#anyway i want to hire movers to get that shit across the country for me BUT I'm afraid they're gonna be hella expensive

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

Hmm. I'm just now remembering how stressful moving is.

[dannypuro]

You said your askbox was open so!! From Something Telling I am very invested in the mutual pining of Feuilly and Baz and just that individually they were like. Whispering their feels to their friends. I am parched for any details of. Them. If you are amenable. BYE <3

YOU!!! YOU UNDERSTAND!!!! YOU AND YOUR WONDERFUL ASKS AND GIANT COMMENTS UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANT PARTS OF SOMETHING TELLING ma’am i owe you my life. i adore you. and yes, without further ado... A Very Long Post about the boys.

feuilly moves into bahorel’s apartment building when he first moves to france, like, five or six years before the start of Something Telling. and he doesn’t speak a lot of french at ALL, at first, because he wasn’t expecting to move, but he got an opportunity with a gallery kind of last minute and he only had time to panic and duolingo it up a little bit. but he moves into baz’s apartment building, all the way up in the tiny attic apartment, and he doesn’t hire any movers because he’s broke, and that would be fine, except the elevator breaks sometime between when he goes out to find some furniture and when he gets said furniture delivered to outside the building. and now he has to figure out how to get this stupid second-hand couch up five flights of stairs and he doesn’t even know anyone in the country he can call for help. 

cue bahorel, coming back from the gym and all sweaty and gross. (nasty.) and he’s never seen feuilly before, but he is CERTAINLY seeing him now. 👁👁. and they have an awkward little conversation--all “hey, dude, do you, like, need a hand?” and poor feuilly desperately trying to remember his duolingo to figure out what the fuck this hot guy is saying to him. bahorel is instantly enamored--feuilly is fucking pretty, okay, and he’s funny and his accent is cute and baz just fucking knows feuilly’s smarter than him and he’s so fucking into it. just. he’s so into him.

and the thing is, baz is pretty sure feuilly’s maybe into him, too--he helps him drag the couch up the stairs, and they make conversation, and he thinks that he’s flirting, a little, and he’s definitely ogling baz up a bit. and, like, yeah, sure--he knows he’s hot, and feuilly’s smoking hot, in an overworked, tired, starving artist way, so... yeah. he’s totally gonna sleep with his brand-new hot neighbor.

only, then they start talking about why feuilly’s moving into the building--he tells baz that he’s new to paris, new to france, and he doesn’t know anybody, doesn’t even really speak french, and he moved for work but he doesn’t really know what he’ll do outside of that, and he’s just so! fucking! charming! and smart! and baz is like. right. well. 🥺, dude. 

they get up to feuilly’s apartment (and HOOOO, feuilly’s pretty strong, actually 👁👁 wow 👁👁 what a coincidence bahorel is shredded as well👁👁 maybe we can hook up and be shredded together👁👁) and set the couch down. and bahorel looks around his empty little attic apartment and takes in his nearly-empty kitchen and his one beautiful houseplant in the middle of the room, because that’s where the most light is, and he can’t just LEAVE. not when feuilly doesn’t have any friends. feuilly’s awesome, baz already knows it! he should meet baz’s awesome friends!

only, feuilly’s kind of- feuilly’s kind of leaning in, a bit, and bahorel has hooked up with enough dudes to know when someone’s putting on the moves. and he’s SO into it, and he almost just kisses him, almost hooks up with him on the couch that they just hauled up five flights of stairs together, only-

only, if feuilly’s a one-night stand, he won’t want to meet baz’s awesome friends, and he seems so lonely. so bahorel takes one for the team. and instead of leaning in to make out with the hottest dude he’s ever met, he’s just like HEY MY FRIENDS ARE HAVING A GET-TOGETHER TONIGHT WANNA COME YOU CAN MEET THEM THEY’RE SUPER NICE AND COOL. (oh, god, he really hopes feuilly wants to.)

feuilly’s a little taken aback, for obvious reasons, but- but he does want to meet bahorel’s friends, and mostly, he wants to spend some more time with bahorel, and it’s a shame that he wasn’t reading the room right when he thought baz was into him, but, well, you can’t have everything. maybe he can’t get laid by his super-hot neighbor, but hey, if he can meet some people who don’t mind that he doesn’t actually speak french yet, and if he can get to know bahorel a little better, he’ll take it.

feuilly goes to the party. jehan adores him, obviously. feuilly doesn’t, like... get what’s up with them, yet, since he didn’t watch french media growing up and therefore missed all of their child-stardom, but he likes them just fine, anyways. jehan’s like 20 and is blazed out of their mind and is having a medieval phase (one of many). feuilly is confused, but also within 90 minutes realizes that he would INSTANTLY throw hands with ANYONE if it was for jehan’s sake. so. 

jehan’s all like “go talk to grantaire! he knows all sorts of things about art! he’s working on painting me naked!” so feuilly goes to talk to the lump in the corner but like. listen. grantaire’s having a hard time. he doesn’t make an awesome first impression. not awful, just... he’s having a hard time. feuilly gets it. they become better friends a little later, mostly because bahorel keeps dragging feuilly around with him whenever he’s free. (not like feuilly minds)

but feuilly doesn’t make a move on bahorel again. because he must have misread the situation, right? otherwise they would have fucked. they’d BE fucking. too bad bahorel doesn’t like him like that. oh, well, at least they’re friends!

bahorel DOES like him like that. duh. feuilly’s awesome. but he hasn’t made a move on bahorel since that first afternoon. he’s probably just not that into bahorel, past the one-night-stand type stuff. oh, well, at least they’re friends!

