#i always thought that last line in my prompt was too corny but tbh it suits him

[ceilidho]

your butcher simon prompt rlly ruined my life just fyi… like i can’t stop thinking about him

same :((( it's such a compelling au for him because it fits so well with his strong, silent, weirdo vibes. and I love the idea of him courting you with meat because - and especially in that particular au where you work as a caterer/cook and meat is actually very thoughtful gift for you - while it does function as a courting gift, it's also juuuuuusttt strange enough to put you on edge.

and of course, he loves all the meat related puns that he can whip out later on.

[godknowsqueen]

Ben x reader idea: A party. That’s it. Have fun. Do whatever the frick you want. But there’s a party. Have a neato day

to new beginnings ; ben hardy x reader

Summary: Everyone knows you and Ben have feelings for each other. Except you and Ben. That is when Rami decides to throw a small party at his place to try to get you two together.

Warnings: Alcohol, so much cheesy fluff, swears.

A/N: wow anon u really want a party don’t u. tbh my idea of a party is a fun and stupid time with a small group of friends, so i’m sorry if that’s not what you had in mind! have a neato day as well!!! thanks for the prompt!

“Rami! Where’s the champagne?” Lucy called out as she entered the house. You followed right behind her, shaking your head in disbelief at how much this girl loves her champagne. 

“Aren’t you supposed to ask about me first then the champagne? I’m so hurt,” Rami jokingly puts his hand on his chest pretending he’s in pain.

“Hmm, I think champagne wins at this moment, Rami,” you laughed, giving him a quick hug as Rami gives you another look pretending he is offended.

“Okay, alright, I get it, girls just wanna have fun,” he points at the counter behind the couch, “there’s a bottle right there.”

“Thank you, love,” Lucy utters before giving Rami a kiss on the corner of his lips.

You start walking to the counter, grabbing two glasses and pouring some champagne for both you and Lucy. The blonde takes one glass from you and clinks it with yours. 

You were all celebrating the last day of shooting by having a mini party at Rami’s house as there will be a huger, club party the next day that involved the entire movie team. You were the assistant director of the movie, and you had a very close friendship with the boys and Lucy.

“Cheers, dear.”

“Cheers!”

You both start sipping on the champagne, having a little chat, and then you hear noises growing louder from the living room.

“God, these boys. Wanna go see what they’re up to?” Lucy asks, lightly placing her hand on your arm.

“Sure! I guess we’ll need that with us, too,” you answered, grabbing the bottle of champagne. You automatically felt you heart beat a little faster when you heard Ben’s laugh ring out throughout the house.

“Well, Ben sounds like he’s having a good time for sure,” she shakes her head, giggling at the insane laughter that has been continuing for a while now.

You felt yourself getting nervous, but you managed to speak, “Yeah, god knows what’s going on in there.”

Both of you slowly started walking to the living room, and Lucy decided to drop the bomb, “So, Ben, huh?” 

“Wh-what about Ben, Lucy?” you were getting absolutely flustered. 

Am I THAT obvious? Shit, what if he notices? What if he already noticed?

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,” she gave you a sly smirk, but you tried to ignore it so that you don’t start overthinking the thoughts that started to cloud your mind.

“Yeah, nothing,” you emphasized, and carried on as you entered the living room, “except that he is laughing like an utter lunatic.”

There they were in the living room: Joe, Gwilym, Rami, and Ben.

They all stopped laughing and froze, as if you and Lucy caught them amidst a crime. You could immediately tell what was making them laugh like that.

Joe was standing with a mouthful of beer, judging by the half empty bottle of beer on the table in front of him, while Gwilym was trying to seduce him with corny pickup lines. Joe was obviously trying to win by not laughing and spraying the place with beer. Ben and Rami were intensely watching the pickup lines unfold, laughing louder and louder in hopes of tempting Joe to laugh.

Lucy plopped down on the sofa next to Rami, resting her head on his shoulder. You looked around to find that Ben was sitting alone on a couch, and he motioned with his hand for you to sit next to him. 

