#hands are fucking shaking absolutley fucking losing my mind.

[fiapple]

...the "nothing happened" scene has caused my brain to latch on to zoro with a vice grip. send help.

[fbfh]

chillax, I got you - JJ maybank x reader smut

word count: 2.3k

genre: SMUT, comfort, fluff at the end

pairing: JJ x afab reader (referred to as "my girl"/girlfriend as petnames)

warnings: reader has a bad fear of bugs (bug type is not specified), JJ is a good boyfriend, descriptions of something akin to anxiety over said bugs, JJ rails the shit out of you to distract you, fingering, praise, nicknames (pretty girl, my girl), "ask nicely to cum", JJ spits into your mouth so that's fun, creampie, begging, aftercare

summary: JJ is a really good boyfriend; he's so sweet, he kills bugs that you hate without you even having to ask, and he fucks you absolutley stupid to distract you when you see one in the middle of the night.

song rec: idk how well it fits but I listened to guy.exe by superfruit the entire time I was writing this and I'm a little sick of it now lol

a/n: this was bc I saw a certian type of bug I l o a t h e a foot away from me like three nights in a row!!! love that for me!!! /s

anyway trying to knock out my wips so I have enough room to write a shit ton of stranger things fics after s4 comes out so wish me luck with that lol

tags: @afidiofobia @justbookworm @yesv01

as with all nsfw works all characters are aged up to 18+!!!

One thing that sucks about living in the Outer Banks is the way your least favorite bug always seems to be practically everywhere year round. Some people hate bugs, and honestly, you’re pretty jealous of those people. You always convince yourself you don’t mind bugs that much, that they won’t freak you out next time you see one, only to end up doing exactly that. From the way you shake and cry and try to fight an anxiety attack every time you so much as see one, you think it’s safe to say you’re well into phobia territory. 

The good news in all this is that JJ is not afraid of bugs, and actually loves kicking their asses when one shows up. He hates how upset they make you, and if there’s any way for him to stop that from happening, of course he’s going to.  He’s gotten very good at finding them before you do, and getting rid of them before you even knew it was there. The other pogues have even begun pointing out the bugs you hate to JJ so he can get rid of them before you even notice. Ever since he found out how much you hate these bugs, he’s made sure you basically never have to see them. 

“Thanks,” you croak, and he pulls you to his chest. He rubs your back reassuringly as you cling onto him tight, trying your hardest to fight back the terror that surrounds you. He kisses your forehead. A moment later, you inch back into your room, JJ at your side. You inspect the walls and windows and bedding under your bright phone flashlight for several minutes until you feel satisfied that there’s nothing of any concern hiding anywhere.

However, on the rare occasion you see one before he does, you really do try to take it in stride. Especially when you find a massive motherfucker six inches above your head at 2am, like today. Even though you’re standing in the other room, shaking and crying, biting your hand, you’re still trying your hardest to stay as calm as you possibly can. A moment later JJ’s in front of you.

“Gone.” he states, voice croaky and thick with sleep. God, he’s so hot. You nod silently. You both know if you say anything you’re going to cry, and you’d really like to avoid that right now. You have shit to do in the morning and you don’t want to lose an hour and a half of sleep just because of a stupid bug, just because your stupid brain won’t stop telling you there’s more of them when you know there’s not. JJ knows this. He knows how bad this is for you. How hard it is to get rid of the paranoid thoughts, how draining it gets. 

JJ stands behind you, wrapping his arms around you, nuzzling his face into your neck. 

“I know there’s nothing there, I’m just…” you breathe, throat still tight, “so worried…” You’re worried there might be more bugs, worried about having nightmares after this, worried this whole ordeal will consume the bulk of your thoughts for the rest of the day, worried you won’t even be able to get back to sleep. He sways with you in his arms a little, skin warm against yours, breath fanning across your neck and jawline, and he feels you start to relax in his arms. There’s only one thing that can distract you from these distressing fruitless worries, and that’s JJ. 

“I know,” he says, voice comforting as he spins you around to face him. There’s only one thing to do on nights like this, and relief and warmth spread across your skin as he begins to press kisses to your neck. He looks at you, with that signature loving, playful gaze of his that seems to melt distress away. He takes in a breath, then sighs.

