#except pat just egged on wai to drink it quickly right after it was poured

[snickerdoodlles]

more assassin AU hot off the press for @jemmo. we’ll make it thru ep12 somehow my friend ❤❤

dimples can always lie (series tag); Pt.3, 1300w, rated T 02: “We just stopped a homicide. Congratulations?” (prompt list)

Wai’s just finished settling on the couch when he hears a key unlock Pran’s front door. “Hey!” he shouts, because letting Pran speculate on who might’ve entered his home while he was out is a mistake someone only ever makes once. “News says you stopped a homicide. Congratulations!”

He barely manages to duck in time to avoid a knife from burying itself into his skull. His strangled yelp is barely louder than the heavy thunk of the knife embedding itself into the wall behind where his head used to be. He peeks over his bowl of noodles warily just in time to see Pran storm past his living room and up the stairs.

Wai turns to Pat, who’s hanging up their bags and keys by the door. “What the hell?” Wai demands, aggrieved. “You’d think I’d interrupted his knitting again.” (Another mistake someone only ever makes once.)

Pat presses his lips together to hide his smile. Dick. “Did the news say who Pran saved?”

Wai shakes his head. “Nope. They blurred out his face though, so I’m guessing he’s someone important?”

“Of course they did,” Pat mutters with a roll of his eyes. “Paramej Chueamanee.”

Wai and Pat blink at each other expectantly. “Yeah,” Wai drawls, “Whoever they are, they’re too classy to have mob connections.”

“...Petrochemicals. Human rights violator. Constantly pays fines for the workers that die--”

“Ohhh.” Wai snaps his fingers. “That guy with the factory issues Pran bitched about last month?”

Pat just stares at Wai, unimpressed. “You know what, sure, close enough. That’s him.”

Wai rolls his eyes. Just because Pat and Pran keep mental lists of Thailand’s richest assholes and politicians to fuck over doesn’t mean the rest of them do. Wai has plenty enough to memorize with just the mafia and majia-adjacent networks, thank you very much.

“Why’d he even save him?”

Pran stomps back in with a thundercloud over his head and his long standing knitting project in his arms. “I would never,” Pran mutters. His fingers flex reflexively. Pat, a far braver fool than Wai, kisses Pran’s forehead on his way to the kitchen and the storm brewing around him calms, just a bit. “I thought the gunman was going for Pat.”

Wai whistles. “That’s rough.” For Pran and the poor gunman. Wai frowns. “But the news didn’t say anyone had died?”

Pran throws down his knitting project--and ooh, he’s even more pissed off than Wai first expected, because that’s the Murder Scarf. Wai slurps down another bite of noodles and subtly scoots away from Pran.

(The Murder Scarf had started after one of Pran’s first botched hits. They’d had to hide in a dumpster behind one of those terrible chain craft stores and had somehow wound up with a ball of cheap red yarn finding its way into Pran’s bag. He and Wai had taken the bus home and since knife throwing isn’t an option when they’re in public, Pran had started knitting to ease his irritation. By the time they’d gotten home, the shitty ball of yarn had become the start of a scarf and Pran had a new plan--one he enacted the next day with vengeance, terrifying precision, and more knives than Wai knew a person could carry--and the Murder Scarf was borne. It’s since grown over the years from a red twenty centimeter block to a trailing riot of colors and shitty scrap yarn several meters long. Anytime the Murder Scarf makes an appearance, bodies will fall.)

Pran sneers and checks his gleaming knitting needles. “I didn’t kill the gunman,” he says shortly. “I realized he wasn’t there for us right as I started moving, but then it was too late. Someone else was screaming about the gun and if we didn’t take him down, Paramej’s security would have killed him.”

“Oof,” Wai mutters with a wince. He sucks some sauce off his chopsticks thoughtfully as Pran flops down with an angry huff.

“Sooo,” he mumbles around his chopsticks, only getting a grunt from Pran. He pulls out his chopsticks and clicks them together. “…Why are you so upset?” Pran looks up darkly and Wai hunches behind his noodles defensively. “I’m just saying, you look like someone ripped up one of Pat’s sweaters! Not your typical response to saving someone’s life!”

Pat walks back in carrying a bottle of wine and three glasses. “Paramej offered Pran a job.”

Wai straightens. “He knows who you are?!”

Pat’s shaking his head before Wai even finishes his sentence. “Not that kind of job. A manager’s job.”

Wai frowns and stares between them, baffled, for a minute before it clicks and Wai chokes.

“He asked you to work for him?! In the company?!” he wheezes as he pounds his chest and hacks up bits of noodle.

Pran’s thunder cloud darkens. “All important men have enemies. When you get to my position, it becomes vital to surround yourself with those you can trust,” he mimics in a growl. “Heaven forbid killing your workers has consequences.” Pran goes back to knitting, needles clicking furiously. At the rate he’s going, Chang might not even have enough time to set up the betting pool before Paramej drops dead.