“(Y/N), sit next to Ben. Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite,” Rami paused, “unless you want him to, of course.” You saw Joe trying so hard to suppress his laughter after Rami said his statement.

“Rami, I think you might’ve had a little bit too much wine,” you tried to stay calm, taking a seat next to Ben, whose face was turning a little bit red. 

“Hey, you” Ben said softly, giving you a smile that made butterflies erupt in your stomach.

“Hello there,” you said in a mellow tone, but your little moment with Ben was interrupted by a pickup line from Gwilym.

“Hey, Joe, are you Roger’s drums? Because I’d bang you all night long,” Gwilym started doing finger gun moves, attempting to increase the impact. Rami and Lucy were laughing like crazy at this point, and you couldn’t help but burst out in laughter as well at the cheesiness.

“Seriously, Joe? I can’t believe you’re holding it in,” Lucy indicated, pouring herself another glass of champagne.

The pickup line made Ben groan in frustration and say, “I think that would work on me rather than on Joe, Gwilym.”

“Hm, okay wait, wait,” Gwilym put his hands in his pockets in a smug manner, and got his face close to Joe’s ear. He coughed a little bit before dropping his next pickup line: “So, what’s your number, cucumber?” 

And with that, Joe proceeded to spray everyone withbeer. He tried to stop it from happening, but he was going to choke if he tried to drink it with all the laughter occurring. Gwilym ran towards the balcony, while Lucy hid in Rami’s arms attempting to avoid the beer.

As if by instinct, Ben engulfed you under his hoodie. You were so shocked by the sudden move, but it felt so good being so close to Ben. You feel his hands securing your head under the hoodie, and moving to engulf you in what seemed like a protective hug. You could feel the warmth of his body on your cheeks as his cologne took your breath away. Although it was very loud in that room, you felt like time has stopped in these few seconds.

Well, at least like that they won’t be able to see how much I’m blushing because I sure as hell am.

Eventually, you took Joe’s laugh as an indication that there was no beer in his mouth anymore and that it’s safe to come out of Ben’s hoodie. You got out, and the first thing your eyes landed on were Ben’s dreamy green ones that were glowing with happiness for some odd reason. 

You tried to hide your flustered state by talking, “Okay, who came up with this nasty idea?”

“It’s me,” Joe raised his hand in defeat.

“So, not only are you masochist for putting yourself through this, but you’re also a sadist for making us all get sprayed with beer that was in your mouth? Boy, you have some issues,” you get up and give him a small punch on the arm. 

“You know I’m here if you ever need to talk about any of your issues, right, Joe?” Ben said sarcastically, putting an arm around Joe.

“I think it would be more appropriate if we talk about YOUR issues, Benny,” Joe raises his eyebrows at Ben, and smiling widely at him. Ben gave him a ‘watch it’ look as he shifted uneasily in his place. You hear Gwilym chant an��“ohohohoho” as he came back from the balcony, claiming his victory for making Joe laugh. 

“Seriously, the drum banging one doesn’t get you laughing and the cucumber one does? So disappointed,” Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose, disapproving of Joe’s choices. 

“Okay, kids, we need to start preparing the snacks for tonight or we’ll get drunk rather quickly,” Rami starts walking towards the kitchen, “Ben, (Y/N), you guys go set up the table in the balcony.”

“Yes, sir,” Ben said, extending his arm to you, “Shall we?”

“We shall,” you chuckled taking Ben’s arm. 

The state of you both has always been confusing. You have always had feelings for him, ever since you’ve known him. However, your friendship was so beautiful and you were horrified that it would be ruined if you made him aware of your feelings. You didn’t even want to risk any of the guys and Lucy hinting to him about anything, so you kept your feelings to yourself only. Yet, you couldn’t help but have moments where you felt like Ben had something for you as well, but you’d remember that he is a really sweet guy in general, so it’s probably nothing special.

All you knew now was that your feelings were getting too much to handle, so you were afraid of crossing that line you drew for yourself.

