#and their switch up totally shook me i genuinely thought they were being sarcastic

[eldritch-thrumming]

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[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝘼𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙯: 𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙂𝙁 𝙃𝙖𝙨 𝘼 𝙆𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚

❥𝐾𝑖𝑚 𝐻𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑗𝑜𝑜𝑛𝑔

"I know it's your job honey.....but I'm really not sure how to feel about this..... I'll support you no matter what though..."

You shook your head and held Hongjoong's hands in your own, running your thumbs across the top of his knuckles in a gentle motion.

"I know it's not easy Joong...but thanks for understanding." You smiled at him.

Pouting, he asked.

"Promise you won't fall for your co-actor?"

Chuckling you kissed his pouty lips. "Impossible when I've already fallen for you."

That comment made Hongjoong smile again....even if he was pouting once again after the showed aired and your kissing scene was trending all over. You came to visit him at the studio, food in hand for him and Eden, who had gotten used to having you around.

"Hi Y/N." He greeted you.

"Hi Eden- nim. Hongjoong?"

Hongjoong merely sat there, arms crossed as he glared at the screen in front of him.

"He's been like that all afternoon. I think you should do something." Eden decided it was his cue to leave for a couple minutes.

Tapping his shoulder, you called out to him again.

"Kim Hongjoong?"

He startled you by spinning around and facing you, suddenly blurting out:

"You're still interested in me right?"

Which caused you to burst out laughing.

❥𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑆𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑔ℎ𝑤𝑎

Maybe if you had told Seonghwa beforehand that you were going to have a kissing scene, everything would have been better. But you were busy with filming and he had to practice endless hours for their upcoming comeback that it was difficult to even talk for 5 minutes and it completely slipped your mind.

So one day, you came home and where you were surprised to see Seonghwa standing there, arms crossed as he tapped his foot on the floor.

"Oh Hwa! Didn't expect you here." You said.

"That makes two of us who weren't expecting things." He huffed out.

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"What are you talking about?"

Seonghwa tilted his head, his voice full of passive aggressiveness as he said:

"I'm talking about this!" He held up his phone, showing a screencap of you kissing your co-star.

"I take it you're not happy?" You asked him.

Seonghwa scoffed before letting out a dry laugh.

"Oh no! Of course not! I'm totally fine with someone else exchanging saliva with my girlfriend." He replied sarcastically, holding up his phone again.

You cringed. "Stop the sarcasm. It's only cute when Yeosang does it."

"Oh! So now even Yeosang is cuter than me?!" He exclaimed.

"Park Seonghwa, stop this nonsense before I throw your lint roller in my cat's litter box."

❥𝐽𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑌𝑢𝑛ℎ𝑜

You felt Yunho shift awkwardly next to you, his hand reaching for some of the popcorn that was in between both of your bodies.

"Yunho, you know it's not necessary to watch it if you don't want." You reminded him, knowing what scene was about to come up next.

Yunho immediately plastered a smile on his face.

"No honey! It's ok. I'm your big, supporting boyfriend who will cheer you on no matter what!" Lifting his fists up, he tried to show enthusiasm, but you could tell he wasn't being genuine.

Yunho glued his eyes back on the tv, one of his legs nervously swinging back and forth. He seemed to be doing fine during the whole confession scene, but when you and yours co-star kissed, he accidentally swung to hard that he ended up hitting the coffee table in front of him. You were about to check up on him, thinking he got hurt, but he just started laughing nervously.

"I'm ok! Just a muscle spasm." He joked.

You never took your eyes off him, knowing that beneath that smile, he was feeling sad and rather insecure about you kissing someone else. You were happy he at least tried to be happy and supportive of you, but you also knew you hated to see him upset.

Sitting up, you turned off the tv and then scooted closer to him. Leaning in, you placed a soft kiss on his lips, making sure to give them one quick peck before pulling back.

"I love you my not so little pup." You giggled at him as he blushed and looked down shyly.

Yunho turned back to you before pushing you down on the couch, pressing you against his back as he wrapped his arms around you.

"I love you too Y/N. And you really did do amazing."

❥𝐾𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑌𝑒𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑔

"Yeosang!"

Seonghwa shouted at him when he didn't answer for the 6th time.

"Huh?" He merely took a 1 second glance at the older male before gluing his eyes back on the tv.

"We can change it to something else-"

"No! I will watch it!" He exclaimed, surprising everyone at how loud he got.

"Yeosang....bro.....if you're not ok with this, it'd be better if you don't watch it." His longtime friend Wooyoung advised him.

"I'm ok! I'm totally fine! Just peachy." He picked up his boba tea and began sipping it at a rather fast pace, his eyes squinting at the tv in front of him.

The other guys looked amongst themselves, trying to decide to let him be or change it. Hongjoong ultimately told them it was Yeosang's call and therefore, they watched the rest of the drama.

When your character got kissed, Yeosang halted his sipping, eyes focused on the screen. The other guys tried not to say anything, but when the kiss got a little bit more heated, San couldn't help but let out a "ooooh" while Jongho covered his eyes and made a gagging noise.

Meanwhile Yeosang spat out the leftover liquid into his cup.

"I'm not ok! I am not ok!"

Standing up, Yeosang retreated to his bedroom, where he proceeded to crawl under the covers of his blanket and start groaning dramatically.

Getting up and following him, Wooyoung shook his head as he dialed your number.

"Ok, so your kissing scene broke him. So you better come over with some fried chicken and fix him or else I'll make you pay for making me deal with him if he's not repaired in 2 hours."

❥𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑖 𝑆𝑎𝑛

As soon as San heard rumors that you were going to have a kissing scene, he immediately called you to make sure they were lies.

"NOOOOOO!!!"

He screeched when you indeed confirm there'd be a kissing scene.

"I'm totally against this! I will not allow this to happen."

You asked the boys to keep him from coming over to the set, but unfortunately San was a cat that could easily slip unnoticed. So you were only made aware of his presence while you were in the middle of shooting your kiss scene because while you and your co-star were leaning in, you heard an extremely loud cough from behind you, which unfortunately got recorded.

"Cut!" The director yelled.

You turned around and nearly flipped out when San merely greeted you with a wave, as he simultaneously glared at your co-star. You spent about 10 minutes trying to shoot the same scene, only for it to be ruined every time due to San's antics. He'd either pretend to sneeze really loudly, push off certain props that made loud noises, even messed around with one of the ropes that sent a sand bag catapulting down the ceiling, nearly injuring your co-star.

"Oops. I just wanted to see what that lever did." He smiled innocently.

Having had enough, you grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out, all while he cried for you to stop in a high pitched voice.

"Listen here Choi San, this drama is supposed to be my big break and I will not have you ruining it for me, got it?!" You warned him.

San merely nodded with a pout.

"Please just don't enjoy it."

Rolling your eyes, you pecked his lips.

"Dopey cat. I only enjoy your kisses."

❥𝑆𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑖

The other guys began laughing as Mingi stared wide eye at the tv in shock as he watched you lip lock with your co-star.

"Mingi! Calm down bro!" San clapped like a seal, dying from laughter.

"It's only acting." Yunho patted him on the shoulder.

Mingi looked back and forth at the tv and them.

"Please tell me there's new technology that edits kissing instead of actually having people physically do it."

His sentence only made them laugh even harder, while he just sat there, pouting intensely. He continued pouting even after you came over to spend time with him. At first you thought he just had a bad day or missed you a lot more than usual. He was clinging onto you even more, his arms instantly wrapping behind you, face hidden on your neck as he nuzzled his nose against your skin. Every time you pulled him off because you needed to go somewhere or get something, he'd follow behind you, linking pinkies with you or holding onto your arm. Then when he began pecking your lips at random times, you knew something was up, which didn't take you long to figure out.

"You saw the scene didn't you?"

Mingi immediately nodded, huffing softly as he cuddled up to you, resting his head on your stomach. You chuckled and ran your fingers through his hair.

"Mingi if it makes you feel better, I thought of you while filming it."

Although he didn't say anything, you knew he was more than likely grinning like an idiot in love.

❥𝐽𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑊𝑜𝑜𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑔

You really did try to keep Wooyoung from finding out about the kissing scene, even going as far as asking the guys to distract him from watching your drama. But Wooyoung was smarter than you thought.

"There's something she doesn't want me to see. Isn't there?"

So the boys had no choice but to sit there and watch your drama with Wooyoung. He just sat there, straight face throughout the entire thing. But when you kissed your co-star he got the biggest smirk on his face.

"Oh.....so that's what you didn't want me to see." Wooyoung already began thinking about how to mess and tease you with this information, which was exactly the reason you didn't want him finding out in the first place.

As soon as you walked in your apartment, Wooyoung switched the lamp on and turned around in his chair, arms folding across his chest.

"Welcome home cheater."

At that point, you knew you were screwed. And he made sure to milk it for days. If you tried to hug him, he'd squirm out of your embrace. And if you tried to kiss him, he'd turn his face away and say:

"No! I'm not kissing you with that dirty, lying, cheating mouth of yours."

You had enough one day when he refused to cuddle with you though, so you opted for a different option. Getting up, you went over to his room, Wooyoung barely paying attention. When he heard Yeosang scream, he turned his head and watched him run out.

"Please just show your crazy girlfriend affection! She crawled into my bed and attempted to cuddle me!" Yeosang shivered from the physical contact.

Getting up, Wooyoung stormed over to the room.

"So now you're gonna be replacing me with my best friend?! Nuh uh! Come here so I can cuddle you!"

❥𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑖 𝐽𝑜𝑛𝑔ℎ𝑜

"Jongho, remember....stay calm." Hongjoong reminded him.

"Hyung...please. I'm mature and understand this was strictly professional. I'm not going to get mad." Jongho rolled his eyes at the leader.

"Ok, just in case though."

Yunho and Mingi proceeded to sit on opposite sides of him on the couch. Jongho merely scoffed.

"Wow so much for having faith in me. Some older brothers you guys are."

It was good of them to take precautions. Jongho tensed up when he saw your kissing scene, which then turned to outrage when he saw how your co-star's character deepened the kiss and made it even more steamy.

"Hold the fuck up! I thought this was just supposed to be a tiny kiss..."

He glared at the tv, as if trying to set it on fire.

"This is a fucking makeout scene!"

Unable to contain himself anymore, Jongho yelled as he got up from the couch, Yunho and Mingi immediately holding him back from destroying the tv or any other furniture within his reach.

"Guys be careful! He's loose!" San exclaimed as he climbed on top of the couch, Wooyoung following suit.

"Seonghwa! Get some apples for him to relieve stress and anger!" Hongjoong ordered as he attempted to calm Jongho down.

Meanwhile Yeosang just sat there quietly, munching on one of his chicken drumsticks, watching the chaotic scene unfold. Shaking his head, he picked up his phone and called you up.

"Your boyfriend's gone feral. Do you want to come tame him or can I call animal control to come take care of him?" He asked.

"Seriously Yeosang? You're an ass. I'll be there soon." You sighed as you hung up, making a mental note to yourself to pick up all of Jongho's favorite foods.

Gifs not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners.

[withcolebrock]

The Nights I’m Left Alone - part 2

Summary: Y/N notices Colby not feeling at his best and challenges him to Mario Kart to talk about his feelings

PART ONE

Requested: yes for a part 2 lol

Warnings: swearing, discussion of mental health

Word Count: 2,509

Author’s Note: OKAY HI! I’m back, sorry for being SOO dramatic about whatever was going on. The part was heavily inspired by the song This Side of Paradise by Coyote Theory. It is an amazing song and you guys should totally listen to it!! Anyway, one of my old friends and I would do this whole challenge each other thingy. So I thought it would be a fun idea to write, so I hope you guys like it!! also I may do a part three but it’s probably not likely... This is my Gif!!

It was another day where the friend group was hanging out together. It was mid-day, the weather seemed to be almost unbearably hot. Most of the group was swimming in the pool, while Colby was laying on a lounger chair tanning. Y/N leaned her body against her hands as she continued to kick her legs slowly back and forth in the pool. Every so often her gaze would shift towards the shirtless boy on the other end of the lawn. “Is he alright?” she asked nodding towards Colby’s direction.

He wasn’t doing anything different than he always does. Except today, he didn’t even try to hang out with the group. Normally he swims around and at least talks to everyone before he leaves the group to tan. Instead he walked out, only showing a weak smile as he laid down on his lounger. It was odd to say the least.

Tara shifted her gaze towards him and shrugged her shoulders, “He seems fine,” she mumbled as she turned her attention back towards Xepher who was swimming in the pool. Y/N glanced towards the girls briefly as she brushed a few pieces of hair away from her face. She pressed her lips together as she stared towards him with her eyebrows knitted together.

They weren’t close, they were friends, but they wouldn’t choose to talk to each other if they didn’t have to. Their friendship was mostly based on being friends with the same people. Even though they weren’t close, she saw right through the front he had.

She sighed as she pulled her legs from the water and stood up from the edge of the pool. She saw Sam and Jake walking from the house carrying red solo cups. She smiled weakly towards them as she continued walking to Colby. She stopped beside him, blocking out the sun from above.

His eyes shot open, seeing Y/N, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He pulled out his earbuds saying, “You’re blocking my sun,” he ran his fingers through his sweaty hair.

“It’s like a thousand degrees,” she laughed lightly, “What are you doing?” he forced out a laugh as he sat up slightly.

“I-uh,” he stuttered, “I wanted a tan,” he said blankly. He wiped his hand across his forehead, cringing at the sweat.

“How about you join the rest of us by the pool?” she asked cautiously. He thought about the question. It wasn’t a serious question at all. But as his gaze shifted towards Sam walking towards Katrina. He watched as he slowly wrapped his arms around her.

A sigh left his lips as he lowered his head, “I’m actually going to cool off in the theatre room,” he said dryly. He stood up quickly from the lounger chair and took a hold of his phone from under the chair.

“Well,” she drew out the word as she took small steps following him, “I’m coming with you,” she forced a smile as she continued walking behind him. He shook his head, muttering a few words she couldn’t make out. “-and we’re playing Mario Kart,” she took quicker steps after him.

He walked towards the kitchen quickly taking a water bottle from the fridge, motioning if she wanted one. She nodded her head as he tossed her the bottle. She caught it gracefully. “So, uh,” he furrowed his eyebrows as he walked towards her slowly, “Did Sam put you up to this or something?” he questioned genuinely, taking a sip of water. Not that he was complaining, he loved her company. Even if their alone time was always rare. Her eyes widened slightly as her lips curled upward.

“No,” she chuckled, “I-uh-noticed you’ve been acting off. I just wanted to see if you’re okay-” she trailed off as she tapped her fingers against the bottle, while rocking slightly back and forth. He nodded quickly while pressing his lips together, he slowly began to walk towards the theatre room.

“I’m fine,” he let out while his eyes widened as his mouth fell open, “I’m fine-I mean thank you for asking, but like I’m fine,” he rambled as he turned on the lights for the theatre room. He turned around and began walking backwards slowly facing her. His eyes trailed her body briefly, admiring how her body looked in the swimsuit she was wearing. She squinted her eyes as she slowly crossed her arms over her chest, completely oblivious to the way he was looking at her.

“Say ‘I’m fine’ one more time and I’ll believe you,” she said sarcastically as she watched him turn on the Switch, taking a hold of the controllers. He laughed dryly as he walked over to her, handing her one of the controllers. His fingers brushed her hand lightly. She sat down onto the red couch, Colby quickly sat down beside her starting up Mario Kart.

“Seriously, I’m fine,” he commented, side eyeing her. She shifted her gaze towards him, a small laugh left her lips as she met his eye. He licked his lips as he fought off a smile. She rolled her eyes as her attention drifted towards the large screen.

They sat in silence while they picked out the map they were going to play on and the characters they were going to play. Colby picked Yoshi while Y/N picked Toad.

She shifted her body lightly, facing him, he did the same. As they met each other's eyes, she stuttered her words, “Okay uh-” she let out a small breathy laugh, “Here’s the deal, If I win you have to tell me why you're sad and if you win I’ll tell you why I’m sad.” she offered. His smile faltered as he heard the last part.

“Alright, let’s go.” he clenched his jaw as he slowly looked back towards the screen. He started the game and he took an early lead. He suddenly felt determined to win, he wanted to hear how she was feeling. He wanted to help her feel better, he didn’t want anyone to feel sad. It was a dramatic game, lots of yelling between each other.

At the last stretch on the last lap, Colby landed himself with a blue shell and Y/N was able to sneak past him and take the win. She cheered dramatically as she boasted about it, while he groaned. She set the controller down beside her as she looked towards him. Colby pouted as he tried to stop laughing. “Okay, talk to me,” she spoke softly. He let a long dramatic sigh.

“It’s going to sound ridiculous when I say it-” he spoke as he ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

“I’m sure it’s not, Colbs,” she offered as she brushed a few pieces of hair away from her face. He smiled softly as he looked away from her.

He avoided her gaze as he continued to talk, “I like being single, I like the lifestyle and I enjoy the whole not being tied down but I loved being in a relationship. I loved having someone you know?” he met her eye briefly, noticing how she hasn’t looked away from him.

She nodded as he continued, “But I forgot what all of that felt like to just always have someone to just be there,” he huffed, “I mean being in a friend group with everyone dating each other, it just made me realize how alone it feels sometimes,” she pushed her bottom lip out into a small pout as she continued to listen. His eyes widened as he sat back slightly, “Oh god-was that too much? Sorry,” he laughed nervously.

“Oh no-no, I just didn’t know you ever felt like that, you always seem so happy,” she spoke quickly.

“I mean, I am happy but I wish I could be happier,” he pressed his lips together as he squinted his eyes slightly, “And I wonder if, like, a girlfriend would help that,” he laughed, feeling ridiculous. “It sounds dumb.”

“It doesn’t sound dumb at all. I feel the same way,” she said, he lifted his gaze towards her furrowing his eyebrows.

“Is that why you said you were sad?” he whispered, his voice broke slightly. He didn’t like to hear his friends sad. She laughed slightly.

“You have to win the next game to get that information,” she smiled a tight lip smile. His eyes widened as his mouth fell open, he laughed as he shook his head.

“Damn, I just poured my heart out to you and I can’t even hear your side of it,” he spoke dramatically as he started the next map. “I guess I better win then,” he teased as he shifted his gaze towards the screen. She giggled as he started the game.

“I guess you better win,” she mumbled teasingly as the game began. It was a quick game, Colby picked the smallest map to have a better chance at winning.

He sat up straighter as he leaned forward thinking it would help him focus better. He bit his bottom lip as he leaned his body with every turn on the screen, hoping it’ll help him win. She was in first place for most of the race.

“Oh come on, how are you so fucking good at this game,” he groaned as he got hit with another red shell, she giggled softly as she glanced towards Colby. She admired how focused he was, he truely wanted to know how she was feeling.

She wouldn’t admit it, but she let him win. She groaned dramatically as she leaned her head back against the couch. Colby stood up from the couch and began to jump up and down excitedly. “Why are you acting like you beat me on rainbow road or something, it was the easiest map,” she said through laughter as she watched him begin to dance.

“Because I’ve never beat you before,” he hummed as he fell down onto the couch, “And now you get to pour your heart out to me,” he teased as he smiled widely. She rolled her eyes playfully as she avoided his eye. She kept her gaze towards her lap, she stared at her hands. Her smile slowly faded as her thoughts clouded with her recent thoughts. His own smile fell as he watched her’s fall. “Tell me what’s going on,” he mumbled.

She sighed, “I miss Logan, I mean I don’t miss him, but I miss the feeling I had when I was with him. I guess I’m just tired of being alone and missing what our relationship was like. Obviously I’m not alone, I have the group, you know,” she motioned slightly towards Colby. He nodded slightly. “Even though we hang out all the time, at the same time I’m never excited to come over anymore.” she continued to avoid his gaze, worried to see what his expression was like. “An’-And I think it’s because, like you said, being surrounded by couples just makes the feeling feel worse?” she said in a questioning tone. A small laugh left her lips as she shook her head.

“Yeah, I completely get it. I miss that feeling too,” he whispered, feeling himself suddenly blush. She finally shifted her gaze towards him, meeting his eye briefly, they were soft and comforting. “-and trust me, I don’t get too excited for the hangouts either. Just makes me sad,” he laughed dryly.

“Me too,” she shifted her body towards him, giving him her full attention, “It’s like we get it you’re a couple and you’re all mushy gushy and happy,” she spoke sarcastically, he chuckled.

“Exactly,” he responded cheekily.

“Exactly!” she sighed. They sat in silence for a while as they avoided eye contact with each other. She was shocked to find out Colby was feeling like this. He was the bachelor of the group, he was the center of attention from random girls at parties. She dind’t realize he didn’t fully enjoy that type of attention.

“Have you tried looking for someone that would want that same stuff as you?” she questioned, meeting his eye. Colby thought about the question for a little longer than he thought he should’ve. He shook his head. “Okay, well, maybe I know someone who would be interested in that. Tell me what you want in a relationship,” her voice suddenly became cheerful.

“Are you trying to play matchmaker with me?” he teased, his mouth dropped slightly. She opened her mouth quickly before she shut it again.

“Maybe a little,” she mumbled, pressing her lips together and she looked away shyly. “I just think that maybe if I can try to set you up with someone, then maybe you won’t be so sad,” she explained, her voice got quieter as she spoke. A small pout formed to her lips as she stared at her fidgeting hands. He pursed his lips forward as his cheeks began to flush red, he saw the pout on her lips and the corner of his lips turned upwards slightly. She really cared for him, so much more than he realized.

