#but uhh forgot where i’d put it since i fell asleep as soon as the idea came to me lol

[pleom]

There would be no other day like today. Where time is precious, when moments come to be lost forever, you cannot allow yourself to pass up any more. You will not. You will pull on your tattered coat, dust off your saddle shoes and hush your stationed horses—ssh, not today; when a day rears close on its anxiety-driven metal wheels, then the appreciation of serenity is in order.

Today, the doors will glide instead of creak. The floor will come hardened instead of splintered. You will climb upon a new form of transportation, and ride it from the wilderness-shrouded cabin you call your home. Your heart will beat fast, your mind will think of nothing but everything. But you will learn to enjoy it.

Except...there is a man sat in front of you. The train rode in from Nowhere to the East, and inside, when you climbed aboard, there was no one except you and this man. He hummed to himself, wrapped his lips around wordless lyrics. His gaze flickered from the trees whizzing behind you to the fabric of your clothes, the split soles on your shoes. You tried to keep your face stoic, like you weren’t also comparing the quality difference between you and what a respectable human should look like. Your chest squeezed, heart beating fast in a way you did not enjoy.

This...this was a mistake. A backwoods-born vagrant like you had no business crawling where the affluent passed. You had half a mind to leap from your seat then and there, to exit the train by any means necessary. It had already dragged you miles from the point of your home, but you knew with your lack of expertise, you could make it anywhere.

The thought of leaping—of standing to attention—however, seemed to bring shame in a way you hadn’t felt in a long time. You were constantly wracked with all layers of guilt and humility, but they wrapped themselves around you in the comfort of your own home. You were alone to quell them. You were alone to indulge in them.

Now, all you could do was keep your head down and pray that your presence didn't bother more oncoming passengers. Soon, you were barricaded on all sides by strangers, those who jumped on to jump off. You didn't dare to bring your gaze on any of them, mentally blocked out their conversations in case any of them were directed towards you, involved you.

This was fine, you supposed. You could handle this.

You could handle keeping your eyes locked to your shoes, minding others as they walked passed. You'd feel the train shutter to a stop every so often, and patterns would disappear from your sight. Sounds grew quieter. You could breath again.

Until, a pair of shoes seemed to step directly in front of you. They didn't move until you forced yourself to look back up and—no.

The same man from before stood before you. You wanted to flee right then and there, but he held up a palm as though he read your thoughts. From his pocket, he pulled out a couple of crisp bills.

You stared at him, and he nudge them forward as the train's robotic intercom announced its next destination. Silent and slow, you grabbed the money from his hand.

He nodded with a smile, and that expression sent shivers down you. You watched as he bounded off the train, the train doors closing immediately after.

The train jerked and rumbled and left the station and man behind.

--

The next time you got on the train, you went for medicine.

You had scrounged up some antiques you had no more use for, and planned to visit any ol’ pawn shop you might come across. You had trouble gauging the worth of your properties. You might come out with more than enough or come out too short. You had already made peace with the possibility of both. Though in your heart, you desperately hoped for the former. But you couldn’t waste your time mulling over such minute details like that. You’d since learn to count your blessings as they came, to face the present and only the present.

And presently, a familiar face stared at you from across the train cart.

Dressed as prim and proper as ever, the same man from before whistled a pleasant melody from his seat. You grew uncomfortable, though you were surrounded and—not so—hidden by others. You couldn’t be sure he was staring at you, right?

You glanced down at your attire. Luckily, you didn’t look so dingy as you usually did. A new longcoat, bright yet blending well within the crowd, and you felt really proud about it. It was a treat. You’d figured holding onto currency that meant nothing to you would be a waste. He had given it to you for a reason, certainly.

Though you knew, begrudgingly, that any such sort of generosity came at the price of your image, your non-existent reputation. You would’ve—should’ve!—felt shame then. But…

You brought your gaze up to meet his. He seemed to trace his eyes over other parts of your body. He looked...contemplative. Again, you should have averted your eyes in shame. But your heart fluttered.

You didn’t feel judged.

--

Logically, you knew exactly what you were feeling. You knew exactly how childish your emotions were.

You left the train before he did, at the first sign of urbanization. Didn’t matter where you were, as long as you found the shops you were looking for. You walked into a pawn shop, bartered, betted, auctioned, and came out with what you hoped was adequate.

Rationally, you knew where you should have stopped at first. You knew exactly how foolish you were when you walked into an entertainment shop instead. One where they sold books and DVDs and music. You walked past the humming shoppers, strained an ear to see if you could catch an accustomed tune. You didn’t linger for long. Indulging in these feelings were dangerous. You set your eyes on the first book cover that caught your attention.

A man and a woman, coiled around each other in an embrace you’d never seen before. It had a title, perhaps an author, but it didn’t matter. You rung it through the cashier and stuffed it in your coat pocket before you could mentally process the cost. You’ll deal with the guilt at home.

--

It helped. A bit.

What didn't help—and you were quick to realize—was that your literacy was entirely not up to par. You struggled through words, lost the plot on many occasions.

You looked to your bookshelf filled with thick and vibrant spines, some bent, some peeling and revealing the aged yellow pages underneath. But none of them were yours, well, had been yours.

Your mother had spent years fretting over instructing you to read, count, and learn many skills that could get you by in life. And petulant you had refused her attempts to fool around instead. The horses won't know how to read, why should you?

You swallowed a lump in your throat. She was gone and you had no one but you to force yourself through these pages.

--

The next time you hopped on the train, you were shocked to see that the same man wasn't there. It was you and a cart full of empty seats and a handful of passengers.

In a way, this was the best possible outcome for you.

Taking a seat, you got to reading. It had gotten slightly easier for you, you were now able to get the gist of the passages every few paragraphs or so. The main couple seemed to be enthralled by each other, proclaiming their love for one another through stubborn and rebellious actions.

You yourself fell lost to their world, didn't even notice when someone found a place to sit right next to you. The jingle of jewelry caught your attention.

You will never not be awestruck by his presence.

The man's gaze fell to the book in your hands and you were too late to hide the cover once you realized what he was looking at. You grew warm when a smirk wormed its way onto his face.

No words were passed between you. Time went on in silence as the train rode closer and closer to your destination.

It felt a bit too comfortable to you. To be sat next to a man who seemed to exude such confidence and stability. It seemed uncanny that someone of his ilk would be fine to be near you, even more so when that someone also deems it alright to offer you a snack.

You blinked up at him as he extended his treat, his eyes focused on yours. It slowly came to you that this was the first time you had ever heard him speak.

You were struck by the warm chords of his voice! It sounded even more beautiful than the choruses he chanted under his breath. You didn’t know what to say, and in the wake of his own, you felt compelled to keep the sound of your voice a secret. Here, you had no idea what sounded normal and whether you did or did not. You never paid attention to the chatter around you, never spoke when spoken to. It hadn’t occurred to you that you might sound cacophonic to others.

So all you could do was nod. A tight smile on your lips while his grew. He broke off a piece and handed it to you, and you took great care to avoid the tips of his fingers—out of respect for him, of course. He watched as it met your lips; you almost squealed at the taste of it! A sweetness that couldn’t be found in the straw-or-blueberries of your gardens. It was dark, yet tasted light.

You felt silly for having such a strong reaction to something so small, especially under that strong gaze of his. But the edges of his eyes crinkled as he observed you. He broke off more pieces, gave them to you, and didn’t stop until all that was left was a shiny wrapper that he crumpled and shoved into his pocket.

The exchange ended there. He stood up, hung on tightly to the railing as the train jerked into its station. You thought that was it, and was ready to dive back into the book that was currently sliding off the edge of your lap. Then, he tapped you on your shoulder.

He pulled his hood over his head with a smile and said, “I’m Sunwoo.”

--

Sunwoo. Sunwoo.

You thought of carving that name into the plaque fixed over your room’s bed, somewhere private and personal. If only you knew how to spell it…

You could sound it out—S-U-H-N-W-U—but...something about that felt a bit...off. You were running out of things to sell. Pretty soon you might become one of those rowdy vendors that sold… aged vegetables to the people. That wasn’t to say you had no more belongings worth a coin. But even a woodlands-frolicker like yourself held sentimentality for some things.

Your horses for that matter. Betty and Jackson were pretty much useless at this point, replaced by a machine that raced faster than the trees around you when you rode on their backs. But you promised to yourself that you would die with them, if it ever came down to it.

Your hut was filled to the ceiling with tiny, wooden trinkets and clothing that would require a dream to fit you. Some of them were old children’s pajamas and riding gear. The others belonged to your mother. They were stitched over in cobwebs at this point—the dresses and shawls of your mother. Some part of you itched to bury them next to her, but… you weren’t sure if you were ready to say goodbye to your past just yet.

You hesitated on saying goodbye at all.

You don’t have to say anything, do anything. You were taught to face the present and expect the future.

The train should be arriving any time now. For a while, you had gauged where the train tracks went. From your cabin, growing up you had wondered what could bring such a violent ruckus. The trees did well to muffle the sounds of animalistic pain and anger, sorrowful songs, and cheerful bleating. You would only ever hear such noise when it came near to you. Young you would sprout through your front door to investigate. You had made many natural acquaintances this way.

The first time you had heard the raucous sound of a steam whistle you were struck by a terrifying sense of grief and unsettlement. It was unlike any sound you’d ever heard—too savage, the sound of pent up hunger or fear. You remembered rushing to your mother, heart beating so loud you could barely hear your own speech. Confusion filled you when she grinned; that cheeky grin she had whenever it was prime time for a joke, or a white lie about what lurked beyond the forest.

“That’s a train,” she had said, “it picks up lost travelers and takes them places that never spell out anything good. Best to avoid them.”

Dear mother... you prayed that she wouldn’t find out what went on in your head. You knew your surroundings so well you could navigate with your eyes closed. But, still, you couldn't deny just how utterly lost you were without her guidance.

You closed your eyes and clutched your head.

The train tracks were only west from here.

--

It came too early. It whizzed by. The vibrations gripped you by the bones and you nearly fell onto your back. Your legs were trembling for a whole other reason. The tears in your eyes swelled but didn’t spill for someone else. You kept them locked on the windows, hoping for that one other face you knew. Maybe he’d see you, and he’d mime words and pleas that you might change your mind and back out.

The train was gone and all you caught was your own face, and the deflation in which you realized.

--

The next time you hopped on the train you were carrying boxes upon boxes. Your cabin was effectively empty.

You prayed that you wouldn’t happen across Sunwoo this time. In fact, you had made the conscious decision of picking a different cart to ride in this time. You didn’t want him to see you like this, face blotchy as a homeless man in winter. You hugged the boxes closer to you, breathed in their woody scent. If all went according to plan, you would meet Sunwoo as a new person, for just a moment, like all the moments before. You would leave an impression on him as strong as his to you. All those fleeting memories from before would vanish and be replaced by something magnificent.

If you had Sunwoo’s musical talent, you would present to him your swan song and it would be half as beautiful as him.

You had even written him a letter to make up for all the silent conversations you had until now. Reading over it you could scarcely make out your own handwriting, and it was filled with eraser marks and misspellings (though you had double checked using your book as reference). But despite it all, it was enough.

And yet, when it came down to it, you found yourself more choked up than usual. You said nothing when Sunwoo found his spot beside you, said nothing when he asked how you were.

“I saw you...by the train tracks,” He looked more than concerned. “You were looking unwell.”

Rather than looking poor or unkempt, a small victory.

“I probably won’t be able to relate to anything you might’ve experienced." A truth that hurt more than you thought it would. “But...you could still talk about it, if you want…?”

Sunwoo paused, expecting a response from you. But what could you do? Your throat was clogged up by an invisible force. It hurt to talk almost as much as much as it hurt to breath. You would have nothing of substance to say even if it didn't. Nothing worth hearing.

Sunwoo inhaled deeply, thoughtfully. He looked at you again.

“I’ll listen,” and he folded his headphones in his lap.

--

Your days were filled with music now. Not only the sounds that would drip from Sunwoo’s lips, but from the speakers lodged just overhead. You bobbed your head to the tune as shoppers weaved in and out of the store.

The sun was going down, and it was a sight you could finally admire without lines of trees blocking your view. You tallied your stocks and were getting ready to head home. Your boss tipped his hat as he came out of the storage room, Sunwoo following close by. He was distracted by a small box in his hands. Despite that, the store keys jingled in his other hand as he tapped his finger along to the song playing. You smiled.

“Still unpacking the supplies?”

Sunwoo looked up at your voice, then a small smile graced his lips.

“Nah, just grabbing something special before I forget.”

“Special?” Your eyebrows shot up at that. A terribly restrained snicker came from your boss at the corner of the room. “Did you order a new sound board?”

To be truthful, you had no idea what a sound board was, and the box Sunwoo was holding seemed much too small to carry a board of any kind. But your knowledge of technology was expectedly limited, and you shared the same eagerness to learn such intricacies with your new boyfriend.

Your heart stuttered at the thought. A boyfriend. B-o-y f-r-i-e-n-d—and yours, at that! You had no idea such a thing existed when you were a kid. Sharing conversations with your new coworkers revealed that such themes—dating and lovers, and with that, flirting and protecting—were dreams and goals set since childhood.

The book from months ago was your first introduction to this . You thought it fiction at first, much like the fables and cautionary tales your mother imbued in you since birth. You knew what love was, of course, you knew what marriage was, too, despite its absence in your life. But all that led up to it might have been some impromptu decision, for all little-you was aware.