“I guess I’ll just have to fuck the worries right out of you.” 

You feel your cheeks flush, temperature rising on the already warm night as he pulls you closer to his bare chest, hand keeping you securely close on the small of your back. He rubs his thumb across your lips, taking you in for a moment with that signature look of his. God, no one looks at you the way JJ does. Your hands caress his cheeks, gently pulling him in for a kiss, and in the moments before your lips connect, he can see the gratitude and adoration in your eyes. You’re already smiling against his lips, the tides of your mind beginning to turn from impossible ideas that would keep you awake for an hour at least, to your very hot, blonde surfer boy who is currently feeling you up and will keep you up all night, writhing in pleasure. 

JJ's lips are warm against yours, and he leans into you, curling your bodies together. His hand moves down, touching you slowly, sending heat through your body, then squeezing your thigh and wrapping it around his waist. Simultaneously, he dips you, causing you both to fall into bed. He kisses you and kisses you, mouth open as you giggle against him. His chest warms with each one of your bubbling laughs, knowing it means you're feeling better, knowing he's doing his job and making sure you're as happy and carefree as possible. 

One hand holds the back of your neck, guiding your head and deepening the kiss. The other glides up your torso, caressing the curve of your hips, your waist, easily making its way under your shirt. It soon finds its place on your chest, enthusiastically groping the soft flesh of your tits. He kneads and squeezes, thumb rubbing over your hardened nipple, sending jolts of electricity to your core. Your temperature is already steadily rising at his touch, and you're ready for more. 

JJ's ready for more too, rock hard on top of you and pressing into the soft flesh of your thigh. All those cute little moans you’re breathing into his mouth spur him further along, and soon he begins to grind into you slowly. He continues to kiss you, playfully nipping your lips and fucking his tongue into your mouth, murmuring dirty thoughts under his breath. You sigh and moan against him, sounding so pretty and growing increasingly flustered. You can feel yourself getting more turned on by the minute, body growing hot at every rock and bump of his throbbing bulge against your soft dripping heat. 

You try your hardest to suppress the breathy sighs and little moans he’s already drawing from you, but he doesn't miss a single one. Every noise you make gets him harder for you, throbbing and humping against you faster. You were never that vocal before you met JJ, but now… god, he has you moaning so fast it’s embarrassing.

"JJ…" you finally moan against his lips, and he can't help himself, finally moving his hand down to toy with your clothed cunt. His mouth moves to your neck, and he grabs your hips, lifting them up to pull down your little sleep shorts and panties. He takes a moment to grope you as he does, savoring the feeling of you humping against his hand. You know how much he loves it when you wear little shorts like that, what it does to him. He plunges his long fingers into your dripping heat, spongy walls seeming to suck him in. He groans into your mouth, anticipating when you’ll soon be wrapped around him, squeezing him tight. You flutter around him as he stretches you out. 

“JJ…” you moan again, an unmistakable whine in your voice. Your hands move from his back to tug at his boxers, soft skin brushing against his hips. The feeling of you tugging at his underwear, desperate for his cock while you clench and drip around his fingers is almost too much to bear. You both need him inside you, right now. He retracts his fingers, causing you to whine, fluttering against nothing. 

“Easy, pretty girl,” he comforts, shimmying out of his only remaining article of clothing, and you watch, eyes wide, as his cock springs free, red and dripping just for you. He works two fingers back into your burning cunt, scissoring his fingers and stretching you out one last time before lining himself up tantalizingly with your entrance. You're about to start whining, needing his touch more than anything, when he pops the head of his cock inside you. The whine that had been building up falls from your lips as a mewl instead. He joins you, moaning out a breathy chuckle, sighing against your skin. He grabs your thigh, groping you as he works his way deeper inside you. 

“Atta girl, just like that,” he coaxes, until he’s finally buried all the way inside you. You sigh, full and satisfied. Heat radiates off his chest, as he starts to roll his hips, fucking you with deep, deliberate strokes. 

“There’s my good girl,” he breathes, “takin’ my cock so well, such a good girl for me…” 

He continues to pound you into the mattress, hips speeding up when you tug at his hair and drag your nails down his back. One thing you can say for sure about JJ is that he sure knows how to move his hips. He hits every single spot inside you with each thrust, reducing you to a whimpering mess faster than anyone else you’ve ever been with, and he can tell from the fucked out look on your face that you’re enjoying every minute of it. 