“Okay,” he whined dramatically, “I want to be friends first, I think that’s important. I never liked random first date shit. But I think the number one thing that I want in a relationship is someone who can joke with me and then like be all romantic in the next second. Like we can kind of bully each other and then we can just be all cuddly the next. Also they have to get along with my friends, they can’t hate my friends because that’ll be a mess,” he chuckled lightly.

“I think I just want someone who isn’t afraid to flirt with me even after we’ve been dating for a while, I think that keeps things fun you know,” he smirked. “Oh, and a girl who is in it for the long haul. You know, like marriage and stuff like that. I guess that’s the bare minimum but-yeah.” As the words left his lips he slowly moved his body towards her.

He stared towards her expectantly, the more the words left his lips the more her smile formed to her lips. “That’s really sweet Colby,” she whispered, her heart began to race unexpectedly.

“You think so?” he asked, she nodded. “Okay because I thought it was cheesy,”

“Oh it was cheesy, but it was cute,”

“Yeah?” he squinted his eyes slightly as he leaned his head back slightly. She nodded again. “I guess I’m a cheesy guy,” he leaned his body towards her even more, enough for her to notice him coming closer this time.

“I guess you are,” she whispered as she found herself leaning towards him.

She didn’t realize what was going on when suddenly their bodies jumped away from each other as the door behind them was aggressively pushed open. They look towards the door to see Tara and Katrina standing in the doorway. Tara sighed dramatically, “Oh my god we were looking for you guys for forever,” she groaned.

[missskzbiased]

Getting my Ex-Roommate

It’s a spin off from “Getting a Roommate”, just because I felt Chan deserved better. It’s not required to read the series to understand any of this but I will link it here anyway haha  (Part 1)

Tagging @jikseud since I kinda did it for us SUHAHUSAHUSHAHUSA

Genre: Oneshot, Best friends to lovers Au, Suggestive, Mature/Smut 

[(?): I’m actually not sure if it’s smut, I’m not familiar with what I can call smut, but I do think it’s mature? Please correct me if I’m wrong]

Word Count: ~8,2K Female lead

TW: Dry humping (?), Language, Suggestive stuff (?), Alcohol, Kinda possessive at the end (?), Can it be considered dirty talk (?)  [I swear to god I suck at warning things, I appologize deeply]

                                                    /////

    You could call Bang Chan many things.

   You could call him funny, gentle, kind, an amazing rapper, a great friend, an awesome singer, a perfect producer, smart, goofy... Hot. Hell yeah, you could call him so damn hot! And although you could say he was all that, you couldn’t feel more miserable for being his best friend, and it had a clear reason that you pretend you didn’t know.

   You couldn’t call him your boyfriend.

   The bright part was that nor you nor anyone else for that matter, so you weren’t completely miserable right now, but you kinda were because… Well, you’re his best friend, you should root for him, right? Yeah, right. Totally right. This was exactly the reason why you knocked on his door at 10 PM on a Monday with a bag full of alcohol and food.

   “Bang Chan!” You yelled, getting a groan as an answer “Open the Bifrost” You shouted and you could hear him laughing on the other side.

   “It’s just a door, Y/N” He snorted, opening it for you “Which you have the keys to open if I’m not giving keys to random people on the street that look exactly like you” He rolled his eyes in mockery, making you thoughtfully grab your chin.

   “I think that just might be the case” You sighed, jokingly worried as you came into his place, walking to his kitchen and letting the bag there, resting on the island. He locked the door behind you, chuckling before he followed you to his kitchen, leaning on the doorframe as he watched you taking the things you bought out of the bag.

   “You didn’t need to do it” He reassured you, and you could only scoff, looking at him in disbelief.

   “Yeah, because best friends stay home when their best friends were dumped” You agreed sarcastically “Please, It’s obvious that my mission is to make you drunk and fat right now” You raised the bottle you had in hands and shook the ice cream pot with your other hand, looking at him mischievously “Let’s switch that six-pack into a round one-pack, shall we?” You joked, making him laugh astonished.

   “I can’t believe you… What did I ever do to deserve you? You’re the most perfect best friend ever” he cheered, getting closer and hugging you.

  Yeah! Just what you loved to hear from the guy you have a crush on about forever! Yay!

   “Oh, you thought it couldn’t get better, hm? But I brought your favorite…” You left the food you had in your hands on the island before hugging him back and drumming on his back, making it sillier by mouthing the drum sound as you did it, setting the mood for the big announcement “… Sausage sticks!” You said proudly, and he gasped.

   “You didn’t!” He chirped “I could kiss you right now!” He laughed.

   Just do it!

   “Eww!” You cooed “Gross!” You feigned a queasy expression, getting a scoff from him, which you smiled in response “Come on, let’s eat as you vent about that bitch” You encouraged, picking up the alcohol the best you could, clumsily trying to balance everything, making him cackle up as he picked up some of the bottles from your arms, helping you out. You sat down on the couch, cross-legged, your arms bracing you on the armrest.

    “She’s not a bitch” He complained “She’s actually… Perfect” He sighed, sadly looking into your eyes for comfort, but you averted yours. Of course, she was perfect… You have been watching him fall for her for a while now, you even had the opportunity to see her up close, although she didn’t notice you, and you had to hear about her every time he met you! Even though you knew he thought she was perfect for him, it hurt to hear it again and again, so you just opened up your soju bottle, drinking it eagerly.

   “Well, she’s perfectly fine ditching you for another man, that’s for sure” You said bitterly as you rolled your eyes.

   “Hey, be a little nicer here! I just got dumped” He whined, pouting at you “She likes Minho, what can she do? Pretend she likes me back until I fall for another person?” He mocked “That’s how life is, Y/N! One day you like someone and the other day that someone likes someone else” He stated tiredly, drinking his own bottle.

   “Tell me about it!” You agreed, the clinking noise from your bottle hitting on his sounding in the air before you gulped down again, releasing a loud and pleasing sigh, getting a surprised look from Chan, who seemed genuinely amused.

   “You were dumped too?” He chuckled “How can anyone dump you? You’re perfect!” He frowned suddenly, looking at you seriously “Should I beat him up?” You scoffed.

   “It would be really funny if you did” You joked, imagining him punching himself randomly with a joyful sigh “But I don’t think you should beat him up, it will hurt your soft heart” You mocked, getting a kick as an answer.

   “I tell you everything about my crushes! It’s not fair” He complained, and he was right! He told you everything about his crushes, it was unbearable. You groaned before taking another gulp, and he eyed you worried “Hey, slow down” He advised, but you shrugged him off.

   You could remember all the girls he ever fell for, which was a lot of girls… Chan was a hopeless romantic. You didn’t expect him to be like this when you first met him since he was quite a… Sexual guy, to say the least. It was kind of funny to see how he acted in bed (Not that you have seen it, but you heard it a lot) and how he got all lovey-dovey with random chicks that appeared on his life. You couldn’t say it was really fun, though, since none of those chicks were you.

   What an unfair life!

   You remembered how he looked in your eyes when you first met, smiling at you and saying that the only rule you should have was not to fuck each other, because it couldn’t end up well. At first, you agreed eagerly, not really thinking much about it, but then you started to hear him… All those girls should feel so damn lucky if he made them feel like screaming on your ears every fucking night! In the beginning, it enraged you, it was uncomfortable, and then somewhere along the way it turned into sexy… You enjoyed listening to him.

   If you were fair enough you could point out exactly the day it happened.

   You were sitting in the kitchen, drinking your hot chocolate warily expecting him to be done anytime soon so you could go to sleep in peace. The girl finally let out a loud moan that you knew too well, it was that kind of moan you let out when you couldn’t take anything anymore, you could only lay there and sleep, completely happy with your life. Good for her! Because you had to wake up really early in the morning and you couldn’t be unhappier… Your moody mind got startled at a shirtless Chan walking into the kitchen, his boxers kind of messy and the only thing that protected his body from your thirsty eyes.

   He was… Wow.

   You had seen him shirtless before, of course, you were his roommate, but you never saw him all fucked out, his hair messy, his skin sweaty and flushed, his chest going up and down as he breathed… You didn’t even know! Satisfied? Heavily? You just knew it sounded hot and you wanted to get his boxers out of that body and take him to yourself. Of course, you didn’t. He greeted you with an angelic smile, warmed up some water while you ogled at his back, and went back to his room to take care of the lucky girl.

   You have never been the lucky girl once.

   The problem could be small if he just fucked well, but Bang Chan was an angel in real life, which should be unfair to all the boys on the planet! You couldn’t understand how no one tried to beat him up just because they were angry with his perfection. You wanted to beat him up for being that perfect. It was impossible to point out a flaw on that damn face, and it enraged you to the point you wanted to be fucking him angrily, which didn’t help your case at all. Actually, being a hopeless romantic wasn’t quite the virtue you were looking for, but would you put it as a flaw? You didn’t even care anymore, all you wanted was to fuck and cuddle him to your death.

   “What are you thinking about?” His voice startled you, your eyes shooting to his as you tried to think what to say without telling him the truth “You’re off for quite a while now” He added, looking worried.

   “I drank too fast” You lied, cringing with your stupidity, but he seemed to buy it “Anyway, I’m not here to talk about my terrible love life, I’m here to hear about yours” You reminded him, gesturing so he could start complaining, your bottle being finished as you went silent.

   “I don’t have much to complain, really… I expected it one way or another, I kinda knew she liked Minho, I just hoped she could like me better” He admitted, looking at his bottle for a few seconds before drinking “I told her we could be friends, I just needed some time to adjust… She’s coming this Friday, so… Yeah, that’s pretty much all that I have to say” He looked at you, expecting you to say something.

   “I can’t believe you used all my pick-up lines on her” You groaned “I gave you my best one so far!” You whined childishly.

   “I’m sorry, but I had to use the photographer one! I can picture you and I together was just right there to be used!” He defended himself, and you pouted, finishing another bottle, just like him. The sad part about this one was that you really meant it… You could remember how nervous you were when you said it as a “joke” and he cringed, laughing and saying he would totally use that with her… It shattered your heart. You opened the third bottle, drinking it at once “Wow! What the hell, girl?!” He got startled “You’re not a good drinker, what are you doing?”

   “You’re not the only one who wants to forget someone” You protested, opening one more drink “Let me drink my problems away” He looked at you sympathetically. You couldn’t believe you were so boldly trying to flirt with him just to be his motivation to flirt with another girl! You hated how he was oblivious to your feelings. Oh, well! There here was a flaw!

   “That bad, hm? What did he do?” He asked curiously, opening and drinking his soju in one go, just like you “We can drink it all away together, you’re right” he agreed, looking at you concerned. Your stomach flipped when you looked at his eyes, his swollen lips from sucking the bottleneck catching your eyes for just a second before your eyes darted to his again.

  Not every flaw in the world could make you want him less.

   “He fell in love with someone else… I guess best friends have the same love problems” You smiled bitterly “Actually, I like him for a while now, but he can’t even see me as a woman” You sighed, averting your eyes and fixing them on your bottle again. Maybe it was the alcohol speaking, but you felt free to say it out loud, maybe all you had to do was vent a little bit, complain about him so you could move on.

   “I doubt that” He scoffed “There’s no way in hell he doesn’t see you as a woman! Like no way in fucking hell!” He disagreed eagerly, and you narrowed your eyes to him “I mean it! I’m not saying you’re just this, don’t get me wrong! You know you’re smart and funny, you know you’re like the perfect girl to any guy out there!” He started cautiously, making you snort.

   To any guy out there but him…

   “Spill it” You encouraged, expecting him to say something dumb, trying to light up your mood. He used to do it a lot when you lived together, say stupid things just to make you laugh and feel better after a crap day… Well, until he decided to move out. You never really understood what was the deal. He said he wanted to live with the boys so he could produce his music, but he could do it while living with you, couldn’t he? Of course, He could! He was doing this right now after being kicked out from their place! And he didn’t even think to move in with you again… Well, He deserved being kicked out! You thought as you scoffed, the bittersweetness in your mouth could be either from the alcohol or from your soul at this point.

   “But you also hot as hell” He added. You could only choke, coughing so much you had to rest your bottle on the floor, looking at him completely in chock while he just smiled sheepishly “I mean it, you’re gorgeous! If he doesn’t see you as a woman, he’s totally insane!” He reassured, and you averted your eyes again, wondering if you should say something to him. He never called you hot before… Maybe it was the alcohol? He wasn’t exactly the best drinker in the world, but it was just his… How many bottles did he have? He couldn’t be drunk already, could he? And even if he was! Was he being the sincere drunk? Did he really think about you like this and just never dared to say it to your face? You glanced over him, watching as he drank lazily.

   You decided to ignore it by now.

   “Well, I can’t really blame him for not liking me, right?” You trailed off, and Chan nodded at you “At least he didn’t hook up with me before” You mused and as soon as you said it he shot you a glare “No, sorry! I’m just angry at this girl, okay? You took her on dates, you were all lovey-dovey with her, you took care of her when she was on her period… I can’t believe she just left you like this” You complained, picking up your bottle and drinking it as Chan drank his own.

   If you were her, you would never leave him.

   “She wanted to see if it would go well… It didn’t” He shrugged “It’s not a big deal, I think you’re more upset about it than I am” He laughed. You slapped your own thigh, startling him as you pointed at him, angry. He was right, you were far more upset with this than him, maybe because you couldn’t understand how she could miss your chance like this! He did all you wished he would do with you and then she just dropped him!

   “You should be upset too! She called you a hot daddy and she just went away like this!” You whined. You looked at the bottle on your hand, wondering how many bottles did you just drink, feeling a little bit tipsy, but you shrugged it off by looking at Chan again, frowning. The truth was that you found the girl amusing, for all you saw and all you heard, she was fun to be around, and maybe you could even be her friend! You both seemed to be quite similar. You didn’t have much to defend your plea, so you were just saying anything you could think of by this point.

   “Do you want me to be upset?” He chuckled “I thought you came here to make me feel better” He whined, nudging you with his feet, making you giggle “Come on, make me feel good!” He uttered, throwing himself back on the couch, sprawling there with a pout. You looked at his lips, kinda drooled but still looking kissable, tracing over his neck to his arms until you got to his hand hanging off of the couch holding his drink… Somehow the eight bottles you had bought were just empty on the floor… Did you two drink that much already?

   Suddenly you realized what he had just said.

   “Wait, what?!” You asked startled, he looked at you confused, a goofy smile on his lips.

   “Make me feel good~” He repeated himself, “You said you came here to cheer me up, right?” He pouted again, and you had to fight your urge to crawl over him and kiss him right there. You averted your eyes, feeling shy all of sudden, and he seemed to notice the change in your mood, because he sat back, straight, and tilted his head cutely “What’s up?”

  You felt his gaze burning your face.

  Or maybe it was just you blushing.

  Or maybe it was the alcohol.

   “I can kiss it better” You muttered under your breath, your face heating up like hell “Where does it hurt?” You asked, bolder than you thought you should be, your eyes fixing on his, buried there. You could swear he was blushing too. Maybe it was just the alcohol speaking, but you were so sure he was blushing like you were, looking at you expectantly.

   “We’re drunk” He gulped down, looking attentively as you uncrossed your legs and kneeled on the couch, crawling over him slowly, his body leaning back until his head sank in his pillow as you leaned closer to his face “We’re friends” He tried again, watching as you licked your bottom lip while ogling his own, he felt his throat blocking, the dryness in it making him whine “Right?” He asked unsurely, his eyes fixed on your lips.

   “You can call us friends…” You agreed, a smirk flickering over your face “… But I want to call you Daddy tonight” He gasped, his breath withhold as he watched you closing the gap between your lips. You couldn’t tell if it was the drunkenness or just to be able to finally kiss him after such a bold statement, but you were light-headed and messy right now, your lips met awkwardly, too much teeth to the formula, which made you snort right into the kiss “Sorry” You blurted out embarrassed, widening your eyes as you giggled and sat in his lap, watching him under you.

   “Oh lord…”He muttered, his eyes searched dazzlingly for yours, his hand caressing your cheek “Could you please not sit on my dick? It would help me so much…” You burst out laughing, his voice sounding drowsy to your ears, his tongue rolling as he tried to speak, his gaze fixing in the ceiling, trying to avert from your eyes.

    “I thought you wanted me to make you feel good” You whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down his spine, his eyes shutting immediately, his hand made their way to your hips as soon as you rolled them against his, gripping you hard and forcing you down, so you would stay still. You would never do something like this in a sober state, but right now it seemed so right… That’s why even with his grip on you, his budge pressed against you distracting you from sober thoughts, you rolled your hips again, enticing a strangled moan from him that could be enough to set you on fire for days.

    “We really shouldn’t” He tried to say, his voice dripping like syrup, his mind lost somewhere along the way, his eyes refusing to look at you. He knew the moment he opened his eyes, he would lose himself right there, just by facing the lust on yours. You should never know this, but he wanted this for so long… You would never imagine how much he refrained himself every day until he found her, the girl who finally got you away from his mind… The girl that resembled you so much that he found it possible to move on from you… Just so you could blow all that up.

   Gosh, he wished you would blow him right now.

   “We… Shouldn’t?” Your voice sounded unsure and fragile, so soft he almost didn’t hear you, and you lifted from his lap, his hand still glued to your hip while he opened his eyes slowly to watch you “I mean… “ You cleared your throat, giving him a fake and bright smile “You’re too weak, what’s that? For some Daddy you sure lose your shit quickly” You joked half-heartedly, getting up from him and standing beside the couch, his eyes buried into yours, looking for something you didn’t know, so you averted yours.

   “It’s just that… We’re… Drunk” He trailed off, averting his eyes as well “I don’t want us to regret this… I mean, we’re friends, right? I don’t want to lose this” He pointed between you two, getting up from the couch as well to get close to you. You scoffed, nodding in agreement, even though you didn’t agree at all. Yeah, you felt kinda tipsy, but no, you weren’t drunk, you were bold at best! He looked fine too… He just didn’t want this as much as you.

   “You’re right” You stated bitterly “We’re drunk and hurt… We’ve been friends for too long to lose it for being a rebound” He perked his ears at your sigh, looking at you directly now “It was supposed to be a joke, but it got out of hand, I’m sorry” You lied, smiling awkwardly at him. He held your hand, squeezing it reassuringly, and smiling back to you.

   “No, no… I am the one who should be sorry” His other hand caressed your cheek, and you felt your eyes tearing up. Why did he have to be so caring? He got alarmed at the sight, cupping your cheeks, leading you to face him gently, his eyes worriedly scanning your features “Sorry… I’m just…” Your voice trembled, cracking in the end, broken.

   “Oh, angel” He cooed, hugging you tightly “That’s not your fault… We’re fine, I promise you” his thumbs rubbed circles on your back, soothingly, and every string inside your brain tensed up, trying to stay focused, trying to understand that this would never happen even if you really urged for it. You hugged him back, taking advantage of these few seconds you could have, taking him in as you prepared to let him go.

  “We’re fine, you’re right” You agreed, breaking away from him before you wiped your tears away hurriedly, chuckling “I’m just sensitive right now… I guess… Well, it’s hard to fall for someone that can’t be yours” He nodded, cupping your cheek again as he looked lovingly at you.

   You wished he could look at you like this every day and not only when you were crying.

   “Okay! Let’s lift that mood” You clapped your hands suddenly, startling him, your smile back to your face as you tried to compose yourself “I’m going to take a bath now and we’re going to sleep because your bloody ass was dumped on a Monday and I have classes tomorrow morning, unlike a lazy bitch” You eyed him envy, making him laugh. You smiled for real this time, enjoying the sound of his laugher, glancing at his dimples with a tight chest. He was so cute…

   Oh, good lord! Why give you a handsome and fuckable best friend and not let you enjoy this life?

   You made your way to his room, picking up his clothes so you could sleep comfortably. You choose a thin shirt and a pair of boxers you were used to dressing, knowing it was comfy and soft, and headed to his bathroom, expecting that a cold shower could help your mind for now. You undressed quickly, letting your clothes on his laundry basket before letting the cold water hit your foot, getting used to the temperature before getting your legs, arms, and chest under the water. You let the water hit the back of your neck, the pressure helping you with your tension.

   Everything was fine.

  You slept in his bed many times by now… Just because you just sat on his lap, rolled your hips and heard him moan for you… Okay, that was not how you should structure your thoughts. It didn’t matter you just heard him moan right under you, almost asking for you to… Okay, not like that. The cold shower wasn’t helping at all. It didn’t matter, whatever it was, that’s it! Now it was far better! It didn’t matter, you weren’t overthinking it, you didn’t mind he would be lying on his bed on his boxers like usual, totally relaxed.

   For lord’s sake.

   Would it be bad if you just touched yourself for just a second? You could come in a minute? How the hell did you expect to lay down with him semi-naked after tonight? You were just crying on his chest for something he didn’t even know! After sitting on his damn lap! What the hell were you thinking? You should stay away from alcohol forever. That was it. No more drinking for you. Nothing. Not one drop would touch your lips from now on.

   Maybe think about lips wasn’t the best choice at all.

   You remembered how your lips met his, all drooled because of drinking and still managing to taste just fine. God does favorites after all. You should have done it better… You just smashed your lips together, kinda lost in what you were doing, your teeth even hit each other! Ugh… He would think you were a terrible kisser! Not that it matters, since you shouldn’t do it again. Yeah, you were worrying for nothing, like always. You even puffed his mouth with air! Why did you have to laugh in the middle of the kiss?! Oh my god… All your life was embarrassing.

