#and this is SO MUCH RAMBLING SORRY YOU PROBABLY WEREN'T EXPECTING THIS MUCH TEXT

[joels-shitty-puns]

The Key To Your Heart - Track 10

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Musician!Reader

Series Summary: After writing your feelings for Pedro into a song, it gains a lot more popularity than expected. Ultimately it brings both criticism and support, with new possibilities around the corner.

Series Warnings: 18+ only (MDNI). Alluding to sexual scenarios. Kissing. Panic/Anxiety Attack. Fat shaming, name calling. Mentions of food, weight loss, weight gain, dieting, weighing, potential eating disorder, food guilt. Potential for puns/dad jokes (name of my blog, and the fic) should give that away. This is my first fic which should be its own warning, lol. Also some cursing. Mentions of masturbation (f). Sadness, reader is pretty depressed. Poor body image. Rude people. Bullying-ish and just lack of support? Anxiety. Age gap! Reader is in her mid 20's, Pedro is current age (48).

Other stuff: Reader is plus sized. AFAB. Inexperienced. Also has a dog, but you can pretend it is another creature probably. Further, in case it isn't clear, italics almost always are the reader's inner thoughts!

Word Count: 6.6k

Series List: Here!

Miss Track 9? Here!

Hi!!!! Once again I want to apologize for taking so long with this. I can't seem to ever stay awake to do anything. That being said, here it is! This is the last main chapter of our little lovebirds. There will be at least one, likely two bonus tracks coming soon though :) Also there's a smidge of Spanish in here from Pedro, but the translation is included in the end of the sentence. I took some Spanish classes back in the day but I don't speak it and had to use Google translate. So if it ISN'T right and you do speak Spanish, please let me know lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these little cuties on their first date. There's a lot, a lot, a lot of kissing in here (sorry...) and overall they're just grossly in love lol. Please let me know what you think, and if you've seriously read this far, I LOVE YOU! This is my first series, and honestly my first fic other than the one I wrote in my diary lmao. Like the reader, I am incredibly inexperienced so writing a relationship has been a bit of a challenge and half the time I don't believe the actual words I'm writing. But I really only started writing it as a way to write down my daydreams :) So to have support means the world to me, and hearing people comment/DM me saying how much they relate has meant so much and makes me feel a lot less alone, because ultimately, it doesn't matter how fictional it is, most of reader's feelings are my own. To anyone else in the same boat, I get you! Hang in there. I think there's a Pedro out there for us all. Someday. Anywho, pardon my ramble. Thank you for reading, I hope you like it. ❤

The next morning, you woke up and stretched your limbs, rolling over in your comfortable bed as the sunshine poured in through the window. At the shuffling of your body, Skipper groaned, wiggling a little in bed, nearly shoving you off the edge. You reached for your phone, blinking through your sleep a couple times before seeing a text from Pedro. “Good morning beautiful! I can't wait for our date today. I was thinking maybe we could start around 2:30 and spend the day together, if you'd like. But if that's too much, we can just make it a dinner date. Up to you which you would prefer. I understand either way. Love you ❤️”

He wants to spend the whole day with me!? And he sent me a good morning text and called me beautiful? Then signed it with a heart and love you?!!!! How did I get this man?

Your grin eclipsed your face, making you squint. If Mr. Grumpybutt weren't sharing the bed with you, you'd probably squeal and kick your feet. Tapping your phone screen, you typed out a reply. “Morning handsome ❤️ I would love nothing more than to spend the day with you. I love you too!” You sent the message before crawling out of bed gently, receiving a dirty look from Skip. 

“Alright Grump. Go back to bed. Geez,” you laughed. If looks could kill, you thought. He turned back on his side, letting out a grumble and sigh, resulting in a laugh from you. Acts like he pays rent and works 40 hours a week…

You took a relaxing shower, making sure to be all nice and fresh for your date with the man of your dreams. While brushing your teeth, you noticed he had replied. “Great, I can't wait. I'll be at your place at 2:30. :)”

“Can't wait to see you. What do you have planned? I'm wondering how to dress.”

“Wear whatever you feel good in, baby. I'm sure you'll look amazing. Probably something casual you can walk around comfortably in for the day. Maybe something a little dressier for the evening, but you don't need to carry it around. We will make a stop at your place before and you can change”

Wow he really has this planned out.

“What have you got planned, P? This sounds elaborate. You know you don't need to put in all that effort, I'm already yours ❤️”

“You deserve the world, my love.”

Dressed in a pair of leggings and a light sweater, you felt reasonably cute while still being comfortable for whatever activity Pedro had in mind. Plus, with the crisp November air, you would be nice and warm. You were just finishing tying your sneakers when your doorbell rang. 

You opened the door to find your handsome boyfriend standing on your step, a bouquet of red roses in his hand. “Mi amor,” he handed you the roses, kissing your cheek and hand. “Thank you Pedro,” your cheeks heated. “Come in,” you pulled his hand across the doorway towards the living room. Skipper pushed past you to investigate, causing Pedro to drop your hand.

“Well there he is! That handsome boy!” Skipper’s tail wagged and his butt wiggled as Pedro crouched to give ear scratches. “Oh, I love you too,” Pedro answered when Skip kissed his face frantically. A fit of giggles erupted from Pedro, making your heart swell with joy. He has the cutest laugh, and the fact that your dog is causing it was surreal. 

“You're just a beautiful boy! Aren't you?! Hermoso, igual que tu mamá,” he held Skipper’s face, kissing his nose. (Beautiful, just like your mama)

Your chest was filled with butterflies. Holy shit, he's charming. “Thank you, Pedro,” you said in a whisper, not even sure if he would hear. Turning his head from your dog, Pedro looked up at you, giving you a gentle smile; but the eye contact was quickly torn away when Skipper pressed a needy paw to Pedro's chest. Both of you now giggling, Pedro continued to pet Skipper, stopping to give him a hug and some more nose kisses.

“Alright. I gotta ask…” you prompted, causing Pedro to turn his head towards you again. “Are you just dating me to hang out with my dog?” You smirked.

Pedro turned back to Skipper, speaking in a low voice. “She's catching on to us buddy. We've been made.” You burst out laughing, Skipper looking over at you as if his plan really had been foiled.

Pedro gave a final pat on Skipper’s head before standing and walking over to you. “Nonsense,” he pecked a kiss to your lips. “I do love that sweet boy of yours,” he replied before turning his face to whisper in your ear. “But I'm absolutely enamored with you, Mamacita.” The hair on your neck stood as a chill rushed down your spine. You bit your lower lip, and he stared back into your eyes, leaning in for a passionate kiss. 

“You look beautiful,” he tucked your hair behind your ear.

“You look rather handsome, yourself,” you replied. His hair was brushed back and to the side, his curls neatly swept and threatening to break free around his face. You wondered whether he asked for help to make his hair look extra nice for your date or if he styled it himself.

Running your fingertips over his patched salt and pepper beard, your hands found the small heart shaped patches near his chin. You brushed your thumb over his jaw before leaning in to press a kiss on the bare skin, causing his eyes to close as he let out a sigh. The whiskers tickled your cheeks as you continued kissing up his jawline, back across his cheek, and on his nose before pulling away to look into his eyes.

He opted to not wear glasses today, allowing you a closer look into his deep brown eyes which were softening under your gaze. “You ready to go, baby?” He asked you, his hand on your hip as he rubbed circles with his thumb.

“Absolutely,” you smiled. He wore a pair of dark jeans, tennis shoes, and a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearm. He looked absolutely… incredible.

While you were grabbing your bag, he grabbed Skipper's leash. “Is Skipper coming too?” You asked, confused.

Skipper was twirling now, impatient to go somewhere.

“Sure is! Couldn't leave him out. But don't worry, you and I will have the night to ourselves,” he winked.

You looked downward, feeling shy and flushed. “Okay,” you giggled, clipping Skip to his leash and heading for the door.

“Do you want to take my car? You'll get dog hair and slobber in yours,” you offer.

“I don't mind! I love dogs,” Pedro replied, opening the door for Skipper to climb in the back seat. After closing the door, he opened the passenger door for you. Such a gentleman, you thought with a sigh, getting in and thanking him. 

As the car sped along, you looked over at your boyfriend driving the car. Boyfriend! That'll never get old… you thought to yourself. The air conditioning blew the few loose strands of hair on the top of his head, and his left hand gripped the wheel, making the veins on his hand prominent. With his right hand, he reached over, holding your left in his, resting on top of your thigh. 

He really did look beautiful. You couldn't help but stare at him as he expertly drove the car, hand flexing as he turned the wheel. His mouth pursed and he licked his lips, his tongue slowly jutting out to wet them. 

Damn, I want those lips on mine. That tongue in my mouth, you thought, feeling rather warm, despite the air conditioning swirling around the car.

“So where are we spending the day?” You asked, trying to quiet the flames of attraction licking at your pulse.

“It's a surprise! But we're almost there,” he answered, rubbing his thumb over the top of your hand.

Pedro looked in the side mirror and laughed. “Babe, look at Skipper.”

You looked to see him with his head out the window, ears and lips blown back with the wind, his tongue lolled out to the side and blowing with the speed of the vehicle.

You both chuckled before you warned him, “your car is going to be covered in slobbers, Pedro!” He gave another quick look to Skipper before replying. “That's okay. It'll help me remember this day until I wash it again,” he looked over at you and smiled. It felt so natural. So… domestic, the two of you sitting in the car, going on a date, him holding your hand while driving, and the two of you laughing at your dog in the back seat. It was just perfect. Everything you dreamed.

He wasn't joking when he said you were almost there. It was only about five more minutes until the car pulled into the parking lot of the dog-friendly beach. 

Stepping out of the vehicle, you took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar smell of salty sea air and hearing the chatter of gulls. The breeze blew your hair gently, but the day was relatively warm for November.

After the three of you exited the car, Pedro opened the trunk, pulling out a large picnic basket and tote bag. “You really came prepared, didn't you? Pedro, this is really special. Thank you.” Your eyes felt teary and the smile you held was genuine. Nobody has ever put this much effort into anything for you. Other than him.

“You don't need to thank me. I want you to be happy and I want the three of us to have a nice day,” he added, pecking your lips.

“Wait.. Pedro,” you frowned. “It looks kind of crowded. Should I be nervous about paparazzi or anything?” Your stomach bubbled with nervous energy.

“Don't worry, sweetheart. Celebs come here all the time. I've come here before. If they do, they might take pictures, but usually it's pretty low-key here. Try not to worry too much. I want you to have a nice time,” he squeezed your hand affectionately.

“Okay. I trust you,” you smiled at him as the three of you walked towards the sand, finding a nice place to picnic. Pedro unpacked, laying down a large blanket before setting up the spread of sandwiches, veggies, and fruit. He offered you a cold drink from the basket and the two of you sat, using a metal stake to secure Skipper’s leash near your blanket. He flopped onto his side, content to be sunbathing with some of his favorite people.

The lunch consisted of peaceful conversations and laughter, learning more about each other despite having talked for several months now. It seemed you could never run out of conversation topics. But even in the quiet moments, it wasn't uncomfortable. It felt relaxing. You were both content being able to sit together in silence and just enjoy each other's company.

After your meal, you packed up the basket and headed for the car again to put the things away, opting for a walk unburdened by carrying items across the sand. Neither of you brought a swimsuit today, but despite the California sun, it was still November, and the Pacific ocean was never really warm, even in the middle of summer. That didn't seem to bother Skipper very much though. As the two of you walked hand in hand near the water, barefoot in the wet sand, he ran laps around Pedro holding him on the leash, occasionally splashing through the shallow water before joining close by his family again.

He would definitely need a bath later, but you didn't mind. He was happy splashing around, having a great day. You were happy walking with the man of your dreams, fingers intertwined together. Everything felt right. You weren't even nervous, despite the way Pedro looked like the most handsome man you've ever seen, or the fact that he was famous, and that you occasionally received stares from other beach goers. Instead of the usual first-date nerves people get, you just felt love.

“So,” he started excitedly, “Obviously I have most of this date planned, but I also wanted to check in with you and see if you had anything particular in mind that you wanted to do together.”

You thought for a second, letting a memory burn into your thoughts. “Well,” you began, "I don't want to sound like a total creepy fan or anything...” you added, cautiously. You kinda were, with all the photos of him you had saved on your phone (prior to deleting them before your first meeting in person). But that's not important right now, and he probably doesn't need to know that. Maybe it can be a funny story later.

Pedro laughed, that cute little wheezy laugh he does with his giant smile that makes your stomach do somersaults. Those same somersaults you've been getting since you first saw that smile on the screen and knew you were absolutely screwed until you got over this crush. Or, unexpectedly, when you walked hand-in-hand with him, like you were now.

“But…?” he pondered, looking down at you sideways, with a playful smirk and those big brown eyes that could make you lose your mind. They absolutely glittered in the sunlight right now, reflecting all the joy and love he felt for you.

“Okay maybe I'm a little creepy…” you nudged him with your side, still gripping his hand in yours as the two of you walked peacefully. The beach was crowded, but you and him, and Skipper, were the only ones here as far as either of you were concerned. There could be a loud scream and it wouldn't compare to the squealing in your mind. A firework show would simply feel like a projection of your sparks. A tornado couldn't sweep you off your feet as well as he could. 