Before long, he can feel your walls gradually tighten around him, and your eyes are already glazing over. He continues to press hot, open mouthed kisses against you, his tongue fucking into your mouth, muffling your moans and whines. When he pulls away, it’s to ask if you’re close, ask if his pretty girl is gonna cream around his cock. Before he can, you watch, eyes wide, as a strand of spit connects your mouths. You squeeze around him, fixated on the sight. He chuckles, knowing where this is going. 

“You gonna cum, pretty girl?” he asks, hot breath panting over your skin, “Huh? You want to be a good girl, cream around my cock?” You nod, eyes squeezed shut, whining with every thrust. Your eyes snap open when he turns your face towards his, a smoldering expression painted over his face. 

“Ask nicely.” 

The instructions send heat rocking through you. 

“Say please…” he tantalizes in a breathy chuckle. Before you can even think, you’re babbling out messy pleads and prayers for him to let you cum. 

“P-please, JJ-” you choke out, “cum ‘nside me, fill me up…” you slur in his ear, drunk on his touch. He does not need to be told twice. Your noises, your words, the way you cling to his muscular shoulders and clench around him have him even closer than before. After listening to you continue to beg a satisfactory amount, he chuckles, catching your lips in another hot, open mouthed kiss. But this time as he pulls away, he grabs your jaw, coaxing you to keep your mouth open. 

He puckers his lips, letting a glistening bead of spit fall from his mouth into yours. It hits your tongue, tasting like him, and you clench hard, eyes rolling back as you let out a beautiful moan. He grabs your thigh, hiking it over his hip, reaching even deeper inside you. His thrusts become messy as his hand reaches down for your clit. The added sensation has you climaxing in seconds, burying your face in his neck to muffle the torrent of moans and screams of pleasure falling from your beautiful lips. Within moments of your orgasm, JJ reaches his. You’re always pleasantly surprised by how full you feel when he cums inside you, stretching you out like this, and you revel in the feeling. 

“F-fuck,” he moans, face contorted with pleasure, “shit…” his hisses. He continues to pound into you until you’ve both thoroughly come down from your highs, and you sigh at the empty feeling when he eventually pulls out, peppering kisses all over your face.

After you catch your breath, you try to get up so you can clean yourself up in the bathroom, but wobble as soon as you stand. 

“Woah,” JJ’s right beside you, holding you steady. He glances down the hall, then scoops you up, setting you back down on the bed. 

“Stay here, gorgeous,” he punctuates by pressing a warm kiss to your lips. You’re so wrapped up in everything he just made you feel, his taste still on your tongue, that you don’t even hear the thwack from the hallway, where JJ has just gotten rid of yet another one of those buggy motherfuckers you hate. 

“Stay the hell away from my girlfriend.” he states to the smudge, before grabbing a couple warm washcloths. 

Soon you’re cleaned up, cuddled together with a fan on high. The windows are opened for a little cross breeze, and you can smell the ocean air from here. You should go surfing tomorrow, you want to tell JJ, you know he’d think it’s a great idea. But you can feel yourself slipping into the warm embrace of sleep, safe in his arms. 

‘Oh well,’ you think, ‘I’ll just tell him in the morning…’ It’s your last thought before you’re out like a light, and you look forward to it. Waking up next to JJ is your favorite part of the day, and you can’t wait to wake him up by pressing kisses to his sun kissed cheeks. 

[alliesweetsong]

Peer Pressure Pt. 2

(Continued RP from Here)

“Remember that stress doesn't come from what's going on in your life. It comes from your thoughts about what's going on in your life.” -Andrew J. Bernstein (Warning long post, but worth it!) 

Alyssa lifts a hand and offers a wave at the Rendorei “Evenin Allie. ‘Ow you ‘olding up?” she asks in a curious manner.

There it was again. The question that could be answered truthfully or lied about. Her mind races for a brief instant as she thinks about how to go about answering the question. “Well enough I suppose, a bit worried if I’m being honest. But before that, I thought I should warn you Gareth should be coming to see you about the engagement rings.” she says warmly. Remembering she is a jeweler she had discussed this Gareth and thought it would be neat to get the rings made by a friend.