Wai pounds his chest to get the last bit of noodle out of his lungs and Pat passes him a glass of wine. “Thanks,” Wai wheezes and nods gratefully. Pat smiles, like moonlight on water, and pours Pran a new glass. Then Wai takes a sip and--

Wai gags. “Is this Barolo?” he demands, smacking his lips together to try to deal with the taste. Pat snickers. “Asshole. You know I’m eating noodles with Auntie Dissaya’s special sauce!”

Pat just shrugs as he puts down Pran’s glass in front of him, finishing off the gesture with another soothing kiss to the top of Pran’s head. He smiles at Wai unrepentantly and pours himself a glass before he settles into the seat across from Wai. “It’s one of our special wines. We picked it up on a job in Italy four years ago exactly.” Pat looks up, dark eyes wide. “We’re sharing anniversary wine with you because we love you.”

Gross. “You’re so full of shit,” Wai mutters against the rim of his glass before he takes a big defiant swig. Ugh. The inside of his mouth now tastes like bad bitter melon, or sour grapefruit, but fuck Pat, Wai will drink that whole bottle of shitty anniversary wine if he wants to go there.

The corners of Pat’s eyes tighten, but he hides most of his irritation behind an appraising sniff of his wine. Wai stares him down and takes another swallow.

“Why are you even here?” Pat mutters.

Wai shrugs and turns his attention back to the news, which is running another segment on Pran’s rescue, but this time with a statement from that Paramej guy. “Ran out of food. Coming here was faster.”

“The grocer is literally a block away from your apartment,” Pat says flatly.

“Yeah, but they don’t have cooked leftovers.” Wai looks between his noodles--also known as: Pat’s favorite meal--and Pat, and grins meanly. “And it’s free.” Pat glares back and Wai snickers. “Just remember that even if you take away my key, I know how to pick locks.”

“You’re such a vulture. I’m going to stuff you full of garbage next time I see you.”

“Oi.” Wai barks as he points his chopsticks at Pat, “Don’t insult us scavengers Pat. Waste disposal is a vital part of our ecosystem!”

Pran snorts, the first sound they’ve heard from him in the last five minutes, and pauses his knitting long enough to raise his glass. “I’ll drink to that,” he says, eyes glittering darkly as he glares at Paramej Chueamanee on the tv screen.

Wai doubts the bastard will make it past the week.

[ashtheshortstack]

Cold Brew

Rating: G Ship: Kristoff/Anna Entry for Frozen Monster Mash Zine @frozines! Check it out here!

Tags: Modern AU, Coffee Shop AU, Witch!Anna, Halloween Fluff Fic, Love Potion Shenanigans! 

Happy Halloween!

Read on AO3

Winters were harsh in the town of Arendelle. Anna was almost certain that was Elsa’s doing. Her sister loved to experiment with her ice spells. Elsa had even gotten so powerful that she didn’t even need a wand to cast them. But sometimes her elder sister’s exploration of her abilities went arie and sent Arendelle into another harsh cold snap without any warning. The citizens made jokes about it, often joshing about how you never really knew what the weather forecast would be in their town. But Anna knew the truth… 

Anna was quite the opposite of her sister. While Elsa liked to cast spells and conjure snow, Anna took the potions approach. She wasn’t sure what it was about finding the right ingredients to mix the perfect spell that excited her so much, but it did. That’s why Anna decided to take a job at the local coffee shop since she loved to mix together concoctions so much. 

Besides, she loved coffee. 

It was during the end of October that the chill set over the town. Often there’d be more and more patrons coming in for warm pumpkin spiced lattes or even skipping ahead a holiday to the peppermint mochas. Anna could understand--she was a sucker for any type of warm cinnamon flavors herself. 

And most of her coworkers--Ryder and Honeymaren--were in agreement with that. But Kristoff… that man’s taste in coffee was atrocious. He liked it black. Hardly any sugar. Despised when anyone put vanilla in his drink. 

Anna thought he couldn’t be human… and she wasn’t even one. 

While working at the coffee shop, she’d met a lot of valuable customers. She often had regulars who’d ask how her day was going but there was always one that stood out amongst the rest: Hans. 

The gingered haired man always flashed her a winning smile, complimented her appearance, and just made her weak at the knees. Anna had never had a boyfriend before. She’d always been more shy around boys. Besides, their parents had kept them pretty sheltered from people because of their abilities they’d inherited from their mother. When their parents died, Anna and Elsa had to make it on their own. So, she’d never really had a real chance at romance. 

Hans at a table, sipping at the coffee she’d made him. Anna hummed dreamily, leaning on her palms as she rested her elbows onto the counter. She couldn’t help but be entranced by him. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat made her jump. 

