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quindolyn · 3 years

Text

Better Kisser Part 2 || James Potter and Lily Evans

Request: “istg i need a fic or a blurb or something about being in a poly relationship with lily and james...after reading Better Kisser it’s all i can think about 😭” -anon

and

“hiii !! first of all, i love your writings they’re so amazing honestly !! could you maybe write something with hot lily from “better kisser” ? i’d love it if it was both sensual and fluff :) thanks so much if you ever do something like that! hope you have a nice day/night!“ -anon

and

“QUINN HEAR ME OUT

imagine a part two to better kisser but like smutty bc Lily starts bragging about how she thinks she’s better at other things since she’s the better kisser so they make it a competition over who can like... get the reader off fastest... and then it’s like a competition to see who can get her off the most...

good ideas here right...? N E ways love u bestie <3″ -anon

Word Count: 4,752

Notes:I got three separate requests for this so obviously y’all wanted it and I want to write it. This is smut! I could also do headcanons on Jily x reader and even if you guys don’t request it I’ll probably still write them because it sounds like fun.

Warnings: poly sex, jily x reader, dom!James, dom!Lily, sub!reader, LIly’s a sex god, prove me wrong, they’re both cocky as fuck

Part 1

Masterlist

Lily Evans was the stars, she was mesmerizing and mysterious. Just as they decorated the night sky, accentuating the darkness through their beauty she too brought out the best in those around her without dulling any of her own shine. She was sly smiles and gentle touches, slender pale fingers and long, swishing red hair. She was wondrous and beautiful, complex and absolutely gorgeous. Lily Evans, she was the stars.

James Potter was the sun, he was bright and glowing and impossible to ignore. James was messy black hair, and goofy grins, strong hands and bear hugs. He attracted all of those around him, sucking them into his gravitational field, giving them purpose, warming their souls. A centering person when the rest of their lives were crazy and unpredictable and scary. James Potter, he was the sun.

Where Lily was understated and controlled with her witty remarks and sharp quips James was loud and boisterous, trying to get the biggest reaction out of people. Where Lily was calm James was chaotic. Where she was focused on her end goal he was everywhere, practically bouncing off the walls.

Together they were perfect.

And somehow they were yours.

One thing was for certain, Sirius Black was an upright prick, and you owed him, bigtime. If it weren’t for Sirius Black you would’ve never kissed Lily Evans on a dare. You would’ve never kissed James to satisfy his curiosities. You wouldn’t have spent weeks exchanging tense glances with the two, holding your breath whenever one of them so much as sat down one seat away from you in the Great Hall. Lily would’ve never found you, hiding away in the common room in the wee hours of the morning, pouring over your Transfiguration notes preparing for your test the following morning, or rather later in the day. She never would’ve brushed the hair out of your face with her elegant fingers, nails painted in a berry shade, complimenting her pale skin. She never would’ve told you that you really needed to go to bed, she never would’ve leaned down, meshing her lips with yours, allowing you to answer that question that had plagued you after you kissed Lily.

What did her lips taste like when she wasn’t drunk?

The answer?

Well at that moment, morning breath. Which brought a new question to the forefront of your mind, what did she taste like when she hadn’t just woken up in the middle of the night?

It didn’t take long for you to find out the answer. She’d brought you up to bed, her hand clasped with yours, telling you that she and James wanted to talk to you in the morning resulting in you tossing and turning all night in anticipation of the conversation that would take place the next day.

If it weren’t for Sirius Black you never would’ve had that conversation with James and Lily by the Black Lake. You never would’ve even had the opportunity to accept their offer not to join their relationship but to start a new one, with all three of you. You never would have never learned what Lily tasted like, it was maple syrup and cherries by the way.

If it weren’t for Sirius Black you wouldn’t be sitting in your dorm room with the two of them, skimming over notes for your potions midterm. Well you and Lily were looking over your extensive notes, James on the other hand was sitting behind you, pressing kisses to the side of your neck.

You hissed as he dragged his teeth over a bruised spot on your neck, sending ripples of both pain and pleasure through your body, leaving your fingertips tingling, dying to get themselves on his skin.

“Aw, baby,” He cooed in your ear as he registered your reaction, it’s not as though he could’ve missed it, not with your back pressed flush against his chest, “You a little sensitive there?”