   You turned off the shower, drying yourself and dressing up so you could finally lay down, not minding him at all, because he was a friend. Just a friend. Best friend of one and all. When it came to shipping, you and he could only be on a friendship, because that was exactly what you were. A friend. Great, your mind wasn’t done rambling, which was the last thing you needed right now, but who cares? Not your brain, that’s for sure.

   “Hey” You greeted, trying to sound at ease. He had his arms crossed under his head, looking at the ceiling contemplatively before hearing you. He seemed in deep thought, but he still turned his head to look at you, smiling when he saw you with his clothes, the same clothes you picked up every time you needed to borrow some from him. Unexpectedly, he was covered with a blanket, which wasn’t really his thing “What is it? Are you shy to let me see you on your boxers for the hundredth time?” You joked, amused by the blush dusting his cheeks.

   “I thought… I don’t know, maybe you would be uncomfortable?” He confessed, a sigh leaving his lips “I’m just being dumb, hm?” He laughed bashfully, tossing the blanket aside “Come here” He wiggled his brows jokingly, patting the spot next to him, getting a chuckle from you.

   “I’m glad you’re just being weird like always” You stated before turning off the lights, sitting on the corner of the bed before slicking over to his side, cuddling him “I wouldn’t be able to sleep if you didn’t let me cuddle you like always, Mr.Puffles” You couldn’t see it in the dark, but you were sure he rolled his eyes as he always did when you compared him to your body pillow, a birthday gift he gave you on your first year together as a roommate, implying you were too cuddly to sleep by yourself.

   “Stop calling me Mr.Puffles” He whined, hugging you under the blanket and resting his chin on the top of your head. You felt all your worries disappear. It was just Chan and you cuddling like always, all your horny past left behind, no grudges, no judgment… “Was it Mr.Puffles who hurt your heart like this?” He mocked. What a little prick.

   “Mr.Puffles could never hurt me” You retorted, nudging him “The boy who hurt me is a prick, an evil soul that fucks every girl around but me” You made sure to let your tone mysterious and ridiculous, making him snort “I guess it’s fine, though, I’ll just move on… I think it was about time for me to understand we wouldn’t get together…” You felt sad, especially as he nodded against your head, oblivious he was the one who made you feel like this.

   “He doesn’t deserve you” He assured you, his tone was bitter, he clearly hated whoever was making you sad like this. He kissed the top of your head and you hummed, agreeing with him half-heartedly before closing your eyes and letting go of your mind.

   You wished a good night of sleep would erase all of your worries.

                                                                  ////

   It should be no surprise it didn’t.

   You woke up with a crack of light right on your eye, pissing you off as the first thing in your morning. You whined, your arms moving to your head, trying to block the light, getting you a little bit happier when the uncomfortable sensation of your eye burning under the sun went away. Your eyes roamed through the room, realizing you were at Chan’s. You began to feel more aware of your surroundings, your eyes rested on his nightstand, his alarm silently staring back at you which made you realize something terrible: You woke up before your alarm. You were sure you set it to the right time, so that bloody silence in the room could only mean that the damn light woke you up for nothing.

   Your day was officially sucking!

   You moved a little bit, feeling cloistered, but Chan’s grip was strong around your waist, he just pulled you closer, whining in his sleep when you tried to get away, tightening his grip around you, which would be okay if he wasn’t wrapping you up like a taco, his leg thrown around your hips, his arms involving you, one of his hands on your waist and the other one grazing over your breast. You sucked in a gasp, feeling his hand almost groping you. Amazing… Now you were stuck in his arms as his hands brushed places you would prefer they didn’t.

   Well, actually you would prefer they did, but purposely trying to arouse you, not like this.

   Of course, it could get worse.

   You tried to loosen up his grip by shoving his arms, but he responded to your efforts wrapping you up a little bit more, dragging you closer by your waist so close to him you could feel his crotch against your ass. Fun fact: It was hard. Of course, he had to have a wet dream right beside you while he groped you and humped you… Just what you needed to move on completely from him.

  “Chan?” You tried to call, your voice husky since you just woke up, or at least that was what you wanted to believe. You couldn’t be aroused by a sleeping friend that happened to be aroused against you, right? Not that kind of raspy voice…Not at all. He hummed, although you didn’t believe he had woke up, burying his face in your hair, muttering something you couldn’t quite hear, your heart racing so much that it rammed inside your head.

   Oh my god.

   “Y/N?” He called you back, his voice was raspy and his tongue rolled your name like a drunk man, clearly sleepy, and for a moment you felt relief wash over you, grateful god would let him wake up and release you from the heavenly suspicious hell. Surprisingly, he didn’t wake up, he bucked his hips against you, squeezing you as he let his hot breath fan over your right ear.

  Oh lord.

  “Chan, please wake up” You pleaded, his cock pressed against your butt and his lips brushing your ears being enough for your tongue roll just like his, but naughtier, as the shiver ran through your body, making you shut your eyes for god knows what reason, since it just enhanced all those feelings “Come on, wake up” You said again, trying to nudge him with your elbow.

   “Hm?” The hit seemed to work, he shifted, and you took the chance to roll away as you could, which meant you got on your back, getting away from his crotch for now, but still being held by your waist. He didn’t seem interested in waking up, so he took your new position in, hugging you like a koala and burying his face on the crook of your neck.

   What a great place to plaster a hot breath.

   You closed your eyes, deciding to enjoy the feelings, his body warming up yours, his breath giving you goosebumps, his grip tight on you like he didn’t want to let go. You stretched your neck just for a bit, almost hoping he would just kiss it, which he didn’t, but his lips brushed over your sensitive skin and you gripped the sheets hard, biting your lip to suppress a moan. You could say you almost had a heart attack when your alarm burst out of nowhere, startling both of you. You jumped, accidentally head-butting his nose, getting a whine from him as he hovered over you to turn off the alarm.

  That was it, you were dead.

  He supported himself with his knee, that was already over your body, so he just sank it between your legs, his left arm bracing him as he stretched his right one to turn off the alarm. His chest was right there for your display, and you almost reached for it, wishing you could caress him and kiss him until he moaned your name… Control your mind! You can control it. He seemed to realize someone was under him, so he looked in your way, taking in your flushed state.

   You were a mess.

   Your hair was messy, your clothes were messy, the sheets were messy… What the hell had happened while he was sleeping? Somehow your shirt had come up quite a bit, revealing your belly and hanging too close to your boobs, letting too much skin uncovered, which made him gulp. He traced his eyes over your belly to your boxers, short enough to fully reveal your thighs and get his attention when you tried to pressed them together, rubbing against his knee.

   What an unholy view…

   “Sorry” He muttered, getting off of you, laying his back in the bed and looking to the ceiling, expecting the blank surface to make his bulge disappear somehow. It was almost painful how hard you could get him just staying still, those innocent eyes looking at him startled and… He didn’t even know! Eagerly? It seemed like you expected him to do something.

   “Totally fine” Your voice came out hoarsely, and you cursed yourself. Way to go unnoticed! Your legs couldn’t support you even if you tried to stand up, you just felt them mushy, like your soul was trembling to get yourself on him, riding him until you couldn’t walk to your class anymore. He was just too hot to handle… How could you endure it? Being next to a guy who literally just called you in his sleep and rubbed his cock against your ass? You weren’t even wearing underwear! It was just boxers against boxers… You could feel your body tensing up, a pinch on your stomach that needed to be released.

    But not now.

    “Aren’t you… Hm… Getting up?” He asked, his face turning to you so he could lock his eyes with yours. That was it. Fuck it. You couldn’t care less you had classes today, you threw your leg over his hips, watching as he widened his eyes when you sat right on his dick, just like the last night. You rocked your hips once, getting a shaky moan from him, his eyes closing in delight “What are you doing?” He managed to ask, his mind too high to really understand what he was saying but trying to look composed.

   “I’m getting up on you” You stated boldly, waiting for him to open his eyes, but he didn’t. You scoffed, the smugness taking control of your mind as you leaned closer to his ear, letting your breath fan there for a moment, feeling him twitch under you “What were you dreaming?” He shot his eyes open, a gasp leaving his lips “I heard you call my name… As you… Humped… Me” You made sure to pronounce everything slowly, getting off on his shiver, a little whimper falling from his lips.

   You felt powerful.

   “Y/N?” His voice trembled and you leaned back, your eyes searching for some kind of resistance in his face “Are you sure you want this?” His eyes focused on you, concerned, and you rolled your eyes, astonished.

   “Are you fucking kidding me?” You scoffed “Do you think I would do it if I wasn’t sure?” He smiled sheepishly at you, embarrassed “There’s a limit you shouldn’t cross on being dumb, Chan” You laughed, looking at him in adoration for a moment, just enjoying his shy look “Are you sure about this?” You bit your lip, trying to not avert your eyes as he opened and closed his mouth, unsure about what to say.

    You panicked.                                                                                                                            

    Of course, he didn’t want this! If he wanted this he wouldn’t back off yesterday, he wouldn’t ask you if you were sure… He would take that not so subtle hint that was your clothed core rubbing against his cock as a clear sign of you wanting to do it with him right now. You tried to get off of him, raising yourself slightly before his hands shoot to your hips and grabbed them, tugging you and crashing your hips together, a groan escaping from his lips along a loud moan leaving yours.

    Holy fuck…

    “Don’t you fucking dare…” He whispered, panting, his forehead rested on your shoulder, his body shivering under yours in excitement “I swear to god… You can’t even imagine how much I wanted to fuck you” He raised his head a little bit, looking at your hips pressed together, your body twitching under his grip “You’re so fucking hot… I had to move out because I couldn’t handle myself… Did you know that?” He raised his head, looking right into your eyes, his eyes dark as you never saw “Did you know I quit being your roommate because every time I saw you, I wanted to fuck you until you forget your damn name?”

   That was it! It was a dream.

   There was no way in hell you were awake right now.

   “Answer me” He ordered, his voice sounded too sexy to allow you to think straight, so you just stared back at him, wetting your dry lips with your tongue, your eyes briefly darting to his lips before going back to his eyes “You can’t even answer me…” He scoffed, rolling his eyes as if you were dumb “Okay, let me ask you this… Are you doing it so you can forget him?” This time his voice wasn’t smug, it was unsure and worried. You couldn’t even understand what he was worrying about.

   “Forget him?” You asked confused, your eyes wandering through his face “What?” He closed his eyes, impatient, before he opened them again and dived into your own. He didn’t answer you, so you stood there in silence, wondering what he wanted you to say until it hit you, and as your eyes lit up in realization, you laughed “What?! There is no him, dumbass! It’s you!” He seemed surprised but relieved, and you couldn’t help but cup his cheeks as you smiled at him, delighted “It has always been you…” You pulled his face closer, your lips smashing mid-way, your tongue immediately asking for permission to explore his mouth.

   You never imagined you would be kissing Bang Chan.

   Okay, you imagined it! But you never thought it was going to be real.

   This time, the soberness helped you both, not an issue with your kiss, quite the opposite actually. As you just melted into the kiss, his hands slipping to your waist and holding you gently, like you could break and fade away anytime now, your hands slickered to the back of his neck, fingers fisted on his locks, pulling them and making him groan into the kiss, completely absorbed on what you made him feel. You couldn’t help but moan against his lips as you heard it, rolling your hips ever so slightly just to feel him against you, getting your folds apart.

   “You’re so needy, angel” He whispered, his mouth hovering over yours, his eyes closed as he dunks in the heat pouring out of your body, the warmth between your bodies seemed to get him high, and your nails scratching down his nape weren’t helping at all. He buried his nose on your neck, breathing you in, registering you in the back of his mind, your mouth agape in pleasure from a tiny action like this “But you’re also a brat… You shouldn’t talk back to your Daddy” He sighed, disappointed in you, leaving a soft bite on your neck before leaning back, enough to take in the view.

   Your eyes were closed, your neck slowly stretching as your head was so heavy with all your lust that it just needed to hang back, your mouth still opened, prepared to moan at any moment. What a beautiful sight. He smirked before getting his hands away from you, crossing it behind his neck, watching as you opened your eyes, annoyed. You glared at him, clearly wanting him to fuck you right now but he just snorted, cocking his brow.

   “I won’t pleasure a brat” He grimaced at you, feeling cocky as he saw your pout, your brows frowning “You should do this by yourself if you can’t behave” He mocked, watching as you scoffed, outraged, before sinking in him in a silent challenge. He groaned as he felt your folds embracing him over the fabrics, you could only be dripping if you could just sink like this on his dick, and just the thought was enough to make him want to rip your clothes and fuck you right there, put aside your misbehave.

   “Watch me” You didn’t know if it was a plead or a dare and neither did he, so he just focused on your hips moving against his, (not so) dryly humping him at a steady pace. You stroke your heat against him, feeling as the fabric of your boxers drenched with your juices, making it slid too easily and rub your clit, your whines uncontrollable, you were sure his boxers were getting drenched too as you did it, and you couldn’t help but dig your nails on his shoulders just by imagining it. He groaned under your grip, feeling as you slid too easily on him.

   “Holy shit, you’re so wet and I didn’t even touch you” He actually didn’t intend to mock you by this but as soon as you squirmed, biting your lips and fastening your pace, he chuckled “Oh… So you like to be a needy little whore?” His voice sounded so smug that you wanted to retort him, but your mind couldn’t register what he was saying. How could you feel so good just by grinding him? You felt something build-up inside you, a far too familiar sensation that could only lead you to the best orgasm you would have had in your life.

    Until the damn second alarm sounded.

    You cried as you felt your orgasm fade away, vanish like it wasn’t right there for you, startled by the sound, and devasted for the lack of pleasure you would get. Chan turned off the alarm, chuckling as he saw you leaning on his chest, your nose buried on his shoulder as you whined over and over again a bunch of “no’s”, muffled by his skin. He stroke your hair gently, waiting for you to recover from your frustration.

    “Time for your classes, angel” He really didn’t want you to go but he said it anyway, holding your waist so you could get up but you held his arms for dear life, whining. He stopped his movements, trying to take a look at your state, and you made it easier by straightening yourself on his lap again, glossy eyes looking at him pleading.

   “Fuck my classes! Please, let me cum” Your plea sounded like the sweetest sound he could ever hear, you bucked your hips against his once, then twice, and without a proper answer, you just resumed from where you left, humping him eagerly, hoping you could reach your orgasm this time. It built up much faster than before, the knot forming on your stomach almost immediately, and you couldn’t help but moan loudly as you felt it deliciously spreading everywhere.

    Chan watched as you flushed, your neck, ears, and face painted in pink, your boobs bouncing up and down as you kept your pace, your arms tangling his neck, your head slowly falling back, your body trembling slightly as you got closer to your high. You tried to shut your mouth but as soon as your orgasm hit you, you cried satisfied, your mouth agape, a string of saliva connecting your lips before running down your chin, your eyes rolling back as his name was enchanted over and over again, and when you became unable to talk, your tongue just slid out your mouth, hanging there in the most filthy view he had in his whole life.

   He could have come right there.

   You didn’t stop your movements, rocking your hips slowly until you could ride out from your high, and when you finally stopped, feeling whole as you never felt, you looked into his eyes. He looked dazed at you, his eyes fucking you silently, and he let a breathless “wow” slip from him as he watched you. The shame crushed you without any mercy, humiliation washing over you as you tried to hide from him, your face burying in his chest. He chuckled, amused by your shyness before he rubbed your back gently.

    “Can you keep going?” You scoffed, nuzzling into his chest.

    “Are you fucking kidding me?” You asked tiredly, a smile growing in your face “If you tried to stop me now I would have to search someone to fuck on the streets” You joked but he didn’t seem to like it, gripping your waist and bringing your body closer to his, getting a whine out of you when you rubbed against him again.

    “I will make sure to fuck you until you can’t even think about fucking someone else” He assured you, his voice low and threatening, getting you even more aroused than you were “Be a good girl and when I’m finished, you won’t even remember your name, angel, you won’t be able to cum with anyone else, you will be my little slut... Only mine” His whisper sent a shiver down your spine and even though you were more than willing to comply, you snorted.

   “What if I’m a bad girl?” He scoffed, his fingers burying in your hair and tugging it slightly as he approached his lips from your ears, letting his teeth graze your earlobe before biting it.

   “Then I will punish you so hard you won’t be able to walk for a week” His threat made you twitch, your tongue darted to your lips, wetting them.

    “Make it two and I will be the best brat you ever had” You offered, making him laugh, breaking his character for a moment. He shook his head in disbelief, kissing your neck softly.

    “What do I do with you?” He giggled, hugging you tightly, and you chuckled, scratching his back lightly.

    “I hope you’ll do me before I need to ask someone else” You joked.

    “Okay, let’s make it two” He agreed, his eyes darkening again “I won’t stop until you’re begging me to ruin you” He promised, and you gulped down, excited as his fingers traced down your body until it reached your core “Are you familiar with the color system?” He asked, thumb flicking your clit directly, making you squirm under his touch as you nodded silently, lost in your mind “Use your words, angel… I want to hear your voice… It’s time for the neighbors to meet my new roommate, don’t you think?” His finger slid inside you, suddenly, a surprised moan leaving your lips on spot, getting a smirk from him “Yeah, that’s right… Something like this” He approved.

   What a perfect son of a bitch…

[lavendersoft]

My Soulmate’s Soulmate.

Part 4

Soulmate AU-

Synopsis: Before you meet your soulmate your world is black and white, without color. When soulmates meet, their world glows with vibrancy. The reality, however -as harsh and uncommon as it is- is that you are not always your soulmate’s soulmate.

Pairings: Jungkook x Reader, Taehyung x Reader, Jungkook x Taehyung (poly!au),

Warnings: N/A

Author’s note: jungkook is kinda dumb for the sake of plot. forgive pls.

--

Her mouth fell agape as she continued to stare at him. Taehyung started to get anxious, she looked like she had totally spaced out.

“Y/n..? Listen, I know it’s a lot to proces-“

“A lot to process? A lot to process?!” She immediately covered her mouth with the book she had been fidgeting with, her voice getting a bit too loud for a bookstore.

“I’m sorry. It’s just- yeah! Okay? It’s a bit more information than I had been expecting. I mean, I’m your soulmate and you’re my soulmate’s-” She places the book back in her lap and places a palm on her forehead, collecting her racing thoughts. Her voice was soft and her eyes cast downwards when she spoke again “It’s just that I know how you feel. I’m not my soulmate’s soulmate either.”

Another piece to the puzzle.

“He told me years ago, when we were still teenagers. I’ve always suspected he’d find his partner. Actually, I expected it. It just hit hard when it actually happened. It’s just difficult, I've been dealing with all this for so long.”

There was something in her voice, the way her eyes seemed glazed over, the way she lost herself in deep thought, the way her hands tremble as if she could break down right here, it was all Tae could do to keep from crying. This whole situation wasn't fair, they didn't deserve this. Especially not her.

“This is all new to me. I thought you were just ignoring me because you were already in a committed relationship, not because...” his voice died out as he realized what he was saying.

Not because you weren't my soulmate, too.

Her face contorted in what seemed like guilt or empathy for just a split second.

“I had no idea about Jungkook. To be honest, I wondered why he attached himself to me from the beginning, but I figured he was just friendly.” He was only half-joking.

She let out a genuine laugh and shook her head as if to say “that’s ridiculous, you idiot.”

“I just always assumed soulmate’s came in pairs.” He finished. Her giggles died down to a small, sad smile.

“Me too.”

After a moment of thought, she looked him in the eyes with sternness.

“I need you to be honest with me. How often have you seen him since you two met?”

“He’s scheduled at least six meetings with me.”

There was a flash of melancholy that crossed her face.

“He told me he was working overtime.”

She didn’t seem surprised, just a bit sad while she nodded her head and eyed the hardcover in her hands. Tae wanted nothing more than to reach over and hold her hand, to comfort her as much as he possibly could. But he knew that would be inappropriate, considering the current situation. So instead he studied her. Her mannerisms, the details of her face, the way her hair fell, the curve her neck that peeked out through her oversized nit sweater, the color of her fingernails, the twinkle in her eyes, the way the light from the window hit her features just right, making her look like a perfect muse for a painting. She was ethereal. And he was falling hard.

Taehyung searched her face as he contemplated confessing his feeling for her. To some extent, she probably knew. But she didn't know how he’s gotten but a wink of sleep since they met. She couldn't know that he can’t bring himself to bear the thought of never being able to be with her. There was no way for her to know how weak she made him, how he feels like sighing when she so much as speaks his name. She couldn't know. He felt like such an idiot, falling for someone he’s had a handful of words with. Then, he remembered his own soulmate-paired parents and the story of how they met. “Love at first sight,” his mother would always tell him, “It was like a light switch that could never be turned off. It was immediate and felt so natural, like breathing.” His mother had always been a hopeless romantic, that's where he got it from.

He took a moment before taking the chance.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that night we met at the restaurant, Y/n. I’ve wanted so badly to see you but something inside told me that I’d never be able to get over you if I saw you again. And I was right. You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”

She finally let out the breath she’d been holding. She looked overwhelmed, which was understandable.

She met his gaze and for the first time, it felt like she’d actually seen him.

“Taehyung,” Her voice was filled with sympathy when she reached over to ever so gently place her hand on top of his own, alighting his skin.

“I think the first step is breaking the news to Jungkook.”