As you two walked into the balcony, you grabbed the bags full of plastic plates and cups while Ben placed a tablecloth on the table. The silence between you both was killing you, but at the same time you wanted him to start a convo. 

As you handed him the bag full of plastic cutlery, your fingers brushed against his, making you pull away quickly. Your reaction made Ben a little surprised, but he decided to brush it off.

“You should wear that dress more often, looks really good on you,” Ben muttered, his eyes lingering on your figure.

“Oh, I’m usually not a dress person, but this one is particularly comfortable. Thank you, Ben,” you smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. 

“By the way, I’m sorry if I took you by surprise when I took you under my hoodie-,”

“Oh no no it’s ok-”

“I just wanted to prot-”

“Yeah of course I underst-”

You both paused at the same time, noticing that you kept cutting each other off. Ben was standing pretty close to you, and you both started laughing a little nervously at the confusion.

“Sorry,” you said in unison, making you both laugh a little more again. You felt your heart jump with happiness as you just stood there in the middle of the balcony, laughing with the man that stole your heart as the beautiful, starry night sky surrounded you. It felt like a dream.

As your laughter quieted down, a little frown took over Ben’s lips. You intently looked at his face, admiring him yet wondering what made him frown all of a sudden.

“Is something wrong, Ben?” you carefully asked, a feeling of worry replacing the happiness that was in your heart only minutes ago.

He shook his head, his eyes not leaving yours, “No, the complete opposite, (Y/N). For the first time in so long, something feels so right.”

“And what is that?” you softly spoke.

With that, Ben placed his hand on one side of your face. The touch sent shivers down your spine, but what came next sent electrifying sensations throughout your whole body. His lips were suddenly placed between yours, and his other hand took yours as your fingers perfectly intertwined with his. With your free hand, you lightly tugged at his hoodie, pulling him closer to you. The mixture of shock, surprise, and the impact of Ben’s kiss were enough to take your breath away, causing you to end the kiss. 

He rest his forehead on yours, lifting your hand up to his lips and giving it what could possibly be the softest kiss ever. You watched as his golden curls slightly fell on his face, tempting you to brush them back with your other hand. As you did, Ben separated his lips from your hand, and finally started talking.

“If you couldn’t tell by now, (Y/N), I have feelings for you. A lot of them, actually,” he grinned in a very cute way, suddenly looking like a little boy confessing his feelings.

“Well, if you couldn’t tell either, I have a lot of feelings for you, too,” you giggled, twirling a little bit in your dress that he liked so much.

“WELL, DARLINGS. EVERYONE COULD TELL EXCEPT THE BOTH OF YOU.”

“SO WHEN IS THE FUCKING WEDDING?”

“IT’S ABOUT TIME, DUMBASSES.”

Your romantic moment was put to an end when the boys and Lucy broke into the balcony, jumping like maniacs as they clinked their beer-filled cups in cheers. 

“Why are we friends with them again?” Ben wrapped his arm around your waist.

“I ask myself that question every day,” you shrugged, “Wait, hold up, what did you mean by everyone could tell?”

“You two were so obvious! But what made it funny is that we all knew you liked him, and we all knew he liked you-,” Joe stared explaining.

“But you two poor souls were so thick and couldn’t tell that you had feelings for each other,” Rami continued. 

“Okay, ouch,” (Y/N) you faked getting offended. 

“I’m so happy for you, guys! God knows how many times the boys had to stop me from telling you both how you truly felt,” Lucy cheerfully stated, handing you both a cup of beer each. 

“Cheers!” Rami raised his cup.

“To new beginnings!” Lucy said, followed by Gwilym and Joe repeating the statement.

“Cheers to us, love,” Ben’s raspy voice whispers in your ear.

“Cheers, dear,” you genuinely smile, planting a sweet kiss on Ben’s cheek.