“Come on Jamie,” You giggle trying to hide your neck from him, pressing your ear to your shoulder, “You already know I am.”

James slipped his rough, strong fingers under your jaw, using them to lift your head back up, away from your shoulder, “Don’t hide from me darling, wanna see the marks I left on you.” He returned his lips to the same spot on your neck, lapping slightly at the purple mark with his tongue.

Lily snorted from where she laid on her stomach a couple inches away from you on the same bed that had been transfigured to accommodate all three of you.

“What’s so funny Lils?” James inquired, peeking up from the delicate skin covering your thrumming pulse.

“Nothing,” She sang, twirling her pen in between her fingers, her feet hanging lazily in the air, “I just think it's funny you think you left that mark on her.”

“Well I did,” James said plainly, obviously not amused by Lily’s comment, “Didn’t I poppet?” He asked, pressing his lips to the shell of your ear.

You ducked your head, trying to hide your wide eyes and heated cheeks from the two of them.

“It’s okay (Y/N),” Lily cooed, setting her quill down in her book, marking her page as she closed the book, dropping it onto the floor, “You can tell him it was me who left that, his ego can take it.” She held eye contact with you for a minute, managing to keep a straight face before a smile broke out across her lips, chuckles erupting from the soft cushions of her lips, lathered in a light pink gloss, “Okay, it probably can’t but that shouldn’t stop you baby, Jamie needs to remember that he’s not the only one who can make you feel good.”

“I know I’m not Flower, but I left this one, I can tell, it's one of the darker ones.” And he was right, the entire left side of your neck was littered in bruises and bites, some lighter than others, some darker, but none as dark as the one he was currently tracing with his index finger.

“Nope,” Lily countered, popping her p before pushing herself up off of her shins in order to settle between your open legs, “I distinctly remember, I had her pressed up against the wall before you got back from Quidditch practice, she moaned so pretty for me, prettier than she ever has for you.” She grinned victoriously, turning her gaze back to you, and only you, “It’s like he cares more about that fucking snitch than he does us.”

“That’s bullshit love and you know it,” He murmured in your ear pressing a kiss against the corner of your mouth before dragging his lips, considerably less rough than they were before you started dating him as you’d made it your mission to apply lip balm to his lips every time you saw him, across the side of your face back to your ear, “She’s just trying to turn you against me, she’s so mean isn’t she.”

They loved doing this. Making you choose between the two of them, or trying to anyway. The power struggle between the two of them was hot as fuck.

Before you could so much as open your mouth Lily was responding for you, “I’m not mean doll,” She crooned, not looking at you but rather focusing on the dark haired boy whose nimble fingers were expertly pulling at the hem of your shirt, slowly but steadily rolling up the material until it covered just was much as your bra, “Jamie just needs to remember who the better kisser here is, who makes you feel the best.”

Ignoring her jab James murmured a quick, “Want this off,” In your ear before pulling the shirt over your head and arms, tossing it off the bed and onto the floor paying it no mind as soon as the material slipped from his fingers.

Desperate to prove his worth, to prove his dominance James’ hands ran up and down your thighs, inching your skirt up them, “You’re not the better kisser here Flower, you’re not the best anything. Our baby here loves me the most.”

“She told us James,” Lily sighed, clearly exasperated with your boyfriend, “After she kissed you for the first time she told us. I’m the better kisser, just accept it. She likes me the most don’t you (Y/N/N)?”

“Jamie you make me feel so good,” You began, hoping to soften the blow, “But Lily’s tongue is magic, feels so good in my mouth, in my-my…”

“It’s okay pretty girl,” She simpered, “You can say it, where does my mouth feel good?”

“My pussy,” You forced out, willing yourself not to stutter.

“That’s right my pretty little kitten,” She grinned, tilting your chin up with her index finger so that you were staring into her swirling emerald irises, darkened with obvious desire. “I make your pussy feel so good, better than Jamie.”

“Off.” James demanded, not taking kindly to Lily’s teasing, as he aggressively undid the clasp on your bra, the snide remarks obviously doing no damage to his ego as he pulled the straps from your arms. Taking no care with the expensive, luxurious garment that he himself had bought for you he flung the clothing over his shoulder. Clearly not caring about the money he’d spent on it as the silky material crumpled next to the bed.