“Is this where you tell me you've been watching me sleep through my window for the past three years or something?” He raised an eyebrow, playful smile still on his face as he licked his lips.

“What?” You squeaked, laughing. “No. I mean… I did have some pictures saved of you, and have maybe read a fictional story or two about you and your characters…” or a few thousand, you thought.

You cringed. Why the fuck did I say that out loud?!

Your cheeks felt hot and you diverted your eyes away from the man beside you, a nervous grimace painted across your mouth. He barked out a laugh, pulling you into his side for a hug. “Baby, you're cute. I don't mind that you used to read those. I don't even mind if you still do. No different than a book, right? Maybe it'll give us some fun date ideas.” He rested his head on top of yours innocently.

Oh, if only he knew the things you read.

“Right. Fun date ideas,” you smirked to yourself. He pulled away to look at you, eyebrow raising playfully.

“Sweetheart,” he interrogated in the same tone you use when Skipper steals a sock from the laundry, “what kind of stories are you reading about me and my characters, huh?” He lifted your chin to meet his eyes. You'd feel nervous from his tone if he didn't flash a smug, knowing grin at you.

“Oh, you know…” you shrugged. “Just the typical romance stuff,” you turned, facing him and resting your hand on his chest, tracing a circle over his heart with your finger. You felt his pulse pick up under your touch, and saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

“What kind of thoughts are going through that pretty head of yours?” He asked, raising his brow while you continued tracing little hearts into his shirt with your index finger.

“Wouldn't you like to know?” You winked before removing your hand from his chest. Starting to walk away, you continued your earlier statement. “Anyway, as I was saying-”

“Oh, no you don’t,” he interrupted, laughing. “Don't think you're getting out of this conversation that easy,” he gently pulled your forearm, stopping your movement and sending you twirling into his arms once again.

“Maybe someday I'll tell you,” you giggled, booping his nose. 

“Someday? Why not tell me now?” He ran his thumb over your lip, eyes drifting down quickly before returning to your eyes.

“I'll show you the fanfics I read about you when I know you're stuck with me and you aren't going to run for the hills,” you laughed nervously, only partially joking.

His playful demeanor vanished before your eyes, turning into a look of… concern? Oh no. This is it. Where he realizes what a mistake he made. Where he says he doesn't want to be together. Where he breaks my heart.

He gently held your arm, rubbing soft strokes. “Honey. What are you talking about?” His soft brown eyes searched your face. You gulped, not wanting to make eye contact, but he again pulled your chin up, forcing you to look at him. “I…” you floundered for the words. “I don't want to scare you away.”

“Why would I be scared away?” he asked in almost a whisper, concern and sadness lacing his features.

“Because I just had this huge, huge crush on you. So, I read fanfics and I saved all your photos and I watched all your movies. I spent more time on social media looking for updates on you. Just so I could see you, or imagine what being with you would feel like. Like a total crazy person. An absolute psycho creeper.”

“Baby…” he brushed his thumb over your cheek. “You aren't any of those things. I actually think that’s kind of sweet. Although, it makes me a little sad thinking about the pain you must have felt, having these strong feelings and not having found each other yet.” He brushed your hair out of your face, settling his other hand on your waist before continuing.

“Feelings make us feel a little crazy sometimes, and although I never read fanfiction about you, or had any pictures to save, I would be lying if I said I didn't take a screenshot of us that first night you showed me your face.” He rubbed his neck bashfully.

Fanfic about me? What? If that even exists, I gotta see what people are saying…

“You did?” His admission surprised you, to say the least. He sighed before answering. “Yes. I had - have,” he corrected himself, “a pretty big crush on you too, baby. But I felt like I was betraying you in a way, taking a picture of you during our video chat. I just wanted to remember your face if I never saw it again,” he sighed.

“I fell in love with you the first time I heard your song... I heard you sing about your feelings and daydreams. So… you admitting about fanfiction and pictures isn't all that surprising.” You lowered your eyes in embarrassment.

“Hey, look at me.” He stroked your cheek. You looked up and he continued. “I took that picture because I had already fallen so head-over-heels for you that the first time I saw your face, I stopped breathing. Although I knew I wouldn't be able to get the image of you out of my mind, I couldn't risk forgetting the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life.”

You dropped your gaze again, cheeks feeling a permanent state of warmth and butterflies dancing from your stomach to your chest. “You don't honestly mean that, Pedro.” You sighed. “I appreciate it, but there's no way. I really don't know what you could ever see in someone like me,” you whispered, barely audible. If you weren't standing so close, he would've missed it.

Instead of responding, he dropped his arms from your body. At the loss of contact, your heart sank. But when you lifted your head to meet his eyes, he was fishing around his pocket for his phone. Calling an Uber to leave? Your self-doubt pestered.

A few taps to his screen later and he held up his phone. There you were, sitting at your table in your favorite dress, with your favorite food and flowers on the table. You had the biggest smile on your face and in the bottom corner, you could see Pedro looking handsome as always, and absolutely smitten with you, the largest grin painted across his features.

At the sight of the image, your heart warmed. “See what you mean to me?” He asked, putting his phone back into his pocket. You nodded, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I love you,” you choked out, leaning forward to mold your lips to his. They fit together perfectly. Like they were made for each other. He pressed back before opening his mouth ever so slightly to lick at your lips. Matching his movements, your tongues met, dancing a waltz in exploration as he pulled you forward by your lower back, seeming as if trying to get as close as possible somehow.

As the two of you paused for air, he ran his hand further down your back, just barely grazing the dip of your spine where your torso meets your butt. He gave you a look, almost to determine your reaction, asking permission to let his hand continue. When you didn't back away, going as far as pulling him closer around his neck and leaning in for another kiss, he pressed his lips against yours in return and let his hands wander a little further down. When his hand wrapped around the cheek of your ass, you squeaked. This is new… and I like it, you thought. His whole hand fit across your cheek. His huge hands. You whimpered as he gave a squeeze, like he was claiming you as his own.

“I love you too.” He finally responded, pulling out of the kiss to search your eyes. “So tell me… what was this activity you wanted to add to our date? The one you fear makes you sound like a creepy fan?” He let out a small laugh, brushing your nose with his.

“This,” you replied, pressing another kiss.

“Kissing?” He asked, rubbing his thumb over your waist and resting his forehead to yours. “I think we've already been doing that, if I'm not mistaken.” He pecked your lips with his.

“Yes,” you kissed. “Well,” kiss. “Actually,” you pulled away enough to explain. “I read this interview you gave a few years ago about your ideal first date?”

“Yeah?”

“You said something about ‘a date that doesn't feel like a date. And

hopefully by the end, or throughout, very

good kissing.” You said, slightly cautious at your memorization, a bit nervous at the implication of what you're saying.

“Oh, is that what you want?” He flashed his eyes up to look at you, giving a devilish smirk. 

“Well, as someone who hadn't been kissed yet when I read it, I sorta lost my mind over it,” you laughed. “Obviously we've kissed before, but if it were up to me your lips would never leave mine,” you pressed your lips to his again.

“I think we should be able to make that happen,” he leaned in, brushing his nose against yours before pulling you in for another kiss. “Mmmm” you sighed, pulling away from his lips. “Never gets old.” You held his hand in yours, the two of you walking again down the beach.

“So I was thinking,” he began, “since you said you deleted all your photos, and I only have the one, maybe we could make some new photos… together,” the corner of his mouth turned up into a crooked smile. You grinned and nodded excitedly. “Please!”

Pulling out his phone, the two of you took several photos together. Some just smiling, some with Skipper, and your personal favorites, the ones with him kissing you. This will make for a perfect lockscreen, you imagined.

As you approached the edge of a rocky cliffside at the end of the beach, a sea lion barked in the distance. Skipper perked up, tilting his head and letting his ears twitch before returning a “boof.” The two of you laughed, ushering your dog away from making any wild ocean friends, and headed towards the boardwalk.

After grabbing an ice cream at a candy shop, you were so deep in conversation and laughter that you didn't notice the girl off to the side looking nervous. Slowly she walked over. Skipper put up his guard, but as she approached, she gave a kind wave. “Hi… I'm sorry to bother you. I'm a big fan of you both.”

“Us… both?!” You responded, surprised. Pedro shook his head with a laugh before thanking the fan.

“Of course! Your music is amazing! I listen to it on my way home from work everyday. I relate to so many of your songs.”

“Wow, thank you so much. I never expected to be recognized. You're so kind,” you replied honestly.

She asked for a photo with you both, and after obliging, she mentioned before leaving, “by the way, I was following all the news that went down. I just want to say I think it's cute how you guys got together and you make a really cute couple. Okay bye! Thank you again!!” And with that, she scurried away, leaving you to look at Pedro in surprise. “Wow” you replied with a laugh. “I can't believe I'm getting recognized,” you spoke quietly.

“How do you feel about it?” Pedro asked cautiously.

“I feel… okay, so far. This was a nice interaction, and even though people keep looking at us… being able to be out in public with you, to show my face, kiss you, hug you, hold your hand,” you gave his hand a squeeze, “it makes it all worth it.”

“I couldn't agree more,” he looked into your eyes, giving a soft smile. You matched his expression before his face slowly faded into concern. “Do you think work will go okay for you? Now that it's out there?”

You took a deep breath, walking a few more steps with him down the boardwalk before replying. “I don't know. I guess so. Or… I hope so at least. I've had a few of my friends and coworkers message me kind words of encouragement. So at least I'll have some people on my side, even if anyone else has something to say. But really, they shouldn't. They already know me. They knew I liked you,” you leaned into him. “So they should be happy for me if anything. And if not, then… well, they didn't deserve to be my friend anyway,” you shrugged. “But I think I might take some time off to figure out everything, career wise,” you added. Still leaning into his side, Pedro unlatched his fingers from yours, opting to reach his arm around you, giving your shoulder a squeeze and rubbing soft circles into your upper arm.

“Baby,” Pedro began, his voice vibrating through your body as he leaned his head on yours, “I’m so proud of you. Have I told you how strong I think you are?” Your cheeks warmed and you grinned. “Thank you Pedro,” you wrapped your arms around his waist to hug him. “But I don't think I'm that strong. I struggle to open pickle jars just like the rest of us,” you joked.

Pedro gave a quiet snort. “You know what I mean, honey,” he laughed. “I don't mean physical strength. Though I'm sure you could hold your own in an arm wrestle, I mean your ability to handle all of this thrown at you so quickly. Your ability to adapt and stay cheerful about everything. You just keep continuing to amaze me,” he pulled his head away from yours to meet your gaze. He smiled softly and you thanked him.

“I don't feel very strong,” you mumbled, breaking away from his stare. “You are, though. You're strong, smart, beautiful. Talented. Passionate,” he kissed your lips.

“Pedro, I love you, but you always seem to use all these words I don't feel. You see me as someone completely different than the way I've always seen myself. I want to believe you, but-” you sighed. “No one else has ever shown any indication that those are true,” you pouted, trying not to tear up.

“Hey, hey, whoa. Stop,” he halted your movements, pulling your chin up to his face. “Maybe they didn't see you, but I do. I feel all those things about you, and I'll spend every single day trying to prove it. I told myself I wouldn't get involved in romance a long time ago. But you changed all that.”

His chocolate brown eyes felt like they looked directly into your soul as he attempted to unravel your self-doubt. With a deep breath, you calmed enough to reply. “I love you, and I feel all those things for you as well. I'm glad you opened yourself up to love again.” You pressed a kiss to his lips. “I'm glad I met you” you sucked his lip. “I'm glad you're mine.” You kissed him again, deepening it, letting your tongue press gently to his and tangling together in passion before pulling away. 

Skipper had completely rolled into his side in wait for you both, between the conversation and the kissing. When the two of you broke away with matching grins, you looked over to see the sun had sunk down to the border between sky and ocean. In its wake was a bright orange sky, with pink, purple, and yellow streaks mixed in, as if a painter had gotten a bit too carried away with the paints. It was blindingly beautiful. 

Drawn to it like moths, the three of you walked towards the shoreline once again. You started to sit, but Pedro pulled you into his chest and fished for his phone. 

You gave him a confused look before he kissed you deeply and held out his arm. Unlatching his lips from yours with a pop, he held up his phone to you with a smile. In front of the vibrant ocean sunset, the silhouette of a couple shared a loving kiss. For once, it was you in this couple photo. You and the man you love.

You walked a little farther down the sand before sitting down just above the line of wet sand to admire the sunset. Pedro sat behind you, his legs on either side of you while you lay back into his chest. As you leaned into him, he hugged around your body, molding himself to you and tracing light circles into the skin on your arms, making the hairs stand on end and a shiver to run down your spine. 

Skipper flopped down nearby, clearly sleepy after a long walk and plenty of new smells. You ran a gentle hand down his back until you heard soft snores, then let him sleep, leaning your head on Pedro’s arm around your shoulder. “This sunset is beautiful,” you sighed, watching as the sun descended further below the ocean. It looked as if it was sinking deep below the surface, offering its light to the deep sea anglerfish miles below.