life goes on. they hang out a lot. like, a LOT. they’re totally each other’s best friends. feuilly learns more french. (baz is actually super relieved when he can’t quite manage to get rid of the accent, even though he would never say so, because that would hurt feuilly’s feelings. baz tries not to act like a dick around feuilly, even though he kind of is one around other people, sometimes. he just... wants feuilly to like him.) feuilly gets absorbed into the group. he picks up another job, in addition to the work he’s doing for the gallery, and he’s making a little more money, which is good for both of them, because feuilly can afford meals that aren’t mostly rice, sometimes, and bahorel doesn’t have to spend all day every day wondering how he’s going to be able to get feuilly to let him pay for his food this time around. (if they were dating, baz thinks, if they were dating, he could take feuilly out for dinner and pay for it and pay for the wine and for the dessert, too, and feuilly wouldn’t be able to give him that look he shoots him whenever baz “accidentally” orders the wrong dish from the thai place down the road, so what if it always happens to be feuilly’s favorite, shut up, man, it’s a coincidence)

but feuilly’s making more money, so he decides to move out of his shitty attic apartment, because it kind of sucks, and it’s miniscule, and he’s an adult, damn it. he finds a new place that is marginally larger and marginally less shitty, and it’s not even that far away, just a couple blocks, and he tells baz he’ll be moving when his lease is up that year. 

bahorel just wants to beg him to move in with him, but he only has the one bedroom, and feuilly’s not his fucking boyfriend. so he helps feuilly move, because he’s a good buddy, and he gets hammered with grantaire, after, because grantaire is lonely for someone he hasn’t met yet and bahorel is terrified that feuilly isn’t going to want to hang out with him now that they aren’t neighbors anymore. 

feuilly, meanwhile, is across town at grantaire’s apartment (sans grantaire) getting blazed with jehan because he’s terrified that bahorel isn’t going to want to hang out with him now that they aren’t neighbors anymore. (jehan’s all 🥺You Are Always Welcome At My Humble Abode🥺 and feuilly’s very touched but he’s pretty sure he’s totally in love with bahorel and he’s scared and he’s also not sure that jehan even pays rent. so.)

they totally keep hanging out. obviously. (maybe a little bit less than they used to, but if baz thinks about that he’ll fucking cry.) bahorel feels a little bit like his heart is going to break, which is totally lame and which was not the plan when he agreed to help move a couch three years earlier. it’s just... there’s nobody like feuilly. there’s nobody even CLOSE to being like feuilly. and feuilly doesn’t like him. and so he spends a lot of time at grantaire’s place, and jehan finally gets their own apartment, so he’s free to cry into grantaire’s shoulder all he fucking wants.

feuilly goes on dates, sometimes. bahorel could totally treat him better than any of those dickheads. damn it.

bahorel hooks up with people, sometimes. feuilly could totally fuck him better than any of those dickheads. damn it.

and then grantaire gets a weird new roommate, or something. baz doesn’t know, fuck, nobody tells him jack shit. but he stops hearing from grantaire for a couple weeks, for the most part, and then he gets the party invite in the groupchat, and fuck, if there’s a housewarming party, he shall attend. feuilly mentions something to him about R’s new roomie being some philosopher, or something, but bahorel was kind of busy watching him fold up little origami flowers out of newspaper, so he missed all that. it’s cool, he’ll catch up.

apparently, grantaire’s roommate is from the 19th century. apparently, grantaire also has a massive fucking crush on him. huh.

when they first meet, feuilly and enjolras are kind of hilariously enamored by one another. not in a romantic way, just in a Very Intense Admiration type way. after they meet at the housewarming party, enjolras is like “I Must Find A Way To Speak With Feuilly Again, For He Is A Brilliant Mind And A Good Man” and combeferre is like... want me to invite him over? and enjy is like “No, I Must Pen Him A Letter. Yes. This Is A Good And Rational Plan.” (he spills coffee all over the letter right when he’s almost done and almost cries. ferre just invites feuilly over anyways.)

feuilly, of course, is freaking out about whether or not he can find a way to hang out with enjolras again. because! ahh!!! that’s François-Marie Enjolras, political revolutionary and philosopher!!!! feuilly’s read his essays like five times!!! what reason would he have to want to talk to feuilly? but also, like... he did want to talk to feuilly--at the party, he’d talked to feuilly for hours, and he’s so smart and a little funny and he’d listen to Feuilly go on and on about slavic history and he hadn’t looked bored once, and just- Ah!!!! and he’s trying to figure out if it would be weird if he asked enjolras if he’d want to meet over coffee when he gets combeferre’s text. (it’s something like, enjolras just composed a letter trying to ask you if you’d want to hang out with him do you want to come over before he uses up all of my printer paper? and then, also, don’t tell him i told you about the letter he’s kind of freaked about making a good impression) and feuilly’s just like. :o

and both grantaire and bahorel see enjolras and feuilly embarking on this sweet, awkward, smart person friendship and they’re like. Oh Shit. They’re In Love With Each Other. Shit. because of course feuilly would fall in love with enjolras--feuilly’s too smart for bahorel, anyways, baz has always known that, and it makes sense that he’d fall for someone who can keep up with him. and of course enjolras would fall in love with feuilly--feuilly is kind and super smart and he knows all sorts of things about modern philosophy and he’s hot, okay, and enjolras is too smart for grantaire, anyways. ugh. baz and R get hammered and cry about it together, but the shitty thing is that they can’t even be too angry, because it’s so obvious.

meanwhile, enjolras and feuilly are across town talking about their stupid crushes on their hot beefy friends. commiserating, yanno? feuilly’s all “sometimes i wish i just kissed him that first day i met him, sometimes i wish i hooked up with him at that party, maybe he would have started liking me after” and enjolras is all “why does he never wear shirts with SLEEVES, i do not know what to DO with myself!!!”

and then one day feuilly and baz are hanging out and baz is like “haha grantaire has the biggest crush on enjolras” (because he can’t keep a secret to save his life.) and feuilly’s like.... “grantaire likes enjolras?” and baz is like “uh YEAH dude. DUH” and feuilly’s like. “that can’t be right--enjolras told me grantaire doesn’t like him back” and baz is like... “bACK?” and then he’s like “WAIT ENJOLRAS DOESN’T LIKE YOU?” and feuilly is like... no?

they realize that their friends are idiots. and they try to help, really, they do--feuilly keeps suggesting that maybe, maybe, enjolras can’t know that grantaire doesn’t like him if he’s never actually asked, and he keeps pointing out things that grantaire does that nobody actually does if they’re not totally gone for somebody; bahorel is straight up just like “R bro enjolras wants to be your boy so bad” and R is like I Am Electing Not To Listen To You.

and then-

and then, they all go out to a bar together. they get hammered, etc. etc. and they’re laughing about how grantaire and enjolras are oblivious, how could they not know that they like each other, everybody keeps telling them to go for it, and then-

hold on.

hold on, because- because that’s what everybody tells bahorel about feuilly. that he should just go for it. that maybe it’s not as hopeless as he thinks. and feuilly’s just sitting there, and he’s so fucking pretty, sometimes, honestly, and bahorel loves him so much, and he’s drunk, and he can’t stand not knowing even a second longer. 