“Not just my tongue that makes you feel better isn’t that right my darling?” Lily smirked, beginning to undo the buttons on her button up, “S’my fingers too, stretching you out on my fingers, they can reach so much further in you than his can.”

“Pfft,” James shook his head, one hand settling on your waist, gripping with a frankly frightening strength, no doubt melding dark purple bruises in the shapes of his fingertips on your soft skin.

“Gimme your hand Flower, let me show our baby that you’re wrong” James demanded as the hand not on your waist extended towards the redhead. When she dropped her hand in his he immediately lined them up, palm against palm, fingers against fingers, and much to James’ chagrin his hands were only barely larger than hers. His palm was much larger than hers leaving his fingers slightly shorter than his girlfriend’s.

Feeling benevolent, you grabbed his hand before it dropped down to his thigh in defeat, pressing your hands together as he had pressed his to Lily’s. Yours were considerably smaller than his, and therefore her’s too, your palm nearly half the size as his, your fingers dwarfed by his.

“See Jamie, your hands are bigger than mine.” You comforted, mesmerized by the contrast, “Your fingers make me feel so much better than mine ever could. They don’t even come close.”

“But that’s besides the point right poppet?” Lily questioned, grasping your jaw in her graceful hand, you noticed her ivory dress shirt now hung open, revealing her red lace clad breasts as she once again tilting your head up to look her in the eyes, “Because you’re not allowed to touch yourself, not without my permission.”

“Or mine,” James piped up.

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend Lily released her grip on your jaw, “Keep your eyes on me darling, be my good girl.”

“You even like my strap more than you like James’ cock, stretches you out so much better than he ever could. Not to mention we don’t have to wait for his little blue pill to work do we?”

Being a muggle born you understood her joke but James was utterly bewildered by your shared laughter.

“You’re not laughing at me are you, you little slut?” James spat, his voice hard and unwavering as he turned your face with a single finger so that your neck was craned to look at him.

“N-no,” You shook your head pathetically, your eyes flashing downwards not being able to meet him.

“Open,” He commanded, tapping your bottom lip and you instantly obeyed, not daring to disobey him. You were rewarded for your obedience by the male spitting into your mouth, the taste of his saliva bleeding along the expanse of your tongue.

“What do we say to Jamsie, pretty girl?” Lily raised an expectant eyebrow.

“Thank you.”

“Good girl,” James muttered, watching as you swallowed the gift he’d given you, “Thought you’d forgotten your manners for a second.”

“Not our good girl,” Lily grinned, somehow now only in her thong, “No, she’s such a good girl for us.”

“Guess she is,” James agreed, leaving a trail of kisses between your shoulder blades.

“Bet I can make our baby cum first James,” Lily boasted, beginning to work on the zipper of your skirt, expertly pulling it off of your legs, “Being the better kisser and all.”

“Don’t get cocky Evans,” James tutted, pulling his shirt over his head as he had yours, “You know I love your strap baby but it just can’t compare to my cock. Mine’s real.”

Clearly unimpressed by his comment Lily pressed her lips to yours, maneuvering you so that you too were on your knees, giving James time to strip down to the same level of clothing as the two of you.

Smiling into the kiss she put but a millimeter of distance between the two of you to catch her breath, “You taste so good kitten.”

“You’re the one who tastes good Lily.”

“So nice to me, don’t deserve you,” She planted a kiss to the hollow of your throat, “Let me make you feel good baby.”

Not complaining, you let Lily lie you back on the bed where James was no longer standing, instead now standing behind Lily, letting his hands settle on her hips.

Once you were lying down she hooked her hands under your thighs, pulling you to the edge of the bed as James helped her off the mattress, helping her plant her feet on the floor. It was things like this, the subtle loving gestures and actions even when they were practically at each other’s throats, that reminded you of how much they loved each other. Of how much they loved you.

“Look at these,” Lily lilted, her finger hooking under the silky material of your panties, “So pretty aren’t they J?”

“Very,” He whispered in her ear only loud enough for you to barely hear him, “Like her in red.”

Lily hummed in affirmation, tapping your hip as a non verbal clue to lift your hips so she could pull them off of you.

She didn’t waste a single second before kneeling down before you so that her face was level as your glistening pussy, already so wet from them just talking about pleasuring you.

After running a single finger through your folds Lily brought her finger to her lips, a hum leaving her lips. “You taste good down here too (Y/N), you have such a pretty pussy.”