[deepdickdaniel]

Bae Jinyoung | Oblivious

prompt: you take too long to notice that jinyoung likes you so he takes matters into his own hands.

note: this was requested by a lovely anon and it’s dedicated to my baby love, @whatabrightplace/@tinaneggo! she’s indecisive a baejin stan so everything i write for him from here on out will be dedicated to her LMAO. 

you met bae jinyoung when you were in first grade and tbh, you didn’t think much of him then

he was just the quiet boy who had weird and wacky bursts of energy when prompted by his friends

you were as friendly as first graders could get with each other, but you weren’t so attached

you guys were pretty okay friends and when you moved away two years later, you were fine

the years went on and you entered high school, only to see a familiar face that first day

you weren’t sure if it was him at first because he grew up to be a lot more attractive than you had imagined - he had you squinting and everything

but then you heard his name during attendance and you knew you had to go up to him

he was talking to a friend that you assumed he went to middle school with when you approached his desk after classes

“bae jinyoung! the boy whose face has always been the size of my thumb! i’m glad it’s grown to be the size of my fist now”

at first he was shook™ because who was this random stranger attacking him - but then he recognized you and gasped

he exclaimed your name in question and when you gave him a nod of affirmation, he smiled, lifting his hand for a high five

baejin was definitely still the shy boy you met in first grade, but there was still the crazy weirdo part of him that you were friends with that came out when he was around you and other people that he was comfortable with

lunchtime was a blast because you’d make funny faces with your food and he’d clap and cheer for you

“oh, yes good!!!”

you guys had mutual friends, too, but somehow they never fully got you guys like how the two of you understood each other

it only took about a full year of school for baejin to realize that he had feelings for you

you had just finished finals and he wasn’t that happy with the grades he received

you were being dumb as per usual but the second you realized he was sad, your entire mood changed to comfort him

you made a few jokes, but you knew when to be serious and how to cheer him up

that’s when he realized that he couldn’t see himself with anyone who wasn’t you

suddenly, everything you did had his heart beating 100mph and every compliment you gave him made him fall even harder

you heard him singing one day and you told him how much he’s improved since he first sang in front of you? he’s one foot deeper in love

he thought he would have time to collect his feelings and think of how to confess to you, but you showed signs of wanting to date during your second year of high school

“jin, jin, jin! watch me flirt! this is how i’m finally going to get a boyfriend”

a part of baejin’s heart clenched at the thought of you dating a different guy, but he chuckled anyway and insisted you show him

you started by spouting off corny pickup lines

“hey, are you siracha??? cause you spice up my life”

then you proceeded to wink and shoot off finger guns to act cool

jinyoung couldn’t even be sad anymore, he just had a shook look on his face for a second and laughed his ass off

“please never flirt with anyone like that again….please, for the sake of saving humanity”

you pouted, but you didn’t understand his underlying meaning - he was trying so hard to get you to notice his feelings for you but you were just SO OBLIVIOUS

since that day on, he realized that he had to start trying because you were a lot denser than he hoped and you would eventually find a guy you liked and who liked you and then he’d be miserable and sad and stuck doing weird faces at lunch at his other friends who wouldn’t understand him and you’d be gone forever

he couldn’t have that

so he started to compliment you genuinely

“you know why i didn’t recognize you that first day of class as quickly as you recognized me?”

you glared at him for reminding you, “thanks a lot for that”

“it’s because you got a lot cuter than i imagined you would be”

“are you calling my baby self UGLY”

= failure #1

jinyoung then tried to carry your stuff around from class to class

“jin, you know i’m strong enough for this right...”

“yeah, i just wanted to show you that i’m always here to support you, physically, mentally, emotionally - whatever you need from me, you’ve got it”

he glared at jihoon gagging and daehwi giving him a thumbs up at the end of the hallway while you were trying to figure out what he meant

“ah, of course! you needed me to buy lunch for you, huh?”

“what, no—”

= failure #2

at that point, he was getting so desperate that he even asked minhyun for help

“are you kidding me jinyoung, i’ve never even touched a girl!”