Alyssa lifts an eyebrow.  "Worried?  What about?"  The concerned look settles into an easy smile though.  "Thanks f'the warnin'.  I'll be ready t'do the work.  More than 'appy to for the two o'you."

Allie smiles warmly and nods. It was nice to know she could give the younger ward some piece of mind. The woman had been through a decent amount herself recently and wanted to help ease some of her own stress if she could. “"I need to talk to you about Raen. What can you tell me about her? Any friends outside of myself, you or Damien? She isn't answering her comm, i sent her a letter and no response from either way. She moved out of her room in a haste and she quit and the pig and whistle..I am concerned for her safety Nobody has seen her since Damien was taken."

Alyssa sighs softly at that, settling back against the stonework and crossing her arms averting her hazel eyed gaze downwards. "Really?  Fuck me I should've kept my 'ounds on 'er. I dropped everythin' once we found Damien. They tracked 'er as far as Raven 'ill.  Can't much count me as a friend in this, if I was I'd 'ave done more. M'not the kind of friend she needs.” 

Allie blinks in shock at the revelation that Alyssa knows someone that also knows Raen.  "Does this friend have a name? I am starting my own investigation, I can't rest until I know she’s okay Alyssa.”

Allie bites her lip and shakes her head inhaling through her nose. She disliked the fact that someone thought they were not good enough. "Oh dear don't say that, she needs all the friends she can get. Any information you can give me helps. did you ever see her with anybody else? I know she did some drugs."

Alyssa maintains her posture on the stonework, lightly shifting her weight she looks at the Rendorei slowly She and I 'ave a mutual friend. 'e 'asn't seen 'er either though.”

Allie blinks in shock at the revelation that Alyssa knows someone that also knows Raen.  "Does this friend have a name? I am starting my own investigation, I can't rest until I know she’s okay Alyssa.”

From there the two went back and forth, Allie pushing hard for  information and the Gilnean dancing around the question as delicately as humanly possible. Not getting the hint, Allie pushed and pushed. Her questions were deliberate if not a bit forced but also nearing desperation. There was a link, and she wanted to know who it was.

Alyssa thinks about it for a moment as a small twitch develops on the corner of her mouth "No."  She offers finally. "F'both your sakes. F'everyone's. You'll just 'ave t'trust me on that."

Allie lightly recoils her head blinking in both shock and horror. Why is she denying her the name? "Alyssa, you can come with me to meet him if that is what you want. Nothing will happen, I just have some questions, please. Raen is a friend of mine. I need to know she’s okay."

“I 'ear you, and I agree.  I want t'know she's okay too.  Not the person you need.” Alyssa replies looking at Allie in a matter-of-fact manner.

Allie felt her heart plummet and her blood boiling, she didn’t have time for games. The high elf could be hurt, she could be getting tortured as they spoke. The very thought caused the rendorei to become nauseous.

Alyssa studies the woman across from her, smile fading a bit. “I know this is important t'you, y'can think what you want of me. M'not givin' the name."

“Open the fel wielder up, her secrets will spill on the floor”

"Yes this is important to me!” Allie says starting to raise her voice, the frustration was clearly evident. “She is one of the only people I have to connect with from home. and she is a friend. I would do the same for you or Damien." She says before rubbing her forehead and exhaling softly "You of all people should understand what it is like to miss home." Allie regretted saying that last part almost instantly, that was a cheap shot at the younger ward and she knew it. But she really needed the Gilnean to understand how serious she was even if it meant getting a demon summoned on her.

Alyssa glares daggers at the void elf. That clearly was the wrong thing to say. "That's low.  My 'ome doesn't exist anymore.  And I 'aven't got your thousand or whatever years t'see it rebuilt or reclaimed." she scowls

Allie bites her lip and puts one hand on her head and the other on her hip letting out a sigh "I am sorry Alyssa..that was wrong of me" she says before shaking her head "I will not stop until she’s found. You are both my friends. I just want to help her I am scared Alyssa. I can't lose anybody else.” she says softly lowering her voice

Alyssa runs fingers through her red hair trying to calm herself as well "Look. I can't give you the name. There are so so many reasons I can't. M'sorry. You will find 'er though, chasin' a dead end lead isn't goin' to make that 'appen."

