of you. You stayed in pleasant silence, interrupted by the chirping of birds from a nearby square and breezes of the wind that swayed your styling. Satisfied sigh followed by Marcus and Jamie, which made you laugh cutely.

"Enjoy?" you asked playfully, taking a sip.

"Y/N, that's amazing! I’ve never thought our team would feel so acutely short of a personal alcohol supplier" Jamie savored the taste, taking small sips.

"It's only 6% alcohol, I brought this one on purpose, knowing that you will most likely be driving. But there is also 12% sort in my basement, so in case of anything, you know where to find me"

"Actually not, but for the sake of such a case, we will definitely get your address from James" Nick answered cheerfully.

You spent 20 more minutes talking about the process of making an apple brew and sharing your alcohol tastes. “What a topic to discuss” you hummed to yourself. Eventually you gave Ben, Marcus, Jamie, and Matt one more bottle, promising to bring more of 12% sort to the concert, and you were about to leave when suddenly your phone rang. A dark and mystical tune played from the back pocket of your shorts.

"Woah, that’s pretty old one" Alex said with unexpected liveliness.

"One of my favorites from yours" you replied quickly, pulling out the device. It was James. You decided to call him back when you would be alone, so you dropped the call, texting him that you would call back later.

"Hey Al, we haven't played it in a while. What do you think, mate?" Matt asked conspiratorially, giving him a little nudge on the shoulder.

"We’ll see, I think it's possible. NME will especially rejoice at this, still considering it insanely vulgar" the singer rolled his eyes, but couldn't help smiling.

"Isn't that right, Mr. Turner? Whose propeller is it then?" you grinned as you took an empty box and returned it to the trunk of the jeep.

"Miss Y/S, don't make me doubt your foresight as well" to your surprise, he came over to help you close the tailgate. You dusted your hands and shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, being locked between the car and the frontman. You could literally see wrinkles around his eyes and cider-wet lips that now were gently stirring.

"Who called?" the man asked more quietly than usual. "Uh, James, I think I should call him as soon as possible"

"Yeah, most likely" Turner reluctantly backed away from you, letting you through, and you walked to the driver's door.

"Well, guys, I was very glad to see you, I'm sure fruitful work awaits us!" you smiled reassuringly, swaying from heel to toe from jitters and excitement from upcoming events.

"See you in a bit, Miss Y/S, I will send you all our numbers and other necessary contacts tonight. Sleep enough these days, you will soon miss it" Steven winked and extended his hand to you for a handshake, so you answered him willingly.

“Goodbye, guys, see ya!” you only waved at other lads as you climbed onto the running board and sat inside the car. The Rover started with a pleasant growl, vibrating under your hands. You drove off, leaving the men in the parking lot, but noticing one fixed look of chocolate eyes in the rearview mirror. You attributed the recognition of the color of his eyes to a million views of concert photos on the Internet, but not to those few seconds near the trunk when you smelled his cigarette breath on your face.

That will be a roller-coaster indeed

---------------------------------------------------

A/N: Please, let me know what do you think about this duo, what are you expecting from them, what do you want to read in the next chapter? Let's get to know each other better in comments - how long are you in fandom, what are your favorite type of fics and etc? Your feedback is my force to write, love you and stay tuned - a big adventure is going to happen 🤭❣️

I also publish the work on AO3:

[facioleeknow]

Frat boy 2 • Choi Seungcheol

WC: 868. Genre: Frat boy au

TW: bisexual Vernon and Reader, suggestive thoughts, sassy writing, maths

He fell first and hard. She thinks he hates her but he's actually emotionally constipated.

Mathematics sucks. Most people can agreed on that, approximately 90% percent of the world's population. The bad news is that those 10% appeared to have been on the board at your colleges but that same wretched subject was a MANDATORY subject. 

So here you were sat first row because of your very poor eyesight instead of the back where you could sleep trying to make sense of Mathematics I. Your head started pounding as soon as you got into the class, the air in the room was enough to make you feel like you wanted to claw your eyes out. The scribbles on the blackboard made absolutely no sense. You looked around, everyone was nodding and happily writing along the professor. This had to be a nightmare, the ones where nothing makes sense and people glare at you like you're the weird one.

Unfortunately for you this was reality. Hard, cold and ruthless reality. You let your head hit the desk with a rather loud thud, you didn't care anymore nor did the professor in your defense. Daydreaming was the only thing that could save you from a full blown migraine, which you clearly didn't want. Closing your eyes, you inhaled deeply and tried to escape into your Dreamland where you didn't have to take a stupid maths class like this was some ordinary highschool or something. 

Your thoughts flew right to that scary but beefy blond dude you saw at SVT frat. He was clearly well built and you were sure that if the situation was different you would've drooled on him and maybe even asked him to touch his muscles. His hair also looked really soft and framed his face so perfectly, you were sure he was drowning in pussy. Ugh, that was so unfair. Why weren't you drowning in pussy? 

Your train of thoughts was rudely interrupted by the bell and then by Vernon who shook your shoulder so hard that you bumped your head against the desk again. At this rate you were going to get a concussion.

“Why aren't you taking notes?” he asked with that displeased look of his.

“Why are you all in my business Vernon?” you huffed, quickly shoving your things in your bag.

“I'm your friend, I don't want you to fail.” You pursed your lips at his words. He was just trying to be nice and you were sassy without a reason.

“Notes or not, I still don't get it, my brain is not wired like that.”

“I can ask Seungcheol to tutor you,” he exclaimed with a weirdly chirp smile on his face.

“Who?”

“Seungcheol, the head of my frat and the professor's TA. Choi Seungcheol.”

“Is that supposed to tell me something?”

“Did you ever pay attention?”

You looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The question was entirely too stupid and the answer was entirely too obvious for him. Vernon huffed.

“Don't worry about it I'll handle it. I have to go now, we got a new pledge yesterday,” he waved already half out the door.

“You're fourteen now? That house is a fucking nightmare.”

The same day you received a text from Vernon saying that it was all set and to meet him at his cursed frat house. You rolled around in bed debating whether to go or not, it would've messed with your napping schedule but maybe sacrificing a nap to pass a class wasn't the end of the world. Getting up took all of your strength and getting dressed took even more, by the time you were halfway to the house you were cranky, tired and sluggish.

Seungcheol had never been more awake on the other end. Tutoring? You? He could never pull that off. He’d had his eyes on you since the first day you stepped into the class, you were clearly not paying attention so he doubted you noticed him. Mathematics I, which was dreadful for him because he hated teaching, it required too much patience, started to become the happiest part of his week. He looked forward to see you daydream, the way you twirled your hair in your hand and rested your cheek on your hand was enticing and hypnotizing.

As Cheol saw you walk towards him, looking clearly tired and pouty, he heard angels sing, church bells ring and birds tweet. He wanted to wrap his arms around you and watch you sleep on his chest, he also wanted to bury his head between your thighs until he couldn't breathe anymore but that was a thought for another time.

“Good luck Coups,” smirked Vernon. He knew. He did it on purpose.

As your eyes laid on Seungcheol your steps faltered. Wasn't he the guy that was looking at you like he wanted you to combust? What was he doing here? Why did he look like he was waiting for you?

“Hi, I'm Seungcheol, you can call me Coups. I'm your tutor,” he kindly extended your hand to you. His grip was gentle and his hand was warm and steady.

“I'm Y/N, thank you for agreeing to tutor me.” 

Oh my god her hand is so soft, thought Cheol, he was sweating bricks.

“Shall we go in?”

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for yelling at my mom before she went away on an emotionally taxing trip to another country to take care of my hospitalized grandmother?

The town I'm in went through a mass shooting a couple weeks ago, you might have seen it on the news. I'm a college student and was staying on campus at the time, and everyone went through lockdown for a couple of days. I remember not being alerted there was a shooting going on until I had already been walking around outside for at least a hour while it was happening five blocks down, and then staying in my room while on a call with my friends until 7 am who were trapped in other buildings and had to sleep on the floor while listening to the police scanners and news stations for more info. The lockdown ended after a couple of days, but I still felt not Great, especially with all the lack of management from campus and the news reporters taking photos and videos of us during the lockdown. I had several panic attacks for days afterwards, and I'm still having them now.

I texted my parents a couple hours after it started confirming I was okay, and my dad basically texted back "I saw, you'll be fine, just stay away from the windows." This made me very upset because I thought he already knew about my situation and didn't even bother texting or calling first. But in a phone call later with my mom where I basically exploded at her for saying the same thing, I discovered he just looked up news articles 2 minutes after I sent the text and then texted that, and didn't know how close the incident was. She said that she'd be mad if what I thought was true, but in another phone call confirmed they had a talk and then told me my dad just has issues communicating sometimes and "you have a nervous personality" and so I should learn to accomodate him more. I also blew up at this and told her that he's not the one in a mass shooting right now so why do I have to accomodate for him (triggered by a pattern of this in the past) ((He still hasn't called or texted me since other than sending a quick apology for the misunderstanding).) We ended up having a very emotionally charged talk and my mom also stated her mom got hospitalized, it's all very stressful right now, and that's also why they didn't say anything about it in the family groupchat because they didn't want to stress out everyone with even more bad news and to please not tell anyone yet about it. She started ranting again about how bad her childhood was with her mom for like a half hour and I had to cut her off and redirect her. But in the end she said she now understood how serious my situation was and that I could talk to her anytime about it.

Well, I thought that was it. But after they found the shooter 72 hours later and lockdown ended, my mom called me and basically assumed that everything was fine now and I was feeling "normal" again. I was admittedly pretty cagey and told her I wasn't for several reasons and she seemed confused but didn't push it. Then a day afterward she texted me and said one of her friend's daughters had a college essay they had to submit tomorrow and asked me if I could help them and they'd buy me lunch later when I got back. I was annoyed but I ended up telling them to send it to me in a Google Doc and I made some comments, but then she called me again and asked me if I could get on a Zoom call with the daughter and fix the essay together with her. I told her no several times and asked her why I had to do this if she didn't even bother preparing this essay beforehand until the last minute, but my mom said "It's a nice thing to do", and "She really needs help", and wouldn't take my no as an answer after 10 minutes. Then I basically blew up at her one final time and told her that I just went through a mass shooting and I've been comforting my friend who saw some of the dead bodies and I'm having panic attacks and why can't she ever take no for an answer and that I hate her and then I hung up on her.

She basically texted me later and said she realized how inconsiderate her request was when I said that one of my friends saw the dead bodies. She said she's leaving to go to visit my grandma soon but I can call her any time if I want. It's been a couple weeks and there's been no communication from either of us.

I feel bad for blowing up at her since she didn't seem to know how bad it was and also her mom is hospitalized and it's very stressful. So, AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[kpop---scenarios]

Obsession (2)

Pairing: Chanyeol x Reader

Warning: Stalking, Threatening, Launguage

Word Count: 3.8k

Part One

It had been a little over a week since you and Chanyeol fucked, and it had been radio silence. You had hoped he would have texted you by now, but you didn't want to come across as that needy girl. So you kept it cool, until you couldn't keep that cool any longer.

“Oh my god!” Jennie yells. “Did you hear the latest news?” She asks, rolling her eyes. You had been invited for a night out at Baekhyun's apartment with everyone in your new friends group. You had partially expected Chanyeol to have been there and when he wasn't you were disappointed. You liked him and wanted you get to know him more, you also wouldn't have minded fucking around with him again.

“What!?” Lisa asks. Everyone was intently staring at Jennie, impatiently waiting to hear what she had to say.

“A little birdy told me that Chanyeol and Maya got back together.” She says, trying to stifle a giggle. Every single person that sat around Baekhyun's living room table groaned so loudly. Sehun, Baekhyun and Jisoo started fake sobbing, Jongin threw his head back in frustration, Lisa started to pretend to gag, while Kyungsoo began muttering about how he had to go back to avoiding Chanyeol.

You, on the other hand, sat there in complete shock. He had a girlfriend? How long has this been going on?

“What's wrong with her?” You ask, glancing at the dramatic group around the table.

“Let's just say, Maya is..” Baekhyun pauses.

“Insufferable.” Kyungsoo sighs.

“Stuck up.” Jisoo adds.

“Fucking annoying.” Lisa says.

“She's like the worst possible human in the world.” Jongin says. “I don't know how he puts up with her.”

You nod your head, you didn't have anything else to say. You felt hurt and confused. Your hands played with the full shot glass that sat in front of you. Just as Sehun was about to say something, the front door opens and in walks Chanyeol with a big smile on his face.

“Hey guys, what are we talking about?” He asks, plopping down on the floor, across the table from where you and Jongin sat. You felt the anger bubble up inside of you, and even though you had planned on saying nothing, words came out of your mouth.

“Oh, just talking about how you have a girlfriend.” You say, looking up at Chanyeol, staring him in the eyes. They go wide, as if he's a deer in headlights.

“Oh, uh.” He chuckles. “Yeah, surprise, Maya and I got back together.” He says, looking away from you to avoid eye contact. You continued to stare at him, you hoped he could feel your stare burning into him.

“But why?” Baekhyun asks. “Why would you do that?”

“What's wrong with her?” Chanyeol laughs.

You were uncomfortable. You were sad, mad, annoyed. Every emotion was felt right at this moment, and it was like Jongin could sense it. He moved closer to you, putting his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer into him. He turns his head to whisper in your ear. “You okay?” He asks. You continued to look at Chanyeol who was now eyeing up you and Jongin, trying to process why his arm was around you.

“Uh huh.” You whisper back, breaking off the eye contact with Chanyeol. You gave Jongin a small half smile, hoping he would stop questioning you but that didn’t work. For the next 45 minutes, every few minutes you would catch Jongin looking at you, you could tell that he was questioning how quiet you were, wondering why and why you wouldn't tell him. You’d finally had enough social interaction for the night and decided to go.

“I’m going to head out right away.” you announce. “Just using the bathroom first.” you finish, walking towards the bathroom. You stepped outside to see Chanyeol standing outside the bathroom door, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

“You’re ignoring me.” he says, looking over at you.

“You have a girlfriend.” you say back. “Were you together..when..” you pause.

“No!” he exclaims. “No.. I, uh, met up with her afterwards. That's who had texted me..and we got back together that night.” he finishes. You can feel the tears threatening to fall. You didn’t want to cry over him, it totally wasn't worth it.

“Great, I'm happy for you.” you say, walking away from him. You grab your jacket, and again, Chanyeol stands in front of you.

“Let me walk you home.” he says, grabbing his jacket.

“Nah man, you stay. I already told her I would take her. Don’t worry, I'll make sure she’s safe.” Jongin says, coming up behind you. He slides his arm around your waist, pulling you towards the door. You were grateful for Jongin, but you really hoped he wasn’t getting the wrong idea. The two of you chatted about anything and everything on your walk, he made you laugh - hard. You continued to laugh all the way to your front door. Unlocking your door, you look at Jongin.

“Thank you.” you smile. “Really.”

“Anytime, Y/N. and look..” he pauses. “I don’t know what's going on between you and Chanyeol, but just know you deserve more.” he finishes, flashing a dazzling smile before starting to walk away.

“Wait!” You call out. He turns around. “You know?” you ask him.

“I had a feeling,” he says. “Good night.” he finishes, walking away. You walk into your apartment, feeling exhausted. You didn't realize how much of a toll this night had taken on you until you laid in your bed. You hadn't even taken your clothes off, but you didn’t have the energy any longer, swiftly falling asleep.

You woke up the next morning, feeling refreshed. As you crawled out of your bed you heard a loud banging at your door. Looking out the peephole, you didn't see anyone there, so you opened up your door, only to see a dozen purple tulips sitting outside your door. A smile spreads across your face as you look for a note.

Miss me yet?

Your smile faded just as fast as it had appeared. You stared at the note, a very uneasy feeling pulsing through your body. You brought the flowers inside, took a deep breath before deciding what you were going to do. You walked into your kitchen, dumping the flowers and the note into the garbage can before heading back to your bed. You'd already had enough for today. All day, you lounged around, your phone was off, you ate and watched shitty movies. You cried, you laughed, you slept. It was the perfect day before classes on Monday, you were dreading them already. You were not taking anything easy, and your entire body was a ball of stress.

Monday you had minimal interaction with anyone, you went to classes, had lunch with the group, went home to study and work on papers and it was the exact same on Tuesday. When Wednesday rolled around, you were so excited. The week was almost done, not to mention the group had decided to do a Friday Friend Dinner every other Friday, and this week it was on. Drinks and good food, you couldn't wait. Kyungsoo was an amazing cook, you often craved his food.

You were walking to your class, when out of nowhere you're yanked to the side. You looked over only to see Mark standing there with a smile on his face.

“Hi baby.” He says, leaning in closely. You try to back up, but you back straight into a pillar. “Did you like the flowers I sent you?” He smiles, moving closer. “I've been waiting all week for you to thank me for them. It hurts me that you haven't done that yet, Y/N.” He finishes, his smile dropping.

“Oh!” You say, forcing a smile. You were trying so hard to not show him any fear even though it was radiating through your entire body. “I didn't realize it was you. There was no name on it. They're so beautiful, Mark, thank you.” You smile. You needed him to calm down and let you go without an issue. You watch his facial expressions, he was getting angrier.

“Who else would they have been from?” He snaps. “Are you seeing someone else?”

You didn't know what to say. He stares at you as the panic sets in. Your body is trembling as he gets closer. You let your instincts take over, pushing him away from you.

“Leave me alone.” You scream. He rushes back towards you, slapping his hand over your mouth, stopping you from screaming anymore. Before you can react, Mark is pulled off of you, thrown down to pavement. You look over to see Chanyeol standing there, huffing as he stares down at Mark.

“Didn't I tell you to keep your fucking hands to yourself?” Chanyeol yells. He goes to you, grabbing your hand to pull you away. He takes you out into the open, and you see a blonde girl standing there with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

“Chanyeol.” You breathe. “Thank you.”

He looks at you concerned. “Has he been bothering you alot?” He asks.

“No, no. He sent me flowers on Sunday, with a note but no name attached. I guess he was mad that I didn't thank him.” You explain. “I'm sure he's gotten the message now.” You half smile. You were trying to be okay but you weren't. Your body shook, you felt like you were still in shock. You looked over at the girl who looked even more unimpressed with you.

“Hi.” You smile, holding out your hand. “I'm Y/N.” You say.

She scoffs, rolling her eyes. You retracted your hand feeling uncomfortable now. She looks at Chanyeol with a pout. “You let go of my hand to help her, Channie.” She says. “I'm so sad now.”

Chanyeol sighs. “I'm sorry Maya, do you want me to buy you something?” He asks. She perks up, grabbing his hand to pull him away, spewing on about some purse she wanted.

You already hated her.

Thursday, you didn't go to your classes. You stayed curled up in bed, answering the calls from Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, Baekhyun, Jongin and even Kyungsoo, asking you if you were okay and what they could do for you. You were eternally grateful for all of them and how much they cared for you. They had asked you if you wanted to postpone your friend's dinner, but you didn't want to. It was something that you desperately needed to try and take your mind off your Mark situation.

Friday comes, and starts off better. You went to your classes that day. It wasn't until you looked at your phone, did your heart sink, and your anxiety flared up.

[From Unknown - 8:45am] I like your outfit today. You look so cute.

[From Unknown - 8:49am] I hope your first class goes well. I miss you.

You slipped your phone in your pocket, trying to focus on your lecture. Your phone doesn't stop vibrating the entire time you were in your hour and a half class. After it ends, you pull out your phone to read some of them.

[From Unknown - 9:07am] Please text me back.

[From Unknown - 9:10am] it's really not nice to ignore someone.

[From Unknown - 9:17am] Please, baby.

You deleted all the messages, only reading a few of them. You didn't want to deal with this. Maybe eventually he would get the hint. And he did, only until the afternoon.

[From Unknown - 2:47pm] I miss your smile. You looked so happy taking in the warm sun as you were walking.

[From Unknown - 2:52pm] Did you take a picture of the sky for your IG? I can't wait for you to post it.

You ignored them again, putting your phone into your pocket as you headed to your last class of the day. The hour went by quickly, with no excessive buzzing coming from your pocket. You were relieved but that didn't last long. As you made your way to Kyungsoo's apartment, the texts continued, and got progressively worse.

[From Unknown - 4:59pm] I don't fucking appreciate this.

[From Unknown - 5:04pm] You are being a goddamn cunt right now, Y/N.

[From Unknown - 5:07pm] ANSWER ME!!

[From Unknown - 5:11pm] I'm sorry, baby. I just miss you so much. Please answer me.

You sigh as you knock on the door of Kyungsoo's apartment, finishing reading the last message.