Anna looked up at Kristoff with a yelp. “What?” she hissed. 

The blond smirked. “You got a little drool…” he motioned to the corner of this mouth.

Humiliation flashed through her, only when she reached up to her own mouth, she found it dry. Ugh! Why was Kristoff like this!? Always joking and teasing her…

He barked a laugh at her reaction as she pouted up at him. “C’mon, Anna, if you’re going to thirst after customers I’m going to give you a hard time about it.” 

She scoffed. “But why?” 

Kristoff rolled his eyes at that. “Because you don’t even know him?” 

“Of course, I do!” 

Giving her a flat look, the blond leaned onto the counter. “What’s his last name?” 

“Uh.. it starts with a W.” 

“Eye color?” 

“Dreamy, obviously.” 

“Best friend’s name?” 

“Probably John.” 

Kristoff snorted. “Anna, seriously? How do you even know he likes you? How can you be so hung up on a guy who doesn’t even know your name?” 

“Sure, he does! I have a nametag!” 

“Bet he’ll pronounce it wrong.” 

Kristoff shook his head with a sigh. “Honestly, Anna, you’re a witch … don’t you think you could do better than that guy?” 

Hushing him, she glanced around. “Keep your voice down! Jeez!” 

Ever since Kristoff caught her doing magic and she had to explain to him that yes , she was a witch and they did exist, he’d agreed to keep her secret. But somehow… she thought it made him more protective of her ever since he’d found out. While she appreciated the sentiment, she didn’t get why he made such a big deal out of things. 

He patted her head. “I’m just trying to look after the most magical girl I know,” he said with a grin.

Anna groaned, pushing off the counter, ignoring the flush rising on her cheeks at his complement. “What are you? A love expert?” 

“Well, no. But I bet I know more about love than you do.” 

With a harumph, she crossed her arms and shot the blond a sour glance. “Fine. We’ll see about that.” 

  Anna intended to prove Kristoff wrong. She’d show him! When she arrived home from work, she pulled on her cloak and stomped down to the basement. Elsa appeared surprised to see her sister stomping over towards the caldron. 

“Anna?” 

She hadn’t been trying to ignore her sister. But she was just so hung up in her own thoughts. Anna couldn’t believe how negative Kristoff was being about her love life. She’d never heard of him talk about a girlfriend! Only his interest in fixing cars and his dog, Sven. Which Anna did find interesting, of course, because Kristoff was her friend despite it all. 

Anna quickly flipped through her spellbook, probably too aggressively, as she muttered to herself. All she wanted was for someone to love her… in a romantic way, that is. 

“Anna, what’re you doing?” 

She didn’t even look up when Elsa spoke, continuing to glance through the pages. “Looking for a love potion recipe… ah-ha! ‘Lover’s Brew’ that’s it!” 

Elsa sighed, pinching her brow. “Why are you looking for a love spell?” 

“So that I can prove to Kristoff that Hans likes me!” 

“By casting a spell? Isn’t that cheating?” 

Scoffing, Anna shook her head. “Of course not,” she replied with a wave of her hand. 

Elsa shook her head with a knowing smile. “Just… please be careful. Taking a love potion into work seems a bit risky.” 

Anna had already begun the process of scouring through their shelves to find the ingredients she needed. She stacked the bottles into her arms before laughing at her sister’s doubts. “Oh, please, Elsa… I’ll be completely careful--ooh!” she nearly dropped her essence of frog, but was able to regain her balance to catch it. That would’ve been a nasty mess to clean up. Essence of frog smelled awful. 

The grimace on her elder sister’s face spoke volumes, but Elsa was completely used to her sibling’s antics at this point. So, she just left Anna to it and crossed the room back to her own spells. But Anna noticed the occasional glance of Elsa checking on her. 

Anna followed the directions of the spell word for word. Pouring in each ingredient with precision, sprinkling the powders, and stirring with her wooden spoon. She winced when she had to yank out a strand of her hair so the potion would have a specific love interest. Usually with potions she was able to do a test run… but there wasn’t any way to test this love spell. So… she’d just have to hope for the best. Luckily, she’d check and there weren’t any that were detrimental. The spell would only last twelve hours unless made permanent with true love’s kiss. 

Perfect. 

  Anna smuggled the potion into work in her pocket. The day was normal… except for the anxiety egging at her chest knowing what her ill conceived plan was. This was a bad idea. She knew it was a bad idea to force someone to fall in love. Besides, she only had the next twelve hours to kiss Hans so he’d be permanently in love with her. And then they could get married and live happily ever after, right? 

When Has approached the counter at his usual time, Anna felt her heart flutter. Today was the day. This man she’d been pining after for so long… she could finally have him. But Hans didn’t seem to be his usual self. He wore a frown and as he scrolled through his phone. 