“It is amazing,” Pedro agreed, staring at you. “But my view is even better,” he added, and you could feel his eyes on the side of your face as he kissed your shoulder. You looked over at him, meeting his eyes, now sparkling with the orange of the sky. “Mine too,” you whispered, tilting your head to press another kiss to his lips.

When the sun went down completely, you headed to the car and Pedro drove back to your place so you could get ready for dinner. 

Pedro sat on the couch patiently, stroking the fur on Skip’s back while he snoozed, his head in Pedro's lap. In your bedroom, you searched for the perfect outfit to wear, finally deciding on a nice dress and sweater.

Hopefully the restaurant isn't too cold, you thought.

Walking out of the bedroom, you joined your boys in the living room, only to be greeted by Pedro’s jaw hitting the floor. “Te ves tan hermosa mi amor,” he stuttered in Spanish, flipping languages so easily when he was overcome with emotion. (You look so gorgeous my love.)

He gently stood, sliding out from below your dog, before walking over to you. His eyes scanned your body from head to toe and back up again, making you feel nervous. “You… you look… wow.” He rubbed his hand over his chin, his thumb grazing his lip. His pupils grew, making his eyes ever-so-slightly darker. You shivered under his gaze.

At your shiver, his demeanor shifted. “Shit, are you cold? Baby, you look incredible, but if you're cold -” 

“I'm not cold, Pedro,” you interrupted.

“Are you sure? I saw you shiver.” He stepped towards you, touching your arm. A buzz crept under your skin like a live wire. “It wasn't from the cold…” you replied.

“It wasn't from-?” He paused, the realization hitting him as he understood your shiver wasn't from cold but frankly.. the opposite. “Oh,” he hummed, settling his hand on your hip and stepping closer.

Another chill.

“Feeling excited for our date, huh?” His voice caressed into your ear as he kissed his way down your neck, pausing to take gentle nibbles on the skin of your collarbone, neck, and chin, before pulling you in by your waist to press a deep kiss to your mouth, his tongue finding yours. 

This was starting to feel natural, kissing. And you two were getting good at it together. Knowing just the way his tongue moved, finding just the spot to make you whine. You even managed to find a spot of him that made a groan slip from his lips nearly every time. Kissing him was addicting, and you had no intention of kicking the habit.

He pulled away, pulling your lip with his teeth as you let out a slight hiss. “I'd love to do this all night, but I promised you dinner, my love,” he kissed your cheek, his beard scratching your face just right. You sighed, agreeing to dinner and taking a minute step back. It felt much warmer in the room than before, and you could tell he felt the same. As your eyes drifted across his body, he nervously rubbed the back of his neck, clearing his throat. Slowly sweeping his eyes down his body, it was evident you both wanted something beyond dinner.

But the gentleman he is, Pedro stepped forward again, taking your hand and leading you toward the door. 

Pulling up to the curb, Pedro opened your door for you before handing his keys to the valet. Linking his arm with yours, the two of you walked into an elegant Italian restaurant. He gave the waitress his name, and she led you back to a secluded room where a single booth sat.

The room was dimly lit, illuminated by candles and twinkling fairy lights. They lined the ceiling, mimicking the starry sky, were it not for the smog of the city. You two walked toward the only booth, settled against the nook of a window, draped with a soft, thin white curtain covering the view from outside. Only the reflection of street lights peered through the thin drapery.

Sliding into the booth, Pedro sat next to you, close enough to touch, yet due to the curve of the corner booth, you were able to converse without craning your neck awkwardly. At the center of the table was a single red rose in a vase, sat next to the glow of a candle. The table itself was rounded and draped with an elegant dark red tablecloth.

Grabbing the triangular folded napkin off your plate, you folded it across your lap, Pedro doing the same. He reached over to you, taking your hand in his. He rolled his hand over the top of yours, linking his fingers between your own and giving a gentle squeeze while offering a soft smile. 

You looked into his eyes, searching for the words he might be thinking. In his eyes you only found love and appreciation, pure happiness oozing from his features. When the waitress came back, she set a basket of bread with butter on the table and took your orders. 

The night went smoothly, chatter filling the empty spaces while you enjoyed your meals. “Pedro, I know this is technically our first date, but I gotta say, I think I consider our video chat for my album as the first date. It was the first time I felt like I might actually have a shot with you. You put so much effort into that night and it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me. I didn't know I could fall for you any harder than I was, but you proved me wrong. And even though we didn't say it was a date, and I didn't have much experience before you, it felt more like a date than anything I had ever felt before. You're a real romantic, P.” 

He smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to your lips. “That felt like the first date to me too. I knew for sure that I loved you that night.” Your cheeks heated, and you leaned your head on his shoulder. 

It was only when the bill arrived that you broke apart. Though you offered to pay, at least for your meal, Pedro wouldn't stand for that. After all, he told you, this date was his idea. So instead, you thanked him and left the restaurant the same way you entered, arms linked.

As Pedro pulled up outside of your home, you let out a sigh. It was already after 9 PM. You had spent nearly eight hours together and yet you dreaded the moment you'd be saying goodbye. It was almost that time already, yet it felt like only five minutes had passed.

Though the walk from Pedro’s car to your front door was rather short, you both managed to prolong it, walking as slow as possible. Clearly he wasn't ready for it to end either. Two love sick fools, just wanting to spend every moment together.

Teetering on the edge of goodbyes, you awkwardly stood by your door. There were no nerves at a first kiss, fortunately. There had been plenty of kisses shared today, and yesterday, and the day prior. In fact, if it weren't for breathing, eating, and other bodily functions, you'd be fine having your lips glued to his indefinitely.

So with that in mind, and the burning desire to spend more time together, as he said goodbye, placing a kiss to your lips and beginning to walk away, you grabbed his arm. “Wait,” you plead.

Pedro turned, looking at you as if you had something to say, or you had forgotten a sweater in the car. But instead, with your heart pounding in your ears, you quietly asked, “would you like to come in? I’m not quite ready to say goodbye.”

The question could be taken with so many potential implications, or none at all. All you knew for sure was that you wanted to spend more time with him. What happened next could be decided in the moment.

His eyes flashed surprise for a moment. He looked at you, trying to read your face for any details in your question, then stared at your front door before turning back to you and finally answering.

“I would love to,” he smiled.

And so the two of you walked through the threshold of your front door, buzzing with new possibilities just inside. But no matter how the rest of the evening takes place, you were in love, and for once, you were loved back.

The end! Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for the bonus tracks, and once again I'd love to hear what you think! Reblogs are appreciated as well :)

Taglist: (Want in? Let me know!)

@pedrotonin @starcrossed02 @lightupsketchersperson @cartoon-garbage04 @tyferbebe @maryfanson @gwendibleywrites @faithfullyyours2000 @hc-geralt-23 @jenniferpendragon @winchestergypsy90 @red-red-rogue @theendwhereibegin @lottieellz101 @oliversaurus @kyga01 @milly-louise @titabel @taz-97 @stefanibear003 @marantha @fandomoniumflurry @ilovemybrown-eyedbabygirl @leiadjarin @hmneighbors @emmalostinwonderland

[seekingthestars]

THE MAN THE MYTH THE LEGEND, MR LEE SEOKMIN omg yes :DDDD

there are lots of rambles and pictures and links so. under the cut! :D

First! Before I ramble! This is a very cute interview he did for Get In The Car in July of last year! almost 11 minutes of him being a whole entire sun, bless okay now onwards to my rambles!

His birth name is Lee Seokmin, stage name is DK / Dokyeom. Birthday is February 18, 1997 (and fun fact, he shares a birthday with Vernon! same day, different year. they are the 218 bros c: picture below is from their birthday livestream this year!) He's a member of the Vocal Unit and is main vocal, a member of BSS (BooSeokSoon, a subunit with Seungkwan, DK, and Hoshi / i also believe he's leader of BSS!), and member of svt's 97 line with Mingyu and THE8/Xu Minghao (HEY BUDDY from Semicolon is a 97 line song!). and he has an older sister (three years older i believe)!

He debuted as a musical actor in 2019 in the musical Xcalibur in the lead role as King Arthur! He was also on King of Masked Singer as "Baby Demon" and made it to the third round 💪

He's VERY LOUD LOLOLOL this is a fun story, but they were at a music show during Don't Wanna Cry era and BAP was in the waiting room next to them. DK was practicing his part for the live ("If I cry now, I may never see you again") over and over stupid early in the morning and Daehyun from BAP sent them a voice message going "STOP CRYING!!!!!" also I think I read somewhere that he collects headphones? and he has a really big collection of them!

Dokyeom is a PURE RAY OF SUNSHINE, just absolute sunshine in a bottle, he is the most adorable 🥺 the members call him pure, he's just a huge sweetheart 😭 during the online concert they had in January, there was a part during encore where they played a recording of fans singing svt's special song "us, again" to them, and Dokyeom just CRIED so much, Dino and DK were the only ones who cried, sweet boys, they made me cry 😭

He loves dogs!!! He loves doggos so much 😭💘 this video compilation is svt with dogs, but 70% of it is DK, it's so freaking cute i wanna perish, he loves doggos and doggos love HIM

his favorite food is PIZZA. the boy LOVES PIZZA. he had his own pizza-making vlive, he talks about pizza all the time, he just loves pizza. in US/English interviews he has taken to introducing himself as "Pizza Boy" and/or that time in that one Buzzfeed interview when he goes "HI MY FAVORITE FOOD IS PIZZA" and forgets to introduce himself, LOVE HIM. (both of those clips are in previous linked video!!) (and did you notice his birthday cake in that picture was PIZZA SHAPED)

more fun facts, Jeonghan recently adopted a pet rock (named Doljjong) and the rest of the members were like. teasing him mercilessly for it. but dokyeom, the SUNSHINE BEAM OF A HUMAN BEING, went to visit it and took pictures with it, and then BOUGHT HIS OWN PET ROCK, he named it Dodol, i love him

pictured here are DK with Jeonghan's pet rock and then the first picture of his own pet rock, Dodol

i now include this picture of Jeonghan visiting Dodol specifically bc you can see DK keeps Dodol on a shelf with a collection of?? little fake dogs/dog figurines?? which is somehow SO DOKYEOM and also very endearing, i told you he loves doggos 😭💘

OH also to go along with him being LOUD, he's also a bit of a scaredy cat 😂 (no judgement, me TOO) the members can and have referenced this one exact moment several times since it's happened, but it's iconic, you must see (clip set to start at beginning of the sequence for context, but the exact moment is ~6:40!) See also: Going Seventeen 2020 ep 28 The Tag #2 (dk and s.coups going into a ~haunted house~ together, that's full chaos 😂)

also apparently bad at video games, see Going Seventeen 2020 ep 29/30 Christmas In August #1 & #2 lol

Hoshi started his whole "horanghae" agenda two years ago as a special way to say "i like you"/"i love you" to fans and now every member has their own version and Dokyeom's is "doahae!"

^^^^^ ilu from the vocal team ❤️

He's also one of the members who posts on weverse a fair amount and his posts are either ridiculous and funny or like. stUPIDLY SWEET and so endearing 😭💘

like for example this one time he posted a couple of pics and was like "my hair is couch-colored........"

bless his face

also this boy is so fine and fOR WHAT 😭 i cry about this. a lot.

Some miscellaneous DK videos i will link bc i can!!! : DK being an archery master at ISAC 2019 and only hitting 10pts and also knocking out the bullseye camera // that time Jeonghan went live the same time as him and he sulked about it // DK's high tone rap is legendary

And some DK covers/OST songs! She Didn't Love Me / Missed Connections / The Little Prince

And lastly, random, but he has a Spotify playlist of favorite songs you can listen to ^^

ANYWAY THERE'S SOME INFO ABOUT RESIDENT SUNSHINE BEAN DOKYEOM, SORRY FOR ME JUST RANTING ALL THIS INFORMATION AT YOU BUT. HE'S A DARLIN'.

❤️@koalamb

[bruhstories]

Dazed and Confused

Summary: You and Connie have been friends for ten years, crushing on each other like a bunch of idiots who can't confess their feelings for one another. Until you go on a trip with your friends. Pairing: Connie Springer x Fem!Reader Warnings & Content: 18+, language, oral sex (female & male receiving), unprotected sex, weed smoking, alcohol consumption, f l u f f Word Count: 4.2 k

A/N: I got so pissed at that last anon that I finished this oneshot quicker lol. @fiaficsxo here it is!

You loved parties. Not the loud music and thick smoke, not the booze and smell of vomit, but your friends. Every time they gathered at someone's place, your heart fluttered, filled with happiness and content and long-lasting memories.

Connie had the brilliant idea of spending a week in the mountains during your spring break, and you wasted an entire night searching for the perfect cottage to rent. Luckily everyone was down with his suggestion, the only problem was how you'd sleep. Historia obviously wanted to share a room with Ymir. Mikasa and Eren were an item now, so they'd have to sleep together. Armin wanted to try his luck with Annie, so no one objected to that. Jean declared that he wanted to bunk with Connie, like the two eligible bachelors they were, and that left you and Sasha to share a room together. You didn't mind it, in all honesty you loved Sasha with all your heart — but you secretly hoped someone would pick up on your feelings for Connie and let you sleep with him. You weren't that lucky.