Yet here you were, dancing in the little steps it took to get to that point. It still didn’t feel real. You had already gone through the custom of dates more than several times, had already felt his lips on yours, had already felt what it was like to grasp his body in a hug. And yet, it still did not feel real.

You felt like you were floating when Sunwoo looked into your eyes. When Sunwoo pulled your hand into his and led you out the front store doors, you felt fifteen times lighter.

“This is for you,” He said, presenting the same box in his hand to you. You took it. It was incredibly light. Whatever was inside must be fragile. “Open it when you get home.”

“I can’t open it right now?” You grinned mischievously and reached for the slits of the box as though you were planning on tearing it open before him. He didn’t react, just looked at you with fond eyes and shrugged.

“I think you’d appreciate it more if you opened at your house,” He waved at your boss as he passed through, then locked the store doors behind him. He took your hand in his again and led you towards the train station. “S’not just any ol’ gift. I spent a lot of money on commissioning it.”

As he’d always done, even when you began dating and were no longer the same financially as you were before. Not since he had convinced his boss to bring on a new employee. No longer did you have to dig behind your cupboards to find something to sell for a pretty coin. No, actually your home had slowly became replenished. This gift won’t be the only one lining your shelves.

You expressed your gratitude once your stop arrived. You kissed him, savored the feel and taste of his lips, and hugged him goodbye.

You were more than excited to unravel the gift. Your horses greeted you by the stables. The silence of the forest was disturbed by your thrashing. You gave yourself no time to relax in the comfort of your own home. You cut through the tape and retrieved Sunwoo’s present with an anxious heart.

This was it:

A figurine. One with an idle person, kneeled on verdant grass, encircled by a small family of deer. A doe and her fawn. The person reaches out to the infant deer, pets it with the edges of their fingers while the larger mother looks on.

The sight of it made you cry.

-

Everything sounds louder when you’re alone in the wilderness.

Sunwoo’s screams were no exception.

“It’s okay,” you said, holding a bundle of radishes by the stem. Your horse Jackson nibbled on them in peace, but your Sunwoo thought anything but. He cowered behind you, keeping an eye on the horse while he waved away buzzing mosquitoes and other insects. “He’s not gonna hurt you.”

“Horses are predators disguised as prey,” He shrieked, “And I don’t fall for their act one bit! He seems gentle now but I heard those teeth can crush all the bones in your hand.”

“Yeah, if you stuck your hand in his mouth,” you took his hand as you said this. Forcibly passing the vegetables to Sunwoo, you slowly wrapped your hands around his. Carefully, you maneuvered him in front of you and in front of Jackson, who only sniffed his knuckles in response. Gently, “Do this.”

You felt Sunwoo’s breathing on your skin, hurried. Yet, he complied, bringing his hand up to the horse's mouth. He gasped when he felt his lips brush against him, but seemed more awestruck when Jackson daintily worked his teeth over the leaves.

When you felt it was right, you let him go and sat nearby on the stone steps to your house. What should have been a moment to relax, instead your heart seemed to be trying to beat its way out of your chest. You were home and you were with Sunwoo. The place that held your fondest memories and the place that spurned you in your darkest times.

There was more than confliction when you thought of this place.

This was your home, the one and only place you could truly call safe. For the majority of your life, this was all you knew. And yet, you grew to be ashamed of your living space, once mother vanished and you were left to discover that you were the anomaly, not the “travellers.” (In the end, you became one yourself.)

You learned to move past that oddly rooted self-pity. But some of it still lurked. Especially now, with Sunwoo steps away from welcoming himself into your personal space.

You still only had a vague idea of what ‘looking presentable’ meant. Your coworkers would dust off knicks-and-knacks and giggle about how ‘dated’ some looked. Such words meant nothing to you. That is, until you brought home a city-raised boy. Then, suddenly they meant everything.

But there were times Sunwoo never passed judgement on you, though he was well within his right to.

You looked back at Sunwoo to see that he’d warmed up to Jackson. The horse gobbled down the last of the radishes, and neighed happily in his direction. Sunwoo’s cheeks bunched up in a giddy smile. You noted, as he ran his hand up and down Jackson’s side, that he shared the same gentleness with him as he did with you.

You got up from your seat and reached your boys. Sunwoo looked at you when you pulled his hand into yours, a smile on your face.

“Ready to go inside?”

--

Tea was drained. Snacks were set and wolfed down and Sunwoo’s lips were on yours.

There were many things you were feeling, many thoughts crossed your mind as he pulled you close to his body while you savored his heat. He smelt good, felt better, but above all, he was sweet. Sweeter than chocolate, sweeter than any berry you could ever hope to pluck.

It had been two years since you had met on the train. Two years since you thought you had made your final decision. Now you could look back at the past with pitiful fondness.

“You know, when I first saw you I thought you were a prince of some kind,” you huffed when you pulled back. You made note of the color of his cheeks and lips, how glossy they were up close. “In fact I thought everyone around me were nobles.”

“You…” He began, but paused to smile. “I won’t lie, I was intrigued by you. The train that runs past here is pretty remote, so I knew pretty much every face that boarded and departed that thing. Then you came, and you certainly weren’t from town.”

His hand began combing through your hair, gently untangling the knots and twirling at the ends. “Didn’t know where you came from or were planning to go, and apparently neither did you. You were lost and I was curious and hoped that maybe we’d get off at the same stop. Then mine came and you were still sitting there and I thought, man, if this is the only time we cross then I’d like to at least do this person one thing, do this one favor, and hope for the best.”

You hummed. Hearing that felt nice. Feeling him on you was nice. Sunwoo then pressed a warm kiss onto your forehead.

“Karma certainly worked itself out for me.”

---

A/N: damn editing this rlly made this story seem all over the place ANYWAY i finished this fic within days then was stumped on the ending for w e e k s bc i wanted the last interaction to be abt first impressions and well….it was either sunwoo having a savior complex or being like “yeah so i thot u were a homeless bum” but i got tired of putting it off so fuck it. cheesy corny dialogue bc i wrote myself into a corner and I GIVE UP!!

[the-fiction-witch]

Wait What?

REAL LIFE

COUPLE TBS X READER

RATING SWEET AF

I smiled as I stood Infront of my mirror drying and sorting out my hair so I looked presentable as I did my phone went off.

Y/n <3 :

Just doing my make up should be ready soon

"Ahh fuck" I said out loud

Thomas:

Okay Hun, on my way

Even if I lied fixing my hair and grabbing my clothes knowing she'll get worried if I'm late I made sure I looked good and went down grabbing my keys

"Ahh!! Fuck! Fuck shit! Almost forgot" I said almost slapping my fucking self for being so dump, running back upstairs and digging thought my bedside draw desperate to find what the hell I did with it, grabbing the little blue velvet box opening it to make sure it was still in there, seeing the light twinkle in the rows of diamonds in the beautiful gold.

I shut it back up hiding it in my pocket and going down locking up and getting in my car.

I began the drive over to y/n's parents place, she had gone for the weekend just mostly to spend some time with her family but I used it as the perfect excuse to have her out the house so I could get ready.

I've wanted to propose to y/n honestly since I met her, but it never quite seemed right and then once we moved in together it was kinda a nightmare to plan in anyway without the suprise getting ruined.

But luckily she went away all weekend, the house empty, free to walk around the shops on my own so I could sort it all out, and it so happily fell on our anniversary.

I had been looking for about the last year for a ring and I found a little shop not to far away that had a nice one, I didn't care what it cost it was for y/n after all. So I reserved it a few months ago while we where out shopping and she conveniently went for a wonder in lush on her own, and I picked it up yesterday then booked us a nice dinner the same place I took her on our first real date, so I headed over to pick her up and I pulled up at her family house and as soon as I shut the car off and got out she opened the door in her perfect purple dress her make up and hair done so perfect she looked like a beautiful painting from a thousand years ago I felt so happy to see her I almost ran over hugging her tightly

"Whoa... Hi Thomas" she laughs giving me a little cuddle to

"You look so beautiful" I told her kissing her head "I missed you so bad"

"Aww thank you Tommy, I missed you too" she smiled pulling away and giving my lips a tiny kiss "come on Mr else we'll be late" she warns heading to the car I smiled widely and got into the car with her starting to drive off often resting my hand in her leg as I drove "so why exactly are we going so fancy?" She asks

"Well it's our anniversary" I laughed

"Thomas I'd have thought by now you'd have known I'd rather just cuddle up on the sofa with some popcorn and pizza watching breaking bad or something" she explained

"I know... But sometimes it's fun to be fancy" I smiled as we got to the restaurant and I parked up "umm I love you so much" I smiled giving her a kiss

"Aww I love you too, what's going on?" She asks

"What why do you ask?" I asked in panic had I given it away that early?

"Your being very... Affectionate today Thomas, and very lovey dovey" she explained "I'm not used to you being like this" she explained as she got out and I followed her

"Maybe I just really missed you?" I suggest

"I was gone two days Thomas" she laughs

"Well maybe I just want to show my love for you a little more" I shrug

"Alright, but I'm watching you Sangster" she warns as she headed inside.

We sat to dinner at the same table we had our first date laughing and talking about everything and nothing as we had dinner I couldn't help smiling as I looked at her as we waited for dessert while she had some wine I got the box out of my pocket fiddling with it trying to find a step in the conversation to maybe get onto the topic, or somehow get into that idea

I really should have planned this more.

I have to lead into it don't I?

I can't really just shove the box on the table and just pop the question.

"Sally? Will you marry me?" A voice asked from across the restaurant we both looked and saw another couple on a date and he was on his knee proposing

Oh thanks dude now I have to follow you!

He probably practiced, Or atleast wrote it down.

"Aww that's so sweet" y/n smiled

"Yeah, really sweet" I smiled trying to not act nervous

"What a beautiful way to propose" she smiled Dam I wasn't watching what he did! Should I have been? Or would that be copying? "Umm don't like the ring thought" she says turning back just as dessert got here

"Oohh what kinda ring was it? I didn't really see?" I asked

"Diamond, I know there a classic and all I just really don't like them" she explained

And I had a heart attack fiddling with the box in my hand containing the diamond ring I had bought

"Wait what?" I asked trying not to cry or scream

"I don't like diamonds, the whole thing is a old marketing campaign, and that's before you even look into the ethics of diamond mining. Plus honestly I just find them boring there just sparkly and white, I can get that from glass" she explained

"So... If someone where to, buy you a diamond ring? You wouldn't like it?"

"I'd like it, hell I'd be engaged they could ask with a haribo ring and I'd be happy" she laughs "but I think I would be a little disappointed, that they would do something special for me" she explained eating her cake "why?" She asks

"Just curious that's all Hun" I said faking a smile putting the little box back in my pocket "so... If let's for theory's sake, I was going to propose? What kinda ring would you want?" I asked

"If you where?" She asks slyly licking her spoon

"If I was" I smiled

"I don't know... Maybe a gem of some kind? Or a rare stone? Ooohh or like an opal I love opals there all so different and interesting" she explained

"Okay" I nodded

"Why are you so curious anyway?" She asks

"I don't know, I like finding out new stuff about you" I smiled.

I yawned sitting up having a stretch rubbing my eyes after being up so late last night, I looked over to the other side of my bed looking at y/n perfectly sleep.

Ummm you where meant to be my finance by now, I sighed looking at my jacket from last night still with that box in my pocket, I was mad at myself

I should have known that, instead I wasted that whole night because I bought the wrong thing. I smiled seeing her sleeping so I gave her some kisses

"Umm... Good morning" she yawns

"Good morning," I smiled kissing her "hun I'm gonna pop out okay? We need milk" I told her

"Okay Thomas" she yawns so I got out of bed and got dressed hiding the box in my pocket and heading downstairs I know she'll be fast asleep again I went to the fridge pouring away some milk so I had an excuse to go buy more. I went out locking the house behind me and hurrying off in my car to the jeweler I bought the ring from.

The second I step thought the door I think she could read my emotions and the fact I had the box in my hand likely gave her a clue why I was there.

"Oh darling, did it not go to well?" She asks

"Not exactly" I told her

"What do you mean?" She asks

"Look it's kinda complicated but long Story short I didn't ask because... She kinda mentioned she didn't like diamonds very much so is there any kind of way I could maybe trade this one in and get a different ring that's not a diamond?" I explain

"Well most if not all engagement rings are diamond" she says

"I know but it doesn't have to be a engagement ring just a ring that's not a diamond" I explain

"Did she say anything she did like?' she asks

"She likes opals" I told her

"Opals? Ahh I think I have something" she says taking my ring box and going into the back a moment before coming out with a luxurious tray of rings all with different sizes, shapes and colours if opals I saw one that caught my eye, a black and blue sort of colours and I think it clicked

"Yeah that one" I told her

"Your sure this time?" She laughs

"Positive" I laughed she checked and it happened to be the same price as the original ring I got so she swapped the ring in my little box and she smiled at me

"Good luck"

"Thanks" I blushed taking it home hiding it in my pocket as I came in and I saw her sat in her pjs watching TV "hi Hun I'm home"

"Hi, did you get milk?" She asks

Fuck! I knew I forgot something

"Uhh no they where out" I told her

"What took you so long then?" She asks

"I was Uhhh driving around looking for milk, can't fine any seriously it's a UK wide milk shortage" I lied

"Okay" she laughs

"Uhh Hun? You wanna go for a walk in the park?" I offer

"Aww okay" she smiled giving me a kiss and running upstairs to put a dress on.