“Hello, good morning,” Anna began in her practiced chipper tone. “Would you like your usual?” 

With a sigh of annoyance, Hans glanced up from his phone. “Not today. Just large, black with two sugars.” 

Huh. Interesting. That was Kristoff’s usual. She’d always called him plain and shamed him for it, but if Hans liked that too… maybe she’d been too hard on her coworker. 

“Yes sir, coming right up,” she chimed. 

Hans was looking down at his phone again only giving a hum in response before moving to the side to wait for his order. Anna went to work preparing the order. It wouldn’t take long to do such a simple drink. Or it shouldn’t have, at least. Anna sprinkled in the two sugars before glancing around to make sure no one was around. She took the vile out of her pocket and quickly poured it into Hans’ drink. 

“What’re you doing?” 

She yelped. “Jesus Christ, Kristoff! Will you stop doing that?” 

His scowl only remained as he crossed his arms. “What’d you just pour in there?” 

“J-Just some sweetener that I made.” 

Kristoff glared at her. “And you just happened to want to test it on that guy? To what? See if he likes it?” 

“W-Well, yeah! If he thinks this is the best coffee he’s ever tasted then maybe he’ll like me, right?” 

“Anna…” he pursed his lips looking between the drink and her face. “That’s a love potion, isn’t it?” 

Anna sputtered, rearing back. She hated how easily Kristoff could figure her out! How did he do that!? “Psht! What?? No! Of course not. That’d be entirely unethical and--” 

“Yoo hoo! Anna!” Oaken called from his office. “Can I speak to you for a moment?” 

Dread washed over her as she looked between her boss and the coffee. Kristoff seemed to reluctantly take the cup. “Go. I’ll give it to him.” 

Blinking, Anna stared up at him. “Really?” 

“Yeah. I’ll do it.” 

  After her meeting with Oaken (about maybe becoming assistant manager with Kristoff which was mind boggling!), Anna practically skipped out of the office. She looked over at Hans and noticed him sitting in his usual place. He would have to drink most of the cup for the potion to take effect, so she’d just have to wait until he threw the cup away. 

She looked around for Kristoff to check with him if he gave the drink to Hans, but she couldn’t find the blond anywhere. It worried her a bit… Had he not given him the cup? Surely, Kristoff wouldn’t lie to her. 

But she didn’t have time to think about it. When she saw Hans throw away his--hopefully empty--coffee cup, it was time for Anna to strike. It would take five minutes for the potion to take effect. So, she kept her eyes on the clock as Hans scrolled through his phone at the table. Anna stalked over there as soon as she could. Smiling sweetly at him as she walked up. 

“Uh, hi,” she said. 

Hans gave her a once over. “You made that first cup of coffee, right?” 

First cup…?

“U-Um, yes.” 

He glared up at her. “It was absolutely awful. I made your broody manager drink it to prove a point.” 

Blinking, Anna gaped. “You--You what? ” 

Hans scoffed. With each annoyed look that graced his features, Anna felt her heart chipping in her chest. 

“The coffee you made was bad. It had an awful after taste. I didn’t know it was possible to mess up black coffee, but you did.” 

Anna’s fists balled at her sides. “Are you this rude to everyone? ” 

Hans balked. “ Rude? Please, you’re the one who can’t make coffee correctly. It’s a shame really… and here I thought you were cute. But it’s true, pretty girls are always dim.” 

The slap rang out through the coffee shop. She hadn’t meant to… Hans seemed surprised, jaw ajar as he gaped. There was already a red mark on his cheek. Anna knew as soon as she got home… she was putting a curse on his ass. She couldn’t believe this was the guy she’d been fawning over for two months. 

Honeymaren and Ryder were there in an instant. Honeymaren grabbed Anna by the arm and started to tug her backwards away from the man. “Come with me, Anna,” she said quietly. 

Ryder assisted Hans out the door, where the ginger haired man shouted profanities and flailed wildly outside the door as her coworker did his best to defuse him. 

Anger fueled through her. Anna’s chest was tight as Honeymaren led her into the break room. Well, that’s where Kristoff had been hiding apparently. The blond seemed stunned to see her being dragged in by their coworker. 

Honeymaren sighed as she led Anna to the couch. “What happened?” 

“He called me dumb,” she blurted out. 

Pursing her lips, Honeymaren nodded. “Okay… I’ll start on damage control. We’ll talk in a bit. You two just--relax a bit.” 

Anna heard her grumble something about how weird this day was as she headed out the door. When Anna looked up, Kristoff’s cheeks were pink when he stared at her. 

“You drank it, huh?” she asked. 

“He made me.” 

She tilted her head. “What do you mean?” 