“Hey.” Kyungsoo smiles, opening the door. You walk into the most delightful smells, immediately causing you to forget about the texts. “You can join the others in the living room.” He says, heading back to the kitchen. You take your coat off, following the sound of laughter into the living room.

“Y/N.” Everyone yells, all happy to see you. You say hi to everyone, looking at Jongin, who mouths “sorry.” To you before you see Chanyeol with his arm around Maya on the couch. You wanted to roll your eyes so fucking badly. But your phone began to vibrate.

[From Unknown - 5:27pm] I can't wait to pin you down, kissing your body all over.

[From Unknown - 5:33pm] I'm going to make you cum so many times from my fingers when I finally get you in my bed. Do you want that baby?

You can feel the tears starting. Why won't he stop?

You press the phone button to call and scream at him but it won't connect. “This number is no longer in service.”

Maybe he deactivated it.

[From Unknown - 5:46pm] I hope you're not fucking Chanyeol or Jongin baby. I'll have to punish you for that.

[From Unknown - 5:54pm] Would you like that baby? I'm going to tie you up and punish you. I don't like being ignored.

[From Unknown - 5:56pm] Y/N. ANSWER ME.

[From Unknown - 5:59pm] I will fucking kill you if you don't answer me.”

You couldn't take it anymore. The tears fell as Kyungsoo walked into the living room.

“Y/N?” He asks, glancing around at everyone else. You completely break down, sobbing into your knees.

“Hey, what's going on doll?” Lisa asks, moving towards you. You slide your unlocked phone towards her, allowing her to read the messages as you sniffle.

“What the fuck.” She gasps.

“What? What do they say?” Everyone asks.

“Can I read them out?” Jongin asks you. You hide your face but nod your head. You didn't want to deal with this shit alone.

“Holy shit. He talks about what she's wearing today and gets mad at her for not responding.” He pauses. “I can't wait to pin you down, kissing all over your body.” He reads out. You look up, every single person there was pissed beyond measure. Except for Maya, who rolled her eyes at every text.

“Y/N answer me.. I will fucking kill you if you don't answer me.” He finishes in a whisper.

No one says a thing. Lisa, Jennie and Jisoo hug you tightly until Baekhyun pipes up. “Who wants to go hunt this mother fucker down and make him wish he never met our precious Y/N?” He says.

Everyone jumps up agreeing, including Chanyeol. Maya scoffs loudly at him

“What the fuck, Chanyeol?” She yells.

“Here we go.” Baekhyun laughs.

“You're going to protect her again? What about me? I actually matter.” She says, pouting again.

“Y/N matters too.” Chanyeol tells her. “She's important to me. As are all my friends.” He says.

“So I'm not as important as this fucking thing whose scared of a few little texts? Like grow up.” She yells at you.

“Who are you calling a thing, bitch?” Lisa snaps, standing up.

“Miss fucking cry baby over there.” Maya yells.

“Maya!” Chanyeol yells, his voice booming through the house. “Shut the fuck up.” He snaps. He glares at her, she tries to stand tall but she cowers under him. “Get your stuff. We're leaving.” He yells. “NOW.” He booms. She rushes out of the room without a word. Chanyeol mutters a “sorry” towards the group before slamming the door behind him.

The group sits in silence.

“Has anyone EVER heard Chanyeol yell that loud!?” Baekhyun asks, jumping up onto the couch. “I mean sure he's loud during game nights but holy shit.”

“literally never.” Jisoo says, her eyes still wide.

Kyungsoo looks at you. “Have you gone to the cops?” He asks.

“Yeah, you really should.” Lisa and Jennie urge.

“I have.” You sniffle. “They can't do anything for me until he physically hurts me.” You cry. “Apparently covering my mouth to stop me from screaming isn't enough.”

“That's messed up.” Kyungsoo sighs. “You shouldn't be alone. You need to stay with someone.”

“She can stay with me.” Chanyeol announces, walking into the living room.

“What happened?” Baekhyun asks.

“I ended things. For good.” Chanyeol says to everyone, before turning to look at you. “Y/N I am so sorry for the way she spoke to you. That was uncalled for and not fair.” He whispers with his head down. “You didn't deserve that.”

“Thank you.” You sniffle. “You didn't have to break up with her though.”

Baekhyun laughs out loudly, making everyone else laugh along.

“Yeah I did. It was time. I can't be with someone like that, I wasn't really into it anyways.”

Your phone buzzes again on the table.

[From Unknown - 7:08pm] I'm so sorry baby, please forgive me. Just talk to me.

Chanyeol picks up your phone, reading the message. He holds out his hand for you to pull you up. “We're going to go to Y/N's apartment and grab her things. I'll let you all know when we've made it safely back to my place.” He says. You go around the group giving everyone a hug while saying thank you to them. You didn't know what you would do without such great friends. you and Chanyeol didn't say much on the drive to your apartment. You were exhausted and just wanted to rest but you knew it wasn't going to come easily tonight. You and chanyeol head up to your front door, you unlock the door, letting him in first before you lock it back up behind you. You felt too paranoid to leave anything to chance. Chanyeol chuckles as he walks towards the table, patting it with the palm of his hand.

“This is a solid table.” He smirks. You roll your eyes at him, heading into your bedroom. quickly you find a bag, shoving your clothes into it, grabbing everything you can think of right now that you would need. You grabbed your charger and your laptop, and just as you thought you had everything, you heard a loud, rapid banging on your front door. You freeze. Chanyeol puts his finger to his lips, telling you to be quiet. He waves you back into the room, mouthing for you to hide. Quietly, he creeps up to the door as the banging continues. He looks out the peephole, all he can see is black hair.

“Yes?” He says, his voice loud and deep.

“Where's Y/N?” He asks. You can hear Mark's voice.

“She's not here. You need to leave.” Chanyeol announces. “She's not interested in you. You need to move on.”

“Hah. I need to move on? She and I are meant to be together. You tell her I'll see her soon.” Mark yells, leaving Chanyeol's view. He opens the door slightly, making sure that Mark is actually gone. Chanyeol calls you out of the room, tears streaming down your face. He wraps his arm around you, taking you out of your apartment, heading for his car. You were terrified that Mark was going to be out there waiting for you. But he wasn't. Chanyeol opened the car door for you, you got in, placing your bag on the floor.

The drive is silent. It was late, you were drained. Walking up to Chanyeol's apartment, he unlocks the door, letting you go in first. It's bigger than you thought it would be. It was decorated very minimally, he had furniture around but not much else.

“It's very nice.” You smile.

“I'm still working on getting more things for it.” He laughs. He takes you to his bedroom. “You can sleep here. I'm going to take the couch.” He says.

“Chanyeol.” You sigh. “It's enough that you're letting me stay here, I can't take your bed too.”

He laughs. “You can. And you will. Get some rest okay? I'm right out there if you need.” He gives you a hub before grabbing his pj's and going into the bathroom. He comes out in a shirt and pj pants, heading for the living room. You dig through your bag, finding your shorts and a tank top to sleep in. You change and crawl into his bed. It smells so good. It smells like him. Sleep came to you easier than you thought, but it didn't last long.

You woke up breathing heavily, sweating and a little confused. You had dreamt that Mark had taken you captive and you were really shaken up over it. You crawled out of bed, heading to the living room.

Chanyeol laid on the couch, scrolling on his phone until he noticed you. He sits up quickly. “What's wrong?” he asks, standing up. He was no longer wearing a shirt.

Holy shit, you'd forgotten how ripped he was.

“it was.. a dream.” you start. “Mark.. he had..uh, kidnapped me.”

Chanyeol wraps you in his arms, in a tight and comforting hug. You hold onto him as tightly as you can, you feel so safe with him.

“Can you please sleep in the bed with me? I don't want to be alone.” You whisper.

He lets go of you, grabbing your hand and leading you to the bedroom. You both crawl into the bed, getting comfy. Chanyeol rubs your arm and shoulder as your back faces him. You quickly fall asleep, feeling more comfortable than you've been in a while. You wished the feeling of peace would last, unfortunately you knew it wouldn't.

You woke up in the morning with Chanyeol wrapped around your body. You were sweating so bad, you had no choice but to get up. You managed to wiggle your way out of his embrace, making your way to the bathroom and then to the kitchen. You snooped around his cupboards, trying to find something to make for breakfast. You settled on making eggs and toast, it was easy enough. As you continue scrambling your eggs, Chanyeol walks out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes with a smile on his face.

“What's this?” He asks.

“Breakfast. Duh.” You laugh. You were feeling good today, you felt like it was going to be a great day. Until your phone on the table started to ring.

UNKNOWN NUMBER

Chanyeol grabbed your phone, declining the call and blocking the number.

“There. That should work.” He smiles. He sets your phone down, before it starts ringing again.

UNKNOWN NUMBER.

[baiabay]

No Role Modelz (ATSV Black Cat Variant! Reader Insert)

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Current Chapter

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

-------------------------------------

^^links 2 chapters!! this story is also on ao3, wattpad, and quotev under the same name :)

---------------------------------------

Chapter 3: Out Of Touch (with reality hoes)

-----------------------------------------------------

“Miles!”

Hovering over Miles, surrounded by a sea of colour and light, was Gwen Stacy. That Gwen Stacy. How many months has it been since he’d last seen her? That didn’t matter; she was here now, in his room…opening his collective figures. Miles wanted nothing more but to leave. To jump out his window and swing freely with Gwen. Like old times. There was only one problem though…

“I’m… grounded.”

Miles winced. A pregnant pause, until he couldn’t stop the wince on his face from transforming into a grin after he’d heard the teens' response.

“Bummer - is Spiderman grounded?”

———————————————-

“So you’re telling me there’s an elite society with all the best spider-people in it?”

Miles swung behind Gwen, an expression of bewilderment behind his mask as his companion rambled about the society.

“-And Hobie,”

“Who’s Hobie?”

“- he lets me crash in his dimension sometimes,”

“L-like you stay the night?”

At the mention of the name a pang of jealousy flashed through Miles. He never knew she was-all of them were-seeing eachother all this time. While he spent it…alone.

“-Oh and there’s this Lady- Jessica Drew, she rides motorcycles, oh my gosh, I’m leaning so much from her-“

“Oh yeah? I-I’ve learned a lot of new stuff too, I leveled up my whole thing, see?”

Half showing off(and half to rid himself of the growing feeling of envy in his chest), Miles mimicked the graceful flipping style of Gwen Stacy, weaving through narrow gaps in traffic and hanging himself by the ankle. Now behind him, he heard a slight giggle.

“Look at you!”

There it was. That feeling he was so jealous of earlier. From Gwen, from the Spider-society, from The Black Cat. It pooled in his stomach and filled his chest, bursting out his seams in the form of an uncontrollable toothy grin and a giggle back. He felt it. Freedom.

“Look at me!”

—————————————

You were sat atop the roof of your apartment complex, chin resting on your knees. Purring was heard faintly as one of your cats rubbed its side against you, pulling you out of your deep state of pensiveness you had dug yourself into moments prior. You smiled softly as you scratched at the cat. Your smile faded however, as you replayed for the umpteenth time that evening, your conversation with Spider-man.

“Sometimes I just wish things were different, yknow?”

“Different how?”

“Different like, for me.”

“There’s a first time for everything, right?”

You scoffed before sighing deeply. He just didn’t get it, did he? Guess you can’t blame him too much though, if he knew why you did what you did it would practically be the same as ripping off your mask and turning yourself in. Huffing once more, you pushed yourself to stand on the roof. The sun was setting now, the sky blue with tints of pink, orange, and yellow. It was at this moment you realized how long it had been since you took the time to really look at the sunset. It was calm, it was serene, it was-

buzz

A text. Your landlord. Again. Rent was coming up, and you were short last week-pushing all missed fees to this week. Great.

It was at this moment you realized exactly why it had been so long since you took the time to really look at the sunset. Turning away from the painted sky, you collected your feline companions and trudged your way down to your room.

Rummaging through your closet you made it to a makeshift safe designed for the keeping of any valuable items you had seized. Cracking it open with eyes closed and fingers crossed-

It was empty. Great.

You let out a lengthy groan, shifting your weight back to lay on your floor. You hadn’t gone out heist-ing since the incident with Spot. Rolling over on your side, you were met with two bright, wide, yellow eyes, and a large tuft of black fur in your face. As if on cue, the large tuft of fur nuzzled your face before dropping a black leather mask before you. Your black leather mask.

A silent beat passed as you stared at the mask on the ground. Sighing once more, you picked up the mask, your words to Spider-man ringing behind your ears.

“The Cat and The Spider. We can’t truly change who or where we are. No matter…how much we want to.”

Now fully suited, you headed your way towards your window, looking back at your fluffy black friend.

“Thanks, kitty”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was setting now, the sky blue with tints of pink, orange, and yellow. It was at this moment Gwen realized how long it had been since she took the time to really look at the sunset. Miles smiles, a lighthearted feeling in his chest. Sitting on the underside of this secluded ledge, Miles relished in the serene feeling that enveloped the two of them. In this moment, looking out into the city, the two young heroes felt like they were the only ones in the entire universe. They were alone, together. It was nice.

“ In every other universe, Gwen Stacy falls for Spider-Man.”

At the sound of Gwen’s voice, Miles turned his head. As she finished her sentence, his lips curved into a soft smile, and he found himself subconsciously leaning into her. Looking up at her, he blinked as he noticed how Gwen returned the smile, but held a tensed, tight-lipped expression behind it. Before he could comment, she parted her lips to speak.

“… And in every other universe, it doesn’t… end well.”

Miles flinched as he processed Gwen's words, opting to shift his body away from her. All of a sudden, his mind was swarmed with memories from his earlier interaction with his feline counterpart. Looking once again into Gwen‘s eyes, Miles took note that The Cat held the same pained expression she displayed now. Before he can even begin to think of a response, Miles' mouth began to move.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, right?”

Miles’ chest was beating wildly now. He had expected Gwen to run away – to block him out like The Black Cat had done moments prior. But the warm pressure he felt pressing against his shoulder spoke differently. Like he did with the thief, Miles sighed deeply. This time, with a content smile across his face.

———————————————————-

It was night time now, and you were on the prowl – grappling around for the perfect opportunity to strike, when you stumbled across the most peculiar thing.

You assumed it was an abandoned building, but you’ve seen a handful of those, this one was different. It had been almost turned inside out, pieces of itself sticking out of… itself? And –

“Is that…glitching?”

Whatever what was going on, one thing for sure, this whole situation felt eerily familiar to you. Every fiber of your being screamed that this was all Spots doing.

Shit.

No way was he about to steal another gig from you.

On tipped-toes, you made your way into the wrecked building, when suddenly you were tugged by an invisible force. Literally.

“GH-“

Before you could continue screaming, the invisible force held you close and slapped its hand across your mouth.

“What are you doing?” The voice whisper-shouted.

Spider-Man. Invisibility, huh? Cool.

Squirming free from his grip, he tried your best to glare in the direction of the voice.

“Um, what are you doing?” You whisper-shouted back.

“Cat!”

“I couldn’t help myself! I was curious…”

“Yeah, I hear that’s bad for cats-”

“No nononononononononoNO!”

The two of you flinch to the sound of this new, distressed voice. While Miles remained invisible, you quickly ducked behind a support beam, squinting at the source of the sound.

In front of you holding an extremely panicked expression behind their mask, was another… another Spider-person?

Just when your curiosity couldn’t have been piqued any further, this new Spider-person, from what looked like to be a watch(a super bad-ass watch, you might add), began to play a projection of-you called it, The Spot.

Rambling erratically about some sciencey-shit you’d maybe understand if you paid more attention in physics, you watched as the hologram of the spotted man stumbled over himself, as well as practically every possible item in the room. You inched closer in an attempt to gauge more about this whole situation, albeit, you still didn’t catch that much, only managing to cling onto words like ‘holes’ or ‘collider’.

“Shoot…”

The hologram played out, and the new Spider’s panic grew.

“shootshootshootshoot-“

The Spots’ hologram began to mumble angrily- was that your name you heard in there? And Spiders? A lot of Spiders’ name, actually. You had no idea he’d had a run-in with him too. Soon enough, the panic began to rub off on your Spider-Man, as you heard him start to mirror the words of the stranger.

“Shoot.”

“UGH, no! Gwen Gwengwengwengwe-“

“Gwen! Hi~”

A…pregnant… Spider-woman appeared before the three of you. You truly seen it all now.

“Spider?”

Calling out to him, you tried your best to remember where his invisible form last was. No response. You whipped your head around wildly until you felt a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“Do you…know what’s going on?”

Miles kept his eyes trained on Gwen, as she explained to the Spider-woman about her detour with him.

“I have an idea.”

“Do you know who they are? Are they… other Spider-Men?”

“… never see him again, all right?”

The new spider person(whom you collected her name to be Gwen), spoke. Her shoulders dropped, and her head hung low as the holographic form of the pregnant hero disappeared. You watched in silence as she reached a hand before her mask and tugged it off. The hand on your shoulder squeezed before slipping away. Turning in your direction, a maskless Gwen stared past you - into the night. Upon seeing her face, you flinched. Ready to run off had she noticed your presence. But she didn’t. With glazed eyes, she stared right past you. You blinked, and for a moment, your jaw fell. She was young, looked around your age with neck-length blonde hair, half shaved. Her brows furrowed in a way that felt familiar to you, in a way that said, ‘I wish things were different’. She remained staring for a few moments, you and Miles stared back. It was quickly broken by a flash of bright light, spiralling in patterns and colours you’ve never seen before, And pulling her mask on, Gwen stepped in.

You didn’t anticipate your Spider-Man to be standing upside down when he came out of his invisible state, yet there he was. Facing away from you, towards the orange and red amalgamation of light Gwen stepped into moments prior.

“Sp-“

“I’m going in.”

“Wai-no. What do you mean you’re going in-”

“I mean, Cat, I'm going in there.”

His voice was raised now, shoulders tensed. He jumped down from the ceiling, stepping towards the portal. Realizing he was unmasked, you took in the dark curls that framed his face. You felt a strong urge to pull your own face covering off.

You did.

“Then… I’m coming with you.”

“You can’t-”

Spider turned around to face you. Brows furrowed and mouth open to send a negative retort toward your way, until his breath hitched as he became aware of the bareness of both of your faces. You stood, arms crossed, staring into the eyes of the boy. He had gentle features, warm brown eyes. He looked familiar, but you couldn’t put your finger on exactly where you’ve seen him. School, maybe? He must’ve recognized you, seeing as he stared back with a bewildered look on his face. He closed his mouth, form un-tensing. You took the silence to speak once more.

“I said, I’m coming with you.”

You stepped towards the portal, reaching to pull your mask back on.

“I said I wanted things to be different, right? Well, I – I feel like this is a chance to change things up…what is it you said again? That ‘there’s a first time for everything’? Well, what if you were right, Spider, th-”

“Miles.”

You looked at, with a soft smile on the young heroes face

“Miles, my name.”

“… Miles.”

You tested out his name before speaking yours, one he must’ve recognized, as he responded with a flinch.

“You said your last names’ Hardy? Like Walter Hardy? The noto-

“ Notorious Black Cat burglar? Yeah no shit, Sherlock.“

Your mouth stretched into a wide smile as the serious air between the two of you dissipated. The portal crackled, before beginning to shrink in size. Miles spoke,

“So you’re… you sure you want to do this?“

There was a part of you that screamed at you to stay. That worried about everything you were leaving-by leaving. Guilt seeped into the back of your mind and you turned away from Miles to face the dark city skyline.

You reflected on your conversation earlier. Did you really want to be The Cat forever? Become like your father and die doing this job?

Did you really?

“I’m sure.”

You and Miles both now reached to tug your masks back on. The two of you sent one last look back out onto the city before nodding at eachother, and diving in.

-----------------

[lonesome-witching]

The World Can Know

I have gotten the request to write a celebrity AU by @rabbitofdeath-atcastleaarrggh based on this post by @autismbarbie (I think). And I have to say I absolutely loved that post so much that I was a little excited to write this.

You can read my previous prompts or send me some new ones.

It had all started with a drunken tweet. She shouldn’t have been drunk. It was only 2 pm and she was supposed to be working. But she had finished the last song for her album, and somebody had pulled out a bottle of champagne and now she was sipping lukewarm beers in the recording booth and scrolling through twitter.

It was then that Robin Buckley saw a picture of Nancy Wheeler. It wasn’t that she had never seen her before, she had seen Nancy everywhere. A couple of days ago, she and Steve had gone to see one of her movies. And Robin had returned the next day to watch it again. So, she knew of Nancy Wheeler. She had seen her all dolled up in movies and on red carpets. She had spent an embarrassing long time staring at her in that flowy top with her dark red lips at the Paris fashion week just a few nights ago.

