#best air freshener scent for car

[scenteffects]

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[satyadevind]

[murdrdocs]

continuation of frat boy fwb luke mentions of weed; car sex; cunnilingus; allusions to anal fingering (m receiving) MDNI 18+ w/ LUKE CASTELLAN

like usual, it’s freezing in his car.

as soon as the door opened from the inside by his hand, you’re hit with the overwhelming mix of black ice attempting to mask the remnants of weed. no matter how often you try to convince luke that the air freshener wasn’t doing anything other than amplifying the substance, he refuses to believe you. yet at this point, the combination reminded you of him. so you couldn’t really hate it all too much.

you’re sitting in the passenger seat of luke’s jeep for only a second before he leans over and presses his lips into your skull with a greeting. and in that moment, in the seconds that pass where you’re buckling your seatbelt and luke waits before putting the gear in drive, you let yourself get hopeful. but you’re here for one mutually agreed upon reason and it’s one that you’re okay with. it’s just every so often …

foolishly, you think that this will be the one time where you both make it back to his place. you think that finally you’ll break the weeks long cycle and restrain yourselves for just ten minutes.

maybe it’s the song he has playing. maybe it’s the magic of two strong scents balancing each other out. maybe it’s the way he’s humming along and his arm is so close to yours on the center console. or maybe, you’re just weaker than you thought you were.

the jeep is parked in the back of some parking lot of a closed business, the LED lights turned off but the car still running. you're situated in the corner of the backseat, your knees lifted and held open by two strong hands as luke kneels between your legs. he's really upholding his promise of making this rendezvous worth your while, going as far as to squeeze himself on the floor of the backseat just to give you head just how you liked.

his tongue is warm as it works you up. flicking against your clit until you were too sensitive, then inching lower and lower and lower until he teases the area between your two holes before deciding on dipping into your cunt with a pointed edge that massages along the shallow bits of your insides. your bliss is only amplified by the gentle song echoing throughout the car and the AC filtering cool air against your skin. you really don't want luke to stop, but your question, which slips out accidentally, pulls him away from you.

"thought you wanted to fuck?"

his reply is quick. after he forces himself away from your cunt with force used to draw apart opposite ends of magnets. "wanted to return the favor."

you're reflecting on how much raspier his voice sounds while he's watching you for a second, presumingly trying to give you time to remember while he continues stimulating you. when you come up short, he helps. "for what you did the other day."

luke won't blatantly admit it, but you know he's referencing the one time you tried something new with him and he breathlessly told you it was the best head he'd ever received. now, when he's in his right mind and no longer processing the finger you'd slipped inside of him, he's too prideful—or too pointlessly ashamed—to admit it.

but not too prideful to make you feel just as good as you made him feel.

[unformula1]

phantom pain (CS55 x reader)

phantom pain (CS55 x reader)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ getting over Carlos isn’t easy. you know it best. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ pairing: carlos sainz x reader w/c: 1005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ a/n: based on phantom pain by elijah woods!! have fun reading angst! masterlist(read more) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You fiddle with your jacket and continuously cross and uncross your legs. You take out your phone and scroll endlessly on any social media app possibly, even going into your photos to scroll through them.

You lift your head for the occasional glances at Carlos, who sits across from you with his friends. His smile is wider than you remember and his laugh is more attractive than you know. He chats with his friends as if you’re not directly opposite him.

He’s carefree and you loathe that about him.

He’s so numb to whatever happened.

He makes it look easy to get over you, as if you were just another page in his endless story, while you were still unable to flip the page.

“Carlos!” You shout, running up and pouncing into his arms.

He catches you effortlessly and plants a kiss on your head. 

“It’s good to see you.” He chuckles, holding your hand tightly.

Both of you take a stroll to the beach, you shooting the occasional gaze into his eyes and him giving you random pecks on your cheek.

The evening sun was cooling but still had warmth to it, it was a perfect balance. You loved it and Carlos knew that. 

Both of you sit on the bench, overlooking the vast and endless ocean, your head slowly falls onto Carlos’ shoulder and he gently pats it.

Two birds of a feather.

You slam your apartment door shut and lock it before falling to the ground. It kills you, a knife that keeps twisting in an open wound. The thought of Carlos moving on from you, moving on from whatever you two had.

Just the sole thought of Carlos’ arms around someone else made you scream internally.

Quiet nights were never the easiest ever since Carlos left you. You still miss every single thing about being with him, you miss the joy of seeing his smile as you walked into the bedroom.

---

It weighs down on you as you drag your feet to your closet, swinging it open. It doesn’t help that the first thing you see is Carlos’ clothes. He left some of them behind when he walked off. His jacket, still fresh with his scent, lies in the mix of all your other clothes.

You don’t take notice of any of your clothes and pull out Carlos’ jacket. The scent of his cologne, or perfume, you never knew, still lingers in the air. You pull the jacket closer, missing everything about him. You hold it tight and hold it close, praying hard that you could feel Carlos again.

---

The toilet mirror fogs up from the amount of time you spend standing motionlessly in the shower dreaming of whatever Carlos and you could’ve been. The steaming water crashes down onto your body and flows down to your legs as you stand there stoned to the ground.

Could you two have been forever?

Could you two have had the romance of the century?

Kissing in cars, late night movies and cuddles forever.

All that there is is just a what if.

You get out of the shower after an hour or so, most of which was just the tears being wiped away by the gushing shower water or you dreaming of everything possible. 

You lift your head up and look in the mirror, it’s missing something. It’s missing Carlos. It’s missing how he would wrap his arms around your body and hold it close. It’s missing his warm touch on you, it’s missing Carlos. 

You miss Carlos.

---

You walk into the bedroom, freshened up from your shower, and you’re met with an empty bed. Same bed is just a little bit bigger now. You feel a tingling sensation at your throat and the tears threaten to flow out once again.

It’s empty.

You turn off the lights and immediately you feel Carlos’ touch, his hands running through your hair and wrapping around your body, his breath against your neck. You shiver and turn the lights back on.

It’s empty. It’s quiet.

You hate this feeling. The lingering touch of his fingertips running gently across your skin, only this time it feels ghostly, and it sends the bad kind of shivers down your spine.

---

A few hours pass and you still lay wide awake on the empty bed, you’re not used to this. You’ve gotten used to Carlos laying by your side, your head in his embrace and the warmth he had. Now it’s just cold.

You stare at your ceiling, your stare blank and unreadable. The silence of the night used to be peaceful, it’s upsetting you how quiet this is. There’s no Carlos, there’s no peace. 

The thoughts of the day drift around in your head. Seeing Carlos so carefree, running around as if nothing happened. Running around as if you didn’t give him all your love only for things to fall apart. Running around as if you two never gave each other the world.

The bed’s shivering embrace holds you in and you feel the tears brimming in your eyes. You feel incomplete without Carlos. Something is always missing without Carlos.

His jacket lays next to you as you hold tightly onto it, wishing on anything and everything that he could come home. 

You miss Carlos, you hate yourself for breaking this apart. You feel the guilt of not doing enough pressing hard onto your chest. You feel the dread of knowing you could’ve been so much more dragging you further and further into an endless void.

Maybe this could’ve worked out in another world, maybe Carlos would’ve stayed. 

Your heart aches. You feel his lasting touch on your skin and his warmth around you, but it’s slowly fading away. There’s only so much that you can imagine. His hands in your hair and his fingers on your skin, you want it back. You want Carlos back, you wish he would come back to you and kiss you one more time.

But all that’s left for you is phantom pain.

[inf3ct3dd]

003. LOVING IS EASY

warnings: none! :)

authors note: and so it begins 🤭

previous chapter. next chapter. masterlist.

BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ.

you rub your eyes with the back of your hand, begrudgingly sitting up from your bed. you shut off your alarm, and you see a notification pop up on your screen.

you grin at your phone, opening the message to reply.

your heart suddenly stops for a second when you see her reply. ‘my girl’? you didn’t expect her to keep up the charade when it was just you two. she’s just committed to the bit, right?

right?

you look up at yourself in the mirror, and you want to wipe the smile off your face.

snap out of it baker. fake girlfriend. fake. shes just being convincing, right?

you take a deep breath and start getting ready, trying to distract yourself.

you move a lot faster than usual, suddenly gaining a passion for academics. you rush kitty from outside her door, impatiently leaning on the frame.

“since when do you want to go to school?” kitty slightly yells from her vanity. she grabs her things, opening the door to reveal an unusually happy you.

you look down at the helmet in her hands, and snatch it from her.

“hey! you almost ran a girl over yesterday, i do not trust you enough to leave lucy.”

you roll your eyes at her, holding the helmet out of her reach as she tries to grab it from you.

“you named the helmet?”

“she’s very important to me.”

she finally stops trying, and stares at you with a pout and furrowed brows.

“you don’t need her, im not driving today.”

“is dad driving us?” she questions, before you throw the helmet back into her room and start walking towards the staircase.

“nope.” you answer, practically sprinting downstairs.

“well who is?” she asks, quickly approaching behind you.

“a friend.”

you both hug your dad goodbye, and quickly grab your lunch from the fridge.

“last time you said ‘a friend’ was driving us, mina almost killed us.” kitty retorts as you walk to the door.

you and your best friend have a LOT in common!!!

“its not mina.” you reply simply.

you open your door to a white jeep in the driveway, abby sitting in the drivers seat, tapping the steering wheel.

kitties eyes widen, yours do too, before she looked back at you.

“oh?” she mumbles.

“you wanna stand here all day?” you say, a smug grin on your face. kitty shakes her head no and starts walking over to the car, and abby notices the two of you and unlocks the door, smiling at you before swinging the passenger side open for you.

how chivalrous :)

“morning abs!” you said, a chipper tone in your voice.

“morning r.” she replies, turning to face you.

you hear the slam of the back door, and kitty shuffles into the car.

you look around the interior, nose filled with the scent of a pine air freshener hanging on the rear view mirror and- a hint of lavender? all you knew was that it smelled good. clean. and the scent matched the rest of the car, which looked almost brand new.

“hi kitty.” abby says, turning around.

kitty gives abby a once over before saying hi back, a slightly questioning look on her face.

“since when are you friends with r?” kitty asks, eyebrows furrowed.

abby lets out a small chuckle before replying.

“a few weeks. why?”

“no reason… just haven’t heard much about you.”

abby turns back around, facing you.

“wowwww, am i not worth talking about?” abby questions, putting a dramatic hand on her chest.

“yup. im just ashamed, you’re so awful.” you tease, grinning at her.

you both giggle, staring back at each other.

“i knew there was something gay going on here.” kitty states accusingly , staring at the two of you with a quirked eyebrow.

you and abby burst into laughter, kitty following quickly after.

“wow kitty, you should be a detective.” abby says sarcastically.

yeah, she can specialize in fraud.

“so you guys are like, dating?” kitty asks.

“yeah, we’re ‘like’ dating.” abby answers. it practically rolls off her tounge, like a reflex.

she’s a good actor.

kitty hums in approval , leaning back into her seat.

your eyes unintentionally move to abbys hand, and you see her grab a drink from the drink-holder-thingy.

“here, got you something.” abby turns around , handing kitty the drink and a straw.

kitty’s eyes light up, smiling as she accepts the drink.

“holy shit, thank you!” she beams, taking a sip.

“don’t mention it. trying to make a good first impression.” abby grins at her before turning back around.

“well, im definitely impressed.”

and i am too.

abby lets out a small chuckle, reaching for your drink and handing it to you.

a venti?? damn!

you thank her, a wide smile on your face as you take a sip.

“like i said, anything for my girl.”

hearing her say it out loud makes it ten times worse. ‘it’ being the sudden rush of nervousness and the annoying churn in your stomach. and with how close she was, you swore she could hear your heart pounding in your chest.

fake girlfriend. fake.

you smile at her, not being able to form a response, and she starts driving.

you never realized how happy that grimacing stare on ellies face made you.

the curse of ellie being in almost all of your classes quickly turned into a blessing when you realized abby was there too.

well, a blessing for you.

ellie kept her eyes glued to you all day, same way she did yesterday, but this time something was clouding her view. abby.

every time she looked over at you, there she was.

passing notes to each other, laughing at each others jokes, giving each other random glances during class, ellies grip on her pencil seemed to get tighter and tighter by the second.

so much so that she broke the tip multiple times from pressing too hard. and every time she got up to sharpen it, she got an even more up close view of why it broke in the first place.

and at one point, she almost threw the fucking sharpener.

“uhm miss, i didn’t get a passage.” you chimed from your desk, holding your hand in the air.

“hey, we can sha-“

“i dont have any other copies, just share with abby.” ellie was cut off by ms. scotti, ruining her poor attempts at trying to be near you.

you looked behind you and your eyes immediately met abbys, smiling back at you. you moved your chair from your single desk to abbys, taking a pen with you. you hadn’t realized how close the two of you were until you sat down , feeling her leg against yours.

real smooth.

abby handed you the paper and you decided to take turns reading it, and you chose to go first. you started reading the paragraph out loud, and you couldn’t help but feel abbys eyes settle on you. specifically, on a place that seemed all-too-close to your lips. you tried to shrug it off, finishing the paragraph with a few mess-ups.

calm down.

instead of abby continuing, she reached her hand towards your face.