We walked around the park for a while hand in hand chatting about things and looking at the sweet flowers till we stopped in the summer sun perched on a little water fountain people often throw pennies in I looked at her sweet face, hardly any make up her hair a little messy from the breeze, I squeezed her hand and she looked at me

"Hi Tommy" she smiled kissing my cheek

"Hi Hun, look I need to talk to you about something important" I told her and she looked worried "it's nothing bad don't worry" I laughed kissing her nose I kept hold of her hand Moving to kneel on the gravel and grass and she looked confused

"Thomas... What's going on?" She asked

"y/n from the second I saw you I wanted to ask you something, and I knew I couldn't because I literally just met you and it would be really weird. But I never stopped wanting to ask you, sometimes I actually thought you where trying to stop me from asking. But with everything we've been thought together, and having just had our anniversary... I think it's time I finally actually ask you rather then just thinking about it" I told her

"What?" She asked almost in shock as I got the little box from my pocket

"Y/n, your my world, everything I've ever wanted, and I know your just gonna argue it's just a bit of paper or its just a bit if jewelry but...I truly love you, crazy little sinic and all my darling. And if you'll have me? I'd like to be with you for the rest of time"

"Thomas what's-" she began as everyone was clearly now looking at us as it became obvious to everyone else in the park what I was doing

"Y/n, I'm asking you to marry me" I laughed showing her the ring "so?" I asked as she hadn't said anything

"Ohh Thomas of course I will" she smiled hugging me tight I hugged her tighter then I ever had before kissing her soft lips between tears of joy till I pulled away and helped her put the ring on "for the record... I knew" she laughs

"What?" I asked

"I knew you'd been wanting to ask for months," she laughs "I assumed it would have been last night, what did you leave the ring at home or something?"

"Funny story actually Hun"

"Oh?"

"I almost did leave the ring at home but... It was a uhh a diamond engagement ring, and when you said I just felt bad so I traded it for one you would like" I explained

"I still would have said yes Thomas" she laughs

"I know but... Now you have a beautiful ring that you like" I smiled kissing her

"I love you" she smiled

"I love you too" I told her

[kristallioness]

Blanket fever

Summary: Katara spends the morning in bed while Aang takes care of her.

Word count: 3,555

Author's note: A collaboration between me and @thecaroliner, which turned out really nice and fluffy (I hope!). She helped provide me with some headcanons for this story, along with the ideas I originally had and wanted to write this time. I imagine it takes place shortly after the events in "Imbalance". The ending is dedicated to this scene from "Call the Midwife", where Barbara passes away as Tom (her husband) and Phyllis (her best friend) recite a psalm. I happened to watch this episode the evening after I'd started writing this story and I knew that this would be a perfect ending. Except that Katara doesn't pass away, she just falls asleep in Aang's arms while he reads a book to her.

----------x----------

Katara turned on her other side, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The sun shined through the window of their temporary apartment, provided by the owner of Earthen Fire Industries, Lao Beifong himself. She propped herself up against the luxurious pillows to have a look outside.

"Brrr!"

She gritted her teeth and fell back in bed, pulling the blanket around herself like a cocoon. Her shivers had only gotten worse by the morning.

She noted the empty side of the bed next to her. Aang had probably got up a long time ago. Not to mention that from the short glance she managed, she'd spotted several nonbenders buzzing around outside the factory. What time was it anyway?

The door leading to their shared bedroom opened with a creak and her boyfriend tried to stumble inside as quietly as he could, all while walking backwards and carrying a tray of food. His face lit up once he spun around.

"Oh, Katara! You're awake."

"M-morning, Aang. What t-time is it? And h-how long did I sleep?"

He put the tray on the small nightstand next to their bed, then perched himself on the edge and scooted closer to her. She hummed when he combed a few loose strands of hair off her face and gave a peck on her temple. His presence alone helped her feel better.

"It's 10 in the morning-"

"Already!?" she panicked, almost wanting to jump out of bed. But his hands came to her shoulders to restrain her and calm her down.

"..and you slept for 12 hours. You seemed so poorly when I woke up early this morning, so I thought I'd let you get some rest."

Katara sighed and shut her eyes again in an attempt to block out the bright daylight shining through the window. She sensed his fingers caress her cheek and, shortly after, a much cooler palm landed on her forehead.

"You still have a fever."

"Really? What was your first clue?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Let's see.. You're burning up, your cheeks are flushed.. I can see you shaking like a leaf underneath that blanket."

"Well, you don't look too hot yourself," she remarked, having noticed the slight bags under his eyes.

"That might be because I stayed up half the night watching you toss and turn and moan through your sleep."

Her face dropped.

"I.. I did? Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie! I didn't mean to keep you up all night," she said, wriggling a hand out of the cocoon to grab his own and offer an apology. Aang chuckled, tucking her back in since he could see shivers run down her bare arm.

"That's okay, Katara. I couldn't sleep anyway. I was worried and wanted to keep an eye on you."

She smiled, sitting up for a second to let him fluff the pillows behind her back.

"Thanks! I appreciate it."

After he'd helped her lie back down in bed, Aang reached for the spoon and plate of jook, breathing on the steaming dessert to cool it down.

"I made you some jook for breakfast. I hope you like it."

He blew on each spoonful, adding a sliver of jam to the side before feeding it to her. Katara licked her lips clean of the sweet red jello, peeking at the center of the plate. He'd dropped a rather huge pile of it in the middle.

"Mmm! Is this strawberry jam?"

"Yeah, I figured that eating plain jook might make you sick, so I added some jam to make it even sweeter. Just like you."

She giggled when he pinched her cheek, after which she allowed him to feed her the rest of the rice porridge. Aang offered her a glass of cold, refreshing juice to drink.

"Can someone let me in, please?"

She quirked an eyebrow when she heard her brother's voice behind the door. Aang scurried across the room to pull it completely open so Sokka could enter. He carried a rather large basin filled with water inside and put it down near the foot of the bed.

"Here you go, sis!"

"Uhh, what's this for?" she wondered, pointing a finger towards the basin. Sokka snaked a hand around the airbender's neck.

"Aang asked me to boil some water on the kettle for your foot bath."

"But.. don't you remember what mom said? Wouldn't that make my fever worse?"

The boys shared a knowing look.

"Not if I control the temperature with my firebending. Sokka and I already thought about that. I won't let the water get too hot. So, you can take the bath as soon as you feel up for it and when your fever isn't rising.."

He ran his hand over her clammy forehead for a second. She wasn't visibly shaking under the sheets anymore.

"Which, I'd say, is right about now. What do you say, sweetie? Do you wanna take a foot bath?"

Katara nodded and let Aang grab her arms to help her sit up. She shifted closer to the basin near the edge of the bed while Sokka walked over and helped adjust the blanket so it'd cover her back and shoulders.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome, sis. Oh, one more thing! I almost forgot to bring this.."

He pulled her comb out of his pocket and handed it into Aang's hands instead. When she tried to take it back, he wouldn't let her get her hands on it.

"Nuh-uh! Just sit back and enjoy the pampering, Katara. I wanna comb your hair today."

"Sweetie, I'm more than capable of combing my own hair. You don't have to do that-"

"But I want to. You're not feeling well and, as long as I'm here, I'm gonna do everything I can to ease your suffering."

She couldn't argue with that. She locked her arms around his waist and nuzzled her face into her boyfriend's tummy, letting out a content hum.

"And that's my cue to leave you two lovebirds alone."

She didn't pay attention to her brother's teasing until he stepped beside her, stroking her head a couple of times and whispering into her ear.

"I'll come check on you later, okay?"

"Sounds good, Sokka," she murmured to him in a similarly caring tone, after which he really left the two of them alone.

Katara leaned forward and dipped a finger into the water before she felt certain that she could carefully lift her feet in there, too.

"Is it hot enough?"

She lowered them into the water bit by bit, supporting her heels against the bottom of the basin first, then letting the rest of the sole in and finally her toes as well. She sighed in relief.

"Yeah, my feet just need to get used to it."

Aang sat next to her and scooted closer to help her freshen up. She let him pull the beads off her hair loopies and unclip the clip holding the rest of her hair together on the back. It wasn't serving its purpose after such a rough night's sleep. Her brown locks were all over the place.

She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, making sure that her bare arms would remain covered with it while Aang worked on untangling some knots. She never understood how he could run the comb through her hair so smoothly. And he was much more patient with handling knots than she was on a bad hair day. Was it in his nature to be careful with these kind of things, because he was afraid of hurting her if he pulled too hard?

"Do you need me to heat up the water now? It's been a few minutes since we started."

She stirred the nearly lukewarm water around with her feet.

"Yes, but how are you gonna do that?"

"Keep your feet apart and tell me when to stop."

Aang took a deep breath and, as soon as she'd spread her legs to either side of the basin, he puffed out a stream of steam in the center. Katara let him go on for a couple of more seconds before it became unbearable.

"Okay, that's enough!"

Once the remaining steam had cleared, she met her reflection in the still water. She watched Aang's fingers dance through strands of her hair near her temples with the utmost care. He curled a thicker bunch around his finger to slip the bead through it, forming both hair loopies that way. He brought them together at the back of her head and fastened them with the clip.

Her attention turned back to her own reflection when he began brushing her loose hair as a finishing touch. Her fever had fallen, but she could spot a faint tint of red on her cheeks. Her baggy eyes from the restless night seemed even worse than his. She really did look terrible.

"Don't worry, Sokka's gonna cover for us in the council today.. Want me to heat it up again?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. One more time. I don't wanna keep my feet in for too long when I'm feverish."

Aang did like she asked, then placed her comb on the nightstand and got up from bed.

"I'm gonna go get you some clean water, and a towel for drying your feet. Do you need anything else?"

"No, thanks, sweetie. I'm good."

He hurried out of the room for a minute to fetch the stuff he'd prepared. Katara stirred the warm water with her feet while she still could in the meantime. She had to pause for a moment when a sudden coughing fit hit her. Great, now she was developing a cough, too.

"Katara? Did you say something?" the airbender exclaimed from the corridor.

"Nah! It was just a cough," she answered as he returned to his seat beside her, tossing the towel on the mattress.

"You weren't coughing before."

"I guess I must be getting sicker," she shrugged.

"Well, in that case, I just have to take care of you twice as good."

He planted a kiss in her hair to cheer her up, then held a bowl filled with water in front of her nose.

"Here, you can wash your face with this. Maybe it'll help you feel a little better."

Katara heeded his advice, splashing her face with the cold water to clean every inch. She paid extra attention to the corners of her mouth, still sticky from the jam she'd licked off earlier. She patted her cheeks and wiped her forehead several times to help bring her fever down.

Aang handed her the towel once she was done, waiting until she dried her face and then both her feet. While she was busy, he reached inside his sash and revealed a pair of yellow woollen socks.

"I brought you something, too."

"The socks I knit for you during our first winter together as a couple? Aww, sweetie! You shouldn't have.."

He squatted down and grabbed her left foot first, still red from staying in the burning water for so long, and helped her pull them on her bare feet.

"It took me a while to find them among our luggage on Appa's saddle. But I thought these would be perfect for keeping your feet warm after the hot bath. At least that's what Sokka said that you should do."

"He's right."

Katara wiggled her toes in her new fuzzy footwear, admiring the familiar patterns she'd spent hours working on. Aang grabbed her shoulders and coaxed her back into bed.

"And now, bed rest. Healer's orders."

"Who's the healer around here?" she asked with a sly smile while he flipped the blanket over and tucked her in with the dry side.

"You are. But Sokka also said that you should stay in bed and cool down after a foot bath."

She pouted, knowing far too well that her brother was right again. That was the way her mother used to treat colds when she was a little girl.

"Besides, I'm not going anywhere. Next up, a mandatory cuddling session!"

"A what now?" she barely uttered before Aang was already climbing into the bed and snuggling up to her left side.

She started laughing when his arms snaked around her torso, unintentionally tickling her near her ribs. But her own hands moved along a trail she'd treaded several times before, enveloping him in her embrace so naturally once they'd both settled down.

"Are you cosy?"

"Yeah, except that my feet are itching like crazy," she claimed, rubbing them against each other to fight the tingling sensation. It wasn't helping much.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Katara, but could you stay still for a minute? Maybe two?"

"Why?"

"I wanna check how bad that cough of yours is, but I can't concentrate if you're fidgeting."

"Oh, let me help you out a little.."

Aang obliged by lifting his head so she could tug at the straps of her lilac tunic, slipping them over her shoulders to bare her skin a bit more. She helped guide his right ear back onto her chest, above her heart, to be exact.

"Is this better?"

She took the silence, along with the approving hum and nod, as a 'yes' and remained quiet for a while. Her fingers traced a path across the wrinkles of his sash, over the hump of his shoulder, up his neck and stopped on his warm cheek. She tilted her head to get a better look at his face.

"Aang?.. I think you might've caught my fever."

"What makes you say that?"

"You're blushing."

At first, she started giggling when he patted his cheek to check. But then her giggling turned into a coughing fit and she had to take a moment to catch her breath.

"Sorry! I'll stay quiet now.."

He smiled at that. Aang laced his fingers with her own, resting their entwined hands in front of his lips to give hers a gentle kiss. Katara sensed how he slowly let go, sliding his hand down to her wrist and softly pressing two fingers into her skin to take her pulse.

"How is it?" she whispered, tenderly running her free hand over his head.

"Do you want an honest answer?"

"Mhmm," she said, nodding.

"Okay. Even though you have a cough, you're still a pretty good airbender."

She chuckled.

"Is that your way of saying that my breathing is okay?"

"Yes. It's even, you're not gasping for air.. I don't see anything wrong with your breathing. At least nothing worth worrying about for now."

"What about here?" she wondered, slipping a finger under his chin and scratching near the spot where his ear was pressed to her chest. The tickling made the airbender laugh.