You packed your bag the night before the trip, obsessively ticking everything on your list and double checking every item and pocket. It was ready, with one item missing — the white lace babydoll smoothed on your dorm bed. You chewed the pen cap, debating whether to bring it with you or not. You bought it for special occasions, but you haven't had a dick appointment in a long time, and you doubted you'd have one this week. With a shrug, you decided to bring it — you never know what might happen. Nighttime passed quickly and you soon found yourself all dolled up, albeit still sleepy from all the tossing and turning, excited to make more memories with your friends.

The train station was packed with people, especially students who went back to their hometowns for the break, and you were relieved to find Armin and Mikasa there. You three were always punctual, followed by Jean and Annie. Eren, Sasha and Connie were always late, which is why you told them the train leaves at 7 am instead of 7:30. It was a dirty strategy, but no one wanted to miss such a fun opportunity because of those lazy fuckers. And lo and behold, they decided to appear at 7:15.

"That was some good thinking." Jean shook his head, hand sympathetically placed on your shoulder.

"I'm only glad you guys rolled with it." You laughed without noticing the way Connie stared at you, and even he didn't understand exactly what he felt. Was he grumpy because he hated morning, or was it Jean's hand on you that irked him?

"It's not polite to stare." Sasha pulled Connie out of his thoughts.

"I wasn't staring, I was looking." Connie rolled his eyes, gripping the handle of his suitcase a bit too tightly.

"I just don't get it why you don't tell her you like her." The girl popped a bubblegum baloon, proceeding to chew it very loudly.

"Are you kidding me? She obviously likes Jean. Look how she's laughing!"

Sasha placed an arm on his shoulder, a sheepish smile on her face. "You, my friend, are a dumbass."

"Takes one to know one."

To say that your friends were loud during the train ride was an understatement. They didn't really care about the nasty glares other passengers shot at them, opting to talk, sing, eat and practically embarrass themselves. But two hours later you arrived, and the fresh, crisp air of the mountains was a blessing. You didn't regret coming, all of you deserved a break after all the exams, studying and all-nighters you guys pulled.

"We could visit the military museum!" Armin suggested, but Connie scrunched his nose.

"We came here to get high, drink and spend time together, why the fuck would we visit some old ass building?"

"I'd like to go to the museum." You awkwardly smiled, earning a 'see?' from the blond. Mikasa, Eren and Annie backed you up, and since it was a democracy, you ended up leaving your bags at the cottage and touring the small town to find the military museum. The building wasn't massive, and inside it was dark, with crimson carpets and dim lights. It was actually quite a romantic atmosphere, had it not been for the weapons and armours displayed in glass cases. Connie watched you intently, taking in every movement, every flinch, every hair tucking, every scrunch of your cute nose. You absorbed the information, hungry for knowledge. This was something you and Connie didn't share — yes, you were down to drinking and smoking, but you were also eager to learn and study, while he always preached how 'you can always retake an exam but you can't relive a party.' He wasn't stupid by any means, but unlike you, Jean, Armin and Mikasa — who alwaysstudied and never skipped lectures — Connie would wing it and somehow end up getting better grades. His strategy didn't always work, and sometimes, when you were in college, he'd ask you to tutor him. Now you were second year undergraduates, and while you were studying different subjects, you still made time for each other.

"That's a nice, uhh..." Connie squinted, "...shotgun."

"It's a musket." You chuckled, your fingers accidentally brushing his as you turned around to face him.

"Shotgun, musket, same thing."

"Actually, muskets are muzzle-loaded and fire a single bullet, but shotguns pack multiple pellets in one shell." You explained. "I'm sorry, you're probably not interested in my ramblings."

"No, no, it's... interesting. I just wasn't expecting you to know so much about guns." He rubbed his nape and smiled at you.

"Well, I do study history, in case you forgot."

"How could I forget that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" You awkwardly elbowed Connie. Why was it so hard for you to just tell him your feelings? Oh, right, because you've been friends for ten years and if he didn't like you back, it would only ruin a great friendship.

"It means you brag about it so much it's kind of hard to forget." He told you, quickly realising just how insulting that sounded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that's how you felt..." You sighed, eyes darting back to the weapons.

"No, I didn't- forget it." Connie shook his head. Well played.

Back at the cottage, with enough food and booze to last the group a month, you decided to stay in your room for the rest of the day. It wasn't the first time you had embarrassing moments with Connie, but this particular one made you anxious to be around him. Did he really dislike you that much, or was it just friendly banter? If you were to ask him, you could find out, but every scenario in your head had a bad outcome, so avoiding him for now was the smartest choice. Sasha pleaded with you to spend the evening in the living room with everyone else, but you brushed her off, telling her you weren't feeling quite well.

"Text me if you need anything." She told you before leaving. It was immature to act this way, you knew that all too well, but it wasn't like Connie cared, right? You eventually decided to go downstairs after finishing a long episode of your favourite tv show, your stomach begging for nourishment. As silently as possible, you tiptoed behind the couch. The hallway was dim, the sun had already set, and the only lights were the ones from the wide TV screen in the living room where your friends were watching some corny horror movie. You could cut the suspense and tension with a knife, and when you dropped a teaspoon, everyone jumped.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just me!"

"Jesus Christ, Y/N, you almost gave me a heart attack." Jean got up from the floor and walked behind the couch. "How are you feeling? Sasha said you're ill."

"I'm fine, don't worry." You picked the spoon up and threw it in the sink. "It's just a headache, I'll sleep it off."

"Good, we need you here." The man wrapped an arm around you. "You're missing how Connie's crapping his pants at this shitty movie."

From the outside it would seem like you and Jean were a couple, but the truth was far from it. You two grew up together, his family was friends with your family, and what you had was nothing more than a brother-sister relationship. Jean's little remark earned a disgruntled look from Connie, you quickly picked up on that, and so you playfully jabbed him in the stomach.

"Connie's crapping his pants? You're the one who almost had a heart attack." You grinned.

"Oi, that was only because you dropped your stupid spoon. I was invested in the movie."

"Mhm, sure you were."

"Hey, you sure you don't want to join us?" Mikasa waved at you from the living room. You pondered over her question. Perhaps it wouldn't be too awkward to sit with them.

"Alright, sure, why not?"

"Come, sit next to me." Sasha shuffled to the side, but what she really meant by that was 'sit next to Connie', because she shuffled to the otherside.

The following two nights were surprisingly quiet, all you did was play board games, watch movies and walk around the town taking pictures. The tension between Connie and you seemed to dissipate, and you both forgot the unpleasant interaction you had on the first day. But on the fourth night, that's when shit hit the fan. Annie and Armin left for a date, and Eren and Mikasa wanted to spend the night alone in their room, leaving you, Sasha, Jean and Connie unsupervised, bored and tipsy. There was absolutely nothing good to watch on the TV, and you almost wanted to scream when your friends wanted to play truth or dare. It was one of those games you despised, because the whole point of it was to put the players in uncomfortable situations. And you didn't like being uncomfortable, unlike your friends.

"Jean, truth or dare?" Sasha beamed.

"Dare, duh."

"Alright, I dare you to switch roommates for the rest of the week." She sipped her blackberry cider.

"Okay? So, I'll stay with Y/N, then."

Good lord, if looks could kill, Connie's would annihilate Jean and Sasha off the face of the Earth.

"No, no, you'll stay with me. Y/N will stay with Connie."

"Eh? Why does your dare involve us?" You asked, confused and curious of your friend's proposal.

"Because." She shrugged. "Don't pussy out."

"I'm not pussying out. A dare's a dare." Jean scoffed. "I'm gonna go take my shit in your room and shower."

"Y-yeah, I'll go bring mine, too." You got up, using this time to hyperventilate alone. What the fuck was Sasha even thinking? Was this some stupid joke? But your friends wouldn't harm you, so why would she suggest such a stupid thing?

You took a quick shower before curling up in the bed, blankets covering you from neck to toe. Connie wasn't back yet, and you didn't want to go after him, that would just be odd. You were hoping you'd fall asleep before he returned, to avoid any unnecessary fuss, but just as you closed your eyes, the door opened. Maybe you could pretend you were asleep? He struggled to find his pyjamas in the dark, stumbling over furniture and knocking things down, and you turned the bedside lamp on to ease his search.

"Did I wake you up?" Connie bit his lower lip, and through the dim light you watched the way his grey eyes glistened, the way his short brown hair was ruffled, and how the sage green t-shirt hugged his toned abdomen.

"No, no, 's alright. I wasn't sleeping. I can't exactly fall asleep." You clutched the blanket at your chest as you shook the intrusive thoughts away. Connie was your friend, damn it, there was no room for romance between you.

"I can sleep on the floor if you want."

"Oh, God, no, it's... stiff."

"Um, yeah, it kinda is. Alright then, I'll jump in the shower real quick before going to bed." He stumbled into the bathroom and you really wanted to fall asleep now.

But you couldn't. Every time you closed your eyes, Connie's face popped in your head. So much for resting. You tossed and turned on the mattress, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in, but nothing helped. It didn't take long for him to finish his shower, and you mentally chastised yourself for not falling asleep when you felt him shuffle under the same blanket that was covering you. For a minute, you didn't utter a word, you barely breathed, afraid to disturb the silence in the room.

"Are you asleep?"

"Nope." You heard the click of Connie's phone and turned around. You couldn't see him, but you could hear him.

"Do you wanna talk about something? Until we fall asleep, I mean." You suggested.

"Hmm, sure." He turned on his side and you felt his breath fanning over your cheeks. You were too close to him. "Actually, d'you wanna smoke?"

"Aren't the others gonna be mad if we smoke without them?"

"They don't have to know. Besides, you and I never smoked together." Connie was already up, rummaging through his backpack with the flashlight of his phone. "And then we can talk as much as you want."

"Alright, I'm down."

You laid on the floor, your head next to Connie's as you looked at the ceiling, smoke leaving your lips. He took the joint from you, fingers touching yours and you blushed, the haze of the weed melting your worries away.

"Do you want me to skip the song?" Connie asked, and for a moment you forgot there was a song playing.

"No, I like it." You confessed. "I didn't know you liked Led Zeppelin."

"There's lots of things you don't know about me, Y/N." He passed you the joint.

"Okay, tell me something else I don't know."

"I like it when you randomly say historical or scientific facts."

"Didn't you say I brag too much about it?" You took one final drag before you stubbed the joint out in a makeshift ashtray filled with a bit of water. By this point you were high as a kite, every trace of rationality gone.

"That doesn't mean I don't like it." Connie smiled and you could feel it in his voice. "Now you tell me something I don't know about you."

"I can't sleep with open doors. It freaks me out." You sat up, a breeze blowing through the window sending shivers down your spine. "It's a bit cold, do you mind if I close the window?"

"Go ahead."

You got up and picked the ashtray up but before you could close the window, you stumbled over a chest of drawers, the ashes mixed with water spilling over your t-shirt.

"You okay?" He quickly crawled to you, concern written all over his face.

"Yeah, I'm just clumsy." You laughed it off and waved your free hand. "I'll go get changed, I should have a spare shirt."

But you didn't have a spare shirt. All you had was that stupid white babydoll, and anxiety seeped through your veins. You couldn't exactly show up in that in front of your crush. And you didn't want to ask him for a shirt either. Fuck it, what else could you do?

You peeked out the bathroom door and saw Connie back in bed, lazily scrolling through his phone. God, this was embarrassing.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." He laughed, but when your facial expression didn't change, he frowned. "Y/N?"

"Um, so, I didn't have a spare shirt and- Jesus, this is awkward." You opened the door and his eyes widened. "Is it alright if I sleep in this?"

"Oh, I get it now." Connie scoffed.

"Get what?"

"You were hoping you'd share a room with Jean, right?" He sounded almost disgusted.

"Excuse you? Where did you even get that idea?" You slammed the bathroom door shut, arms folded across your chest.

"I'm not stupid, Y/N. I've seen the way you two act. Do yourselves a favour and just fuck already."

You were speechless. Completely reactionless. The weed amplified your anger, but his words brought tears to your eyes.

"You... you fucking asshole! You think I brought this for Jean? I brought it for you!"

"Eh? M-me?" Connie was confused, and you were pissed.

"Yes, you. Jean's like a brother to me, oh my God! Ew!"

"Wait, so you and Jean are not in love with each other?"

"In love?? Connie, how high are you exactly?" You walked closer to the bed, arms still crossed.

"But- Fuck, I am stupid." He shook his head, the memories of you flirting with him flashing before his eyes. "I fucked up, didn't I?"

"A bit..." Your muscles relaxed and you sat on the mattress. "Really, Connie, I... I like you. A lot. But you're always giving me mixed signals."

"That's because I always thought you liked Jean!" He threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

"No, you're the only one."

"Huh, guess I've really been dazed and confused."

Calloused fingertips ran across your hips leaving goosebumps in their trail. Your hands roamed his back and the way Connie kissed you was better than any high you've ever experienced. He was touch-starved, and you were just as needy. His knee found its place between your thighs and you moaned when it barely brushed your cunt.

"I've been dreaming for this moment for as long as I can remember." Connie breathed into your neck, the hot breath tickling your skin.