“huh?“

in one swift motion, abby runs her thumb against the area right under your bottom lip, wiping off some lipgloss that got on your face.

you felt your face heat up at the sudden contact, and you prayed abby couldn’t feel it.

“you had a little somethin’ there.” she explains, smiling at you and wiping her thumb on her cargos.

lunch was….a lot more fun than yesterday!!!

trading your depressing, lonely, wet courtyard bench for some time with your fake-girlfriend was…much needed.

you walked with abby out of your last class before lunch, stepping shoulder-to-shoulder down the hallway till you reached the cafeteria. when you finally reached the two big green doors, you heard the sea of people inside. you reached for the door, only to be beat by abby, reaching over you to push it open.

“ladies first.” she jokes, holding the door open for you.

you giggle at her, turning around as she walked up to you and let the door come to a close.

you were used to being invisible. well, thats a bit dramatic, you were used to being ‘less known’.

you were only really known for being ‘ellies girlfriend’ not having any crazy identifying factors. you mostly kept to yourself, and mina, of course.

but now, people were looking at you, talking about you.

“who is that?”

“isn’t that ellies girlfriend?”

“since when do they know each other?”

you brushed off the sudden feeling of attention, focusing back on the blonde next to you.

“is she new or something?”

okay, ouch.

you however, couldn’t brush off the feeling of abbys hand slipping into your back pocket, thumb hanging out of it. her warm hand was legit on your asscheek, moving slightly as the two of you walked.

you did this to yourself. why did i put this in the contract ???

you tried to ignore the sudden rise in your body temperature, and you tried your best to not melt right there.

be casual. be cool. its just….part of the plan.

and, without warning, you feel abby stop in her tracks, and use your back pocket to spin you, making you face her. you slightly gasped, resting your hands on your chest to steady yourself.

“abby, what are you doing?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper. she could definitely hear you though, considering how close the two of you were.

“this-“ abby reached into her back pocket, pulling something out. “is for you.”

you look down at her hand, holding a folded up note with your name and a heart on the front.

you grab it from her, grinning up at her.

“you remembered.”

“i remembered.” abby chimes back, smiling down at you.

you open the note, revealing abbys handwriting in pink pen.

“can’t keep my eyes off of you.”

your lips curl into a toothy smile, looking up at abby again.

“you’re so sweet.” you chime, smiling at her.

she smiles back at you, moving a stray curl behind your ear.

and within a millisecond, you feel abby lean in towards it.

“good job.” she whispers hand now resting on your shoulder.

your breath hitches in your chest, feeling her breath against your neck. she moves away and starts walking again, so casually, like shes done that a million times before.

its weird, and somewhat off-putting to be congratulated on doing nothing more than accepting a note, and having an ass pocket for someone to stick their hand into.

but, i guess thats where my life has taken me.

you slightly look around the cafeteria, ignoring the lingering eyes on you, and looking back at the table you two had stopped in front of.

and low and behold, there was nora. her eyes were searing, laced with obvious annoyance. her mouth was slightly open, and her brows were tightly knit together. her friends were looking at you too, but they looked significantly less pissed-off than nora.

to be fair, the two of you put on quite the show.

“r?”

abbys voice snaps you back into reality, staring down at you with a confused look.

“hm?” you hummed, looking up at her.

abbys lunch table was…surprisingly fun!

given the fact she’s rather well known, her table was much bigger than yours.

you saw a few familiar faces. some people from the lacrosse teams, a few people you had classes with, and a girl you went to elementary school with.

abby said her hello’s to the people at the round table, dapping-up a few people and simply saying hi to others.

“so, you’re not gonna introduce us?” a man abby greeted as ‘manny’ questioned, looking at you.

you quickly chimed in and introduced yourself, smiling and waving at the people sitting down.

“you know, you could’ve asked her yourself.” abby states, playfully rolling her eyes at him.

“my bad.” manny responds, arms up in defense.

“you guys just gonna stand up all lunch?” he questions.

you move to sit down, but quickly see theres only one seat left.

shit.

abby notices quickly after, and turns back to you.

“just sit, i can stand.” she offers, motioning towards the seat.

“are you sure?”

“positive.” she affirms.

you sit down on the seat, having to step up onto it when you realize it’s slightly raised off the ground, just enough for your feet to dangle slightly above the ground.

and for abby to move behind you and snake her arms around your waist.

you can somehow still feel her muscles through your hoodie, toned arms relaxed around your front. heat rises to your cheeks at the sudden contact, and you wonder why you don’t know how to get a grip.

you try to focus on the conversation abbys having with her friends, but you can’t seem to calm yourself down.

“blah blah blah lacrosse blah blah blah classes blah blah blah blah blah”

you occasionally smile and nod, letting out a laugh when everyone else does. trying to be cool about it.

trying to act like you can’t feel abby resting her chin on your head, messing with the fabric of your sweater, and making you feel queasy.

after a while, you can’t make yourself fake listen anymore, and you try to distract yourself by looking around the cafeteria. with limited mobility, you only really move your eyes, scanning the room with your limited view trying not to bother abby.

and as soon as you look to the left, you see that angry look you’ve grown to love.

ellie.

she’s staring at you, almost looking like she’s trying to explode you with her mind, and she’s completely disengaged from her friends conversation.

her eyes soften when they meet yours, offering a meek smile.

you look away, leaving ellie alone with her thoughts.

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if ur name is crossed i can’t tag u :((

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[mvltisstuff]

Hi I was wondering do you write for Bobby Nash? If you do, I wondering if you can do something like the whole 118 (including reader) surprising Bobby with Father’s Day gifts and tho him a little party. If you don’t mind writing a little late Father’s Day special.

I think it would very cute bc we can all agree that Bobby is the Father of the 118 crew, and I feel like he needs to be appreciated more :)

I hope ur doing well and keep it up with the good writing, I love all of your fics ❤️

kids - b.n

summary: request :)

bobby nash x platonic!reader x the 118 being his children fr

a/n: i’m a little late to the father’s day game… but i hope you all had a wonderful day and i hope you checked up on those who might not be as fortunate that day <3 enjoy ml, thank you for this sweet request!

y/n had caught bobby just getting off the engine after a call, practically appearing out of nowhere to grab him. she brought him away and up the stairs, leading him to the kitchen.

when bobby walked in, everyone had been in there with small wrapped presents and gift bags. bobby shook his head, “what is all this, guys?”

“happy father’s day!” buck yells, blowing a little party horn as he pushes the gift closer to bobby.

everyone at the station considered bobby as their non-biological father. not a single day went by where bobby wasn’t by their side. he was their captain, but also their friend. bobby fought alongside all of them and they all fought his battles for him. he never imagined that he would have all these people who loved him after what happened. he carried crushing guilt and was prepared to leave it all behind, making it impossible to open up. everyone at the firehouse saved him in every way a person can be saved. he brought out the best version of everyone. he never gave up hope on anyone and everyone there couldn’t thank him enough. y/n was hired by bobby, being her first accepting captain who actually cared about her and the job. she was a light to his day, and his guidance made her a better worker and person. he was their number one soldier.

“bobby, you’re the dad of this firehouse,” hen said.

“you did not have to do any of this,” he says. as kind of a gesture as this is, it’s making him miss his own children even more. however, he didn’t lose all of his children.

“c’mon, cap,” buck speaks excitedly. “you treat me more like a son than my real dad ever has. and you didn’t have to do that. so, open these gifts right now!”

bobby takes bucks first, stripping the bag of the paper and taking out the figure inside. it was a bobble head dressed in firefighting gear, who had similar features to bobby. “where the hell did you get this, buck?” bobby laughs and grins.

“the internet is a very big place, cap.”

“mine next!” chim yells, practically throwing his box into bobby’s arms. when he ripped the red and blue wrapping paper open, it revealed a red tumbler with captain nash on it, along with an LAFD badge above it. chimney weakly taped a picture of his face onto it. “your coffee cups are practically all falling apart, so i wanted to get you the best one out there. and i added some personalization to it,” he winks.

“thank you very much, chimney,” bobby smiles. “i’ll always think about you with my coffee from now on.”

bobby receives an extremely lavish watch from ravi, and his face drops as he opens it. it had little designs on the inside of the glass. “panikkar! how much was this?”

“oh you know, just pocket change,” he teases.

he opens the rest from eddie and hen, along with a few other gifts he received from people. he saved one of the closest for last. y/n gently handed her gift to bobby and set it down in front of him. she had curled the ribbon and wrapped it almost perfectly.

laying on top of the main gift was an air freshener for his car, shaped like a turnout jacket and an axe. it had his name on it and was his favorite scent. underneath was a board, with clear wooden writing. it wrote, captain nash, a true hero. all the names were in a circle around the quote including, diaz, buckley, wilson, han, y/l/n, panikkar. there was small pin on the inside with the word hero on it. “it’s a good luck charm, from all of us. you can wear it on your uniform or whatever you want to wear it on.”

bobby had suddenly been overwhelmed from the love he had been faced with. it was something he wanted for years, but never thinking he was worthy of something like it. a few years earlier, he was ready to leave the world after making up for his losses. when hen and buck found him knocked out from the amount of booze he’d consumed, he knew people were on his side. he was the most they could ask from a father. his eyes became glossy, but he refused to cry any form of tears in front of his crew anymore, even happy ones. he forced a strong front, but the appreciation from his kids brought down the walls.

now, bobby walks into the station every morning, the pin on one of his pockets, his tumbler in hand, a t-shirt from hen or eddie, his new watch. lastly, of course, he walked into his office to see the bobble head of himself on his desk.

he wore all of these items as much as he could, every single one meaning more to him than words. he never thought of himself as a hero, but the complete opposite. everything he is given was a gift, and represents the pure love everyone has for him. however, nothing can ever beat the true family gift of the 118.

[hajihiko]

What is your favorite Candle scent?

(And also, if it pleases you, what do you HC the Dangans fav scents are?)

HMMM.... been pretty fond of sandalwood recently. I didnt know I liked it because I didnt know it existed with a name, but it reminds me of wood varnish found in stuff like old jewelry cases (or in my case, an old music box)!

Also because I actually wrote and drew something to do with sandalwood scent hehe. But. I dont like it enough yet to post it.

But on that topic;

Hajime doesnt like almost any artificial scent; he can smell the actual chemicals too well, and a lot of it makes him feel kinda gross (cheap perfumes straight up smell like pure alcohol). He likes natural scents, like petrichor or the shore, stuff that changes often and can't possibly be recreated in a lab.

Sonia likes a specific scent for a specific creme from her homeland that can't be found anywhere anymore. When she tries to describe it, it sounds ... weird? But she SWEARS it was great. And of course, she likes book smell. Learns to tolerate the smell of rodent enclosures.

Kazuichi is completely neutral about the smells in his near surroundings (he might smell like oil, grease, gasoline and sweat, but he barely notices (someone ELSE might notice, and even appreciate)). Hes always liked "girly" smells, like floral perfumes or laundry softeners. The smell of car air fresheners (like the little rubber feet) makes him nauseated.

Akane doesn't like any froufrou stuff! She likes the smell of food, exhaust, dirt, forest and sweat. All natural baby. If anything, she's a bit particular to the smell of rubber and leather, since she uses both frequently at her best (in the gym). For some reason, men's cologne makes her feel physically sick.

Fuyuhiko is a traditional dude and likes traditional smell, like incense, oils, and bamboo. Nothing too overpowering. Just plain soap, too. His least favourite smell is not something he'll admit out loud (at worst, he'll seem like he cant handle himself, at best, it's just depressing), and you could never tell anyway.

[miyuhpapayuh]

23. Would it be okay?

“Hey, sunshine!" Claire greets Stevie as she slides behind the counter to put her apron on. Another white rose to put in her pink vase by her register, for the day.

"Hey, love. How are you?"

"I'm great! I see you are, too!" She pokes her side.

"A lot has happened."

"Like..." Claire trails off, waiting for her to continue.

"I went to go see my family in Cali, Rod got my name tattooed, uhh.."

“Wait, what?" Claire's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth ajar. "He got your name tatted?? Where??"

"On his neck, girl." Stevie leans back on the counter with a dreamy look in her eyes. "It looks so good."

"Wow... a chain and a tattoo! What kind of honey do you got between them thighs, gurl?" 

Stevie covers her bosses mouth.

“You're just as reckless as he is!"

Claire swats her hand and cackles, her eyes flickering toward the door as a customer walks through.

"You're safe, for now. I'm taking you to lunch and we're gonna continue this little conversation." Stevie groans, before throwing herself into work.

Three hours and a stained apron later, Stevie finishes off her coffee cake and joins Claire in her brand new white Jeep.

"Ooh, this is new!" Stevie exclaims, sliding into the cheetah lined passenger seat.

"Bought it, last week, actually!" Claire cheeses, flicking the black ice air freshener, hanging on her mirror. She turns her car on and pulls out of the parking lot.

"Black people and black ice! Jesus!" Stevie face palms.