"Your heart has a nice little beat to match your pulse."

Katara released another short giggle as Aang laid his hand on top of hers, pressing it flat against her chest. She became a lot more self-conscious when she could feel her heart flutter against her palm.

"You're right. It's going pretty fast. Probably because of the fever."

"True. But it's strong, like a shield protecting a warrior from blows during a battle. It's steady like a Southern Water Tribe boat sailing through sea during a calm, swayed in the rhythm of the slow waves.."

"Oh, Aang.."

"But most importantly, it's full of love.. and kindness.. and compassion.. and hope. I can hear it. It's kind of contagious."

Katara kissed Aang's head while he listened to her chest and poured her over with compliments. Her hands locked around him and gave him a good squeeze.

"Mmm.. Thank you, sweetie. That means a lot."

"You're welcome, Katara. Do you know what would make this morning even better?"

"No.. what?"

He propped himself up on his elbow and planted a kiss above her heart, pulling the straps of her tunic back up on her shoulders. She hummed as he rolled over and reached for the top drawer of the nightstand, shuffling inside until he picked up a book.

"Something to read."

"Where'd you get that?"

"I found it on the bookshelf in the living room. It's a book about legends from hundreds of years ago," Aang said as he fluffed two of his pillows before he sat up a bit and snuggled up to Katara's side again, locking one arm around her to hold her close.

"I started reading this one story last night when I couldn't sleep and waited until you weren't so restless anymore."

"What's it about?" she wondered, lacing her fingers with his on her shoulder and nuzzling the side of her face against his chest.

"This particular story talks about some sort of an all-powerful spirit who befriended a human. I don't know what happens in the end since I fell asleep halfway through. Would you like me to read it to you?"

"Yes, please," she murmured. Aang gave her a kiss on her sweaty temple and began flipping through the pages to find the place where he left off last time.

"Okay, here it is.. Over the span of a year, the all-powerful spirit walked the same path as the human. She followed him everywhere he went, to all the four corners of the world. Just so you know, the spirit's supposed to be a woman and the human was a young man."

"Mmm.." Katara merely hummed, letting him continue after he'd clarified.

"She learned about the ways of human beings, of their darkest desires and lightest dreams. Being so close to one, she saw far more than any other spirit ever could.

She witnessed the beginning of life and the joy of a young child's laughter. The hardship of love and the fortune that came from starting a family. The great sorrow of a mortal's spirit coming to an end in their world and passing on to her own realm. One might say the all-powerful spirit lived through an entire lifetime of a human in just a year.."

Katara let out a quiet yawn and closed her eyes, pricking up her ears until slumber would eventually conquer her.

"..The human she was travelling with stumbled upon communities who proved to her how they could overcome times of crisis if they worked together. How well humans could protect each other, others around them and preserve their natural surroundings at the same time. Destruction and rebuilding worked hand in hand. She felt their inner struggles and took pride when justice prevailed.

In time, her black-and-white prejudice of their species had completely blurred into different shades of grey. There was never an easy solution to any kind of problem that the humans had to face. Much like the spirits, who had shared this world with them for centuries.."

Aang paused when he felt Katara's hand slip out of his and fall down onto her tummy. She could sense him staring at her, pondering whether he should say something or not.

"Katara?"

"Hmm?" she hummed in return, but she didn't open her eyes to look at him.

"Are you sleeping?"

"Almost."

He decided not to bother her anymore and let her get some rest. He dropped the book in his lap and caressed her slightly less flushed cheek with the back of his hand, waiting for her to fall asleep.

Katara didn't say another word for the rest of the morning, after she'd whispered her last request.

"Keep reading. I like listening to your voice. It's so.. serene. And soothing."

And he did. Aang grinned and kissed the top of her head, then tucked her under the blanket so she wouldn't feel cold.

Provided she didn't start shivering again and more beads of sweat formed on her face, he felt sure that her fever wasn't rising. He dipped the towel into the bowl of leftover cold water and pressed the damp spot against her forehead every now and again, which helped keep her temperature down.

He picked up the book and continued reading until he finished the story of this legend, long after she'd fallen asleep in his arms, her mild snores being the only sound that accompanied his voice.

"..And as long as the all-powerful spirit was within him, he didn't need to fear no evil. Because she was his protector. She became a part of his conscience, shining her guiding light towards peace and harmony, helping him return balance to the world.

She was his inner fire when he needed the energy to accomplish his goals. She was his breath of fresh air when he was struggling to find his way out of the smoke. She was his ocean that helped him drift to shore when he felt like drowning in worries. She was his steady rock when his entire world came crashing down.

To defend her was to give him strength. To love her was to give him breath. Through years of training and practising the four bending disciplines, the all-powerful spirit and human formed an unbreakable bond and they could never ever be separated again.

The ancients have spoken her name, but it has since been lost in history books. Now, the human, who shall forever carry her along within their soul from one lifetime to another, is the sole reminder of her existence in our mortal world. The great bridge between humans and spirits. The Avatar."

[ghostlywritten]

When I Was Your Man VI.

Words: 7k+

Thank you for all the reviews, anonymous comments and likes. They’re greatly appreciated. 

I  II  III  IV  V

I headed downstairs after quietly getting ready, shaking Antoine awake before leaving. Right now, I wasn’t in the mood to face him so I merely told him I would wait downstairs to check out.

Rummaging through my bag I made sure our tickets and passports were there before scrolling through my phone aimlessly and looking around, watching other people; anything to get my mind off of my situation.

Slowly the other footballers trailed down with their wives and girlfriends, checking out at the front desk before settling around me with small greetings, their hangovers too present for them chat up storms with each other like they usually would.

I waved at Jennifer as she stopped next to me with a half-asleep Giroud draped over her and she tiredly smiled back without a word.

Chuckling, I wondered how it usually was the other way around with me being the one too tired to talk.

Antoine finally arrived in sweats and a simple shirt, his hair tousled and blue eyes half-closed as he searched around the crowd. Spotting me, he trudged over with his suitcase behind him.

“Why didn’t you wait in the room for me?” Antoine asked sluggishly, rubbing his eyes with the knuckles of his hands. I melted slightly at this cute sight, but quickly pulled myself together.

I shrugged, taking the keys from him. “I’m gonna check out for us,” I said without answering his question and he furrowed his eyebrows when I left.

Checking out, I took my time getting back, only fastening my pace when I saw the last person of our group arrive, which was the coach.

“Alright, ladies,” Deschamps clapped his hands together, gaining everyone’s attention, “Let’s head for our next destination.”

“Why does he call all of us ladies?” I wondered. Mbappe and Pogba, who had been closest to me, chuckled quietly, “It’s how he always calls us, even during training.”

I nodded, noticing Antoine head over from my peripheral view. “You guys want any painkillers?” I asked, holding up the two pills I had gotten from the hotel staff. I originally planned to give them to my husband but decided against it.

“Hell yeah, do you have some?” I gave them the two and they thanked me gratefully.

“Hey Ads, do you have some more of those?” Antoine asked hopefully and I shook my head, “Nope, sorry.” He deflated into a pout, but I ignored him and walked ahead.

We drove towards the airport with a shuttle bus, got ourselves checked in and settled down in the waiting area after the security check.

The entire way I barely spoke a word to my husband, too tired and quite frankly pissed at him to care if I was behaving like a bitch. He kept trying to start up a conversation - or a light-hearted argument like most of our conversations was - but I simply agreed with everything he said to stop the talk as soon as possible.

By the time we got on the plane, he was looking like a dejected puppy trailing after me so even the hungover Giroud pair noticed with raised eyebrows. I simply shook my head at them, sitting down on the seats behind them.

Antoine sighed, laying his head on my shoulder. “Did I do something I don’t remember?”

“Hm?”

“You seem angry at me,” he said quietly and I sighed. I was angry at many things about him, but it wasn’t like I could voice it out.

“Let’s just say...you are a messy sleeper when you are drunk and I didn’t get much sleep last night,” I lied and his head shot up, “I didn’t do anything to you, did I?”

'Except for falling asleep on me and making my heart race...' “No, you were just the Patricia last night instead of me.”

He sighed in relief before chuckling, “So you are just grumpy because you are sleepy again.”

“Yep,” I said, turning towards the window as the plane started moving. Antoine yawned next to me, settling back down against my shoulder, “Don’t worry, you can sleep at the hotel in a few hours.”

And with that he fell asleep, drooling over my shirt.

-

Arriving at our hotel room I was more exhausted than ever so just like our previous arrival to the other hotel we took a nap before dinner.

“We’re quite the old couple,” Antoine chuckled as we headed downstairs,” Always sleeping around. Even Gran is more fit than us.”

“Mhmm,” I hummed, eyes wandering around the hotel decor.

“...Ads, are you sure you are not mad at me about something?” Antoine questioned, gently holding me back by the elbow before I could open the door to the diner.

“I’m absolutely sure yes.”

“Was that sarcasm?”

“Nope.”

“Was that sarcasm?”

“No.”

“...was that-”

“For God’s sake, Antoine, everything is perfectly fine!” I exclaimed in exasperation, pushing the doors open. He flinched away and thankfully said nothing for the rest of the way to our table, as usual where the Giroud pair was dining.

“Good evening,” Jennifer greeted us, back to her usual self. Her hangover had obviously been cured since she was already nursing a new glass of wine.

“Good evening,” I greeted back, almost wishing I wasn’t obligated to sit next to my husband when he settled down next to me.

“Did you sleep well?” Giroud asked and I nodded, starting up a conversation with him and Jennifer, Antoine opting for staying quiet most of the dinner. I had a feeling the other two could tell there was some tension between us but thankfully didn’t comment on it for now.

“So, Ads. I’m determined to change your mind about our boring training,” Giroud said and I sighed, shaking my head with a smile, “We have a practice session until 2 PM tomorrow. You can sleep until whenever and join us later.”

“Or we could do other stuff like exploring the city,” I suggested, “That sounds more interesting.”

“Uhh yes, exploring cities!” Jennifer agreed, clapping her hands enthusiastically.

“Wife, be on my side,” Giroud ordered with playfully deep voice and I chuckled. “You can go explore for the rest of the day, come on!”

“Fine, I will give your training one more chance,” I said and he pumped the air in success, causing his wife to giggle.

Antoine grumbled, “How is it so easy for him to convince you but for me it’s harder than shooting a goal against Real Madrid?”

I gave him a look and he narrowed his eyes in exasperation, “What did I do now?”

“Nothing,” I said again and he sighed heavily before he turned back to his food, moodily.

“Is everything alright?” Jennifer asked, a little worried.

“All good, we’re just tired,” I reassured.

“Yeah, Ads and I are going to sleep early,” Antoine said, abruptly standing up and holding his hand out for me to take. Confused I took it and got swept off by him in no time, “See you guys tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of dinner!” Antoine called over his back as he marched out of the diner with me getting dragged along.

“You can let go of me,” I said, not wanting to get used to the warm feeling of his hand around mine. He pretended not to hear until we reached the elevator, only letting go when the doors closed.

“I know why you are mad now,” he stated and I raised an eyebrow.

“I told you I’m not mad, I’m just tired.” ‘Tired of getting hurt by you.’

“No no, I get it. You have every right to be,” he said earnestly, putting his hands on my shoulder to turn me towards him. My heart raced. Did he figure out that I knew?

“...I do?”

“Yeah, I would be mad too if someone forgot my birthday.”

“...my birthday?” I asked, wondering if I had heard right. He nodded, his eyes wide and apologetic. I thought back on what date today was. Though that actually didn’t matter, it was summer and I was pretty sure my birthday was on a winter month. December to be exact. And it was June. “Why on earth would you think it’s my birthday today?”

“I know it is and that’s why you’ve been grumpy all day,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “I promise I will make it up to you. We could go to a nice restaurant tomorrow for dinner. You like Chinese, right? We could look up some cool places for Chinese food...” His words faded away when realisation struck me. Cateline’s favourite food was Chinese. I could absolutely not stand it. And it was also her birthday today.

I pushed him away, dread filling me as I took out my phone to check the date for good measure. 18th June, yep. It was Cateline’s birthday today.

Closing my eyes, I swallowed, hoping to gulp down the burning feeling in my chest as I prayed for the elevator to get to our level faster.

“...there’s also a good Italian place, you like that too, right?” That was actually my favourite food.

Sighing, I laughed humourlessly to myself, which finally stopped his chatter. He rubbed my arm in what he probably hoped to be comforting, “What do you think, hm? It would be just us, nice and quiet, no party. I promise!”

“I’d rather not, thank you,” I declined, bitterness clear in my voice.

“Huh? Why not?” he frowned in confusion.

“Because it’s not my birthday.”

“...No?” he asked meekly.

“No,” I said, looking straight into his blue eyes to make sure he knew how pissed off I was right now. He gulped, mumbling something like ‘I was sure it was today..’ under his breath but I ignored him in favour of finally getting out of the small space as the elevator doors opened.

“...Then...how about we celebrate what an idiot I am tomorrow?” he tried some damage control as I gestured for the keys. He dropped them into my palm and I quickly put it in the lock, trying not to get reminded of how he had hugged me from behind last time.

“No, thank you.”

“An apology dinner?”

“Antoine, if I could I would sleep in another room, away from you,” I said coldly and he winced, “So what makes you think, I would want to spend time alone with you?”

“I-” I didn’t stay to listen to his answer, opting for locking myself in the bathroom. Turning on the shower, I sat down on the toilet seat, biting my lip as a wave of tears tried to push past my barrier. It might have been harsh of me right now, but I didn’t know how else to handle the pain I felt. Alas, I lashed out, feeling a sick satisfaction in hurting him when he hurt me. I sunk my teeth into my fist, not being able to stop a few droplets from falling. Sighing heavily I leaned back and looked up into the ceiling, wondering how much longer I would be able to handle this.