[vintagedolan]

cross country (gbd)

description: when you get stuck in california during quarantine with a dwindling lease at the dolan’s house, grayson wants nothing more than for you to get to new jersey with him

word count: 4.5k

warnings/tags: fluff, this is literally um the softest thing i’ve written???, quarantine/COVID, grayson spoiling Y/N, you get the picture hehe

feel free to send in requests! i’ll write most things! hope you enjoy, send me some feedback and I’ll give you my eternal love :)

You never wanted to lift another box in your whole life, that was for damn sure. There was sweat running down your forehead as you lifted the next one, carrying the cardboard all the way through the house into the living room, which was becoming a huge pile of everything that the twins had acquired over their years in LA. 

The plan was simple: the boys were going home to jersey to see their mom before the quarantine got too serious, and then they were coming right back because they needed to find a place in LA, seeing that their lease was ending. 

Well, needless to say, that plan had gone to absolute shit. And that meant you were thousands of miles away from Grayson, and had three days before you would be homeless. 

Lovely. 

The nice thing about it was that you didn’t have much time to mope - since the boys were still in jersey, all the packing was left up to you. And while you were efficient, it didn’t mean it wasn’t a lot of fucking work. 

You went back into Ethan’s room, getting another box of clothes. As you walked, your phone vibrated in the pocket on the side of your leggings. You knew who it was, but you waited until you got to the living room and sat the box down to answer it. 

A facetime from Grayson. That brightened your mood considerably. 

When you swiped over, you immediately relaxed a bit at the sight of his face. His hair was getting so long during quarantine, and it was pushed back with a headband he’d borrowed from his mom, no doubt. He was in a tshirt, which was different than the rest of the times he’d called you. Which was about ten times a day.

“Hey baby,” you smiled at him, catching your breath as you walked back to your shared room. As much as you wanted to sit down and relax and talk to your boyfriend, there wasn’t enough time for all that.  

“You look exhausted,” was the first thing he said. 

“Wow, thank you so much, love you too,” you teased. 

“You look beautiful, you know that’s not what I meant. I’m just saying that-”

“I’m kidding Gray. And before you start worrying for the hundredth time today, I’m fine,” you reminded him as you pulled out a dresser drawer you shared, beginning to transfer the clothes into yet another box. He watched you work with sad eyes, and you knew what was coming before he said it.

“I feel like shit that you’re doing all this work.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“But I do.”

“Would you do it for me? If you were stuck across the country in my house-”

“Our house,” he corrected. You couldn’t tell if he was referring to sharing with you or with Ethan, or both, but you kept going regardless.

“Okay, stuck in our house, and I needed to pack it all up, would you do it for me?”

He hesitated, and you knew he didn’t have a good response to that.

“That’s different,” was his only comeback, and you laughed a bit.

“Bullshit. You’re just mad because I’m gonna have to wear all your clothes cause none of mine will fit over my new muscles,” you joked, flexing your scrawny arms. You knew you looked dumb, but it got the laugh out of Grayson that you were hoping for, and that’s all that mattered.

“Right, you act like you don’t just wear my clothes all the time anyways. I’m not even sure you have any clothes of your own,” he teased, running a hand through his hair.

“Oh really? I could have sworn these were mine.” You dug around the drawer, finding a particularly nice pair of lace panties, holding them up to the screen. He groaned, falling out of screen for a moment. It took a second for you to realize he’d fallen back on the bed. 

“You don’t play fair,” he said once he moved his phone back to his face. “I miss you so fuckin’ much, you have no idea.” 

You were pretty sure you had an idea. This was now week four without seeing him in person, and it was actually awful. You’d known it would suck, but you didn’t think it would hurt to be away from him. And you were doing everything you both could - facetime dates, phone calls, texting, he’d even written a letter to you. But there was just something about being in his arms, hearing his laugh without the distortion of a phone speaker, waking up next to him; it couldn’t be replaced. 

Which meant you needed to mention your plan. 

“I wanna come to jersey,” you started.

“You know I would kill to have you here baby, you know that.”

“Grayson, the lease is ending. I think that counts as a reason for emergency travel. I mean, I’m technically gonna be homeless,” you reminded him. “And I know I can stay with Shane, or with Jeffree.” They had been nice enough to offer. Hell, Jeffree was letting the boys store everything at his house, even the cars. “But I wanna be with you.” 

“I don’t want you on a plane. You could get sick.”

“I won’t fly. I’ll take the van. I mean, that’s why you built it, isn’t it?” 

“Y/N...”

“I know, it seems crazy. But if I split it up into three days, I could do it. I’d be careful at gas stations, pack up enough food to last me. You know I can drive for forever, I could probably pull 15 hours or so a day, that would get me back pretty quick, and I’d be safe.”

“Safe,” he breathed, shaking his head. “Y/N, I was sketched out sleeping in that thing with two other grown men with me. The thought of you sleeping in there, alone in some parking lot...” he trailed off. “No. It’s too risky.”

“Gray-”

“Baby I want you here more than anything. Not knowing when I’m gonna see you again is actually killing me, but I’m not putting you at risk over that.”

“Okay, well, let’s compromise then. What would make you feel safer about it?” 

“You not doing it,” he said bluntly.

“Be serious babe.”

“You sleeping alone out there. I know you’d be fine with the driving, but I’m not okay with you sleeping in the van by yourself.”