“Thank you,” You murmured, attempting not to whine and be their good girl even though you desperately wanted them to touch you.

Without any warning Lily inserted two slender fingers into your cunt causing you to gasp at the sensation. “Lily,” You whimpered, trying not to buck your hips towards her hand, not wanting to let on quite yet how desperate you really were.

“See J?” You could hear the smirk on her lips as she slowly moved her fingers in and out of you, paying you no other mind, instead directing her attention to her boyfriend who still stood behind her, his hands now on her bare shoulders. “She’s really not all that hard to please when you actually know what you’re doing. Had my fingers in her two seconds and she’s already so needy for me.”

“Shut up Lils,” James growled, “Stop talking like I don’t know how to get her off, she’s my baby too, I know exactly how to get her desperate.” In his efforts to prove his point he moved onto the bed, taking one of your nipples into his mouth resulting in a whine to tumble from your lips as he raked his teeth over the sensitive bud.

As his mouth sucked on one his hand moved to the other nipple, rolling it between his fingers before pinching harshly making you gasp in pleasure.

Lily allowed James to have his moment before taking your clit between her lips and sucking. If you gasped for James you absolutely screamed for Lily, thank Merlin for silencing charms because otherwise someone would’ve probably thought you were being tortured. Once she had your sensitive bundle of nerves in her mouth she began humming, making wave after wave of intense ecstasy roll through your core and up your spine, leaving your nerve endings frayed and responsive to every single touch.

You could feel everything, the soft material of the duvet beneath your back, James’ tongue circling your nipple, one hand caressing your heated cheek while the other traced shapes down your stomach. You could feel Lily’s fingers continuing their assault on your cunt, reaching so deep inside of you that they almost touched your g-spot, but not quite, as your clit was set aflame by her mouth.

“You’re not even trying,” Lily snarked, coming up for a breather from in between your legs, “You really think you’re gonna get her to cum from playing with her nipples? I never realized you were that daft Jamsie.”

“If you’d give me a turn,” He began before Lily cut him off.

“Doesn’t look like she wants me to stop does it?” She nodded in your direction where you were writhing on the bed merely from her fingers. “Do you want me to stop, baby?”

“No,” You begged, “Please don’t stop, please! Need your fingers in me, make me feel so good.”

Grinning triumphantly Lily returned her mouth to your pulsing cunt, sucking with a new found vigor that had your back careening off of the mattress, hips bucking towards her mouth.

“Hey,” James scolded, moving his arm to keep your hips firmly on the bed, “Don’t be a desperate slut, take it as she gives you it okay? Be good for us.”

Nodding feebly you willed your hips still but it was nearly impossible as Lily replaced her fingers with her tongue, moving her digits to pinch your clit. Feeling the pleasure bubble up in your stomach you focused on your girlfriend’s ministrations, lapping at your hole with her tongue sent you into a whole new level of pleasure.

“Feels so good! Lily, that feels so good, please don’t stop!”

You could feel her smiling into your opening as she sped up her movements, bringing you closer and closer to the precipice of climax. “Am I allowed to cum?” You asked desperately, the only thing keeping your hips where they were being James’ strong forearm, digging into your hip bones.

“No,” He growled, slapping at your tit bringing you even closer to something you were apparently not allowed to do.

“Come on James,” Lily said replacing her tongue with her fingers as she moved her head to talk to the dark haired boy, “You can’t just tell her she’s not allowed to cum because it’s not you who’s going to make her cum,” Turning her attention back to you she smiled, “Of course you’re allowed to cum baby, don’t listen to him. Are you close, m’love?”

“Uh huh,” You screwed your eyes shut, the pleasure becoming overwhelming and only intensifying when Lily’s mouth returned to your clit, licking broad stripes up and down it.

“Baby look at me,” James’ deep voice commanded you, to which you promptly obeyed, “Wanna see you when you fall apart on her tongue, wanna see you cum baby, you’re so pretty when you cum.”

James’ words accompanied by a particularly harsh nip by Lily to your clit has you tipping over the edge, letting out a high pitched scream as pleasure took over your body, drowning you in the feeling of your lovers still working on your body, obviously not satisfied with leaving you with just one orgasm.

As you came to, your orgasm slowly seeped away from your cloudy mind, reentering you into your dorm room where you heard Lily’s melodic voice, “See James, told you I could make her cum first.”