"Me too, you blind bat." You laughed and he turned you over, hovering over you.

"'M sorry I didn't notice quicker." He kissed you again. One hand travelled lower, pushing your underwear to the side before he pushed two fingers between your folds. "Fuck, you're so wet."

"Well, at least now I don't have to finger myself thinking about you." You whimpered with a grin.

"Oh?" Connie arched a brow. "Is that what you've been doing?" He curled up his fingers and you threw your head back with a moan. "I thought you were a prude."

"T-there's lots of things you d-don't know about m-me!" You replied back between oh’sand ah’s, imitating his words from an hour ago. That only earned a sneer from Connie, his head dipping between your thighs. "Wait, what are you do- ooh fuck!"

His tongue lapped at your cunt, fingers pumping in and out of you, and you completely sunk into the mattress, moaning his name over and over again. You gripped the sheets, flexing the muscles in your legs as you squirmed and thrashed. Connie stopped and you almost crushed his skull with your thighs at the empty feeling. He pulled your underwear down and shoved the cotton panties in your mouth.

"Don't wake everyone up, Y/N. You don't want them knowing what a little slut you are, do you?"

You shook your head and Connie went back to circling your clit with his tongue, adrenaline rushing through your entire body with each lick, each suck. Tears of pleasure pooled at your eyes, nose and cheeks red from the thrill of your incoming orgasm. The way he was sloppily eating your pussy and moaning while doing it drove you insane, and within seconds you came undone, thighs trembling with delight. In fact, you were so sore you had to push his head back, begging him to stop so you could return the favour.

"You taste so sweet." Connie licked his lips. You don't know what possessed you to pull him into a kiss after you removed the makeshift gag, but he was right, you were sweet.

"Can I...?" Your eyes drifted down to his twitching cock, your voice soft and quiet.

"You wanna suck it?"

"Yes."

"Later. Right now, I wanna fuck you."

Connie gave you no time to protest, his elbow pushed one of your things to the side, the blushing tip of his cock grazing over your overstimulated clit, up and down your slit. Inch by inch it disappeared into your cunt and he let out a satisfied sigh. You bucked your hips, manicured nails digging into his shoulders with each thrust.

"Shit, you're so fucking tight!" Connie growled, head lowering to kiss you. You could still taste yourself on his lips and that only made you clench your spongy walls around his cock. That seemed to please him, because he rocked his hips harder and faster. "You like it?"

"Oh, God, yes!" You gasped, beads of sweat forming on your forehead as you clawed his back.

"Fuck, I want you to ride me." He gripped your hips tighter and turned you over. You tried your best to get in the new position without letting his cock slip out of you, and when you finally adjusted yourself, it was a whole new challenge. Gravity pulled you down, and his tip brushed your cervix, your eyes squinting at the slight pain. "If it hurts, stop-"

"No!" You cried out, your hands resting on his chest. You bounced up and down, the uncomfortable feeling slowly replaced with pleasure. Connie's hands traced your thighs as you rode him, another wave of heat flushing through your core. His palm met your cunt, thumb circling over your clit. "I can't c-come again!"

"Yes, you can. And you will cream on my cock."

The disgust words worked like magic and you flexed your thighs, bouncing faster, head thrown back, hair cascading down your back. "You're so beautiful, Y/N."

"Connie, I-" The words stopped in your throat, the pressure too much for you to handle.

"You what?"

"I'm- oh, God!"

"Atta girl!" He praised you when he felt your silken walls relaxing and your thighs quaking. The second orgasm was so intense you let yourself fall over his chest, dizzy and tired. You thought he'd give you a break, but Connie wrapped an arm around your back, holding you in place before giving your oversensitive cunt a few more thrusts. "Now you can return the favour."

You mustered up some strength to get up and kneel in front of the bed, between his legs.

"Please don't come in my mouth." You asked him before wrapping your pretty lips around his cock.

"Gotchaah-" Connie choked on his words when he felt himself in your hot mouth. You bobbed your head up and down, cheeks hollowed and eyes on him. You didn't break eye contact when you pulled away and spat on the tip, hand pumping his cock to smear the spit. "Hot." He mumbled before you went back to sucking. You felt the throbbing, tightening your lips around him and picking up the pace. "Y/N-"

It all happened in a flash — Connie yanked your hair and pulled your head back, thick ropes of milky white cum shooting all over your face and neck.

"Eew!" You scrunched your nose, hand under your chin to stop it from dripping down the floor.

"What do you mean ew? That's, like, a billion kids!"

"Actually, a fertile man produces around-"

"Don't start. Do not." He pressed his index finger over your lips. "Let's get you cleaned up."

You woke up sore, especially between your thighs, but damn, was it worth it. Connie wrapped an arm around your waist, mumbling something about how pretty you are, but you assumed he was still sleeping — or still high. The sun shone through the blinds and you squinted, annoyed by the brightness, and so you turned around, watching the way your crush snored peacefully.

"Cute." You smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead, waking him up. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Why?" Connie rubbed his eyes. "Waking up to you is a blessing."

You couldn't hide the tinting of your cheeks and the grin on your lips. "I didn't think you were the romantic type."

"There's lots of things-"

"I don't know about you. But I'd like to know those things. If you let me, of course." You bit your lower lip, eyes filled with hope.

"Can I be your boyfriend?" He sat up, his eyes serious.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Okay, so maybe Sasha knew a thing or two when she dared Jean to switch roommates.

You walked into the kitchen after getting ready for the day, with Connie following behind you. Everyone was eating their breakfast, and Jean instantly dashed to you.

"Connie, bro, take me back. Sasha's leaving crumbs all over the bed! I can't sleep like that!"

"I can't, man, I wanna spend the rest of the week with my girlfriend." He sneered and you elbowed him.

"I forgot to mention Jean's overprotecti-"

"Your what? Hands off my sister from another mister, you creep!"

"Creep? You're the one who was sexting someone's sister last night." Sasha chimed in, mouth full of cereal.

"Thanks, Sash." Jean rolled his eyes. "For real, how did this happen?"

"You see, mate, when a man and a woman love each other-"

"Nope. I will not hear this."

[nicanario]

this post is a product of its time

tw: discussion of racism, homophobia, misogyny and a short mention of sexual abuse.

ok, this is basically gonna be a very long rambling post about my not fully developed thoughts on the justification many people give to bigotry when talking about the past: "it was a product of its time"

it would be fair to say, with me being a raging SJW socialist scumbag, that I don't think this is a very good argument and is most of the time actually an excuse to not think about the problems inherent to our society, historical or not, and, by extension, the problems with ourselves. but I do think that sometimes, just sometimes, this can be a valid point, or at least one that raises some interesting questions.

I'm going to cite examples from several pieces of media, but fear not, I'll try to make this as accesible as I can.

so, let's take Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) as our first case study. this show has, correctly, been called progressive by everyone except for clueless people who don't know much about Star Trek's history, Star Trek's crew, Star Trek's cast, or, frankly, Star Trek. because if you ignore the clear, sometimes in-your-face political history and present of the franchise, I don't think you know much about it at all. I do think you can call yourself a fan if you like it, you may have watched every single episode for all I know. but lots of mental gymnastics are needed to ignore the political progressiveness Star Trek has had since its very beginning.

episodes like Let That Be Your Last Battlefield are obviously anti-racist, at least in their intention. but the episode in question really is "a product of its time," and at the very end fails to uphold its ideals. the episode ends with the two aliens (who are LITERALLY. BLACK ON ONE SIDE. AND WHITE ON THE OTHER. BUT IN THE OPPOSITE SIDES.) fighting each other on their devastated planet, and the crew is like, "oh yeah if they both would give up on their hatred that they both share both of them equally" when it has been firmly established that one is the oppressor and the other one is the oppressed.

and that's a lot of Star Trek, not just TOS. even Discovery, one of the most recent series, has done Bury Your Gays (and Trans) TWICE (though both times literally rectified it, which is cool). there are episodes of the franchise that are overtly racist, or misogynistic, etc. TOS is lauded, mostly justifiably, as very progressive, especially for the standards of the time. they put a woman of colour as one of the senior staff, for fuck's sake. of course, when you analyse that same character, as with most of their intentions at being progressive, you'll see that she was relegated and sometimes even outright mistreated when she had the potential to be much more. but, at that time, it was a lot.

I had a friend (emphasis on "had") who, after I told him about TOS's both progressiveness and constant misogyny, told me something like "imagine feminists trying to complain about a show from the 60s." so, with unearned spite, he was, in some way, trying to make the argument that it was a product of its time.

you could say Star Trek, all of Star Trek, is "a product of its time" in the sense that it's not always perfect. uh, yes, I would agree. but that doesn't mean people have to accept it. well, I mean, the show is kinda over, you have to accept it's that way. but you don't have to accept that it's not wrong just because it was a product of its time.

H. P. Lovecraft, as another example, was a greatly influential writer whose works still shape a lot of people's ideas to this day. I have only ever read like one of his stories, so don't expect me to have an opinion on his works. but I can have an opinion on what I know about him as a person (he did have a life outside his writing, after all). and, yeah, he was a huge asshole. if you want to know more in depth about the subject, please watch Hbomberguy's video on him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8u8wZ0WvxI

but basically, he was incredibly racist & homophobic. some people might even say, "he was a product of his time." well, there are two possible rebuttals to that. the surface level one, and the one that examines why that argument is wrong to the core.

The Surface Level Response to "it was a product of its time": um, no it wasn't. Lovecraft was more racist than a lot of people even in his time. he wasn't just a guy who carried the racist beliefs of his society like everyone else, he was a reactionary who actively thought and discussed how racist he was, and how right he was for being that way. but that's only applicable to Lovecraft. one can't argue the same for Star Trek: TOS, because TOS did try to be more progressive and more anti-racist than the rest of its society. that leads us to the next response.

The Response that Actually Deals with the Fact that No Matter How Progressive You're Trying to Be, Your Failings Can Still be Criticized: the thing is, trying to excuse Lovecraft's or Star Trek's bigotry because they were "products of their times" misses the fact that racism is still wrong, and some people knew that in those times as well. people from these times weren't all naive or stupid or whatever. they had the capacity for rational thinking. they could stop and think, "hey, maybe what we're doing is wrong." and the fact is, some people did. not perfectly, not to our standars, but they did. everyone could have stopped and think. but most of them didn't, and we can criticize them for it. racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. HURT PEOPLE. horribly. massively.

also, even if you agree with the "it's a product of its time" argument, some people aren't criticising people's or work's bigotry: they're explaining why they don't want to experience it.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang is a 1977 Doctor Who serial, and it's one of the show's more racist stories. almost all the villains are Chinese, every single Chinese person is a villain. there's yellowface, slurs, stereotypes, the Doctor speaking nonsense words instead of actual Chinese, and a general belittling of Chinese culture.

note that I'm neither Chinese nor of Chinese descent. I have been searching for hours for a few posts I've read a while ago (some by people who are of Asian descent) about this episode and I can't find them. sorry.

suffice it to say, even though I love Jago & Litefoot (the audio series and the characters), it's not an acceptable episode at all. but it's also important to remark that, because of it, some people aren't going to want to watch it. sometimes, people aren't saying "the episode shouldn't be this way," which causes others to answer that it was "a product of its time." sometimes, people are just saying, "this is an episode that attacks real people. I don't want to see it. I don't care if it was common in that era to be racist, i don't want to experience it."

however, there is an interesting point to the "it's a product of its time" argument. after all, everything is influenced by its society, for better or worse. and we can't change it anymore. TOS sometimes didn't quite understand the political themes it wanted to explore. Lovecraft was a horrible bigot. Talons was racist towards Chinese folks. and that's that. I don't think we should change the episodes/stories or anything. edit them in any way. that would be, in a sense, changing history. and we wouldn't learn anything from it, about how we can do better.

I think there are two solutions to this:

1. warnings before starting the text: this was done with The Talons of Weng-Chiang. on Britbox, where you can watch Classic Who, this serial has a content warning before the start. that's good.

2. the removal as a whole of the text from some places: I think before applying this one, there should be a lot of thought put into each case. I don't think removing a whole serial of Doctor Who or Lovecraft's stories from anything would be, well, fair. especially on tv episodes a lot more people worked on those, not just the writers and the directors. Lovecraft's writing influenced thousands. we shouldn't erase them or anything. but sometimes, for some cases, we should.

those in the US might seen a Confederate statue being taken down. that is, in a way, a form of removal of a piece of history.

but that is a good removal. statues glorify. one sees a statue and probably thinks "this was a person worthy of admiration." they should be taken down, maybe even with a permanent mark of why this was done (a plaque that reads "a statue of X was here, but he didn't deserve it because of Y" could be put in place of the statues, for example).

another example is the removal from DVDs of the short episode A Fix with Sontarans, a Sixth Doctor minisode that featured Jimmy Savile, a presenter who was later found out to be sexually abusing children.

the removal of that minisode is good, actually. it's not a full episode (it's not even Doctor Who). some might say that's "erasing history" but, like, you can still find it online or information about it if you want. this minisode deserves removal from DVDs and Blu-Rays and whatever more than content warnings. it's not an important part of the show and it prominently features a horrible person who did horrible things during that time.

so, after all that, I have explained why I don't like the "it's a product of its time" argument. it is an interesting point that deserves to be examined, but it's not very good.