“but people fawn over you all the time, tell me your secret!”

minhyun gave him a sympathetic look and pat baejin’s head, “go ask ong instead”

so baejin risked his life to ask ong over lunch for flirting tips

“hey....hyung.......how are you? you look so handsome today!”

ong stopped sipping his tea to squint at jinyoung, “what do YOU want?”

“you’re really good at flirting with people and making it known that you like them....do you have any secrets you’re willing to share with your favorite younger brother figure?”

“i’m not too TIRED for you? i have been awake all day after all, and you know i have TERRIBLE STAMINA”

jinyoung coughed, laughing nervously, “hahAHAHA hyung, i ever tell you how funny you are? you’re my favorite comedian, you always make me laugh”

“sounds like another LIE”

“guys, guys, guys,” daniel interjected and turned to ong, “just hear what jinyoung has to say. if he’s coming to you, that’s already saying a lot”

“what’s that supposed to mean—”

“thank you hyung! that’s why you’re my favorite!” (a hiss from ong was heard) “anyways, i’ve been trying to confess to someone for about a year now, but trying subtly, you know? but it’s impossible when someone is just so CLUELESS”

ong cleared his throat and smirked, slamming a hand on the lunch table. when all the guys turned to look at him, he spoke, “this is what you do, young grasshopper”

he took daniel’s head and drew the latter in closer, the next time you fail at confessing subtly, you just bring them in for a SMOOCH”

“in front of my salad?!” jisung had screamed out, but jinyoung yelped and ran away from the table before he could be further scarred for life

the next day, baejin invited you over to watch some movies at his house and he made sure to play romantic comedies only

when the main couple of the first movie got together, he nudged your shoulder with his, making you look at him, “what is it?”

“that could be us but you playing”

“wait, what are we playing?”

jinyoung almost screamed, but he took a deep breath to calm himself

he took your face into his hands, bringing your mouth to meet his. and although his lips were trembling, you could feel his determination to kiss you and make an impact

you were really surprised at first and wondered what overcame him, but you kissed back nevertheless, enjoying the feel of his lips on yours

he pulled back after a few seconds in nervousness and started to speak, but you were the one to grab his face this time and drew him back for more. his eyes widened in shock, but it only took a few moments for him to drown in you

after a few minutes, the two of you finally pulled apart, and you laughed at how dazed he looked

he was staring into space when you cleared your throat, “sooooo, mind telling me what the was all about?”

“uh, so i’ve liked you since last year but you never noticed...”

“oh, i definitely noticed”

“you were just so oblivious—...wait, what?”

“one time i asked ong for advice on how to respond to your attempts to flirt with me, but he told me something about pretending not to notice...? i don’t know why, but he made me promise to do that and said it would all be worth it in the end...and it was!” you smiled sweetly at him, taking his hand into yours

baejin was just staring at the ground in shock as you hummed and continued to sway your interlocked hands

“i am a fool...”

“what happened?”

“he got his revenge and i didn’t even stand a chance”

and somewhere in the world, ong seongwu was laughing evilly to himself

[deliverydefresas]

it seems to me, for every time, i’m getting more openhearted

okay here i am catching up with prompts that have been sitting on my waiting list since the beginning of the time. this in particular has been there, half written since before season 2 started lmao 

and tbh, at this point i can’t even remember who asked for this so im so so so sorry but i hope you like it still

im trying my best to finish most stuff before lutteo’s ficweek but we’ll see how that goes xD 

what even is proofreading am i right 

prompt: simón comforting ámbar after being left by her squad (delfi bc of pelfi’s break up and jazmín bc she has a crush on simón but he has one on Ámbar)

“Why the long face?”

She had been distracted watching (and cursing) her two friends three tables away from her; mad at them for being childish and leaving her sitting alone, making her look like a complete friendless loser, that she hadn’t realized when the guitarist had taken the seat beside her.

Simón’s voice surprised her.

Ámbar turned to look at him, but was unsurprised to his always present grin and friendly eyes looking at her, honest concern hiding behind them. She almost groaned out loud.