“Didn’t even get a chance,” He grumbled from his place next you, brushing the hairs off of your forehead. “Wanna make you cum poppet, tell Lily to give me a turn.”

“L-lils,” You managed in your post orgasmic haze, “Want Jamsie, want his- want his…”

“Look at how good of a job I did on our baby,” The redhead boasted, “Just one in and already a blubbery little mess. How do you think she’s gonna be fairing when I have her on her fourth?”

“Only shooting for four Lils?” James raised a defined eyebrow, “I was thinking I could get at least five out of her myself.”

Your eyes widened, slightly in alarm, slightly in anticipation. “F-five?”

“Shh kitten, let us talk,” Lily chaisted lightly. “You really do think highly of yourself don’t you Potter?”

“I’ve done it before,” He countered.

“No, we’ve done it before, both of us. Neither of us have ever gotten her to five by ourselves.”

“Don’t think you can do it Flower?” As he rose from the bed and moved towards Lily you caught sight of his cock, already painfully hard, the tip a bright red and leaking with precum.

“S’not me I’m worried about, don’t wanna overwhelm our baby.”

“I can do it,” You piped in feebly, “I can take it, make me feel good please, wanna feel good.”

“See Lily? If she says she can take it, who are we to question her?”

“You sure poppet?” Lily asked you, her eyes on yours.

“Yes Lily, I’m sure.”

That was all James needed to nudge Lily out from between your legs, spitting on his fingers before rubbing them up against your pussy. “You need me to stretch you out darling?” His voice laced with absolute adoration as he took in your perspiring figure from this new angle.

You shook your head but James wasn’t satisfied, “Wanna hear your voice poppet, come on not too fucked out yet are you?”

“No, don’t need you to stretch me out, want your cock.”

He grinned, lining up the tip of his cock with your quivering entrance, “There’s my good girl.”

As he pushed into you you faintly questioned why you didn’t have him stretch you out beforehand, but once he was fully sheathed inside you all you could think about was the way his dick pressed perfectly against your g-spot.

You moaned out as he began thrusting into you, ruthless in his efforts to make you cum. He moved his hands to hold your hips at an angle where he could better reach deeper inside of you if that was even possible.

“So pretty baby girl,” His grin was wicked as he watched your cunt, reveling in the sight of his cock going in and out of your dripping pussy, “You look so pretty on my cock, you gonna make a mess f’me?”

“She’s not gonna cum yet you himbo,” Lily interjected, “You’ve been inside her what? Five seconds? You need her to cum soon? You close?”

Using Lily’s mocking as motivation he pistoned his hips in and out even more viciously, leaving you a bouncing mess on his cock as he pulled his prick almost all the way out, so that only the leaking red head was still inside of you before fully sheathing himself in you once more.

“Fuck!” You cried out as the tip of his member brushed against your cervix, “Don’t stop!”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” James managed through gritted teeth, throwing your legs over his shoulders so that he wouldn’t have to hold them in his hands any longer, giving him the ability to grip your hips.

So lost in your pleasure you hadn’t registered where Lily was until she sat next to you on the bed, moving her fingers to massage your clit pulling a strangled gasp from your throat.

“L-Lily,” You stuttered out.

“Hey there baby,” She cooed, like she was talking to an actual child, “Jamie making you feel good.”

You nodded, keeping your eyes locked on hers.

“You close, kitten? You gonna cum soon?”

A whimper escaped your lips this time as you nodded once more.

“Let me see if I can help with that then, wanna see you cum again pretty girl.”

You closed your eyes, letting your head fall back against the mattress with a soft thud as Lily’s fingers started working magic on your clit, bringing you closer and closer to your second orgasm.

A slap against your clit, combined with the deep, hard thrusts of your boyfriend, reaching depths within you you could’ve only imagined before him sent you careening. Your climax washed over you in waves, each stronger than the last making you twitch and spasm on the bed.

You hadn’t even registered that you’d squirted, not until Lily’s delicate hands were rubbing your release up and down your thighs, “Well would you look at that?” James grinned, “I didn’t see you make her squirt Lils.”

“Oh, you don’t get points for this one pretty boy,” Lily grinned, not making eye contact with him but rather focusing on your pulsing cunt.

“What?” James was incredulous, “What do you mean I don’t get credit for that one, she came on my cock.”