"I had to! You don't have one in your car??"

"No... is that bad?"

"Nah. If your car smells good, you don't need it."

"Rod's got one in his car. It's the new car scent one."

"Such a man," Claire snickers.

"Same thing I said!" She laughs, folding her hands in her lap. "So, where are we going to eat?"

"Melrose's. She's got the best cuban I've ever tasted." Claire dances in her seat.

"I've always wanted to taste one. They're really good?"

"Yes!" she pats Stevie's leg. "One thing you gotta learn about me is that food is my favorite— second to Bianca, of course."

"I'm learning! How's she, by the way?"

"She's great. She went back home to see her parents and left me all alone for a week. It's so boring."

"Oh, I'm sure you make good use of your time. It can't be that bad." Stevie laughs.

"Well, how did you feel when you went out of town to go see your folks? Didn't you go by yourself?"

"Rod actually went with me." Stevie says before pursing her lips.

"Y'all make me sick. Seriously."

"I'm sorry! But, come on... you don't have anything to occupy your time??"

"Not really!" Claire frowns, "it's just me and Biscuit. Little fucker’s just as sad as I am. Bianca and I take turns calling each other, but it's not the same. I mean, I'm glad she can go see them, but I miss her."

"You're making me sad, Claire. Hopefully the week goes by quickly for you." Claire sighs in response.

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

"I'm stuffed." Stevie says, popping another potato chip in her mouth.

"You liked the sandwich, I see." Claire laughs.

"I did! Me and pickles have a love/hate relationship, but it was tolerable. Thanks for lunch, boo."

"Anytime! Now, back to the lot that has happened..." she trails off.

"Oh boy, I knew you were gonna do that," Stevie laughs.

"I went to see my family in Cali. I haven't been there since my grandma died. So, that was something that I had obviously been putting off, but it wasn't bad and I actually ended up having a good time. They fell in love with Rod, of course. Then, we came back and got back into the swing of classes, which hasn't been too bad, either— oh! I actually dropped a bunch of them and I get to graduate early, now!"

"Really?? I'm so happy for you! You've been talking about that forever!"

"I know! It's a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, I tell you. This bachelors degree better pay off!"

"It will! I feel it!" They laugh, before falling into a comfortable silence.

"Can I ask you a question?" Stevie asks.

"Sure, wassup?"

"You ever feel like you're moving really fast in your relationship, but it feels fine at the same time?"

"In the beginning, yeah. That's kinda normal."

"Are we still considered a “new couple”, though?"

"No," Claire laughs, “you guys are basically married, at this point."

"But, where's this coming from?" She asks.

"I don't know... it's just something I've been thinking about. We've been through a lot, since the beginning of our relationship and I just don't wanna jump the gun on anything, even though I feel like we've already done that."

"Well, you guys are different, like any couple, there's different circumstances and understandings. If both of you know what it is, it doesn't matter how anybody else views the pace of your relationship. Y'all are joined at the hip and that's perfectly fine."

"You're right.”

"I know." Claire winks.

Stevie balls up a napkin and tosses it at her head.

"First and last time I ever tell you that."

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

Finally getting off work, Stevie drags herself upstairs and plops down on her own bed, for a change.

"Ugh, I missed my bed!" She sighs to herself, reaching over to turn her lamp on. She gets up and strips out of her work clothes, throwing on one of Rod's T-shirts, fitting her like a dress.

"Alright, let's see." She grabs her notebook off her nightstand and opens up to a clear page, letting her pen glide across.

Would it be okay?

If I stayed around.

If I got comfortable, in your presence.

Slip into your shadows,

Keep you safe.

Would it be okay?

If I loved you more than life.

If I screamed it to the heavens,

Even though God, herself, already knew?

Destiny. Fate.

I can't hide it.

 Would it be—

Folding the top corner, she yawns and closes her book and lays back down, knocking out in minutes.

An hour later, she's woken up by Rod gently massaging the balls of her feet. Rubbing her eyes, she lazily stares in his direction.

"Hey,"

"You look like a little kid, when you wake up," he chuckles, bending down to kiss her ankle.

"Am I cute kid?"

"Mhm. I hope our babies look just like you." He says, making her heart skips a beat.

"Here I am, hoping they'll look like you." She laughs. "How was your day?"

"Tiring as hell. My first night closing up went smooth, but it's so much I had to do, before I could get outta there. If it wasn't worth it, I'd fight somebody." He shakes his head.

"I'm sorry, baby. Here," she pulls her feet out of his grasp and pats the middle of the bed. "I'll rub your back."

Plopping face first into her pink pillow, he makes himself comfortable. She giggles at the sight, actually grabbing her disposable camera and snapping a picture.

"Whatchu gigglin' ‘bout, girl?" His muffled voice aids her laughter.

"Nothing.”

Mounting his lower back, she starts in the middle, working out a knot on the left side. "Pressure fine?"

"Mhm.”

"Okay... I wrote another piece, today."

"Yeah? Have you decided on which one you wanna perform, yet?" He asks.

"I might just do this one. It flowed so naturally."

"Can I read it?"

"No, it's a surprise!" She whines, pressing her thumb into the base of his neck.

"Mngh. I thought I was special, babygirl?"

"Nope. That's not gonna work on me, tonight. Your special ass better be front and center, when I get on that stage."

He laughs. "I told you, I wouldn't miss it for the world. When are you planning on doing it?"

"I'm not sure, yet. Soon, though."

He nods, fully relaxing under her touch, soon falling asleep. Smiling to herself, she slides off his back and snuggles into his side, burying her face in his neck.

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

"You really like this dude, huh?" Rod asks Tyler.

"I really do! He's so sweet." Tyler blushes.

"He better be."

"Usually I wouldn't care, cause I don't keep them around, but, I wanna do something right, this time, you know?"

"Yeah, I feel you. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Let him know that I fight." He points at her, while backing up.

"Will do." She salutes him. "So, does that make you like big brother or something?"

"Hell yeah! You got me in your corner, shorty."

"Thanks," she gives a soft smile, "for everything, seriously."

"You're welcome, spud." He jogs upstairs, finding Stevie on her computer.

"Whatchu doin', babe?"

"Getting back to my guidance counselor. I need to know how many credits I have, to see how many I need to graduate in February."

"Ah. Aren't you glad you listened to Tyler? You get to get outta there, super early."

"I know! I didn't even know I could graduate this early in advance, but dropping those extra classes made it possible."

"See!, instead of us leaving you, we all get to graduate at the same time." He chuckles, kissing her cheek.

"Josh and Jay are in town tonight, so I'm gonna go hang out with them for a couple hours. I'll be back before–"

"Why're you giving yourself a curfew?" She turns around in her chair, staring up at him.

"Well, I don't wanna just waltz in here, super late, I feel like that's rude."

"Well, if it were a night where I was staying home, I'd agree with you, but I've got plans, too."

"Yeah? Where you headed?"

"Back to the poetry club, so I can talk to Suga and show her my work, see when I can set up a time to perform it." 

He kneels in front of her with a smile on his face.

"Alright, my talented ball of sunshine. Be safe. Call me if you've got any problems, okay?"

"Will do," a couple quick pecks turns into a juicy kiss, leaving her giggling against his lips.

"Okay, okay! Get out, before I cuff you to my bed." He grunts.

"Shit, let me call the fellas, right now." They both laugh and stand up.

"You're so foolish."

"You encourage it, baby. But seriously, have fun. I know you're gonna get your drink on— is Tyler going, too?"

"Yeah, she's got another date, tonight. I actually gotta help her pick out an outfit. She's kinda nervous."

"Yeah, we talked, earlier. She really likes ol' dude."

"He's such a sweetheart! If you met him, you'd like him, too."

"Yeah well, as long as she's happy, that's all that matters. You two have fun tonight."

"You guys, too. Tell your friends I said hello."

"Will do. I love you." He kisses her forehead, then her lips twice more.

"I love you, more."

The pair head out of the room; Rod downstairs and Stevie into Tyler's room, where she's frantically throwing an outfit together.

"Okay, what about this? Since it's cold as shit outside, I can wear my black jeans— you know, the ones that make my butt look fantastic?” Stevie nods. “Okay those, with either the v-cut bodysuit or the purple crop top and throw my oversized jacket over it."

"Do the oversized look, that's cute!"

"Okay. Chunky heels?"

"Definitely."

"Okay, I'm gonna get ready."

"Same. I'll meet you downstairs."

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

Stepping back into Stevie's new favorite place, she heads straight for the bar, while Tyler heads towards a table where her new boo is waiting on her.

“Have fun!” She calls after her friend.

“You too!” She calls back.

"Hey, beautiful!" Suga greets her with a hug, sitting on the stool beside her.

"Hey, girl!"

"Oooh, is that it??” She points to the book that sits on the countertop.

"It is! You wanna read it??"

"Hell yeah!"

Stevie opens up to the page and sits it in front of Suga, nervously watching her eyes dance across the page.

"Oh, Stevie..." she says, pressing a hand to her chest.

"You hate it, don't you?" Stevie frowns.

"Wha— no!! This is beautiful!"

"Really? It's not too mushy or anything?"

"Babe, you worry too much. It's perfect. I wish I had a love like this poem!" Suga exclaims, making Stevie blushes.

"Okay, stop it!"

"Seriously! I've never been jealous of words, until now."

"My cheeks are gonna fall off my face, if you don't stop!"

"Okay, I quit. When do you wanna perform it??"

"Like, within the next week or so would be great! Ya know, before I lose the nerve."

"Okay! Let me go grab Carmen. She's the owner."

"Okay, cool! Thank you!”

As Stevie's waiting to meet the illustrious Carmen, her eyes trail over to Tyler in order to get a glimpse of how well her date is going, and her jaw hits the ground at what she sees.

Chris is lifted from his seat slightly to meet Tyler's lips in a lip lock that feels steamy, even at a distance.

"Alright, now," Stevie remarks quietly as she sips her tropical lemonade.

Her people watching continues for a few moments more, taking in the melanated group of lovers and friends alike.

"Hey, Stevie," Suga catches her attention, causing her to swivel in her seat in the direction of her voice, "this is Carmen."

She's greeted with a caramel-toned woman in her mid-20s, with a head full of shocking red curls and delicate features.

"Suga's told me so much about you! It's nice to finally meet you." Her voice is just as delicate.

"Likewise," she responds. "This is definitely one of my favorite places to be."

Her smile is warm, yet lights up the room. "I'm glad. I hear you're ready to get up on that stage. Now I hope you don't mind, but Suga let me take a glimpse at the piece you're thinking about performing, and girl it's dope! Made we wanna love on somebody."

Stevie blushes a deep crimson at the compliment, chuckling softly.

"Thanks. It's unfinished actually."

"Well sweetheart, whenever it's finished you're more than welcome to a spot on our night for new talent."

Stevie has butterflies of excitement and nervousness when she hears that.

"You're serious?" Stevie asks, just to make sure this isn't some cruel joke.

"As serious as serious can get, baby doll. You got something special."

Her heart soars and her cheeks flush once again, not used to the profuse amount of love for her craft.

"I can't thank you enough, Carmen. I won't let you two down," she says, addressing the two women.

"I know," Carmen winks. She quietly excuses herself to make her rounds around the place.

Stevie thanks Suga one more time, before she decides to not be a third wheel in Tyler's budding romance and take the train back home.

She walks the easy block and a half to the nearest station, taking in the full-bodied sounds of the city that have become music to her over the years.

Descending the concrete steps, she's greeted with a scent she'll probably never get used to, muttering all the money this damn city makes, and they can't scrub the piss smell outta here.

She looks left to right, and makes sure the coast is clear. She hops the turnstile like it's a hurdle, as if the heels she wears are tennis shoes.

Her timing is impeccable as the trusty red line subway car pulls up right as the toe of her shoe hits the yellow line.

Stepping on, she thanks the man upstairs that it's not crowded. Clutching onto the pole, she quietly hums as the train starts moving.

Feeling like she's being watched, she turns her head in the direction of the perpetrator, his coal black eyes scanning her body, making her feel like she needs a shower.

Her skin prickling up with anxiety as every bad memory, attached to a man, comes flooding back to her. A chill rushes up her spine as her brain screams run.

Her eyes become trained on the doors, as the insides of her hands clam up. Her curiosity leads her eyes back towards the man. The tattoo on his hand caused her mind to race.

Her heart starts beating triple time as the train continues to take its sweet time getting to its first stop.

She can feel his eyes on her as she keeps her gaze forward.

"It's okay... we'll get off soon." She whispers to herself.

Coming to a stop, she watches a couple of people get off, before coolly walking off behind them. She peers over her shoulder, watching him flash a smirk her way but stay on the train.

As the train whizzes away into the darkness, a rush of relief comes over her as she heads towards the street. Grabbing her phone out of her purse, she calls Rod.

He picks up on the first ring. "Hey, baby. You good?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just— I don't know. I had a moment, I guess." She walks into the nearest corner store.

"What do you mean, a moment?"

"I had the bright idea to take the train back home and there was this guy that kept staring at me. He looked so much like John and I don't know... I just freaked out, so I got off a helluva lot earlier than I should have."