-

The next morning I woke up to a cold bed with the sun beaming down on my face. I had taken a shower after my small breakdown and when I had gotten out, Antoine had already been asleep, curled up on his side with his back to me. Remembering last nights happenings, I took a long breath in, blowing it out as my chest deflated with the movement.

I didn’t feel like getting up, but a knock on my door forced me to change my plans.

“Good midday!” Jennifer greeted me with her beaming smile. I looked at the clock.

“It’s 11 AM, it’s still morning.”

“For sleepy heads like you perhaps,” she retaliated.

“...Touché,” I said back, opening the door wider for her to get in. She strolled inside, setting down the two cups she had brought with her along with a small paper bag.

“I brought you coffee and some croissants since there’s not much of breakfast left,” she informed, plopping down on the seat in front of the mini desk. I smiled at her gratefully, “Thanks. Just let me get ready real quick.”

Brushing my teeth and hair, I quickly changed my clothes, applying some makeup as well. “It’s going to be warm today, right?” I asked, stepping out of the bathroom with shorts and a thin shirt on.

Jennifer nodded in approval, “Real hot. And yes, I’m talking about the weather.” I chuckled, blushing slightly. She nudged her head over to the messy bed with a smirk, “I see you didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Glancing over in confusion I cocked my head to the side, “What?”

“Well, look at how messed up your sheets are! You had a wild night, didn’t you?” The heat in my cheeks intensified, “O-oh no, no. Nothing like that.”

“Suuure,” she said, nodding quickly and I scratched my head. How was I going to tell her that it had been a very cold night in bed last night without going to deep about my marriage life? “Don’t tell me about it then,” she shrugged off as she saw how uncomfortable I was and got up, “Let’s head to the stadium. You can eat on the way, right?”

“Right.”

We headed over to a bus station that would get us right to the front of the stadium. The hotel was specifically equipped with shuttles driving to and from there for the football fans. Thus, there were many tourists around as well, occasionally taking pictures when they recognised us.

“This is really weird,” Jennifer commented, smiling awkwardly at a few paps, “I mean, we are just the wives. Why would they need pictures of us.”

I shrugged, “Something to write about in their magazines, I guess.”

“I will never get used to this, that’s for sure,” Jennifer said, putting on some sunglasses as we got into the bus. I followed her suit, not wanting to read another article about my resting bitch face.

We arrived at the stadium and strolled around it seeing as the team was practicing on the open field for the press and fans.

“There’s quite the crowd,” I commented, “No way, we’re going to be able to watch them properly.”

“Anna texted me where they are,” Jennifer informed, gesturing forward, “There will be enough space for us.”

“Ah...who’s Anna?” I asked, never having heard of her before.

“She’s Mbappe’s girlfriend,” Jennifer giggled, “You really ought to learn their names at some point.”

I shrugged, following her.

“Girls, over here!” A blonde, petite woman shouted, waving us over.

“That’s Anna,” Jennifer said and started listing the other girls’ names as well. As if I would be able to remember them all. Some had kids running around them or babies in their arms and I cooed inwardly at how cute they were when we reached them.

“Hey, girls!” Jennifer greeted them all cheerfully, hugging each of them whilst I stood back, waving awkwardly. I noticed some of them give me quite the dirty looks and swallowed slightly, looking away and towards the field. My eyes searched automatically for my light-haired husband, finding him dribbling the ball by himself. I watched with furrowed eyebrows as he lost control of the ball a few times; he didn’t seem focused like he usually was, especially during games.

“Care to explain to me why Dani and Bella are glaring at you?” Jennifer whispered as she leaned against the bar next to me. I figured she meant the same two girls I had seen glaring and shrugged. “No idea. I’ve never talked to them.”

“Weird,” Jennifer remarked, smiling at them. The two smiled back before resuming their death stares at me, “Should I ask them?”

“No,” I immediately declined, “It doesn’t really matter to me.”

“Seriously? Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious?”

“I mean, their dislike can’t really be reasonable since I’ve never even exchanged a word with them,” I explained, “So why would I care?”

“Maybe that’s exactly why,” Jennifer mused and I looked at her, questioningly, “I mean that you don’t talk to anyone. It kind of makes you seem arrogant.”

“It does?”

“Yeah, I admit I thought you were snobby when I first saw you at the party,” Jennifer said with a sheepish grin as I stared at her, shocked.

“Really?”

“You weren’t talking to us and seemed a little uptight. Not exactly approachable. Can you blame me?”

I stayed quiet. I knew I was a tad bit arrogant, but never thought it was that bad. Okay, maybe I had been really arrogant before I found out about the affair, but my ego had taken quite the hit. I was more cautious about meeting new people than just plain snobby.

“Not anymore though!” Jennifer quickly reassured when I didn’t say anything, “I know you’re just an introverted nerd now. It’s all good. And the others will come around soon when they get to know you.”

“I guess...,” I said uncertainly when I heard Giroud call out our names.

“Jen! Addy!” He exclaimed, waving cheerfully when he spotted us. I noticed Antoine's head snap over and immediately follow his friend’s eyes until he found us. Waving back at Giroud, I quickly looked away, biting my lip awkwardly.

“You guys sure you are okay?” Jennifer inquired as she finally stopped blowing kisses at her husband, who was comically catching them all. I envied their relationship really. Where had Antoine and I gotten wrong to end up like this? I could safely say that we never at some point acted like these two lovebirds and that was quite a depressing thought.

“Addy?”

“Hm? Yeah, of course. We’re fine,” I answered belatedly, giving her a tight smile.

She looked at me, unsure. “Then why is Antoine looking at you like a lost puppy and ignoring his quite scary Coach yelling at him?”

I glanced up to see she was right. Coach Deschamps was slowly getting red and seemed ready to march up to his French striker. Antoine straightened up when he saw me looking, waving tentatively. I waved back, causing him to sigh in relief and finally notice his Coach’s mad rant. Apologising quickly, he picked up the ball and ran over to his assigned team not without another glance over his shoulder at me.

“...I know, it’s not my place to always ask about your relationship,” I heard Jennifer say, feeling like my ears got unclogged now that his blue eyes weren’t captivating me anymore. “But if you like to talk about it to anyone, I’m here for you.”

I smiled at her, touched by her words and yet a little mistrusting when I remembered Cateline say the almost the exact same words to me once. “Thank you, Jen.” She beamed at the nickname, hooking her arm around mine as we continued watching the practice.

-

“And? How was it?” Giroud asked as soon as training was done, jogging over to us. He gently kissed his wife before turning to me with an eager look.

I shrugged, playfully answering, “It was meh.”

“Meh?!” the dark-haired striker exclaimed, astonished and I saw Jennifer stifling her laughter. “Just meh??”

“Yeah, it was a tiny bit entertaining,” I teased, leaving a small gap between my thumb and forefinger. He looked at me peeved as the other footballers came over, greeting their girls, wives, and kids.

“Impossible,” he grumbled and I giggled to myself. My smile faded though when I saw Antoine head over, sweating and downing a whole bottle of water in his thirst.

He ran a hand through his locks and I was tempted to do so myself when he gave me a precarious glance, “Hey Ads,” he greeted softly and I nodded back in greeting. Resting his hands on the bar that was separating us, his eyes dropped to his shoes for a second, “Any plans for today?”

“Nothing much. Maybe a bit of sightseeing,” I replied, fiddling with my shirt, “I saw some cool places online. You?”

His blue eyes widened and I almost regretted my indirect rejection of letting him tag along. He looked back down sadly, shuffling with his feet. “Um, I’m just gonna relax at the pool or something with the guys. I’m pretty tired.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

“Jesus Christ,” I heard Giroud mumble under his breath and clapped his friend's back. “Let’s get changed, Anton. We’ll meet you back at the hotel?” he asked us and we nodded in goodbye.

Jennifer thankfully didn’t make any remark on the more than uncomfortable conversation. “Are you going to join me?” I asked her on the way to our hotel.

“I would love to but I promised Olli to spend an all-alone day today,” she said apologetically.

“That’s fine,” I said, reassuringly. I would have to go by myself then.

“You could ask some of the other girls,” she suggested but I shook my head. Walking around with a stranger around other strangers in a foreign country didn’t seem appealing to me.

“No, I’d rather not.”

She shook her head at me with a laugh, “You’d rather walk around alone that make friends?”

“Exactly,” I said with a grin.

-

I took off with a purse filled with my wallet, my phone, a map of the city and my passport that I forgot to take out.

After a bit of contemplating I took the wedding ring off as well and put it in there, having read that as a tourist you should not have anything expensive on you that would make you a target.

Taking the bus to the central station that was the heart of the city I started my sightseeing trip from there. It was quite relaxing to just calmly stroll around without any rush, listening to music and taking pictures of cool places. There was a cathedral that looked breathtakingly beautiful and I photographed every inch of it from the outside and inside. ‘Antoine would have loved taking selfies with this,’ I thought, feeling bad when I recalled his sad face. We could have enjoyed this day like the one back when we visited campus.

I blushed when I remembered that one kiss we shared. The amount of times I thought about it was actually quite embarrassing.

Shaking my head out of it, I turned a street filled to the brim with people. My eyes lightened up; a bazaar! I squealed inwardly, proceeding to mingle into the crowd. I usually didn’t like crowds but I loved bazaars over everything. It was a totally different experience than going shopping in stores, just...a lot better in my opinion.

Pursuing a few unique trinkets I admired them in the sunlight when suddenly my purse got ripped off my shoulder, causing my arm to jerk and drop the trinket. “What-?” It took me a second to realise a little boy just stole my purse and was currently running away. “Hey! Wait! My purse!” I shouted, pushing past people.

I didn’t know how long I ran after him, panicking every time I lost sight of his dirty, red shirt. No one came to help and I felt breathless way too fast. ‘I really need to work out.’

The crowd dispersed slowly, but it was too late for me to catch him. He probably disappeared through one of the thousand back alleys.

“Ok, Adeline, don’t lose your mind,” I whispered to myself as panicked tears rushed to my eyes, “You’re going to be alright. Let’s just get back the way we got here.”

Easier said than done. That damn boy took so many twists and turns to get rid of me, I had no idea how to get back to the bazaar. Reaching for the map, I cursed when I realised in the purse. Along with my wallet, my phone...”Yeah, I’m a goner,” I sighed shakily, turning around. I tried to listen for any noise, slightly scared of the few people staring at me openly. I didn’t dare approach anyone until I got most desperate, going for an elder lady.

“Can you help me?” I asked her in English and she just looked at me weirdly. Biting my lip, I continued, “Bazaar. I’m looking for the bazaar. Do you know where it is?”

She seemed to get a hunch on what I was trying to say as she started talking rapidly in Russian. Watching her hand gestures, I vaguely got the directions from her and thanked her.

I felt encouraged to ask around others after this, slowly finding my way back to the crowded street. Sighing in relief, I proceeded to ask my way to the Central Station when I saw a stand selling maps for tourists.

“Hi, can I get one of those?” I asked the seller eagerly, taking one where Yekaterinburg was written in bold letters.

“Five dollars,” he said with an accent. My smile faded.

“I don’t have money on me right now,” I said, gesturing widely, “My purse got stolen. I can come back and pay you later.”

“Five dollars,” he repeated loudly, holding his five fingers up.

“I can’t pay right now, can I come back later?” I tried again and he simply shook his head, “Five dollars.” Breathing in deeply, I was tempted to just run with the map in hand, but figured it wouldn’t do well getting arrested here. So I dropped it back on the table disappointedly and resumed my asking around.

Some were willing to help, most were not and many were just outright creepy. I mainly stuck to asking women if I could. By the time I got to the Central Station, it was already early in the evening. ‘Dinner must be ready soon,’ I thought to myself, my stomach growling since I had eaten nothing but the croissant and coffee Jennifer had gotten me this morning. I longingly stared at the food stands whilst looking for someone approachable.

Thankfully, most people could speak English around here and another tourist couple was friendly enough to help me out with an extra map they had, taking pity on my disheveled state.

Since I had no money for a bus back to the hotel, I proceeded the long way back home by foot, closely following the directions on the maps in hopes of not having to ask anyone anymore. It was pathetic how independent I was in life.

It had gotten pitch dark and I figured it was around 10 PM or something when I saw the familiar lights of the hotel. I almost dropped right there on the ground, so glad after this horrifying day and a rush of exhaustion that I had held back so far hit me in a nauseating way.

“Don’t pass out now, Adeline. Only a few more meters,” I motivated myself, the euphoria of seeing something familiar giving me a small rush of adrenaline.

I noticed a police car parked in front of the steps of the hotel when I got there and Giroud walking down. A wide, tired smile lifted the corners of my lips upon seeing him. “Hey Olli,” I called out to him and he looked over, eyes widening as if he had just seen a ghost. I dragged myself over to him when he stood stock still in his shock. “What is it? Never seen me with unruly hair before?” I chuckled weakly, patting down the strands that stood in a disarray.

“Jesus, Addy. Where the hell have you been?” he exclaimed, gaining the attention of his wife, who just came down the steps as well.

“Addy?” she asked, eyes widening similar to her husband before she rushed over, hugging me. “What on earth happened?”

“Long story,” I sighed before thinking, “No, actually not that long. It was just a long day.”

“What happened?” she asked, guiding me upstairs, “You’ve had us so worried when you didn’t come back. Antoine almost went bald from gripping his hair the whole time.”