“Yes, technically, but she only came when I started on that pretty little clit of hers, so responsive isn’t it, doll?” She asked, punctuating her remark with a gentle slap against your still throbbing cunt and a quick wink that James was too bewildered to pick up on.

Over the next couple of hours they were able to lull a number of orgasms out of you, James making Lily sit in a chair next to the bed so that she couldn’t touch you at all and take credit for any of his hard work.

You’d cum on her tongue and his, both of their fingers, once at the same time, they split the credit for that one but it was worth it, getting to watch your cunt stretch around both of them. You came on James’ cock more times than you could count, and of course on Lily’s strap on because Godric, did she know how to move her hips.

By the end you’d cum a grand total of nine times. You weren’t quite sure how’d you’d done it but you had. And they were both so proud of you.

The final score was Lily, five. James, four. You’d better believe that James was butt hurt about it, not quite willing to accept his obvious defeat, instead of acknowledging it and conceding to his very talented girlfriend, working on getting you cleaned up.

Once James had left the dorm to run you a bath Lily scooped you into her lap, running her hands up and down your thighs but being careful not to touch your sensitive cunt.

“You did such a good job for us baby,” She cooed, pressing kiss after kiss to the back of your head, “Came nine times, can you believe that?”

“Is Jamie going to be mad that you made me cum more?” You asked in your degenerative head space not wanting to upset your boyfriend.

“Of course not,” Lily squeezed your hips, soothing your woes. “Especially not at you, he might mope around a little bit because he is a man,” She pulled a light giggle out of your lips with that one, “But he’ll get over it, it's just gonna push him to work harder next time when he’s making you feel good.”

“Flower,” James called from the bathroom, “Bath’s ready.”

“Come on baby,” Lily said, easing you up onto your feet, “Let’s get you in the bath and all cleaned up for us alright?”

“Okay,” You yawned, understandably exhausted by the events of the night, “Will you take the bath with me?”

“Of course my pretty girl, not gonna let Jamie join us though, s’my reward for being the best.”

You chuckled, nodding your head in agreement, “Sounds good Lils.”

As she settled you into the bathtub Lily ordered James out before he could step into it with you.

“But-”

“Out!”

“Fine! Fine, I’m going!”

Lily was the stars and James was the sun, and fuck did they know how to make you feel good.

tagging: @randomoutsiders @weasleyposts @kittykylax @amourtentiaa

#harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fanfic #the marauders #marauders #marauders x reader #marauders poly #marauders fanfic #marauders fanfiction #james potter #james potter fanfic #james potter fanfiction #james potter x reader #lily evans #lily evans fanfic #lily evans fanfiction #lily evans x reader #jily #jily x reader

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yesimwriting · 3 years

Note

Would you write a Kaz Brekker request where the reader is a bookworm and a crow and basically Kaz asks the reader to read to him as his way of apologizing after a argument that was his fault?

it a/n i did something kinda similar in a 'promise of rain' blurb,, but this concept is so cute to me:)) love it sm i moved it up my request cue lol

also IM IN COLLEGE NOW!! WHAT?? AND IVE BEEN TO A PARTY! AND IM JOINING A SORORITY AND I DID DRAMA AUDITIONS AND AHH !! SO DIFFERENT! I MISS MY MOM AND SISTER AND DOG AND EVEN MY DAD BUT IM HAPPY HERE!!

also im a little worried this might not portray kaz superrrrr accurately bc it's been awhile so just let me know,, feedback leads to improvement:)) also kinda set this up for a part 2 bc...well youll see

They've always said a lot of things about him, and I've always heard them. But I've never quite believed them. Sure, I get why the dark things that have flourished in the poisoned soil that is Ketterdam consider Kaz Brekker the darkest thing of all. I understand the nickname 'Dirtyhands' for the gloved criminal who has fooled each crime boss at least once. I understand each terrible thing they've said about him.

But I've never agreed with them. I've never even considered agreeing with them. Until today.

The thought that maybe everything people say about him is correct in a simple context struck me worse than the silence after our argument. It made me feel like both a fool and hypocrite. Kaz and I have had our fair share of spats over the relatively short time we've known each other, but never like this. Never so badly he stormed out of the room before I could. I squeeze the book in my lap even harder, desperate to focus on the words on the pages.