—

*Two weeks ago*

Jungkook sat at the tiny little not-so-busy cafe with a warm coffee in his cold hands. The weather had been getting so chilly lately. He instantly thought of you and how adorably whiny you get when your cold.

He grinned fondly as he plans a sweet little movie night, with lots of blankets and warm snacks as the fireplace crackles. He just wants to snuggle up with you while watching horror movies.

He brings the coffee to his lips once again as his thoughts snap back to the current situation.

His company had given him free rein over the cover of his new album. It was the first time he’d have full control over the aesthetic points and he was ecstatic. He had so many ideas rushing through his head constantly ever since he heard the news.

So many ideas, in fact, that he thought it’d be best to meet with a professional to find the absolute right path to go down. He didn’t know if he’d get another chance like this so he had to make it count. It had to be perfect.

It took about two minutes to find the perfect person for the project.

He was a well-established freelance artist that had worked with many different celebrities before, and his portfolio was amazing. Jungkook was impressed immediately and made the first call.

Which turned out to be the best and worst decision of his life.

He heard the bell to the cafe ring softly but paid it no mind as he was so lost in thought.

“Jeon Jungkook?”

At the sound of his name, he looked up to find the most handsome man Jungkook had ever seen. Dressed in all black except for the leopard print coat he had slung over his broad shoulders. His hair was a dark silver styled in loose waves, longer at the nape. Several piercings adorned his ears and he sported a plethora of rings with a simple silver coin pendant necklace. The man had already moved to take a seat in the booth across from him.

“I’m Kim Taehyung, we spoke over the phone? Good to meet you.”

It was all Jungkook could do not to scream.

What the hell? What the hell? No. No way, this can’t be happening! No! This isn’t real!

Taehyung hadn’t been paying too much attention to Jungkook’s silence, going ahead and pulling out different works and sketches from his bag to show Jungkook as references.

“From what you told me over the phone, I kind of went ahead and made a few rough drafts, you know? This one, I think, is my favorite.”

Taehyung pushed a piece of paper with beautiful different colors on it. Jungkook had to blink away the tears from his eyes. Jungkook’s eyes couldn’t even focus, they darted around the vicinity.

“Come on now, it’s not that good. Don’t cry.”

It was so good, so good. He’d literally never seen anything like it before. This was the first object he was able to focus on in what felt like hours at this point.

“I- I’m sorry I have to g-go. Um.. I’ll uh.. call you.” Jungkook new he looked absolutely insane, slamming his laptop and packing up in a panic.

To his surprise, Taehyung hadn’t looked angry at all, just confused.

“Oh, okay. So rain check, then?” He asked.

“Y-yes, rain check.”

With that, he ran out of the building, with a migraine unlike anything he’s ever had.

That night he had told you about Tae. He’d felt your heartbreak but had convinced you to stay, yet again.

Right before you two had fallen asleep that night he made you a silent promise.

He would make this work. He’d find a way to keep you from leaving, and to keep you happy.

—Two days later—

He made a phone call to Tae. They rescheduled their meeting. He kept it as professional as he possibly could. But he felt it, the pull of the Bond. He would have given anything just to touch Tae.

But not you. He won’t give you up.

He wondered how Tae so seemingly effortlessly hid how much he wanted Jungkook. I mean, he must be hurting so much, too. Jungkook felt a pang if guilt.

This was a mistake.

He shouldn’t have rescheduled. He should have gone with another designer for his album cover. He should have deleted Tae’s number. It would have been less painful for everyone involved.

But that’s easier said than done. Ever since he met Tae, it was almost like he couldn’t breathe if Tae wasn’t there. And seeing him again just solidified the fact that everything is so much... so much brighter when Taehyung’s near.

Jungkook is completely hooked.

That’s why Jungkook kept seeing Tae. Throughout the next week or so he scheduled so many meetings with the beautiful artist.

He told you he was just working extra hours.

Jungkook he fell deeper each time he saw Tae. The meetings became less and less professional and more personal. Jungkook learned Tae was from Daegu, that his parents were farmers, that he is the oldest sibling, that he can sing, and that Tae had the most wonderfully weird sense of humor.

However, each time Tae would crack a joke and send him one of those lovely smiles, Jungkook’s heart would clench in guilt.

Tae reminded him of you. The same odd, sarcastic sense of humor. The same bright smile.

He kept thinking how betrayed you’d look when you found out about these secret meetings.

“Hey, Tae, I have someone I’d like you to meet. I think you’d like her.”

If only he knew back then how right he was.

-Present-

Jungkook sat at his desk finishing up the editing for his new single. He’d felt so guilty due to all the time he’d put into meeting Tae behind your back. He planned on taking you out tonight to compensate. But that was before he got the text that made his heart drop.

Please meet me as soon as you can. I’m at the little bookstore on the corner. It’s important.

I’m with Taehyung.

He didn’t bother shutting his laptop or even grabbing his bag when he rushed through the door of his office.

He had the most gut-wrenchingly terrible feeling about this.

--

Taglist: @ourwhispersbecomeouranthems @fantasyjoon @ally22042000 @ireadfanficsonthisleavemealone @embrace-themagic @lexi-tries-art @ccmemoirs @just-call-me-trash-can

[zaraquinn]

Bad Guy

Billy Hargrove - Falling for a girl that is just as bad as he is and being completely shook about it

Word Count: 1687

Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader

Requested by: my dumbass

Author's notes:

Y/N - Your Name

Additional Notes: for some reason I ended up listening to billie eyelash’s (eilish’s) bad guy and came up with this idea at 2 am??? It is lowkey a lemon, but like it’s at the end and VERY implicit (bc I’m lazy and haven’t written things like that to its full extent... yet?) Idk but enjoy.

————

————

Billy walked through the halls of the school, late as usual for class or hell, even skipping. You had spare that period and sat sitting in the hall, doodling endlessly as you tried to think of the topic of your essay for your class. Glancing over, you found Billy’s gaze reach you, and his immediate thought was to go over to you. An automatic reaction for Billy when he sees a girl; how lovely. “Y/N. Fancy seeing you here.” He hollered over, taking a seat on the floor beside you. You had to admit, you liked the bad boy of Hawkins, but his habit of chasing away girls than leaving them high and dry had stopped you from ever having a chance with him. You didn’t want to be left on his list of girls when you felt something for him. “Billy.” You said, closing your notebook as you let your mind take a break from work. “What are you doing here?” You asked. “Skipping calculus. Who the fuck cares about that?” Billy chuckled, turning on his charm that usually worked for the ladies. “What about you? Aren’t you a too much of a goody-two-shoes tp be skipping class Y/N?” He leaned in, obviously flirting. You felt your heartbeat in your ears as his flirting was taking effect on you. “I have a spare, so I have a free slot, instead of class. And besides, I’m not ‘a goody-two-shoes’.”

You were saying the truth. Yeah, you were a good student with good grades, but to be honest; everyone really didn’t like you. It was something everyone really knew, and you didn’t care. The best part was the faculty and teachers. They hated you because you didn’t listen to their lessons or lectures; didn’t work on most things in class but you still ended up with the highest grade inthe class and handed everything in on time than others. You didn’t fit the ‘perfect student’ or ‘perfect child’ mould but you were smart enough for most adults to hate you. You hated most of the people in your grade and school; as they always wanted to follow the guidelines and trends—making them such basic people. They always cared about what society thinks of them and you were the total opposite of society. You were essentially the other side of society—the ‘bad girl’.

It even shocked you that Billy had even talked to you. Maybe it was out of boredom, or his attachment to women. Or, something else?

Billy chuckled in disbelief as he saw you stuff your schoolwork in your bag; something he caught on and used in his argument. You can tell he’s trying to add you on the list, but you thought: ‘Why not change it up a bit? Everyone expects Billy to get the girl. He’s the ‘bad boy’ of the school.’ You thought to yourself. This’ll be fun. You let out a breathy scoff as you flipped him off and Billy following with another chuckle. “Such obscene fingers gestures coming from such a pristine girl.” He mocked, gently letting down your finger. You bit your lip as you thought of your plan—and smirked mischievously. “Say, Y/N; why don’t we go somewhere else other than school? The day ends after this period,” Billy leaned in quite close, looking down at you with those silver-blue eyes of his. “Charming. Yet, predictable.” Billy furrowed his brow in confusion at your reaction. That usually doesn’t happen. “I’m not like those other girls Billy. Quite the opposite really.” You got up from your spot to leave, but soon after Billy came along following behind you like a puppy. “Playing hard to get huh?” He said, his arms swinging beside his body as he walked alongside you.

“Think you’re so criminal with that attitude?” You say, turning to him with a challenging glare. “I’m the bad boy of Hawkins, sweet cheeks.” He leaned in closer; the two of you standing in the middle of the hallway now. “I’m so cynical.” You leaned in as well; two can play that game. “Then let me take you out Y/N. You’re the hottest chick in Hawkins. And I know you like bad guys Y/N, and I’m the only one here.” His voice was husky and low, really working his charm now that he noticed you were playing hard to get. He bell suddenly rang for the end of the day, and the students had filled the halls in a millisecond. You bit your lip seductively, letting Billy eat it all up. “Billy!” A girl called out. You totally forgot his last fling he forgot to break it off with had ran over to the two of you; getting disgusted by your presence already. “Why is she talking to you?” The girl blurted out. You scoffed tp yourself, completely ignoring her standing behind Billy. “So you’re a tough guy? You like it rough Billy? With your chest always so puffed?” You mocked, wanting to push his buttons. “You think you’re the bad guy of the school?” He took a deep inhale as your words bruised his ego a bit. He was getting flustered and you couldn’t help it but tell yourself on the inside that the reaction was hot as hell.

“You’re wrong. I’m the bad type that you can’t get. The one to make your mom sad type.” You leaned in so close to Billy you could almost kiss him. He took a breathy exhale as he was so caught your words his eyes kept switching to your lips and your eyes. “To make your girlfriend mad type,” You glanced over at his ‘girlfriend’ and pushed her farther behind Billy. “Even seduce your dad type...” You said so softly, your lips treading on his skin. The hallways soon filtered empty, as the students made their way to the buses outside. “I’m the bad guy.” You licked your lips ever so seductively, pulling Billy by his shirt close to your lips; inviting him to kiss you. So distracted by you, Billy was ready to plant his lips onto yours until you suddenly pushed him back by his shirt. “Duh.” You said out of nowhere and walked away—letting go of his shirt and leaving him all hot and bothered. “Billy!” His last fling yelled on the floor from when you pushed her. He was so invested in how you made him feel, he smiled to himself—a genuine smile had crept on his face as he followed your steps out the door, totally ignoring and forgetting about the girl on the floor.

————

Billy slammed you against the bathroom wall, starting to leave marks on the surface of your skin on your neck. Moaning at the pleasure you smiled to yourself. You just bruised his ego again and he wanted to show you that you were wrong. You loved it when Billy took full control. You loved when he owned you, and you let him play that dominant role. “Jump.” He quickly and huskily said, and you followed with your legs wrapping around his waist. His hands making it’s way underneath your clothes and his lips attacking your neck still. “You’re so hot, Y/N.” Billy said between kisses. “What can I say? I’m the bad guy.” You laughed as you said it out loud, remembering when you said it the first time to Billy. “Yeah? You’re tough?” He asked, and you feel Billy get more aggressive with his hands on you and under your top and skirt. You nodded furiously, taking it all in. “You like it rough?” He leaned you against the wall and you heard his belt unbuckle. Your legs still wrapped around his waist. “You can’t get enough?” He huskily said in your ear. You bit your finger desperately, already feeling you turned on by Billy’s confidence high; He was getting hotter by the minute. “You’re wrong Y/N,” He paused, leaving you to question what he was going to say next. “I’m the bad guy.” Billy huskily said in a low, dangerous voice. You felt yourself get lined up by Billy holding you up as his hands gripped your thighs and ass to hold you better than the wall. He let out a flirtatious chuckle—seeing you all hot and bothered to the max. “Duh.” He repeated your exact words and as he made a surprised gasp leave your mouth as the small of your back hit the wall furiously by Billy’s rough forward force.

————

Walking down the halls of the school, you didn’t care about the shocked glances that were geared towards your way. Usually, they were judgemental and angry and even disgusted looks and you walked down the hall giving no shits—but would be the first time you enjoyed the glances. You walked down the hall with a pair of sunglasses that matched Billy’s. His hand was in yours and you wore his leather jacket covered in his cologne that ended just beneath your butt. People’s murmurs and whispers were heard as you and Billy strutted down the hallway not giving any attention to the people around you. “Billy! What about me?” The girl from yesterday was still trying to take her chances with him; although she had betted all her chips in one basket and lost it. “Heather, it’s over. Can’t you see Y/N is my girlfriend now?” You gave a sarcastic wave at the annoying girl, and she gave you an angry gaze your way. “So you’re going to leave her too after another girl comes along huh?” Crossing her arms like she finally dug into Billy’s plan. He just nodded and gave Y/N a peck on the cheek. “Not possible.” Billy said nonchalantly and kept walking with Y/N. the whole school watched the scene unfold and burst into shocking scenes of gossip around them.

————

✨MASTERLIST✨

💐STRANGER THINGS REQUEST POST💐

[writings-of-dumpy]

A Cinderella Story - III

Tags: @mindingmyownbusiness​

Stiles was bored. He had met more women tonight than he thought possible for anyone to meet in one night, and none of them held a candle to the woman he had met a few days prior.

“Don’t give up hope, Stiles. The night is still young,” Scott said with a smile.

Stiles nodded and thanked him. Suddenly, a figure at the entrance caught his eye. Stiles’ heart jumped and he wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw the woman he’d met in the village. She lifted her mask to adjust it and he saw her whole face and by god it was her.

“Holy shit, Scotty, look! It’s her! Quick, switch masks with me,” Stiles asked his friend.

“What? Why? Just go talk to her,” Scott protested.

“Dude, I’m the prince and you know how people can get. All night these girls have done nothing but kiss up to me, and I want to actually know this one. Please?” Stiles pleaded.

Scott furrowed his brows. “Girls kissing up to you is a problem for you?”

Stiles flattened his mouth and took his mask and crown off, then placed the crown on Scott’s head. Stiles pulled the mask from Scott’s eyes and replaced it with Stiles’ royal one.

“There you go, now you’re the prince. Meet a bunch of girls, okay? Oh, and try to remember their names,” Stiles said sarcastically.

Scott shook his head and sighed, taking off the crown and mask, “The things I do for you…”

Stiles rushed over to where the woman was entering and spoke up. She looked over at him and smiled once their eyes connected and she recognized him.

“You look absolutely beautiful tonight,” Stiles said with a smile.

She blushed. “Thank you… You look very handsome.”

Stiles felt his cheeks heat up at her compliment. When the orchestra played the waltz and the lights dimmed, he knew Scott had notified his parents of the mystery girl’s arrival. He offered his arm to her.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked with a shy smile. Stiles saw her cheeks flush pink and she nodded.

“I’m afraid I won’t be much good, but I would like to try,” she told him. Stiles chuckled and took his position with his hand on her back and their other hands together. They glided around the dance floor with ease and Stiles had figured that even though his mask and crown were different, the crowd had found out that he was the prince and allowed him to dance with his chosen partner.

“What’s your name?” Stiles asked her. “I didn’t get it before.”

She smiled. “It’s Ella.”

Stiles smiled widely. “That’s a beautiful name. It suits you.”

She giggled and Stiles led them past a curtain and noticed Scott close off the area to allow Stiles and Ella to have some privacy. The pair danced without music for a little while longer, but eventually found themselves caught up in conversation and walking through the gardens.

“It sounds like your friend is very loyal,” Ella commented when Stiles told her about how he had skipped what he called work to be in the village and Scott had covered for him.

“He really is,” Stiles agreed. “Do you have any friends?”

Ella smiled and nodded. “A few pixies come to visit me. They’re the closest thing I have to family.”

Stiles’ brow furrowed. “Oh?”

Ella shrugged. “My mother died when I was born, and my father died when I was six. But he married my stepmother before that, so, I guess I have her and my stepsisters…”

“You seem to not believe that,” Stiles observed her tone.

“Well… Let’s just say that I wouldn’t treat my stepdaughter the way I’m treated now. But I’m sure she has her reasons,” Ella said and looked down at her hands. Stiles wasn’t sure of her exact situation, but he could tell it must be hard for her and his heart broke and it angered him to think that she was being mistreated.

“Anything can be a reason for something, but there’s no excuse for treating another human being poorly, even if they make you mad,” Stiles said. “You don’t deserve to be treated badly, Ella.”

Ella looked up at him and Stiles felt himself falling for those beautiful eyes. His heart pounded rapidly whenever she would brush against him and when they danced, he felt like he was floating and nothing but her mattered.

“Thank you… You sound as wise and kind as a king,” Ella joked, and Stiles blushed.

“I wouldn’t know,” he lied.

“Well, in any case. I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to. I thought about it, but… I have nowhere else to go and having a home is better than not, right?” Ella said, and Stiles felt she was half talking to him and half to herself. Stiles wanted nothing more than to whisk her away and treat her the way she deserved to be treated—like a princess. He didn’t want to scare her away, so he simply placed a comforting hand on her back.

“What about your family?” Ella asked with genuine interest.

Stiles chuckled. He wasn’t ready to reveal to her his royal standing because he wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t treat him differently, so he was just vague enough to not raise suspicion. “Well… It’s just me, my mom and my dad. We’re pretty normal, I suppose. I’m blessed that way.”

They talked more and traveled all around the castle until they finally made it full circle back to where they had first begun their time alone and sat on a nearby bench across from the grand clock. Stiles held her hand in his until they were both seated, then he pulled her close to his chest. His heart was beating loudly as he contemplated telling her who he was. He heard the clock gong fifteen minutes to midnight and felt Ella rush from her seat.

“Oh, no… I have to go! I’m so sorry, but I really have to leave,” she said and began to run toward the ballroom.

“Wait, but why?!” Stiles called after her and gripped her hand. “I’ll go with you!”

“Uh, um.. no, I.. I have to meet the prince still! I’ve never met him or even seen him, so I should probably do that given that it’s his birthday and all,” Ella reasoned and pulled away from Stiles.

“Ella, I’m…” Stiles started, but she was gone before he could say goodbye to her. “I’m the prince.”

Before he walked back into the ballroom, he saw a sparkling item on the stairs where she had been. He picked it up and recognized it to be her slipper. His heart raced and he knew that he had to give it back to her, and then probably ask her to marry him.

~

Ella made it home just in time for her magnificent dress to disappear into nothing around her and everything return to how it was before Lydia had shown up. Ella felt like she had just awoken from a beautiful dream. She sighed sadly and gazed at the castle in the short distance. She remembered everything she could about Stiles and this magical night and locked it away in her mind.

“You’re back! How was it?!” Jasmine asked voraciously.

Ella smiled. “It was incredible. Truly a dream come true.”

“Ella, look!” Snow said and pointed to Ella’s feet. She looked down and saw that one diamond slipper remained intact on her foot. She gently took it off and held it close.

“Lydia, wherever you are… thank you…”

After a few hours and some clever furniture placement, Ella managed to completely hide the slipper from this wonderful night from her stepfamily. She then heard her stepsisters and stepmother arrive back at the house and put on a brave face—she had to pretend nothing happened tonight. She greeted them at the door with a kind smile and took their shawls as they entered.

“How was your night?” Ella asked them.

“A finer night has never been had,” Winifred said and sat in the foyer’s chair.

Allison and Malia looked at Ella and smiled sadly.

“It was wonderful. You would have loved it,” Malia said.

“Except for the part where the prince vanished with some girl,” Winifred scoffed. “And our chances at royalty are dashed.”

“She had to have been a princess or something. She showed up late and left early, and the whole time she totally hogged Prince Mieczyslaw!” Allison whined.

Ella’s heart started beating quicker, but she knew she couldn’t raise suspicion, so she asked, “How do you know she was a princess?”

“She was wearing a super sparkly dress and some people were saying that she left in a GOLD carriage!” Malia said. Ella’s heart nearly stopped when she realized that she had been the one that they were talking about.

“I’d never seen her before, so she must be from somewhere else,” Allison added.

“Did you see her shoes? They looked like diamond!” Malia said to her sister.

Ella bit back her shock. She didn’t think she had looked that unrecognizable, but perhaps she had. Stiles recognized her at the very least, and Ella felt foolish for being so open and not realizing that she had danced and spoken to the prince all night. She felt even more foolish for maybe even falling in love with the man.

“Yes. Well, now it’s over. Off to bed with you all,” Winifred shooed and the house retired for the night.

[ruinedthatfriendship]

If Happy Is Her

A/N: In which Lauren kinda ships it? IDK, this one got weird. Also, I’m pretty sure given the last paragraph that when I originally wrote this, there was supposed to be a part two. So sorry for that. (If anyone really wants me to, I can take a stab at finishing it?)

There were very few things Demi wanted to do less than entertain Lauren Silverman at her kitchen table. But, here she was, awkwardly sliding a cup of coffee across the table to the woman who was a living, breathing reminder of when she wasn’t good enough.

It would have been so much easier if she’d hated her. But Lauren was genuine, and funny, and the sort of person she would have liked to have been friends with, once. If things had been different.

Demi swallowed hard and boosted herself up onto the high stool with a quick smile she wished hadn’t come out so fake. “So...this is a surprise,” she prompted carefully.