Allie looks down absolutley heartbroken, never before had she had the feeling of complete and utter helplessness. Biting her lip the void elf nods and shrugs "Thanks Alyssa. Ill uh, keep looking. Gareth should be here tomorrow or tonight I am not sure." she says walking forward to give the woman a hug

The Gilnean embraces Allie in return, frustrated and a bit upset. "M'a disappointin' friend Allie. Don't 'ang your 'opes on me. M'always 'ere t'talk, but m'secrets run too deep f'most to deal with."

Allie lets go of the hug and cups the red heads cheek with her right hand lightly caressing it with her thumb "I have secrets to darling." she says before looking around as if she was about to do something. Refocusing she nods "Ill uh, see if I can find anything." she says softly

Surprised by such a familiar gesture, Alyssa nods remaining still has she looks into the elf’s skye blue eyes. "Allie.  M'just not willin' t'pay the personal cost givin' you that information.  M'sorry again."

Allie backs up as something about the way Alyssa worded that seemed off. Slightly tilting her head to the side the Rendorei folds her arms across the chest. “Is someone threatening to hurt you?” she asks in a curious but very serious manner.

Alyssa bites her lip hard, hard enough in fact that a red blossom can be seen as she carefully considers the question being asked of her. After a long pauses she finally shakes her head “No. Not like that.”

“Then what Alyssa? I promised Damien i would watch over you. What is going on?” Allie replies looking at the Gilnean in a pleading manner.

The statement gets a raised eyebrow from the redheaded warlock. "Did you? Gods below but that brother o'mine is protective. It's delicate. This is a situation I need t'andle m'self. M'not in any danger at the moment though."

Allie looks around and slowly stats backing up towards the door “Come, lets talk.” she says making sure they both weren’t being watch. Something seemed off and she intended to find out.

Alyssa frowns briefly and follows. Although she looked ready to protest she doesn’t and instead lets out a sigh and keeps pace with the Ren’dorei

Sitting down Allie gets comfortable and the two level with each other, Each one telling a dark secret that nobody would know, or could ever know. There was too much in both of their lives for these to ever see the light of day. Of course they debated, and argued, talked and finally argued some more. Each one wanting the same thing but wanted to go about it in different ways. Finally Allie blurts out a question that she think she already knew the answer to, the thought of causing her heart to jump out of her chest. As she began to listen to Alyssa explain her plans the rendorei began pacing around warlock in a focused manner.

"Damien told me there was one man, and one woman. and the woman was shot and killed.." she says looking at the back of Alyssa's head "The day after I came home, He told me the man said if he comes back he would kill everybody”

“'e won't 'ave the chance.” came the almost immediate reply back from Alyssa

Allie growls at that beginning to lose her cool. "Damnit Alyssa, if you know who did this we can protect you, what if Raen is already dead!?"

Alyssa stares at the elf in a stubborn fashion this entire conversation was beginning to become pointless. “ 'e's mine.  I've already paid dearly, morally and emotionally t'get that.  When I 'ave my 'ands on 'im, y'can be certain 'e'll tell me where Raen is” she says in a defiant manner

Allie shakes her head and bites her lip as she moves to pick up her belongings. “I just hope its not too late for her Alyssa.” she says as she heads to the door “Shadows Raen, where are you?” she asks looking up at the ceiling in an exasperated manner. Letting out a sigh she looks over her shoulder at the Gilnean “The day you do it, I want to be there. Let me have atleast that.” she says softly clearly upset at this point.

Alyssa bites her lip once more and looks at Allie “I’ll think about it.” she says softly.

That wasn’t good enough. Allie wanted to say more, to threaten her and to exploit her. To treat her as she had been treated off and on for the last several months. But to do so would mean to betray the warlocks trust, and their friendship and to abandon her promise to be loyal. Nodding instead, Allie grabs the doorknob “Have a good night dear, hope we talk soon.” she says before slowly opening the door. Walking out she could fel the tears falling down her cheek as she slowly closes the door with a soft click. She needed to get somewhere and just cry. Gareth couldn’t see her like that. Serelia, nobody. She had once again, failed someone she looked at as a friend.