“Okay...” you paused for a minute, trying to think of a solution. “Okay, what if I drove at night, and then I slept during the day? Less people on the roads, and I think we’d both feel safer if I was sleeping during the daylight. Would that work?” 

“That’s better. I still don’t love it. I’m not trying to be difficult, I just, I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he mumbled, picking at the fabric on his blanket.

“I know that baby, to be honest the thought of sleeping in there alone scares me a little bit too. But I’m willing to do it if it means I get to see you.” 

Grayson was silent for a while. You knew he was fighting with himself, and that he probably felt selfish for even considering giving in. But you also knew, deep down, you were going to do it no matter how much he protested. So you were glad when he finally conceded with a simple “I love you”. 

Now, with the realization that you were going to see him in just a few days, your motivation was renewed ten fold, and you got to work.

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

night one

You would have thought it wouldn’t be hard to get to sleep after the day you’d had. 

You were wrong.

The furniture had been moved out - Jeffree had been nice enough to hire a few movers to come get the furniture and the cars. Now, the house lay empty besides your bags that would go with you in the van, and you couldn’t wait to get on the road. Correction; you couldn’t wait to get to Grayson. The thought of seeing him again gave you butterflies. 

Once everything was done and final, you drug a few of the cushions out of the bed in the van, bringing them into the air conditioning so you could try to snag a few hours of sleep. 

While you managed to get a bit of rest, it was mostly futile. The quicker you got on the road, the quicker you’d get to jersey.

So with that, you packed up the van with all the food and snacks you had, reassembled the bed, tossed your bag in and climbed in the drivers seat.

I’m leaving, see you so soon!!!!!! you sent to Grayson, not being able to contain your excitement. 

4pm is not a night drive... he responded quickly.

shut up im excited BE EXCITED

you know i’m excited. be careful, I’ll call you in a little while x

With that, you drove out of the driveway for the last time, with New Jersey in the GPS. 

And the drive wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. Grayson called you around 7pm to check on you and keep you company. You ate the sandwich you’d made as the sun set, and you continued down the road. It was peaceful if you were honest, and the van drove so nicely - Grayson really had done a good job. 

Although he tried to stay up, Grayson’s snoring took over around 11pm (2am jersey time you reminded yourself), so you hung up and starting blasting some of your favorite tunes to keep you alert and awake. Not having any traffic was a bonus, and you were amazed with the progress you were making. By the time the sun came up, you were already in Colorado. You resorted to driving until around ten, which landed you about at the border of Nebraska after a whopping 18 hours. You pulled into a non-sketchy looking parking lot, relieved that you’d found one.

I’m stopping to sleep for a few hours. I love you!

You sent it and started rummaging around in your bag, finding your toothbrush, toothpaste and pajamas. You brushed your teeth outside using your water bottle, changing in the car and cuddling up in bed. The bedding smelled a bit like the boys, which was comforting. Just as you started the settle down, your phone rang, Grayson’s contact photo popping up. You swiped over to open it, happy to see his face. 

“Hey baby, I was just about to get some sleep actually,” you said. And now that you had laid down, you realized how tired you truly were.

“I know. I’ll mute my side so I don’t keep you up, but I’ll be here in case you need me,” he said casually.

“Grayson you don’t have to-”

“I want to. It’ll make me feel better, knowing someone is watching out for you while you’re asleep.” 

It was so sweet that you started to tear up, so you just buried your face in the pillow instead.

“I love you.”

“I love you too baby, get some sleep.”

And you did.

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

night two

You woke up around five, fully refreshed - other than feeling like you needed a shower. You stretched out before getting up and heading to brush your teeth. When you got back in the van you got changed into some of the clothes you brought, happy to have on something fresh.

“That’s my hoodie.” The male voice startled you and you squealed, covering yourself.

“Baby it’s just me! It’s me!” It took you a minute to realize that it was Grayson speaking to you from your phone, which also was pointed where he could see you.

“Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!” You huffed, pulling the fabric over your head.

“Sorry, I was just enjoying the show,” he blushed, smirking at you a bit. You rolled your eyes, but giggled with him as you climbed into the drivers seat once again, pulling out the dinner you had packed, deciding to eat a bit before getting back on the road. 

“I can’t wait to see you,” Grayson sighed. You looked at your screen closely and realized he was in his workshop.

“I’ll be there so soon. Now, go build some stuff, I’m all safe and awake now. I love you,” you smiled, knowing he would never be the first to hang up. 

“Okay baby. Drive safe, call me if you get bored.” 

“I will, love you!” 

And so you took off, heading through Nebraska. The states seemed to be getting quicker now as you passed through Iowa, then Illinois, and even Indiana. Grayson called, and even Ethan kept you company for a few hours on the drive, making it go by fast. By the time you got to Ohio, the sun was high in the sky and you realized you actually weren’t that far from jersey. Only another seven hours, and if you kept driving, it would put you at their house around 7pm. You thought about the cold brew that you’d stashed in the fridge in case you’d struggled through the nights.

You could use it, and you could make it. In all honesty, you weren’t even that tired as the excitement started to mount. 

But you also knew that Grayson would rather you just sleep, and that he was going to call you again. So, you had to hatch a plan. 

You pulled into a nice looking parking lot, prepared to set it into motion.

You changed into your pajama shirt, taking your hair out of it’s bun so it looked like you were getting ready to go to bed. Taking a deep breath, you facetimed Gray.

“Is it bedtime?” was how he answered, making you laugh. He was in the kitchen at home, making lunch you were sure.

“Yeah, I made some good progress! I should be getting in around 8am or so tomorrow morning,” you explained, hoping he couldn’t see through you. 

“I can’t wait. I’m gonna pamper you so hard for all the work you did, that’s a promise.” 

Your heart fluttered at his words.

“I can’t wait. But I’ve got sad news.”

He perked up at that, putting down the spatula he was using.

“My phone is kinda low on battery, so I don’t think we can facetime tonight. I don’t want it to be dead in the morning, and I can’t run the van,” you sighed, faking sadness. 

“Are you in a safe area?” 

“Yeah, I feel totally safe here. See, look.” You turned the phone around, showing him the lot you were in. 