Letting out a sigh, he looked away from her. “He threatened to go to Oaken. Apparently, his father knows him. Told me he’d have you fired for making such a disgusting drink. I reminded him that you’ve made all of his drinks before and never had a problem, but he didn’t care. He told me if I drank the whole thing--because he had to taste it and someone else should to--that he’d let it go. Ugh, what an ass.” 

“I’m so sorry, Kristoff. I’m so dumb… This is entirely my fault. I-I’ll have to fix it.” 

“Fix it?” 

“Well, Oaken just offered me a promotion and then I went and slapped a customer. I guess a memory wiping spell would be best.” 

“Ah… I think Oaken would understand. If he knows Hans’ father, I’m sure he knows what kind of man he is.” 

Anna just smiled in response, unsure if she actually believed that. But the way Kristoff was staring at her made her heart leap into her throat. Fiddling with her thumbs, she glanced up at him shyly. “A-Are you okay?” 

“I drank a whole love potion that tasted like fish coffee… Not really. All I can think about is how much I want to kiss you--” he blurted before smacking a hand over his mouth. 

A blush spread across her cheeks. “Really?” 

Kristoff groaned, flopping his head onto the small table. “Yes. And how close I want to be with you. How much I want to hug you and touch you. How happy you make me--and how stupid you make me too. God, I love you.” 

An ‘eep’ left her lips. “Kristoff, I-I’m so sorry. It’ll wear off in twelve hours and you won’t feel this way anymore.” 

He scoffed in response. “Oh, please. I feel like this every day. It’s just amplified. Maybe, your love potion is more of a truth serum when the person already loves you.” 

“Wait, what?” 

Kristoff shook his head. “This is bad. I have to get back to work,” he murmured. The blond sat up, eyes making contact with her own. Suddenly, those honey-brown eyes glazed over. A pink hue spread along his cheeks. Locking eyes had apparently distracted him from his mission. She hadn’t meant for this to happen… 

He was entranced it seemed as he slowly meandered over towards her. Kristoff sat on the couch beside her. He was staring right at her. “I love you.” 

Anna plugged her ears. “Stop. No, you don’t. It’s just the spell.” 

Kristoff’s gentle fingers were pulling her hand away from her ear. “No… Anna, I’ve felt like this since I’ve met you. The stupid potion is just making me say it.” 

“You--You love me? Even though I’m a witch?” 

He snorted. “What difference does that make? You’re Anna. Being a witch doesn’t matter. If anything, it makes you even more special. I had feelings for you before I found out. It didn’t change anything.” 

“W-Why didn’t you say it before…?” she asked timidly. 

“Because…” he ruffled a hand through his shaggy, blond locks. “I could see how much you really liked that guy. I just knew you’d reject me.” His hand was suddenly on her thigh. Anna jumped at the contact. Kristoff grimaced as he yanked his hand away. “Crap, I’m sorry. This spell sucks.” 

She wanted to agree. But… she couldn’t. Had she been so focused on her stupid infactuation with Hans that she couldn’t see what was right there in front of her? Kristoff claimed that he had feelings for her before he drank the potion. What if that were true? Had she been friendzoning him? Quietly rejecting him without realizing it? 

There were so many wonderful things about Kristoff. She loved hearing about his life… about his big family and Sven. How much he loved fixing cars as a hobby--even offering to help her out for free any time she needed it, despite knowing she could easily afford it. He kept her secret when he found out she was a witch. Granted, he was really freaked out at first, but who wouldn’t be? 

Instead of avoiding her, Kristoff was curious and supportive. He asked questions regarding her magic. Wanted to know more about her… 

When she was down, Kristoff cheered her up with his jokes, his teasing, his smile…

Oh… She was an idiot. 

How had she not realized how much Kristoff meant to her? How his stupid grins made her chest ache. How he sent butterflies fluttering inside her? 

Anna chased after his hand, catching his much larger palm in her own. “No, it doesn’t. I’m the one who sucks. I’m so sorry, Kristoff. You’ve been here all this time, and I was too blind to see it. I had no idea of your feelings. And now, I’ve basically forced you to spill them out.” 

He gave her a dopey grin. “I’m pretty sure even if I wanted to agree that this is your fault, the spell won’t let me.” 

Snorting a laugh, she smiled at him. “Promise me… In twelve hours when this spell wears off, you’ll still say you love me.” 

“Only if you say it back.” 

She giggled at that before scooting closer. “I can arrange that.” 

Kristoff was leaning in, almost unconsciously it seemed. But he paused, leaning back and shaking his head. “Sorry. This is really hard to resist.” 

“Good thing I didn’t make the stronger one, huh?” 

“There’s a stronger one? ” 

Anna nodded. “Mhmm.” her lids drooped as she glanced at his lips and to his eyes. 

“I want to kiss you…” he muttered. “May we…?” 