The only difference was that all of those times Robin hadn’t been drunk, and therefore had been able to refrain herself from making her tiny obsession public knowledge. But this time as she noticed the picture of Nancy Wheeler in a simple blue shirt, purple cap and sunglasses walking in New York, the same streets Robin walked every single day, she was drunk.

Her fingers were typing out the words before her mind had registered them. Her thumb only hesitated a second before posting the tweet.

Literally dont FUCKIGN talk to me if u r not Nancy wheeler btw!!! dont even say hi i’ll be pissed

She regretted that tweet that same night when a text from Steve told her to check twitter. The memory of her own embarrassment came flooding back and the only reason she opened her account was with the pure intention of deleting the entire thing. That was her intention until she noticed the notification. It was a simple reply, just a simple hi with a smiley face behind it. The main reason Robin nearly went into cardiac arrest was that it was from Nancy freaking Wheeler. 

-

Talking with Nancy had been surprisingly easy. They had hung out a few times, going for walks after dark and eating take out in Nancy’s luxurious apartment. Robin had even invited Nancy to the recording studio after a mix up with the vocals forced her to drop everything. They often talked until the early morning hours, laughing and crying like kids at their first sleepover.

Now that Robin was able to see Nancy in real life it became obvious that the pictures and movies didn’t do her justice. That she looked best when she woke up with her hair all messed up and her eyes only half open.

It also became obvious that Robin was falling in love with her. Robin had difficulty not staring or stuttering when they hung out. She would always trip over her words whenever she tried to give Nancy a genuine compliment. And when Nancy returned the favor her cheeks would heat up and turn bright red. The words ‘I’m in love with Nancy Wheeler’ might as well have been tattooed on her forehead.

As the months crawled forward Robin and Nancy hung out more and more. Even when Nancy had to go to LA for some promotion material for her newest premiere, they called every night. Robin would listen attentively to Nancy chattering about her day as she stayed up way too late talking the other girl to sleep.

It almost felt like they were dating. Almost.

Robin tried her best not to dream about that possibility. After all, she had already gotten way too lucky to have her idol in her life.

Robin checked her phone for the thousandth time, waiting for a reply from Nancy. But as her screen lit up, she saw nothing but her lock screen. It had been a mere 9 hours since she last received a text from Nancy. She could survive 9 hours without Nancy. She had to.

Robin checked her phone again when the doorbell rang out, echoing through her too empty apartment. She dropped the phone on the couch and got up, shuffling to the door. On the other side stood Nancy Wheeler, her hair wet and dripping raindrops on the floor.

“It’s raining,” she stated as her eyes stared into Robin’s face.

“Nance? What are you doing here? Come in, come here.” Robin pulled her in, nearly hugging her. “I’m going to get you a towel… And— and some dry clothes. You should shower. I thought you were in LA.”

“I just got back. I— Robin, I need to speak with you.”

Robin stopped running around, a pink towel in her hand that nearly dropped to the floor as she saw the expression on Nancy’s face. “Okay.”

“I—” Nancy frowned. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Maybe at the beginning,” Robin offered.

“I don’t know if there is a beginning. And I’m hoping this isn’t the end. I just feel like there is middle. Everything has been the middle. I can’t start at the beginning because there isn’t one. There is just you.”

“Me?”

Nancy nodded, taking a deep breath. “There is just you. And then there is me. And I’m hoping you and me could be an us.” Nancy’s teeth were digging into her bottom lip and Robin worried she’d draw blood.

“What are you—” Realization dawned on her. Nancy’s doe eyes and nervous expressions might have not been enough, but her words were clear. “Oh.”

Nancy nodded again, barely. “Do you think—”

“Yes. I like that. I’d really like to be an us.”

Nancy’s lips turned into a bright smile as she closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together.

-

“I wrote you a song,” Robin said about two weeks after their first kiss.

They were laying in Nancy’s bed, cuddling and kissing. It had been heavenly to be cooped up in Nancy’s flat the entire day. It had been marvelous to sink into her mattress and feel her lips all over her body. And now Robin was enjoying the warmth of her girlfriend.

“You wrote me a song?” Nancy asked with a soft voice.

“I did.”

“That is so sweet.” Robin could hear the smile in Nancy’s voice.

“I was hoping you would be in the video.”

“I would love to be in the video.”

-

They had agreed to keep their relationship to themselves until the video came out. Which Robin knew, logically speaking, wasn’t very long. It was supposed to be released in less than a month time so it would align with Nancy’s premiere.

But Robin was ecstatic about her new situation, and she had lasted about 3 days after they had agreed. It had at first been a slip of the thumb. She had taken this adorable picture of Nancy and couldn’t not post it. Maybe she could have used a more ambiguous caption than ‘gf reveal’ but she had slipped up. It was Nancy’s fault for being so cute.

It was only when no one believed her that she kept going, that she kept tweeting about Nancy and her dating. Not that it helped.

“They still don’t believe me. It’s insane.”

Nancy laughed softly. “At least I know it’s true.,” she said as she pulled the phone out of Robin’s hands and crawled onto her lap.

-

The premiere of Nancy’s movie was scheduled for Friday. The music video was going to drop Thursday. Robin smiled as she thought about it. But tonight, on this beautiful Monday evening, Nancy was curled up into her side as they watched the Late Night Show together. Nancy was on this episode and when she was announced Robin cheered at the screen, much to her girlfriend’s amusement. 

“So, we have to ask, is there anyone special you are taking to the premiere on Friday?”

“Well, actually, there is,” screen Nancy answered, and Robin’s eyes widened. “I’ll be taking my girlfriend, Robin Buckley.”

Nancy’s arms tightened around Robin’s waist. “So, I may have told the world.”

“Yeah,” Robin replied, nodding at the screen, not even registering the reaction from the audience.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Nancy looked up with those soft doe eyes.

“Mad? Why would I be mad? I’m delighted. I’ve been talking about it for ages now. All I wanted was you and for the whole world to know.” She lowered her face to press a kiss on her girlfriend’s lips.

[myloveforhergoeson]

That's All She Wrote - Chapter 27

Chapter Index

Find me on wattpad + ao3!

Chapter 27: Ho Ho Hopefully (2.9) ~ 24k

Eight days. 

James had been back in Minnesota for eight days. 

192 hours, 11520 minutes, 691,200 seconds since Roxy had dropped him off at the airport… Not that she had been counting. It had been nearly impossible for her to keep track of time thanks to the extra effort Gustavo and Kelly were expecting from her, Logan, Kendall, and Carlos to make up for their bandmate's absence. 

None of them had expected their bosses to be okay with the singer’s request for a full eight days off of work to celebrate Hanukkah with his mother; Their work schedule was already jam-packed between recording sessions, media training, and dance practices since the native Minnesotans were all planning on heading home for the holiday season on December 24th. 

“You can’t just say ‘No,’ to Brooke Diamond,” James had told her, getting the phone call from the entrepreneur two weeks ago asking him to come home for her holiday celebration. There was a bit of dismay in his voice as he shared, hinting at how he felt about heading back to Duluth, something his girlfriend was reluctant to comment on.

He had been correct in his statement about his mother, learning she had also called their boss with the same request, and his time off was immediately approved without a second thought. Gustavo even offered to pay for his round-trip flight, as long as James could make it back to record in the four-day gap between the last night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve. 

Roxy had a sneaking suspicion his decision would have been the same even without Brooke’s intervention. Even with the band’s tough working conditions as the year was coming to a close, she suspected that they were rubbing off on him more than he cared to admit. The other day he had let Carlos collaborate with Mr. X to formulate a new dance routine, Logan had convinced him they needed more than one half-hour break throughout the workday, and it seemed as though he was yelling at Kendall far less than he ever had in the past. Gustavo was even critiquing her songwriting less and less, acting more as a songwriting partner than an authority figure. So, James’ approved time off was only supporting her theory, though she knew the man would never admit it. 

In between work days, packing for her trip home, and making and shopping for presents for her friends and father, Roxy and James were on the phone constantly. Text messages if they were caught up in something, phone calls on the way home from places, FaceTalk all hours of the night… Carlos had taken her phone away from her when they were playing Biohazard Blast the other day against Kendall and Logan because it was a ‘“major distraction.”

Tonight, Camille and Jo had done the same when they entered 2-H for a dinner get-together they had planned now that Roxy and Camille could stand to be in the same room as each other. Their first time hanging out together in quite a while would also be the last time all three girls would be able to spend time with each other before their respective trips home. While their busy schedules were much appreciated, it made seeing one another almost impossible these days.

“Don’t look so sad! We’re way more fun to hang out with than your virtual boyfriend,” Camille joked over the sound of holiday music drifting from Roxy’s tape player, poking around in songwriter’s cabinets to find the right cookware for the tacos the three were planning on making. 

Taking the ingredients from her fridge and pantry, Roxy chuckled at her friend’s comment, “While that may be true, it doesn’t change the fact that I miss him so much. My journal is full of sappy, cliche songs to prove it.”

Not only had this been the longest James and Roxy had been apart, but the boys had told her this was also the longest they had ever gone without seeing James as well.

“Girl’s Night is about forgetting all of that!” Countered Jo, who slid into one of the chairs at the small kitchen table while looking the songwriter up and down. “Can we trust you in that t-shirt or do you need to change?”

Referencing Roxy’s choice of dress, one of the merch items from the Big Time Rush tour, the actress reached out and poked the picture of Kendall standing beside his friends on the front of the shirt. 

“If you go put yours on we can match…” The songwriter trailed off, slightly singsong, before the other girl loudly cleared her throat.

“Forgetting!” 

Finally, the assistant grew compliant with her friend’s wishes. “Big Time who?”

“That’s the spirit!” For the rest of the time spent preparing the meal, the three were finally able to catch up on everything they had missed during Roxy and Camille’s fighting period. Jo was still having trouble getting along with her New Town High co-star, Jett Stetson, despite the first season filming slowly drawing to a close. From her descriptions, Jett was finding it difficult to separate his own life from that of his fictitious counterpart, Drake Steele. The actor had even gone as far as to mistake Drake’s relationship with Jo’s character, Rachel Blesse, for reality, which Kendall was less than thrilled about. 

On Camille’s turn, she was elated to share all of the projects she had been in the process of auditioning for. Her ability to completely give herself over to the roles she was pursuing shocked the other two, as she showed off a few scenes she had been practicing for the TV show Break a Leg, Charlotte!, the movie Rock Camp 5, and the musical Billion Dollar Trio. Since she wasn’t currently filming anything and she wasn’t spending time with Logan anymore, the actress had far more time to continue to hone her talent and blow the casting directors away.

In exchange, Roxy allowed herself to share some updates on a few incomplete songs she had been slowly piecing together. Normally, she’d be bothered by the fact she wasn’t finished with them yet, but Gustavo had been overlading her and the band with work this week the two hadn’t found any time in which to collaborate. Tentatively, she planned to have at least one song ready for Big Time Rush to release by the new year, she just needed some more guidance on one she had titled “Got Something.” Beyond that, there wasn’t much else Roxy had going on at the moment, so she rambled about going back to Minnesota as the girls loaded up their plates with the delicious meal of rice, beans, and tacos they had prepared together. 

“After being in Los Angeles for so long, I’m afraid my body has acclimated to the perfect sunny weather… The minute we touch down in Duluth the snow is going to kill me!”

Camille and Jo both nodded in agreement as they took their first bites, both of them far better equipped to handle the cold weather than their friends who were Los Angeles-born and bred, like the Jennifers.

Sitting at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Marion, North Carolina would often see snow during the colder winter months, so Jo’s hometown was no stranger to low temperatures. However, that would be the least of her worries about her holiday journey home. 

It wasn’t often she spoke about her family, but from what Roxy had gathered over the course of their friendship, her father and grandmother were the people she was closest to. Since her grandmother couldn’t make the trip from Marion to Los Angeles, Jo hadn’t seen her in quite some time. The real issue, however, was seeing her mother, Donna, and older sister, Vic, who had split off from the family together almost fifteen years ago. As Jo had mentioned before, getting together for Christmas and birthdays with her divorced parents and uncaring older sibling was always a drag and she expected this year to be no different. 

“Never mind the snow! My dad said Mom’s bringing her new boyfriend over this year… How fun that’ll be. On top of having to see that, she’ll probably hound me about Kendall too - try to find any sliver of connection between us and pretend as if she cares about what’s going on with me.”

The blonde scrunched her face in disgust, leading Camille to ask, “What if you just locked yourself in your room with your grandma? She’ll protect you,” with a mouthful of food.

Half-joking, half-serious, that comment seemed to lighten the mood just enough for Jo to crack a small smile. “She can be quite scary as long as her cane is within reach and she’s always very vocal about how she doesn’t like my mom or Vic so they tend to steer clear… Maybe it won’t be all that bad. I just don’t get why they insist we do this every single year!”

While Roxy wanted to offer some advice to her friend, slowly chewing away, she didn’t understand family dynamics in the same way Jo and Camille did. Being an only child in a single-parent household made it difficult for her to even imagine what Jo was going through. The closest thing she had ever had to sisters were the girls in her apartment right now and not getting along with them royally sucked; Jo and Vic’s relationship had been strained for so long, it seemed completely unsalvagable. 

“My parents hate each other's guts, I can’t stand to be around my sister, and none of us know how to make a honey-glazed ham. It’s always a disaster. I wish I could just go with one of you guys instead.”

“I’d offer if we wouldn’t have a full house in New Windsor,” Camille shared, pushing around some of the rice on her plate, mentioning one of the two homes her family owned in Connecticut. “Normally we stay in our vacation home in Westport, but Gabriel and his husband are staying with my mom so we needed the extra space. That, and Elliott and Claude are bringing their college roommates with them.”

At times, it was difficult to keep all five of Camille’s brothers straight, even with the context in which she spoke about them. Roxy knew that Jules was only a year older than her and still in high school. Of all of her siblings, she was the closest with him, so that meant the twins Elliott and Claude were the next in age since they were still in college. She was pretty sure Gabriel was the oldest, considering he was the only one of the Roberts siblings to be married, which left only Jean-Luc to fill in the second child gap. 

Sucking in a breath at the sheer notion of having that many people in one place at the same time, Roxy breathed, “I don’t know how you manage to buy everyone gifts each year. My head almost exploded getting stuff for you two, the boys, Jennifer, Katie, Gustavo, Kelly, and my dad.”

All eleven of her gifts had already been handmade or purchased and completely wrapped in the brightest red paper she could find, hiding under her bed so no one would find them before they were supposed to. 

“Oh, trust me, I’m moments away from not even using gift wrap… I’ll just put everything under the tree and they all have to figure it out.” The actress deadpanned. “How I’ll even get them all home is another story.”

Nodding in agreement as she pushed her clean plate forward, Jo seemed to be facing the same issue as well, “Kendall mentioned that Mrs. Knight is an expert packer - Maybe you can ask her for help.”

“My dad also claims to be an expert packer but every single year we fly home we’ve had to rearrange our bags because they end up being too heavy!”

Had she not been preoccupied with thinking about her own flight home, Roxy might have added something to the conversation, but she was beginning to feel slightly queasy with her final bite of food. She and the band were flying home in the afternoon, meaning they wouldn’t get to Duluth until late into the evening.

At least I’ll get to see Dad and we can have some semblance of a Christmas Eve celebration. Hopefully, the flight doesn’t knock me out. Maybe if I put a playlist on and lay on James’ shoulder I can sleep the airsickness away. Oh! I need to call him tonight, he hasn’t texted me at all today. Probably because he’s busy, not because he’s-

“Roxy? What about you?”

“Hm?” Her head snapped up, pulling her away from her thoughts. Despite not having heard anything her friends had said for the last minute or so she tried, “You can sleep on my floor, Jo. It’ll just be me and my dad. From what I’ve told him about you, he thinks you’re pretty neat, but be warned he might try and put you onto some Minnesota underground punk band.”

The songwriter watched as Jo and Camille paused for a second, glancing at each other before bursting out laughing, the sound echoing off the walls of her small apartment.��

“Too busy thinking about James to pay attention to us?” Jo teased and Roxy felt her face flush, which was all the response the pair needed to know they were right in their suspicions. “I was telling Camille I got Kendall a new hockey stick he’s been talking about for months now! What did you get James?”

When Roxy pushed back, “Sorry, I don’t know anyone by that name…” per the Girl’s Night rules the blond had established at the beginning of the evening then promptly broke, Camille stuck her foot out and pushed the assistant’s chair, jostling her. 

Kicking her chair right back, ignoring the creaking of the ancient wood, she protested again, “It’s a secret! If I tell you two, then Jo will tell Kendall, who will tell Logan, who will tell Carlos, who will tell James! That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

“So dramatic…” Camille said, clicking her tongue a few times, which made the writer want to defend her actions further. 

“It’s true! Jo’s been 100% honest after her fake boyfriend fiasco and Kendall’s nosey! All of you are just going to have to wait until the appropriate time to receive your gifts. Until then, my lips are sealed!”

“Killjoy…” Jo jokingly muttered with a roll of her eyes, speaking just loud enough to annoy her friend as she got up to clear the plates from the table. 

Turning to Camille, who was also pushing away from the table to help with the dishes, Roxy matched the actress’ volume as she contemplated, “I think eleven gifts is far too many. Who’s should I return first? Hers or Kendall’s?”

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, a smile curving her gorgeous features, she managed to catch a glimpse at the clock on the microwave. In an instant, her smile turned into a frown. “When did it get so late?”

That caught Jo’s attention, who glanced over her shoulder to check the time as well. “Shit! We’re starting our shoot at 7 am tomorrow… I still need to go over some of my scenes. Jett gets so bitchy if we have to do more than a few takes per scene - Like he’s some sort of perfect actor!” 

Her scoff was not lost on her friends; While she loved her job more than anything in the world, Jo still had to deal with annoying co-workers.

Joining her in front of the sink, Roxy slung an arm over the blonde’s shoulder, “Hang in there, girl! Just remember Rocque Records isn’t that far from Collosal Studios. If you ever need the guys to take a trip down to the New Town High set, just let us know.”

Jo easily leaned into her friend, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath as Camille walked over and joined the girls’ embrace. “I should probably head out too. Morning auditions.”

“And I’ve got to get James from the airport bright and early before we have to stop by Rocque Records to give Kelly and Gustavo their gifts.”

Even though it was time for the night to come to an end, none of them made any attempts to move, simply enjoying the warm embrace for as long as possible as the tape of holiday tunes filled up the silence.

***

It didn’t take Roxy very long to clean up dinner. Lazily singing along to the music from her tape player, the dishes were done in a flash, there was barely any food left to save for later, and the red tablecloth covering her table was thrown into the washing machine. 

When she was finished, she attempted to FaceTalk James, but he didn’t pick up. Chalking it up to the two-hour time difference, she tried not to take it personally that he hadn’t even sent her a goodnight text after no messages at all for most of the day. Just in case he was still awake, she sent him a smiley face and a few hearts before setting her phone down to charge and heading to the bathroom to wind down for the night. 

One nice, long shower later, she had changed into her pajamas and settled down on her bed to write her journal entry for the day. Like most entries, this one had come easy to her. 

Whenever she had a wonderful time with her friends, it was effortless to recall and write down; She had even managed to snatch the recipe Camille had used to make the taco meat and scribbled that out as well as a reminder for the future. Towards the bottom of the page, Roxy managed to get a few sentences out about her worries that James hadn’t texted her, ultimately deciding that the sooner she went to bed, the sooner she’d wake up to a message of his in the morning. 

Just as she set her book and pen down on her nightstand, rolling off her plush duvet to turn off the lights in 2-H, she left her bedroom only to hear a quiet knock on her front door.

Instantly, she froze, heart rate levels spiking to the roof.

Who could possibly be here this late?

Had it been one of the boys, Mrs. Knight, or Katie, they would have used the door connecting their apartments. That ruled out almost everyone she’d be okay with seeing at this hour. 

Scanning the kitchen table, she didn’t notice anything Jo or Camille may have left behind and they certainly would have sent her a message if they were intending to come back over. 

Buddha Bob, the maintenance man only came upon request and everything in her apartment was in proper working order. Mr. Bitters, though always looking for a reason to kick her and the band out of the Palm Woods, didn’t care enough about his job to come knocking at her door this late.

Knock knock

Once again, the soft tapping at her door came again and Roxy slowly crept over to her couch, squatting down to grab the old hockey stick Logan insisted she hid there when they first moved to L.A. in case she would ever need it. 

Better to be safe than sorry, she told herself, gripping the smooth, taped-over wood in one hand as she made her way to her front door. Heart still threatening to beat out of her chest with anxiety, she moved as quietly as possible, undoing the deadbolt and slowly cracking the door just enough to see who was outside. 