"Baby, where are you?"

"Chuey's food mart. But, listen, you don't have to come and get me. I can call a cab or—"

“For what? It's almost ten o'clock. It's too dark for you to be catching cabs, when I can just come and get you."

"But, you're out with your boys!" She sighs as she heads down an aisle, "I feel like I'd be cutting your night short."

"We can meet up, whenever. Your safety is more important to me, right now." He assures her.

"Okay."

"Ima catch y'all later, aight?... yeah, gotta get my shorty to the crib... aight, baby girl. I'm on my way."

"Alright." She hangs up and walks around the spacious store, picking up a couple snacks along the way.

Ten minutes go by, and she's standing in front of the many candy choices, when the chimes go off near the front and the sound Rod's car keys fill her ears.

Passing by a couple of people, she spots the back of his head as he searches for her. Catching up to him, she tugs on his jacket.

He turns around and the worried crease in his forehead disappears as he pulls her into his chest, a heavy sigh leaving him.

"You're smushing my snacks!" She giggles as he rocks her side to side. "Rod!"

A soft laugh escapes her as he pulls away to hold her face in his hands.

"Seems like you missed me."

"Hell yeah! I was worried about you, girl."

"I didn't mean to worry you." She frowns.

"It's okay, baby. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm glad you're here." She links her finger in his jacket pocket. "Did you speed?"

"Maybe, a little. I ain't wanna waste no time– leave an opportunity for something bad to happen, ya know?"

"Yeah,” she sighs, “thanks for coming to get me. I appreciate you."

She stands on her tiptoes, staining his lips with her gloss.

"It's never a problem, babygirl." He grabs the snacks out of her hands to carry himself.

"Let's see what we got here," he announces from behind her as she walks down another aisle. "Salt and vinegar chips— ah, the chip of choice! We got some sno balls... some hostess cupcakes. Hm, you on your period?"

"You know," she abruptly turns around, making him bump into her, "I hate that you know me that well. And, no I've got like another week, I think."

"Well, it'd be dumb if I didn't pick on something, at this point," he chuckles. "And, you think?"

"Yeah... what's today?"

"The fifteenth. I only know that, ‘cause my milk expired today."

"I hope you threw it away."

"I will, when I get home."

She scoffs. "Anyway. It usually comes on the twentieth."

"Oh, okay. Oh yeah! What did they say about you performing?"

"I'm gonna perform on their night for new talent," a cheesy smile makes its way onto both of their faces.

"That's amazing! When??" He asks.

"Friday! Can you make it?"

"Hey, I told you that I would be there. I might have to tie Lee to his chair for a few hours," he says, making Stevie roll her eyes at his antics, "but, I'll be there."

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

For the past fifteen minutes, Stevie has been pacing back and forth, rehearsing her poem.

To say she's nervous is definitely an understatement. If it wasn't a guarantee that Rod would be able to make it to her performance, she might've went insane.

"Okay, Nikki Giovanni, you ready?” Tyler walks into her room, fiddling with the cuffs on her black button-down.

Stevie scoffs at the name. "Don't give me that much credit. You think Nikki got this nervous, before her performances?"

"Duh. Everybody's susceptible to being nervous. You're gonna kill it, alright? Don't stress.” She assures her, rubbing her shoulder.

"Thanks. How do I look?"

"Like you wanna end up pregnant, by the end of the night." 

Stevie rolls her eyes, turning back to the mirror.

"What?? You asked." Tyler defends.

"Yes. Cause, a simple “you look good” wouldn't have sufficed."

"Well, that was my way of saying it. But, okay you look so damn good, friend!  Are you ready, now?" Tyler asks, smirking at the middle finger she gave her through the mirror.

"Yeah.” She sighs, reaching for her coat and bag. “Let's go, before I hide under my bed."

“Oh my god!” Tyler cackles, pushing her out of the room and down the steps.

Fifteen minutes later, Rod heads backstage, finding Stevie knocking back a shot of Brandy. As she fixes her skirt, he slides up behind her, waving the pink roses in her line of sight.

"For you, beautiful."

The gasp she lets out makes him laugh. She turns around and throws her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, baby! And, thank God, you're here. I've been going absolutely crazy for the last hour!"

"I thought you said you weren't nervous?" He sits the flowers on the table and rubs her shoulders.

"Well, I wasn't! Until I re-realized that I'd be speaking in front of a bunch of strangers and now I'm terrified. What if I mess up? What if they don't like it, you know? What if I vomit on stage, like I did when I was younger??" She spirals, wide-eyed.

"Hey, look at me." He cups her chin, her wandering orbs lining up with his. "You're gonna go out there and do amazing. You're not gonna mess up. It's normal to be nervous. It's your first time. But, you've got this. Your poetry is phenomenal. Anybody would be a fool to dislike it."

"You really mean that?" She asks.

"Every word."

A playful pout graces her lips as she kisses him.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, can I get something off my chest, right quick?" He asks with a heavy breath.

Her freshly waxed left brow raises.

"What?"

"You look so fucking good, vie.”

She blushes, instantly.

“Yeah?” Her voice came out small.

“Mm, smell good, too. Do a spin for me,” he steps away from her, watching her twirl.

Her curls bounced underneath her brown fur hat, skin shimmering in her matching off the shoulder top and pants, chunky heels to set the look off. Mascara, her signature lip and scent combo.

"Mm.. whatever you want, you can have it."

"Shut up!" She laughs as he pulls her back to him.

"I'm serious."

"Anything, huh?"

"Mhm., my car, my crib, money... last name, kids.." their lips naturally reunite in heat, squashing her nerves and almost making her forget about her whereabouts.

"Rod," her hands slide up his chest.

"Hm?"

"It's almost time for me to go on," she mumbles, giggling at his relentless pecks.

"Aight. you still nervous?"

"No, but I've gotta redo my lipstick, now." She shakes her head, wiping it off his mouth.

"My bad, shorty. I can't get enough, sometimes."

"Hey, Stevie!— oh, I'm sorry. I'll come back.

They turn to look at Suga in the doorway, before snickering.

"No, you're fine! Suga, this is my boyfriend, Rod. Rod, this is Suga."

"It's nice to meet you! I've heard nothing but wonderful things." They shake hands.

"Likewise. I appreciate you helpin' my girl out and getting her up on this stage."

"It's no problem. She's a super talented woman."

"That, she is." His gaze lingers on Stevie, making her swoon at the sight.

"So cute! I just came to tell you that we've got a couple minutes. You all set to go?"

"Yeah, let me fix my makeup, really quick." She rushes over towards her bag to reapply.

"Ima go grab my seat." he walks over and kisses the top of her head. "You're gonna do amazing."

"Thank you, baby." She smiles.

He mirrors her expression, before heading out to the front.

"Where'd you find him? He got any brothers?" Suga asks, sitting on the leather couch.

“That he does, let me find out you tryna get the hook up,” Stevie laughs, turning towards her once she's done.

“Hook me up, girl!” Suga joins in, before standing to her feet. “You ready?”

"I am! Let's do this."

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

“Alright y'all, give it up for our next newcomer, Stevie!”

The applause makes Stevie smile as she emerges from behind the curtain and takes Suga's spot on the stage.

"Thanks," she nervously pushes a curl behind her ear. "I'm a little nervous, so bear with me. This piece is called Would it be okay? It's a personal piece of mine. I'm actually really excited to share it with y'all, so I hope y'all enjoy it." Her eyes set on Rod, sending a wink his way.

A soft light graces her physique as she calms herself and begins speaking.

Would it be okay?

If I stayed around.

If I got comfortable, in your presence.

Slip into your shadows,

Keep you safe.

Would it be okay?

If I loved you more than life.

If I screamed it to the heavens,

Even though God, herself, already knew?

Destiny. Fate.

I can't hide it.

Would it be okay?

If I was scared...

If I wanted you to hold me in your arms.

Shield me from my troubles.

Would it be okay?

If making love to you was my favorite pastime.

Your lips on mine.

Your breath on me.

Your touch.

Your taste.

Would it be okay?

If I wanted to live in your skin.

Would it be okay?

The whistles, snaps and cheering pulls her out of the locked gaze that her and Rod were locked in.

She gracefully bows and heads offstage, immediately getting pulled into a bear hug from Tyler and Suga.

"Can I just say.... wow!” Tyler claps.

"You did amazing!! I mean, I knew you had potential, but the way you commanded everybody's attention up there?? That was a sight to see." Suga praises.

"Thanks, you guys! It felt great to finally get up there. That was a rush!” She laughs.

"I think someone else enjoyed it, too." Rod clears his throat, making his way around the girls to the other side of Stevie, flowers back in hand.

"Again," he laughs, "these are for you. You did absolutely amazing." The twinkle in his eyes makes her melt.

"Thank you, baby." Grabbing the bouquet from him, she holds them close to her chest, blushing underneath his gaze.

"Ugh, this feels like high school love!” Tyler faux sobs, earning a collective sucking of the teeth from the pair.

"Go find your boyfriend and leave me alone, ty." Stevie says with a roll of the eyes.

"Ah, she's conquered her stage fright and now she's being feisty. You're on a roll, tonight." She winks.

"You two are a mess," Rod adds with a chuckle.

"Indeed. Come on, Tyler. You two can fight, later." Angel hooks their arms and leads them towards the other side of the club.

Rod leads Stevie towards their table, pulling out her chair for her. "What do you want to drink?"

"You know, cosmos have become my favorite, as of late." She cheeses.

"Comin' right up." He winks, heading towards the bar.

"Hey, pretty lady!" Chad stops at her table. "You did amazing!"

"Oh, thank you!"

"No problem. You got some serious talent."

"I appreciate that. It was nerve racking, getting up there, but I'm glad I finally did it."

"So, you gonna make this a regular thing? The crowd loved you."

"It's always been my dream!, it'd be kinda stupid if I didn't. I'm gonna talk to Carmen—"

"Consider it done. I'll run it by her and get back to you. Sound good?"

"Hell yeah!," she jumps in her seat, laughing.

"Aight, good! You know, if you start gettin' real good, we start paying you."

"Really??, that sounds amazing." Rod comes back to the table with drinks in hand, his gaze on Chad.

"Hey, man." Chad greets him.

"Wassup.," he gives a stiff nod.

"Ya girl is pressure, no denyin' it. I just came to congratulate her on her debut night."

"I appreciate y'all lettin' her shine, up there."

"A diamond shines everywhere she goes.," Stevie slightly chokes on her drink at his corniness, covering it up with a small laugh. "You two enjoy the rest of your night. I'll see you, soon." He pats her shoulder and walks away.

"What was y'all talking about?" His gaze shifts to her, chuckling at the little dance she's doing in her seat to faint music playing.

"He's gonna talk to Carmen and see if I can make this a regular thing., and if I start getting really good, they'll start paying me." She cheeses, sipping on her drink.

"Really?," his eyes light up, "that's amazing, baby." He rubs her knee.

"Isn't it? I could stop working at Claire's, even though, I love her so much, I could!"

"You could. You should tell her, I'm sure she'd be happy for you."

"Yeah, I'll tell her when I go in, tomorrow."

"What time you gotta be there?"

"Three."

He nods, bringing his drink up to his lips. Her eyes dance over his face as the knowing smirk comes out to play, once his glass returns to the table.

"I'm gonna put you in time out." She folds her arms on the table, leaning towards her drink.

"Why?"

"Because, you keep putting me out of commission," they share a laugh.

"You so fine, I can't help it." He wets his bottom lip, making her bite her own.

"Trouble, is what you are." She speaks lowly, shaking her head.

The hand that's on her knee starts to walk up her thigh, spreading out to cuff her flesh. "And somehow... you're at the center of it, every time."

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

Heavy breathing can be heard throughout the dimly lit bedroom.

His lips sliding off hers, taut ass in her grip with every stroke grazing against her spot, driving her crazy.

"Oh shhhit!," her whines float through the air as he digs deeper, while nipping at her soft skin.

"Wanna live in my skin, huh?" He rasps in her ear.

"Yes, baby," she breathily whimpers.

Coming back into her line of view with his hand slowly gripping her neck, his lips hover over he own.

"Tell me you love me," he mumbles, tugging at her bottom lip.

"Unh...I love you," her jaw slacks as he picks up his pace, stimulating her spot with more pressure. Her hands grip his biceps, tightly.

"Say it, again."

"I love you, shit!.... that feels so good," she moans, her legs wrapping around his waist.

"Say it again, baby," he reaches his free hand in between them to rub her clit, her hand quickly gripping his wrist.

"I love you," she whimpers, staring into his eyes.

“Fuck, I love you vie.”

He leans up and speeds up, her hands find the back of his neck as her eyes roll back.

"You're gonna make me cum!"

"Mhm, cum on this dick."

A whine like no other leaves her lips as her eyes roll back, her walls tighten around him as her orgasm jolts through her, leaving her entire body thumping.

A chill rushes up his spine as he brings his thrusts to a halt.

"Fuck..” he moans, leaning down to kiss her lips as she comes down enough to reciprocate, her tongue finding his own.