Letting her feet carry her over the bridge thoughts raced through her head as she wipes her eyes

“Hello Mrs. Gareth Lyons.” Came the familiar voice of Sikona.

Stopping Allie inhales through her noise and forces the brightest smile she could on her face. “Hello Miss Emberlight.”

To be Continued...

@alyssa-ward @dardillien-ward @earendelduskmourn for mentions @thetobaccoman for vague mentions and relevance @sikonaluvs at the end <3 

[fbfh]

I think you've horribly misread the situation [shitty roommate pt 2] - leo x reader

wc: 2.3k

genre: contemporary drama, you're definitly going to get second hand embarrassment, cozy fluff

pairing: leo x reader, attempted isabella x leo

reader: gender neutral, they/them

requested: hell yeah

warnings: mild swearing, roommate tries to steal your man once again, mentions of various mainstream vampire media (twilight, the vampire diaries etc.), brief mention of castlevania (even though i haven't seen it yet lol), breif mention of videogames and assassins creed, very mild delusion (roommate is secretly convinced leo is a vampire that's in love with her), attempted age gap relationship (she's 17 and leo's 19, he shuts that down real fast), very bad poetry

summary: You and Leo are both looking foward to spending a long weekend together, and Leo is determined not to let anything interrupt it, even if it means turning down your roommate's attempts to seduce him in the kitchen.

a/n: absolutley no hate or shade or judgement to anyone who has the same or similar traits as isabella!!!!!! at her core she's annoying because she's the antagonist, not bc of any isolated trait or traits

also she's shitty cause she keeps trying to steal your boyfriend?????

Edit: I forgot to mention before, but this is a college au where you're both still demigods, so you went to camp and on quests and stuff together

This weekend is going to be all about recharging. Recharging from the ridiculous back to back closing and opening shifts at work, recharging from having to redo that stupid project twice because your professor couldn’t decide on a clear way to define the criteria, and recharging from Isabella having her townie friend Regan over almost non stop to “completely shake up her look” as she put it.

Between the constant presence of someone you’d barely consider an acquaintance and Big Time Rush’s self titled album blasting on repeat out of her giant airpod shaped speaker, it’s been harder than usual to get in some effective self care. You have no idea how many more times you can hear the phrase “I’m going for Jade West meets Elena Gilbert, with just a little Buffy Summers” before you lose your fucking mind.

Thankfully, the hard part is almost over. There’s some minor holiday tomorrow on friday, so you and Leo both have a three day weekend ahead of you, which you intend to spend entirely together. You planned ahead, frontloading homework, chores, errands, and everything you could think of to remove anything that isn’t cuddling or playing video games and watching netflix together from your horizon.

This includes going straight from work to the grocery store to stock the fridge and get any snacks you and Leo want. You had texted him a while ago asking for anything he was craving, and head into the store with a concrete list. After a while, you circle around some aisles, avoiding the check out.

“I feel like I’m forgetting something,” you muse, knowing it’s untrue, but hoping to trigger a memory anyway. You can’t put it off any longer, finally checking out and heading back to your apartment. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t avoiding Isabella just a little.

You know bringing in all these groceries would be way easier with Isabella and possibly Regan’s help, but you just don’t have the social energy to talk to anyone, much less her, right now. By some miracle, you bring everything in yourself, and hope to get it put away before you see Isabella.

You turn to the freezer, putting away the ice cream. When you turn back around, you’re suddenly met face to face with Isabella, who has opened one of the boxes and is picking at a pastry.

“Hey girlie,” she says, elongating the hey.

“Hey,” you reply lethargically, putting the last of the groceries away. She looks at the pastry in her hand like she’s just noticing it.

“Sorry, I can’t help it, I’m italian.” She smiles, endeared by her own behavior. You have no idea what being italian has to do with asking before you open a box of your roommate’s food, but this really isn’t out of character for her. She brings up the fact that she’s half italian more than Lele Pons blames her behavior on being latina.

She’s wearing sweatpants that say chaser on the leg in red and gold varsity font, and a tight tee shirt that says “it’s okay to love them both” with silhouettes of the male love interests from one of the vampire shows she always watches. You collect the plastic bags to put in recycling, and see a piece of paper on the counter.