He wasn’t happy about it you could tell, but he trusted you. And thinking about how excited he would be made you feel less bad about your white lie. 

“Well, okay. Just text me when you wake up okay? I love you.”

“Love you more!”

“Doubtful. Get some rest,” he smiled, hanging up. 

“Ha!” you exclaimed to yourself, smiling and fist pumping the air. Wow. You really were going crazy after being alone so long. You climbed in the driver’s seat again, pulling the cold brew out of the fridge and popping it open as you started to drive again. 

At first you were so excited that it felt like time was flying, but by the last few hours it was dragging by. The sun set, and the kiss of dusk was hanging over the trees as you got closer and closer. 

But when the GPS changed from hours to minutes, and the roads changed from interstates to back roads, you were fully awake once again. You’d actually managed to pull off almost 24 hours of straight driving. When you pulled into the driveway, there was a gate and armed security - the same ones that the boys had hired in LA.

“Hey guys, I’m early, I’m here to surprise Gray,” you explained. They were sweet like usual and happily let you through, closing the gate behind you. With some renewed energy, you stopped the van and brushed your teeth again - in all honesty, you felt disgusting and couldn’t wait for a shower, but the coffee breath was a definite no go. If you were going to kiss Grayson for the first time in a freakin month, you didn’t want to be worried about anything. 

Once you were back in the drivers seat, it was time for a little fun. 

You pulled your phone out, facetiming Grayson and driving super slow. He picked up quickly, concern on his face.

“Is something wrong?” was the first thing he asked.

“No, i’m okay. I started driving again cause I couldn’t sleep, but now I’m lost. My GPS took me onto some long ass gravel road, and now I’m surrounded by trees and I have no clue where I am,” you ranted, using every ounce of acting ability you had to not tip him off. 

“Slow down, hey it’s alright. Why don’t you just turn around and go back the way you came, and then we can figure it out.”

“I don’t know, I think theres a building or something up ahead of me, maybe a store? I could ask somebody for directions?”

“I’d rather you just go back. I don’t trust some random store at the end of some sus ass road. Just turn around baby,” he pleaded, getting a bit panicked. Luckily, you knew it wouldn’t last long because you were already in front of the house. You cut the lights on the van.

“Here, you tell me if it’s sus. What do you think?” You flipped the camera around, showing him the house. 

“I mean - wait. WAIT. WHAT? WHAT!? NO FUCKIN WAY,” he yelled, obviously freaking out. You laughed, hanging up the call and waiting for the inevitable. Sure enough, you’d barely gotten the driver door open when Grayson came barreling out of the front door. 

You couldn’t contain your excitement as you unbuckled your seatbelt and started to climb down. Grayson beat you to it, coming to the opening of the door and reaching up to pull you out of the car. You were laughing as he grabbed you, wrapping you up in his arms. 

“No fuckin way, no fuckin way that you’re actually here right now! What the fuck!” 

“Surprise!” 

“Did you drive all night? Or all day? I just... WHAT!?” He was truly speechless and it was the most adorable thing in the world. He leaned back slightly so he could look at you, eyes wide with amazement.

“Maybe,” you grinned, shrugging. 

“God I love you. C’mere.” His hands slid down to your hips, then around to your ass and you knew exactly what he wanted. You jumped and he caught you as your legs went around his waist, and then his lips were on yours.

It was like the best first kiss you could possibly imagine. You’d thought about kissing him constantly while you were apart, but you were realizing that it had done this no justice. His lips were soft and warm against yours, the taste of him familiar and wonderful. Your hair started to move in the wind and you realized that he was spinning the two of you around, his boots crunching on the gravel beneath you. You could feel the smile on his face as you kissed him, never wanting it to end.

“Ewwwww,” was the only thing that could have brought you out of it, and sure enough, it did. Ethan was on the porch, leaning against the pillars. Despite his words, he was grinning from ear to ear. 

“Hey E,” you smiled, laughing a bit at how you must look right now, waving at him while Grayson was still holding you up. 

“Go say hi, I’ll get your stuff,” Grayson smiled, kissing your temple and putting you down. You turned and jogged towards Ethan, who gave you the biggest bear hug, even spinning you around a little bit.

“Missed you squirt,” he teased, swaying back and forth a bit.

“Missed you too,” you grinned, squeezing him tightly.

“Thanks again for uh saving all our possessions and moving all our shit.”

“You’re very welcome. And you also have a shoe problem, just so you know,” you teased.

“I do not!” He exclaimed, putting you in a bit of a head lock and rustling your hair. You pushed against him but it was futile, and you were stuck until Grayson came back and saved you.

“C’mon, let’s go say hi to mom and get you to a nice bed,” he smiled, putting an arm around your shoulders and leading you inside. You’d only been to the house in Jersey a few times, and it was under renovation, so the finished product was a very welcome sight. It was all light walls and tables with dark finishes, cozy yet bright at the same time, even at night. 

Lisa came around the corner, lighting up when she noticed you were there.

“Y/N! Grayson told me you weren’t gonna be here until tomorrow!” She gave him a bit of a scolding look, which made you laugh.

“That’s on me Li, I got a little too impatient and decide to drive on through,” you explained, accepting the hug she gave you.

“Well you must be exhausted, you go on upstairs and get some rest, we can catch up tomorrow,” she assured you, giving  you another squeeze before letting you go.

You didn’t even try for the boys bedroom - you knew that Grayson had been sleeping in the laundry room. So you headed in that direction, Gray in tow with your duffle bag in hand. As you saw the coziness of the bed, every last bit of energy you had drained from you. The crash was coming, and it was coming soon.

“You ready to sleep?”

“As tempting as that sounds, I really need to shower, I feel disgusting,” you mumbled. Just twenty minutes, and you would be able to sleep. You could do that, for sure. 

“Okay, here I’ll get you a towel and stuff, you remember where it is?” 

“Yep, I’ll be there in a second.” 

You rummaged through your bag, finding your toiletries and some clothes. But when you saw Grayson’s stack of shirts, you couldn’t help but snag one. Everything you’d had at the house had lost it’s scent, and you couldn’t help but breathe it in for a second before heading to the bathroom.