Lauren’s answering smile was just as forced, and she traced the handle of the cup Demi had given her, not quite meeting the younger woman’s eyes. She took a deep breath as if to begin speaking, then cut herself off before she could get a single word out.

Anxiety mounting, Demi waited her out. She hadn’t really seen Lauren since the news of her affair with Simon had first come out. There had been a few tense backstage run-ins when she came to the X Factor set, during which Demi had congratulated herself for her civility. She had seen the woman twice more, when she met Eric, but that had been over two years ago.

Simon, Eric, Lauren… she’d thought they were all entirely out of her life. And however much that had hurt, and still hurt, she was learning to make her peace with it. If happy is her, I’m happy for you. She’d written songs until the subject was beaten thoroughly into the ground, three quarters of which never made it out of her notebook. Considering how many songs she did have out with ties back to Simon freaking Cowell, that was saying something.

“Thank you,” Lauren said suddenly, softly, shaking Demi out of her thoughts. “You didn’t have to see me,”

Demi shrugged. “You were on my literal doorstep,” she pointed out, earning a weak laugh from the woman sitting across from her.

“Demi,” Lauren tried, then paused again. “There’s something you need to know.”

Demi tried to take a steadying breath, but it didn’t stop her mind from leaping to wild conclusions. “Is...is Eric okay?” she ventured suddenly. “Simon?”

Pain flitted across Lauren’s features, but she smiled a bit more genuinely. “No, they’re fine. They’re fine. I just…” She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and squared her shoulders. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think this would be quite this hard.”

Demi said nothing, and took a sip of her drink. Tea today, like the brand she used to frequently steal from Simon’s kitchen. She would never have made it if she’d known Lauren would show up--one slap in the face of past memories was enough for a day.

“I thought he was going to hurt himself,” Lauren blurted, earning a wide-eyed look of alarm from Demi over the rim of the mug. “He called me...I still don’t really know what it was about. He was so drunk, I told him to come here rather than let him try to get home...he said you fought.”

Demi’s eyebrows crinkled up in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“Things got out of hand,” Lauren went on, biting her lower lip. “And I can never regret my son. But the night we made Eric, he, um, he just kept calling me Demi.”

Demi’s stomach was currently located somewhere in her toes, heart wedged into her throat. “What?” was all she had the strength to squeak out. This was in no way the conversation she’d expected, or planned, when she’d seen Lauren standing at her front door.

Lauren shrugged. “So I guess I always knew, you know? And as I’m sure you know, Simon talks in his sleep.”

Demi swallowed. No comment, she wanted to say dryly.

“I thought it would get better...I wanted to think he was just drunk and you were on his mind because he said you had a fight.” Her mouth twisted wryly. “It never did.” Lauren looked down at her coffee again. “I love him, Demi, so much.”

Demi wanted to scream. Why are you telling me this I can’t hear this right now I was doing so well please stop I just want to forget I can’t forget. She blinked her long lashes rapidly, trying to deny the sudden, inexplicable sting behind her lids. Don’t cry. Don’t.

“It’s taken me longer than it should have to understand that…” a humorless laugh. “He was there for Eric, not me. And I think we will always be connected, by our beautiful baby boy. But Eric isn’t a baby anymore. He sleeps through the night...I don’t really need someone to switch off with so I can sleep. We made it through the terrible two’s alive… it’s time to let go. You know?”

Demi blinked hard again, and shook her head. No, I don’t know. “I don’t understand,” she finally whispered thickly.

Lauren’s eyes shone too, and she reached out suddenly and put her hand over Demi’s on the table top, squeezing. “I never realized what an incredible thing you did, Demi, all those years ago. I didn’t want to see it. But there was a reason that it felt so tense when we saw each other on the set. I saw your face on the panel that season. And in spite of all of that pain, you gave us the gift of grace.” She pressed her lips together, then went on. “I think I know what ‘Stone Cold’ is about now, huh? And you let him go,” her voice had dropped to a whisper.

“Demi, what I’m trying to say, is that I think it’s my turn now.” She used her free hand to swipe under her eyes briefly, and let out a shaky little laugh. “Simon has done his duty to me, and to our son, a thousand times over. But he never loved me. Not the way I wanted him to, anyway. You understand better than anyone, I think, what it’s like to choose his happiness instead of yours. And I can’t keep being the thing standing in the way of his happy ending.”

Something broke in Demi’s chest suddenly, and she looked away, lips pressed together and quivering. Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry.

“And you know, if I have to listen to him going on about you while I’m trying to sleep one more time, I might just kick him out anyway.” Lauren snorted, her lips twitching up. “I need to let him go, Demi. He gave me a miracle, but that’s all we are. And it’s past time I gave him back to you.”

She took her hand off of Demi’s with one last squeeze, and then leaned over to dig through her purse. “Eric actually broke his phone a while ago,” she narrated casually. Apparently the emotional bit was over, then. “But here, I wrote this down.”

She pushed a slip of white paper toward Demi with a sense of finality in both the gesture and her expression. Ten digits in blue ink, written in a delicate hand. “Call him.” Lauren said firmly.

“Why are you doing this?” Demi finally ventured. She was staring at the slip like it might actually leap out and bite her, trying to keep her breathing even.

Lauren shrugged. “Oh, you know. Trying to jumpstart a new Demi album of love songs to play in my kitchen.”

Demi’s hand flew to her lips suddenly in a vain attempt to stifle the half-laugh, half-sob that burst out of her. And then Lauren was out of her seat and around the table to hug her, and her head was buried in the older woman’s shoulder, and all she could say was “I’m sorry.”

Tears ran down her cheeks in spite of herself, landing in Lauren’s hair while she shook. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,”

Lauren pushed her back far enough to look at her face, peering at her almost curiously. “Why? Don’t be sorry for having feelings.” She shrugged. “Simon makes it hard not to, believe me I know. But I want him to be happy. And I want you to be happy.”

“What about you?” Demi wiped her eyes, taking in a quick, steadying breath.

Lauren looked a bit timid again, and shrugged hesitantly. “I want us to be friends?” she ventured carefully.

At that, Demi smiled. It wasn’t quite one of her brilliant grins, but it was a genuine start, and she put her arms around the other woman again.

“The paparazzi would really have a field day with this one,” she cracked, earning a laugh from Lauren. And somehow, the tension left the air. Well, not completely, because Demi doubted that would ever really be gone, but maybe they’d make it.

They moved on to other topics, and by the time Lauren finally left the house, Demi saw her off with a bright smile and a wave, with the woman’s number saved into her contacts. Simon’s, on the other hand, stayed on the counter for a week.

It stared at her while she made breakfast, lurked in the back of her brain every time she so much as walked past the kitchen. It kept her up at night, knowing it was sitting innocuously downstairs. In her weakest moment, she crept downstairs in the middle of the night in her pajamas and spent five minutes digging through her kitchen drawers for a lighter before giving up.

It was eventually moved from the center of the table to sit carefully on the top of a stack of magazines, but it was never really out of her mind. Demi thought about calling when the new season of AGT premiered, and she was unable to resist watching him lay into one of the stupider auditioning acts from her couch. She thought hard about picking up the phone when ENews covered the official story that Lauren Silverman had bought a new house, and Simon Cowell was not coming with her.

Lauren, meanwhile, had installed herself firmly as a champion of Demi’s love life, making a point to text her at least once each day to inquire. 

Lauren Silverman: Did you do it yet???

No, go away, Demi had replied, resolving to ignore the following six indignant messages. 

Oh come on. 

Do it, he totally misses you

Demi!

DEMI!

Stop procrastinating you know you want to 

Why are you both so difficult I’m giving up 

At that, Demi had sarcastically typed back, Good. She really didn’t have time for this. And she liked Lauren, she did, but she still wasn’t sure how she felt about her relentless efforts to put Simon and Demi together after she’d been the one to send everything to hell in the first place. 

Simon had started featuring in almost every one of her dreams now, not that he’d ever really completely left. She knew it was an easy fix; she could just pick up the phone or tear up the slip of paper and it would be over either way. But it took almost three months for her to convince herself to get off of the fence and face the fear.

It was stupid, really. She was scrolling through her phone in a moment of procrastination while an unfinished song sat open in her notebook, the final verse unrelentingly stubborn. Somehow she’d ended up in the cake decorating tag on Instagram, and she’d scrolled entirely past it before backtracking quickly up through her feed.

And it wasn’t the X Factor cake at all, just a similar tiered design with red and black, but suddenly all Demi could think of was the laughter and the taste of the frosting Simon had smeared across her lips. The moment she’d met his eyes, feigning annoyance as she licked it off but privately thinking she liked seeing him laugh.

Before she really knew what she was doing, her feet were up and propelling her across the house to pick up that stupid piece of paper. Her hands were shaking slightly while she typed it into her contacts, but she quelled the nerves in her belly and lifted the phone to her ear.

Two rings. Then three.

“Simon Cowell speaking.”

All the air left Demi’s lungs in a rush. She’d obsessed over picking up the phone for weeks, but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of hearing his voice, and that British accent, again.

“Hello?” he questioned..

She was still trying to make her voice work.

“Hello?”

Demi bit her lip, her eyes welling up again, and her voice came out in a whisper. “Hi.”

[aweirdkindofyellow]

Here I Am, There You Are Pt. 4

Jack Barakat x OC ‘Rachel has been best friends with Alex, Jack, Rian, and Zack since high school. What happens when one of them gets married?’

Part 4

“Hey,” I whispered and dipped down to kiss Jack’s neck before continuing the whisper in his ear, “it’s Christmas.” He softly groaned and his eyes fluttered open, falling directly on my figure. “Am I still dreaming?”

“No,” I shook my head and hit his chest lightly in disgust, “I’m only sitting on top of you because I’m trying to wake you up!”

“Well, I’m awake, so…” His hands, which were first at his sides, now trailed up my legs and towards my hips.

“Dude,” I climbed back off of him and got off the bed as well, “it’s Christmas.”

“Why do you keep calling me dude?” he breathed out loudly and looked at me, catching a glimpse of my shirt rising up as I put my hair up in a ponytail.

I gave him a weird look and slid one of the hair ties from my wrist before dropping my arms down again. “Bro.”

“Ah, yes, so much better,” he commented sarcastically.

But he got his revenge. While I was still standing close to the bed, he suddenly sat up a little, reached out, and managed to grab me around my waist, pulling me back on the bed. I yelped in surprise and couldn’t help laughing loudly as he started tickling me. I was squirming around, subconsciously trying to kick him off me, while he was poking at my sides. There was no way to deny it, I was super ticklish, and Jack knew that. He always took it to his advantage. I could break into a fit of giggles if he grazed my skin too lightly while we had sex.

There was a loud knock at the door before it was harshly kicked open, hitting the wall loudly. Ethan was stood on the other side, still in his pajamas, and looking very excited. Although sixteen, he didn’t let anything take him down on this day.

“It’s Christmas, bitches!” he announced with a power stance.

“That it is!” I agreed just as enthusiastically as I jumped up from the bed yet again that morning, now completely awake and pumped due to my laughter. “Time to go downstairs!”

“Hell, yeah!”

Ethan and I started charging towards the stairs, but I took a detour. “But first, I gotta go to the bathroom!”

I disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door behind myself. Although I knew my brother was waiting for me, I took my time to use the toilet and wash my face. Since it was Christmas morning, I knew I wasn’t going to get to take a shower for a long time. We always stayed in our pajamas until the afternoon. I wanted to be at least a little clean.

To be honest, I wasn’t actually planning on being home for Christmas, let alone with Jack. It would have been the first year I wouldn’t have spent it with my family. I was going to stay in LA, but I was actually going to spend it there with Jack. The whole plan was already set. So, why did I end up buying last minute tickets and coming back home? Well, my sister was originally going to come over with her almost-husband. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to come as well, and it wasn’t at all that I was trying to hide Jack from her--she actually knew about our relationship, just not many details. I just figured it would have been way too much for my parents to handle for an entire week. But, then my sister canceled. Her fiance, Christopher, had to make a last minute business trip to the Bahamas, and Anna went along--don’t ask me why the hell why work required him to go there, because I did not know either. So, I felt obliged to go home. I told Jack I was going to go home after all and he asked to come along. I was okay with it, as were my parents, and that was that.

I exited the bathroom again so see Ethan waiting, both bored and excited. He perked up a little when he saw me again. “You were taking ages, so I told Jack to use my bathroom.”

Just at that second, Jack came back out of my brother’s room. It was as if his action had flipped a switch for both me and Ethan, and we both rushed up to the stairs. Before we went down, though, we both froze on the first step and looked at each other. The adrenaline was already rushing through my body and it was urging me to get a move on already.

There were no instructions needed as Ethan started counting down, “three, two, one, go!”

We both sprinted down the stairs, trying our best not to mess up and trip while also trying to get the other out of the way. Our arms were in front of each other so we could try to block each other while still moving. Once downstairs, we took a sharp turn of nearly one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, down the hall. The wood floor was particularly slippery ever since my parents had polished it again for Christmas, but neither of us was wearing socks. Still, it was easy to face plant at a speed like this. We took a sharp left, through the two-way swing door, which could screw you over. If the other was just a bit faster, you’d get hit by it in your face. But it was a close one this time and we both rushed into the kitchen. Our parents were already there, making breakfast. On the bar were three mugs waiting for us. Ethan picked up the last one, meaning I got to take a closer one and we both started chugging the hot chocolate with marshmallows. Although it was a perfect temperature--meaning nobody could burn themselves on it--the mini marshmallows were always my downfall. Ethan just swallowed them like it was nothing, while I had to make sure I wouldn’t choke like I had done eight years ago. Surprisingly, Ethan and I slammed our mugs back on the counter at the same time this year and started running through the dining room, dodging the chairs and other furniture, and into the living room. Ethan jumped over the back of the couch and laid down quickly, bringing me to a halt.

“Oh, come on!” I shouted in annoyance.

“Ha, ha! I won!” he laughed with glee. “And you didn’t even have to let me win!”

“I totally let you win!” I argued and walked around the couch to join him.

“Oh, yeah, totally,” he snorted and brushed my argument off.

“I used to let you win, and now I regret that,” I sighed, nudging him with my foot since I was still standing, and joked, “The number of times I kept that door open for you… I should have just let it slam in your five-year-old face.”

“Yeah, you might have actually won now if I had sustained enough injuries back then.”

I walked up to the fireplace and took the gift in Ethan’s Christmas stocking before taking the two gifts out of my own. My sister’s was also hanging alongside them, right in between mine and Ethan’s. But that one was empty. I assumed my parents must have sent her her gift in the mail, but it was still quite upsetting to see.

When I went to turn around to go back to Ethan, I saw Jack going into the kitchen from the living/dining room entrance, looking a little traumatized. He was treading carefully, looking around in shock.

“Don’t worry, Jack,” my mom assured, putting down the oven mitts as the smell of freshly baked goods entered the living room, “you don’t have to chug your hot chocolate.”

“This is mine?” he carefully asked, pointing at the mug Ethan and I left on the bar.

“Yes, all yours. I’m also making coffee, but we always start Christmas off this way.” She smiled and Jack nodded cautiously before taking a sip of his drink. “Oh, Rachel, look what you did. The poor boy’s wondering what he got himself into!”

“Don’t worry, he loves me,” I shrugged off and let myself fall onto the couch, causing Ethan to retract his feet.

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Jack commented and slowly came to join us.

“Rather break up with you than break a tradition with my brother.” I stuck out my tongue at Jack and hugged Ethan’s legs to me.

“Don’t touch me,” Ethan complained and kicked his feet so I couldn’t do anything but let go.

“He knows what’s up,” Jack gave Ethan a nod and sat next to me, drinking some more of the hot chocolate he was savoring.

“Dude, you can talk,” I accused, referring to what went down when I had woken him up that very morning.

“Really? Again?” Jack breathed out with exasperation and looked at me. But it wasn’t because I practically just said out loud that we were quite sexually active.

“Fine,” I sighed dramatically, “you can talk, babe.”

“Gross.” Ethan scrunched up his nose while he looked at us.

“Right?!” I was so happy that there was one more person who thought that nickname was weird for me to use. Not even a second later, though, I leaned back against Jack and he put the arm, which I was pushing against, on the backrest while drinking more hot chocolate.

If you couldn’t tell by now, Jack and I had quite a… casual… relationship. Not in the sense that we were sleeping with other people or dating on the side. We were completely exclusive and all the labels were set. If that didn’t say anything, then us approaching nine months of dating should. It was just impossible for us to act all lovey-dovey to each other. I had been able to do it towards some of my ex-boyfriends, but I just couldn’t leave behind the deeper underlying friendship Jack and I already had. We had just seen too much of each other to act like we were ever perfect human beings. And to be honest, I preferred it this way. There was no real standard to uphold, we were just ourselves. And, yes, that included it being weird for me to use cute nicknames.

“I can call you cheesepuff if you prefer, cause I do really like cheesepuffs,” I offered as a genuine idea.

“That is so sappy,” Ethan shook his head before Jack could make a comment, and sat up to snatch the gift I had taken from his stocking and meant to give to him. “Now, gimme that.”

I rolled my eyes and took a look at the two gifts I had left. There was a label stuck to both of them. The first one had my name scribbled in my mom’s handwritten, so I assumed and checked that the other had Jack’s name. After I confirmed that it was indeed for him, I handed it over. He seemed quite surprised.

“I also get something?” he frowned in confusion and looked at the gift suspiciously while Ethan had already opened his.

“You really have to catch up on your Steward Christmas traditions, Cheesepuff,” I nudged with a wink and started carefully lifting up the tape on my gift.

“Yeah, ‘Cheesepuff’ isn’t going to work.” Jack pursed his lips and shook his head.

“I’m just going to have to start calling you ‘babe’ then, aren’t I? The more I say it, the easier it will be to get used to… But, hey, that will be my Christmas gift from me to you.”

“And your New Year’s resolution!” he added with a grin.

“There we go! Two birds with one stone!”

Finally, Jack also started opening his gift. I already knew the main gist of what was in the gift for all of us. Like I said before, it was a tradition. It was a tradition that had been around ever since Anna was four and I was six, way before Ethan was born. The object was always the same, but what exactly it was was always different.

So, to me, it didn’t sound weird when I heard Ethan exclaim, “Okay, I’ve got the best ones! Reindeer pugs!”

“Umm, excuse me, mine are the best,” I corrected and held up the socks I had gotten for him to see. “Sloths with Christmas hats on gifts.”

“Okay, this is pretty adorable,” Jack chipped in with his own, showing the black socks that each had one kitten with a Santa hat on and a couple of gifts. They were the most neutral, but I understood that. Ethan and I would get the weirdest ones, and it would get weirder every year, but my mom did want to get something nice for Jack.

“Did I do it right or are you going to trade?” My mom asked as both my parents joined us, sitting in the two recliners. We had done it before, when we both preferred what the other had gotten--of course, that was only in the recent years because we had similar sizes.

“Mine are the best,” Ethan repeated with a nod.

“No, mine definitely are,” I snorted and pulled the tag off, putting them on immediately.

I helped Ethan do the same to his socks since he just cut his finger on the plastic while Jack understood what he had to do next. He didn’t need any help and slid on his socks before I could even put on mine. Immediately, he thanked my mom, which was the polite thing to do. For me and Ethan, though, our excitement was more than enough for my mom to know we loved the gift yet again and that we were grateful.

And then slowly but surely we transitioned to the rest of the gifts. My dad brought coffee to the table and we started with our secret santas. At least my sister had canceled just soon enough for nobody to have bought their gifts when they were still doing it together, after all everybody always bought their gifts last minute. I didn’t know how much the order had changed when Jack and I joined, but I sure was glad with the person I needed to get a gift for.

Ethan was the first allowed to open his gift. It was the largest on the table and he was the youngest, so that was just an immediate election to go first. As a kid, I hated never being allowed to go first, but I appreciated it now, especially during Secret Santa. Having to guess who got you the gift first was horrifying.

It was now always my brother’s job. He made the most of it and ripped away the paper that had been so carefully wrapped despite the difficult shape. Eventually, one wheel was revealed before the entire skateboard came out.

“Okay, this is awesome.” He was sporting a very big smile as he turned over the deck to see the design on the bottom.

We all let him and ourselves admire the gift for a bit longer before my mom asked, “so who do you think got it for you?”

Ethan then froze up and eyed us all suspiciously to see if we would break. “Well, either way mom or Rachel must have wrapped it. But if they got it, that’s the question. Hmm…” He took a look at the other gifts still on the table and then at the gifts still under the tree. Recognition flashed across his face and he turned to me and Jack. “It’s one of you. We don’t have this wrapping paper at home.” He then stared both me and Jack down before giving a statement, “okay. It’s from Jack, but… Rachel helped him buy it and wrapped it for him.”

“Told you he’d get it,” I nudged Jack.

“I’m impressed,” Jack nodded with some amazement, “just one correction. I bought it by myself at a custom shop on tour, but Rachel did tell me what you wanted.”

“Well, it’s amazing. It’s exactly what I wanted,” Ethan thanked, taking another good look at the skateboard. Jack had spent a little extra money actually getting it custom made instead of buying one that was already ready-made. Ethan had this specific idea of all the colors he wanted for parts I knew nothing about, and Jack delivered.

Then, I got to go since we were now going clockwise. My gift wasn’t as large as Ethan’s and it also wasn’t as customized, but I still loved it. I had gotten two mugs shaped like gigantic marshmallows along with a pack of shaved chocolate I could mix with hot milk to make hot chocolate. Immediately, I knew who had gotten it for me.