“A boy stole my purse and I got lost running after him,” I said shortly, “It took me all day to find the way back here asking around.”

“My god,” Jennifer gasped, putting her arm around my back, “That must have been horrible.”

“I was close to panicking, I admit that.”

“Damn. Why didn’t you call?” Giroud asked with a frown and my heart warmed at their apparent worry for me.

“It was in my purse. Along with my wallet and the map I had with me,” I sighed, rubbing my eyes tiredly.

“Let’s just get you in for now. You must be absolutely drained,” Jennifer said, “You can tell us everything tomorrow. Get some sleep now.”

“And inform Antoine, please. He’s going mad,” Giroud added.

“Oh yeah?”

“He even yelled at me for letting you go alone,” Jennifer said and my jaw dropped, “I was shocked, too! Never saw him so angry, it was quite scary, to be honest.”

“Damn right it was. And I wasn’t even on the receiving end,” Giroud commented when he opened the door. I immediately noticed Antoine in front of the reception desk, rapidly talking to two police officers and the hotel-keeper even,

“I’m telling you, my wife is missing! You have to get out there with all your men and search for her!” he demanded loudly, his breathing fast and heavy as if he was close to a panic attack.

“Antoine,” Giroud called him but was ignored.

“Sir, we can only start searching for your wife when she’s been missing for 48 hours.”

“So??”

“It’s been around 9 hours now.”

“Are you freaking kidding me right now? She’s gone around in this foreign city for so long and you don’t think she’s gotten lost?! Do you know what could happen to her in 48 hours?? Or what might have already happened to her- oh god,” he cut himself off, gripping his hair with both hands.

“Antoine-!”

“I will freaking sue you all. My wife is a lawyer-to-be!”

“Antoine-!”

“Antoine,” I called out too and he finally heard, his head snapping around. I took in his wide-blown eyes that had panic attack written all over it, his flushed cheeks and erratic breathing. A second later, he crushed himself against me, tightly wrapping his arms around me. My breath got knocked out by the hit but I gladly returned the gesture, fully relaxing now that I was surrounded by him. Never had I felt so safe before.

“God, Addy,” he whispered brokenly, “Where have you been the whole time? You got me worried sick.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered back, breathing in his soothing scent. I closed my eyes, relishing in the calming effect. “My purse got stolen and I was lost.” His grip around me tightened and he buried his face into my hair.

“That must have been terrifying,” he said incoherently, “I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” I chuckled, “It’s not your fault.”

“That’s right. What the hell were you thinking, going alone and worrying your husband like that, Patricia?” he asked teasingly, smiling into my neck slightly and I knew he had calmed down now. I tried pulling away but to no avail.

“Nooo,” he whined, cutting off the air in my lungs with how closely he held me.

“Antoine,” I laughed slightly, leaning my head against his.

“Like hell, I’m going to let go of you now.”

-

“Here, I got you a tea,” Antoine said, putting a cup on your night table.

“Thank you,” I yawned heartily.

“Do you need anything else?”

“No, I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Not right now.”

“I could order room service.”

“Antoine!” I called, exasperated and he stopped his fussing, “I’m fine, really. Just exhausted.”

“Okay,” he sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to me.  Closing my eyes, I felt the ache on my feet subside as the weight of my body was finally off of them.

“Tell me again, what happened,” Antoine demanded and I sighed, whining inwardly when my drift to sleeping wonderland got interrupted.

“I went around town, ended up in a bazaar,” I listed, “A boy stole my purse, I chased after him, I got lost, I found my way back.”

Antoine nodded attentively, pressing his lips together. “It’s decided then.”

“What?”

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” I chuckled at his ridiculous announcement and rubbed my forehead. “I’m serious!”

“There’s no need for that. Nothing major happened except for my stuff being gone.”

“Nothing maj- My heartattack??” he protested, pointing at his chest. "My hair loss??" he continued, pointing at his luscious locks, "The fact that I threatened the police, which could have put me in prison???"

I rolled my eyes. ‘Don’t act like you really care.’ “Don’t act like a drama queen.” He gasped, holding onto his chest and I giggled. “Glad, my misery is such a delight for you,” he pouted and I patted his back. “It is.” He glared and I burst out in laughter that soon turned into a yawn.

His blue eyes softened. “Drink up that tea. You should get some sleep,” he suggested, handing me the cup. I nodded gratefully, taking a sip of the warm beverage. It was fresh peppermint, sweetened with honey. I hummed appreciatively. “This is really good,” I mumbled between my sips, causing my husband to smile weakly.

“The officer said they would be looking for the boy, who stole your purse,” he informed, rubbing circles on my back.

“I doubt, they will find him,” I voiced out my thoughts, “I couldn’t give them much of a description.” I sighed, “Everything was in there. Even my passport...”

“We can get a new one in no time,” Antoine reassured.

“...and my wedding ring.”

“We can- wait, what? Why did you take off your wedding ring?”

“Because ‘Tourism for dummies’ said that you should never have anything valuable in a foreign country because tourists are the most frequent targets for thievery in every country,” I said matter-of-factly.

Antoine looked at me like I was mad, “And that Gucci bag was not enough to make you a target?”

“Well, maybe. But it was the cheapest I had,” I shrugged and he rolled his eyes. “I have expensive taste.”

“Explains why our house costed nearly a million,” he grumbled.

“Oh please, you wanted that house, I didn’t even like it,” I argued and he gasped, “How can you not like it? It’s cemented beauty!”

“Meh, there are better ones,” I said with another shrug.

“You have a weird taste.”

“I chose you as my husband sooo...yep.”

Antoine gasped, but contained his dramatic nature, “I will get you back for that, but for now; go rest, you had an exhausting day.” I smiled at his caring nature, even if it might have been fake, and laid down. He shut down all the lights before crawling to bed beside me.

My eyes practically fell shut by themselves with how heavy they were and I soon succumbed into sleep, feeling a hand search for mine and hold onto it tightly. 

-

Antoine kept true to his words in the most ridiculous way. Forcing me awake early in the morning every day to tag along for practice, resulting in a grumpy me and a few creative curse words thrown at him.

I eventually got used to it and even brought my laptop along to study when his training got too boring. The rest of the time was spent with him stuck like a glue, making sure I was always around up until to the point where he followed me to the bathroom. I shut down that habit fast when he once commented on how much I must have been drinking to pee for so long, listening from the door.

The games came and passed, France making it to the last sixteen, which sent everyone into a super-excited state. Especially today, when Argentine - who almost won the last World Cup -  was the opponent. The players were tense and particularly silent throughout breakfast, immediately heading off for some last minute practice when the Coach ordered them, too.

“You should wear Antoine’s shirt,” Jennifer remarked whilst watching me getting ready.

“What’s wrong with my shirt?” I asked, looking at my simple, light green attire combined with some black pants.

“Nothing. In fact, I would like to borrow it someday,” she said, giving me her puppy eyes through the mirror. I chuckled, nodding and she cheered, dropping her back against the made bed.

“So?”

“So, I just think Antoine would feel the support more when he saw you in his jersey,” Jennifer explained, picking on her nails absently.

“You think so?” I thought back on how the other girls’ always wore their man’s jersey.

“Of course! I don’t know why either, but Olli, for example, gets some kind of kick out of it, seeing me in his shirt.”

I hummed in contemplation as I walked out of the bathroom. “I don’t have his jersey. Maybe he has a spare one in his suitcase?” I wondered, walking up to his bag. He had left all his stuff in there, not really bothering to put them up in the wardrobe as we were always on the move. Now we were back in Kazan.

Rummaging through his stuff, I giggled when Jennifer shielded her eyes, not wishing to see the infamous Spongebob pants.

“No worries, Jen. I’m sure he’s wearing it now for good luck,” I mentioned, my eyes lightened up when I pulled out his blue shirt.

“There you go,” Jennifer cheered, “Put it on.”

Complying, I quickly took off the shirt and put the jersey on. It was obviously bigger than my first choice, going down until mid-thigh. I smelled his cologne on it when I pulled it over my head, inhaling more deeply than necessary.

“It looks good on you,” my friend - as I timidly considered her to be - commented with a thumbs up and I smiled shyly, taking out my hair from under it.

“We should head down to the bus soon, the others are probably on their way too now,” I said, looking at my watch.

-

The game was intense, to say the least. I cheered when Antoine scored another goal due to a penalty, but it got deathly quiet in the France corner with us as Argentine took the lead with two goals; one shortly before and after halftime.

Then it got loud again when three shots for France got kicked in the space of 11 minutes!

“That’s my boyfriend right there!” Anna shouted proudly when Mbappe shot his second goal, causing us all to laugh.

The game ended with 4:3 for France, sending them straight to the quarterfinals. I clapped along, the cheers booming around us as Jennifer hugged me in her euphoria. I hesitated before hugging her back slightly, smiling.

Since we were right at the first row, the guys came over instead of heading straight for the cabins after shaking the other team’s hands respectfully. I grew a little nervous when Antoine spotted me, his eyes widening in surprise at my attire.

“Congratulations,” I said as soon as he got into hearing range. He grinned, his blue eyes twinkling in happiness and stopped in front of me, the railings the only barrier between us.

“Thanks...are you...wearing my jersey?” he asked perplexed.

“Yeah, I had nothing else to wear,” I tried to play it off with a shrug but an elbow in the ribs caused me to wince, “I mean, I thought I could support your this way?”

His smile widened if possible and he bit his lip, rubbing his neck. “It suits you. You should wear it at every game.”

“Sure,” I agreed, inwardly sighing in relief. We talked a little about the game until the guys forced him to go to the cabins with them to change.

“Alright, I will see you at the hotel?” Antoine asked and I nodded in agreement. He smiled again before taking off with the others. An arm got placed around my shoulders and I glanced to my right to be met with the face of a slyly grinning Jennifer.

“What did I tell you?” she said, wiggling her eyebrows and I chuckled. “I don’t know why, but the guys get crazy whenever their girl wears their jersey.”

“He seems happy about it,” I commented, feeling a bit shy about it.

“He doesn’t seem like it, he totally is,” Jennifer corrected, pointing at the field, “Even now he can’t take his eyes off of you.”

I looked over, catching Antoine’s eyes. He smiled, waving at me before he almost toppled over an Argentine player sitting on the field. I laughed to myself, watching as he apologised profusely and jogged away with a red face.

“That guy is whipped,” Jennifer said and I caught myself before I could nod, my smile fading slightly. ‘Yes, but not by me.’

“Come on, let’s head back to the hotel. I’m sure there will be a celebration party!”

“Dear God, no!” I groaned when she dragged from the stands.

-

The party was in full swing two hours later. I observed the guys dancing with their wives/girlfriends or getting shit-faced drunk again like my husband next to me.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look in that shirt?” Antoine slurred and my heart skipped a beat at his words. I took a glimpse at the jersey, rolling my eyes when I remembered how he had insisted that I kept it on.

“The only time you ever did was right now,” I commented, “Thanks.”

He gasped in shock, “I never told you, you are beautiful before?!” I shook my head. “You’re the most beautiful human species I’ve ever seen, woman!”

I chuckled at his choice of words, swirling my drink around. “Sure.”

“I’m serious!”

“And I believe you,” I said untruthfully.

“You’re lying,” he accused and I raised my eyebrows. How could he tell I was when he was drunk but not when he was sober?

“Alright, maybe I am.”

“Why don’t you believe me, babe?” Antoine said, grasping the edge of the bar to pull himself closer clumsily. “I really think you’re the most beautiful.”

“I think you will find Cateline more attractive than me,” I dared to say, knowing he would not remember this the next morning anyway.

“Who’s Cateline?” he asked.

I scoffed, “Please.”

“I don’t know any Cateline,” he said with a hiccup, “Is that your mom’s name?”

I laughed, “No. Jesus, you are drunker than last time and it’s only been an hour.”

“Well, I got something to celebrate! Why are you not drunk with me?” he asked, nudging the drink in my hand up to me. “Bottoms up!”

“If I get drunk, who will take care of you?” I asked him teasingly and he puffed his chest out, “I don’t need taking care of. I’m a man.”

“Says the one that has Spongebob underwear on.”

“I have Spongebob underwear? That’s so cool!” I shook my head. This guy would be the death of me if I had to spend the rest of my life with him. But that wasn’t something I had to worry about...

“Hey, what’s with the long face?” he inquired, poking my cheek.

I smiled sadly, “Nothing. I think...I’m just gonna miss you despite everything.”

“Why? I’m right here. And I’m not going anywhere,” he announced, holding up his pinky, “Promise!”

Chuckling, I hooked my own against his, “You might not. But I will...” Sighing, I downed the drink in my head, deciding that I wanted to forget about all of it for once. “You know what? Let’s get smashed!” I voiced out, causing my husband to holler.

Next thing I knew I woke up in bed, stark naked.

VII.

Help me Get Coffee Support?