He grunts and pulls away, flipping her over. With her ass high in the air, his palm quickly reddens her flesh and makes her leak down her thighs, double time.

"Look at that." His thumb circles her clit, her body seizing up at his touch. "Makin' a mess all over my sheets, girl." His mouth salivates at the sight of her nectar leaking down her leg.

"Mmf," she bites her lip, "don't tease me, baby..."

Lining back up with her sticky entrance, he pushes into her roughly, earning a heavy gasp from her.

"Oooh, shit!"

Picking up his tempo, he adds a roll of his hips, sending her clawing at his thigh with one hand and clawing at the sheets with the other.

"Oh shit, oh shit! Oh fuck!" Her thighs tremble as her orgasm creams onto his already soaked shaft.

"That's right," his grip tightens on her waist. "Soak that dick." 

Pulling out, he taps his dick against her clit before pushing back in, picking up where he left off.

"Unh! s-slow down," she grasps his thigh.

Doing just that, he wraps an arm around her, gripping her neck. Her hands find the sheets, gripping them up as he sensually wines his hips into her.

"Just like that.... oh, babyyy!"

Nose deep in her sweet-smelling hair, his moans become more frequent, turning her on. She begins to meet him halfway, adding more friction.

"Shit, vie... feel like a fucking dream." His free hand slaps her ass as he tries to regain control. Reaching back, she digs her nails into his hip.

"Fuck!— ugh! Unh! Just like that!"

Digging deeper, her eyes roll back and her moans increase in volume.

"Just like this?"

"—yes!”

Her thighs quiver as she tries to push him away, the pleasure becoming too much. Grabbing her wrists and binding them behind her back, he continues.

"Take it, then."

Her moans are muffled as her face hides in the cover. Eyes shut tightly as her body tightens up, a breathy curse leaving her lips.

"Shit..." he moans, pulling out slowly and pushing back in, their breathing falls in sync as the heat in the room rises.

Releasing her wrists, he pulls her up in his lap as she leans up on her hands. 

One hand in her curls and the other wrapped around her neck, his strokes start off curt. Her brows furrow as her moans fill his ears.

"Oh fuck! Oh fuck," fingers gripping the sheets, her toes curl at the intensity of her pleasure.

"Say my name." He rasps.

"Rod," she yelps.

"Say it, again."

"Oh my God, Roderick!" She moans. "You're gonna make me c—cum!"

"Fuck... keep squeezin' me, baby."

"Oh my God... oh my God," her breath gets caught in her throat, while her climax rises to the surface. His own on the horizon with every stroke.

"Cum on this dick, baby.... I feel it.. give it to me," the gravel in his tone makes her soak his lap with a single squeal. His own orgasm forcing his body to fall slack on hers.

Flattening out underneath him, she laughs a bit, pushing her hair out of her face, while he repositions himself to not totally crush her, even though she didn't mind.

"Wanna know something?" He asks, intertwining their fingers, his beard tickling the bare skin of her shoulder as he places kisses there.

"What?"

"Makin' love to you is my favorite pastime, too." He replies with a goofy grin, making her giggle.

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

Tiredly pulling the door open, Stevie heads in the back, stuffing her jacket in her locker. Taking her hair-tie off her wrist, she pulls her curls into a sloppy bun and heads back up front.

"Hey, girl," Rena waves, her and Alana studying her worn out expression.

She grabs her apron and glances at them.

"Hey, guys.”

"Are you alright?" Alana asks.

"Yeah, I'm just tired."

"Oh yeah! Your debut was last night. How'd it go?" Rena asks, excitedly.

"It went great.” Stevie smiles, leaning on the countertop.

"I was nervous as hell, but I made it through. Everybody really liked it. That also kinda made me kinda nervous, but also really happy.” She laughs.

"Aw, that's so great! I'm so happy for you!" Alana says.

"Yeah, that's amazing," Rena adds, "did you celebrate?"

"Yeah, and I probably shouldn't have."

"Why not?"

"Well, I've got a hangover and I was almost late." She sighs.

"Relax, sweet cheeks," Claire comes out of her office. "I know last night was super important to you. I wouldn't have tripped."

"Thanks, Claire."

"Of course. Did your rock head of a boyfriend like it?"

Stevie laughs. "He liked it more than anybody else."

"Oh, that's why ya ass was limpin' when you came in," Rena mumbles, before tending to a customer.

Stevie rolls her eyes. "Maybe you should get laid."

"Relax," Rena defends. "I was just playing around."

"Mm... Anyway," she turns back towards Claire.

"I've gotta talk to you, later. It's super important."

Claire excuses them, pulling them into her cozy office.

"So, how was your night?" She asks.

"It was great! I was so nervous, but the reassurance that I received mellowed me out. I got up on that stage and I knew, at that moment, that I belonged up there. It was amazing." Stevie gushes.

"That's incredible, babe. I gotta come and see you! I'm sad I missed the first one."

"That'd be great. I'd love for you to come!”

"Let me know when your next performance is and I'll put it on my calendar. Now, what's this dilemma you've got going on?"

"Well, Carmen said that if I start getting really good, they'll start paying me." She says, twiddling her fingers.

"Really?? Oh, that's guaranteed money, then! I'm sure you're amazing!"

"Well, I think I'm alright—but, yeah! That's huge, right? I get paid to do what I love."

"Anybody's dream, yes. I'm not seeing an issue here."

"If I start getting paid there.. I could start doing that more often and not.. have to work here anymore."

"Absolutely. I would hope that you wouldn't pass up an opportunity of a lifetime, to serve coffee with some friends."

The sarcasm in her voice makes Stevie laugh.

"Did you think I was gonna be upset?"

"Well, maybe upset isn't the word."

"Well, it's gonna suck not having you here, but I'd never keep you from doing what you love. That's not a friend."

"This is true. Well, nothing's official, yet. You still have me."

"And, I'm delighted!"

“Okay,” she breathes. “I feel better now.”

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

Slinging her bag over her chair, Stevie turns her lamp on and sits down, opening up her poetry book.

Clicking her pen, she begins to write.

Love so amazing,

It outshines the moon.

Love so hot,

It burns brighter than the sun.

So intense,

It makes you blush.

So—

She smudges her writing as the ringing of her new house phone scares the mess out of her. Snatching the cordless phone off its base, without looking at the caller ID, she utters a slightly agitated hello.

"Ah, breaking the phone in with attitude, are we?" Rod's voice comes through.

"Well, you know, the ringer is extremely loud on this thing. Sorry for the attitude, I suppose."

"You suppose, huh? Guess we'll see about that, later."

"Whatever. How's work?" She asks, twirling a random strand of hair around her finger.

He laughs. "It's cool. I miss you."

"Aw, I miss you too. Want me to come by? I can bring you food, if you haven't eaten yet."

"I'd love that. Seeing your pretty face always brightens my mood." She blushes.

"Oh, stoppp," she drags out, closing her book and standing up from her chair.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Uh, how about pizza?"

"Alright. I'm gonna change and get the food, and I'll be there."

"Okay, babe. See you soon."

About thirty minutes later he hears the chime go off, Rod turns around to see Stevie walking through the door. He snickers at her wardrobe.

"You cold, babygirl?" He asks, gesturing towards his black sweatshirt swallowing her top half, while her black leggings cling to her bottom half.

"Yes!" Her teeth chatter as she sits the pizza box on the counter, rounding the counter to stuff her face into his chest. "It's windy as hell, out there."

"Aw," he coos, rubbing his warm hands over her back. "I'll turn the heat up."

"Thank you. Where do you want me to put this?" she points to the pizza box.

Moving away from her, he locks the door and hangs the sign, before grabbing the pizza from her.

"Follow me."

Following him into the second room on the right, she sits down at the black round table. He opens the box and pulls out a slice.

She follows suit, picking the pepperonis off and popping them in her mouth. He chuckles at the sight.

"One day, it's gonna land on your nose." He jokes. She rolls her eyes.

"Shut up. How's your day been?" He sits in the chair beside her, still munching on his food.

"It's actually been pretty dead in here, today. But, I'm not trippin. We still made sales for the day. How's your writing going?" He grabs a napkin and cleans his hands.

"Well, before you called me, I was in my zone," she laughs. "I think it'll be the next piece I perform."

"Look at you, all bright eyed and bushy tailed!" He teases, poking her cheek.

"You sound like an old man!" She jokes.

“Old?” He laughs, clutching his chest in faux hurt.

“Old as hell,” she nods.

"Alaina, I will throw you outta here." He chuckles.

"In the cold?? The disrespect."

"Yeah, well," he shrugs.

"Yeah, well," she mocks, throwing a balled up napkin at him.

"Keep it up." He stands from his chair, heading towards the soda machine, grabbing two cokes.

"Or what?"

"Ima let you find out."

༺═──────────────────────────────═༻

Plopping down on her bed, she stares at her clock, snorting as it reads 3:45 a.m.

"I'm gonna kill you." She groans, just as Rod waltzes into the room. Handing her a bottle of water, he sits down beside her.

"What did I do, besides what you asked me to?"

"I asked you to damn near break me in half?" She asks, an incredulous look on her face, making him crack up.

"Those weren't your exact words— but, yes, you were asking for it. Then, you didn't want me to stop."

She thanks God that the room is dark and the rosiness of her cheeks are concealed. "Anyway—"

"Mhm. That's what I thought."

"Anyways! Tyler and I are supposed to get our hair done tomorrow, because one of her cousins is getting married, and she asked Tyler at the last minute to be a damn bridesmaid— and for whatever reason, I have to be one, too."

"A wedding in the fall? Hm.. that's uh..”

"It's cold. That's the word you're looking for."

"What are the colors?"

"White and gold. The usual."

"You know what the dress looks like?"

"Not yet, no. I'll see it tomorrow."

"When's the wedding?"

"Saturday. I hope the wind doesn't blow us down."

"You're so dramatic, you know that?"

"I do. You're annoying— did you know that?" She smirks.

"I did," he joins in on the laughter.

"Good. Now, can we go to sleep?"

"Hey, we coulda been sleeping, a long time ago. But, someone wanted to ride around and smoke."

She scoffs and snatches her pullover off, along with her sweats and gets under the cover.

He laughs and follows suit, pulling her back into his chest. The warmth of his body made her turn in his hold and snuggle closer to him.

"Love you." She whispers.

"Love you too, you little brat."

Love so amazing,

It outshines the moon.

Love so hot,

It burns brighter than the sun.

So intense,

It makes you blush.

So genuine, 

It makes your heart flutter.

Who knew it could all feel like a fairytale?

Who knew it could be this sweet?

Who knew love, like this, existed?

Who knew...

@ghostfacekill-monger @thegifstories @harmshake @honeysunned @lemmewritesomeish @blowmymbackout @planetblaque @motheroffae @blackerthings @sheabuttahwrites @abeautifulmindexposed @honestpreference @mauvecherie-writes @megamindsecretlair @henneseyhoe @vonsbabymama2005 @consent-is-king @twistedcharismaaa @starcrossedxwriter

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Nightlife 4

Warnings: dark elements to come. Proceed with caution.

Note: I know what you’re thinking, why the fuck are you doing this? Well, you wanted bouncer Lee and I did too. Also, short!reader, not sorry.

Lee offers you a ride home. When you tell him you're going to the library instead, he insists on taking you there. You don't have the energy to refuse again.

You get in the car, a corvette the colour of copper. The inside is well kept and tidy, an air freshener lacing the air with a scent like cologne. The only sign of use is the fast food cup in the holder on the drivers side.

You put your bag at your feet and pull your seatbelt down. Lee shifts in his seat as he buckles up and checks the mirrors. He starts the engine, a loud rumbling beast, and steers out with a rev.

"So, little darling, you got a big test comin' up?" He asks, one hand on the wheel as he rests the other over your headrest.

"I got some reading to catch up on," you explain as you look evasively out the window.

"Ah, that's a good thing. Studyin' and all that. You're a good girl, ain't ya?"

You don't know how to answer that. There's some double meaning you can't quite decipher. You play with the hem of your blouse and shrug.

"I guess. I… try my best."

"I'm sure your best is more than enough," his hand drifts down and his fingertips touch your hair, "not like them other college girls. Like your friend. Hanging out in all the wrong places…"

"Raquel isn't… bad," you stammer. In fact, she gets better grades than you.

"I'm sure she's a nice one but not like you. Not a sweet little thing. You know, you walkin' up to that club like that, uh uh, if I wasn't there… not everyone is looking out for your kind."

"Mhmm," you hum as you tense in the seat.

His knuckles graze your cheek and you wince. You don't know what to do or what he's doing. So you do nothing.

Your heart thumps as he traces your jawline, "you really are pretty one. You like cherry? You know how to make cherry pie? You could bake me one…"

"Sir," you gulp as you stare through the windshield. You realise he's turned onto a backstreet. There isn't much traffic there.

"You'd look so nice in a pretty red dress, hm? And an apron?" He toys with your sleeve as his foot gets lighter on the pedal, "you could put a ribbon in your hair," his touch lingers on your arm as he steers into an empty lot, "and nothing else, if ya like."