Two big suitcases, one hockey duffel, and a familiar, tall, handsome boy stood in the entryway with a big, ridiculous grin on his face. 

Before James could even get out a word of greeting, the hockey stick Roxy had been holding loudly clattered to the tiled floor at her feet as she pulled the door wide open and launched herself at her boyfriend. Hands easily meeting around his neck, legs wrapping around his waist, she squeezed him so tightly she could have cracked one of his ribs. 

Despite his winded, “Oof,” his duffel hit the floor with a thud as one arm encircled her waist, the other burying itself into her hair as he pressed Roxy into the crook of his neck. 

“Hey, songbird. Miss me?”

***

Three days ago, Roxy learned that one of the best feelings in the entire world, next to songwriting, of course, was waking up in James Diamond’s arms. 

As a last-minute holiday surprise, her boyfriend had changed his initial flight from Minnesota back to Los Angeles for one earlier in the day so he and Roxy could spend some time together before jumping right back into their never-ending work the next day. Though he had drifted off the minute his head hit one of her pillows thanks to his long day of travel, Roxy couldn’t get even a wink of sleep as he held her throughout the night. She was too focused on the rhythmic patterns of his breathing and heartbeat, almost a song in itself as she snuggled into him. A song she would be likely daydreaming about for the rest of her life. 

That feeling was more than enough to help her get through her last few days in Hollywood before she and her friends were meant to fly back home. A mix of excitement and nerves flustered around in Roxy’s chest, though it was being severely outweighed by the bitter cold of the L.A. morning she and her friends were experiencing outside of the TKSimmons at the crowded Beverly Center. 

Leave it to the boys to have none of their holiday shopping done less than 24 hours before Christmas. Like any other good assistant in the greater Los Angeles area, that meant their gifts were her responsibility too - Or so she had learned when the boys burst down her door before the crack of dawn and begged her to take them downtown. 

“‘Twas the morning before Christmas, and L.A. was hopping, and the boys were up early doing last-minute shopping…” Their assistant narrated, bundling into her MAHS sweatshirt as she and the boys stood in line, not-so-patiently waiting for the department store to open its doors. 

Carlos drove his shoulder into hers, clearly not finding the commentary as funny as she did, though it didn’t bother the girl at all. Roxy was too busy trying to figure out the line of her next poem, playing with James’ hand she held in one of his big coat pockets for extra warmth. 

“Who shops at 5 am on Christmas Eve Day?” Logan questioned, glancing back behind him at the massive line that had formed outside the store. Why he had expected the band to be the only last-minute shoppers in a city of 3.9 million people, she had no idea. 

“Us!” Snapped James, shooting his friend a nasty glare at his unnecessary comment. “‘Cause we didn’t shop for anyone except Gustavo and Roxy.”

Their assistant turned to Kendall, though her, “You didn’t get anything for Jo yet?” was overlapped with Carlos’ “They’re gonna love their gifts!”

She knew Kendall heard, however, as he quickly glanced at his shoes, before his signature Knight confidence came back in full swing to dodge the comment. “And for everyone else, we can get two gifts instead of one with all the money we’ll save at this 70% off last-minute shoppers super sale!”

“How fiscally responsible of you,” Roxy sarcastically mumbled, watching as her breath condensated against the winter air. Just like Minnesota.

“But it is!” Her boyfriend protested, letting go of her hand and maneuvering behind her to wrap the girl up under his coat when he noticed she was shivering. “All our shopping in one location at low, low prices.”

“Have you ever heard diamonds are a girl’s best friend? Can’t find those at low, low prices.”

“You’ve already got a Diamond for Christmas.” Roxy could practically hear the smirk forming on his face as she sunk back into him. 

Completely ignoring the couple’s sidebar, Carlos decided to carry on the original conversation with a chuckle, “It’s the perfect shopping holiday experience.”

“Is this your first 5 am super sale?” The blonde woman in line ahead of them asked over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes as she glanced between the five teens - Almost as if she were sizing each of them up. 

With a weak, “Yeah,” they nodded. 

From behind them, another woman leaned forward, the same scrutinizing gaze. “Good luck.”

“Good luck?” Echoed Logan, brows knitting in confusion. “What? What does that mean?”

Fifteen minutes later, the boys found out exactly why they would need such a blessing from a random stranger. 

The TKSimmons was in shambles from the moment the rope up front dropped and everyone from the line ran inside of the large department store, knocking other patrons left and right as they tumbled to the displays they were in search of. It reminded Roxy of entering a standing-room-only concert venue - If you didn’t run to the barricade as fast as possible, there was no chance you’d ever see the people on stage. Because of that, she respected the hustle and was more than happy to stand off to the side and admire the store’s holiday displays as her boys entered the store-turned-battle arena.

In one corner, Kendall and the blonde woman ahead of them were pulling the ugliest sweater Roxy had ever seen back and forth by the sleeves. The two of them went many rounds, Kendall crying, “It’s for my mom!” as the blonde yelled, “Back off, kid!” before the sweater tore completely in half.

A few large displays across, James was tightly gripping a bright orange pillow and a box of tissues, while the brunette in line behind them who wished them good luck was clinging to his back like a koala. It looked as though she was attempting to pry the pillow out of his hands, but he managed to bop her in the face a few times with it instead. Roxy wasn’t shy about her bellowing laugh, pulling her cellphone camera out to record her boyfriend in such a compromising position.

Just as a shorter, beautiful young woman ran in front of her camera frame, Roxy swore she recognized her from somewhere, but her attention was drawn elsewhere as she heard Carlos screaming from the upper level of the store. Caught up in the cookware section, he had a few boxes of ceramic plates in his hands while he used a cast iron skillet like a shield to defend himself from another shopper, loud clanks echoing off the high ceilings of the building and mixing with his wailing, “Oh, God, get back! Get back!”

“I got it!” Came Logan’s voice from another side of the store, almost indiscernible against all the noise of the other shoppers, but Roxy eventually found him triumphantly holding a pretty green scarf and matching pair of green gloves, presumably for his mothers. Or, were for his mothers, before the woman who was clinging to James detached herself from him and made a beeline for Logan, tackling him over the display of nice, colorful zip-up jackets.

They’ve got it all handled, Roxy told herself, not foreseeing them getting out of this mess any time soon. Still keeping to herself, she noticed some bright green arrows on the white-tiled floor of the store and decided to follow them through the chaos. Everyone seemed so preoccupied with fighting over merchandise, the pathways of the store were shockingly clear. A few lefts and rights brought the girl to the back of the store, where the kid’s section was. This area had already been decimated, judging by the lack of toys on the walls and the bits and pieces of clothing strewn about. Since it was relatively empty, Roxy noticed a large, red mailbox in the center of the area and a round table beside it holding a stack of lined paper and some multicolor pens. 

A round, white logo reading North Pole Express decorated the side of the mailbox in the middle of the wintery display.

Glancing back over her shoulder, she could see the boys together now, bundles of who-knows-what under their arms as they fought toward the checkout line. 

“Jingle Bell Rock” flowed through the hidden speakers of the store, beckoning Roxy closer to the table, where she grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen for herself. Be it a bit childish, what harm could writing a letter to Santa do while she waited? 

Though she knew it would likely just land in the recycle bin outside the back of the store, she gingerly wrote out her name at the top of the page and scribbled down her Christmas wishes. 

New traditions with my friends

A wonderful day with my dad

A kiss under the mistletoe

More Hollywood connections

Joy on my friends’ faces as they open my gifts to them

Folding the paper into thirds, placing the letter in the envelope, then dropping it into the mailbox reminded her of when she was younger and her dad would take her to the mall to get her pictures taken with old Saint Nick.

I can’t wait to see him again.

It wasn’t long after that Roxy meandered back up to the checkout lines, where her friends caught her arms despite the multiple, giant red shopping bags they carried. They were all panting as though they had just run a marathon, dragging her to the front doors of the store, and the moment they stepped outside onto the streets of Los Angeles, they were able to find respite. 

“We did it!” Carlos cheered, though it looked as though a few bruises might have been forming on different parts of his face. “Christmas shopping is done!”

Standing next to James, Roxy noticed that his coat had been partially torn off, so she grabbed the bags from his right hand and gave him a moment to readjust back into his outfit. “We have no idea what we got, but the savings were incredible,” he told her.

Peeking in his bags at James’ words, Kendall was trying to figure out just what he had purchased, before he looked up at his assistant, eyes widening in fear. “Wait, we thought Logan was with you!”

“I thought he was with you!” Roxy shot back, panic striking her chest. 

Seconds later their friend’s telltale cry came from behind them and when the teens turned, they found him in the middle of some lady’s cart as she wheeled it to her car with a cherry red bow on his head. “I think I got bought!”

***

Roxy knew there would come a day when the Big Time Rush CD in the Pontiac’s glove box would come in handy, and that day just happened to be today. Once the boys all reluctantly signed it the woman at the department store thought that to be a fitting trade-off for their best friend, meaning they were now free to head back to the Palm Woods to hand off the things they had bought to their friends before heading to Rocque Records. 

Using one of the hotel luggage carts to carry all of their bags, and Logan, into the lobby, the band and their assistant were met with a crowded room as everyone was preparing to go home for the holidays. Gifts were being exchanged, the front desk was overloaded with help requests for shuttles to the airport, and Big Time Rush was caught in the middle of it all when Camille popped up in front of them. 

“Merry Christmas!” She cheered, smiling down at Logan as she gripped the handle of her large suitcase. Dressed in an adorable pink sweater and a powder blue beanie, Camille was all ready to head back to Connecticut, she just had a few more gifts to hand out. One by one, everyone received their gift from her in different forms of cartoonish wrapping paper, and when she ended on Logan, he had the biggest gift of them all. When she spoke again, she addressed only him, but the others knew her instructions applied to them as well. “Don’t open it until tomorrow!”

A chorus of thank you’s echoed through the group as Roxy opened her bag to pull out Camille’s gift, a pack of new eraseable highlighters for her scripts, handing it off to her with a smile as Logan stumbled over his next words. Digging through one of the red bags in front of him, he searched for a moment before proclaiming, “And, uh, here’s my present to you!”

Thank God Camille was an incredible actress because anyone with even a shred less talent couldn’t have faked the excitement written across her face as Logan passed her a pop-tabbed aluminum tin with a big green bow on top. “A canned ham.”

Nodding enthusiastically at his choice, the other boys joined in to back him up in his decision before the singer characteristically doubted himself and asked, “Or would you like… A…”

Frantically, the boys dove into their bags as well, loudly rummaging around for anything that would be better than the gift Logan had given to the girl who cared for him so deeply. While they searched, Roxy and Camille made confused eye contact, and the writer decided that things were beginning to look up for her friends relationship-wise. Though it had been rocky for a while, Camille and Logan seemed to be getting comfortable being around each other again - Enough to even exchange gifts before Christmas. 

If that’s not a miracle, I don’t know what is.

A cough from James brought her out of her head as she watched him discreetly hand off something encased in gold foil to the struggling boy who registered what it was just in time to announce, “...A scented candle!”

One more glance over to Roxy almost made the assistant fail at keeping her laughter in check. 

“I’ll keep the ham,” The actress proudly announced, leaning in to kiss Logan on the cheek. “And I will see you guys next year. Be sure to text me!”

Though her last statement was mainly aimed at her best friend as Camille wrapped Roxy in her arms, she knew the boys would take it to heart too. 

“You know I will,” Roxy breathed, crushing her friend just as tightly back. Mentally, she willed good holiday vibes knowing she was headed straight into a packed house with her entire family. “Safe travels! And Minnesota isn’t that far if you get lonely!”

Throwing her head back in laughter as she made her way to the door, Camille’s black curls fell beautifully down her shoulders at her friend’s completely untrue words, and just like that, she and her father were off on their holiday journey home.  

Watching her go slightly saddened Roxy, but Kendall didn’t let her sit in her feelings for much longer as he called, “Onward, Santa’s helpers!”

Navigating the cramped lobby space with all of their items was more difficult than the boys had anticipated, but everyone made it to the elevators without a scratch, dent, or dink in any of their presents. It was there they bumped into Jo, who was coming down the stairs with her suitcase and overnight bag. Like Camille, she was already dressed in her winter clothing - A coat so white she might get lost in the snow and a dark-colored striped scarf.

“Stop!” The boys called, startling both Roxy and Jo as Kendall finished, “Right there until you get your Christmas gift!”

Not having to rummage nearly as long as Logan had, the blond reached down into the bag he was holding and pulled out a large white photo frame before extending it out toward his girlfriend. 

Aww, his assistant thought, until Jo examined the frame, flipping it around to show off to the others. “Baby’s first birthday frame?”

“No!” Kendall immediately corrected her, holding out his palm for Carlos to drop a silver bow into before slapping it over the frame’s text. “It’s our first Christmas frame… Or it will be when you put a picture of us in it.”

Reaching in front of James, Roxy slugged Kendall in the arm at his laziness.

“And here’s my gift to you!” Someone called from down the hallway, Jett, managing to appear at just the right time to annoy his co-star’s boyfriend. He held two sleek, silver tablets in his hands, each home screen decorated with the image of a red cartoon ribbon. 

Jo was rendered speechless, as anyone would be receiving such an expensive gift in front of their partner, only managing to push out, “Wow, Jett, an iSlab?”

Sliding the screen on one of the tablets to change the picture, some text popped up, reading Merry Christmas Jo! From, Jett before swiping again to show off the other features. “And it’s preloaded with pics of us.”

Kendall sputtered a bit, presumably trying to mouth off at the actor, but Jett cut him off anyway. 

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t have a hit TV show with a fat three-year contract like me.”

Taking a deep breath, the blond kept his cool. “Yes… but you don’t have three friends who are hockey players, like me.”

With the snap of his fingers, Carlos, Logan, and James charged over to Jett and picked him up by his arms, dragging him off toward the lobby so Kendall and Jo could have some time alone. Roxy got the memo too, trailing off after the boys as the actor cried, “Jo, call them off! Stop, guys, I bruise easy! I bruise so easy! No!”

It wasn’t until they reached the front doors did the boys set Jett down, but before he managed to scurry off, he tossed the other iSlab Roxy’s way. She hardly registered that he had even meant to send it in her direction, barely catching it before the glass screen shattered across the carpet. 

With widening eyes, she felt her brows shoot to her forehead. As she looked up, she met James’ equally as shocked gaze. 

“Jett, I couldn’t accept-”

Before she could even get the words out and hand it back to him, he caught James’ attention without even bothering to look the assistant’s way. “I’m not interested in putting the moves on your girl, tiger. It was a two-for-one sale and I don’t like any of you hockeyheads!” This time, the writer held her breath as he winked at her, “Merry Christmas.”

Roxy didn’t even want the damn thing, her phone and laptop worked perfectly fine, but Jett managed to slip away before James could collect his thoughts and kick the actor further off the property. Just holding it made her feel sick to her stomach, like she had been the one to do something wrong.

“I’ll, um…” She tried, but finding the right words seemed impossible. Twirling the iSlab a few times in her palms, she grimaced, “I’ll drop it off at his door before we leave. I-It’d be super rude to accept; I didn’t get him anything.”

As quickly as she could, she tucked the tablet into her mini backpack and forced a grin when she looked back up at her friends. “Think Kendall and Jo are done saying goodbye now?”

Successful in her attempt to change the subject, Roxy twirled her hand around James’ arm and pulled him off in the direction of the elevators so she could see her friend before she left. But, she had estimated wrong, because Kendall and Jo were nowhere near done. They were too wrapped up in making out under a sprig of mistletoe hanging from Kendall’s Christmas gift - the brand-new hockey stick Jo had mentioned the other night. They only realized they had an audience when James let out a small whistle and the couple slowly pulled away from one another. 

As Roxy dove into her bag, nausea returning when her fingers brushed the iSlab, she managed to find Jo’s gift - a collection of their favorite supernatural TV shows on DVD - to hand over just as the elevator doors dinged open to reveal the Jennifers decked out in their winter clothes. It made Roxy wonder where they all called home. 

Just when Jo accepted the gift from her friend, stepping forward to capture her in her second big hug of the day, Carlos yanked the hockey stick from Kendall’s hand and dangled it in front of the three actresses before they could step out of the elevator.

“Hey, girls! Mistletoe!” He shared with an elated giggle, flicking the plant so it danged back and forth in front of them. “Now you gotta kiss me!”

“No,” They said in unison as they took a step forward. “We have to catch a flight.”

Pushing past him with their abundance of bags, Carlos turned back to his friends looking slightly dejected. Though it wasn’t anything new from those three, he always expected a different outcome. 

When Roxy reached out to take the stick from him and tried to offer some words of comfort, she was shocked when someone placed their hand on her shoulder to pull her back. James, discreetly pointing to the right, cast her line of sight back to the three girls who had dropped their bags with Mr. Bitters in the lobby and were heading back over toward their friend.

“Aw, what the heck,” Brown-haired Jennifer rolled her eyes, the other two joining in as they chorused, “It’s Christmas!”

One by one, they each kissed him on the cheek before heading off toward their luggage once more, ready to head to the airport like most of the other Palm Woods residents. 

It took Carlos a while to come down from that, shouting “I love you!” at the mistletoe as he walked back over to his friends. When he held Kendall’s gift back out to him, James blurted, “My turn!” and snatched it out of Carlos’ hands. 

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend’s actions, Roxy felt her cheeks heat a bit when he held it over her head. “I wonder who the lucky lady’s going to be…”

“I’ll give you three hints!” James told her, eliciting a groan from the rest of their friends, though, Roxy wasn’t paying any attention to them as she stared up at his big, brown eyes. “One - She’s an incredible guitar player.”

Pretending to think, his girlfriend held a finger to her cheek, “Hm… Joan Jett?”

Though she mentally winced a bit at the word “Jett,” it didn’t seem to phase James. 

“Two - She’s a phenomenal songwriter.”

“Oh! Got it!” Roxy smiled, leaning back into the wall behind her. “Avril Lavigne.”

Now it was James’ turn to play around, “Close, close… I think you’re on the right track, but I’ll give you the last one anyway. She’s breathtaking - like, completely knocks the wind out of me and I’m absolutely crazy about her.”

“That’s four things.”

“Do you want five? I’ll give you five.”

All Roxy needed to do was slightly angle her head up from where it rested on the wall before James leaned down, giving her the kiss under the mistletoe she had written on her Christmas wish list. 

When they broke apart, they looked around the hall to notice their friends had gone missing, no doubt back up to 2-J to get some last-minute wrapping in to finish packing for their trip. Threading her fingers through her boyfriend’s free hand, Roxy gently tugged him toward the staircase, before the elevator dinged to symbolize its arrival. 

That gives me an even better idea…

Wordlessly, she changed her direction, pulling him into the elevator and pressing the second-floor button. 

Once the doors closed, she turned to face him, pulling the hockey stick away from him while she used her other hand to press the emergency stop button on the elevator. 

“Uh, Roxy-”

Wiggling the stick around so the mistletoe was widely swinging back and forth above their heads, she batted her eyes a few times before she looked up at James. “It’s not fair that everyone else had a turn with this thing but me.”

Newfound sense of confidence now that she was in control of the mistletoe, Roxy took a large step forward. Now it was his turn to be backed up to the gray padded wall. 

Hesitantly, James’ hands made their way to her hips. 

“God,” He breathed. “You’re so right, baby.”

***

By the time Roxy and James had emerged from the elevator, many things had been happening in 2-J that the two were wholly unaware of as they made their way to the open door. Holding her head high as she sauntered in, the songwriter caught up to Kendall, who was standing in front of the kitchen table with the rest of their friends, and handed him the hockey stick, without the mistletoe hanging from the ribbon any longer. 

“Sorry,” She whispered as James’ dragging footsteps alerted her to the boy clinging to the doorframe to keep himself upright. “I wanted a go too.”

“Roxy!” The frontman’s eyes widened and when he noticed James come in the door behind her, in a complete state of disarray, he wasn’t even able to continue this statement. All he could do was take in the singer’s ruffled hair, torn button-up, and red lipstick marks completely covering his face and neck. “What the fuck did you do to him?”

From the other side of the room, his mother gasped. “Kendall Donald Knight!”

“Mistletoe, good!” His friend at the door weakly responded once the boy gave his mother a weak apology, pointing a finger at the stick in Kendall’s hand.

When he collapsed to the floor, Roxy, as backward as it was, felt quite satisfied with herself, promising, “He’ll be up in a minute.”

Everyone stared at her for a moment before she bashfully stepped behind Carlos. 

“O-kay,” Mrs. Knight announced, fully ready to move on from whatever was happening with her teens. “Our flight leaves in five hours, so who’s helping?”