I have had this in Drafts for so long I've probably forgot some of the points I was going to make, but eh, what can you do? hope you enjoyed reading this.

bye

[hisgirlfriday22]

Untangle Me

Chapter Three- Late Night Conversations

........

Monday morning rolled around much quicker than Molly had anticipated and soon she found herself driving to work in an early morning rainstorm. She'd spent the rest of the weekend very much the same way she usually did, which included a little bit of lesson planning, grocery shopping, and a whole lot of Netflix. She'd like to say she didn't check her phone ever so often, but that'd be a lie.She was anticipating a text from the man she'd gotten along so well with on Friday night, but it seemed she wouldn't hear from him the rest of the weekend

Molly arrived at the preschool 30 minutes before her shift, which gave her plenty of time before the children arrived to prep anything she needed for the day and to make sure her classroom was in correct order. It was also the time she spent talking to Hannah and Sophia, but this morning, she decided she would keep to herself. Of course she wouldn't be so lucky. Hannah apparently noticed her absence and decided to come to her.

"Well, I'm sure glad you're not dead. What happened to texting me when you got home?"

Molly's eyes widened as she paused her task of filling the toddlers' sippy cups with milk. She looked up at Hannah, her expression apologetic. "Oh, I forgot! I'm so sorry, I didn't get home until 3:00 or so...I guess I just crashed once I got home."

Hannah raised a brow. "3:00? You were out until 3:00?! Molly Grace!"

"What? I was having a good time..." Molly mumbled as she suddenly found interest in organizing the cups by color.

"Mhmm,I'm sure you were..." Hannah muttered.

"Oh it wasn't like that and you know it. Lachy and I just talked and got to know each other. We took a walk on the beach and completely lost track of time..."

Hannah snorted in a poor attempt to hide her laugh. "I can't believe you spent the afternoon with the Purple Wiggle..."

Molly raised a brow as she turned to place the cups in the fridge. "And what does that matter? If I remember correctly, that's the whole reason we went to the pub in the first place, to see them? Which, by the way, you failed to mention when you begged me to go."

"We didn't think you'd go if we told you.  But really Molly, you needed a night out with your friends. And I'm glad you had fun, but you kinda flaked on us. We didn't see you all night. And when we did you were with that man. We wanted to spend time with you, and you blew us off to hang out with a guy you don't even know...That's not like you."

Molly bit her lip. "At least he paid attention." She mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Hannah's voice was edged with anger.

Molly was tempted to not answer and to just let it go, but she just couldn't. "I said at least he paid attention..." She turned to look at Hannah, who appeared shocked to say the least . "You and Sophie were so busy drinking and talking to each other that you didn't even notice when I left the table. I wasn't having fun, not even remotely until I met Lachy. So please, stop going on about it! If you had wanted to spend time with me so  badly then you would have done it..." Molly couldn't believe she'd just said that. A part of her regretted her words and was about to apologize, but the other part of her knew she was right, and from the look on Hannah's face, she did too.

Hannah started to speak, but she seemed to have thought better of it, deciding instead to turn and walk out of the classroom without another word. Molly knew Hannah was pissed, but she wasn't about to apologize for something she really wasn't sorry for. So instead, she went about her day attempting to push the conversation from her mind which was rather easy to do with eight adorable distractions running amok in her classroom.

As it turned out, the rain continued to pour in Folly Beach, South Carolina, which meant the littles were once again cooped up inside. Thankfully, Molly had quite a few activities at her disposal to keep the toddlers busy. Of course, they got their 30 minutes of Wiggle Time before nap, which Molly found quite awkward to get through, if she was honest.But she kept herself busy with her plan book while the children sang along to their favorite songs.

Before she knew it, all the children had gone home, her classroom was back in order from the whirlwind that is eight toddlers, and she was on her way out the door and heading toward her car, completely ready to go home. Thankfully, she only had a fifteen minute drive from the school to her apartment complex, so she didn't have to wait long.

At around 6:30, Molly stepped through the door of her 4th floor apartment with a tired sigh. She didn't waste any time in locking her door and double checking it before she headed to her room for a change of clothes. After spending the work day in jeans, she was more than ready for the comfort of leggings and her favorite sweatshirt.

The air in South Carolina had grown a bit chilly over the last week with the arrival of autumn, thus her apartment had been cooler than usual. She hesitated to turn the heating unit on, what with how unpredictable southern weather could be, so she stayed warm with her cozy sweatshirts, fuzzy socks, and throw blankets she kept near her couch. Perfect for an evening in binge watching The Office, which is exactly what she'd planned on doing. She had no lesson plans to do, so the young woman didn't feel the least bit guilty crashing on the couch.

As Molly settled on the couch, wrapped in her favorite quilt, she reached for the remote and launched Netflix. Though she'd watched the entire series through on more than one occasion, The Office  has always been a favorite that she'd go back to again and again.It was the kind of silly comedy that was easy to get lost in. She tried to tell herself she wasn't watching it as a distraction, but that would be a lie. She was definitely distracting herself from glancing at her phone over and over, or even sending Lachy a message on Instagram.

"You're being stupid, Molly." She chided herself as she flipped her phone screen down on the coffee table. "You won't hear from him again and you know it. If he'd been the least bit interested in texting you, he'd have done it by now." She had expected this, it didn't mean she was any less disappointed...

Soon enough, Molly was completely immersed in the show, laughing as Jim and Dwight got up to their usual antics. She had forgotten all about her phone and Lachy, at least for the time being. That is, until her phone began to buzz with an incoming call.

Molly quickly reached for her phone, figuring it was her boss or Hannah wanting to talk to her about something work related. However, when she looked at the screen she was surprised to see a number she didn't recognize. Her eyes widened and her heart began to heat a little faster "I wonder...." she murmured as her thumb hovered over the accept button. But it couldn't be, could it? "No, it's probably just a telemarketer." 

Molly let the call go to voicemail, but almost immediately her phone began to ring again. It was the same number. "If that's a telemarketer, he's certainly persistent..." Still yet, Molly let the call go to voicemail once more. If it was Lachy he'd call another time, right? She could have kicked herself for not getting his number when she gave him her's.

"I could call the number back..." She mumbled to herself. What could it hurt? If it was a telemarketer, all she had to do was block the number and forget about it. Or she could leave it alone. But what if it was him?

While Molly was warring with herself, her phone began to buzz, this time signaling the arrival of a text. Molly knew it was ridiculous, but she had never clicked a notification so quickly in her life, especially when she realized the text was from the same exact number that called. She couldn't stop the smile that tugged at her lips as she read the text.

"Hello,is this Molly? This is Lachy from the other night."

Molly grinned as she read the message. So it WAS him. She wondered if she should reply or just call him. Knowing her and her general shyness, she knew a voice conversation could be potentially awkward despite the fact that there hadn't really been a moment of awkwardness between them the other day. It was still surprising to her how comfortable she had felt with him, and a bit scary if she was honest. She hadn't felt that comfortable around a guy since Asher.

"No, I'm not thinking about him." She said firmly, shaking her head as she began to type out a reply to the text.

"Hey, Stranger. :)"

Molly couldn't explain the butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she waited for a reply. She shouldn't be this nervous. It was a few moments before another text came through.

"Oh, good! I thought you'd typed the wrong number in when you weren't answering. And I realize I didn't even think to give you my number or any of my social media handles before you left, which was stupid on my part...Wait..This is Molly, right? You're not messing with me?"

Molly giggled a bit as she read the text. She could almost hear him rambling as she read and reread the words.. For a moment she considered calling him rather than continuing their text conversation, just to hear his voice, but she thought better of it. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Molly. You don't really know this guy..." But she did know him. At least, she felt like she did, however impossible that was after only a few hours of conversation.

"Relax, it's me. How have you been?" She questioned in another text.

A few moments passed with no reply, so Molly decided to step into the kitchen to get something to drink and see what she could make for dinner. Not that she really felt like cooking. Maybe she'd order something instead. Yeah, Chinese sounded good anyway.

Just as she finished placing an online order for delivery from her favorite Chinese place, another text from Lachy came through.

"I'd say busy, but that'd be an understatement. We had three shows yesterday. And I managed to lose my phone somewhere between Folly Beach and Greenville, which is why I didn't text before now. I'm sorry about that."

Molly frowned a bit. Losing a phone was always a hassle, she couldn't even begin to imagine doing so in a different country. She wondered how difficult it had been for him to get another phone. Do they even have the same service carriers in Australia as they did here?

"Oh, that sucks! Did you get a new one?"

Molly knew that was a silly question. Of course he got a new phone, how else was he texting her? She bit her lip somewhat nervously as she turned her attention back to the tv while she waited for a response, though she was no longer interested in the show in the least. It wasn't long before Lachy texted back.

"It was a nightmare, but yes. And I thankfully got all my contacts back. But other than that, it hasn't been too bad. And what about you? How have you been?"

"Oh, I can only imagine. I'm glad you got it sorted." Molly replied. "I've been good. I spent the rest of the weekend lesson planning and watching Netflix, so nothing too interesting."

"Netflix?" Was Lachy's reply, which was quickly followed by another. "Anything interesting?"

Just as Molly was about to type out a response to Lachy, her doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of the Chinese she'd ordered and nearly forgotten about. So, with a small sigh, she set her phone down on the coffee table and went to answer the door. After paying the delivery guy, she shut and locked her door before heading to the kitchen. Realizing that she was anxious to continue her conversation with Lachy, she quickly grabbed a fork and her container of lo mein before hurrying back to her couch.

"I watched the second season of The Crown over the weekend. Before you judge, it was only 10 episodes, so not too many."

"No judgments here." Was Lachy's quick reply, "Sometimes lazy sofa weekends with Netflix and comfy clothes are the best weekends. I look forward to having a few of those myself once we're back home. So, what are some other shows you find binge worthy? I could do to add a few new titles to my watch list."

With her dinner completely forgotten, Molly dove into a conversation with Lachy over their favorite Netflix shows, finding that they shared quite a few favorites, including a mutual love for Friends. The discussion moved to movies and books they enjoyed, and then on to details about their personal lives like where they grew up and how many siblings they had.

Molly learned that Lachy was 33, almost 34 and was born in Brisbane, Australia where he still lived, and that he was the middle of three boys. In light of his love for musical theatre, Lachy had attended Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts where he received a bachelors in musical theatre before he was given a job with the Wiggles. He mentioned briefly that he was divorced, but he didn't go into any detail about that, which Molly was grateful for. She didn't feel they knew each other nearly well enough to go into details of past relationships. And she sure wasn't comfortable enough to share any details about Asher with her new friend.

Likewise, Molly revealed that she'd been born in Northern California, but moved to Folly Beach with her parents at the age of two. She was an only child and she grew up helping her parents run their seaside inn after school and during the summer holidays. She attended college in Nashville, Tennessee, where she received her degree in early childhood before she returned to Folly Beach to work as a toddler teacher in the local preschool. She enjoyed her job, but the 29 year old seemed to feel stuck at times, and she admitted to Lachy that she felt a change would do her some good.

The two continued to text back and forth for hours, though it only felt like minutes to them. In fact. Molly hadn't even realized just how late it had gotten until her phone chimed at midnight to remind her to set her alarm for her usual 5:30 am wake up. She couldn't help but feel disappointed when she realized that she'd have to call it a night if she had any hope of getting a half decent night of sleep. After all, a classroom full of wild toddlers was a challenge on a full eight hours, but on less than six? She knew she'd regret it if she didn't sleep soon.

Reluctantly, Molly moved to her bedroom where she settled in her bed, but she didn't put her phone away. She instead began to type out a text to bring the conversation to an end for the night.

"I can't believe it's so late. Unfortunately I have to work early tomorrow, so I should get some sleep." She texted. It was now going on 12:30, and she still couldn't figure out how it'd gotten so late so fast. "I guess losing track of time is easy when you're having fun." She murmured to herself as a smile tugged at her lips.

Molly was expecting a response in the form of a text, but she was quite surprised when it came in the form of a phone call. This time she didn't hesitate to answer the phone.

"Hello...Lachy?" She questioned, her voice filled with slight confusion. Why was he calling her? She'd just mentioned that she needed sleep, and she was certain he needed it as well.

"Molly? Hey.." Lachy replied. He sounded a bit awkward as he spoke in a hushed tone. Molly would have almost thought he was trying to keep from waking someone up, but she could hear laughter and conversation in the background.

"Hey..." She repeated, still sounding as confused as ever. "Is everything alright? Why are you talking so quietly?"

"Huh? Oh yes, everything's fine. We're on the bus headed to Charlotte and everyone's just having a bit of a laugh.  I just, well, I wanted to tell you goodnight." He admitted. 

"You just wanted to hear her voice, Lach! Don't lie to yourself, mate!"

Molly giggled a bit as she recognized the voice of Anthony calling out in the background. She could almost imagine a blush on Lachy's cheeks as she heard him curse under his breath. "I take it he's a bit tipsy?"