[vertigoambrosia]

i had a really long day and completely forgot today is shotgun day

i meant to post this saying idk if i’d watch tonight or just sleep but i fell asleep except now i’m awake and hungry so uhh i guess we’re doing this?

tarkan, at someone’s grave: i killed you

jurn’s portrait looks like he smells something really gross

what i would like to see lucky do? wxw i’d follow lucky do literally anything

tarkan is so good at disdainful expressions

man marius if you were gonna become a dick you might as well have stuck with andy

“lazy AF” lol subtitles

MARIUS THERE IS NO OTHER FOOD IN OBERHAUSEN NEAR THE TURBINHALLE WHAT DO YOU WANT

i can’t believe tarkan abandoned his baby bro for a gym rat sugar baby

like you can’t tell me he hasn’t fucked marius

bros before hos tarkan jeez

lol is andy telling himself how awesome he is

francis: still fucking loves colors

also: being difficult for literally no reason

why is veit mueller’s name actually pronounced with the vee sound when in german “v” always seems to be “fff”

that does not translate well in typing but i hope you know what i mean

oh wait tommy says it with the f god idk fucking german

yay pretty bastards will return soon! glad to know maggot’s healed up

i love how ahura has to show off after practically every move he does

*prince ahura voice* just in case you forgot, i’m hot

yeah tim’s half crab is better tho alan

not that veit’s is bad, but not a great comparison to make

ahura’s offense is foot based enough that i feel like he could be a street fighter character or something

francis: you look like you’re hiding

cmj:...I WAS

*francis voice* u still mad?

christian: *tries not to throw his laptop in anger*

awwww julian and avalanche go back so far!

i love that monster consulting’s gimmick is basically ‘opposites attract’

OMG THAT PIC OF THEM IN BED WITH THE BELTS THAT’S SO CUTE

are monster consulting...married?

i really cannot figure out if i don’t entierly buy emil as a face because he seems too douchey or because his face reminds me of my boss

you’d think after five months to think about it jurn would would have ditched the half assed mutton chops

!

aw andy feels spurned cause marius doesn’t care anymore

and here are these little shits

INVESTIGATE THE TABLES

omg  u never were tag champs dumbasses

if jayfk win in hamburg i’m gonna barf but i have a feeling that will happene

ok that was pretty clever of them though casue these fuckers just give away title shots cause they wanna fight

...do monster consulting know you can fight someone without the belts on the line?

and here’s this asshole

in his weird fucking girdle

wrestling owns because people can dramatically open hoodies or take off their shirts

alan literally saying ivan and pete would die for each other

oh my god has it really been almost a year since the demise of a4?

i have no idea what the crowd are chanting

(not ‘you sold out’, i got that one)

lmao are they calling marius ‘mr bullshit’?

lmao @ alan shitting on tarkan

pete bab you did just put yourself in a 2 on 1 situation tho

he’s pretty but when he gets angry he’s not always too smart

LUCKY

LUCKY

IT’S THE BOI

“former brother” that makes no sense but ok

tarkan you fucking thot

all hail our new womens champion alpha female

omg lucky + bobby sure is a pair

hi wxw pls no more women’s four ways thx

ANDY WTF

what the fuck is happening

“*imitates raccoon sounds*” that....is not what a raccoon sounds like but ok

i didn’t realize ilja and laurence were friends

awww ilja

i have to admit i didn’t realize that was laurence until the raccoon references

i realized we haven’t seen a nice smol boy used as a pawn since way back when i first started watching where cerberus beat up francis

friendly reminder that francis was the one who fucked up adam enough that he had to go to south america to recuperate

[aligalloo]

Tired

Pairing: Reader x Will Lenney (WillNE) Word Count: 2,957 (whew!) Warnings: A couple of swears Requested: Yes! Twice... Requests: Open.  PLEASE send festive requests - I’m inspired (see below for who and what you can request)

A/N: Honestly this is a mess and barely even follows the prompts but WHATEVER I wanted to post something x  

Y/N: Your name Y/F/N: Your full name

“I’ve got a new video out on Friday.  Make sure you watch - it’s a good ‘un.  I love you all, have a good night.”

I switch off the livestream and flop back onto my bed, it’s been a long day and all I want to do right now is curl up and have a nap.  Unfortunately, I promised Gee and Josh that I’d go out with them tonight and I’ve already broken so many hangout dates that I can’t bear to let another one pass by.

I bite my lip and stifle a yawn as I slowly get up off the bed and wander over to my closet.  I look through my clothes and can’t be bothered deciding what to wear so I call Gee to ask what she thinks.  

“Yo.” She answers the phone, and I can hear a male voice in the background who’s definitely not Josh.

“Who’s that talking?” I ask, not even bothering with pleasantries.  

“Oh that’s Will.  Remember, I said we were flatting together from last week?”

“Shit yeah I completely forgot about that.”

“He’ll be there tonight, you can meet him then.  Hey, we watched the end of your livestream - you looked really tired.”

“Wow always a charmer Georgina,” I reply sarcastically, “But yeah, I’m kinda dy... Wait, did you say we?  Don’t tell me you forced Will to listen to me ramble too.”

“Don’t fuss, he seemed to enjoy it.”

“Humph.  I looked like a hot mess.” Suddenly, I remember why I’m calling her, “Oh!  What should I wear tonight?  I don’t want to think.”

“Umm,” She mumbles,  “Wear that sexy red dress of yours and those strappy heals.”

“... I will actually die mate,” I laugh.

“No, you’ll be fine.  Besides, you’re far too stressed, I think you need to get laid.”

“Jesus Gee, who do you have in mind?”

“Well Will’s single...”

“I haven’t even met the boy yet, give me a chance!”  I sigh, “Fine, I’ll wear the red dress, but I’m wearing my MEDIUM heals.”

“Alright, see you soon.”

She hangs up the phone and I go to dig the suggested outfit out of my closet.  I get dressed quickly and run a brush through my hair, deciding to just leave it out.  I generally hate makeup and won’t touch it, but for tonight I whack out some mascara and lipstick.  Checking myself in the mirror, I decide I look presentable and grab my shoes, running down the stairs to hop into the waiting Uber.  I almost doze off in the car, but jolt awake as we stop at the bar.  I pay the driver and head inside, thankfully not meeting any fans along the way.  

I spot them as I walk through the door and make a beeline over.  Gee sees me and squeals, running towards me and jumping on me, making me stagger and nearly fall.  Josh follows close behind her and pulls me into a hug. “It’s been too long, Y/N, where have you been?”

“Eh, you know.  Life’s busy all the time.  Who has time for relaxing?”

I look over Josh’s shoulder to see a tall man that I’ve never met before.  I turn around and quirk an eyebrow at Gee, who seems to come to a realisation.  

“Oh! Y/N, this is Will Lenney, Will, this is Y/F/N.”  

“Nice to meet you,” I say politely, holding out my hand to him.

“Nice to meet you too, love.” He replies, and I blush slightly as he takes my hand.  “Cool livestream earlier, my sister is a massive fan of yours.”

“Really?  It’s always nice to hear about viewers.  What do you do?”

“Ah, I’m a YouTuber as well,” He replies, looking slightly embarrassed. “I only started about 18 months ago.”

“Hey, he’s being modest.” Gee says, coming over to us and wrapping her arm around my shoulder.  “He’s gotten nearly a million subscribers already.”

“Oh my god, that’s so impressive!  It took me a good three years to get even close to a million...  Oh the good old days.” I laugh self-deprecatingly, and gesture over to the table.

“How do you keep your viewers engaged?” He asks as he pulls out my chair for me.

I smile in thanks before continuing the conversation. “I think I’m just myself,” I shrug, “I don’t put on a persona or anything, I guess people see me as genuine.”

“That’s definitely the way to go now,” Josh butts in, leaning over from where he and Gee are sitting on the other side of the table. “YouTube is becoming too mainstream and everyone is starting to behave like actors.”

The night continues, and I get to know Will more.  The more I learn, the more I like him.  He doesn’t seem to just want to get in my pants like most of the other guys I’ve met over my years on YouTube (cough JJ cough), and he’s interested in me rather than my fame.  I keep yawning as we talk though, and eventually I get so tired that he must have felt like he had to say something.

“Do you need to go home?  I can take you, I’ve got my car here.”  He looks at me worriedly and I nod my head.

“If you wouldn’t mind, that would be great,” I reply, yawning yet again and then covering my mouth, embarrassed.

“Yeah sure, lemme just go cover the bill.”

I try to hand him some cash but he waves it away.  “My treat, next time you buy, yeah?”

“Ok,” I sigh, looking over to where Gee and Josh are deep in conversation.  “Hey guys, Will’s gonna take me home, I’m completely shattered.”

One look at me and Gee hops up to give me a hug.  “Alright, have a good sleep.  Call me soon, yeah?”

I mumble an affirmative and wave to Josh, walking over to where Will is waiting by the door with my coat in his hands.  He gives it to me, and we go out to get into his car.  The drive seems to take forever, and before long, I can feel myself nodding off.  I decide to give into the feeling and rest my head against the window, looking out over London in wonderment.  

“It’s so beautiful.” I mumble, and I can feel Will look over at me in amusement.

“Yeah,” He says, and because my eyes are fluttering closed I don’t see him staring at my face before quickly directing his eyes back to the road.

I wake up briefly when the car stops, and I’m surprised when I see it’s not my apartment building.  I look at Will in confusion and he shrugs.

“You were asleep and I don’t know where you live so I brought you here.”

“Ok,” I mumble, and he steps over to loop his long arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his side as he leads me toward his apartment.  He unlocks the door and lets us in, leading me down the hall to what I assumed was his bedroom.  I protest feebly, and say that I’ll take the couch, but he’s having none of it, and stops in the doorway of his bedroom.  “There you go, it’s all yours.”

I crawl under the covers gratefully, and whisper as my eyes shut for the final time, “Thank you.”

- The next morning -

I wake up suddenly, sitting bolt upright and looking around frantically before relaxing and laying back down again when I remember the events of last night.  Will’s sheets smell like him, and I breathe it in before dragging myself out of the bed.  

I walk into the living room and see a shirtless Will lying on the sofa, which is far too short for him.  His laptop is on his lap, and he’d obviously fallen asleep watching something.  I giggle softly and pull out my phone to take a photo of him.  Something must have woken him at that point because his eyes open slowly, blinking the sleepiness away.  

“Good morning.” His voice is deep, and my eyes linger on his unclothed torso.

I tear my eyes away and look at his face, where I can see a tiny smirk lingering around the corners of his mouth.

“Uhh.. Morning,” I stutter, blushing.  

He heaves himself up and stretches, before turning toward me.  “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, really well actually!  Thanks for giving up your bed, you really didn’t have to.”

“Sure I did, you were absolutely dead on your feet.  Do you want some breakfast?”

“Well thank you anyway.  That’d be good - what do you have in mind?”

“Nothing fancy, I think we’ve got some cereal around here somewhere.”

“Cereal is fine.”  I’m having trouble concentrating due to the fact that he’s still not wearing a shirt, but I snap myself back into reality.  “Gee must have stayed at Josh’s, yeah?”  

“Yep.  She does that a lot, I think she’s only been here one night so far.”

“Surprise surprise, they’re sickeningly sweet sometimes.”

He nods in agreement, then blurts out, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

I’m taken aback, but answer almost instantly, “No. Why, do you have a girlfriend?”

“Nope, I’m single and ready to flamingle.”

I just stare at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. “Single and ready to flamingle?  Where the hell did that come from?”

“I saw it on a tinder profile once and it just stuck, I’ve been using it ever since.”

“Jesus Christ, that’s hilarious.” I wheeze, clutching my stomach.  

“I think it’s pretty great.” He laughs along with me as he finishes getting the breakfast things out.

We eat breakfast, conversing quietly, and then I ask if I can use his bathroom before I head home.  I quickly go in and wash my face, ridding it of the remnants of any makeup from the night before.  I go to the toilet, and am about to head back out when I hear Will’s voice on the phone.

“She has 11 million subscribers Gee!  How could you forget to mention that?  Eleven fucking million.  And she’s so cool and beautiful and I... Ugh.  Beyond out of my league.”

I freeze.  He really thinks I’m out of his league?  That’s laughable.  He’s one of the nicest, most considerate guys I’ve ever met and I’ve only known him for 12 hours!

I make a performance of rustling around and closing the door slightly harder than necessary as I exit the bathroom.  I hear him quickly end the conversation with Gee and I walk over to where he’s sitting on the sofa.  I sit beside him and look at his open laptop curiously  

“Hey, what were you watching last night?  I saw you fell asleep in the middle.”

Will flushes, and looks down at his hands, “I was actually binging your videos.  I wanted to know more about you.”

My heart skips a beat, “Aw that’s sweet.  You know you can always just ask me though.”

“I know that, but you weren’t exactly in a space to have a deep meaningful conversation about life last night, were you.” He meets my eyes briefly before looking back down at his hands.

“That’s true, I was pretty out of it.”

“That you were, Y/N.”

“Anyway, I should probably head home now,” I say regretfully.  “Thank you again for looking after me, and we should do it again sometime?” It comes out as a question, and Will’s head jerks up to look at me.

“Really?  Uh, do you wanna exchange phone numbers?” He asks hesitantly.

“Sure,” Our hands touch as I pass my phone to him, and I feel a shock of electricity shoot between us.  I gasp quietly, and check to see if Will has noticed anything.  It doesn’t seem like he has, so I shake it off and wait for him to finish typing.  

“I sent myself a text so you have my number too.”

“Cool.  See you soon, yeah?”

“Yep,” he replies, walking me to the door.  As I’m about to exit, I decide that I want a hug and turn back around, wrapping my arms around him.  I feel him freeze for an instant before his arms come up tentatively and I nestle into his chest.  We pull away eventually and I am struck by something as I look up into his eyes.  I lean up to him and he bends his head down to meet my lips.  The kiss is soft and tentative, and when we break away I look down at the floor in embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry, I don’t know what that was,” I say ashamedly.  “I’ll go now.”  

“No, Y/N, wait.” He exclaims, reaching out and grabbing my hand as I try to leave.

He pulls me back to him and kisses me again.  This one is longer, and he laughs as it ends.  “I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I met you.”