You didn't hurt him. He walked away because he decided you weren't worth the cost of his expensive time. I repeat those thoughts in my mind over and over again, letting them bitter me further. It's a lot easier to be mad than hurt. A lot easier to fuel your pain than try to understand your mistakes. Besides, tiredness is already dredging around in my chest and if I don't calm down a little I won't be able to fall asleep.

I had escalated the fight more than I should have. Knowing Kaz is like performing in a tightrope act. One must always be aware of where they're going. Watching what's in front of them without ever thinking too much about what's beneath or behind them. Today though, when I needed my balance most I chose to fall. I chose to dive, and apparently there was no net.

"Oh, you're doing that thing."

I roll my eyes at Jesper's voice as I fight down a yawn. I wipe my face with the back of my palm before turning. The burning behind my eyes never resulted in full tears, but I feel better after doing so. "What thing?"

"That terribly noble thing where you find it in yourself to take full blame for every single conflict you and boss man fall into." The slight humor in his voice is enough for me to roll my eyes again. "Between you and me, I'm sure the reason he's so angry now is because you didn't do that for once."

I press my lips together as my chin angles itself upwards slightly. "I never do that." He raises an eyebrow. The slight sympathy that colors the look is more offensive than his accusation. "If I pick and choose my battles, it's for good reason."

"Clearly."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugs once before further entering my room. I say nothing when he sits at the foot of my bed. "Oh, you know," Jesper stretches back casually, resting his back against the wall and extending his legs, "You and Kaz--Kaz and you."

Has he been drinking? Perhaps he's not here because of my unusual absence from downstairs after my fight with Kaz but because he's already too tipsy to think right. "What?"

At my confused look he grins, flashing all of his teeth with an arrogance that outshines the whiteness of them. He taps the still open book in my lap. "Let me put it in terms you'll understand." Jesper sits up a little further, amusement clear in his features. "You two make a shameful Elizabeth and Darcy--"

"Oh, shut up," I groan, glaring at him, "This isn't Pride and Prejudice. And Kaz and I," Jesper's smugness returns when I can't quite think of what I want to say, "We're barely friends--we're barely anything, let alone what you're implying."

Jesper pulls his legs up and shoves me gently. "Dearest, y/n," he ignores my glare, "You should know better than anyone that 'barely friends, barely anything' with Kaz is more than it is with anyone else?"

"That doesn't mea--"

"You two say goodnight to each other." Once. Kaz and I said good night to each other in front of Jesper once. How dare he assume it happens regularly? He's right, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with it. "You play cards with him. Not for money, not for skill--"

"It's for practice." The look Jesper gives me is enough to tell me that my defense didn't land.

Damn him for ever finding Kaz and I on one of those strange nights. One of those nights in which he lurks at the stairwell...the one that divides my room and his attic. One of those nights in which it feels like he's a phantom and I'm the only one that can really see him. A night in which we both silently find each other.

I couldn't quite believe it the first time it happened. I'm not exactly a Crow--I don't feel enough a connection to the Dregs to join them without some kind of guarantee--but I was needed for some obscure job. but I was needed for some obscure job. The Crows needed an insider who could blend into high society, and I needed a place to stay away from my father.

It worked. I worked. And with each passing day I found myself enjoying the Crows more and more. That's why I stayed. That's why I started checking the stairwell practically every night, a set of playing cards in my hand.

The first time had been awkward. I couldn't sleep and my room felt too quiet, but the rambunctious club felt too loud and a little unsafe considering the hour. So I settled for the only space in between. When Kaz found me sitting on the steps and playing a solitary card game I had been so stunned by embarrassment I just offered to deal him in. I had been more shocked when he silently accepted my offer.

"Practice?" Jesper repeats. "You were laughing, I heard you."

"That was one time--how do you know we didn't just happen to play cards together the one time you saw it?"

"Because you laughed about a play you considered 'predictable'."

Sighing, I sit up a little straighter. "I'm not having this conversation. Occasionally saying 'goodnight' to someone who lives in the same space I live in and sometimes playing cards with said person because we both happen to be up at a certain time doesn't mean anything."

"And the way he looked at the contact that was flirting with you?"

Oh...this conversation again. "For the last time, the contact wasn't flirting with me. We had to dance to blend in and when he leaned towards me to whisper in my ear...it was to tell me the intel Kaz just had to have."