"Who, Anto? Nah, the cheeky bastard hasn't had a drop. He doesn't drink, he just likes to tease people." Lachy replied, chuckling a bit.

"I see," Molly murmured sleepily. "There must never be a dull moment with him."

Lachy chuckled again at her words. "Not for a second." He said, his voice once again hushed. "You sound sleepy, I'm sorry to have kept you up so late." Lachy sounded apologetic, though Molly wasn't sorry in the least.

"No, don't be sorry. It wasn't just you. I was enjoying our conversation and I guess I lost track of time." She admitted. "But I really do need to sleep, 5:30 comes rather early. And besides, isn't it passed your bedtime? I mean, I'm surprised you're still awake now." She teased. After all, Lachy's character was well known for falling asleep often and at the drop of a hat.

There was silence for a second before Molly heard Lachy's laughter carrying over the phone. "Probably so." He mused. "I know with a class of toddlers to take care of, it's most definitely passed your's. We should be arriving at the hotel soon anyway. I'll let you get some sleep now. Can I call you tomorrow?"

Molly felt her cheeks heat up in a blush. She could hear a hint of timidness in his voice when he'd asked to call again and should couldn't help but smile a bit brighter. "Of course you can." She answered as she attempted to hide a yawn. She was certain he'd heard it, though, as she heard him chuckling again. She was sleepier than she thought.

"You really are sleepy, aren't you?"

"Well, I mean, I'm typically asleep before 10:00 on school nights. I know, I know, it's a little ridiculous, but that's the exciting life of a teacher." Molly murmured. If the yawn didn't betray how tired she was, her voice sure did.

"No, I can't blame you really. Well, I won't keep you awake any longer, then. Goodnight, Molly." Lachy's voice was almost in a whisper now, bringing a smile to Molly's lips.

"Goodnight, Lachy." She replied. She hesitated a moment before she ended the call and placed her phone on the nightstand. With a final sleepy sigh, she settled under the covers and closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall asleep yet again with thoughts of Lachy on her mind.

[starlightsareexolssoulmate]

Shooting stars - Seo Changbin

Pairing: Seo Changbin/reader

Words: 1642

Type: fluff

Warning: /

-----

Changbin was tired; he had worked all day and hadn't even had a proper meal. His head was aching, he knew it was because he hadn't had a full night of sleep since a long time but he couldn't afford to rest when the comeback was near: the songs have to be perfect, he always told himself.

With a sigh, he opened the door of your small flat and took off his shoes. Every room was bathing in the dark and he couldn't hear anything. Where were you? He threw the keys on the coffee table then took his phone out of his back pocket to see if you had texted him but nothing. He began to feel uneasy, you knew he had a day off the next day, so he would have obviously spent all the time he could with you but still, you weren't there. Maybe you had to stay a little more at your university, it has happened before but not a Friday.

Without thinking more, he threw himself on the couch, feeling his mind drifting to sleep. Suddenly the sharp sound of his ringtone blasted in the tiny living room. His heart sped up but calmed down immediately and a wave of relief washed over him when he saw your name displayed on his bright screen. With a small smile he answered already feeling the comfort your voice would give him.

"Hey", he whispered, he didn't know why he did it but he felt like he needed to. "The sky is so beautiful..." he was puzzled, it's the least we could say, why bringing this out totally out of the blue. He giggled at your words but finally asked what he wanted to for a solid ten minutes. "Where are you?" "I don't know! Come find me." He smiled at your antics, you were always spontaneous and he needed it in his life. You were like a breeze of fresh air, so smooth against his skin.

"Give me a clue at least." "I already gave you one..." He could hear you smile, your voice was so light and it held something like happiness. You hung up without letting him say anything. He rolled his eyes but stood up anyways, ready to find you. At this moment he completely forgot his tiredness or the stressing comeback that was coming around. That was your effect on him, and he just heard your voice over the phone. He was such a softie for you.

He looked at the ceiling, black because of the lack of lights. The street lights were casting shadows on it, he was seeing a sky on a normally white and stern ceiling. Then everything clicked in his mind, you probably were on the rooftop. The first thing you said was that the sky was beautiful and your rooftop was the perfect place to watch what the roof of the world had to show.

He took his keys and practically ran up the stairs. When he opened the heavy door, he saw what seemed like to be a fairy world. Blankets and cushions were sprawled on the floor, not leaving space for the hard and cold concrete. There were lights and candles put on the table and the railings, giving a cozy vibe to the place. The view was breathtaking, Seoul was lying before him, the multiple lights sparkling, and the clear sky decorated of thousand stars, it was just beautiful. But the most beautiful scenery he could have seen was you in just his oversized black Tee, your black converse not even put on correctly. Your long hair tied in a messy bun and a smile that could lit the whole world. You were simply standing in front of him, leaning a little against the railings but the background and you in the front, and he just felt overwhelmed by the beauty of everything, of you. He smiled unconsciously and walked up to you to hug you.

You squeaked because you were so happy, it had been so long since you could have actually quite some time together. His embrace was strong and his perfume made you smile, it felt so familiar to be like this with him. He slightly broke apart of the hug and he looked at you grinning.

"I missed you" is all he said before kissing you, delicately but with all the feelings he was able to pour in it. Once you were down, you took his hand and brought him to the pile of cushions to sit down. The summer wind was messing with the small and soft locks that were falling out of your bun. He raised his hand to put it back in place, always a soft smile on display. You loved this smile because you knew this smile was just for you, never have you ever seen him use it for someone else, just for you. You blushed and pushed him away, he just laughed.

"Why are you like this after all this time?" "Because it's you! How do you expect me to react?" you cleared your voice and your blush deepened while you bowed your head. "Because of you I have butterflies in my stomach and a racing heart, I am pretty sure I could die because of that. It's your fault!" you pouted and he couldn't resist. He pinched your bright cheek and cooed because he had never seen someone so cute; you were the cutest thing to him. He sighed and laid down, staring at the sky. You followed his actions and put your head on his arm that was spread. It was perfect for the both of you.

"Anyway, why did you take me here?" he said bringing his mouth close to your ear, making you shiver. "There should be shooting stars tonight. It's so rare and special, I wanted to spend this beautiful night watching them with you." he kissed your temple and intertwined your fingers. He could do this all his life, he was sure of it.

"OH MY GOD! Did you see? It was amazing and it passed so fast!" you were squealing. You were hyper just because you had seen one of those shooting star, and it was a wonderful sight to Changbin.

"Did you make a wish?" "Oh no! I completely forgot! Do you think I can do it now? I think it could work" you were rambling so he pulled you back down, laughing. "I am pretty sure it's too late now, Y/N. Let's wait another one, and this time don't forget to make a wish" you laughed and began to watch again, Changbin doing the same. You waited, making small talks but not too much because you could miss the purpose of your night on this rooftop.

Then a flashing star went by, so fast and dashing. It left a blue and white trail behind, contrasting with the black of the sky. He automatically closed his eyes and made his dear wish that even you won't know before some years, but he would make sure that it will happen. When he opened them again you were still closing them and holding tightly the pale blanket. A sigh of relief left your mouth and you finally opened your eyes again, smiling lightly. His blood rushed to his cheeks without knowing why but it was because of you. You said he was making you feel all sort of things but you did exactly the same thing to him.

You turned your head and your eyes met his. Right at this moment he shut out the world, focusing on you only. He gulped and breathed, approaching his head. You watched his nervous face with the same expression; he was the only thing existing right now. His forehead rested on yours, his breath hitting lightly your soft skin. He looked right into your eyes and opened his mouth. "I love you."

You held your breath, your eyes were wide and shining because of the happiness you felt. You never thought he would say those three words first, it wasn't his type. It felt surreal but a good kind of surreal. You didn't move, neither did he. Regaining your voice, you finally talked.

"I love you too, Seo Changbin." You whispered it, but the smile that grew on his face was enough for you to know that he heard you. You just looked at each other for god knew how long, but it felt too short because both of your eyes held so much love and the time had just stopped because of that.

He suddenly kissed the tip of your nose then moved away from you looking back at the sky. The blush on his cheeks was still prominent and a warm sensation filled you because you knew you made him just as nervous as you. He felt the same. You toyed a little with his hand, loving the contact between you two, also looking at the sky. The silence was peaceful and warm, just your emotions gravitating around you.

"You know, my wish was to hear you say that to me. I wanted to hear it so bad and I can't believe it happened this fast." you heard him scoff and maybe you were also close to hear him roll his eyes, but the smile on his face was so soothing.

"You would have heard me say it with or without a shooting star, so you should catch another one to wish something a little more exceptional." you cuddled his side giggling,

"I should do that, but know that hearing you saying it is exceptional to me." he laughed and cuddled you back, watching the stars in the sky, wishing things that would fill both of your hearts to shooting stars, and for now it seemed like it was working.

.

The end~

🌸

Sorry if I made any mistakes, I am French so English isn't my first language. It is possible that I used french structure for some sentences without seeing it because, well it's confusing. I hope you still liked it 💞

Masterlist

[5hfanfiction]

Dash Into My Heart - 2

Vero unsurprisingly finds it hilarious when you text her later saying you ended up following your dad’s not-as-stupid-as-initially-thought advice.

[Vero]: WAIT U ACTUALLY ASKED HER BY SAYING SO U COULD PROVE UR NOT PSYCHO????

[Vero]: UR FIRST DATE WITH HER AND U GOTTA PROVE UR NOT DANGRROUS

[Vero]: IM W H E E Z I N G

You don’t get the chance to correct her in saying that it’s not a date. She sends you a seventeen second voice note and it’s literally just her laughing and you make sure to leave her on read for the rest of the night.

There are multiple messages congratulating you for not being as useless of a lesbian as before (which you strongly refute because you weren't entirely useless). They turn into messages of indignation when she realizes you really aren’t going to text back. You stop checking your phone entirely when she resorts to sending you gifs of Kim Kardashian crying.

The next morning rolls around and you’re kind of… giddy? In the least, you’re unusually chipper for someone who hates the mornings and you’re glad your parents have already left for work because you’re more than sure they’d tease you to no end. You obsessively check the time, even when you know that hardly any time has passed since the last time you checked but you at least finally text Vero back.

[Lauren]: sorry I was sleep

[Vero]: since 7 pM????

[Vero]: unlikely

[Vero]: guess u were right

[Vero]: friendship cancelled

[Lauren]: help me pick out an outfit for lunch?

[Vero]: friendship MOMENTARILY resumed

You laugh because neither of you could get rid of each other even if either of you tried. She’s been your best friend since you two could walk and you’re both practically family at this point.

[Lauren]: thoughts?

    [Vero]: more like THOTs

[Vero]: ur really not going for subtle huh hoe-regui?

[Vero]: I support it

[Lauren]: ok so I’m changing

[Vero]: unfortunate

[Lauren]: this one?

[Vero]: screams broody hipster

[Vero]: “u prolly nevr heard of my fave band theyre really underground. theyre called the 1975”

[Lauren]: I’m going to ignore that and take my chances with broody hipster

[Vero]: not the worst choice to have made mija

[Lauren]: gee thanks ma

[Vero]: anything to help you impress your new lady friend :)

You roll your eyes at all of Vero’s responses, putting your phone away and checking your outfit once again in the mirror. Not that you’re trying to impress her though. You just want to look… non-threatening. And Camila is like, really pretty, so you want to not look like a hobo next to her. All this fluttering you’re feeling is just insanely high attraction. Yeah, that’s it.

You still had an hour to kill so you figure taking Dash out for a walk would be a good way to pass the time. You smile at all the breaks he seems to need to take because however much energy he has, his legs are just too short to keep up with all of it. He completely tires himself out after about half an hour and finally he just lays himself down under the shade of a tree and you just glare at him with your hands on your hips.

“Really? You’re gonna crap out on me now? We’re literally two blocks from the house, you lazy bum.” There’s no harshness to your tone because Dash is your lil baby and he could do no wrong even if he tried. He’s cute enough to get away with just about anything. So after another minute of him just laying there and blinking at you, you finally scoop him up in your arms and make your way back to the house.

You don’t expect to run into Camila again because it’s a quarter to noon and you wouldn’t think she’d be home yet. Except she’s currently in her driveway, arms resting on the open window of a car with a boy in it. They’re clearly talking and you hear them both laugh as your legs carry you closer. You don’t mean to stare but it’s hard not to because Camila’s back is turned to you and she has to bend over to lean on the car and- look, you can’t really stop your eyes from seeing it so you go ahead and sneak a look.

Your eyes focus back to the boy that Camila’s talking to and you try to stop your face from looking so sour. God, what’s got you all moody? You barely know this girl, she’s not that cute.

(Later you’ll find out that she really is that cute but right now you pretend you have your shit together.)

Still carrying Dash, you’ve made it to your own driveway and try not to pay any mind to Camila and whatever douchenozzle with the mustang that she’s talking to. But of course, Dash notices and barks, squirming in your arms. You set him down and he runs towards Camila, barking lightly in his approach, the younger girl immediately turning around and her face lighting up at the sight of him.

“My sweet baby!” She coos as she kneels to pick him up and Dash is quick to lick her face. You enjoy the laugh that it elicits out of the girl who finally notices you as she situates the dog in her arms.