I blush, and smile up at him.  “Well, I’m glad it happened.”

I peck his lips one last time and turn away.  “I’ve really gotta go now, I need to film a video.”

“Text me, yeah?”  

I nod and wave as I walk out the door, before stepping into the elevator and calling Gee.

“Y/N?  Are you ok?” She asks worriedly. “Um... I may have kissed Will?”

“WHAT?  OMG, MY OTP IS REAL!”

“Gee... Don’t tell me you shipped us before we even met.” I sigh in exasperation.

“I always knew you’d be cute together.  So, how did it happen?”

I tell her the story of the night and morning as I get into my waiting uber and she squeals and exclaims at all the right moments.  I can hear Josh asking her questions in the background, but she ignores him.

“Hey Gee,” I ask hesitantly, when I’m done with telling her about the night.

“Yeah?”

“I heard you on the phone with Will earlier...  Does he really think he’s not good enough for me?”

I hear her take a deep breathe before replying.  “Well shit, you weren’t supposed to hear that...  I think it’s a pride thing honestly.  He isn’t always happy with the content he makes and maybe he feels like you might think he only likes you because of your fame? ”

“Well that’s utter bullshit.” I groan.  “I’m going to have to talk to him about this aren’t I?”

“Yeah, I think so.  Let me know what goes down ok?”

“Will do, bye.” I hang up as we pull up outside my apartment building.  

I head up to my flat and go inside, falling face down on my bed.  What have I gotten myself into?  I don’t have time for a relationship...  Fuck it, I need to get this sorted out with Will before I drive myself insane.

“Hey.” He answers his phone almost instantly and I chuckle internally.

“Hi.  What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Uh, not much...”

“Do you wanna come over and hang out?” I blurt out quickly, cringing at my eagerness.  I hear him let out a quiet snort and I cringe even more, mentally slapping myself in the head.  

“Sure.”  He replies without hesitation.  “When would be a good time?”

“Whenever really.  I’ll text you the address and you can just turn up.”

“Cool, I’ll see you then.”

“Bye.” I hang up and go to set up to film my new video.

-The next day-

I’m lying on the sofa editing my video from yesterday afternoon.  It has to be uploaded today but I’m having trouble concentrating because I know that Will could turn up at any moment.  I sigh and give up, grabbing my phone to check twitter.  At that moment the doorbell rings, and I jump slightly before leaping up and going to let him in.

“Hey, come in.”

“Thanks.  You look... nice.”  He grins, looking at my sweatpants and sports bra.

“Shut uppp, I’ve been editing all day, no time for getting dressed.” I wink and take his hand, leading him into the living room.  

He gasps when he sees the view out of the window, “So THIS is what 11 million subscribers and their ad revenue will buy in London...  Damn.”

“It was fucking expensive and probably completely unnecessary but I walked in and immediately fell in love with it, so I decided to go for it.”

“Yeah fair enough, I wouldn’t have been able to get my place if Gee hadn’t wanted to move to London too.”

I look at him for a second, thinking.  “Hey Will?”

He looks around at me, hearing my tone of voice become slightly serious.  “Yeah?”

I walk over to where he’s standing by the window and take his hand.  “I heard your conversation with Gee the other day...”

“Oh God, which one?” He blushes and I smile at how cute he looks. “The one about how I have so many subscribers.”

“Oh yeah.  About that...”

“Hang on,” I interrupt, “I just wanted to say that I really like you, and I want to get to know you better.  I think your videos are incredibly creative and I think you deserve at least as many subscribers as me.”

His face lights up in a smile and he grabs my other hand. “Can I please kiss you?”

I don’t answer, but instead wrap my arms around his neck and reach up to meet his lips.  The kiss quickly becomes heated, and he grabs my waist and pulls me closer to him.  We break apart gasping, and I look up at him with a smirk on my face.  “And I wouldn’t mind if you did want to get into my pants.”

He laughs and turns his attention back to my lips, guiding me gently toward the couch.  Needless to say, my planned video isn’t uploaded until the next day.    

-fin-

Taking requests for: Sidemen, sidemen of the sidemen, WillNE, ChrisMD, Joe Sugg, Caspar Lee, Buttercream Boys, STRANGER THINGS

[fanficcollection]

Tumblr - Girl (Part 9)

Tumblr – Girl (series)

Part 1 Masterlist

Pairing: Misha Collins x reader Summary: the evening goes on and on Word Count: 2.073

Warnings: unprotected smut (rape!) - don’t read if this could be triggering for you!, kissing, mental illness, depression, self doubt,  

Notes: Here is a new part, it’s been a while, but here it is. You have to be strong now, my friends. 

Thanks again to my lovely beta @sinceriouslyamellpadalecki for reading through it :) Show her some love for that! 

And now, be strong, here is Part 9!

Your POV

After the film has ended, you and Jacob were snuggled up and it felt right, it felt good to lay there with him, you were tired as hell, but everything felt save, it felt good to know Dmitri wasn’t mad on you, it felt good to have Jacob here to care about you, everything seemed perfect. When the screen went dark you still laid there, you didn’t say anything, for some time you laid there in the dark and just breathed, Jacobs hand still stroking your shoulder every now and then. After some time, it felt like hours, but it couldn’t be longer than a few minutes you lifted your eyes to look at his face, and when you met his gaze he slowly moved his hand to your face, slowly touching your cheek, then he bent forward to press his lips on yours, gently, you didn’t pull away, you enjoyed the unfamiliar touch, it was the first time you really wanted it, wanted to kiss him. You gently leaned into the kiss, put your hands on his shoulders and pulled him closer. 

His hands wandered under your shirt, caressed the skin on your stomach, you had to giggle “Don’t tickle, that’s unfair” you just whispered and he laughed as well, but he stopped tickling and started stroking your lower back, smoother, softer. Soon you were fallen back into deep, passionate kisses, one of your hands drifted through his dark hair, he slightly moaned into the kiss and you smiled a bit. His hands went up on your back, slowly, every now and then staying a moment, stroking softly, making you shiver because of the sensation. Soon they reached your bra, you gasped when he touched your breasts through the fabric, but he didn’t seem to notice, it wasn’t unpleasant, so you didn’t say anything and just let him continue. He kneaded your breasts, softly and soon you couldn’t hold back and let out a silent moan, it was his time to smile. “Y/N…” he whispered near your ear, kissing along your jawbone “I… I want you.” He gasped, kissing down your neck. You didn’t know what to say, it felt so good, you have never felt that kind of sensation before. “Y/N… I’ve waited long enough.” He whispered when he took the hem of your shirt and slowly pulled it up. You moaned again, a bit louder than before, you never witnesses anything like that, when he wanted to fully remove your shirt you just smiled, watching him as the shirt left your body. You shivered, feeling his hands explore your body. Quickly your bra was opened and fell off, the sudden cold made you shake a bit more than before. The next moment he stood up and looked at you, you were not sure what to do, then a smirk turned up at his face. He leaned down, kissing you deeply and lifting you, not breaking the kiss. Surprised you pulled back, he growled, kissed along your jaw, carrying to your bedroom. Soon you realized what he was up to, you relaxed a bit, enjoying his kisses. When he set you down on your bed, his hands nearly immediately tried to remove your pants, you just wore a pair of sweatpants, so it didn’t take too long. “Jacob..” you moaned slightly embarrassed when you sat there, completely naked, he looked at you, his eyes were lust-blown. “I want you, Y/N.” He said with a husky voice and pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it on the floor and unbuckled his belt. Then he quickly stripped his pants and boxers, before leaning into you for a deep kiss. You put your hands on his shoulders, enjoying the kiss, you knew what would happen now. “Jacob.. This.. it’s my first time.” You breathed when you broke the kisses to breathe, he just groaned and pressed you back until you laid on the mattress, him on top of you. His hands were everywhere, the sensation of his touch filled you, you couldn’t move, couldn’t say anything, just feel his skin on yours. All of a sudden it all happened at once, you felt something at your entrance, but before you could realize what it was Jacob pushed himself into you, without any preparation. You felt a stinging hurt, you winced when the pain flashed through your body, but he pressed your hands to the mattress, so you couldn’t move. “Uhh.. Y/N, you are so…” he couldn’t finish the sentence, you saw the bliss in his eyes. When he buried his cock completely into you he stopped for a short moment and leaned down to kiss you, he loosed the grip at your hands, but didn’t let you go. He first kissed your lips, then worked down to your neck, your shoulders. Then he started moving, pulled out slowly and pushed back in, once, twice, it still hurt, but not as much as before. “You feel so good.” He groaned. After that he increased the pacewinced again, a silent tear rolled down your cheek, the burning pain increased, you wanted it to stop, but then, on the other hand Jacob looked so full of bliss, so pleased, you could bear this a bit longer, you told yourself. He pounded into you, then you felt his cock starting to twitch, he slowed down a bit, which made it better for you, not much later he started to breathe heavily, then you felt him cum into you, he thrusted a few more times and then collapsed on you, his twitching cock still in you. He let go of your hands and searched your lips to kiss you and you happily accepted the kiss. His hands gently caressed your body, massaged your breast, it felt good. After some minutes he stood up to get a washcloth to clean you and himself up. “Y/N, I got the morning-after pill for you, I didn’t know if you are on protection.” He just said and put a box with a pill on your nightstand. You just shook your head “Thanks so much. I completely forgot about that.” You said and swallowed the pill without water. “Maybe you should make an appointment with your doctor to think of a method of protection.” He said, while he laid down next to you. You nodded, then you placed your head on his chest and soon you felt him fall asleep. Not much time later you fell asleep as well.

Next morning you woke up first, there were dark bruises at your wrists, where Jacob held you yesterday. You looked at him how he still slept peacefully. You smiled, but carefully, not to wake him, you stood up. It hurts awfully between your legs, but you tried to keep it together, put a loose short on and into the kitchen to prepare some breakfast. While you made some French toast you took your mobile to check your messages. You saw you didn’t answer Dmitri yesterday, so you decided to do it right now.

“Dear Dmitri,

I really can’t believe you think like this, I got a lot of texts from you, and yesterday I read every single one of them. I love them, I will print them and keep them, I can’t believe you are here even if I put you through hell and back. Dmitri, I know I’m not worth your time, but although I know that I don’t want to lose you, if you don’t say that I should stop, you will be stuck with me for quite a time now. “

You don’t know how that happened, but suddenly there were two human beings, who cared about you, Jacob was here physically, he was the one to touch, the one who touched you. He showed you how physical love had to be, he was there for you.

And there was Dmitri, who was the one you could talk to, about everything, about everybody, without hesitation. He was the one who understands, who pushes you when you couldn’t go on any longer, the one, who showed you a way when you thought you were in a dead-end road. You needed them both, you needed both parts in your life, you thought. Smiling you flipped over the French toast and then continued to type.

“But your offer, Dmitri, the con-tickets, I don’t know if I can take them. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to attend a con, to meet all the people there. Maybe to talk to them, but on the other hand I can take this tickets for free from you. They normally cost hundreds of dollars, and you want to give them to me? For what, for nottelling you that I’m still alive, for putting you through this hell for weeks? Dmitri, as glad I would be to get a ticket, at least let me buy them from you. Don’t give them to me for letting you down.

I’ll let you know if I can get the money to buy them from you. What kind of tickets are they? I hope they aren’t that expensive, I really would love to attend the con. Just tell me the price.

Thank you so much for sticking with me, Dmitri, I can’t say it too often, thank you!

Love, Y/N “

After reading through it once again you sent the message and concentrated on the breakfast. “Good morning.” You heard from behind you and seconds later you felt two hands slipping around your waist. “Morning” you said and turned your head around to see Jacob. “Want some coffee?” you asked and before he answered he gave you a short peck on the lips. Now you turned around completely and shyly pulled him into a more intense kiss. His hands slowly slipped to your breasts, he moaned into the kiss while kneading them softly. After a while of kissing you smelled a burnt smell, shit, the toast. You quickly put it out of the pan and turned the stove off. Then you turned back at him “Breakfast?” you asked him and he nodded.

Mishas POV

There was not much to do at my place in Vancouver, filming started again tomorrow, so I had to go over the scripts for tomorrow, I thought about going out to a bar, or to ask Jensen, if he would like to do something, but I didn’t want to bother him, he was there for me nearly every day for the last few weeks, he has earned some alone time, especially since he didn’t get much sleep because of me, this night. I opened a bottle of wine at home and put on a film, which I hadn’t seen yet. Every now and then I checked my phone, if I got a reply from Y/N, I don’t know what this girl did to me, maybe it was because she let me see into her world, without knowing who I am, maybe there was something I could relate to in the way she wrote about her struggles, I couldn’t figure it out.

I went to bed late, but I slept well, the nightmares were nearly blown away.  My make-up artist would be grateful if the rings beneath my eyes got less intense, Jensen would be as well.

Next morning came too quickly, I didn’t get up when my alarm went off, but after I pressed snooze for the 4th time I could get myself to take a shower. That helped, a lot. After showering, having a small breakfast and going through the lines again, I got myself ready for set. Jensen would pick me up, as always. While waiting I checked my phone again, and there it was, the message I waited for the whole time. Just out of nothing. I looked outside, Jensen wasn’t here yet, so I opened it and started to read.

It made me sad, that she thought like that of herself, like she didn’t deserve something good to happen to her, but she said she wouldn’t stop writing again, that was positive. It seemed like she didn’t have any plan to do something to herself near future, when I wanted to go on I heard the sound of a motor outside, shove the mobile in my front pocket and left the house. I needed time to re-read it, to process what she meant. I could do that later today.

Part 10

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