He gropes your chest and you cry out in a panic. You try to swat him away as he hushes you. He hits the button of his seatbelt and it retracts to his shoulder.

"Now, now, little darling," his other hand pinches your neck and you rack with agony, "I'm just getting a feel of ya."

"Please," you beg, "why–"

"I ain't being mean, blossom," he assures you, "and I don't wanna be."

You writhe and reach back to clasp his wrist, "you're hurting me–"

"Ain't meaning to," he loosens his grip, "sorry, sweetheart, all I want is a kiss. How about that? We had a good day, didn't we?"

"I… a kiss?" You murmur, his hand linger behind your neck as his other falls to your stomach. You only realise then how he leans into you. "But…"

"But what, sweetheart? I bought you a scoop, I been real sweet like," he pets he back of your head, "it's just a little peck on the lips."

"But… but… I'm in college."

"You're full grown, sweet thing."

You look around, veins coursing with ice as you tremble wildly. You don't even know where you are. You look down at your lap and his large hand as it slips to rest on your thigh.

"I see," he drags his hand away from your pant leg, "you were only usin' me."

You frown and fold your arms across your middle. You lean on the car door and shake your head. That's not what you were doing at all.

"You asked me for ice cream, I…"

"And I paid. Got your friend home safe, too. Givin' ya a ride and all. All I'm asking is a small thank you."

You sniff and wriggle in the seat, "you touched me…"

"You look so good, I couldn't help myself, promise, I'll keep my hands to myself."

You stare at the dashboard as horror tugs at your lips. You just want to go but you don't see a way out. Not without making things worse.

"Alright, if I… will you still take me to the library?"

"Course I will. Like I said."

"Okay," you turn your head and drop your hands to clutch them in your lap, "I could… I could give you a kiss."

He smirks and pushes a lock of hair away from his face as it droops forward. He leans in as your eyes round. You force them closed and quickly peck him on the mouth.

As you pull back, he growls. You open your eyes shyly. His mouth slants and he huffs.

"Come on, darling, just… let me show ya, alright?" He grips the headrest above your head and brings his other hand to your chin, "all soft like."

He leans in as you freeze in terror. He presses his lips to yours, holding them there with a hum, his tongue gliding wetly across yours before he parts. He hovers only an inch away.

"Wasn't that nice?" He tickles your cheek.

You blink and make yourself nod. It wasn't as awful as you expected. This close, you can't help but notice how blue his eyes are.

"I get it, you're shy, we don't gotta go too fast," he sits back and sighs, lifting himself slightly as he adjusts in the seat.

"Yeah…" you babble senselessly.

"Now, uh, library, that on campus?" He asks as he shifts into gear.

"Yes, sir."

You're silent as the daze takes over. You feel his grasp on your chest, you can't shake how it made your insides churn. And the helplessness that flooded you when he had his hand on your neck.

You wring your hands and think. You can't blame him for being mad. The way you led him on, but you didn't even realise! How could you know when you thought that he was just being nice?

"Lee," you eke out as he drives in silence, his fingertips running up and down his thigh.

"Yes, little darling."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Nothing to be sorry for," he says, "don't you trouble yourself."

"I just… I didn't realise that… was the ice cream… a date?"

He laughs and his hand slips towards the inside of his thigh. You watch his profile as he peeks over at you briefly. He doesn't look as angry as he sounded just a few moments ago.

"I was hopin' so," he says, "unless you got the boys lined up waiting for you."

It's your turn to laugh, more out of embarrassment than amusement.

"No, sir, I don't," you utter.

"I'm a lucky man, then," he preens, "scooping up a blossom of my own."

[rrenzwrld]

secretos de amor V

chapter 5! chapter 4 here, chapter 3 here

after you got off work, you went home to get ready. you didn’t care about dressing up too much so you styled your soft locs and put on a simple outfit before leaving to pick up sasha.

once you pulled up to the location, a pit formed in your stomach. it was so many people doing things you weren’t used to seeing in real life and you wanted to turn around as soon as you stepped foot inside. sasha noticed your unease and lead you to a table with people she knew because there wasn’t anyone else here that you knew but her. but sasha did try to introduce everyone to you, you just didn’t care.

“i like your outfit.” the girl with black hair introduced as mikasa complimented.

“thanks.” it was kinda awkward now so you wanted to be somewhere by yourself. the only problem was that you didn’t feel comfortable going anywhere else but your car. “sash i’m gonna sit in the car for a few minutes.”

“you’re leaving? already?”

“no. i’ll be back.” you pushed through the crowds before finally getting inside your car. you sighed and rested your head on the steering wheel and just sat in that position for a while before someone knocked on your window, nearly scaring you out of your skin.

you looked up to see connie signaling you to roll down the window. you sighed even harder.

“the fuck do you want?”

“what are you doing here? your bitch ass brother finally let you out the house?” you rolled your eyes and continued doing what you were doing.

“hey.. you okay?” you nodded. “can i sit with you?” you unlocked the car door to let him inside but locked them back and rolled up the window when he got in.

“you’re loud.” connie’s scent of weed mixed with cologne messed with your nose and the lilac scented air freshener in your car.

“my bad. so, you wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

“i’m not a party person.”

“so..” you could see his side eye. “why you come?”

“i wanted to try something different.”

connie nodded. “i get that.. you smoke?” you shook your head. “drink?” you shook your head again, which made connie roll his eyes. “yeah we need to go somewhere else.”

“we?” you raised a brow.

“yeah, i know a place. you driving or me?”

“ain’t this my car? you’re not driving lola, i just got her back.”

“i’m tryna help you out, help you relax. c’mon.” you and connie got out the car so he could get in the driver’s seat. “see? wasn’t that hard.”

“what about sasha? she’s gonna think i left her.”

“no she’s not. as long as your back whenever she’s ready to go, she doesn’t care.” you shrugged and connie began driving. you didn’t know if it was a good idea to be with him yet but you’d know if you popped up naked in a ditch somewhere.

“where we going?” he shushed you.

“a surprise.” you didn’t wanna say anything else so you just let him drive. within 30 minutes or so, connie pulled up to a secluded area that looked over a lake and the moon sat right above it. it was beautiful but of course you wouldn’t gas him up by telling him that.

“pretty, right?” you nodded as he cut the car off.

“only the best for your hoes right?” connie laughed.

“hoes? i don’t take them up here. i come up here to clear my head.”

“why did you take me then?”

“because i just thought you’d need it.” you nodded and looked back up at the moon. “wanna get out?” connie asked as he was unbuckling his seatbelt.

“for what?”

“it looks better from out there.” you unbuckled your seatbelt too and got out the car with connie and he was right, it looked way better outside the car. the two of you leaned against the hood of your car.

“i have a question,” connie started. “do you like.. not like me or something?”

“oh why you say that?” you said in a sarcastic tone.

“because every time i try to talk to you, you act weird and every time i come over, you’re always in your room.”

“you’re just jean’s friend so i don’t really see the need for me to say anything to you. you’re not my friend.”

“i can be your friend, we can be friends.”

“i can’t be friends with you, you’re elderly.” connie looked offended but you laughed in his face as a response.

“elderly? i’m literally only 22.”

“right right..” from then on out, you and connie started asking each other questions just to get to know each other more. you found out that connie wasn’t all that bad and he was actually really funny and more emotional than you thought.

“i like your outfit.”

“thanks, i.. dress kinda weird so people don’t say that often. i like yours.”

“thank you. you ever thought about being a fashion designer, or a model?” it was as if you could see connie’s eyes light up brighter than the moon in front of you.

“hell yeah, i just never had motivation to do it so i never pursued it. i thought i was only ever good for selling or working at amazon. but they both pay the bills, one is just a lil more risky than the other. my family said that modeling wouldn’t do that for me.”

“you should try it one day.” you suggest while he turns to you.

“aww you think i’m pretty or something?” he smiled with all his teeth, which made you wonder if they were even real.

“maybe..” you shrugged and looked down at your feet. connie grazed a finger under your chin and held it up so he could see your face. just when you were about to make some stupid decisions, sasha was calling.

[worseforwords]

The Strawberry Song - Part 2 (Alessia Russo x Reader)

Here it is, part 2. I decided to add the song I made for it yesterday, which is terrifying by the way. I hope you like it. If you haven't read it yet, here's part 1.

You closed your eyes as you took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the nerves creeping up your stomach as you made your decision: you had to get back out there and face your fears, this was your last chance to save your relationship and you had prepared for it extensively. When you were about to open your eyes, you were startled by a knock on your window. “Y/N?” Apparently you had been sitting there, gathering courage, just a bit too long and she found you before you could find her. 

You quickly got out of your car. “Hi.” Was all you said, as you already felt your eyes starting to water from looking into hers. “Hi, erm, I was actually about to go do some grocery shopping, but I can do that later. Want to come in?” She said, pointing towards the front door behind her with her thumb. You nodded as you locked your car, slowly following her lead into the house.

Right off the bat, the atmosphere inside was tense. A place you’d once called your second home, now felt cold and threatening. You recognised the smell, a mixture of the air freshener she always used and her own signature scent, which made your stomach turn in confusion. It was like the sweet aroma made your body want to wake its butterflies, but it also send a knife down your throat that could kill them at any given moment. You looked around as you contemplated where you should sit down, eventually choosing to just stand instead. 

“How are you?” You finally broke the silence. “Been better.” She answered quickly. “You can sit down you know.” “Right, thanks.” You said as you moved to her couch, sitting on the opposite side of your usual spot, or what used to be your usual spot anyways. 

“How about you, how have you been?” She asked in return, as she sat herself down at the other end of the sofa, leaving a noticeable gap in between the two of you. “Good, actually.” You answered, making her look at you in disbelief as you could see the disappointment in her eyes. “Oh, well good for you.” She said, trying her best to sound sincere. “No, no, not like that. I mean I- I missed you Less, so much.” Her expression now changed into one of confusion. “I mean I have been doing better, taking care of myself and stuff, you know.” You were stumbling over your words so much you had to take a quick breath, but the frown on Alessia’s face starting to disappear encouraged you to continue. 

“I’m working out again, almost everyday, and I asked my mum to help me manage my schedule. She is awfully strict with me but I think that’s just what I needed.” You smiled faintly at that last part, as Alessia knew your mum and could definitely imagine how having her in control of you schedule would be a pain. “So how about the band? How did they react to all of this?” She asked carefully. “I actually arranged a meeting with them shortly after our, well, you know, pause.” You awkwardly looked away as you didn’t want to bring up that subject yet, before quickly continuing. “Our manager, Paul, was even there, and I brought up the subject of our mental and physical health and how our current lifestyle wasn’t sustainable if we wanted to grow further and have a future. I cried and it was terrifying to call everyone out like that, but in the end they all agreed with me.” “Even Paul?” She asked, amazed. “Well, it took him some time to get on board with the whole plan, but after two days he suddenly changed his mind. I reckon my mum has something to do with that, but of course she denies everything.” You chuckled lightly at that whilst the muscles in Alessia’s face slowly relaxed further. “I’m glad to hear that, Y/N.” She said genuinely. 

An awkward silence arose as you tried to remember everything you wanted to say to apologise to her whilst she looked at you expectantly. She must have sensed you were heading towards panic mode, as she suddenly got up from the couch. “Can I get you a drink? Tea maybe?” She knew how poor your decision making skills were, especially in your current flustered state, so she handed you an easy answer. “Yeah, thanks.” 

When she came back with two cups of tea however, your mind was still all over the place as you nervously danced with your feet and neither of you sought eye contact. In a desperate attempt to both calm your nerves and buy yourself some time to gather your thoughts, you took a sip of your tea, which was obviously still way too hot, making you flinch before swiftly putting the cup back down. You figured maybe you just had to start talking, so you opened your mouth slightly, but nothing came out. “So, erm-” Alessia started, finally forcing you to speak up. “I’m sorry, I-“ You stuttered. “Sorry for what?” She asked, probably aiming to help you find your words. “I just- I prepared this whole speech for this moment but now I’m drawing a blank. No words seem good enough.” You blurted out. “Oh.” Was all she said, followed by another dreadful silence.

“I wrote you a song.” You finally said, still staring at your dancing feet, making her head shoot up to look at you. “Really?” She replied, looking at you in disbelief. “Yeah.” You answered. “Want to hear it?” She nodded and you walked to your car to grab the synthesizer you brought.

You walked back into her living room, synth case wrapped around your shoulder, amplifier in your hand and keyboard stand firmly clamped under your armpit. “Oh wow.” She said upon noticing the gear you brought. “Yeah well, I’m not singing to you a capella.” You chuckled. “You're singing to me?” She looked at you in awe. 

As your bands keyboardist, you usually only sang backing vocals, so you weren’t quite used to putting your voice out there like you were about to do. That, combined with the fact that this song was far more intimate and downtempo than anything you would usually write or play with your band, made you feel very fragile, but you knew that’s what you had to be like now.

You hastily plugged everything in as your heart rate started to increase rapidly, making your hands shake and struggle to connect the final cable. “Need any help?” Alessia asked, clearly noticing you anxious state. “I’m good, thanks.” You answered, knowing her getting closer to you would only make matters worse.