It reads as follows:

Drowning in my mind

No one hears me cry

Who was I before society

Before society put me in a pink dress

And handed me blonde hair dye

And told me to lose ten pounds or be labeled a freak?

The happiest people cry the most

Let the lyrics be your story

But I’m not like the other skinny blonde pretty girls

I’m

Different

-b.g. xox

You hold back a sigh.

“I think this is yours.” you say, handing it to her.

“Oh, it’s just some of my poetry I left lying around, that’s so embarrassing.”

I know, you think, you do that all the time.

“Did you read it?” She asks, hopefully.

“Nope.”

“Thank god, that would have been so embarrassing. My poetry is something really… deep, and personal to me.”

“Uh huh. Hey, I’m going to be doing a lot of self care this weekend, so-”

“Oh!” she interjects, eerily similar to Phoebe Buffay - you guess she’s been watching friends again - “I wanted to ask… is Leo coming over later?” Her voice is riddled with subtext, the expression on her face a little too invested in your answer.

“Uh, yeah. I told you the other day we’re spending the weekend together…”

She cuts you off again, a sudden, intense look on her face.

“When will he be here?”

You check your phone, scrolling through your recent texts.

“By 7 at the latest.” It’s around 6:40 now.

“Oh my god, I have to change,” she rushes back to her room, presumably digging through her recent additions to her closet.

You’re frozen for a minute after the interaction, left with a furrowed brow and the beginnings of a headache. You blink, then choose to reschedule processing why she feels the need to change for your boyfriend to a more convenient time. That’s enough of that for today. You don’t care what else happens, you’re not talking to anyone besides Leo for at least the rest of the day. You retreat to your room to finally shower and change into something comfy. As you pass by Isabella’s room, you hear her talking to Regan.

“...There’s something almost… supernatural about him.”

You bite back a laugh.

“Do you think he’s a…” Regan begins, ending the sentence with something too quiet to hear, but you’d bet almost any organ she said vampire.

So close. So, so close, and yet… here you are.

Not much later, Leo texts you to let you know he’s here. You read his text, and run out to hug him in the living room before even typing a reply. He picks you up, and spins you around. The embrace is warm and fulfilling and familiar, and you wish it would last forever.

“Hi, Sparky.” you murmur into his neck.

“Estrella…” he says, rocking you back and forth gently and pressing a kiss into your jawline, “I missed you so much.” He punctuates the sentence with another kiss, this one to your lips, and you smile more genuinely than you have all day. You’re about to agree when you remember the good news you’ve been saving to tell him in person.

“Guess what I got on sale for like, half off,” you start, excitedly, continuing at his invested expression, “the Assassin’s Creed bundle I showed you!”

“No way,” he starts, and you nod.

“I’ll go get everything set up, drinks are in the kitchen!” He watches you retreat into your room, disbelieving how he could possibly get someone as perfect as you to fall for him. He’s not going to question his luck. He grabs a couple caffeinated sparkling ices, and meets you in your room, setting down his bag and grabbing some comfy clothes to change into.

As you both get settled in, you fill each other in on all the ridiculous shit you’ve been through this week. You finally conclude the bizarre - yet somehow standard - Isabella escapades.

“So I will be avoiding all contact as much as possible,” you laugh.

“Yeah, no shit,” he agrees, “Consider me your human buffer.” You thank him, hugging him again and pressing a kiss to his lips.

The next couple hours are spent cuddling and finishing season 4 of Castlevania. Both reeling from the season finale, you agree this is a good place to take a break, get some food, and decide what game you should start with. It’s already 10pm, which most people would consider too late for dinner, but you have all weekend to fuck up your sleep schedules.

“Let’s review,” Isabella says, holding up two red lipsticks. She turns to Regan. “Which one?”

“That one,” Regan says, pointing to the one on the left, then turns to her list, and continues. “Here’s what we know; we’ve never seen him eat, and he never seems tired. He’s really smart-”

“Almost too smart,” Isabella adds, selecting black rose dangle earrings from her jewelry. Regan agrees, and continues.

“He’s almost hypnotically attractive, and his smile is a little too dazzling.”

“There’s something… supernatural about him. Like he’s not… all human.”

Regan writes this down.