She gestured to the multitude of suitcases, clothing, and wrapped gifts spread out in the living room of 2-J. Every single surface, from the kitchen table to the orange couch, to the wooden floor was covered in items that needed to make it to Minnesota with them. 

There’s no way all of that is coming back with us.

“Oh, all of us!” Promised Kendall, holding up a large delivery envelope with a mystery gift inside. “But first we have to go give Gustavo his amazing present!”

The four of them had been so secretive about the present, that they hadn’t even told their assistant what it was. She guessed about a million things while she was talking to Logan the other day after he had boasted about ordering it, but every single time she said something, he told her she was incorrect. It was a good thing she had the foresight to get her bosses their own separate gifts; If it was something stupid, she wanted no part in it. 

“Ooh, don’t forget about Kelly!” Carlos chimed in, surprisingly the band’s voice of reason. 

From the luggage trolley, Logan called, “Right!” before diving into yet another one of the large red bags at his feet to find something worthy of the talent scout. “Does anyone know if she likes regular track shoes?”

While the boys looked very satisfied when he pulled them from the bag, triumphantly housing them up in the air, Roxy just had to burst their bubble. “Those shoes don’t match, guys - One’s black and one’s white. I don’t think they’re the same size either.”

***

Though Duluth was far from a small town, the back roads were usually clear on major holidays. Los Angeles, of course, could never have such a luxury. 

Any other day, the five would have been content to sit in traffic together, chatting or listening to one of Roxy’s tapes while she rattled off facts about her favorite songs, but today’s time crunch had everyone on edge. By the time they arrived at Rocque Records, the boys practically sprinted into the building to catch their bosses before they took off for the company’s holiday break. As Roxy recalled from the last team Big Time Rush meeting, Kelly had mentioned Gustavo was headed off to vacation solo on some South Pacific island. When she asked if Kelly had any plans, the woman just sighed and grumbled something about heading to Montana to see her family. 

When the teens finally reached Gustavo’s office, they found him walking out into the hall with two large suitcases with his regular tracksuit attire swapped out for a cheesy Hawaiian shirt. Trailing behind him was Kelly, just as eager to get out of the building as he was.

“Dawgs, Roxanne, let’s make this quick because I’m going to Fiji for the holidays!” Their boss shared in an off-key sing-songy tone and was met with looks of disapproval from the band and their assistant. “Okay, it’s not my best song ever, but who cares? I’m going to Fiji!”

From the red shopping bag he had carried in, James produced the orange package they had topped with a green bow as Kendall said, “Well, we just wanted to give you this.”

“We ordered it special!” Beamed Carlos, shifting excitedly from side to side as the man took the present. 

Quick to tear into the wrapping, “Ooh-hoo-hoo,” Gustavo dropped the paper to the floor as he held up a pair of large, red pajamas that perfectly matched the tint of his red glasses. 

They were long and warm, essential for getting through cold winter nights, and when Roxy glanced around at her friends, they were practically shaking with anticipation as their boss examined his gift. It clearly meant a lot to them and they had taken great care in making sure they had picked out something special to give away. Instinctually, she slipped her hand into James’ as Gustavo began to frown.

“Pajamas? Really?”

The disappointment in his tone bothered the assistant immensely, though she wasn’t sure any of the boys had caught on. 

Kendall, still smiling, held up his fingerless gloved hand as he shared, “Every Christmas we wear our PJs all day long.”

“It’s our holiday tradition,” James added matter-of-factly. 

It didn’t take any time at all for their boss to respond, “Yeah, I’m not doing that,” before dropping the clothing onto the carpeted floor. 

“Why not?” Roxy blurted out before thinking. “It’s important to the band and it’s not like anyone’s going to see you since you’re traveling alone.”

In response, Gustavo just rolled his eyes and ignored her question, watching as Logan stepped forward to give Kelly her present - An oddly shaped gift with a big red bow on top. 

While she handled that, the girl felt James squeeze her hand a bit tighter before gesturing to the pile on the floor and dropping down to whisper, “We’ve got your pair somewhere in one of these bags, in case you were wondering.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened, darting back and forth between her boyfriend and her boss’ gift unwrapping. “That’s sweet to include me, James.”

“The guys wanted to wait until we were back in Minnesota to give them to you, but I didn’t want you to think we left you out.”

Roxy squeezed his hand back, feeling a content smile forming on her face. Here’s to new traditions with friends.

Now that two of her holiday wishes had been fulfilled, she leaned into James’ side as Kelly dropped the wrapping paper to the floor and examined the large silver appliance in her hands. “Oh, it’s a… panini alarm clock! Just what I always wanted.”

Notoriously, Kelly was a horrible liar, so the second the words left her mouth, the boys knew she wasn’t thrilled about her gift despite trying her best to be polite about it. As they dove back into the red bags to try and find a replacement, Roxy stepped forward and handed off her own gifts - A framed copy of her handwritten lyrics to the first song she and Gustavo had collaborated on, “Big Time Rush,” and an all-inclusive day trip to a fancy Malibu spa for Kelly. 

Gustavo’s whines of, “Why is her gift more expensive than mine?” were quickly drowned out once the boys had come back from their shopping bag searching and offered Kelly the choice of keeping her gift or swapping it for something else, like a pig-shaped watering can or a nutcracker dressed like a rock star. 

Too busy thinking about how unappreciative and spoiled Gustavo was acting after she had given him a gift that she had thought to be important, Roxy missed Kelly’s choice entirely. It had been one thing for him to not like the present the guys had gotten him, but he hadn’t cared for hers either. Certainly, he knew that lucrative items and extravagant trips weren’t the most important types of presents, right?

That thought alone was enough to make her anxious; She wasn’t sure her friends knew that either. I hope the boys like what I made for them…

“So what did you get us?” Kendall brazenly asked, slightly shocking the writer who feared for a moment he may have been addressing her, looking expectantly over toward the older man. 

Dropping Roxy’s present to the floor as well, Gustavo scoffed, “That’s a surprise,” before leaning over to his talent scout and ordering, “Kelly, get them something surprising for Christmas and ship it to them.”

It was hard to ignore the disappointment on her friend’s faces at not being handed a gift right then and there, but at least that was better than nothing. 

“Now,” He started up again, reaching out for his suitcases and ignoring his gift pile on the floor. “Let’s start the holidays!”

That was more than enough to elicit a cheer from everyone in the room, ready to take a much-needed break after their first year of hard work in Hollywood. Collecting their bags, the boys began to head toward the elevator, their assistant and bosses trailing behind them, when they bumped into Griffin and Obdul at the end of the hallway.

“Great news, everyone!” Griffin clapped his hands together, stopping everyone in their tracks. “I’ve decided to release a Big Time Rush Christmas EP!”

The boys found this to be a pretty cool addition to their discography, Carlos even adding a “Woo!” as he and the others tried to continue on, while Gustavo, Kelly, and Roxy stood stalk still. 

A chill shot down the assistant’s spine. This can’t be good.

“It will bring your fans lots of holiday joy and me lots of holiday money.” The businessman astutely pointed out, Obdul standing proudly at his side. 

Clutching her panini alarm clock to her chest, Kelly nodded at the CEO’s statement, trying to hide the panicked tone in her voice as she asked, “So you’re putting some extended mixes in some Christmas packaging?”

“No.” He responded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m putting Christmas songs in Christmas packaging!”

“Mr. Griffin, we haven’t written any Christmas songs.” Roxy tried to match his commanding tone, but the effect was lost as Gustavo held up one of his suitcases, adding on, “Which means we haven’t recorded any Christmas songs.”

The CEO blinked. “Well, then you better get started because no one’s going anywhere until I get my holiday EP.”

“How many songs?”

Gustavo’s question felt like a kick in the back of the head. Sitting down to write, record, and produce even one song would make all of them late for their flights which normally wouldn’t bother the writer. However, the later they left California, the later they got into Minnesota. That meant the precious amount of time she had to celebrate Christmas Eve with her father was at risk of being cut short. 

Maybe I can convince him to make them covers instead of originals… Even then it’ll take forever.

“Three songs. And you better make them good, Gustavo!”

Poorly disguising his distress, Gustavo stormed off to Studio A’s practice room, presumably having the same feelings about the situation as his songwriter. Everyone had no choice but to follow, dismayed, as they gathered on the hardwood floor of the large room.

“Three Christmas songs and make our flights by the evening?” The producer was pacing back and forth from the window to the booth to the back wall, flip-flops clicking with every step. “It can’t be done!”

“Sure it can. It’s called a Christmas miracle.” Griffin responded cooly, not seeing anything wrong with the situation he was putting his employees in.

Roxy buried her face in the thick, black sleeve of her boyfriend’s jacket and groaned. It was one thing for Griffin to stand idly by and reap the benefits of her band’s success and another thing entirely to work them like dogs.

Well, most of them shared the sentiment, except for Carlos, who at the mention of a miracle piped up, “Ooh, like me getting kissed by the Jennifers today?”

“I heard this old lady lost her prosthetic leg, right?” James added, animatedly talking with his hands and ruining Roxy’s resting place on his arm, “And then found it the next morning in her stocking!”

Neither of those examples helped their case in the slightest, but Griffin took them in stride. “See? And I want the songs available for download tonight.”

“Three songs… online… before we leave,” The songwriter was doing her very best to keep it together at their CEO’s insane request. 

Like every other time Griffin threw a curveball their way, BTR needed to confront this head-on. Her friends were very capable of making things happen. 

They wanted to be a boyband in Los Angeles? They clawed their way into Gustavo’s heart. They wanted a new, fancy remodeled apartment? They tricked Gustavo into building it right at home in 2-J. They wanted to perform on live television? They ensured there was time left for them on the broadcast.

So, if the boys wanted to make it home in time for Christmas, she had to believe they’d make it in time for Christmas - No matter how difficult it was to convince herself that to be true. Since Griffin had made up his mind, there was no use in moping around; It was time for action. 

When she let go of James’ hand to reach for one of the acoustic guitars hanging on the wall behind her, she realized Griffin wasn’t done speaking.

“Now, since it’s Christmas Eve, I’m off to the office to fire some people. I’ll check in with you later.”

Strumming a minor chord as he and Obdul left the studio, Roxy thought back to her Halloween dream in which she had imagined him to be the devil. These days, she wasn’t too sure if her fantasy had been that far off. 

Griffin’s abrupt exit left the room silent for quite some time - Gustavo was practically frozen, it felt like everyone watched the cogs in his brain stop turning - before Kendall cleared his throat. “We should do this! I think it’d be nice to give our fans a Christmas gift.”

He slung an arm around Logan’s shoulder and the rest of the boys let out vague mumbles of agreement. At least they were on board too.

“We can’t write three songs in three hours!” The producer cried, looking to Roxy for a bit of backup. Though, deep down, she felt the same, expressing that wouldn’t do them any good. 

Gently setting the base of the guitar to the floor, she placed her hands on the top of the headstock. “Not with that attitude we can’t!”

“Roxy’s right, you know…” Kelly said with a snap of her fingers, pushing past the group of teens to get to Gustavo’s platinum record display on the back wall of the studio. “You wrote Yard Squirrel Christmas in five minutes and it’s still your biggest-selling single ever.”

The assistant had some thoughts about that she also chose not to share. 

“It was just a stupid novelty song with sped-up voices, and I hated it!”

  Ah, good to know we feel the same.

The band, however, proved the feeling wasn’t mutual as Carlos cut in, “Hey, I love that song!”

“Everybody loves that song!” Kendall, James, and Logan added as their assistant tacked on a weak, “For the most part.”

Despite their hopes Gustavo would feel the same after a handful of compliments, their boss was still pushing back - which also meant he was wasting their precious time. 

“I write and produce the best pop songs in the world and I will not be remembered for some stupid squirrel song!”

There are worse things to be remembered for, Roxy concluded, but she was happy Kelly and the boys were able to light just enough of a fire under him to get him so worked up about that song. If that wasn’t what he wanted his name and legacy to be attached to, there was only one thing to do about it.

Thankfully, Kendall kept the ball rolling. “Well, then, it’s time to write a new Christmas classic.”

“You and Roxy can do anything!” Carlos cried as everyone took a step toward the producer. 

With a nod, Logan added in, “You’re geniuses!”

“Both of you have the power to get us home for Christmas!” James cheered, and though he was trying to inspire Gustavo, his eyes never left his girlfriend.

The boys’ words mattered immensely, but Kelly knew where Gustavo’s head was better than anyone. “And get yourself to Fiji.” 

Another haunting silence filled the room before the assistant asked, “What do you say, Mr. Rocque? I won’t even fight you when you insult my writing… too much.”

When the man sighed in defeat, Roxy felt all the air get knocked out of her lungs. Is he giving up?

“Get me blank music sheets, 13 candy canes, and a cup of cocoa with marshmallows piled high, because we’re about to pull off a big-time Christmas miracle!”

***

Roxy lied; She and Gustavo were already fighting. 

To her credit, it wasn’t about a song, considering they hadn’t managed to come up with one just yet. It was more so about the composition.

Specifically, compositions that weren’t theirs. 

Everyone had gathered in the Rocque Records lounge, the band, and Kelly giving their songwriters the typical amounts of required silence they needed to write. While Roxy preferred to be in the studio, away from the ears of anyone but her boss, Gustavo had insisted the white puffy couches reminded him of winter snow which was, apparently, essential to his songwriting while he angrily paced. Attempting to channel this energy, Roxy curled up in the white lounge chair with the acoustic guitar.

Thankfully, everyone was occupied with other things - Kelly getting their flights rescheduled and the boys on the long couch texting everyone they knew that they wouldn’t be home as originally planned - which meant the writer could focus all of her energy into trying to write her first Christmas song. 

Or doing her best to write it as Gustavo kept humming different popular tunes he thought might work for their original song. 

“That’s ‘Jingle Bells.’ Nothing says ‘Big Time Rush’ like stealing a Christmas classic,” Roxy snarkily informed him, leaning over her songbook to see if anything she had written previously might be able to be turned into a holiday hit. 

Blowing a raspberry at her as though he were a child, Gustavo kept pacing the floor with his pencil and music sheets to see if any other inspiration would strike. When he started humming again, Roxy did her best not to let out a long, deep sigh. 

With a twirl of her pen, she said, “And that’s ‘Last Christmas.’ Don’t you even dare think about ripping Wham’s riff.”

Another raspberry, followed by some silence in which Roxy tested a chord progression on the guitar she simply wasn’t fond of. Hastily, she scratched out what she had written down with so much pressure on the page it almost tore. 

The humming resumed, and when Roxy dragged her pick up and down the guitar strings and said, “‘Little Saint Nick’ was already written and performed by a different boy band.” 

Her boss screamed in her general direction, balling the paper in his hands up before throwing it to the ground. 

“Anything?” Kendall asked at the elevated noise level, though he and the boys didn’t look up from their phones at all. 

Gustavo coughed into his arm. “Roxanne’s good at Name that Tune.”

“Good job, babe!” Cheered James, also not looking up from his phone. 

The encouragement was nice, but not at all helping their crunch time to create a holiday hit. “Thanks…. Just doing my best.” 

“Great Christmas songs don’t just happen,” The producer complained, groaning as he bent down to pick up the paper he had been scribbling on. “I need to be in a Christmassy mood!”

Finally able to tear himself from his screen, James blinked a few times and reluctantly asked, “Can we help you?”

Yes! Roxy desperately wanted to cry. I think I saw some more mistletoe in the elevator! but decided a trip to the Rocque Records HR department with her boyfriend was the last thing on her holiday wishlist. 

Instead, Gustavo yelled, “Ha! How?”

“Well, whenever we want to get into a Christmassy mood…” Kendall began, the band once more rummaging around in the red shopping bags they had brought along with them. “We just get into our PJs!”

Quick as a flash, the boys ran into the men’s room and changed, returning with just as much holiday cheer as possible. All four of them looked supremely warm and comfortable in their multicolored flannel bottoms and mismatched tops. Roxy was admittedly quite jealous. 

“They’re cottony holiday joy!” Logan joked, holding up the red pair he and the boys had bought for their boss as Carlos whistled in Roxy’s direction and threw her a small, black and purple bundle. 

At last, they had finally decided to share her gift with her. She almost felt bad for leaving theirs back at the Palm Woods, but silently promised everything would be handed out the second they got back to the hotel. 

Thanking her friends with a smile, she headed off to the bathroom to change as well, but not before hearing their boss’ complaints of, “I’m not wearing PJs!”

His loss, the writer thought as she slipped into one of the stalls and undid the beautiful white ribbon holding her pajama set together. How her friends had managed to find the softest, comfiest sleepwear set she had ever held, she had no idea, but Roxy was more than happy to change into the long purple pants and matching black tank top. Suspecting her boyfriend was the source of inspiration for the colors, she felt the gift to be even more special. 

When she emerged, all nice and cozy, perfectly ready to get back into the songwriting mood, she found the boys were gone and Kelly and Gustavo just standing in the middle of the room, waiting. As she tied her hair up into a top knot, wanting to show off how gorgeous her gold necklace shined against the black top, she confusedly asked, “Where’d they go?”

“Give it a minute…” Kelly trailed off, pointing toward the long hallway as four sets of feet rapidly ran down the hall. 

Turning to face her friends, Roxy’s brows shot to her forehead as she saw James and Logan carrying two of the biggest Christmas wreaths she had ever seen, followed by Carlos and Kendall with a long, decorated strand of garland. 

They rushed right past her, James stopping long enough to kiss her on the cheek and whisper how cute she looked in her PJs, hanging their decorations on the walls wherever they could before sprinting past her again, presumably in hunt of more decorations. 

When they came back a few minutes later with a fake brick wall and fireplace mantle to set up in the back of the room, the writer lit up just as brightly as the lights they had turned on tangled in the garland. 

“We…” She spoke up, looking around for her journal, but it appeared to be on one of the tables her band had moved. Turning to Gustavo and motioning to the paper he had thrown on the floor, Roxy made a gesture as though she was writing in the air. “We can make a beautiful Christmas… Decorate the halls with love and cheer… bring peace and harmony… Every star will shine tonight!” 

Ideas immediately began flowing out of her, and as nonsensical as they seemed at the moment, her songwriting partner immediately dove to grab more lyric sheets to scribble everything she was saying down. 

In no time, the boys wheeled his piano in from the studio in between more and more decoration runs. Kelly graciously brought the songwriting partners two large cups of cocoa, making sure they always overflowed with white, fluffy marshmallows as they both cobbled together the very first Big Time Rush Christmas song. 

***

“See? Christmas miracles do happen!” 

As annoying as Griffin’s comment was once the band finished performing the song for him and Obdul in their newly decorated lounge-turned-living room, he was right. Squeezing that song out of nowhere certainly felt like a miracle thanks to the boys’ imaginative thinking.

Hopefully, the other divisions of RCM/CBT/Global-Net/Sanyoid won’t miss their holiday decorations. 

Sitting cross-legged on top of the piano Gustavo had played their completed track on, she grinned down at Big Time Rush, excitedly shaking the sleigh bells she had swapped her guitar out with to accompany the melodic piano chords. 

“And thanks for the PJs, kids!” The CEO said, rubbing the soft gray of his button-up pajamas. In her Christmas gift-giving stint, she hadn’t expected to see either Griffin or Obdul before the holiday, but the boys seemed to have such foresight; They let her add her name to the pajamas they had given the two adults. Griffin’s pair looked exactly like the charcoal suits he was so fond of, the set even came with a collar and tie. Obdul wore a matching pair, his light blue with pinstripes as he silently squatted down by the fake fireplace Kelly had turned the TV in the lounge to. “They make me feel so Christmassy!”

Clutching her hands together at her boss’ words, Kelly slowly asked, “Christmassy enough to let us release a single instead of an EP?”

Accidentally dropping the bells in shock, the instrument Roxy had been holding clamored to the floor. She had worked so hard with Gustavo on “Beautiful Christmas,” that she had completely forgotten the CEO wanted two more songs for the band’s holiday collection. 

Griffin smiled, “Ho-ho-ho! No! And make the other two celebrity duets.”

“Celebrity duets?!” Team Big Time Rush repeated back, trying to fathom just what was running through that man’s head. 

From the piano bench, Gustavo clenched his fists together, trying as kindly as he could to ask, “How are we supposed to get celebrities to sing with Big Time Rush on Christmas Eve?”

“It’s easy!” The older man assured them. “You just get some celebrities and sing with them.”

For someone in charge of a multi-billion dollar corporation, he’s such an idiot.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Griffin continued, “I’m off to a soup kitchen to remind myself how lucky I am on Christmas. Bye-bye!”

She was still considering her theory that Arthur Griffin truly was the literal devil. 

Swinging her legs over the back of the piano, Roxy moved to slide off before James appeared in front of her, reaching out to her waist to help guide her down. 