“We may…” 

Cupping her cheek with his large palm, Kristoff tugged her in. Anna’s eyes fluttered closed as he kissed her. Her heart danced in her chest, pounding wildly against her ribcage. How could she have been a fool to deny this man? His lips were so gentle and soft against her own. His thumb brushed along her cheek. Anna couldn’t help but wind her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer. 

Yeah… she could get used to this. 

When she pulled away, her lips barely left his. “We’re probably at about eleven hours, right?”

The breath from his short chuckle teased her skin. “I’d guess so.” 

“So, in eleven hours… you’ll tell me you love me and kiss me like this?” 

“I promise.” 

[turnyourankle]

Louis phone has blown up while he was sleeping, and he scrunches his eyes shut before scrolling through his notifications. From the tone of the messages it seems nothing serious was behind people reaching out to him. No, there's plenty of playful emojis and 'hahahah's riddling his notifications. Louis knows what that means.

Just Grimshaw talking smack about him on air again, getting the peanut gallery excited for a possible brawl, the texts and tweets and instagram messages Louis has gotten all egging him on to respond.

Louis grunts and rolls his eyes. It’s not ideal, this bizarre pas-de-deux that he and Nick are doing. To everyone else the two share a mutual distaste for each other, clever hotheads who enjoy the sparring and sharp banter. But Louis knows what Nick is doing. He’s trying to get Louis’ attention.

Yes, that way.

Nick’d told Louis it was exactly what he was doing a few months ago at a Brits after party. “My favourite Doncaster celebrity ambassador,” Nick had said, arm easily circling Louis’ shoulders. He pulled Louis into his chest as if bragging about his height advantage.

Louis hadn’t gotten a chance to respond with his face pressed against Nick’s open shirt. His perfume is strong and woodsy. Cerf Blanc, Louis knows, because Nick has talked about his love for it on his show.

(Yes, so what if Louis listens to him from time to time? It doesn’t mean anything.)

Louis hadn’t thought he’d enjoy the smell so much though, bracing himself against Nick’s chest to push away again. “Still haven’t gotten the key to Oldham?” Louis asked, flicking his fringe out of his eyes.

“I’ve got no use for a key, love, unless it’s to your heart,” Nick said, finger pointed against Louis’ chest. As if commanding Louis’ heart to beat faster.

Louis narrowed his eyes, too used to Nick’s jeers to take him seriously.

“Oh,” Nick’s face fell. He tilted his head up, chest opening as he rolled his shoulders back. “You think I’m having a laugh.”

Louis swept the rest of his beer, eyebrows raised. Nick’s eyes didn’t stray from Louis’ face. He was still unbearable close, his breath sweet from the liquor he’d been drinking. Mouth red, tongue peeking out of his mouth with every word.

“I’m dead serious.” Nick patted Louis’ shoulder, said, “You’ve got my number, Louis.”

Louis hadn’t believed Nick at first. But the way he’d said his name was charged, and Louis recognized the tone every time Nick spoke about him on air.

Inadvertently, Louis was paying attention to Nick more than before, a mawing inside of his chest wanting to hear what Nick had to say next about him.

Once, Nick alerted PETA to Louis’ dislike of avocados, saying they might want to get involved and educated fans that would turn their backs on the vegetable because of him.

Louis could picture Nick’s face as he would say it, the way his mouth would pull to the side just as it’d done when he’d spoken to Louis in person. It was childish, it was immature, it was juvenile but--

But it was working.

Despite the differences between them and Nick’s unfortunate habit of oversharing and poking the bear for controversy’s sake Louis couldn’t forget his tone, his physical presence when he’d made it clear he was actually interested in Louis.

Which leaves Louis eager to hear what Nick has said just now, just hours ago, a tiny flutter of anticipation at Grimshaw thinking about him.

It’s easy enough to find the clip, and Louis listens to it.

“What’s new, Grimmy?” Annie asks, a leading question of Louis’ has ever heard one.

Louis can practically hear the smirk in Nick’s voice as he responds, “I got one of those little news blurbs pushed to me, you know those, yeah? This headline reads, ‘Prince Louis steals show with clapping and waving’ and I’ve got to sit and ask which Louis they’re talking about.”

“The prince, they said so.”

“Right but was this about the actual prince or is this a fan article for friend-of-the-show, Louis Tomlinson?”

“Good question, that. D’you know?”

“No clue yet, maybe some kind listeners can fill me in. We can put up a Twitter poll. Which Louis is most likely to stun the crowd? I think we’d like to know the answer to that,” Nick signs off before the beats of Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’ filters through the airwaves.

Right.

Louis laughs, stifling the sound into his fist. Nick is absolutely ridiculous, but two can play. He quickly composes a tweet and fires it off.

It’s the first time Louis wades into the banter with Nick publicly, and he’s somewhat eager to see what will come of it. A date, perhaps? He bit his lip at the thought.