“Thanks, Ethan,” I grinned at him.

“What?! How did you figure that out?!” He exclaimed, taken aback that I knew it without having to think beforehand.

“You’re not invested in your gift enough, you’re watching me instead.”

“Goddammit!”

“Ethan!” My mom scolded as soon as the words had left his mouth.

“Sorry,” he apologized, “dogdammit.”

Jack was next to go. He had gotten some nice wine glasses without stem from my mom. We were going to have to figure out how to bring them back home safely, but even I really liked the glasses. They weren’t just some silly cop-out gift. We could both tell that the four glasses had a really good quality. I was going to have to get some for myself even though I didn’t drink much at all, if anything. Friends who came over would like them. I knew Lisa would freak out over them as well.

I had gotten my dad his secret santa gift. It was always difficult finding a good gift for him. He never really wanted or needed anything. Well, of course, he’d want a super nice sports car, even I did, but I did not earn enough money to just go around buying cars for people. If he needed a new phone or laptop, I would have gotten it for him--maybe not for secret santa, but definitely for Christmas--but he didn't need those either. He was just a simple man. But I knew he liked his jokes as well. So, I bought him a gift box full of funny socks. It was sort of a reference to the fact that he and my mom always got us weird socks, but also because I just thought they were amazing. He promised he’d wear them to work sometime.

And, then, of course, my dad had my mom. He had bought her some new sheets since she always kept bugging him about wanting new ones and that all the ones they owned were outdated. She was over the moon, which pleasantly surprised my dad.

“I was completely unsure what to give. I need to get you multiple gifts because of this. I’m just glad you like it,” he explained why he was so shocked.

“That’s why I was praying to not get Jack when we drew names,” I said to agree with my dad. I knew where he was coming from.

“Excuse me!” Jack gasped in mock offense.

“I love you and I love giving you things,” I put one hand on his shoulder, “but I am not creative enough to think of multiple gifts.”

“Makes sense,” Jack gave in after wanting to shoot back a counter-argument. He had to admit that he couldn’t do that for me either. I even wanted to bet that he only got me one gift, but that that gift was quite expensive.

And I was correct. The fact that it came in a Tiffany & Co box already said enough. Although I knew I would murder Jack if I ever found out how much it had cost, I couldn’t deny that it was absolutely beautiful. The rose gold hinged bangle bracelet had Roman numerals cut into it, a single round diamond placed between each numeral. After I put it on, I expressed how beautiful I thought it was. I barely got to thank and kiss Jack before my mom tugged on my arm and wanted to take a look as well. She then praised him for his choice, making him chuckle softly.

There was no way I was going to beat that gift, and there was no way I was going to beat how expensive it was. I hoped that he like the whole idea of getting meaningful gifts. He liked it when it was his birthday, but that was before we had been dating for so long. Back then, it was just stupid to get him something expensive and flashy because anything could have still happened to us. I had gotten him two gifts, though. The first one…

“A bathrobe?” my mom questioned after Jack had opened his first gift and held it up.

“Umm, excuse me, a monogrammed bathrobe,” I scoffed like the letters ‘JB’ made the gift so much better before giving the better explanation, “it’s an inside joke.”

Jack winked at me while my mom went ‘oh’. It wasn’t like I was just going to give my boyfriend a random bathrobe. We always joked about Jack needing something to quickly cover up, whether that be when walking around his (or my) house in just his boxers or nothing and the doorbell going or when wanting to walk around the tour bus naked. He just needed to have something that let him do so in style. Hence the monogrammed letters. They just made it so much classier. (That was sarcasm, by the way).

The next gift was a little more serious and came in the shape of a long tube. I hadn’t brought it here from LA. I had bought it the last time we were here, without Jack knowing. We were staying at that hotel and I went out for a coffee with one of my cousins while Jack decided to sleep off his hangover (this wasn’t from the dinner with my parents). With some time to spare before I was going to meet up, I went into a small antique shop. That’s where I bought the gift for Jack despite not knowing if we were still going to be together. My parents were going to ship it over closer to Christmas, but we came to it instead.

Jack slowly removed the paper from the tube and unrolled it. It was an authentic old map of Maryland. The paper had faded to that nice orangey-yellow color. The writing almost fit with Jack’s monogrammed bathrobe, only a little more legible. And it wasn’t just a small thing either. We were still going to have to get him a nice frame for it. Although not exactly, it was just over the size of an A2 piece of paper.

“Oh, wow.” He took a closer look, amazed by the gift I didn’t even know why I had given him. “I know exactly where I can hang this up in my apartment.”

Once we finished with all the gifts and put all the wrapping paper in the fireplace to burn that evening, we had breakfast. But it wasn’t long until my parents had to leave for church. I let them get ready and leave while I did the dishes. Well, it was actually me just putting everything into the dishwasher and then turning it on, but still, I cleaned up the entire table and kitchen.

“I’m actually very glad you guys are here and not Anna and Chris,” Ethan said out of nowhere, laying on the couch yet again and throwing a ball of wrapping paper up, catching it, and throwing it yet again.

“Don’t say that!” I frowned as I dried my hands, which I had just washed after finishing with all the dishes.

“But it’s true,” I could hear him practically rolling his eyes. “If they were here, it would have either been go to church or stay at home alone. Neither of those options are preferred.”

“What, really?” Jack challenged from the recliner he was sitting on. “Back when I was sixteen, I would have killed to be at home alone.”

Ethan stopped throwing the makeshift ball. “It’s boring all alone. What the hell is there to do?”

“Umm, watch porn with sound coming from the speakers and masturbating, obviously,” Jack snorted. “I still do that.”

“Rachel,” Ethan complained, “your boyfriend is a bad influence on me!”

“He is a bad influence on everybody,” I retorted as I joined them again.

Before I could find my own place to sit, Jack reached out and pulled me into his lap, causing me to sit at an angle at first. “You know me so well, I have fully 'influenced' you.”

I shifted a little so my weight was no longer just on the leg closest to his torso. “Hmm, not true,” I shook my head and brushed his hair with my fingers, “I don’t watch porn through the speakers when I’m at home alone.”

“We’ll have to change that, then.”

“I think I’m just fine,” I apologized and gave his head a few pats before stretching so I could reach the remote on the coffee table, “I’m going to find a Christmas movie to watch instead.”

“I want to watch, so please don’t get too ‘coupley’,” Ethan begged, already turned away from us so he didn’t have to watch us.

“I promise I will not randomly make out during a Christmas movie,” I told him as a joke. Of course I wasn’t going to take it far in front of other people. That was for behind closed doors.

“I don’t,” Jack snorted.

“Oh, fuck off.” I flicked his arm and started searching through Netflix, resting my head in the crook of his neck.

After this, I wasn’t going to see my family again until my sister’s wedding. It was going to be quite the adventure.

[fatherdavid]

@maracamilkshake

Nervous laughter. Right so this one kind of got away from me. 

Title: Good Morning

Pairing: Jasper/David a lil but could also be platonic.

Genre: Angst (but not too bad)

Word Count: 3,183

Warnings: Cuss words but dude you watch camp camp so

Summary: above ^

(Did I do the fic intro thing right?)

“Good morning, asshole.”

               “Oh, hey. Good morning Max,” David said absentmindedly. He patted Max on the head. As he did so, his hand seemed to weigh the same as the entire world and when he pulled it away it fell limply at his side. Max might have said something snarky in response, but he noticed the way David’s shoulders drooped and his head hung a little. He had also heard the flatness to his tone of voice. Max watched as his counselor kept walking to nowhere in particular.

               Max shrugged to himself and turned to walk away, but something pulled him back. There was something wrong with David. He rolled his eyes. Why should he care what was wrong with him? It was probably something stupid, like his favorite log getting lost or something. Though Max was telling himself these things, he found he couldn’t get himself to leave to continue doing… whatever he had been doing. He thought back to the night of the bonfire. David wanted to care, and be optimistic, and had succeeded for so long, whatever had managed to knock him out of whack must have been pretty big.

               Max headed after David. He told himself it was because he was curious, but even he didn’t believe that.

               “David?” Max called out in general. He was walking through the middle of the camp and couldn’t see where he had disappeared to. Gwen looked up as he spoke.

               “Max? You’re looking for David?” she asked, disbelieving.

               Max rolled his eyes, “Ugh. Yes. Do you know where he went?”

               Gwen gestured toward a random part of the forest, “I saw him head off over there somewhere.”

               Without another word, Max headed off in the direction she’d indicated. It didn’t take him long to see David’s lanky figure trekking through the woods. He was, after all, moving at the break neck speed of a snail.

               “David!” Max called. When he kept walking, Max called louder, “David! What the Hell, man? Turn around!”

               David stopped walking and did as he was told. He watched as Max caught up to him and then he smiled weakly, “Oh, Max. It’s you. I haven’t seen you in a while, how are things?”

               Max stared at him. “Okay,” he said, “ignoring the fucked up implications of that. David. What’s wrong with you?”

               David sighed and rubbed his temple, “Language. And nothing is wrong with me.”

               “Oh, you’re right, because you’re totally acting like your same Mr. Sunshine McSunFuck self,” Max said sarcastically.

               “Max please.”

               “You could have fooled me, David, really. I thought, actually, that you were maybe a little too cheerful, so that’s why I was checking up on you,” Max continued. “I mean look at you, you’re practically skipping through these trees here you’re so fucking happy to be alive right now.”

               “Alright, what do you want from me?” David asked. He sounded angry.

               Max lifted his eyebrows in surprise. He found himself thinking of the David at the bonfire again. He really didn’t like that David. After a second, he regained his composure. “I want to know what’s wrong.”

               David’s face matched Max’s same one of surprise. He looked off to the side and rubbed his arm, “Remember that story I told you guys about in the car ride in the hospital?”

               Max snickered, “You mean the car ride past the hospital?” He smiled. David didn’t say anything. Max coughed. “Yeah, I remember.”

               “That kid Jasper… Well, it’s the anniversary of his death today. And I don’t know I…” he took a deep, shaky breath, “…I know it was a long time ago, but when this day comes back every year it still gets to me.”

               Max’s mouth was parted slightly. He shook his head, “Woah woah woah… You mean that’s the Jasper?”

               David turned his head sharply and looked at Max again, “What do you mean the Jasper?”

               Max bit his lip, “What did Jasper look like?”

               David’s eyes were starting to water. “I don’t think that matters Max. This isn’t funny.”

               “No David, really, I think I know him. See, Nikki, Neil, and I—,”

               David cut him off, “You know, Max, for a second I thought you really cared about me. For just a second. But, whatever, I guess it’s my fault  for thinking such a thing of you. I should have known you would have just wanted to make some kind of joke about this. Go back to the camp.”

               Max looked crestfallen. He really should have gone about explaining this in a different way, “No, David, I promise—,”

               “Go back to the camp!” David yelled. “And don’t you or any of your friends come looking for me!” He turned and stalked away further into the trees. Max reached out a hand towards him, then stopped. He knew there was no use. David would never believe him. Hell, Max himself hardly even believed it himself. True to what the camper had told him, he turned and ran back to the camp.

-

               “Holy shit, so it is the same guy!” Nikki said excitedly. “This is amazing. We should show David! You know how great that would be? Closure and all of that.”

               “You thought it was the same Jasper?” Max asked.

               “Well, yeah, how many Jaspers do you think wander through this place? I mean, I wasn't sure but I thought maybe.”

               Max laid down on the rickety old bed next to her, “Yeah, wow, I guess I just never made the connection.”

               “I mean I realized they had the same name,” Neil said. He was sitting neatly on the floor, his back against the wall of the cabin, “but I never thought they were the same guy. I mean, you’d think David would have mentioned something like that, or at least sounded upset talking about it.”

               “Ehh, who knows Neil,” Nikki said. She was laying on her back with her head hanging over the edge of the bed, her pigtails flowing onto the floor. “It’s David. He’s always happy about stuff.”

               “Well he isn’t today,” Max said. He grabbed his hair in his hands, “Ohh how could I have done this? I tried to help the guy and all I did was make it worse.”

               “Maybe you should have tried to make it worse, maybe you would have helped him somehow,” Neil suggested.

               “Ooh yeah!” Nikki cheered. “Let’s do it! Let’s ‘make it worse’!”

               “Nikki, no offense, but I don’t really want to do that,” Max said.

               “No, I don’t mean make it worse, I mean ‘make it worse’,” this time, she demonstrated with air quotes, “you know?”

               “Like reverse psychology?” Neil offered.

               “Nah, I was thinking more along the lines of a kidnapping.” Nikki said.

               “I mean, as great as an idea as that is, maybe we could save it for another day. I’m telling you guys, he’s really fucked up right now,” Max said.

               “Man, you guys really are not finding my wavelength right now,” Nikki said. She rolled over onto her stomach. “We gotta kidnap him and take him to Spooky Island, then show him Jasper. Then he’ll see Max was being genuine, for whatever reason, and he’ll get to talk to his buddy again! Easy.”

               “Since when was kidnapping someone easy?” Neil asked.

               But Nikki had already stood up and was putting on her shoes, “Don’t worry, I got this.”

-

               “Are you sure this is going to work?” Neil said uncertainly, standing waist deep in the water.

               “Of course it’s going to work, because I came up with the plan,” Nikki said confidently. “Now, I’ll go find David, he’s probably in there hugging a tree or something. Just paddle out pretty far but not so far that you won’t hear me. When I yell your name, that’s your cue to start drowning, okay?”

               “I don’t see why I have to be here,” Max said. He was laying on his back in the bottom of the canoe they’d brought out with them.

               “Because if David sees you he’ll probably think it’s a trick!” Nikki said, “Now, stay down!”

               Max sighed, “Fine. I’ll catch up on my zzz’s then.” He closed his eyes. He didn’t mind laying down there, really, the canoe was big and he fit pretty well. The only problem was he was angry he couldn’t have come up with something on his own. He shouldn’t have to come up with anything, he realized. A normal person could have just talked to David about it and that would have been enough.

               Neil got in the canoe and started paddling. After a few moments, he said, “Ugh, can’t you at least help me get out there?”

               “Sorry,” Max said, “Nikki might get back sooner than we expect and then the whole mission would be blown.”

               Neil sighed, “Yeah, sure, whatever.” He switched back and forth from rowing on the left to the right, trying to keep it in a straight line, or at least straight enough so that they didn’t go in a circle.

               “What if I actually drown?” Neil said, looking over the edge of the canoe into the water.

               “Well, if you’re actually drowning, just call my name and I’ll know something is wrong and save you,” Max said.

               Neil snorted, “My hero.”

               Max glared up at him from his spot on the floor, “Or, I’ll let you die. Your choice.”

               Neil opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off but a loud, eardrum tearing, “N E I L!” echoing back at them. For a moment, Neil did nothing.

               “Holy shit she’d loud,” he said, amazed. “At this distance that’s… that shouldn’t be possible.”

               “Oh, get off the fucking canoe,” Max said, kicking his ankles.

               “Oh, right!” Neil said. He quickly jumped overboard, knocking the canoe over a considerable amount and letting a bunch of water in. Max groaned.

               “Neil you fucking bastard—,”

               “NEIL!” Nikki screamed again from the beach. “Look, David! There he is! He’s going to drown! You have to swim out there and help him!”

               Max couldn’t see, but he assumed David swam in after them. A surprisingly quick amount of time later, Neil was being thrown over back into the canoe. David hoisted himself effortlessly into the vessel and sat on one of the seats. He helped Neil sit up. The canoe shook dangerously.

               “Are you alright Neil?” David asked. There was at least a little bit of bravado back into his voice, Max noticed.

               “Yeah, I’m good,” Neil said carelessly, if not a little winded.

               “Woo!” Nikki cheered from the water. “Hey, give a girl a hand!”

               David leaned over to pull her into the canoe and Neil leaned the opposite direction to stop it from flipping. Max sat up from his spot in the corner behind David.

               “Well, that did work.”

               David turned around, “Max?! Oh, no. This was just a trick? Are you kidding me?”

               Nikki grabbed his arm, “No! David! It’s not! I mean, it is, but trust us!” She smiled sweetly at him.

               “Yeah, come on David, it’s not like we had anything else to do today,” Neil said.

               “Actually, we had plenty of camp activities planned today. And I’m very upset you guys would fake something so serious for a prank,” David said. He looked around for an oar but Neil and Nikki already had them and were paddling them over to Spooky Island.

               “Oh really? What did you have planned, then? Do tell us,” Max said, grinning slyly.

               “Well we…” David hesitated. “We were going to… No, we did that last week. Or we had… No, that was yesterday.” He stopped. “Alright, fine, but you better not be planning my murder or anything.” David crossed his arms and turned his back to Max, staring empty-eyed as the island got closer.

               They arrived at the island and docked the canoe easily as they had last time. Nikki took the oars out and carried them in front of her. She glared at David as he opened his mouth to say something to her. “Nope! You don’t get to row back! You’re coming with us.”

               David frowned, “Nikki that isn’t necessary. I’m not going to leave you guys here stranded. Imagine what kind of camp counselor I would be.”

               “The best one ever,” Max said sincerely. David ignored him and follow Neil and Nikki into the trees. Max shoulders slumped and he followed behind, a little slower than the other three.

               “Jasper!” Nikki called. “Jasper! It’s us, remember? You can come out.”

               “Yeah Jasper come on! We aren’t going to hurt you!” Neil called.

               “We can’t hurt him, dumbass,” Max retorted.

               “Oh, so you’re admitting ghosts are real, then?” Nikki teased.

               David was walking with his head down and his hands clenched at his sides. He clearly was just trying to humor the kids so that they’d row him home, Max realized. Guilt tugged at his heart. What if they were wrong?

               “Jasper please for the love of all that is nature don’t make us go back into that house to try and find you,” Nikki begged. “I know ghosts can move around pretty far from the place they died so you’re not fooling anyone.”

               They walked on in silence for a few more minutes.

               “Look, Jasper, you jerk, I will march right back into that sex cave if I have to,” Nikki threatened.

               “Okay, okay, as much as I want to make you do that, I won’t,” a sweet young voice said. David stopped walking and looked up. Max stepped up next to him to see that his face was streaked with tears. He flinched, but looking forward, he could see the hazy outline that was the Jasper they’d met before. He sighed with relief. They were right.

               Right?

               David’s face was blank. Max watched him stare at the ghost. Did he not recognize him?

               Nikki and Neil stepped aside to open the path between David and Jasper. David fell to his knees, his hands clasp over his mouth.

               “Jasper,” David said, “It’s been so long… I… I’m so sorry.”

               Jasper stepped up to him and smiled, “Aw, Davey, there’s nothing for you to be sorry for. It’s okay, really.”

               David put his hands on his knees. Fresh tears were falling from him eyes now. “Why are you still here?”                

               Jasper closed his eyes, “My job on this earth isn’t yet done. I still have a final mission I must complete before I can leave this place, to rest forever in peace.”

               David set his face in a determined line, “Well, what is it? Whatever it is, I’m sure we can help you.”

               Jasper smiled sadly at him, “Oh, Davey, I have no idea what it is. That’s why I’ve been wandering. I know whatever it is I must do is within the limits of this island… This place. Whatever it is, it will come to me with time. That’s the thing about being dead, time doesn’t seem to matter as much.”

               “There has to be some-something I can do,” David wiped his face but it didn’t help for long. “Jasper I’m s-so so-sorry.”

               Jasper reached forwards and grabbed David by the wrists. He slid his hands down until he was holding David’s and he squeezed them tightly. “Davey there isn’t, I promise. All you can do is rest easy knowing that one day… somehow… I will get my revenge.” He smiled wickedly.

               “Do you want me to send them over here? I have a few rascals who are pretty good at tricking people to getting to this island,” David offered quietly, looking at their hands in between them.

               “All will happen when it must,” Jasper said softly, “don’t you go worrying yourself over me. Now go and shine your beautiful light on people like you’re so good at, Davey.” He took a step forwards and pressed a kiss onto David’s forehead. David gasped softly and looked up, but by the time he had, the ghost was gone.

-

The ride back to the camp was quiet, and a little strained. No one was uncomfortable, but they were all clearly trying to stop themselves from bombarding David with questions about what had happened with Jasper. Most importantly, at least to Max, was who the kid needed to get revenge on.

The rest of the campers and Gwen were happy to see them back. Gwen even gave David a hug, though a small one, then scolded him for leaving his duties. David just smiled crookedly at her and apologized. Everyone pestered David about where they had all gotten off to. He stammered through a few sentences trying to come up with a plausible excuse.

“We were helping David get firewood,” Max said easily. “He wanted to have a fire tonight. I mean, it’s not going to be epic-gasoline-bonfire level, but it’ll be pretty cool.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” said Gwen, sounding a little like she thought it wasn’t a great idea.

It was a little awkward trying to quickly come up with the firewood they’d supposedly spending all day gathering. Max and Neil brought up a few sticks they found lying on the ground and David used them to get the fire started. Nikki showed up a few minutes later with a bunch of hunks of wood and even full logs. She tossed these down next to the pit and wiped her hands off.

“More where that came from!” She announced. “See, we found a bunch all together, so we started a pile in the woods.” She grinned at everyone and took off back into the trees.