“Will this ever end?” He quietly asked, brushing a loose strand of hair from her bun behind her ear as she leaned back into the piano. “I’m not super antsy to spend Christmas with my dad, but I know you and the guys want to be back home more than anything.” 

Summoning her best grin, Roxy genuinely tried to reassure him as she popped up on her tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to his cheek, “Of course it will. You four just need to keep that holiday spirit flowing; That last song wouldn’t have been possible without you and your cutie pajamas.” 

“Yeah…” James tried, a weak smile of his own forming on his face. “It just feels like-”

“Bye-bye Christmas in Minnesota!” Logan yelled, cutting his bandmate off and Gustavo thought this to be the perfect time to play the opening riff to “Big Time Rush” on the keys in front of him,

“Don’t make me regret writing that!” Roxy hissed at him, even if it was situationally appropriate, as she took in the mood of the people around her. Kelly and Gustavo looked more than hopeless, angry more so on his part. But even worse, her friends seemed to be giving in to the despair as well. Carlos had his head in his hands, Logan ran anxious hands through his hair, James crossed his arms as he stared into the fake fireplace… Kendall, ever the optimist, had even flopped down onto the white couch with a gigantic sigh. 

I can’t be the only thing holding us together right now. Roxy thought to herself, before taking a moment to collect her thoughts.

As she did at the storefront earlier, she formulated a small poem to try and keep everyone in the mood, though it was more bleak than she had intended. “As Kendall fell back, the boys stood listless, for Griffin may have crushed their Minnesota Christmas. So with just hours to catch their holiday jets, the gang prayed for another miracle and two celebrity duets…”

After her recitation, Gustavo called for a break for him and his songwriter, asking everyone else to dig through his list of famous contacts to try and find anyone available to duet. As much as the writer wished she could have used that time to think of what was to come, she settled for pulling James down onto the couch and lying into his side while he made his calls. For the next ten minutes, she closed her eyes, shutting out the nervous chatter of everyone else as he rubbed her back and allowed her some time to recharge after the most intense songwriting session of her life. 

She had only been pulled out of her haze when she heard Kelly’s heels click on the floor down the hallway as she proudly announced, “I just pushed back all of our flights four hours.”

Gustavo’s grating voice caused Roxy to finally open her eyes, though James didn’t stop his calming circular motion, “And how are we doing on our celebrity search?”

“I just got off the phone with Lady Gaga’s people!” Kendall eagerly announced, allowing a bit of hope to flood through her chest. 

Leaning forward in his lounger, Gustavo’s eyes bulged. “What did she say?”

“Who’s Big Time Rush?”

Of course…

“What about Jordin Sparks?” The producer continued, reaching out to the table and flipping through the ancient Rolodex he had given the boys.

Sliding his phone shut, Logan frowned. “Out of town for the holidays - Just like every other celebrity we could sing with.”

“Hey!” Cut in Carlos, waving his white phone in the air. “But on the bright side, astronaut Buzz Aldrin is very interested.”

“I’m not sure that’s what Griffin meant when he said ‘celebrity,’ Carlos,” His assistant winced, squeezing her eyes tight again as she leaned her head on James’ shoulder. 

The boy scoffed from the other end of the couch, “He’s the second man to walk on the moon!”

“There’s got to be some celebrity who’s still in town!” James grumbled, clicking a few buttons on his phone to look through his own contact list. 

Hesitantly, his girlfriend swallowed. “Um… You guys don’t think I should try and call…” Roxy’s mouth went dry just trying to say his name. “Dak… Right? He’s disconnected from his family so I’m sure he’s in town.”

James flinched, knocking the TV remote on the arm of the couch to fall to the floor and change the channel. 

“So join me, Miranda Cosgrove, for my ‘Have Yourself A Miranda Little Christmas’ special, live from Los Angeles, with duets with all your favorite stars, like international superstar Fabio, Lightning the TV wonder dog, and-”

Bending down to pick up the remote, James paused the ad before he and the boys gathered in front of the television making it look as though they were in frame with Miranda, “And Big Time Rush!” 

Kelly, Roxy, and Gustavo were far less convinced, however, asking the important question of, “How?”

“It’ll be another Christmas miracle!” Carlos smirked, as though it were such an easy and achievable task to sneak into a closed television set, add themselves to the guest list, and record a song all at once.

To his credit, a few other problems from the day had worked out in Big Time Rush’s favor, so it was understandable why he’d think that way. That’s why Roxy didn’t find herself questioning the boy’s wishes any longer - Miracle makers or not, it couldn’t hurt to head down to the studio and see what might transpire. If not something with Miranda, maybe another one of her guests would be willing to feature on a song. 

“You’re right, Carlos,” His assistant praised, reaching for her folded hoodie and leggings she had set by her bag at the edge of the lounge. “Let’s make it happen!”

In a matter of minutes, everyone had changed back into their day clothes and were bursting out the doors of Rocque Records. On the way out, Kelly made a few calls, learning the special was being taped at Superior Studios and the teens and adults split up and planned to meet there as soon as possible. 

Slinging her bag off her shoulder, Roxy fished around for the keys to the Pontiac, declaring, “Logan, it’s your lucky day.”

Effortlessly, she flung the ring in his direction, jingling slightly as everything clinked together in the air before he caught it, cocking a brow in her direction. 

She grinned, pulling her phone out from her hoodie pocket, “I’ve got a call to make, think you can handle the holiday traffic?”

“You know it!”

Looping an arm through James’ as they searched the large, full parking lot attached to the Rocque Records building, her smile slowly vanished as she tried to figure out just what to tell her dad about her changed itinerary. There was no way they’d be home for a Christmas Eve celebration but at least she was still doing everything in her power to make it there for Christmas. 

***

“So, what’s the plan?” 

20 minutes later the band, their assistant, and their bosses had met outside of Superior Studios, gathering around a big sign featuring Miranda Cosgrove’s smiling face. 

Kelly’s inquiry was more than valid, especially since they were still on a time crunch, but Gustavo just scoffed at her words. “The plan is: There is no plan if we can’t get into the studio!”

Leaning just a bit beyond the large column concealing the large group from the guards inside, the seven watched as every guest entering the building showed off their credentials branded for the Have Yourself A Miranda Little Christmas special. 

“Easy,” James assured everyone, rubbing his cold hands together to try and create an ounce of heat. “All we gotta do is get past security.”

“Piece of cake!” Logan and Carlos backed his plan up, even sharing a pre-celebratory fist bump. 

Clearing her throat from the back of the group, Roxy tried, “I’m not sure that’s going to be-”

She was abruptly cut off by a deep, threatening voice yelling, “No entry if you’re not on the list!”

Leaning around the column again, team Big Time Rush ascertained just what would happen if their plan didn’t pan out - They’d be denied entry from the building and forcibly thrown out onto the street. 

Quick to try and calm his friends, the frontman held his hands out, “Don’t panic! Remember: There’s one guy who’s on everybody’s list. Everyone saw the costume rack and prop sleigh to the side of the studio’s back entrance, yeah?” 

Curse Logan and his weird penchant for parking as far back in the lot as possible.

As much as Roxy hated where this plan was heading, she knew Kendall had a point. Who better to be featured on a Christmas show than Santa Claus himself?

Five minutes later, the songwriter didn’t despise the plan as much as she thought she would, considering she and James had been placed in one of the large prop presents on Santa’s prop sleigh. As cramped as it was, at least she had an excuse to be as close to her boyfriend as possible. 

“Comfortable?” He whispered to her with a slight groan, legs shifting underneath her, suggesting he wasn’t comfortable himself. With virtually no wiggle room, James had ended up sitting cross-legged at the bottom with his girlfriend in his lap, both of them needing to duck down as the top of the box was placed down. 

Just as the two felt the box begin to move, Roxy let out a hushed chuckle, reaching out into the darkness to try and find where she had put her bag, “Nope, but I’m trying to make the best of it. How about you?”

“Not at all, but I can’t complain when I’ve got the most beautiful girl in the world on my lap.”

Roxy thanked whatever power may be that her back was resting up against his chest; Any other position might have given away her bashful smile as she played with his hands slipped around her waist. “Should I tell you what I want for Christmas now or…?”

Feeling his whole body begin to shake as he tried to hold in his laughter, it made it almost impossible for Roxy to quiet hers. 

While the box wasn’t soundproof, the two were having some trouble hearing just what was going on outside, aside from Gustavo’s loud, hearty, “Ho-ho-ho! Merry Christmas!” to signal they were at the front desk. 

“Only if you don’t blame me if I don’t get you exactly what you ask for.” He whispered back, a hint of panic in his voice. 

She had meant the joke to be funny, her stomach twisted slightly at the thought of James being disappointed in himself. “I want… Logan and Kendall to never tell us what’s happening inside their box right now.”

 Since there were only two elf costumes mixed in with the Santa Claus costume, the teens were forced to play rock paper scissors to see who had to hide in the present boxes on the sleigh. Gustavo said Kelly automatically won the right to a costume, considering he needed her to help back him up at the security checkpoint, and Carlos had come out of their five-way battle victorious. 

That comment caused another bout of shaking underneath her, as James dipped his head onto her shoulder to keep his laughter as muted as possible. Even she had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep their cover for as long as possible. 

A few seconds later, the sleigh started moving again, but this time they were headed backward, “That can’t be…” Bright, shining sunlight beaming directly into her eyes made it troublesome for the songwriter to finish her statement. As the two of them looked up, they were met with the bulging eyes of the security guard as he took a large bite out of the sub sandwich he was clutching in his hands. “...Good.”

“Surprise delivery for Miranda Cosgrove?” James weakly tried, but the guard just continued chewing, shaking his head. 

When the guard moved onto the second present, the lid was swiftly opened causing Kendall and Logan to quite literally gasp for air as they jumped out as fast as humanly possible. They were bickering about something - Logan’s elbow in Kendall’s ribs and Kendall’s knee in Logan’s back it sounded like - while James and Roxy held their ground. 

“If you’re not on the list, you’re not getting in!” They heard security yell, though it was very mumbled as he spoke with another full bite of sandwich in his mouth. “Now get out before I-”

Some disgusting gagging sounds followed, accompanied by a few hits to the chest with his large fist, like he was trying to tell the group something. 

“I think he’s choking!” Carlos panicked, causing his assistant to shoot up from the box, equally as anxious. 

From below, James let out a cry of pain as she accidentally managed to step on his leg thanks to the small space.

“Oh,” Roxy cooed, guard all but forgotten as she bent down again to run a gentle hand through his hair and give him a kiss on the top of his head. “So sorry, baby.”

Someone falling to the floor alerted her again, and she stood up once more, careful of her surroundings this time, to find the security man passed out on the floor in front of them. Kelly and the rest of her friends were paralyzed in shock, staring at the person on the linoleum below them. A few beats of silence passed before Gustavo clapped Logan and Kendall on the shoulder, “It’s another Christmas miracle…”

Another moment and everyone but Roxy and James ran right past him to get to the closed taping. 

“What the hell is wrong with you people?” The assistant cried, doing her best to smoothly climb out of the high walls of the present box she had been in with James hot on her tail. “He needs help!”

Soon, she knelt on the ground beside the man, heart pounding and hands shaking while she attempted to sit him back upright and clear his blocked airway. 

God I wish I paid more attention in health class…

Barely able to think as she tried to pull the man back up to his feet she turned to the one person she knew did pay attention in health. “Logan! What’s that thing you do- It’s on TV all the time in dramas- Oh my-” 

“The Heimlich maneuver!” was his astute reply. 

“Do it then!” She yelled back, almost throwing the guard into her friend’s arms as he performed the procedure. 

It took a few tries, Logan doing his absolute best to thrust his hands into the man’s abdomen to free the object lodged in his throat before the chewed-up ball of sandwich flew out of his mouth and directly into Santa Gustavo’s face. 

Finally, Roxy was able to breathe again, as was the security guard, whose hands frantically flew to his chest to undo the tight few buttons of his beige uniform with big gasping breaths. 

Gustavo’s “That was gross,” was quickly overshadowed by the guard’s genuine, “Thanks…”

To keep from strangling her boss, she turned into her boyfriend’s side, gripping one side of his jacket while she collected herself. Immediately his arm slung around her shoulders to pull her closer and allow some time to catch her breath after such a scary encounter. 

Some words were exchanged between team Big Time Rush and the guard, though Roxy didn’t hear too much of it as she glanced up at James. He was looking right back at her, pink splotches dotting his cheeks and parts of his neck as he whispered, “You just called me baby.”

“Hm?” She hummed, half-paying attention as she studied some of the patches of green standing out against the stark brown of his eyes. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

“You’ve never given me a pet name before.”

That statement caused her to look away, focusing back on the section of his jacket she had been gripping once she felt her cheeks begin to heat as well. Roxy was hyper-aware of his other hand making its way to her hip. “James is just such a cute name…”

“I liked it,” He told her, sounding a bit breathless before he swallowed and spoke again, “It was nice.”

James didn’t give Roxy any time to respond besides a quiet, “Oh,” before he reached up to cup her cheek and guide his mouth to hers. 

He always knows how to make me feel better, she thought, tugging his jacket down to kiss him a few more times. 

In fact, she might not have stopped at all until the pair heard the unmistakable clearing of multiple throats behind them. 

“Hello?” Kendall scoffed and though Roxy had her back to him, she could just hear the way he annoyingly crossed his arms. “Can you keep your hands off of each other for two seconds please?”

Watching James roll his eyes after tearing them away from her lips caused Roxy to suppress a bout of laughter as he glanced behind her and narrowed his eyes at the front man. “Did you not just see her save that guy’s life? That was hot as hell.”

“Urgent save our Christmas mission!” Logan hissed back, motioning to the hallway Gustavo, Kelly, and Carlos were beginning to run down. Whatever they had worked out with the guard had apparently gained them access to the building. “Do… that… later! And away from the rest of us!”

When he finished yelling at them, all James and Roxy could do was laugh as they watched him and Kendall trail after the rest of their group. 

“Just because we’re having a stressful day doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun,” Roxy joked, tugging on her boyfriend’s arm as she began to head down the corridor to the film set. In the past few weeks, James had never been that upfront with her, and she planned to take his words to heart. “But you heard him, baby. Let’s go.”

Her boyfriend didn’t respond, pink splotches returning as he simply set his free hand over hers with a grin, following everyone else onto the next phase of their plan. 

***

Two times now, Big Time Rush and Italian model and actor Fabio have been in the same building; Two times now, Roxy has been unable to meet him. She found this to be incredibly messed up, considering she had read far more of the romance novels featuring him, his long, luscious hair, and gorgeous, ripping pecs than her friends had. 

But, business was business. Even though her friends had been tasked with getting Fabio to not appear on set for his holiday duet with Miranda Cosgrove, as their faithful assistant, she had been tasked with plugging into the studio soundboard while the band snuck their way onto the show’s itinerary. It felt like the A.M. L.A. news station scandal they had caused all over again. 

This time, however, Roxy was stuck sneaking around the large set with Gustavo and Kelly, who were not nearly as stealthy as her friends. While the writer had stolen a headset one of the production assistants had left lying on a table to try and help her blend in as she made her way to the board, her bosses were very obviously moving from hiding spot to hiding spot. It was a wonder they didn’t get caught until they reached the side of the booth, but the girl certainly wasn’t going to complain about it. They were burning precious daylight; Everything here had to go exactly according to plan or they’d miss their rescheduled flights completely. 

Crouching down so the sound booth operators wouldn’t catch them, the three regrouped in order to execute their recording. 

“Alright, Kelly, where’s the recorder?” Gustavo whispered, though he was quite bad at keeping his voice down, looking over to his talent scout with an extended hand. 

The woman blinked back at him, “You said you were bringing it.”

“What?!” His voice boomed as if they weren’t in hiding, Roxy violently shushing him, continuing to hold his hand out like it would magically appear. “I never-”

“It doesn’t matter!” Kelly shot back, quickly getting frustrated with the situation. “If we don’t have the recorder, we don’t have a song!”

More shushing from the assistant didn’t work as the two continued to go back and forth at each other, meaning it was only a matter of time before someone on the production crew discovered the three on-set intruders. She knew that the boys would take care of their part; she just needed to figure out a way to get the song recorded with the highest possible quality. 

Daring to poke her head over the walls of the sound booth, she rapidly scanned the equipment the sound crew already had set up but there was nothing she could take without ruining the entire production. All of the video production equipment had been set up as well to give the live-at-home audience the best possible audio-video feed they could. 

I can call Mrs. Knight, have her record the TV show to their DVR, and have her bring the device to Rocque Records…

“I’ve got it!” She told her bosses, mind racing a million miles a minute as she began to explain her plan while hastily throwing her mini backpack to the ground to find her phone. It let out a loud thud as it hit the floor, far heavier than usual, causing the writer to pause and remember the gift Jett had given her earlier.. “...We’ll record it on my iSlab if Mr. Rocque can get it hooked into the-” 

“Of course, I can hook it up! Give me that!” 

Not even a second after she had pulled the tablet from her bag, the producer ripped it out of her hands and got to work with the tangled mess of wires Kelly had snatched from the booth. Time itself began to move slower as she watched his hands work before hearing a loud buzzer go off in the studio room; The show was about to get back from commercial and if he didn’t get the device hooked in soon, they’d miss their chance. 

All around them, studio workers began to take their positions and someone shouted, “3… 2…” and pointed to the large set in front of them on his silent count of “1.” 

Whoever designed the set had done a wonderful job, so that’s what Roxy focused on instead of the quickening of her heartbeat as Gustavo continued to fumble with the iSlab. A fake entryway to a two-story mansion towered in front of them, covered in gorgeous flower garlands and Christmas decorations. Just as the loud sound of a doorbell echoed through the room, Miranda appeared at the top of the stairs, skipping down to the lower level in an adorable pink sweater and red skirt combo. 

The boys better be behind that door…

As the actress rattled off her lines about ordering a pizza, Kelly crossed both of her fingers with a grimace and Gustavo continued his tinkering. 

“Hi, Miranda!” The stranger on her porch greeted her. 

Roxy’s heart sank straight down into her gut when she recognized the suave Italian accent. Fabio strolled into the foyer carrying a large, white pizza box, taking in the sight of Miranda’s impeccably decorated home. 

When Gustavo gave out a grunt of disapproval, she looked back to check his progress to find the iSlab completely connected to the soundboard. He had even pulled up the voice recording app and pressed play, managing to capture the actors’ stupid conversation about candy cane pizza instead of the boy’s special duet with Miranda. 

Widest, pearliest smile in the world, Miranda continued with her lines. “What took you so long?” 

“I got stuck in the snow…” Fabio’s excuse was simple. “But, some guys came along and helped me.”

Roxy had to bring both hands to her mouth to suppress the relieved scream she let out as Fabio stepped to the side and Big Time Rush came striding into the entryway. All four of them had been decked out in winter gear and made up to look like they’d been caught in a snowstorm. She could barely take her eyes off her boyfriend, admiring the flakes caught up in his long, brown hair and imagining what he’d look like on a real white Christmas. 

Thanks to their extensive media training, the band seemed extremely comfortable on camera while they improvised their surprise greetings and Miranda invited them to join her inside for a song. 

“Press record, press record!” Kelly repeated, swatting at the producer as the familiar opening chords to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” began to play from the speakers. 

She might have been imagining it, but she was pretty sure whenever James stepped out of the camera frame, he was looking straight at her. Regardless, the message was received; It appeared as though Roxy and James had the same Christmas wish this year. 

***

“Is it just me, or did Miranda kind of look like that girl from the web show you guys like?”

The Have Yourself a Miranda Little Christmas special had ended with a bang thanks to Big Time Rush, who had run off to wardrobe the moment their duet ended to hand back their costumes while Roxy, Gustavo, and Kelly made sure to save the song recording to the iSlab. Now, the group was moving as swiftly as possible down the studio halls, celebrating the completion of Griffin’s second song request.

“You think?” Carlos mumbled through his smile as he pondered his assistant’s question, too preoccupied with being one step closer to their Minnesota vacation. “I don’t see it.”

Each of the boys nodded their heads in approval of Carlos’ statement, also not shy about their excitement as the recording of the duet quietly flowed through the iSlab’s small speakers. The cover perfectly matched the boy’s different vocal tones and the harmonies they had improvised blended seamlessly with Miranda’s. It was an excellent addition to their EP, and even though it was a cover and not an original, Roxy knew the grouchy CEO would love it. 

By the time they reached the street, the teens' hoots and hollers of celebration bounced off the large concrete buildings around them, getting on their producer's nerves. 

“Why are you guys so happy?” He raged, separating himself from the rest of his team to address them in the middle of an empty road. “We still need to write another song, find another superstar to sing it with, oh, yeah, and do it all in time to catch our flights!”