When you got there, Grayson was laying out two towels, and already had his shirt off. You stared for a moment, taking it all in, but even with the view your eyelids were heavy. You were fading, fast, and you had the sudden realization that if you all tried to have reunion sex later, you would probably be so exhausted you wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. And you really wanted to enjoy it. 

“Gray,” you said, walking over to him.

“Did you find everything you needed? I’m sure mom has some extra stuff if you need it.”

“No I’m good, I have everything. It’s just-” 

He looked up then, cocking an eyebrow. It took him a minute, but when it clicked you saw him smile softly, coming over to you.

“It’s not about that. I just wanna take care of you, that’s all. I figured you’d be too tired,” he explained.

“I’m sorry baby.”

He just kissed you, hands finding the hem of your shirt and pulling it over your head.

“No apologies necessary. C’mon, let’s get you clean.” 

You both stripped down the rest of the way and he turned on the shower, which was huge. The tile was white and marble like, and the water pressure made you feel like you were in a spa as you brought your toiletries in. Grayson washed his hair quickly while you let the water run over you, and when he was done you felt his hands find your shoulders, rubbing at the knots he found with his thumbs. You relaxed back into his touch, closing your eyes and resting your back on his chest. 

“Let me get your hair,” he said, reaching behind him to get the shampoo. You didn’t have a care in the world as he worked the suds through your scalp, making sure to get every bit of it before he started to rinse it out. By the time he made it to washing your body you were practically melted, so lost in the relaxation that you weren’t even sure it was real.

“You’re humming,” Grayson teased, pressing a kiss to your shoulder after you were rinsed off.

“Am I?” You mumbled, eyes still closed.

“Let’s get you dry before you pass out on me.” You could hear the smile in his voice as he helped you out of the shower, wrapping you up in a towel and kissing your nose. “You should let me do this more often.”

“What do you mean?” you asked, his statement waking you up a bit as you started drying yourself off.

“Well, you are miss independent you know. Miss ‘I can pack up an entire house with nobody’s help’ and ‘I can drive across the country solo, no big deal.’ I like when you let me take care of you sometimes,” he mused, rubbing his towel over his body and hair quickly before pulling on his boxers.

“Does that mean I get a free ride to bed?” You teased, keeping it light hearted even though you were melting at his words.

“Not dripping wet you don’t,” he smiled, taking your towel and running it over your hair, making you giggle. You were sure it looked something like Albert Einstein when he pulled the fabric away, but he kissed you anyways, passing you a shirt, shorts and your undies. You put them all on quickly, your limbs heavy with fatigue.

“Alright, off to bed.” With that, he scooped you up bridal style, carrying you out the door, down the hall and into the laundry room. He sat you down gently on your feet for a moment, pulling the covers back and climbing in, immediately opening his arms for you. 

“I know you’re not tired,” you mumbled, crawling into bed and immediately resting your cheek on his chest. You put one leg over his, wrapping your arms around his bare chest as he pulled you closer to him, burying his face in your hair.

“Doesn’t matter. Not a place in the world I would rather be. Now sleep so I can spoil you like I had planned to tomorrow.”

If you’d had any energy left you would have questioned him, but instead you lulled off to sleep in his arms, more content than you could remember being in a long, long time. 

[kingsborodelilah]

Discord Thread 001: Aaron & Delilah

FT. @kingsborodelilah, @aaronhart93, with mentions of @romanbeckett

LOCATION: Club Throuple 

DATE: 7/31/2020

SUMMARY: Aaron and Delilah one into one another for the first time since their breakup. They have some small talk and Aaron buys her a drink.

Triggers? None. 

Aaron was having the time of his fucking like at his boyfriend’s birthday party. He loved that they finally could be comfortable enough with their relationship to show some PDA. Aaron did love PDA, but when he was a little drunk he didn’t mind it at all. Besides, his boyfriend was hot as fuck and he couldn’t really keep his hands off of him anyway. He was having a blast, taking tequila shots with his friends and forgetting all about the drama with Alison until — Delilah Thatcher. A literal ghost from his very public past. His first love. His mouth practically gaped open when he saw her for the first time in years. “D-Delilah...shit. Uh, hi. You’re back in the city?”

Delilah simply could not say no to a party. It didn't really matter where she was, if there was, you could probably find her there. So, there she was at the club, dressed up and looking to have a good time. She was about to order herself a drink to start everything off when she locked eyes with a familiar face. It was Aaron. She stopped where she was by the bar, a curious brow raising. "Pretty sure that's my name," she joked as she let out a chuckle. "But yeah, I am."

Aaron looked around the bar, he wasn’t sure who he was looking for or why he was looking — he was just suddenly very nervous. This was the first time he’d seen Delilah since the show ended. He moved to Kingsboro immediately after the show was over, and had no idea where Delilah had went. He had heard she was doing great things with her dancing and he was so happy for her. Of course he was happy for her. She was his first love. “Did, uh, did you move to Kingsboro?” He shouted over the music.

Delilah nodded her head at Aaron's question. "Yeah, I just moved here the other day. Still getting everything situated at my place," she spoke. Oh god, this was nothing sort of awkward. But, she wasn't going to seem like that in front of him. Nope, she was going to look like her normally confident self. "Guess I just wanted to be closer to family, and my older brother," she spoke. It had been ages since she was just a quick drive to Finn and her own parents, not an entire flight across the country.

Aaron made an O with his lips and leaned against the bar. “Well — welcome back to the city. Your career has really been taking off. Congratulations.” Aaron did actually know that her brother had moved into Kingsboro a few years ago but he had managed to avoid him as much as possible so far. He would imagine that he wasn’t exactly his ex’s brother’s favorite person. “ let me know if you need help moving in or anything. I’d be happy to help.” Aaron was determined to her in her good side. They didn’t have a great history and Aaron knew that was his fault. He was determined to make things right. He’d changed a lot since they dated and he wanted to show her that.