The least thing she needed was to talk to one of the reasons her friends were acting ridiculously for.

“I was born with it, can’t really do much about it.”

His grin got a little bigger.

“It’s a pretty face,” he agreed, “but I’m sure a smile would make it even prettier.”

She had to contain the grimace from appearing on her face. “Right.”

Simón laughed, “I’m just trying to be nice.” She didn’t know what to respond to this, so she just waited until he said something else. Simón paused for a moment, unsure how to continue and do what he had come for; he then looked past her, and nodded to where Delfina and Jazmín were, before finally asking, “did something happen between you and your friends?”

“Corny and nosy.”

“It’s called being nice.” He tried to defend himself, but it only made her shake her head at him, “you can tell me, you know? I won’t judge or tell it to anybody.”

“Anybody but Luna, I’m guessing.” She snorted, not believing his word. The boy grimaced a little, however, it didn’t stop him from trying again.

“I tell Luna a lot of stuff, but I can keep secrets, Ámbar.”

She eyed him carefully. After being her skating partner for three months, she knew he was a nice guy. He worked hard, and would fight anyone to defend what he thought was right, even her. They’ve had their own little disagreements over steps and lifts, but the moment they stepped out of the rink it’d be as if her little dabs were never told, and go to his usual friendly and nice self. He was like his best friend in many ways, always choosing to be nice over a grudge. She guessed that’s why they got along so well, because they were basically the same person split in two bodies.

“I doubt it,” he was about to protest, but she didn’t let him, “and you can stop. We both know you know why they’re acting this way.”

“Pedro may have told me a little, I guess.” He admitted sheepishly.

“Delfi blames me because he keeps turning her apologies down, as if I was to be responsible for his attitude,” she huffed. Simón blinked a couple times, confused.

“Weren’t you the one that told her to change?”

“She was the one who decided to come back and. I never told her to.” Simón could tell his words had offender her, so he placed his left hand on her right, squeezing lightly as an apology, as she continued, “and independently if she changed or not, that’s on them, I can’t do anything to help with that.”

Simón stared at her for a minute, and she looked right back at him. He was clearly looking for something. What, she couldn’t guess, but she could play along until she found out.

“Fair enough,” he finally said, and folded his arms on the table, “what about Jazmín, though? How come she took Delfi’s side when she…” he thought about it for a second, “idolizes you?”

“Don’t remind me.”  

As if she would tell him Jazmín was mad because she thought Ámbar liked him.  Which, by the way, was ridiculous. First, she couldn’t believe her friend was stupid enough to go after a guy who clearly had no interest in her, and secondly, she couldn’t believe said friend blamed her for said guy’s lack of interest.

“Do you miss them?” he asked softly, when he noticed the frown she now held on her face. She had forgotten he held one of her hands on one of his, so when he started making circles on it with his thumb she was surprised once again.

“Well, they’re my friends.” Simón’s lips twitched when she blinked at their hands, “stupidity and all, I like them.”

“You should really stop calling your friends stupid,” he half joked, half meant it. “Or bringing them down altogether. That’s not what friends are for.”

She sighed, “stop. I know, okay? I’m trying.” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Okay, I believe you.”

Her frown deepened, “you don’t sound convincing, guitarist.”

He ignored the nickname, and leaned in a bit closer to her. His eyes held such sentiment, she felt a bit lightheaded. Stupid beanie boy, with his stupid nice guy attitude.

“It’s just, isn’t it better be the hero of your own story than being the villain in someone else’s?”

“Are you implying I’m evil? Because, rude.”

Simón laughed, taking distance and shaking his head at her comment.

“Not all villains are evil, Ámbar. Some are misunderstood.”

“You’re still saying I’m a villain, and again, rude.” She retorted, deep down offended he thought such a thing of her, but she could understand where he was coming from. After all, she had spent most of the time he’s known her trying to ruin his best friend’s life.