Louis refreshes his feed, replies filled with question marks pouring in.

Except from Nick who instead just tweeted,

Louis favourites the tweet and sends Nick a message, tongue pressed against the back of his teeth. surprised you knew what that word meant, perhaps we do share some common ground after all?

Louis tries to picture the smirk on Nick’s face when hearing from Louis. Louis hebites his lip, clasping his phone tightly as he prepares himself to hear from Nick, ready to verbally spar for a bit.

He expects to hear from Nick quickly; he’s never had an issue thinking on his feet when it comes to teasing Louis, but nothing comes. Not even after Louis’ message has been marked as sent.

It’s frustrating to say the least, and Louis is starting to wonder whether he’s been played for a fool. Perhaps Nick was winding him up all along, waiting for Louis to slip up and give Nick leverage…

Louis just can’t think of why he hasn’t heard from Nick yet.

-

The next morning there is a text waiting from Nick, one that leaves Louis blinking at his phone, wondering if he’s still asleep, or hallucinating or has developed an acute case of dyslexia because Nick’s message doesn’t make any sense.

Was Nick pretending like Louis had sent him to the clinker because of Nick’s tasteless royalty joke? Because it wasn’t funny, and it felt like he was making Louis the butt of the joke for finally engaging publicly.

Louis doesn’t think before responding, I know it’s not a crime to mock royalty, dickhead

He pockets his phone, not wanting to see any excuses Nick comes up with. He can deal, and does enjoy a good banter session but he won’t be ridiculed.

Oli is already in the kitchen, eating Louis out of house and home with three boxes of cereal in front of him. At least there’s a fresh pot of coffee waiting for him.

“Harry’s in the news again,” Oli said, mouth still full. Louis shrugged. After Nick’s shitty excuse he wasn’t in the mood for Oli insisted, “This is a good one, trust me.”

“Headline?” Louis prompted in a deadpan. The coffee is perfect and he closes his eyes, trying to ground himself.

“‘Styles’ Spider Saga: Where Do Lost Spiders Go?’”

That isn’t what Louis was expecting.

“Gimme that,” Louis says, gesturing to Oli’s phone. He hands it over and Louis quickly scrolls to the meat of the text.

Harry Styles and Nicholas Grimshaw may have a lot of ‘History’ but that all flew out the window last night when Grimshaw, 34, was apprehended on suspicion of kidnapping Styles’ pet arachnid, Bukowski.

“What the fuck,” Louis muttered to himself, grimacing at the insert close up of the spider. Was that really necessary? He scanned the rest of the article, which read more like a puff piece for Harry than anything else. Something about how a new employee of his didn’t realize Nick was supposed to watch the spider and had reported him to the police after he’d tweeted about being in trouble.

Which, he’d only done because Louis had poked fun at him, really. Louis bites back a smile, shaking his head. Perhaps he owes Nick an apology beer after all.

[gskarth]

Secrets Don’t Make Friends

All Time Low Imagine - requested by Anon, hope you enjoy this! Request: Can you create a imagines where the reader is transgender and they come out to the guys? Word Count: 1,320 A/N: I’ve been requested similar things to this a couple times before, but I’ve put it off because I don’t have a lot of knowledge/experience with stuff like this, so forgive me if any of what I wrote isn’t exactly how you would’ve liked it to be. I tried my best, although I did struggle ahaha, so I hope this turned out to your liking!

Send me an All Time Low imagine request

If you read & enjoy, please leave a like to show support!♡

“Hmmm,” you grumble as you begin to stir; the sound of your phone buzzing on the nightstand weaving in amidst your blissful sleep.  You reach over, your eyes still tightly shut as you snuggle further into your pillow, trying to dull the burning red of the sun, pouring in through the cracks of your blinds, against your eyelids. You blink a few times, regaining vision, and take a glimpse at your phone.

You had 2 missed calls from Alex and a text from Rian asking where you were. You groaned, before stripping the duvet from your body and rolling out of bed. You'd totally forgotten that you'd agreed to hang out with the boys today. Rubbing at your eyes, you make your way into the bathroom.

You let out a deep sigh as you're confronted with your reflection; some days were a lot harder than others when it came to coming to grips with the person you saw in the mirror – and you could already tell that today was going to be a difficult one. Taking a few steps forward, you place your phone beside the sink and have a closer look at yours. Your fingers run over specific features; the bags under your eyes, the acne on your cheek, the imperfect arch of your brows and the crookedness of your nose – features that no one else except you seemed to notice.

With another sigh, you began running the water. Another buzz from your phone egged you on as you quickly splashed the water over your face; the cold rush still not managing to wash away the bitter taste in your mouth. You grabbed a towel and dried yourself off, glancing down to see it was Jack who'd text you this time.