When everything was plugged in and ready, you positioned yourself behind your synthesizer. “Here goes nothing.” You mumbled to yourself as you looked at the girl you were about to serenade to, before closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. Your fingers found the right keys with your eyes still closed, and you laid down the first chord. Towards the end of a brief intro, you took another deep breath before softly but openly carrying the first note into the song. 

Night skies, dark and stormy Soft cries, as you lay before me Blue eyes, could never bore me No lies, please inform me How, can you be, so Wow, I can see, some How, you cared for me, but Now, I made you flee Strong grips, a feeling I savour She flips, making me quaver Eclipse, do me a favour Her lips, strawberry flavour How, can you be, so Wow, I can see, some How, you cared for me, but Now, I made you flee How, can you be, so Wow, I can see, some How, I want you with me, I Vow, to love you like you should be loved, loved, loved, should be loved

As you laid down the last chord and note, a single tear rolled down your cheek. Since you had played most of the song with your eyes closed, you had no clue how Alessia responded to it. You kept your eyes closed a little longer, letting the sound completely fade out, before finally peeking at the girl in front of you, to find her glancing at you in awe, eyes brimmed with tears. You both remained quiet for a bit, not breaking the eye contact, before she got up to pull you into a tight embrace. “Thank you,” she muddled into your neck, “that was beautiful.” 

Alessia sat back down on the couch as she opened up her arms again, gesturing for you to join her. You carefully sat down next to her, and she pulled you into her for another tight hug. Both of you lay curled up on the couch for a while in a comfortable silence, sinking into each others embrace. “I’ve missed this.” Alessia finally spoke. “Me too.” You said and you returned to silence. Neither of you wanted to ruin this near perfect moment of finally being able to hold each other again, but you also knew the conversation wasn’t finished. You were glad she liked the song, but there was more to be said.

“I am so sorry Less, about everything.” You said. “Y/N, it’s okay, I get it.” “No it’s not.” You interrupted her. “I was having a hard time adjusting to my sudden new life, but that’s no excuse for treating you the way I did. Nothing is.” You said, finally finding the right words to say. “I was absolutely blind to your needs and I completely broke your trust. I know I don’t deserve another chance whatsoever, but if you’ll let me, I’ll do everything in my power to be better, and to regain your trust.”

She slowly sat up, breaking out of the embrace you’d been in this whole time. Thankfully she just did this now, as her piercing blue eyes staring right into your soul sure made it a lot harder to find your words. “Listen, Y/N/N,” her finally using your nickname again made you swoon, “I am glad to hear you’re working on yourself and you’re living a healthier life again, and I really loved the song, it’s truly beautiful.” She paused for a bit to think. “But?” You asked anxiously. “But,” she repeated, “two weeks is not enough to prove you have changed, because what you did, Y/N, and how you acted, it really did break my trust, and it will take time to heal from that and regain it.” She took a long pause again, before adding: “If ever.” That last part hit you like a brick fell into your stomach, but you held yourself together, knowing she was right, and you deserved this. “Of course.” You replied softly. “I get that. Take all the time you need, okay?” You tried to reassure her. 

“So what now?” You asked after yet another silence. “Let’s just take things slow, right? If you want we can go out next week, and then we’ll see how things move from there.” She replied. “I’d love that, Less.” You smiled softly. “Good. I’m looking forward to it, Y/N.” She said, a genuine smile on displayed on her face. 

“By the way, do you have a recording of that song somewhere?” “Erm maybe, why?” You answered suspiciously. “You can’t show it to your friends!” You said, to which she chuckled. “All right, I won’t, but please, I’d love to listen to it again.” She said, persuading you with her puppy dog eyes. “Okay sure, but if you show it to anyone you’re dead. My tough reputation is on the line here.” You said, to which she snorted, making it known that was not the reputation she’d known you to have at all. “Then maybe we’ll be even.” She mumbled, but still loud enough for you to hear her, making you gasp. “Too soon Russo.”

She walked you back to your car, assisting you with your gear. “Thanks, roadie.” You joked. “Hey, watch it, don’t make me make you carry my boots and shin pads around.” She retaliated. You’d missed joking around with her so much. “Don’t even joke about that. You know I’d do it.” You said, referring to how, before everything went down, she had you wrapped around her finger. “Oh I know.” She smiled, raising her eyebrows provocatively. “Hey Less” You started in a more serious voice. “Yeah?” “Please keep me in the loop, you know, about everything you’re feeling about this, I mean, us.” “Yeah, I will, you too.” She replied. “Will do.” You said as you closed the trunk of your car. Before you got into your car, she pulled you in for a quick hug again, swiftly placing a kiss on your cheek. “See you next week, Y/N.”

Just as you started to feel at peace with how everything went today, a car pulled up next to yours. “Y/N?” An angry sounding voice called out. You knew that voice all too well from how it told you you were dead to her a little over two weeks ago. “Ella, hi.” You said calmly, whilst screaming on the inside. She got out, leaving her car in the middle of the street, as she slammed her door shut with a loud thud. “How dare you show up here after all that you’ve done?” She yelled “Ella, it’s o-” “You stay out of this.” She shushed her best friend. “Alessia might still have her love goggles on for you, but I sure don’t.” She turned back to Alessia. “Less please, remember how she ruined you. Don’t give her a chance to do it again.” Alessia remained quiet as she stared a the ground, clearly doubting everything that had happened today as her best friend tried to knock some sense into her. “Ella I-” “I don’t want to hear it.” She cut your attempted explanation off. “Piss of Y/N, I never want to see you near my girl again.” She said, pointing an angry finger at you that almost touched the tip of your nose. Clearly, there was no point in talking to her right now, so you decided to respect her wishes and you got into your car and drove away. 

When you got home, your mind was all over the place again, reviewing all of todays events, not knowing whether to feel happy or terrified, as your stomach felt like a spinning washing machine filled with both bricks and butterflies. You decided to text the girl this was all about asking whether you were still on for next week, but as the day went by you got no reply.

You knew you would have no chance at getting any sleep without hearing from her, so you decided to call her before you went to bed. To your dismay, your call went to voicemail almost straight away, like she immediately swiped it away, so you had no choice but to go to bed without any affirmation whatsoever. As you lay awake, you thought about Ella’s words. Was she right? Should you just leave her alone so you couldn’t hurt Alessia again? This taking things slow thing was going to be way more difficult than you had thought upon agreeing to it. 

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

Part 3 out now!

Writer's note: I feel like I'm really putting myself out there with this one, with the song and everything, so I hope you liked it. I wanted to distort my voice to remain anonymous, but ended up kind of liking the effect and I played with it a little. Of course it doesn't sound like the reader is singing it live, but I'll leave that to your imagination. :)

[scenteffects]

Experience the refreshing blend of clean linen, leather, and citrus with the best new car scent air freshener - a delightful aroma for your driving pleasure. Order now!!

[girlietips]

How to get compliments on how you smell.

This is not just about how your body smells but how your home, car, clothes, and everything smells. Trust I do all these things and I get compliments at least once a week for how good I smell.

Body

Shower and wash your body everyday with bar soap then your fancy body wash with all the scents.

Keep your hair washed and conditioned

A good smelling body oil followed by a similar smelling lotion for smooth skin

Deodorant reapplied as often as you can. Also the natural stuff doesn’t really work use the stuff that works. I carry a miny deodorant with me at all times.

Use both a perfume oil and perfume spray

Clothes

Keep up on laundry

Use the scent beads

Have a good odor removing detergent

Never let wet clothes sit. Always dry them

Car

Clean out your car often. Don’t let trash sit in there

Vacuum out floors and wipe down everything every two weeks

Keep air fresheners in your car

Home

Wash all your linens like you wash your clothes

Make sure your sink is clean and you don’t have trash sitting around

Use defusers and essential oils

Light candles and use air fresheners always

Clean often

This works best if you have similarly scented products for every step. That way you can be that person whose signature scent is _____ and everything about you smells like that. Personally my go to scents are vanilla, strawberry, and rose with the occasional coconut for that sweet nutty smell.

[diabunnies]

INCOMING NEW MAIL!

"BLLK DRIVING HEADCANONS" from DIA!

CONTENT AHEAD IS...

sfw! no implied romance between characters however ur free to take it however u read it!

i lub driving n ive been thinking abt this 4 a liddol bit 2 long now so here goes! a lot of these hcs are inspired by ppl ive been in a car with!

drive safely y'all ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭ pls do not be like these ppl (heavy on shidou!!!)

SHIDOU RYUSEI

thinks he's an F1 driver on the streets... i don't mean the professional F1 drivers btw! i mean the "F1" drivers everyone pretends to be in the arcade car simulators. also broke his car speakers from how loud his music is

probably has attempted to do a wheelie with the car more than once before... has had numerous points docked off his license for the stupidest reasons (ie going round a roundabout [the full 360] over and over and over again)

always forgets to turn his lights on at night and attempts to fight the officer that pulls him over. idk how he got his license (he didnt. it's fake but he doesn't know u know it's fake).

ITOSHI SAE

is absolutely silent. sorry if u were expecting more from him but when he's in the car he's iust but i like to think that its a comfortable kind of silence! sometimes he makes small talk but he rlly just prefers calmness be driving is one of the rare opportunities where he gets a bit of a break from his high action lifestyle :(

sae gives me the impression of someone that listens to podcasts and instrumental music over other genres ?? doesn't rlly mind (read: care) if u handle music but don't expect him to breakout into a song

drives one handed bc he is the only mf here that drives stick and for this reason he secretly thinks he's better than everyone for it

BAROU SHOUEI

drives like an aggressive senile person ?? whenever ur in the car w him u'd think he got his license during the industrial revolution bc he goes off the most outdated rules in the handbook

like this dude does not believe in using indicators on the roundabout ("bc the cars should already know where i'm going based on the direction or my wheel!").

u always apologise to the car u nearly crashed into be he cuts ppl off ("i should've been given right of way!!") at intersections

ITOSHI RIN

listens to edgy ahh fuckin music icl! also doesn't talk most of the time but what sets him apart from sae is that the silence is very awkward... any attempt at making conversation by u is met with nothing but soul crushing silence

sometimes his intrusive thoughts win n lets his competitive nature get ahead of him at traffic lights be he will race the car next to him for fun ಠ_ಠ

i do like to think that he loves driving the most out of everyone here and bc he drives obsessively, he knows all kinds of routes to all kinds of places (walking gps king so real)

CHIGIRI HYOMA

is probably the most normal driver. he's pretty confident in his skills (rightfully so) but ofc he doesn't pass up any opportunity to let u know that he passed his test w flying colours :/ "did you know that i pa-" every fucking time without fail ( •_•)

is the best at parking :O in fact he's so good at it that he will park in what u think is an impossible spot all be he doesn't want to walk too far

his car always smells new be he LOVES those "new car" scented air fresheners! also his car is always cold bc he refuses to let the humidity ruin his hair

NAGI SEISHIRO

has rlly rlly bad road rage BUT gets mad at u if u also express road rage ?? he tells u to calm down ?? mf ik he aint talking T⌓T

tbh i think he only has short temper be he doesn't necessarily enjoy driving (will only do it if he absolutely has to) and just wants to get home asap!

definitely waits until the very last minute to fill up his car bc of how often (.) he forgets ended up stranded in the middle of nowhere once be of this exact reason. but at least u can always count on him for having a battery pack!

GAGAMARU GIN

drives below the speed limit... would (and has) swerve to the wrong side of the highway to avoid hitting a bird be he doesn't trust that it'd fly away in time (the bird flew away along with his soul bc he was a second away from colliding with a truck)

poor thing always gets honked at by cars behind him be he gives way to EVERYONE (even if he has the right of way) and traffic always piles up.

his car always smells like Those jellybelly jelly beans be he loves sweet-smelling things! im not joking every time u enter his car ur nose is flooded by candy flavoured air ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

BACHIRA MEGURU

gets distracted rlly easily by any piece of stimuli. oh there's a windmill? nice! u bet his eyes are already following it. roadkill on the side of the road? would point it out and proceed to try and look at it for the next kilometre. probably mourns the thing for the rest of the trip tbh :(

points out livestock grazing on the side of the road! every! time! instigates eye spy every time but chooses the most obscure things and gets surprised whenever u give up

will not hesitate to pick up whenever his mum is calling; doesn't matter if it's super busy on the road or if he's in a crash bc he Will make the time for her

ISAGI YOICHI

is the only mf prepared with everything. he has a mini cooler in the boot stocked with juice and water, his glove box is filled with masks and wet wipes, has a blanket in the back, a 50pc first aid kit in the centre console, snacks in the boot, and insurance papers stashed somewhere.

his car is spotless bc he details and deep cleans it (both interior and exterior) every week bc he is very self-conscious abt his car (n his driving) be he wants his passenger(s) to always be comfy :((

will play (and let u play) any kinda music but during significant soccer matches he will always play a live audio coverage of the match! so im v sorry if u wanted to listen to the new TWICE album but germany v spain is on so ur gonna have 2 wait ;´༎ຶਊ ༎ຶ`;

MIKAGE REO

in the rare occasions that he drives himself and not by a personal driver, he talks a lot. like a whole fuckin lot! but no one can complain be its not like he's dominating the entire conversation!

that kind of driver where the trip otw to a place is better than the actual destination! dygwim??? sometimes u both ditch the og plan for a random burger joint on the side of the highway

if he picks u up he's always early be sometimes he wants to drop by a spot (oooh guys he knows a spot ᵔ.ᵔ) he wants to show u! ps his car has heated seats and massage options മ◡മ

MICHAEL KAISER

ness has to be in the car with him for ur sake... bc if he's there at least u have someone that actually talks about things and includes u in stuff... unlike kaiser who only talks abt himself LMFAOOO

has pictures of him littered everywhere in the car... u open the sunshade? there's a polaroid of him that falls out :/ this mf the type to sign his car in hopes of making mad bank off reselling it some day as a collector's item of "the great king, kaiser!"

the type of guy to wink at every road camera in case he gets caught for committing a traffic violation ("u can never let them catch u lacking!" kaiser dawg u goin 40 over the limit!)