Despite the tension threading through the air with every heaving breath their boss took, the band, their assistant, and Kelly weren’t ready to give up hope. 

From the edge of their huddle, Carlos gasped, “Wait! Everybody close your eyes and wish for another Christmas miracle!”

So sweet, the writer thought to herself, wrapping an arm around James’ bicep before closing her eyes to set her intentions. It’s worked out so far…

A scoff from Logan interrupted her miracle-manifesting. “That’s ridiculous; There’s never gonna be a… Oh, what the hell.”

Small smile curving on her lips, she knew that he had given in too. If anyone could make another Christmas miracle happen, it certainly was Big Time Rush - Especially as they each quietly repeated “Christmas miracle! Christmas miracle!” in shallow breaths. For a second, she swore she could even hear magic bells ringing out around them, telling them everything would work out just fine. 

It was enough to put the girl at ease until Gustavo’s angry tone scratched at her eardrums. “I hate to break it to you, but I think we’re fresh out of Christmas miracles!”

Repetition continued, team BTR ignoring his negativity before a loud honking noise from the street startled them and their producer let out an ear-splitting scream. Cautionary, Roxy popped one eye open, still trying to wish for a Christmas miracle while trying to see what had caused such a commotion. 

In front of her and her friends, Gustavo was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the longest, whitest, limousine drove by for a good thirty seconds before finally rolling to a stop at the back window. Thanks to the extremely dark tint on the numerous windows, it was impossible to see inside, but no one had to guess the passenger could have possibly been for too long as the car let out a soft, mechanical whirr and the glass lowered. 

“Please tell me I didn’t just hit a reindeer.” 

From the luxury vehicle, to the smoky voice, and the strong smell of herbs emanating from the backseat there was no mistaking who had just run Gustavo clear over. “Snoop Dogg?”

Logan, the biggest rap fan out of all of them,  gaped his mouth open and closed like a fish out of water, while Carlos pumped both of his fists far into the air and yelled, “It’s a Christmas miracle!”

Too busy to do anything but begin to hold her friends back from the rap star’s window, though she had a lot to ask him too, Roxy cleared her throat and looked to Kelly, who was equally starstruck. When she met the woman’s gaze, her message was clear. 

Lock him down!

Immediately, the woman launched into a long-winded explanation as to why Gustavo had been in the street and the band’s Christmas dilemma.

After promising not to sue if he agreed to help them, Big Time Rush, their assistant, and Snoop Dogg were sitting back at Rocque Records, staring at each other in the decorated lounge area. The only thing Roxy had managed was making the celebrity a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate while Gustavo got his things straightened out; When he was done with that, they’d hopefully be able to write a new song with Snoop. 

“Mm, mm, mmm,” The man clearly enunciated, somehow sipping past the mountain of marshmallows the assistant had piled on top. “Now, that’s some good cocoa.”

Roxy felt her chest swell with pride, “Thank you! Oh, my God, thank you.”

Barely finishing her sentence before James reached out to pat her leg, his next words were just as full of excitement. “I can’t believe we’re gonna record a song with Snoop Dogg!”

Jittery, excited teen warbling filled the room, the five on the couch barely able to contain themselves in the presence of such a famous musician. 

“It’s the least I could do after running Gustavo Rocque over with a limo."

From the piano the boys had wheeled into the room earlier, Gustavo alerted everyone of his presence with a loud wince and a few dissonant chords on the piano. That could only be expected from a man with an arm sling and two leg braces.

Hating the way the sour notes rang in her ears, Roxy asked, “Mr. Rocque, do you want me to play?”

“Yes,” He replied, weak and whispered, causing her to move from her place on the couch over to the wooden piano bench beside him. “We just have to write this song…”

“Don’t worry!” Kelly reassured Snoop, completely ignoring the terrible state their producer was in. “You won’t be here long. Roxy and Gustavo write songs really fast!”

Though she knew Kelly was doing her best to lie, the statement was half true - Gustavo could be very quick when he wanted to. She, on the other hand, had songs in her book she had been toiling over for years. Writing quickly wasn’t impossible, just a bit improbable. 

Bench creaking as the writer turned to his assistant, Kelly’s words seemed to inspire Gustavo. “I got it! I got it!” but when he turned back to the keys in front of him and reached out to play, he let out a wail of agony. “I don’t got it!”

The next few minutes were just downright depressing; Everyone in the lounge watched as he made up a small song about getting to go to Fiji. 

Staring at the keys in front of her, Roxy tried to conjure any musical sense she had left in her body after already getting through one song earlier in the day. She felt just as helpless as her boss, though she was apt at hiding it while she overheard her friends trying to assure Snoop that this was all part of the duo’s songwriting process. 

It had helped, slightly, when they tried to distract the rapper by asking him who the gift he had been carrying around was for. When they learned it was for his grandmother, each of them had guessed it was something outrageously expensive and impractical, considering he was one of the most famous musicians ever, but he had opened the box to show it off - A homemade scented candle holder. 

When James asked, “Where are the emeralds?” his girlfriend snorted out a bit of laughter, easing the tension she felt as she reached out to the keys to test a couple of chords. 

“Man, Christmas ain’t about expensive gifts!” Snoop hit him with a bit of holiday wisdom. “It’s about giving from the heart.”

All four of them muttered out statements of agreement, and now more than ever Roxy couldn’t wait to give them their gifts tomorrow morning once they were back in Minnesota. 

If we ever get back to Minnesota. 

Admittedly, writing “Beautiful Christmas” earlier had wiped the girl out. Despite the chords she played or the melodies she attempted to string together in front of everyone, nothing felt good enough to make their holiday EP. There weren’t even any ideas for lyrics swirling around in her head, begging to be put into words on a blank page in her songbook, even with all the Christmas cheer they had packed into one day. 

Roxy had been so caught up in her own head, she had barely heard Kendall call out to Logan for a “fresh Christmas beat” which his friend was more than happy to supply. Though the steady beatboxing made it impossible for her to try and write anything else, it did brighten the room, easing the tension everyone felt as the frontman began to freestyle, “On the first day of Christmas Snoop gave to me-”

“A song for your Christmas EP!”

This time, the rest of the band joined in singing, and Roxy did her best to provide some improvised backup on the piano. “On the second day of Christmas Snoop gave to me-”

“Two fractured femurs!” Gustavo yelled, almost right into Roxy’s ear, causing her to accidentally slam her hands down on the keys and ruin the song’s flow. 

“And a song for your Christmas EP?” Snoop finished, though a bit wearier than before. “Yo, keep it going, man. That could work!”

Just as the assistant was ready to jump back in with the music, Kelly called, “Take it to the studio!” and in a flash, the recording booth was set up, Gustavo at the helm, ready to create a new holiday classic.

Booth a bit cramped with her friends and the large rapper inside, everyone had been distributed their headphones and stood around the mic as Logan kicked his beat back. As easily as the words had come to them before, they reached the 12th day of Christmas without a hitch while their assistant wrote everything out in her journal. 

12 rinkside tickets

11 books on physics

10 juicy corn dogs

9 lucky combs

8 wooly beanies

7 sweater vests 

6 guitar pedals

5 municipal bonds with a compound interest rate of 3% accruing monthly…?

4 comfy PJs

3 canned hams

2 broken femurs

And a song for the Christmas EP

At some point during the recording session, Griffin and Obdul had arrived at Rocque Records once more, and seemingly enjoyed what would be the final product of their song. 

Well, Roxy at least thought they enjoyed it, but their crossed arms and subtle head nods didn’t tell her as much as she wanted to know. 

Neither of her bosses even left room for comment, with Kelly pressing a few buttons on the soundboard and calling, “Guys, that was awesome!”

“And that makes three BTR Christmas songs,” The producer triumphantly announced. “Fiji, here I come!”

Both adults spun around in their chairs, ready to make their way out of the building, leaving their assistant alone to take care of the file download and editing process. 

Right before the two hit the door, Griffin finally spoke up after standing in the back of the room like a strange phantom. “Except Justin Bieber just released 50 Days of Christmas with 50 Cent. It’s over eight hours long and it’s a masterpiece!”

“He what?!” Roxy almost choked, digging around in her bag to find her phone despite the absurd title. Obviously, she needed to download the new album for their flight later. “Why didn’t anyone say something sooner!”

Her reaction to this news was the only emphatic one, considering the way Griffin spoke about the album implied he wanted something similar from Big Time Rush.

“Sorry about Bieber, but I gotta get to Grandma’s house,” Snoop said into the mic. “There’s two things Grandma don’t tolerate. That’s elbows on the table and tardiness.”

Jumping into leader mode once it began to sound like the rapper was planning on leaving, Kendall placed a hand on Snoop’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure Gustavo will get this figured out!”

“You’ll be over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house in a couple of hours,” Added James, not helping their case at all, though his girlfriend was impressed by the amount of faith he had in her writing ability if he figured the recording session would be longer.

“Yeah… but I gotta be to Grandma’s house in 15 minutes.”

Faith in their Christmas EP immediately fading, Roxy began to feel a bit lightheaded. From the prospect of losing their celebrity or from the earthy smells in the room, she didn’t know. 

Her bosses shared similar sentiments, dropping back into their chairs and desperately preparing the booth for another recording session.

“And Gustavo collapsed full of holiday blues, ‘cause on the day before Christmas, Snoop gave them all terrible news.” The assistant weakly recited, cursing her brain for thinking of a poem instead of song lyrics. 

“Roxy! Not helping!” Logan called through the glass, so she glanced his way and stuck her tongue out before continuing, now just to spite him.

“With Snoop leaving for Grandma’s, the gang didn’t have long, just fifteen minutes to write their last holiday song.”

***

Destroying all the instruments in the studio didn’t help Gustavo and Roxy write their new holiday song; The man was too full of ire at the situation Griffin had put them in the focus and his assistant had to be physically restrained by her boyfriend to keep from launching herself at her boss for wrecking such expensive and precious equipment. 

And now, Gustavo had moved on from his rage and had fully calmed down, bringing a chair out to the middle of the studio and lounging on it, babbling this and that about Fiji as though he were caught in a daydream. Roxy didn’t have the luxury of being able to pretend she was back in Minnesota because she was stuck cleaning up the mess he had made moments before.

From the studio, she could see into the recording booth thanks to the large pane of glass separating her from the band, Snoop, and Kelly, and she could tell even from a distance they were in the middle of begging the rapper to stay. 

What would happen if we just left right now… Griffin would certainly fire us, right? A terrible question to ponder as she took a broom to the floor and began to sweep up broken bits of plastic and metal from the drum kit Gustavo went Incredible Hulk on. But I’ve never had a Christmas outside of Minnesota. It doesn’t even snow here… What’s a Christmas without snow… And a Christmas without Dad…

For most of the day, she had been quite confident in her band’s ability to complete Griffin’s request, but now, they had less than ten minutes to write, record, and produce a song for their CEO to let them go home. No one could do all of that in ten minutes, it was impossible. 

Continuing to sweep, she finally let her thoughts sink in, eating away at the confidence she had placed in team Big Time Rush. 

“Come on Gustavo, it’s Christmas!” 

The high-pitched, squeaking sound of someone goading their boss on filled the studio, catching the assistant off guard. 

“Rox!” James whispered from the hall behind her. “We’ve got a plan, come on.”

When she turned and noticed him, a bright, goofy smile on his face, holding out his hand to her, she swore he was like a shining Christmas angel - Halo, wings, and all. If Big Time Rush had a plan, they would certainly make their flights on time. 

Cymbals crashing to the hardwood floor behind her shocked the girl straight to her core, jumping in place before scampering off to take James’ hand and head to the soundboard with the rest of her friends. 

“We all want to go away for the holidays!” Logan at the speaker now, pitch fader slid all the way to the top of the board, was pissing Gustavo off even more as he took one of the drums off the kit and threw it into the red wall.

Yard Squirrel’s Christmas… She realized, remembering how quickly Gustavo had claimed to write the song. If anyone can save us now… It’s him.

“Come on Gustavo,” Carlos now, adding in more things to anger their boss. “You can wear your PJs.”

“You can do it, Gustavo! Do it for Fiji-Wiji!” Added James, as Roxy still clutched at his hand. 

The assistant even added her own, “Another platinum record, Mr. Rocque!” just to hear what her voice would sound like with the filter on. 

Gustavo was still running around the studio, breaking whatever was in reach, while the teens, Kelly, and Snoop all piled on their mix of encouragement and insults to fire the man up. 

It wasn’t long after smashing a bass guitar to the floor did he glance up at the ceiling, as though he were cursing someone above and bellowed out, “Yard Squirrels!”

Maybe we went too far-

“Get in the booth. I’ve got the song!” The man called through the speakers, letting them all know their Christmas had been saved. 

***

“And unfortunately, no one is getting in or out of Minnesota or most of the Midwest tonight. A snowstorm has completely shut down all the airports. Merry Christmas!”

Apartment 2-J was silent as Big Time Rush, their assistant, and the Knights looked mournfully at the TV weather report that had popped up on the news moments before they had planned to leave for LAX. 

The new songs, the duets, and the cover wrapped into one holiday EP had been enough to please Arthur Griffin, only to leave Roxy and her friends unable to travel to the one place they wanted to be during the holidays. 

All of their hard work had been for nothing. 

Well, mostly for nothing. At the very least Snoop had left his agent’s name and number, claiming he’d love to be put on a remix of “Boyfriend.”

New Hollywood connections!

Roxy fought her way into James’ arms while he stood completely frozen, still staring at the broadcast, while Kendall ripped the beanie off his head and angrily threw it to the floor.  Logan fell back to the couch, head in his hands, and even Carlos, let out a small, astonished whimper. 

“Aw,” Mrs. Knight tried her best to comfort her kids, stepping forward to rub circles into her son’s back. “Sorry, guys…” With a weak finger pointed to the TV, Carlos sighed, “I guess we ran out of Christmas miracles.”

“And after everything we went through…” Logan couldn’t even finish his sentence.

No one could conjure up anything else to say, just zoning out as the news anchor brought up a new story about something happening in Los Angeles. 

“I’ve never wanted to get on a plane so badly,” Roxy attempted to make a joke, but she just weakly muttered into James’ coat, words lost into the fabric as he finally wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Buzz buzz

Incoming call: Dad

Just seeing his name on her phone’s home screen made Roxy’s heart sink further into her stomach. The news report on TV had been devastating, yet distant at the same time. Picking up this phone call would make everything final, everything real.

Slowly detaching from her boyfriend, Roxy held up her phone and headed off toward her apartment to take the call. 

“Hi Dad… See the news?” 

On the other line, she heard him grunt in confirmation mixed with some background noise she couldn’t decipher, “Hey. Just got the weather alert on my phone and figured I should give you a call.”

The sweet sound of his voice was enough to move her to tears. “We tried so hard, Daddy, but Griffin just kept demanding more and more and more-”

“Slow down, honey bun! It’s okay. Sure I’m a bit bummed, but the most important thing to me is that you’re safe.”

Roxy wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, hoping her continuous sniffling wasn’t making it through the microphone, “I know but… I can’t imagine having Christmas without you. I don’t want to have Christmas without you.”

She knew she sounded like a child throwing a temper tantrum, but it didn’t make her statement any less true. 

“You know how these storms go. It’ll be over by tomorrow night and it’ll be safe to fly again. Then we’ll be able to see each other again.”

The indiscernible noise rumbled through the speaker again. It sounded a bit like… 

“Dad, are you in Dynamo right now? That sounded like his engine after sitting at a red light. It’s not safe to be driving right now, the storm is going to hit any minute!”

“Ah, no, I’ve got a movie on in the background. I’m all snug back home.”

Roxy wasn’t sure she believed him but didn’t have the energy to pick a fight as she ran a few fingers across her face, eliminating the remanence of any tears. “I’ve got your tape all wrapped up, you’ll never guess what it is this year.”

“It better not be somethin’ I won’t like! If I’ve got to spend the whole year learnin’ it, I should at least have the satisfaction of enjoyin’ it.”

While she couldn’t remember when their tradition started, each year for Christmas Roxy and her father would exchange a single cassette - An album or a mixtape of their own design. It helped the two of them find new music and expand their horizons, but there was always an unspoken agreement that they’d learn the songs on the tape to be performed at next year’s Christmas celebration. 

Last year she had received Wish by the Cure, an album from the year she was born, and she had given him Attack & Release by The Black Keys, one of her favorite albums from last year. While she’d typically go for something more punkish, she wanted to hear his version of the unforgettable guitar. That, and his voice was just as captivating as Dan Auerbach’s, gravelly and bluesy; She couldn’t wait to hear him sing again. It was likely she’d make him sing the words to her album as well, considering for the last four years she had starkly refused to.

“You’ll like it, I hope. But don’t ask for any surprises or hints! When we see each other again, you’ll find out.”

“Sounds good… It won’t be that long, hang in there. You’ve got your friends and your… boyfriend. It’ll be nice tomorrow, all of you together.”

“One day you’ll be able to say ‘boyfriend’ without sounding like you want to bash your head against the wall.” The engine-like noise roared in her ears again. “Are you sure you’re not driving? I don’t want to spend the entire night worrying about you!”

“Movie, Roxy. Movie.”

Even though he couldn’t see her, she rolled her eyes. 

Knock knock

At the door connecting to 2-J, James appeared, silently beckoning his girlfriend to come back over. 

“I’ve got to go, I think the boys are up to something,” Roxy sighed into the phone. “But I’ll call you tomorrow morning and see if we can get the flights sorted back out.”

“Sounds good, talk tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you too, Merry Christmas.”

After his reply of “Merry Christmas,” the line clicked dead and Roxy felt the sadness from before creeping in. In a few deep breaths, she did her best to suppress the feeling before sliding her phone into her back pocket and joining up with her boyfriend.

“Katie says she has an idea, but she wants you there too,” He simply told her and that was all she needed. The two of them made their way back to their friends, hand in hand, to hear what the youngest Knight had wanted to share. 

Stepping in front of the TV in the living room and cutting off the news broadcast still playing, Katie had already formed a collection of candy canes and cocoa packets in her arms. “How about we make a Christmas miracle happen ourselves? Spread some, you know, Christmas joy?”

Though it took a moment, everyone turned her way, liking the sound of her plan, “We’re listening…” 

Immediately, the young girl began to lay out her plan and it wasn’t too far off from one her brother and his friends had formulated earlier in the day. Kendall and Katie were so alike, at times it astonished the writer. Since all the other Palm Woods residents had gone home for the holidays, they wouldn’t miss their decorations at all, right?

It was late in the evening, and when everyone headed down to the lobby to formulate their decorating ideas, Bitters was nowhere in sight. He probably figured they had already taken a car to the airport and were waiting to head back to the Midwest by now. Instead, they were running around the empty hallways of his hotel and finding any loose, spare, or unnailed-down decorations to haul into the lobby for their big celebration. 

Considering they weren’t concerned with being caught by the hotel manager or reprimanded by any patrons, their decorating took no time at all. In a matter of an hour, the lobby had a full tree with ornaments, lights, tinsel, and presents underneath. It was so large, that it even obscured their view of the front doors.

“Do you think that’s enough?” Kendall asked, eyes flickering up and down the large tree. “Because I don’t think it is.”

His friends agreed, it certainly wasn’t enough. So, they spent the rest of their evening traveling back and forth from the hotel to Rocque Records, transporting the same decorations they had used in the lounge for the lobby. The fake brick wall and TV fireplace, stocking, long strands of garland over every doorway.

They’d even managed to convince Mrs. Knight to loan them her minivan to get two large, brown couches and a glass coffee table from the accounting department of the record company. 

Though Katie had told them she was hoping to surprise the grouchy manager, Roxy could also tell she was trying to make herself and her friends feel better about their situation as well. Even if their Christmas wasn’t what they had hoped, she remembered what her dad had told her on the phone earlier. 

It’ll be nice tomorrow, all of you together.

***

“I don’t understand!” Roxy whined, letting Big Time Rush drag her from her nice comfy bed, down to the hotel lobby. “It’s too early, he’s not going to be awake yet…”

The five teens paraded down the stairwell, ready for Christmas morning in their softest, warmest pajamas, to meet Mrs. Knight and Katie to surprise Me. Bitters. 

“His shift starts at 8, and it’s…” Logan checked his digital watch, “7:59! Let’s go!” 

No one had ever tumbled out of the Palm Woods stairwell so fast. 

When they reached the lobby, the teens were able to breathe a sigh of relief, all of the decorations were up and hanging where they had left them, meaning the manager hadn’t seen them at some point during the night and taken them all down. From Katie’s description, he seemed quite anti-Christmas, so no one was sure how their surprise would turn out. 