They kept the fire going past the sun setting and the stars coming in. Nikki, David, and a few of the other campers had drug big logs and things over to use as chairs around the fire. After that day, it would be a popular spot for the campers to gather after dark. They would often talk and tell stories. Sometimes advanced magic tricks were done, even better in the uncertain light of the fire. Other nights skits were put on. One was about two princes fighting to the death, and the sound of cardboard swords smacking against each other echoed across the horizon. It was a place where their harsh exteriors seemed to melt away and the campers let themselves just be who they were.

Max sat next to David on the trunk of a long dead tree as the campers talked around them.

“I’m sorry for assuming the worst of you,” David said. “That wasn’t fair.”

“It kind of was,” Max said, laughing, “Do you know me? I’m terrible.”

“Aw, Max. You have good in you, you know that. Look at the extent you and your friends went to get me to that island. I don’t think I know anyone else who would do something like that for me.”

Max crossed his arms, embarrassed. “Yeah well don’t expect it all the time you know.”

David laughed and tussled his hair loosely. Max brightened at his touch and smiled up at him. David smiled back. “Thank you, Max.”

[mariequitecontrarie]

Meet Me in the Courtyard: Part 3

Part 3 Summary: Belle finally finds out what’s under the sheet on Gold’s worktable.  The Fic: Belle hosts a monthly movie night in Storybrooke, always leaving the seat next to her empty. Gold loathes movies, yet movie night at the library is the one community event even he can’t seem to resist.  Rating: T, actually A/N: Sorry this took me so long, guys. This was supposed to be for the July @a-monthly-rumbelling, but alas. And then I saw the September smut prompt…”Friends can totally watch porn together and nothing can happen…no they can’t.” And this has both prompts. But no smut. IDK I’m getting a headache. Thanks to @magnoliatattoo, who makes everything I write better.

{On AO3} Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Barefoot, Belle scrambled over to the worktable and lifted the corner of the sheet to peek. Her eyes widened in happy surprise, her dimples puckering. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Depends on what you think it is.” He leaned back against the wall with an indulgent smile, his annoyance from the scene at the diner having faded enough for him to risk teasing her.

Beaming, she yanked the sheet off the table and it billowed to the floor. “Yes! It’s a movie projector! Where did you get it? When? Who is it for? Is it a commission? Are you restoring it for someone?” She squealed and waved her hands around the machine, skipping around the table like a young girl.

“So many questions.” He laughed at her enthusiasm, then, suddenly cautious, he looked at his shoes, frowning at a scuff mark on the toe. They needed a good polishing.

“What are you planning to do with it?” she persisted, running her finger along the edge of a metal reel.

Gold turned his attention to the contraption. The concept seemed self-explanatory to his mind, but she seemed to want him to come out and say it.

A crash of thunder pierced the quiet patter of rain on the roof, and when Gold shifted his gaze toward Belle again, her eyes were misty and her pink lips parted. “You did this for me?” she asked softly. She stepped closer, laying a hand on his arm.

Oh, she definitely wanted him to come out and say it. Bollocks, he hated bloody sentiment.

“I suppose,” he allowed, then bit down on his wayward tongue when her face crumpled and she took a step back.

Gold ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Nothing he did or said in regards to Belle French ever went according to plan. He felt like he was standing on the curb by the library once more, his tongue twisted into knots as he tried to decide whether to come to the movie or go home. Instead, his existence hovered somewhere in between— he was but a spectator in his own life; never a participant. Now, even in his own shop, he had lost his footing.

“Yes,” he corrected himself gruffly. “It is. You like movies, right?”

That was all it took to see her brilliant smile beaming his way once more.

“I do.” She nodded so hard he thought her head might fall off her shoulders. “Do you have any movies we can watch?”

“I may have one or two in storage. Let me check the inventory.” It was a welcome excuse to turn away from the intensity of those too-blue eyes.

The wind howled and the rain intensified, slanting east toward the front of the shop. Gold continued to rummage through the inventory closet while Belle looked through the small pile of movies he’d unearthed. On the top shelf, he found a thick blue-grey cardigan sweater, and offered it to her.  “You’re still shivering.”

She shook her head and giggled, pushing the sweater back at him. “I told you, I’m not cold; I’m excited.”

“Nonetheless.” He draped the garment around her slender shoulders. “Humor me.”

“All right,” she allowed, drawing her arms through the sleeves, “then humor me.”

He lifted an eyebrow and waited.

“I’m sorry about before. With Ruby and the others. They were way out of line and I should have…I don’t know.” She toyed with one of the sweater’s oversized buttons. “Something other than sit there and do nothing.”

Gold waved a dismissive hand. They’d been over this already, and her apology was unnecessary. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But I did.” The sheen in her eyes told him tears were near again. “Sitting in silence while another person is insulted is the same as hurtling the insults yourself.”

“I suppose I don’t make it easy most of the time,” he offered, making his way to his desk. He opened a drawer and retrieved a box of tissues, handing her one. “I have something of a temper, as you’ve witnessed firsthand.”

“No, you have a sarcastic streak, and a sharp edge to your wit. I like your way with words.” She sniffled and blotted her eyes.

He smiled coldly at her misplaced defense of him. “I’d have just as soon bludgeoned your friends over the head with my cane,” he said. “I’m not a good person, Belle.” It was important she understood that fact, however many stray dogs he fed or fortune cookies he ate. He was ruthless in his business dealings and eschewed personal connections. Manipulation and force were ways of life for him.

“That’s what you would have everyone believe.” She crumpled the tissue in her hand with a snort. “Then why didn’t you? Cane them, that is?”

He sighed. “Because you’re one of the few people I genuinely like. I didn’t want to frighten you…” He drew his brows together in a fierce frown. “But I’m not a pet project, some lost soul you can tame and bend to your will.”

The look she gave him was entirely too shrewd. “I think you’re lonely.”

He shrugged. “There are benefits to being alone, you know.”

“Such as?”

“I don’t wake anyone up when I start screaming at night.”

Belle’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean…”

“That was a joke, Miss French.”

She laughed. “I’m the opposite, I guess. Too much of a people pleaser. I worry about what everyone thinks.”

He looked at her quizzically. “Then what are you doing here with me?”

Holding his eyes for a long moment, she caressed one of his hands in both of hers, cradling it as she would something rare and precious. There was that peculiar feeling in his chest again, the one that bloomed whenever she touched him, a cross between suffocation and freefalling.

“I don’t care what other people think when I’m with you,” she said, giving his hands a light squeeze.

“That’s fortunate,” he said curtly, looking down at their joined hands. He slipped his hand out of her grip and clapped his hands to break the tension, then stepped closer to the movie projector with a decisive nod. “Well, then. It’s raining too hard to go anywhere. May as well tinker with this thing and see if I can get it working.”

“Yay!” Belle slid onto the cot and scooted backwards until her back was against the wall, then curled up like a kitten. He watched, bemused, as she tucked the blanket around her hips and covered her bare toes, preparing for the show.

“I don’t have any popcorn,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting…”

“Oh, I’m not hungry.” She shook her head. “Besides, you hate popcorn.”

He smiled a bit, inordinately pleased that she remembered.

“Right. I’ll just…” He motioned toward the machine again, then rummaged through his tools. The last time he’d worked on the projector, he’d been trying to adjust the suspension, but to his surprise, there was already a film loaded on the feed spool.

“How odd.” He chewed the inside of his cheek. “I wonder if…”

He hit the power button. A soft blue light spilled across the darkened room and filled the screen. As the picture brightened into focus, the sound of disco music crackled through the old, lo-fi speaker. A woman’s frosted blond hair bobbed up and down while small, whiny screams sounded from her bubble-gum pink lips. A man with a thick, black mustache and a carpet of chest hair grunted in effort, his gold necklace dangling as he thrust on top of the woman.

Gold stared in abject horror at the scene. The picture was grainy, but there was no denying the obvious. The tanned, oiled couple shifted on screen, and the man flipped the young woman onto her stomach and lined himself up with her as the camera angle narrowed to capture their new position in hideous detail.

Belle uncrossed her legs and rose from the cot, head tilted as she stepped closer to the screen. She laughed at the woman’s exaggerated moans. “Are those leg warmers? Wow! Seventies porn. How vintage.”

For a moment he joined Belle in gawking, mesmerized as the couple continued to thrust and grind, the sounds of flesh slapping against flesh echoing off the wood-paneled walls. It reminded him of one of those terrible sea lion shows at an aquatics park. Against his will, a warm sensation swirled in his lower belly and Gold gulped, drawing a deep breath as he felt himself twitch.

The display may have been vulgar, but he was still a man. A man alone with a beautiful woman. In the middle of a rainstorm.

Sweat beaded on his upper lip and an odd prickling sensation creeped up his spine—half arousal, half revulsion. He sprang toward the machine, trying to turn it off. The switch was stuck and he slammed the power button repeatedly, desperate to be rid of the horrible movie. “Damn it, Baelfire! I’m sorry, Belle. My son…I let him take his girlfriend on a tour of the shop the other night.”

“But he got it the projector working,” Belle pointed out, ever the optimist. “That’s great! Besides, what’s a little porn between friends? I’m not offended, if that’s what you’re worried about. There’s entertainment value here!” Her laugher was shrill as she shifted her eyes away from the screen. “Friends can totally watch porn together.”

Friends? His heart clawed at his dry throat.

All he could manage in response was a stiff smile. This was not how he envisioned this evening playing out. Disgusted with himself and furious with Bae, he turned his back on the screen.

“How old is he? Your son?” Belle asked, shifting her attention away from the moans and groans of the couple onscreen.

“Old enough to know better and young enough not to care.” He winced as the man onscreen drew the woman’s legs around his flanks and pounded into her hard. “You might know him better as Neal.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Neal Cassidy is your son?”

He couldn’t help but grimace at her surprised expression. Neal hadn’t been back in Storybrooke for more than a few months, and he didn’t care one bit for the idea that he’d crossed paths with Belle. “His reputation often proceeds him.” He sighed heavily. “Why, what has he done this time?”

“Nothing! It’s a small town and he comes into Granny’s for burgers at least a couple of times a week. All my friends think he’s handsome.” She rolled her eyes.

“I see.” His clenched jaw began to ache. Of course Belle and her friends giggled over Bae. Every woman did and—bastard that he was—he was petty enough to be jealous of his own son.

“It’s not…I don’t mean to pry, but why is Neal not a Gold?” she asked.

He waved away her concern. “His way of asserting his independence. We had a falling out when he was nineteen. He moved to Boston for school, switched to his mother’s maiden name, and starting using his middle name as his first—all to spite me. We’re over it now for the most part, but he still prefers Neal to Bae.” He narrowed his gaze and hardened his voice in warning: “I wouldn’t bother getting to know him. He won’t last long in a small town like Storybrooke.”

Belle laughed. “You think I’m interested in him?”

He stiffened at her lighthearted tone. “Most women are.”

“Not me,” she said firmly. Like a gazelle, she moved toward him on light, quick steps, then reached for his face, drawing the backs of her fingers from his temple to his chin and circling her thumb through his five o’clock shadow.  She rose up on tiptoe, her breath ghosting over his ear. “Neal is an attractive young man. But he’s not…you.”

Oh. Perhaps she didn’t really mean friends after all?

Stunned by the compliment and her closeness, he fumbled for something to do with his hands, seizing on an antique fishing hook on the corner of his desk. He jiggled the heavy piece of metal in his fingers and squeezed. He didn’t even like fishing, but Belle’s eyes were on his mouth and her lips were inching closer to his. She moistened her full bottom lip with the tip of her tongue, and Gold’s mouth went dry. He dropped the hook, snagging it on his trousers. Damn it.

Belle laid a calming hand against his chest. “Here, let me.”

“All right.” He inhaled deeply through his nose. She was standing so close he felt her hair brush against his wool waistcoat as she bent down to retrieve the hook. His heartbeat increased its tempo, and Gold was sure she could hear it pounding inside his chest, like a prisoner begging to be rescued.

“Do you have it?” he asked, hating his weak, breathless tone.

“I think so,” she said in a small voice.

He shifted his stance as her fingers brushed his thigh again. He could feel the heat of them through the thick wool and his body responded. Gold gritted his teeth; he didn’t want to become aroused when Belle’s head was hovering at his crotch.

He grasped her elbow and tried to take a step backward.

“Ouch!” She lurched against him, her cheek pressed against his half-hard body.

“Do you need me to help you up?” he asked, trying to be polite. What the hell was she still doing down there?

“I, uh, well. I seem to be stuck.” Her laugh was feeble.

“Stuck? What do you mean stuck?”

“Some of my hair is caught in your belt,” she clarified. “Please, no shouting.”

“Fine,” he gritted out, forcing another breath between his clenched teeth. “I’ll just take it off. The belt. I mean the belt!”

“Great idea,” she said, sounding relieved.

He carefully wriggled his hands between Belle’s face and his belt buckle, but a movement out of the corner of his eye made him pause.

There stood Miss Lucas, her eyes wide as saucers in her pale, wet face. He looked down at Belle’s head, still fastened to his crotch, and behind him, a long low moan echoed onscreen where the loathsome “vintage” pornography continued to play.

Miss Lucas’s bright red lips stretched in a wide smile. “Is this a bad time?”

xoxo

Sorry for the cliffhanger. Sort of. 

The movie projector.

[scartale-an-undertale-au]

Papers of Homelessness - Chapter 39

(This banner had been made by the awesome and amazing artist @benteja​. i am so honored that she had drawn this banner for this story. please go and show her all the love in the world that she deserves!!! \[^o^]/)

BEFORE | NEXT

a/n: i wanted to write another scene for this chapter, but i totally forget about it until i finished the drawing. and now i’m too sleepy to concentrate. so enjoy some confused chara and grillby having a petty argument over the tip jar.

p.s. sorry for anything weird. like i said, half hallucinating.

Your eyes opened slowly to reveal the familiar pale color of your room's ceiling. You blinked, not recalling ever leaving your classroom.

Did you blank out or something? Probably all the fatigue from Muffet's stalking getting to you. You shifted in bed and attempted to rise, instantly holding your head when it exploded in pain.

You took a few deep breaths and lied back down, the pounding in your head feeling like nails drilling into your temples.

That's strange… you had a strange vision during the test, but you didn't get such a severe headache from it. You probably slept on the wrong side or something like that. You pushed yourself up once more and placed your feet on the floor, trying to think past the dizziness and pain.

Were you sick or something?

You spotted from the edge of your sight a glass of water and some tablets of painkillers. An all too familiar scene from the many books that you have read.

…

You got drunk?!

Might explain the lack of memory and your shitty mood. But you didn't know how you were as a drunk man since you never tried to get drunk. Felt too troublesome.

Well, seemed like there was a first time for everything.

You gratefully downed the tablets and drank the water, slowly getting on your wobbly legs and walking carefully to the door. When you finally managed to get your feet under you and so more confidentially opened the door and turned towards the kitchen to grab food before you headed out back to college.

A red blur rushed towards you and you managed in the nick of time to duck behind the wall and watch as the big woman crashed into the floor.

"What the hell are you doing in my house, Undyne?" You asked in annoyance. Was she driving you to school? Does Grillby really think that you couldn't protect yourself? And what about Frisk? Are they forcing her to stay at the diner from now on? She would go crazy if she stayed there for too long.

You needed to talk to Grillby about that.

"I was worried about you, you punk!" Undyne exclaimed, jumping to her feet and pulling her mussed up hair back to a braid. That was a strange new look for her…

"Did I really get drunk that badly?" You muttered and she raised a brow in confusion.

"Drunk?"

You stared at her. "I did get drunk… right?"

"Huh? Of course not! You passed out on the bus I told you not to go on! You're lucky I drove to the last stop just to yell at you! The driver was going nuts, already about to call the ambulance on you."

…

"I fainted?" You asked in disbelief. She nodded. "But I don't recall anything that could have made me faint…"

"Apparently you called for someone named Void about winning something." You drew a blank. "Is he like a gamer or something?"

Undyne shrugged, grabbing your hand and pulling you to the dining table, where two nylon covered plates were placed on. An orange bottle standing between the plates. "Now go eat something. Your mom made breakfast before she left."

Applause for mom.

Your stomach let out a loud rumble and you quickly took your place at the table and unwrapped your plate, eagerly eating the scrambled eggs, cucumbers and toast. For some reason, you were starving.

"Did she say where is she going?"

"Nope. She just said that she was extremely worried about you. Seriously, man. That was super scary seeing you all unconscious in the poor driver's arms. You looked dead there for a moment," Undyne sighed.

"…Sorry? I don't even know what happened."

"Huh…" You two went back to eating.

Seriously. What did you even do to make you pass out like that? Relieved another strange vision of that other life or something?

…

Wait, you said something about 'void' and winning. Perhaps you did see something and the pain was too great… that would make sense since your visions tended to leave you half-hanging to life.

Great… it progressed to passing out and memory problems…

What a way to begin the day.

Frisk looked unhappy when you came to work

To be honest, so were you. You got a good grade, but it was lower than usual so you had a talk with the professor about redoing the test since you were 'sick'.

Undyne drove even faster than yesterday if that was even humanely possible and you nearly puked when finally getting off at the campus.

You asked her to drive her slow mode when she gave you the lift to Grillby's.

"Not happy with staying at Grillbz'?" You smirked at her. She huffed and pinched your side, ignoring your yelp. "I was being nice!"

"…No, you were sarcastic."

Touché.

"So any signs from wanted no. 1 stalker?"

A shake of the head. "Left a note…"

Great… "Can I see it?"

Frisk nodded and slinked back to the backroom, so you took over her until the paper slipped into your hands. You told the costumer to wait for a moment before reading the slip of paper.

'I have all the information I need.'

Wow, so ominous.

"You think she's going to act now?" You glanced at Frisk. She shrugged, hidden face lowered. You decided to change a topic while you began the order. "Want to try and uncover your face for an hour?"

Frisk thought over the offer and then shrugged again, hands rising to pull the hood back. She took a deep breath and then opened her eyes. When no strange sounds were heard because honestly, no one here cared about looking at the baristas, she relaxed and went to clean the tables.

You grinned and placed the cup of coffee in front of the costumer, who had given a small patient smile. Oh great, a talkative client.

"It's very sweet of you to encourage her," The costumer said in her elderly sweet tone.

You shrugged. "No one really cares so I just do that to show her that."

"Still very sweet of you, young man," She placed a few coins in the new tip jar you had got. Take that, Grillby! "Good luck."

"Thank you," You said genuinely, glad for the tip. "Have a good day."

"Will do."

She left and you greeted the next costumer. You sighed in relief and quickly changed the song playing from the jukebox to some jazz before returning to your order.

An hour later and a switch to classic rock, you saw Grillby exit the backroom and gave him a cheeky grin and pointed slyly at the tip jar. "Who was the one who said that no one gives tips? Who? Who?" You poked the half-filled jaw at each 'who', grin widening.

Grillby stared at you for a long time before he approached the cashier. "…Tip to Frisk…"

"Hey!" You cried out in indignation. "I was the one to get the tip!"

"…Don't gloat…"

"Grrr…." You growled and held the jar to your chest. "Mine!"

Grillby gave you a long gaze. "…Less pay."

"You're being petty!"

"…You too."

"Shut up..." You jolted and turned to see Frisk stand before you two, looking even smaller than usual because of her height next to the tallest of the bunch Grillby. But being small did not smother her glare.

She really was unhappy.

You shuddered despite yourself. Grillby, however, simply nodded. The smug little bastard.

Which reminded you…

"Frisk, can I have a talk with you after close up?" You inquired and Frisk tilted their head in confusion before nodding, sending a glare at Grillby.

The redhead shook his head. "…Today as well…"

The jukebox let out a string of drumming.

Frisk huffed and turned on her heel, walking briskly back to her task cleaning the floor, but not before changing the channel to soul music. You turned to Grillby and frowned. "You know she hates being confined here."

"…Safe here."

"She can take care of herself. It's not like she's your daughter or something."

"…Granddaughter."

"Huh?"

"…Joe… like a son…" Grillby's glasses gleamed and he sighed, fixing them. You caught glance of his tired green eyes and the multiplying gray hairs in his hair, standing out between the dark red strands.

So Grillby was affected by everything that has been going on lately as well… you wondered what kind of things he sees at night when he's alone.

Having Frisk here probably wasn't helping. And Muffet lurking in the shadows with the idea that she's wanted by the police and wants something from Frisk… he was probably more worried than he lets on.

You might be socially awkward, but you were no idiot. Grillby was probably keeping Frisk here more for his sake than hers…

"So you see her as a granddaughter? I thought grandparents pamper their grandchildren," You gave a lopsided grin and nudged him.

He shrugged. "…Can't... Too reckless…"

"Frisk?" You snorted. "She's manipulative for sure. But she's not reckless."

You heard a small chuckle and your eyes widened at the small quirk up of the older man's mouth. "…She is… a lot… of things…"

You gaped at him, not used to the smile and the way his face became younger with the laugh. Grillby noticed you gawking and his smile fell, his serious demeanor returning.

You immediately felt like a scum for ruining this moment and cleared your throat. "Well, whatever she is, you still got to understand that she's not a baby. She doesn’t like to be forced to stay here or being babied."

Grillby nodded. "…I know…"

You rolled your eyes and gave up on convincing the older man. It was said that older men are always stuck in their beliefs and you knew that you won't win an argument with your boss. "Whatever, Grillbz. Just don't push her too far. Maybe even get your daughter to come by. Give Frisk a chance to meet her aunt," You smirked at your owner when he gave you a piercing look.

But after a moment, Grillby sighed. "…Why not…"

You grinned in triumph.