“Hey Lauren!” Her smile when she sees you is literally so big and you can’t help returning it in kind, giving her a small wave. You hadn’t realized you were making your way towards her until you’re standing a couple feet away from her in her driveway and up close to the car with the boy she was talking to. He’s watching the both of you from the driver’s seat with an easy smile on his face but you insist he’s probably a douche anyways.

“Hey Camila, I see my dog likes you better.” You point at the way Dash is laying in her and arms and tail wagging against her hold. She laughs and kisses the top of his head and you almost audibly ‘aw’ at the sight because holy fuck this girl is cute.

“That’s because I spoil him,” she uses a baby voice as she literally coddles your dog and you hate how you smile as you watch them. It’s fucking adorable, okay?

“Oh, my bad! Lauren, this is Shawn,” she nods her head towards the douchenozzle in the mustang and he gives me a fairly friendly smile that I do my best to return.

“Shawn, this is Lauren. The one I told you about.”

Oh? She’s been talking about you?

“The one with the bat?” Shawn chuckles and you practically shrink because of course that’s why she’s been talking about you.

“I thought you were an intruder!” You insist, smacking Camila’s arm with the back of your hand. She just laughs, sticking her tongue out at you before turning back to Shawn.

“Are we going to hang out this break?”

“Yeah my parents are saving the trip home to Canada for this summer so I’ll be around. Text me whenever you’re free?”

“For sure. Thanks again for the ride home,” Camila nods as her hand scratches behind Dash’s ears. She waves at Shawn as he starts backing out of the driveway, who yells out what you think is a friendly 'nice to meet you’ before driving off. You don’t really want to say the same because 1) you’re officially the girl with the bat and 2) there’s a very petty part of you that wants to monopolize Camila’s time if only to prevent her from spending any of it with him.

Geez what the fuck is wrong with you.

You pull yourself out of your thoughts and face Camila who’s looking at you expectantly.

“So, lunch?”

-

You end up taking her to this Italian place because you thought taking her to your parents restaurant was just a little tacky (but the food would’ve been free so you keep it in mind for future lunches that may happen).

“Wow, you know the way to my heart don’t you?”

“What?” You stare up at Camila with wide eyes because no- that’s not- you aren’t-

“I love pizza, so you’re doing pretty well on the whole 'making it up to me’ front,” Camila gives you an easy smile and you ignore the way it makes you feel.

“That’s good. Now I have to work on convincing you that I’m not dangerous to be around. I promise I’m mostly normal.”

“Well that’s only mostly reassuring then,” she laughs and it does wonders to help calm your nerves.

“Welcome to Enzo’s, my name is Austin and I’ll be- oh! Hey Camila,” the guy who’s approached the table smiles down at the girl sitting in front of you and you do nothing short of glaring at him. Whom the fuck-

“Hey Austin,” Camila greets with a smile of her own. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

“Yeah, I started a couple of weeks ago.”

“That’s cool, I could never handle being a server. I’d trip and drop everyone’s food, probably.” She jokes easily and you aren’t the biggest fan of the way she smiles at him. He doesn’t even spare you a glance as he starts fawning over Camila. You just keep glaring.

After some more idle chatting that you tune out because this boy’s voice sounds like a drone, Camila reaches for a menu, seemingly to prompt this Austin guy to remember that he’s at work.

“Oh right,” he seems to finally realize that you’re also sitting there. “What can I get you two to drink?”

“Just a water for me,” you say with a clipped tone.

“Water for me too.”

“No problem, I’ll be right back with that.” He smiles brightly at Camila, probably forgetting that you’re also sitting right there.

“I’m sure you will be,” you mutter under your breath.

If Camila heard you, she doesn’t say anything about it. But she does raise an eyebrow at you but you press forward.

“Another one of your suitors?” You try to come off as teasing but you’re worried your tone makes it sound more as petty.

“What do you mean another?” She looks genuinely confused this time.

“That Shawn guy from earlier?”

The look she gives you says hilariously disgusted and you’re kind of relieved.

“Oh god no, Shawn’s great but he’s also painfully in love with his boyfriend. He’s just the Gay Best Friend, y'know. I mean we’re both the gay best friend so, yeah.” She finishes off her mini rambling with a timid smile and she seems too nervous to look at you. You let out a breath of relief because you hadn’t even considered the possibility that she was straight. But apparently, not an issue.

“And Austin?”

“Oh definitely a suitor, but no interest in that. Gay best friend and all.”

As if he’s just waiting around the corner for one of you to mention him, Austin comes back with your drinks and asking for your order. You realize you haven’t looked at the menu once and turn to Camila.

“Just a personal cheese pizza for me.”

“Yeah, for me too.”

“Great, those will be out shortly,” Austin assures the two of you. You hope he’s not around much more, glaring at him the whole time he’s walking away. When you face Camila again she’s smirking at you and you both seem to let the topic of Austin go.

Camila turns out to be easy to talk to, even if she does more of the talking. It’s nice, letting her carry the conversation because now you don’t have to focus on fucking something up by saying something stupid. She asks you about school and she complains about hers. She’s hoping to hear back from UCLA and Berkeley, along with NYU, she’s even applied to Penn State which you get a little more than excited about.

You tell her you’re majoring in business administration with a minor in music production. She practically squeals because she genuinely thinks that’s so cool. You give her a fond smile because hardly anyone is ever really excited about something like your major and it’s like, really nice to witness.

When your food finally arrives, Austin fortunately has more tables to tend to and doesn’t stick around to try and flirt with Camila. You’re entirely prepared to spill your drink on him at any given point.

Just in case.

But you’re soon distracted by how much Camila manages to eat. She’s not a slob in any measure and it’s not as if she inhales her food but- wow she can really put it away. Where does it fucking go? She’s so damn tiny. It’s only a personal size pizza but it’s still a lot for one serving and geez hers is practically gone and you’re still working on yours-

“Does your family have any plans this winter break?” Camila’s voice cuts through your thoughts and you’re momentarily caught off guard.

“Oh uh, I don’t think so? Unless they’re surprising me with something. But they’re pretty busy with the restaurant and I’ll probably end up helping them some weekends.”

“So I’ll be seeing you around during break then?” The way she looks at you when she asks is a little more than curious and you can’t really tell if she’s smiling at you because she took a bite of her pizza after asking. Is she…flirting with you?

“If you want me to be around, I’ll be around,” you say simply. You hope it comes off as reasonably friendly but also potentially flirty. You think it does when she smiles at your answer.

“Only if you’re unarmed.”

“Oh my gaaaahd,” you groan while laying your head down, resting your forehead against the table. “I’m never going to live that down am I?”

You almost bring your head back up at Camila’s laugh, loud and welcoming. Only almost. Because this is still embarrassing.

“Not in the foreseeable future, no.” Camila’s stopped laughing but you can practically hear the smirk in her voice. “I might stick around solely to patronize you about it.”

“If I knew you were such a jerk I wouldn’t have bothered to apologize, y'know.”

“You would’ve just gone ahead and swung, wouldn’t you?”

At this you finally raise your head again to face Camila and she’s still smiling because she’s not quite done laughing at your situation. But her smile is nice so you think it’s fine.

“I probably would’ve swung. Conveniently excused because I thought you were an intruder. Which is true,” you reason. 

“Wow, who’s the bigger jerk here?”

“You! A nice person would’ve understood it was a mistake and that I misread the situation.”

“But it was funny and no harm done so it’s safe to tease,” Camila sticks her tongue out at you before returning to her last slice of pizza.

That’s not how I want you to tease me though.

You shake your head of your thoughts because totally not the time. And definitely not the place.

“You’re an ass. You’re paying for your own food,” you stick your tongue out to her in return.

“Woah hey, I was totally kidding. All jokes are done, no more teasing, I promise!” She gives you a toothy smile that is not at all convincing.

“Unlikely, but okay. Do you have any plans for your break then?” You kind of (really) hope she doesn’t.

“Probably just get dragged to a few parties my friends want to go to.”

“Not into parties?”

Camila scrunches her nose, shaking her head. “Not really. I don’t hate them but I need to really be in the mood for one and when it’s too crowded it stresses me out because I can’t be for sure about an escape route. And also the possibility of getting trampled.”

“I- oh.” It’s all you can say because you weren’t expecting that answer. “Well that makes sense when I think about it. I like parties better when I’m high.”

“Never tried at a party. Maybe I’d like them better if I were high too,” she muses.

“That can be arranged,” you offer. She simply gasps, dramatically clutching her chest.

“First attempted assault and now illegal substance use? You may be mostly normal but you sure are a bad influence, Jauregui.”

“You just said you’d try it!”

“I am a child of god, too good for the devil’s lettuce,” Camila says calmly, straightening her posture and turning her nose up at you. She looks and sounds a little ridiculous and you kind of want to kiss her.

“Devil’s lettuce? You’re so full of it shit. You’re probably a huge sinner,” you insist.

“I’m pure!”

“Lying is a sin and you’re also gay so you’re basically a huge heathen,” you smirk as her jaw drops in disbelief.

“I didn’t realize dragging me is your way of making it up to someone,” Camila grumbles and you’re so completely endeared when she pouts that you almost apologize. Almost.

“So you agree? You’re a filthy and impure sinner?”

“Anyways, where’s the check?

-

You might have been a little worried about how lunch was going to go because Camila is really cute while simultaneously being really hot and you’re kind of easily distracted. But she laughs the whole time and she’s easy to talk to in the way that banter isn’t forced and jokes don’t go too far. It went really really well and you may or may not be driving just above the speed limit to make the ride home as long as possible, short of making a giant ass circle around your neighborhood.

The ride is full of her dramatically performing each song on the radio and you’re almost upset that you had to drive because you want to be able to properly see her act like a complete idiot. At some point along the way you consider how at ease Camila seems to be, belting songs out in your car as if she hasn’t just met you. And you figure that yeah, she makes you a little nervous, but she’s also really comfortable and you haven’t felt like you needed to second guess yourself at all. You don’t realise it but you smile the whole way home.

When you park (in your own driveway), you decide to talk Camila to her door because that’s polite, right? No ulterior motives.

"So, how’d I do?” you ask as you approach her front steps.

“What?”

“Making it up to you. How’d I do?”

“Well considering you called me a filthy heathen earlier, I’m gonna have to say not so great,” she gives you a playfully disapproving look. “I guess you’re just going to have to make it up to me some more.”

She’s looking at you with a lopsided grin and you bite your lip because now you definitely want to kiss her. And honestly if you don’t get your hormones in check-

“Oh geez,” you start. “I have to spend even more time with you?” You pretend to be completely burdened with the idea and you’re pretty sure she sees right through you, if the excited smile on your face is any giveaway. She lightly shoves your shoulder but she giggles too so you know it’s okay. You’re both standing in front of her house now and you’re practically waiting for her to tell you to leave because you can’t seem to say bye.

“Well, do you maybe want to come inside so you can finish making it up to me?”

And you really hate yourself sometimes because you have no business turning her words into something they’re not. The innocent look she gives you makes it clear that she doesn’t consider how… suggestive her words are and you’re left with your mouth hanging a little and staring. Because you are very much aware of how suggestive it sounds and now your mind is so far deep in the gutter imagining Camila-

“Lauren?”

You realise you must’ve been staring for some time because Camila gives you a strange look and you immediately clear your head of those thoughts.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about if I had anything to do today.” You mentally high five yourself for avoiding looking like a complete ass.

“Oh, well if you’re busy we could just hang out another time-”

“No, I’m free,” you say a little too quickly. You clear your throat and speak a little slower this time. “Y'know, so we can get this over with,” you motion with your hands like you’re waving her off. She swats at your arm and rolls her eyes as she turns to open her front door.

“Oh whatever you already love my company, I can already tell.”

“Uh huh. Okay,” you nod dubiously, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Don’t be an ass, this is just like that time you almost swung a bat at me. Do you remember that?” she sends you a cheeky smile as you two enter her house you stop right at the doorway.

“Wooooow, I suddenly remembered that I have to go vacuum my…roof.” you say without conviction, glaring as best you can at her.

Camila throws her head back in a throaty laugh, reaching for your arm when you pretend to turn to leave (because you both know you’re going nowhere).

“Nooo, I was kidding. I’m sure your roof can stand to wait another day to be vacuumed.”

“Mm I don’t know,” you pretend to contemplate. “It’s kind of been a while since anyone’s done it.” You have to mentally hold yourself together when she pouts and you’re literally seconds away from taking it back when she speaks up.

“Okay fine then. I already love your company. So stay? Just for a lil bit?”

What she’s giving you right now is a practiced puppy dog look, you can just fucking tell. She knows- she fucking knows what it does to people. If you weren’t already going to stay anyways, this would’ve been what convinced you. Not that it would’ve taken much since you’re a sucker for a cute girl and Camila is downright adorable. Who loves (!!!) your company. 

“I suppose I could stay then,” you sigh dramatically as if you aren’t mentally squealing. “You know, since you like me so much.” Nudging her shoulder with yours, you give her a shit eating grin and she’s back to rolling her eyes at you.

You figure it’s okay to admit to yourself (and only yourself) that you like Camila’s company just as much.

A/N

wattpad: @taller-smol

thanks for reading babes