"Um, thank you," she spoke simply. Nothing more. The two of them had kept their distance throughout the years since their break up. Thought they hadn't seen each other in person, they exchanged brief text messages through one another but that was pretty much the extent of what their relationship had been. So right now? It was a bit surreal. "I, uh, hired movers to help me but I'll keep that in mind," she nodded her head. Delilah wasn't really sure if she wanted her ex-boyfriend to help her with moving into her new place......it seemed a little odd.(edited)

All the memories of falling in love with her came flooding back as they spoke. He was such a child back then; immature and still living off his father’s money with no regard for it. God, he fell so hard for the woman in front of him. She had someone changed so much, yet not at all since he’s seen her last. I wasn’t sure if there could ever be a friendship between the pair; he was working on one with Eden and not he felt like he needed to work to fix this relationship as well. “Okay...yeah just... let me know.” He told her, nodding once. “Um... can I buy you drink?” He looked behind her then over her shoulder, looking for his high boyfriend to make sure he was okay. No luck. Where was he?

"I will," she offered him a smile. Even if it was forced, she could muster enough within her to act civil. Deep down, there was still a bit of a sting that went with seeing the older boy. They had history to say the least, enough that ended oh so terribly all of those years ago. A thick brow was raised in curiously at the offer of a drink being bought for her. "Um, sure," Delilah nodded her head. She always liked having things bought for her, even if was by an ex.August 2, 2020

Aaron waved down the bartender, and ordered the drink that she always used to get — he didn’t know how things had change. What her drink order was now. Nearly 6 years had passed, after all; Des’ whole life. God, she was even more beautiful now then she was then — he couldn’t even believe that was possible. “You still drink this?” He finally asked as their drinks were served. “You know I own this bar?” He asked. He had no idea why he asked that — Did she remember the club he named after her in Manhattan?

It didn't take long for a bartender to come their way and she was quick to see that Aaron ordered her the drink she typically got when they went out. For a second, things felt like how they did back in the day....drinks flying while she was with the person she loved. She nodded her head as she took the glass, taking a small sip from it. "Some things don't change, Aaron," she replied. "But no, I didn't know that. How many do you own now, moneybags?" she joked.August 3, 2020

He looked down at her, taking in how she looked, the way she dressed. How similar yet different she was now compared to when they were dating. Aaron smiled and let out a chuckle. He slid his hand in his pocket and leaned against the bar. He always admired her wit, and how much fun she was. She always had the ability to make him smile like that. "Five clubs, one restaurant, maybe a brewery soon." He bragged. "How many music videos have you been in now, tinkle toes?" He countered, raising his brow and smirking over at her.

Delilah was liking this; the playful banter. Things were still nothing short of awkward but she could be okay with this. The alcohol sure was helping calm her spirits and help her feel like her typical self. Taking another sip from her glass, she nodded her head. "Sure seems like you have a lot on your plate, are you sure you can handle a brewery too? Jeez," she chuckled. "I have happened to be in lots of videos, plenty of one's have hit million of streams. I just got off of a pretty major tour too," she pointed out.

The businessman shook his head. "Please, you know there's nothing I *can't *do. And I got rid of the porn, which took up a lot of my time so there's plenty of space on my plate for some side projects." He mused, giving her a nonchalant shrug. He immediately thought of Marissa as he watched her speak -- how she didn't get to see her Delilah like Aaron was right now.  He also thought about the history between him and the woman in front of him; all the bullshit they went through on the show had to mean that they could get through anything, right? They could still be friends. "Who were you touring with?" He asked. "Ali's about to tour again soon -- you should catch up with her too." He looked around the room again. "She's not here tonight though. She's old." He joked, even though she was actually a couple months younger than him.

"Listen, not everybody is perfect....not even you," she continued with the joking. Aaron's hardwork and ambition was always something she could admire about him. He truly was always busy with something and was very well known within the city for it. Delilah was the same way, though she was much more interested in the dancing and modeling world as of late. "I was on tour with Sia. She's really awesome to work with," she admitted. "How is Alison doing? And everyone else from the show? Hard to believe it's been so long since Rich Kids, we were just well....kids back then," she shrugged her shoulders.

A satisfied smirk appeared across the older’s face. They always had this good, playful back and forth. They always just clicked like that. She had always kept him on his toes when they were dating; always trying to outwit each other. “I’m pretty close to perfect though.” He teased. His phone buzzed in the back of his pocket. He grabbed it and realized he had three texts from Ro. He squinted to read the texts, but decided to shove his phone back in his pocket instead of responding. He was just smoking with Khai outside anyway. There was no way he was going out there to hang out with him. “That sounds really fun.” He said, bringing his attention back to the conversation at hand. “Must’ve been an amazing experience. Congratulations.” Aaron smiled when he brought up Alison. They were still ‘taking a break from each other’. Whatever that meant. But she was still his best friend. “She’s — um — she’s great. I’m sure you heard about the new album. And Des is doing wonderful. She’ll be six on the 28th.” Aaron and Delilah had broken up while Alison was pregnant, and had only met Des once or twice when she was a baby. “You will be amazed at how she grew.” He chuckled. “We’re grown ass adults now. Or — at least we’re supposed to be grown.” He mused.

"Well, if you are perfect, what am I?" she raised a curious brow. She wondered what his response would be. Delilah didn't consider herself a perfect individual, even though many people would be envious of the kind of life style she lived. She had so many many people who looked up to her and saw her as an inspiration, having already accomplished so much in her young age. She wasn't done yet in her career and she had lots of plans on becoming a better version of herself. "It is, I love going out on tours bur for now, it's nice to have some time to relax, for the most part," she admitted. "Sometimes I forget that you have a kid, I feel like half of our castmates have settled down and had families. "Then there's me, I'm just married to my career," she laughed. It was true, dance was her child.

His smirked grew bigger when she continued playing with him. "I said close to perfect. No one's perfect, you're right but you might just be the closest person to perfect that I know." He cooed, chuckling. The show had brought a lot of opportunities for many of his cast mates -- Alison, Harry, Aaron, Marissa, and Delilah too. They were lucky to have all been able to know each other, and now they were supportive in each other's careers. "Vacation is good. I just went to Paris and Japan in June." He told her. He couldn't believe that was that long ago at this point. "Trust me, I don't forget I have a kid. She's impossible to forget because she's the loudest person I know." He laughed. "Hey, you can still be a parent and married to your career. I am." He told her.