'Are you still coming over?' it read. You let out another sigh, wanting so badly to just continue ignoring your phone, but you knew you couldn't. Today was a big day; it was the day you were finally going to confide in your best friends about what you had been struggling with lately; your gender identity. You could tell that they knew that something was up with you, but anytime they asked, you just brushed it off. You were still coming to terms with things yourself, and telling people was going to be difficult, but you desperately needed to talk about it – preferably with your best friends who knew everything about you and always gave the best advice.

You grabbed your phone and quickly shot a reply to Jack. 'On my way,' you lied as you quickly threw some clothes on and headed out the door. It was just going to be a typical Friday with the guys – spending the day watching them rehearse, playing video games, watching old movies and eating junk food. Usually, you looked forward to days like this, but as you hopped in your car you noted just how hard your heart was hammering against your chest.

“Y/N!” Zack exclaimed as he opened the door to Rian's house, revealing you stood outside. You mustered up a smile as he pulled you into a quick hug, simultaneously dragging you inside. “We thought you were standing us up,” he chuckled as he shut the door behind you. You let out an awkward laugh, looking around – for what? You had no idea. Zack cocked a brow at you; noticing that you were acting a little strange, but he shrugged it off. “Hey guys! Y/N is here!” Zack called out, leading you through to the living room.

You smiled shyly as you entered the room filled with happy, familiar, comforting faces, however, right now, they stirred up the nerves in you. “Sorry, Y/N,” Rian began, patting the seat beside him. You moved to sit down next to him. “We had to start the movie without you.” he chuckled.

“I told them to wait!” Jack spoke up, “but they wouldn't listen,” he shrugged, smiling at you. You let out a lacklustre laugh, turning to watch the movie playing on the TV screen. It was some action movie from what you could tell – something that didn't really interest you anyway.

About half an hour into the movie you get to your feet, letting the room know that you were going to get a drink, before heading towards the kitchen. You let out a sigh as you grabbed a soda from the fridge; you knew that the boy's were a little suspicious. You'd been practically silent since you'd arrived; only laughing uncomfortably and nodding awkwardly when necessary.

“...Y/N?” you heard Alex's soft voice behind you. You turned to face the floppy haired boy, who was peaking around the door frame like a child; a cheeky smile on his face. You couldn't help but smile in return, popping open your soda and taking a drink as Alex stepped into the room. “Is everything okay?” he asked, his voice gentle as he spoke.

You nibbled on the inside of your cheek, weighing up your opinions. You let out a small smile; knowing what you needed to do. Your heart was pounding in your chest, your hands were clammy all-of-a-sudden, and your breath was stilted. “Um... I kinda wanna talk to you guys about something...” you finally admitted, avoiding Alex's gaze.

“What's up?” he asked, worry coating his voice as he moved closer to you, placing a hand on your shoulder comfortingly.

You swallowed. “Um... can you...” you motioned to the door and somehow Alex knew what you meant. He called for the other boys; the serious look on his face greeting them as they entered the room and telling them that this wasn't a laughing matter.

You let out a deep breath which you'd been holding in; your eyes were still downcast as you played with your fingers. “I just wanted to let you guys know...” you trailed off. It felt like your heart was in your throat, suffocating the words as they spilled from you. The boys had moved in closer to you now, but they remained at a comfortable distance; their eyes boring into you. “...that... uh, I am... transgender,” you finally spit the words out, feeling winded as they leave you.

You look up at the circle of boys surrounding you; tears which you hadn't felt until now trickling down your cheeks. Immediately you felt arms around you; they were Alex's. He shushed you, holding you tightly to him. Jack's eyes were on yours, whilst Rian rubbed up and down your arm comfortingly. Zack was off to the side; concern and worry dripping from his hazel eyes as he watched you.

“Don't cry, Y/N,” Jack whispered, leaning forward to wipe the tears from your face. “This isn't something to be sad over,” he continued, a genuine smile spreading across his face. His words seemed to lift a weight from your chest.

“Yeah, this is a good thing!” Rian chimed in, his pearly whites flashing your way.

Alex pulled away now, resting his arm around you casually. “And this doesn't change anything,” he added, the rest of the boys nodding profusely in agreement.

You sniffled a little, breathing a sigh of absolute relief. It felt so good to have said the words out loud, and to know that you had the support of your best friends was incredibly reassuring.

“You're still Y/N and you're still our best friend,” Zack spoke up, the corners of his lips tugging up into a smile.

“Thank you guys,” your voice was weak, but you no longer were.

“...And I can still beat your ass at Mario Kart,” Jack snickled, a cheeky smirk on his face. Alex scoffed as Rian rolled his eyes at the taller boy.

You let out a laugh as you watched Jack sprint for the front room. “Oh, it's on!” you call out, chasing after him.