NEXT

[classicallyelegant]

And I’m back though I’m not sure for how long.......Anyway. I have a chapter 5 for you all and I hope you get something out of it..... =) This is still a working progress, but I hope you find it entertaining!

“Are you sure everything is OK?” I ask him once we’re outside.

“Yes, why wouldn’t it be?”

“You and Matt barely spoke, you ignored Rod. I’m wondering here.”

“It’s all going to be OK. I will talk to Matt later and I had to get you away from Rod.”

“Get me away from him? Why? He was only nice to me.” I’m confused again.

“Didn’t you notice how he looked at you? He’s got a crush on you so bad and it’s written all over his face! He was trying to work up his nerve to get you alone.” His arm is around me again. I snuggle close to him but I can’t believe what he just said. I didn’t get that from him at all. I just thought he was being nice though I did think it odd he used to run away from me and he did have that weird look on his face. Oh come now! That just can’t be right!

“Maybe you read it wrong, dear. I mean, I never got that from him. He was nervous but he was nothing but nice!”

“Believe me! I know what I heard and saw! It was best to get you out of there. I’ll explain to Matt later.” He keeps a tight arm around me as we make our way back to the apartment. Once we are back in the place, something still feels off. “Your turn first this time, right?” He says to me. His smile doesn’t seem genuine to me. I just nod my head and make my way over there. I don’t want to panic, but I just feel something is wrong. I hear him moving around outside the door and then I hear his phone go off. Next thing I know, he knocks at my door and says he has to see about something but he will be back. He leaves before I can say or do anything. That's not like him! I finish up and just go to bed. Seems so different without him so close!

“Maxey, are you awake?” I open my eyes to see Matt’s face above me. What?

“What do you want?” I yawn and stretch.

“I saw Dustin take off so I came to check on you. Is everything alright?”

“You saw him leave? Where? I mean….well, I heard his phone go off and he told me he had to take care of something but he would be back.”

“Looked like he’d caught a cab somewhere between here and the restaurant. Russ and I both saw him on our way back here. That’s all I know though.”

“Matt, you’ll be honest with me, right? You won’t hide anything from me?”

“Why do you sound so serious all of a sudden? If I can do anything to help you dear, you know you only have to say the word.” His hand is around my face and the pillow.

“It’s something Dustin told me earlier…..I just….I don’t want to say he’s lying……I just don’t know what to think……”

“Are you going to spit it out or do we dance all night here?” He snickers. I just give him a sarcastic look, but I sit up to be closer to him.

“Dustin told me he had to get me out of there because Rod has a crush on me and its written all over his face. He said he would tell you later but that was supposed to be why he was so insistent on getting out of there.” I’m nervous to tell him this, but I think my curiosity is higher than any anxiety.

“Oh that! Is that all it is? Princess, of course he’s crazy about you. The poor fellow can’t help himself there.”

“Matt, I’m serious here! Can’t you just give me a straight answer?” Now he gives me the look.

“I am! Well….aww Maxey! We’ve all known this for a while. It’s so very obvious to everyone but you! Even Russ said he was a sad case by the way he reacted when you left.” He comes closer to me and puts his arm around my shoulders. I lay my head on his shoulder, my forehead against his cheek. I have missed this side of him. When Dustin is around, Matt tends to be very careful around me.

Meanwhile…

“When can I see you, Dustin?” His phone said when he came out of the bathroom. He wasn’t sure how to answer Joanne after the scene she had pulled at the studio. She just had to do that in front of Maxey! He hadn’t really thought much of her even when Jerry told him to use her as the next target. She was nice and OK to look at but she wasn’t that much to talk to. He had only talked to her because of Jerry and he had really hoped that would be over soon. “I don’t know right now. I’m out with everyone for now!” He texted her back. He didn’t exactly want to see her anyway. She persisted. “Please, Dustin, I have to see you and soon!” He shook his head and told himself he wouldn’t answer back…least not right away.

The past several months had been quite the challenge to him. He’d had Jerry choose several girls as his targets, Maxey being the last one. Each one was OK; he didn’t mind getting to know them. There were some he liked more than others, but he wasn’t thrilled by any of them until he met Maxey. She was so different from the others. She wasn’t nice just for the sake of appearing that way. She genuinely cared for others. She was smart, gentle, clever, and funny, but she could have a bit of a sassy side to her too. He’d also seen her work and he was blown away at how she gave such life to her characters. No wonder everyone wanted her on their shows! To top it all off, she was a real beauty, even if she didn’t see it that way. He couldn’t believe his luck when she actually admitted she cared for him as well. The biggest problem with her was Matt. He was her friend but he protected her like a brother. It seemed rather obvious to Dustin that Matt cared much more for her than he would ever admit to anyone else, but he had a boyfriend. He didn’t mind at first but now that they were engaged, he was starting to resent Matt’s closeness and fondness of her. He didn’t like the way both of them seemed to be around each other so much. He was the guy, so why did she need Matt?

Once he finally convinced Maxey to leave the restaurant and he got her back home, his phone had another message. “Come now, Dustin, or all may be lost!” What did she mean by that? She wouldn’t do anything to herself but she could complicate his new life if she wanted to.  He had told Maxey bits and pieces of his work with Jerry, but he didn’t tell her everything. Some things he figured she was better off not knowing. He asked Joanne where she was. She said to meet her at a park she knew of. He ran to the bathroom door and told Maxey that he would be back soon. He didn’t want to leave her and he knew she would be left with a ton of questions, but he had to see about this before Joanne made things worse. He caught a taxi and told the driver to go to the park. What could Joanne think she would accomplish by pulling all of this now? They hadn’t even really spoken for a couple of months at least.

At the park, he found her sitting on a bench under a big canopy of trees. She is smiling when he approaches her. That’s a switch from the sour look she gave him earlier. “I’m so glad to see you, Dustin. I knew you would come!” She could barely conceal her excitement. She just knew she could make him hers again if she could get him alone.

“You kind of made me! Now, what is it you want?”

“To see you, silly!” She comes closer to him, trying to hug him. He steps back from her.

“Not happening! Not after what you did earlier! You really think I even want to be near you after the way you were yelling?”

She looks disappointed but undaunted. “Dusty, surely you know that was an act to get your attention! I’ve missed you!”

“Missed me?! You’ve barely had anything to do with me since you and Jerry hooked up!”

“Jerry could never replace you! I know that fight you tried to bring about was a ruse! You do care about me! I know you do!” She again tries to hug him, but he dodges her again.

“Oh so that’s what it will take to get you to leave me alone? Fine! The truth is I love Maxey! I never really cared for you, Joanne. I went along because Jerry told me to. He was the one interested in you, not me!” It wasn’t a total lie. He had cared only slightly about her. She has a selfish streak not to mention her immaturity! When they were together, she had driven him nuts with her temper tantrums. He said or did something she didn’t like and she would scream at him then pout for days. He could never really look at her as a woman when she acted more like a spoiled brat.

“You’re lying to me! You couldn’t possibly choose that mouse over me! She doesn’t know you the way I do, Dusty! She could never make you happy!” She’s got tears in her eyes, but he doesn’t buy it.

“I told you before, SHE HAS A NAME! She is no mouse! Now if we’re done here, I’m going back home.”

“Wait! You can’t leave here in such a state! Why should you be so mad at me? I only want you to come back to me! That so-called star could never appreciate you the way I will, don’t you see that?! She’s one of those we used to make fun of! No real talent…just a name that people recognize!” She’s angry but also a bit on the desperate side.

“How dare you! You don’t know anything about her and you have no right to drag her into any of your slimy schemes! You pathetic little girl!” He spits back at her and by the way he shook as he talked, she knew he meant what he was saying.

“She’s really got you that blinded?!” Joanne was lost to think she could possibly lose Dustin and to such as that sad little Maxey. He couldn’t see how pathetic she was? Why was he taking up for her? Joanne had convinced herself she was the ONLY girl he could EVER want!

“This whole situation has nothing to do with her! You’re the one who made this mess!” He’s practically screaming now. He turns to walk away. He’s had enough of all of this! Joanne watches helplessly. NO! He couldn’t walk away from her! He was her world! She’d never told him, but she’d fallen in love with him over the course of their relationship. She knew of his bad reputation, but it didn’t matter to her. He sparkled to her, he meant everything to her! She had even told herself that HE WOULD ALWAYS COME BACK! Couldn’t he see what he was doing to her? Shouldn’t he feel privileged to have been with her at all?

“You can’t do this Dustin! NO! I won’t ALLOW you to do this! You’re only lying to yourself if you think you deserve her! Don’t you see? A star can only see another star! Neither of us will ever be that! You know that! WE, Dustin….WE BELONG TOGETHER!” It takes all of her breath to tell him this. He stops as if he is thinking about what she just said.

He turns, looks her right in the eye and says as plainly as he can, “Goodbye Joanne! You don’t know me as well as you deluded yourself into thinking. Maybe I don’t deserve Maxey, but I intend to hang on to her as long as I possibly can!” With that, he walks away.

3����-

[artificialqueens]

Grotesque and Amazing Ch. 2 (Trixya) - Juniper

Summary: Trixie learns that money can’t buy happiness, as she and Katya get tangled up in a complicated love web. Female! War and Peace AU.

A/N: If you know anything about W&P, it’s that there’s a lot of interaction with many characters. So, again, check the tags every time! I hope all of the switching between past and present makes sense. 

A hiss made Trixie fall onto her bed in laughter.

“Shit, that’s hot,” Tatianna cursed, angrily blowing on the slice of pizza in her hand. “I will never accept extra cheese as a topping. Why can’t you be a normal vegetarian and ask for pineapple or spinach or something?”

Trixie stuck her tongue out at her best friend, who was sitting in her circle chair, frowning.

It was tradition for them to have these sleepovers. They loved to totally geek out with face masks, magazines, and movies. Their ritual had seen the fall of video stores and the rise of Netflix, and now it was easier to check out Cosmo’s snapchat story than to pick up a physical issue.

When she still lived outside of the city, Trixie woke up every morning before daylight to catch the bus. There was a girl who always sat alone with her backpack on the seat next to her. Her long, black hair was always pulled into a sleek ponytail, and no one bothered her.

In third grade, the rumors about Trixie’s mom escalated, after a small argument with one of the ladies in church. Two girls in front of her stood on their knees to look over the seat, and all their friends watched in amusement as she ridiculed Trixie.

“My mom says that your mother is a whore,” one taunted.

Ponytail Girl had apparently been listening, because she got up and quickly tore the bully down. Her words poured out fast and razor sharp. The group recoiled, tears in their eyes. She dropped her backpack on the floor and sat next to Trixie.

“Don’t worry, no one will bother you anymore,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m Tatianna.”

They’d been best friends ever since.

When Trixie told her about her father, she could almost see Tati shrugging over the phone.

“I mean, that sucks, but he was a dick. Did I leave my curling iron at your place?”

It was the only time that Trixie had allowed herself to cry during the whole situation. Not from sadness, but because she was so thankful to have someone that didn’t cut corners around her.

Tatianna splayed across the hot pink bedspread, relentlessly clicking the button on the remote. She was flicking through the titles on Netflix, groaning as they moved to each new category.

“Why do I feel like we’ve seen literally everything on here?” She huffed. “I’m gonna gag if you make me watch The Princess Bride again.”

“It’s a classic.”

“Since you’re like a zillionaire now, Trix, why don’t we splurge on some Redbox? I’ll drive.”

                                                    —————-

Katya narrowly caught the teddy bear before it connected with her face.

“Sorry, sorry!”

She looked across the room at Ginger, who was standing with her hands on her hips.

“If you don’t pay attention to me, I’m going to stick you in the ugliest maid of honor dress of all time.”

Katya knew it was selfish to not be focusing on her best friend, but these afternoons spent planning the wedding seemed to drag on for ages.

She wasn’t bitter, there had been plenty of time for her to adjust to the idea that her brother and best friend were very much in love. They were going to get married, buy a home, have kids. She could barely even stand half the bachelors and bachelorettes of their social scene; the thought of spending the rest of her days with one of them seemed unfathomable. Ginger seemed to read her mind, because she sat down next to her, resting her head on Katya’s shoulder.

“Maybe there’s something wrong with me,” she sighed. “No offense, but I’d rather eat rotten fish than be your cousin’s date to the wedding, no matter how handsome he is. I just can’t see myself being happy with any of our snobby friends.”

“That’s because you’re in love with the one with the freckles,” Ginger spoke, pointing to Katya’s dresser mirror. There was a photo stuck in the edge from her birthday party. Two bright smiles.

“Trixie Mattel? She’s like my sister,” she protested, frowning. What would make her say that?

“I’m like your sister,” her best friend continued, sporting a haughty look. “All these years, you’ve always talked about her with that twinkle in your eye. I know it when I see it.”

Katya rolled her eyes. Of course, Ginger, who had only ever been with one man, was a love expert.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. When do I get to taste cakes, again?”

Ginger relented and went back to her clipboard, while Katya kept a curious eye on the picture in the mirror.

                                                      ————–

“Hey, Trixie!”

“Oh, shit,” Tati whispered, hanging onto Trixie’s arm. “What the hell does Chachki want with you?”

They were standing in the snack food aisle of the grocery store, DVDs in her hands, chips in Trixie’s.

The girl who had called to her was sauntering over, her long hair swaying. Her heels clicked against the linoleum. She wore blunt bangs that ended right above her sharply arched eyebrows. Tatianna moved to the side to give them some privacy.

Despite being in the same classes since kindergarten, Violet Chacki had never spoken to Trixie. She was one of the most popular girls in school. Thin, pretty, and smart. She always wore the latest fashions and had the entire student body bowing at her feet. Violet was beautiful, and she knew it.

To say she was intimidating was to put it lightly.

“Um, hi, Violet. What are you doing here?”

She shook a paper bag in her hand. “I just came to pick up a prescription for my dad. You girls having a slumber party?”

It was then that Trixie realized that they were standing there in their pajamas. She felt her face heat up and crossed her arms over the cartoon cat on her chest. Violet smiled sweetly and pushed some dark hairs behind her ear.

“So, listen, I hope this isn’t out of line. I just wanted to offer my condolences about your father.”

“Oh, thank you, that’s very kind,” she said. Everyone knew her story, even Violet Chachki. Frankly, she was tired of discussing it. She wasn’t sure if she should feel guilty over that, but what possessed people to speak to her like some fragile doll? It would be better if no one said anything at all.

“Yes, well,” she started, reaching out to touch Trixie’s arm. Her pretty fingers were cold. “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. I know we aren’t exactly close, but who knows, maybe that could change! It’s our senior year, after all.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Trixie could make out Tati obviously eavesdropping, pretending to be deciding between two flavors of dip.

“That would be really cool, Violet. Thanks. I’ll see you at school?”

“Sure,” she said, leaning in to press a quick kiss to Trixie’s cheek. “Maybe I could even come to the next sleepover.”

As she walked away, Trixie batted her eyelashes at her fading silhouette, smiling widely.

“Give me a break, Trix.”

“What?” Trixie sighed. “She seems so nice. Maybe we’ve been misjudging her all this time. I think she just looks mean.”

“Ah, yes, a classic case of the Resting Bitch Face,” Tati said sarcastically. She rubbed at the lipstick print on her friend’s cheek. “She’s a notorious flirt. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was trying to snatch your inheritance money.”

“Don’t be petty. Maybe she really does like me.”

Tatianna rolled her eyes, but decided to let it go.

“And I really like toaster strudels. You can cool off in the frozen aisle, come on.”

                                                         ———–

If Trixie ever thought her life was hard, she could find solace in the fact that she wasn’t alone.

Tatianna’s parents had split up when she was just a kid, and her mother packed up everything to start a new life in France. For several years, she’d ask Tati to join her, but she never agreed, and finally she gave up. Trixie thought of her own mother, and couldn’t imagine their relationship being reduced to postcards and infrequent phone calls.

It wasn’t as if there was this great life that Tatianna was clinging to. The city was alright, sure, but France always seemed more glamorous to Trixie.

Her father was not aging well, and every few months that Trixie saw him, he seemed to be getting worse. He would drift off in the middle of sentences, fall asleep every time he sat down. His once charming nature became replaced with bitterness. His wife had left him, and his friends were all moving on or passing away. So, Tati endured the verbal abuse. She let his derogatory comments bounce off her, pretended not to see women sneaking out the front door in the early hours of the morning. Other than Trixie, all her friends became too scared to visit, lest they encounter the crass old man. She gave up hope of ever getting asked out on dates, the reputation preceding her.

Tatianna couldn’t leave him, though. If she did, he would have no one left, and she would never be able to forgive herself. Beneath her brave exterior, she was very protective of those she loved.

Which was why she grew increasingly annoyed every time Trixie bailed on her to hang out with Violet Chacki.

Despite Tatianna’s mixed feelings, it seemed that Violet did genuinely like Trixie. They had economics together, and on the first day Violet took the seat next to her without hesitation.

Trixie liked the way she took notes. Only writing with fine point pens, drawing colorful bubbles around pertinent information. She was a little highlighter happy, but it was endearing.

She liked the way she could tell the second that Violet came in the room. Half the class greeted her, and yet she still chose to sit with Trixie every day. With her pointed, painted nails, and vanilla perfume.

They were partners for the first major project of the semester, and they ended up not getting any work done the first three times they tried, getting too distracted by laughter, and falling asleep together in Trixie’s bed.

“You’re the funniest person I know, Trix.”

Violet won homecoming queen by a landslide, and as Trixie sat up in the bleachers with Tati, stuffing their faces with nachos, she could swear that Violet was smiling at her when they placed the crown on her head.

Truthfully, she had always been a bit of a hopeless romantic. It was hard not to be, being raised so close to her grandparents, who lived life like an old Hollywood movie. Like any place was paradise so long as they were together. No matter her mother’s situation, Trixie still believed in love.

Her faith was reaffirmed when Violet proudly introduced her as her girlfriend to her father. They were having dinner at her house, and he nodded kindly, shaking her hand. No one had ever actually asked to make it official, but she was too happy to care.

The house was large, and decorated fashionably. Violet was wealthy, though seemingly more modest about it than some people Trixie had met.

On the wall in the entryway, there was a framed portrait of Mr. Chacki, Violet, and another girl who looked to be a few years older. She was just as beautiful, with fire red hair.

“That’s my older sister,” she said. “She lives up north with her family. You’ll have to meet her sometime, I’m crazy about her. She’s my best friend.”

The months grew colder, and they only seemed to grow closer.

They were sipping on hot chocolate in Trixie’s living room, catching up on their favorite show. Wrapped up in large blanket, she rested her head against Violet’s shoulder, the sound of the TV just becoming nonsensical noise as she got lost in her thoughts.

She watched Violet, the way her chest rose and fell as she breathed. The way her lips seemed permanently fixed in a slight pout. Trixie’s heart picked up speed as she stared at them. It was still about an hour before her mom would be getting home, and she’d been debating doing this for weeks now.

They held hands as they strolled through the halls, left sweet kisses on noses and temples, but Trixie was ready to take the next step.

Though she couldn’t see underneath the fleece, she let her hand creep up to her girlfriend’s thigh, and leaned in, softly pressing her lips to the corner of Violet’s mouth.

She flinched and pulled away with a nervous laugh, leaving Trixie with a confused expression.

“Look, you’re gonna miss what Rafael is about to ask Jane-“

Trixie rolled her eyes and grabbed the remote, shutting off the TV. She sat up with crossed arms. She was both embarrassed and frustrated.

“What is it, Vi? Why don’t you ever wanna kiss me, or touch me, or anything? Don’t you like me?”

“I’m crazy about you,” she responded calmly. “There’s just no need to ruin a good thing by rushing. Sex isn’t everything.”

Of course, it wasn’t, but Trixie still couldn’t understand. She knew that Violet was not shy when it came to physical affection.

“I know that,” Trixie defended. “Taking it slow is okay, I don’t wanna pressure you into anything. But we’ve been together for months, and you kiss me like I’m your grandma or something.”

It was then that Trixie’s phone buzzed on the cushion in between them. It was Tati. They both stayed silent, watching it vibrate until the call went to voicemail.

Violet sighed and adjusted her bangs.

“I worry about that girl. You’re her only friend.”

“You’re her friend, too.”

“She doesn’t like me, Trixie. I’m not dumb.”

She fiddled with her shirt button at Violet’s words. It was true, there was no use denying it, but it still made her uncomfortable. Why couldn’t they get along for her sake?

“Look, I have an idea. Why don’t you take Tatianna as your date for that rehearsal dinner instead? You haven’t spent much time with her lately, and maybe she could even meet some new people.”

Trixie sighed. They’d been planning on going to the wedding together ever since she’d gotten the invitation in the mail several weeks prior. Ginger and Katya’s brother were finally tying the knot, and Katya had practically begged her to come. She couldn’t refuse.

She’d be surrounded by unfamiliar faces of a different class, and she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to have Tati there as her lifeline.

Violet checked her own phone, and frowned at something on the screen that Trixie couldn’t see.

“It’s getting late, I’d better go. Don’t be mad at me,” she sang sweetly. Trixie cursed herself; she knew she’d be won over by her charm again. “I’ll leave you with this.”

She breathed into Trixie’s mouth, kissing her tenderly. As soon as it begun, it was over, and Violet was steadying her heels into the carpet so that she could slip her feet inside.

Trixie sat there on the couch for thirty minutes more, wondering why it felt like nothing.