“Here I am, trying to be poetic and you’re killing me.” He mocked offense.

“Believe me, I’m doing you a favor.” She raised her eyebrows, “somebody’s gotta save the world from your sappiness.”

Simón chuckled lowly, his eyes twinkling with amusement as Ámbar rolled her eyes at him, something that happened a lot. Ámbar was sure he was already used to it, since it happened so often both off and on the rink, many times directed at him. He must have seen it so much he was becoming immune, or simply didn’t mind.

“I beg to differ,” he joked, “many people love my sappiness and corny lines.”

“Equally sappy and corny people, I’m sure.” Jazmín came to her mind, and added “or very delusional ones.”  

Simón, who hadn’t taken off his eyes of her, noticed the little twitch in her face when she spoke the last sentence, and how her eyes travelled once again to Delfi and Jazmín’s table, and asked, “is Jazmín the delusional ones?” Her back tensed, but didn’t turn back to him. Instead, she continued looking straight at her friends. “I’m going to take your silence as a yes. Is that why you’re fighting? Because you think Jazmín is being delusional with something?”

“I don’t think she is, I know! How would you call being after a guy who clearly has absolute no interest in you? I’m just telling her the truth but of course, I’m just being the mean, bad friend!” Ámbar’s scowl was deep, disgusted at the situation.  She just wanted to scream at Jazmín to have some self-respect, but the girl was enamored by the idea of the boy next to her, and would listen to nothing.

“I’m sure Jazmín just wants a little support from you. I mean, what if the guy is interested in her and you just don’t know?” He was trying his best to sound calming, and she was grateful. However, that didn’t stop her from laughing in his face.

“Are you, though?” she turned to look at him in the eyes, his own widened when he realized what she was asking. “Am I lying? Are you actually interested in her?” her words were sharp, daring him to prove she was in the wrong. Gulping, he shook his head.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like her, she’s a nice and funny girl but she’s not- she’s just-” he sighed, “I just can’t see her as more than a friend.”

“She’s set on that you’re soulmates, and thinks I’m telling her to forget about you because I’m crush-” Ámbar stopped herself a second too late, and Simón definitely caught on her slip.

He inclined closer, teasing smile with underlying hope in his eyes, “you’re…?”

“Nothing. Just Jazmín being Jazmín.” She shook her head, and avoided his eyes once again. His smile weakened a bit, but didn’t push the subject, which she was thankful for. The least thing she needed right now is to talk more about inexistent crushes.

“Well, miss Smith, I think you’re a good friend.” Ámbar’s barely audible huff made him take her hand, squeezing a little so she’d look at him. When she did, he continued, “Seriously. You could have encouraged a fantasy and give her false hope, but you chose to be straight forward about reality. Jazmín’s going to thank you one day, especially after I tell her I’m not really interested.”

Ámbar frowned, “she’s not going to be thankful, if anything, she’ll get crushed.” Maybe blame me more, her mind added.

“She’ll have you and Delfi to fall on.” His smile was soft and reassuring.

It only made her doubt more, “aren’t you forgetting they’re pissed with me?”

“Now, not for long. I’m going to talk to Pedro, so he can talk to Delfi and maybe get their business straight. They both have been stubborn for too long.”

She looked at him for a long moment. Her eyes searching for something to indicate he was lying, but she could only see honesty and open concern.

“Why are you doing this? I’m not your friend, you don’t have to help me.”

Beanie boy grinned, amused at her words, “you’ve said so yourself, I’m a nice guy, I like helping people.” He tapped her nose slightly, confusing her and making her frown a bit more.

“You’re a weird guy, Simón Álvarez.” She sighed, erasing her frown; her lips twitched upwards as she went to sip on her drink.

“I believe the words you’re looking for are thank you, Ámbar Smith. But I’ll let it pass this time, because we just became friends.”

“Keep dreaming, you sap.”

Ámbar nearly chokes on her smoothie when he spoke again, even daring to wink at her.

“Oh, I will, except… In my dreams, we’re more than just that.”