Regardless of how he felt about it, at least Big Time Rush, Roxy, and the Knights would all be able to spend their day together. Though she wished her father could make it, this was far better than she could have ever imagined. 

She and James plopped down on the edge of one of the brown couches, snuggling into each other's sides in front of the fake fireplace. Carlos and Logan joined them, while the Knights took the other couch.

“Merry Christmas,” James whispered to her, pressing a light kiss to his girlfriend’s temple. “Sorry we couldn’t let you sleep any longer. We’ve been up since 5 and Mrs. Knight wouldn’t let us open anything until you and Bitters joined us.”

Roxy suppressed a snort. Of course they’d been up since the crack of dawn; Their sense of childlike wonder never ceased to amaze her. “Merry Christmas, James. I’ll be sure to get up earlier next year.”

His rumble of laughter was comforting, making it easy for her to rest her head on his shoulder and try and get in a few more seconds of rest before the manager started work. 

Maybe she had been too optimistic, because, at that precise moment, the door to the hotel manager’s office opened, revealing Bitters in his standard-work order Palm Woods navy blue button-up pajamas and a white nightcap. 

“Another Christmas morning…” He grumbled, closing the door and rubbing his eyes. “Just like any other morning.”

As he went to put on his glasses, Katie held up a silent count down from three on her fingers, and everyone called, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Bitters!”

He blinked a few times, as though he couldn’t believe all the people and decorations in his lobby were real. “What’s all this?”

“Christmas morning!” Katie replied. “With friends.”

It took a good amount of time for the man to take everything in, eyes darting from decoration to decoration, the people on the couches in front of him, and finally, under the tree. 

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

With a warm smile, Mrs. Knight warmly advised, “Say ‘Merry Christmas!’”

One deep breath in, and Bitters finally stopped hiding his excitement, letting out a joyous, “Merry Christmas!” as though everyone at the Palm Woods was in an old holiday movie. 

Cheers erupted, filling the room with the sound of jovial laughter as everyone stood up, racing to the tree to grab the presents they had wrapped to hand out. 

“We’ve got presents for you, Big Guy!” Logan promised, each of the boys and their assistant lining up to present their gifts. 

Carlos was first, “A rock star nutcracker? I’ve always wanted one of these!” then Kendall, “Canned ham? How’d you know?” James’ homemade ceramic creation, “It’s homemade!” and finally Roxy and Logan’s, “New binders? The Palm Woods filing cabinet needed these!”

When the teens had finished, Katie hopped up from her spot on the couch to hand him the biggest gift of all, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Bitters.”

“Snoop Dogg Jamphonic headphones?” The most expensive gift of all as well. “Thank you, Katie. Thank you so much.”

From then, it didn’t take long for the boys to tear into the gifts Mrs. Knight and Katie had gotten for them - Lots of toys and games, with the occasional clothing item or needed school supplies thrown in. Roxy even got to join in on the fun, receiving a beautiful blue cardigan from Mrs. Knight and a new makeup organizer from Katie. 

When it finally came her time to hand out what she had gotten for her friends, however, she grew a bit anxious. She knew they had learned their lesson about handmade gifts, but it still worried her slightly as she handed the four of them identically sized boxes, wrapped in their favorite colors. 

Paper gone in a matter of seconds, Carlos was the first to officially tear into his gift. “No way… A cassette tape… and a bracelet!”

The other three eventually caught up, finding similar items in the tissue paper at the bottom of their boxes. 

“Um, yeah…” Roxy faltered, despite knowing it was quite silly. They were her friends, they’d love anything she had given them, but something about this being the first Christmas they’d spent together was putting some unwanted pressure on her. “My dad and I have a tradition where we trade tapes, so I thought I could bring you guys in on it for next year. They’re all different; I made them according to music I think you’d all enjoy.”

While she fiddled with her hands, she finally found the strength to glance up at them, only to find all four of them beaming back at her. 

Joy on my friends’ faces as they open my gifts to them… A Christmas miracle.

“As for the bracelets,” She found the strength to continue, holding up her left hand to show off the one she had been wearing for the past few weeks. “I had to restring my acoustic when we got back from tour… So I figured why not make matching bracelets from the strings I used to write my first Big Time Rush song.”

“You made these?” Kendall asked, swiftly setting the box down on the coffee table and slipping his on. 

Roxy said a silent prayer of thanks that she had estimated the size correctly. “Yeah… My dad’s a punk. Of course, I know how to make weird jewelry.”

Each bracelet had a different twisting pattern to set them apart from one another, with beads in the same color as the wrapping paper decorating every few inches. 

“If they’re too weird or anything you don’t have to-”

Roxy was abruptly cut off as the four of them crushed her into one big group hug. All of the boys overlapped their speech, thanking her, promising to always wear them, and telling her how wonderfully innovative her idea had been before Katie cleared her throat from the couch. “I want my gift now!”

From the middle of the huddle, Roxy did her best to raise her hand and point to the two gifts she had put on the table, “Kaite’s is purple, Mrs. Knight’s is green!”

She barely even got to see Kaite open her large, thick book on entertainment law or Mrs. Knight receive her new, black crossbody purse before the boys finally let her go. 

“Ok! Your turn!” James told her, gently guiding her back onto the large brown couch. “Stay right here and close your eyes.”

“Would it kill you to say, ‘please?’”

“Babe!”

“Okay, okay! Eyes closed, just tell me when to open them!”

Using both shaking hands to cover her eyes, Roxy heard four sets of footsteps dash toward the elevators then a few moments later, shuffle all the way back in front of her. It elevated her heart rate far more than she liked.

What have these boys-

“Open, open, open!” She heard Carlos giggle and followed his instructions, removing her hands to find a large guitar case at the base of the Christmas tree. 

It was rectangular and completely solid, black with silver accents lining the frame and small latches on the side. Far more professional than the cases she had been carrying her guitars in for tour; This thing looked impenetrable and based on the size could carry a lot more of her equipment as well. 

However, the best detail was on the upper left corner of the case, standing out beautifully against the black leather material. Someone had taken some white spray paint and big, block letter stencils to write out an angled Roxy Somerset to let the entire world know who the case belonged to. 

“Guys… I-” She brought her hands over her mouth, hardly able to form any coherent thoughts beyond Oh my fucking God at the incredible gift they had gotten for her. 

“We know you were worried about all your stuff getting lost or damaged last tour,” Logan said, filling in the silence. 

“So, we figured you’d want something a bit more secure,” Kendall waved his hand over the case, “It should fit your electric and the wires for your amps and stuff, picks and whatnot…”

Roxy was still unable to say anything, even when James simply sauntered over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, “And it’s super flashy, definitely rockstar worthy for you, songbird!” 

The sensation was overwhelming, receiving something so wonderful and having all of her friends staring at her waiting for her to react, that her brain was still suck in her Oh my fucking God phase. All she could do for now was hug James right back, squeezing him so hard he let out a groan, before waving the rest of Big Time Rush over to join. 

“I can’t believe it…” She finally managed. “The four of you are incredible, truly. ‘Thank you’ doesn’t even feel like enough.”

None of them said anything, they just held her back equally as tight until their message had been received. 

Though Kendall, Carlos, and Logan had eventually broken off to open some more gifts, Roxy still kept a hold of James, glancing up at him before bringing her hand to the side of her mouth as though she were about to tell him a secret.

“Santa told me there’s one more gift for you under the tree.”

His eyes lit up as bright as the Christmas lights they’d strung across the lobby, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the side, away from everyone else, once he spotted the rectangular box underneath the tree in the same purple paper his tape and bracelet had been wrapped up in. 

Taking hold of it, James shook it a few times to see if he could guess what was inside, before giving up and tearing into the packaging. Roxy never took her eyes off of him when he discovered a white clothing box, which he tore into with the same intensity, and pulled out a long-sleeved L.A. Kings jersey. Though he held it in front of his face by the sleeves, she could picture his grand, white smile, and that was just examining the front. 

Clearing her throat, she tried to act nonchalant as she said, “The real surprise is on the back.”

In an instant, he turned the jersey around to find a white stitched number 1 on the back, just like his jersey on the MAHS team. Diamond branded across the back shoulders as though he were a real player on the team. 

“Guess we were both into name stuff this year. I love it when we think alike.”

Finally, James lowered the jersey so he could see his girlfriend, the same wide look in his eyes from before. “Roxy, this is… I didn’t get you anything else-”

“Don’t worry about it! It’s not about the quantity… You’re a wonderful boyfriend, so I wanted our first Christmas together to be special.”

When he looked at her again, she felt her heart stop. Something was different about his gaze now, more intense, wild, as he took a few more steps behind the tree and waved her over. 

Standing in front of him now, his eye contact still didn’t waver until he bent down to kiss her cheek, “So, so special.”

Before she could reply, he pulled the jersey over her head, temporarily blinding her as she let out a brief cry of struggle. “James! What?!”

He continued to tug the fabric down over her arms and hips, eventually reaching back up to guide her head through the top and gently pull her hair out from under the material, letting it frame her face again, albeit wilder than before. Instinctually, she pulled her arms through the sleeves and reached up to smooth her locks down, cheeks growing red in embarrassment as he continued to look down at her. 

“You are so ridiculous, you know that?” She jabbed a finger into his chest, body heating up from the new too-big fleece jersey and mild anger. “This is for you, not me-”

James cut her off by taking her hand and spinning her around, taking a long moment to admire the name and number on his girlfriend’s back. “Oh, it’s for me, baby. Definitely for me.”

That’s when it clicked.

So concerned with trying to get him the most recent jersey and going through all the official channels to get the correct customizations done, Roxy had been so focused on making this the perfect gift for him. She had never even considered what it might be like for a hockey player to see someone they cared about so deeply wearing something so personal. 

By the time he spun her back around, there was no chance she wasn’t as red as a tomato as he continued to look her up and down. 

“Okay, then.” She felt herself try to fill the silence. “Good.”

James nodded. “Good.”

There was a millisecond of silence before he winked and crashed his mouth into hers. 

If she had known this would have gotten him so fired up, she would’ve bought him a jersey ages ago. 

Her hands traveled up the soft cotton of his long-sleeved t-shirt, locking around his neck as she pushed him back into the beige wall obscured from the rest of the room by the Christmas tree, eliciting a soft groan of his so guttural she could feel it travel throughout her own body. 

Though the fabric of the jersey was thick, his hands fled to her waist in response, pulling her closer into him as they slipped under the hem, fingertips seeking the heat radiating off her skin. 

Thanks to the winter weather, his fingers were freezing cold on her body. Roxy jumped at the contact but didn’t let it stop her as her lips stayed locked onto his, barely stopping to take in any form of a breath. 

James tasted sweet, like peppermint. He must’ve had one of the candy canes Katie had handed out earlier.

When he pulled away sometime later, she let out a small whine before he dove right back in, telling her between kisses down her cheeks and neck how beautiful she was, how perfect her gift had been, how he couldn’t wait to see her wear his jersey in public. Roxy's fingers threaded through his hair as she took his words in, gently tugging on the long strands while she drove her teeth into her bottom lip to keep quiet. 

 There was enough laughter bellowing out from the other side of the lobby, she figured no one noticed they were even missing. The little alcove they had found by the front doors was theirs and theirs alone.

Best. Christmas. Ever. 

“Well… That’s a mighty strange way to spell ‘Somerset’…”

A voice: Bluesy. Gravely. Unmistakable. 

James immediately froze as his girlfriend managed to untangle herself from him, whipping around as she ran worried fingers through her hair, attempting to hide just how messy it was becoming. 

Roxy would know that voice anywhere, and while she was normally so excited to hear it, this time, it sent a chill down her spine.

“Daddy? You’re here!” She called as innocently as possible but winced at the crack she could hear on the last word. However, it didn’t stop her from running over to him and throwing her arms around him despite the large backpack and guitar case strapped over his shoulder. “I can’t believe it, what about the flight ban?”

“Drove to Wisconsin and flew out of there.” Declan’s words were simple, but she could hear the uncomfortable amount of strain it had taken him to say. When his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, she knew he was staring James down, but was too happy to see her father to care. 

By now, everyone had heard a new voice in the foyer of the Palm Woods, heads turning to find Roxy and her father in a sweet holiday embrace, before inviting them over to join in their holiday festivities. 

When she reached out to take his guitar from him and offered to show him her apartment, he said, “That sounds lovely, honey bun, thank you. Can I give you your gift first, though?”

For now, it seemed as though James was off the hook, though he was still frozen up against the wall, unblinking as he took the sight of Declan in.

“Yes! Let me grab yours, too. Come on and meet everyone!” In no time, she had dragged him over to the center of the party, allowing him to properly meet Mrs. Knight, Katie, and Mr. Bitters, and see Kendall, Carlos, and Logan for the first time in a while. 

When she passed his black wrapped tape over to him, Declan handed off the one he had wrapped for her, and the two carefully peeled the paper back to not damage what was inside. 

The plastic was cool in her hands. Jack’s Mannequin: Everything In Transit. An artist and album Roxy had never heard of. 

In her father’s hands, he held Icky Thump by The White Stripes, turning it over as he let out a few breathy chuckles. “The Black Keys last year, White Stripes this year… Are you tryin’ to start a war on my shelves?”

Declan brought up the two band’s famous feud as if that was something that mattered to either of them. “Oh yes, because your tapes come alive and fight to the death whenever you leave the room… Tell me about mine though - What is it? I don’t recognize either name.”

Finally setting his backpack down on the floor beside where she had placed his guitar case, Declan pointed in the tape’s general direction. “You told me you were learning piano, so I found you a tape to learn on that and the guitar. You know Something Corporate?”

It was like the two of them were in their own little world as they spoke about their new music library additions, using terms and referencing events the others didn’t understand. 

“‘I Woke Up In A Car,’ right? I love that one! I put it on Kendall’s tape so he could learn it on guitar. He doesn’t know it yet, but he likes the same type of music we do.”

The corner of his lips curved up into something that resembled a smile, “Jack's Mannequin is the lead singer-songwriter’s side project. While not entirely my thing, you’ll like it.”

“I know I will. Thanks, Dad!” She threw her arms around him for the second time in as many minutes, finally able to let herself be relieved he made it to California to spend Christmas with her and somewhat confident he wasn’t planning on killing her boyfriend.

“Jay! I’ve got one for you too if you’re done hiding back there,” Her father called, angling his head back so James could hear him, causing more than one of her friends to poorly try and hide their snickering. 

A few moments later, the singer sheepishly made his way over to the rest of the celebration, though he sat as far away from Roxy and Declan as possible. With a small thank you, he took the wrapped tape from the man, opened it, and promised to borrow Roxy’s tape player as soon as possible. 

After the gifts had finally been opened, everyone was trying on their new clothes or playing with new toys, and general pleasantries had been exchanged between the adults, the conversation was beginning to die down. Just as Roxy was about to drag her father up to 2-H to show him her apartment, a familiar, “Ho-ho-ho!” rang out from the front of the lobby. 

Around the large tree came Kelly and Gustavo, both dressed up in their warmest winter PJs. 

“I missed my flight to Fiji, so I figured I’d spend the holidays with my dawgs! In my PJs!”

Beside her, the writer felt her father tense up at the sight of two strange adults wanting to hang out around a bunch of teenagers, so under her breath, she shared that those two were their bosses over at Rocque Records and not the reason they had missed their flights. 

“And we brought a little holiday feast!” Kelly shared, motioning toward the front doors where an endless stream of chefs in white-colored clothing brought on tray after tray of food, delivered straight to the large table in the back of the Palm Woods lobby. 

Roxy had never seen so much food, and it made her stomach growl terribly loud. Who cares if it’s early in the morning? We could all use a feast!

It wasn’t long after, everyone was gathered around the table, carving up turkey, sharing all the delicious side dishes, and certainly saving room for the large dessert the adults had hidden away in Bitters’ office for later. 

A few delicious, gratifying bites of food later, Roxy scanned over the faces at the table, reminding herself just how lucky she was to be spending the holidays with the people she loved more than anything in this world. Gently, she leaned over to her boyfriend and shared the last line of the poem she had been writing all day.  “So with family beside you and friends together, that’s the recipe for the best holiday ever.”

--

hello! happy holidays, haha! thanks for pretending its still appropriate to be reading holiday things at the beginning of february.

put a lot of work into this one, i hope all of you enjoyed <3 thanks again for reading

be sure to let me know what you think with your likes, reblogs, and comments - they truly keep me going :)

[nerdygaymormon]

ED Therapy Session #2

I didn’t plan on making this entry, it didn’t seem like there was enough to share from the session. However with some time, I’ve changed my mind thanks to things which have happened since that session. 

—————————

First, I began by telling the therapist that after the last session, I immediately began binging in my car. But as I did so I recognized this is what I’m trying to stop. I continued to eat, but I was disgusted with myself and what I was doing. I ate some of everything, but wound up throwing away half of the food. She responded that this was a positive step, what a good start. Here I was confessing to an immediate failure and she reframed it as a success.

To help me understand binge eating disorder, she explained it’s similar to bulimia, except instead of binging and purging, I binge and don’t purge.

I was telling the psychologist about going to a baseball game with some new friends, and how I was pleased with how they were so nice to a fat guy. She stopped and asked if that’s how I see myself? I said that this is what I look like, it’s what people will see, of course they notice. Her response was “the first thing I noticed about you was your smile.” We then talked about not minimizing myself.

I don’t need to convince people I’m worthy to be included, they enjoy knowing me. People seek me out because I’m empathetic and understanding. I make an impact in my communities and the world around me, and minimizing myself will limit how impactful I can be.

My homework included several things: 1) I was to begin a Body Positivity class 2) Each day I’m to identify what is my biggest accomplishment 3) And I’m to be more open and share accomplishments AND hard things I deal with/have dealt with to the people in my life. 

—————————

I’ve been to a few body positivity classes. Honestly, they feel hokey to me. I can understand what is being taught but I don’t fully believe it in my heart. 

It’s a small group and they’re very supportive. At one point, the facilitator said to let’s go around and say something positive we did today. I commented, “My therapist would love you. This is the homework I’m supposed to be doing, but I keep forgetting to do.” 

Two of those in the class offered to support me by creating a group text and each day we would all three share our top accomplishment of the day. Honestly, that was a surprise and meant a lot to me. And they’ve kept their promise for this whole week.

Oh, I also had homework from the class, which is to write a short love letter to my body. I wound up writing not a love letter, but a short poem, and rather than love it’s more like acceptance. I am looking forward to sharing it with the class this week.

The scars, the stretch marks, my body has incurred, These are displays of all that my mind has served. No matter the shame nor how much I jeer, My body has faithfully carried me here. Mind and body, both have had to deal. Both are wounded, both will heal, One supporting the other, they are a pair. Both are deserving and worthy of self care.

—————————

Today I was at church, and someone with whom I shared that I have this challenge saw me and came over to ask how things are going with therapy. I gave a very brief update, including that I’ve started attending a body image class.

He said to remember that who I am is my spirit, and my spirit is mighty and powerful. My body and mind are part of me, but are fragile and weak in a way my spirit is not. I am beautiful. I am blessed. I am loved. Those things are not dependent on my body, they are inherent as a child of God.

I gave him a big hug as tear or two fell onto his shoulder.

[alxssarosex]

So here's the what's been going on with Alyssa (me) post.

1. This has been lightly yapped about on here before. I have an ex bf from like a year ago now (we started dating may of 23 and broke up September 23). I was in love with him but he moved halfway through our relationship about a hour and a half away and He was kinda insecure (never really understood why I was with him) so we brokeup. I've missed him ever since. I've had a few bfs since but none that even compared to him. He however got a new gf a month later and they didn't breakup till a couple weeks ago. I've been hoping he'd text me ever since and he hasn't so I've given up it's embarrassing for me to still be caught up on it. but yeah I've referenced it on here a lot so I figured I'd Start with that.

2. So this is longer and more traumatic and has also lightly yapped about. My ex situationship psychologically abused me very very badly. I was stuck in that situation for like a year and a half. I'm honestly probably permanently traumatized from it. Well when I was with her their was this girl she was friends with and I just knew the girl liked her she told me I was crazy and making shit up the whole time. Well I found out she had slept with her and it was the final thing I needed to leave and get with my ex bf (the previously mentioned one). The girl she had slept with recently followed both my Instagram accounts. When I looked at her page I saw a guy I thought was cute so I followed him. My friend goes to school with him and said she'll put me on with him. I lowkey- highkey got a crush on him but he's also friends with my abusive ex which could undo the healing I've done but I also have a feeling about him and ive only had it with my ex before and that was my best relationship and someone who I loved so I don't know and I also don't know him like my friend hasn't put us on yet I don't know if that was clear or not.

I have more I could yap about so I could make this like a series let me know if you'd be interested sometimes my life is like a movie.