OLIVER AIKU

has a "honk if ur single" sticker plastered on his back window but always forgets so he gets annoyed whenever ppl honk at him (dawg makes his own problems LMFAOO)

pulls up to red lights next to a conventionally attractive person to roll down his window and wink at them @_@ the police station has definitely received multiple calls from ppl due to his... violating behaviours...

his car smells like his deodorant bc he douses himself in it before he gets out (sorry if ur asthmatic)

[hackerqueen]

Another Love

Chapter 3: Runaway

Previous chapter <-

warnings: none i think but if you catch any, let me know in the comments!

A week has passed. 7 days, 168 hours since I last saw Jessy. I tried not to think about it, I was absorbed in preparations for the upcoming wedding and bachelorette party. I forgot my behavior in the car and the messages from Lilly I received on the evening of the ill-fated day.

Lilly: I know it's hard for you

Lilly: I know you see him too

Lilly: But that's impossible.

MC: I won't let you make me insane. Not this time.

Lilly: I'm not saying that at all. But it's impossible that you saw him.

This message was followed by a minute of silence, followed by another heartbreaking one.

Lilly: You can't see him because he's dead

I did not reply. In fact, the blonde didn't even wait for an answer. She simply closed the newly opened wound, which was slowly sticking together.

I looked at my reflection, searching for the old sparks that I knew had left my brown eyes forever. I scanned my body clad in a red dress that reached my mid-thighs. Seen view.. was decent. I was like a rose, though not fresh and fully bloomed, but dried up. Tonight was supposed to be a good evening. I was supposed to drink, play, dance and forget about God's world. Have fun like there's no tomorrow.

I heard a loud horn of a car that approached my block. I came down and immediately recognized Dan's black Volkswagen. I walked inside and breathed a sigh of relief as I smelled a familiar scent that only reminded me of this man. It had a very distinctive perfume, and in combination with the air freshener it calmed my senses and heart.

– Well, well, well. Someone struced up like a rat for the opening of the sewer.

I looked at him with narrowed eyes, but my feigned indignation couldn't last long once I saw his expression. I burst out laughing, nudging his shoulder hard.

– Gallant as always. – Dan chuckled and drove out of the parking lot. – You know, you keep on being nice to me, and I'm going to think you like me.

The man looked at me again, his other hand lowering his sunglasses to the tip of his nose.

– Who says I don't like you, honey? – he said, deliberately lowering his voice to sound like a lover in a cheap romantic comedy

I rolled my eyes, but there was a wide smile on my face.

– Eyes on the road, Jack Daniels.

I loved those moments when I got into that car and forgot about everything. Sometimes it was friday nights, other times we disappeared for the whole weekend. There was nothing dirty or romantic about our relationship. Of course, it was true that Dan was trying his luck by asking me out to watch horror movies together two years ago, but I'd never agreed to that. We realized that our connection is only platonic and that our hearts belong to someone else. Dan was unlucky in love with Jessy. He confessed this to me six months ago when I drove him drunk from Aurora. It was our first meeting with the whole group, even though I had been living in Duskwood for a year and a half at the time. I had no contact with them all this time, because the group completely shut down. Jessy was experiencing Richy's death, Cleo and Thomas tried to help Hannah in the meantime assimilating with the whole situation. Dan told me everything. About how he tried to be there for the redhead, but she rejected him.

The pack of friends was rapidly falling apart and no one knew how to fix it. I flew to Duskwood two years ago for Richy and Jake's funeral. And I don't even know how or when I stayed here until today. I left my old Californian life behind for a small town. In the States, I had no one worth staying for. I didn't have a family, and a handful of friends accepted my decision rather quickly. I thought it would be different here. That I will start all over again.

– And here we are. – he announced in an optimistic, cheerful voice getting out of the car – I'll bring alcohol and I'll take Tommyboy on the best party in his life.

Hannah's bachelorette party was to be held at her house. It was big enough to party, and she didn't want to do that in Aurora. We walked into her place and I was immediately hit by the loud music. I said hello to each person and showed Dan where to put the crate with various alcohol. We were still standing at the kitchen counter, discussing the evening ahead. We stay here, while Thomas and his friends go to Aurora.

Finally our eyes fell on the opposite end of the room where Hannah and Thomas were. They were joking about something, looking into each other's eyes while looking so happy. They looked like fulfilled lovers who overcame many adversities to finally stand on the wedding carpet and connect for life.

– How sweet. – Dan mumbled, and I immediately sensed the irony in his voice

– You have to be a jerk your entire life. Why not take today off? – I replied teasingly as he rolled his eyes

Although we always joked and turned it into sarcasm and irony, deep down we envied them a lot. That they succeeded and we did not.

– Oh, MC, you're here! – I heard a loud scream of Cleo who came over to me and hugged me – Hi Dan. Shit, I forgot to bring my phone upstairs.

– I'll bring you. I have to go to the bathroom anyway. Will you make me a drink? – I suggested to which she immediately agreed.

I did my physiological business and went to Hannah's room where the phone was on the bed. Picking it up, I saw that she was calling and showing her mother's number. I started to head to the ground floor of the house, where I heard loud screams. Looks like they're having fun already.

– Where the fuck have you been?!

I recognized Dan's voice, who was furious. I stood on the penultimate step looking at the group of people in front of me.

– Cleo, your...

The woman turned to me, and only then I saw the person standing in front of the front door. A shiver ran down my spine and my feet dug into the ground. The man was dressed in dark colors, and the hood of a black sweatshirt slightly covered his face. But even from this distance, I knew who he was. He was a ghost who haunted me on what was supposed to be my stepping stone. He couldn't let himself be forgotten.

I saw him lift his head, look from an enraged Dan to me. I felt his blue eyes piercing me. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I heard his voice.

– Hello MC.

I knew that voice was the thorns decorating my tense body. That voice was the beginning of my end. So without thinking, I turned around and started running upstairs, leaving them all behind me.

I ran away from him although once I would run for him.

[p8rasite]

“ MAYBE THE NIGHT. ”

*   ──   ‘ 1.3k words : fluff / angst : jeon wonwoo x gn! reader : no warning : can be read as sequel to the eighth wonder of the world or standalone . ’  

the red light's taking longer than usual.

drumming your fingers upon the steering wheel, you watch the outside world through the windshield. there's not much to see: just a couple walking their dog, some pigeons flittering around a lamppost, a bespectacled male with his face buried in the collar of his jacket—

“wonwoo?” before you second guess your next move, the shotgun window's rolled down and you call, “jeon wonwoo!”

he stops, takes a few steps back, and turns to look at you. your name comes out as a surprised breath. “wow, it's been a while.”

“yeah, it really has..” almost a year. “where are you heading?”

“home, actually. i just popped out to the library and returned some books.”

“let me guess, trying to read all of the books in the sci-fi section again?”

“nearly, i'm taking on the young adult novels this time.”

“very nice,” you giggle. with your mind so caught up in seeing your ex again, you almost don't notice him digging his face further in his jacket. the sight doesn't surprise you; he was always the one who forgot to wear a scarf. “if you'd like, i can give you a ride home.”

“it's alright, i'm sure you have much more important things to do.”

“please, my schedule is free.”

it's a lie. you've been looking forward to watching all four seasons of legend of korra.. but what he doesn't know won't hurt him.

without any excuse, wonwoo finally concedes. once he gets in and buckles in his seatbelt, he can't help himself from looking around. you're still using that cherry scented air freshener that only lasts a month, there are a few squishmallows resting in the backseat, and your cup holder is occupied by a mini powerbank.

nothing has changed.

perhaps the same applies to the car's owner.

the small huh that slips from your lips brings his attention back to you. as you shift gears and drive again, you think aloud, “the traffic light only turned green after you got in my car.”

“really?” his brows furrow slightly. “that's a little strange.”

you nod, confused yet relieved that you're moving again. right as you turn the corner, the urge to smack yourself rises steadily. “hold on, do you still live in the same apartment?”

“fortunately, yeah. it's a miracle that the landlady hasn't kicked us out yet.”

you snort at that, fully aware of how hyper his roommates can be. as endearing as soonyoung and mingyu are, they can be compared to kids that have been given too much sugar. meanwhile, wonwoo is the tired babysitter who does his best to make sure neither of them hurt themselves, especially mingyu.

“perhaps she has a soft spot for you three. it wouldn't be surprising, you did say she calls you her grandkids.”

he's taken aback. it's an insignificant detail, something he told you during one of his drowsy rambles, yet you remember. “you know, she still asks about you.”

your grip on the wheel loosens slightly. “huh, that's a surprise.”

“i guess she's fond of you too.”

what about you—it sounds too strong, you decide to not ask.

silence fits itself in between the two of you until the roundabout comes up on the horizon. a soft melody begins to play from the radio, one you strain to hear, until wonwoo turns the volume up. once you hear the lyrics, the reason why it sounds so familiar becomes clear: it's your favorite song.

when you glance at wonwoo, he merely shrugs his shoulders. “i remember you enjoyed singing along to this song. ‘said it made you feel like an actual singer who's performing for a stadium full of fans.” as he explains, the apples of his cheeks darken. assuming he's still cold, you increase the heating some more.

“true, but you're already freezing so i won't inflict more misery on you.” you joke, but he doesn't react with a chuckle, not even a smile.

a frown mars his face. “you might not be a professional, but i enjoy your impromptu performances.”

you bite your bottom lip, silently wishing he'll stop feeding your hope. but there's no fairy godmother who can grant it with one bibbidi bobbidi boo, so you have to figure it out on your own.

his apartment complex isn't hard to miss, its modern design makes sure of that. you park by the sidewalk, and he waits for you to unlock the doors, but you don't. instead, you face him properly to address the elephant in the vehicle.

“that night, why did you come pick me up?”

now that, that is definitely too strong. but for almost a year, you've been turning the reasons over in your head. it's time to put a full stop to it; to cut the line that shouldn't exist anymore.

as wonwoo faces you, he feels the need to tell the truth. that's just how it is; he almost never has the will in himself to lie to you. the only time he did was when you asked him if it’s okay that you two go on your separate ways. of course it wasn't—why else would he still have a folder on his phone full of your photographed moments—but the two of you had been so busy in your lives, he understood where you were coming from.

his breath condensates his glasses, yet his words are clear. 

“because i needed to make sure you got home safely. even if that meant leaving my friend's party early, i did it. had anything happened to you..” you reach out to hold his hands, lightly brushing his knuckles to soothe him. “..i would have asked you to give my heart back. because if i can't take care of you, then it's time i move on and let you be free of its weight.”

you swallow thickly. that reason had appeared in your mind, but you called it silly. now that your former lover himself is engraving it in history, several feelings and thoughts wash over you. the most potent of them all elicits you to lean over, only to be restricted by your seatbelt.

wonwoo chuckles when he hears you mutter ‘fuck seatbelts’ once more, followed by the click. it's like deja vu, the way you cup his face in your hands like you're holding the eighth wonder of the world. a little more confident than your past self, you ask him, “would it be bad if i asked if we can try again?”

the corners of his lips quirk as he answers, “i'm not sure, would it be worse if i said i'd like that?”

your hands fall slightly, arms weaving around his shoulders for a hug. the stick shift slightly digs into your side, yet you're far too happy to care. he removes his own seatbelt to reciprocate the gesture, face buried in the crook of your neck. perhaps this is the moment, the one he wants to be engraved within forever.

almost nothing could ruin it—

“you owe me, kwan!” hoshi's voice reverbates through the once quiet street, accompanied by seungkwan's complaints through the speaker of the former's phone. if you cancel out the pair's banter, you can hear the other guys celebrating. mingyu is quieter, yet just as ecstatic as his noisy roommate is. the big grin and thumbs up he gives the two of you makes that obvious.

wonwoo digs his face further, too embarrassed to witness the chaos personified that is his best friends. you try to soothe him again by rubbing his back, laughing as you do so. it doesn't matter if they witnessed one of the most important moments in your life, their reactions only made it better.

you look forward to seeing how they react once you make it official again.

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