“Plus he’s always wearing black and red, and those flowy button up shirts? It’s all adding up, Ree. That dream that someone was outside my window, the ring, everything…” She says, referencing the black and red cocktail ring she’d found with her stuff when she’d first moved, “I’m not saying it’s definite, just that… there’s a chance.”

“What about…” Regan says hesitantly, nodding toward your room.

“Please,” she scoffs, “he’s only with them to get close to me, like Damon and Caroline. Edward couldn’t have just approached Bella out of the blue, he had to infiltrate her friend group first, to seem less suspicious. Not to sound mean or anything, but they really don’t seem like the type someone… like him… would choose.” her voice gets dreamy when she mentions him.

In spite of having seen most mainstream vampire media almost as many times as Isabella, Regan still considers her the expert on these things, and decides not to point out that Edward didn’t infiltrate Bella’s friend group. Maybe it comes up in one of the retellings she hasn’t read yet.

“So, what now?”

Isabella sets down her lipstick, and turns to her friend.

“I tell him.”

Regan’s eyes widen.

“You’re going to tell him you know?”

“No… not yet. It’s too soon, we don’t have enough evidence. I’m going to tell him I know he’s in love with me, then once he’s secure in our relationship... we’ll see where it goes.”

She stands up, assessing herself in the mirror. She chose her outfit carefully; short red dress with black roses and black mesh collar, black rose bracelet to match her earrings, snug faux leather jacket, and black stiletto ankle booties with a very skinny heel, the zipper on the outside gold, not silver. She fluffs her wavy hair and turns towards the door. She looks back one more time, holding onto the doorway.

“Wish me luck.”

Leo enters the kitchen, seeing Isabella already there, leaning against the counter seductively. She’s wearing an outfit and jewelry this late at night that makes Leo wonder if she’s going to an emo tea party. He puts the takeout in the microwave. She’s still staring at him.

“Uh… hey.”

She lets out a dainty giggle, looking him up and down.

“... Hi.”

At a loss for words, and really wanting the awkward silence to be over, he continues, “Did you need something?”

“What I need,” she walks closer to him, tracing her finger over his collar, “is you.”

What the fuck?

His brain seems to stall for a moment, and she uses this opportunity to continue.

“I know why you’re here. I know that you’re only using them to get closer to me. I know-”

“Woah-”

“That you’re in love with me.”

Okay, double what the fuck.

She takes his stunned silence as shyness, and steps closer, putting her arms around his shoulders.

“You don’t need to play so coy, I-”

This time she’s the one that gets cut off. He grabs her arms and gently steps away, trying to make it abundantly clear that he’s not into this.

“Woah, okay, slow down. First of all, you’re 17 and I’m turning 20 in a couple months, so that’s a hard no. Second, I don’t know where you got this idea, but I am not dating them to get closer to you. We’ve known each other since we were like, 15, and have been through everything together. I’ve only known you for a couple months. I love them. Probably more than I’ve loved anything ever. I thought that was pretty obvious.”

He doesn’t want to be mean, he really doesn’t, but he can tell from the look on her face that she still thinks this is all part of some game.

“So why don’t I ever see you eat? Why are you so smart, and always up at night? I know what you are.”

He has to physically hold back a laugh. He takes a step back, and places his hands on the counter.

“Isabella, I have adhd. And I’m literally an engineering student. Why wouldn’t I be smart and have a shitty sleep schedule?”

She starts to protest, and he pulls out the reheated take out from the microwave.

“And for the record, I do eat.”

Exiting the kitchen quickly and retreating back to your room, he hands you your food.

“I got the game set up!” you say excitedly.

“Nice!”

You take one look at his face and can tell something happened. He sees this, and continues.

“I just had a very… interesting interaction with Isabella,” before he finishes the sentence, your head is already in your hands. You let out a groan.

“What did she do?” you mutter from behind your hands.

He pulls you into his lap, rubbing your back.

“I’m not totally sure,” you laugh, “but I think she thinks I’m secretly in love with her…” you’re both laughing before he can even finish the sentence.

“No…” you laugh, “no fucking way…”

“Believe me, I put an end to that as soon as it started.”

“Oh, I do.”

He runs his hand over your back, and you’re quiet for a moment.

“You know,” he continues, “I think getting our own place has definitely moved up the priority list.”

You couldn’t agree more.