"So basically what you are saying is that I'm the closest person to perfect that you personally know? How charming," she kept the jokes coming as she tucked a piece of her dark hair behind her ear. At one point in their lives, she happened to her such a statement a lot. Their relationship might not have lasted a long time, but it sure felt like it did. They fell hard and quick, their feeling strong for one another. "I should book a vacation for myself, but I want to get fully settled here before I make my next moves," she spoke. "You know how I've always been, Aaron. Not sure if a family is in the books for me right now, plus I'm not quite ready to settle down yet, I still have too much fun to get out of my system,"

The man gave her a confident nod. "Yep." He giggled. "You know me, always a charmer." He cooed. Aaron knew Delilah well. At least, he knew the her that she was when they were dating very well. She hadn't seemed to change so much even though her career had taken off. Aaron, on the other hand, had changed a lot since they had broken up. It was mostly the way his relationship ended with her, the way his relationship ended with Aria and Des being born that really woke up him and told him to get his shot together. "Vacations are good. You should do it." He encouraged her. Aaron put his arms out to his sides. "I'm out here, having fun! Not settled down. I'm still in my 20s. The party doesn't end when you're Aaron Hart." He laughed. "I hope you don't think I'm lame just because I have a kid." He teased.

"I have no idea where I'd want to vacation, it's something I'd really have to think about," she admitted. Delilah could honestly vacation anywhere in the world, she had the money for it now. She had grown up middle class, not super rich but her family lived comfortably. It was almost still a little crazy how much money she had brought in from touring and her various movies and music videos she had stared in. Hard work paid off, huh? "To answer your question, no....I do not think you're lame. We're in our late twenties now, plenty of people start families by now. You don't need to prove yourself to me, unless you really want to make me believe you aren't a lame ass dad now," she laughed.

"Paris. That should always be your go to." He said, way too overeager. "You still know that's my favorite place right?" He gave her a charming smile before sipping his drink. "Good, because I'm not. I'm a cool dad. And I want to stay that way too." He mused. "I'm happy with the way everything is going with me, Des, Ali and Ro- m-my , uh, my boyfriend." He cleared his throat, smile faltering a bit. He took another large sig of his drink. "But, uh,  yeah a lot of my friends in their 20s have kids too. So I think I'm in track." He pressed his lips together. This had been such a good conversation up until he word vomitted.

”The city of love? Yeah I remember it,” she recalled. Even though it had been years since their break up, she could remember the little things Aaron liked. She wondered if he could remember too, since she was his first real relationship. Taking another sip from her drink, she nodded. “Oh, your boyfriend? Seems like you’ve been quite the busy man these last few years,” she chucked. “Is this Roman fellow someone I should worry about?” She joked, secretly liking to mess with him like this.

He nodded. "Of course you do. You always remember the important things." He mused, smiling down at her. Delilah was something very special to Aaron. She was his first love, after all. Feelings like that don't ever go away. Even if Aaron was the one to inevitably be the cause of the break up. "I have. I seem to be starting a new project every few months or so. It's going great. Look at us; both of our careers taking off."  Aaron smiled though when he realized that Delilah was just messing with him. Like the old days. "Nothing, nothing. He's great. He dances too. He's an off broadway performer actually." He said, boasting about his boyfriend's talent. Speaking of..he pulled out his phone to shoot him a quick text back, telling him where he was then slid his phone in his back pocket.

”Oh, he dances too? Seems like you have a type,” she pointed out. Delilah’s biggest passion happened to be dancing and she was always eager to hear when someone else liked to do it too. “What shows has he done? One of the reasons why I wanted to move back here was to possibly see if I might like broadway shows or not. I don’t know, try something new?” She explained herself.

Aaron shook his head and chuckled. “I guess so.” He mused. “I know he was a dancer in Wicked on Broadway but now he owns his own off broadway theater here in Kingsboro. He’s starring in and directing Rocketman that’s playing right now.” He smiled. “I think you’d be great at that, Del.” He confessed.

"Wicked? Seems like he has taste," she nodded her head. Wicked wasn't her favorite musical but it was a classic and true staple when it comes to Broadway shows within the city. "I'm going to try and see if any place would want someone like me. I like to think I'm versatile and have the experience," she added on.

He nodded confidently. "He does. But I also think he kind of just took what he got, ya know? He definitely gets to be more creative now that he owns his own theater company." He nodded. "I mean, Bullskits will more certainly take someone as talented as you are." He told her. It was weird that he wanted his ex-partner to work with his new partner, but he knew she would fit in. "I could definitely talk to Roman...if you want." He was unsure if she would take his help. She was always so independent.

"Well, you gotta start somewhere - huh? I've done my fair share of pure grunt work and being a backup dancer, simply so I can just put my name out there," she admitted. LA was hard for her at first, not landing every single job or audition that she had applied for. Eventually, she grew to hold quite a nice resume and background for herself. "Um, maybe? I can always send over my resume and set up an audition or something. It's worth a shot."

"Exactly." He nodded. "You get it." Aaron scratched his head, and once again scanned the room for his boyfriend. It was his birthday, so why was he talking to his ex? "Yes. Send it to me and I'll make sure to give it to him." He told her, enthusiastically. "Speaking of my boyfriend," he began, putting his hand on her shoulder, "It's his birthday, and I should probably go find him." This was awkward as fuck for him, but he wasn't sure if Delilah was feeling the same way. Without even asking her, he pulled her in for a hug. "Catch up more soon, Del?"

"I never to update mine, but I'll make sure to remember to do that," she spoke, finishing off the drink that had been ordered for her. "Oh well, Happy Birthday to him. Hope he's having fun so far,"Delilah added on, knowing that birthday parties were always a little stressful to enjoy when you were out like this. "But yeah, totally," she hugged him for a quick moment before pulling back, feeling odd after the act. Sure, they were asking civil in the moment, but she still didn't quite know where she stood with him.