"And when he tucked that strand of hair behind your ear?"

"He just wanted to sell our cove--"

"Y/n, he kissed your cheek and I'm fairly certain he would have kissed you if Kaz and I hadn't made it to the corridor at that second."

Why is everyone so obsessed with what would have never happened? The contact had been attractive, tall with fair eyes and hair. But it's not like I feel anything for him, nor would I have been so foolish during a job. A fact that Kaz refuses to believe. I'm tired of this argument...I'm just tired. This job required me to start getting ready early in the morning and lasted long into the night.

"I wouldn't have kissed him and even if I had, the fact that Kaz is so mad about feels...sexist." A stupid argument, considering that Kaz couldn't care less if the person he's working with is female, male, or anything in between because the only thing he cares about is profit. "It's a stupid thing to be mad about, but you hit on anything with a pulse at any time and--"

"I resent that--"

"For the first two weeks I was here I thought you might've been a prostitute."

I can feel him holding in a laugh. "Did you at least think I was a good prostitute?" When I glare again, he finally actually laughs. "Not the point--got it."

"Then what is the point? You're bored and obsessed with gossip so now you're shaking me for information you don't need."

"The point is you're oblivious." Rude...I move my leg in a weak attempt to push him off my bed. Jesper catches my ankle easily, ignoring my attempt at a fight. "You thought the contact was only doing his job and you don't know the real reason that Kaz blew up at you for the first time the way he blows up at everyone."

"Okay, well since you know everything, tell me why he's mad."

He lets out a sigh like he can't believe I even needed to ask that. "It's not the best look that the first time you let him pick a fight with you happens to be about some guy."

...Maybe he is drunk? "Don't be so cryptic. I don't like you enough to put up with that."

Jesper half-sighs again before pushing himself off my bed. "I'm going to pretend I think you're smart enough to piece things together from that."

"Asshole," I mumble instinctually as he walks towards my door. "Are you not telling me because I tried to push you off the bed?"

He turns when he reaches my door in order to lean against my door frame. "It's not not because of that." I should throw my book at his head. "In all seriousness, think about it. If you don't you'll either kill each other or kill me."

Ugh...he's so confusing. This time, I let him go. He leaves he door open, which is beyond annoying. I stand up to close it, promising myself I will focus on my book the second it's in my hands again. As I walk back towards my bed, my eyes land on the deck of cards on my nightstand.

Does it send a signal I don't want to send if I don't go the stairwell tonight? Do I want to send a signal? I don't know...actually, the only thing I know is that I don't want to think about this a second longer. I don't ease as I read, but my eyelids become heavier with each word they cross. I feel the weight of them as my focus slips, farther and farther away until I can no longer focus. When my eyes fall shut I can't bring myself to think or force them open.

I notice my surprised before I register that I've just woken up. Falling asleep feels so far and yet the crick in my neck confirms the obvious. Rubbing the eyes with the back of my hand, I push my book from my lap and sit up. The only indication of how much time has passed is how much my bedside candle has melted.

How long have I been asleep? How did I manage to fall asleep? I thought I was too mad at Kaz to manage anything but pouting in my room. I hadn't even decided if I wanted to talk to him.

I stand even though I haven't decided anything. I should at least change if I want to go to bed. But is leaving this alone for even longer a bad idea? I think Jesper thought so...though my conversation with him is far from clear. It's not the best look that the first time you let him pick a fight with you happens to be about some guy. I'm going to pretend I think you're smart enough to piece things together from that. What does he want me to do with that?

Maybe he was partially intoxicated and felt the need to play the role of a good friend. Or maybe this is his idea of a joke.

Whatever--regardless of Jesper, I have a choice to make. A tiny part of me hopes it's insignificant, but I know Kaz enough to know that nothing is insignificant to him. He holds onto things the way he holds onto his kruge. Perhaps I'll seek out Inej, she seems to be the best at rationalizing. Though she might be asleep by now, or on a job or...I don't even know.

How late is it? Is it late enough to be one of the few hours Kaz claims to reserve for sleep? Maybe my bad luck is still around and he's already in bed for once. Does that mean his anger will extend to tomorrow?

I shouldn't care. It's not like I'm in the wrong. Did I escalate things? Maybe a little...but I won't apologize for defending myself. Even though that makes everything a little easier. I feel stuck, like in some kind of place of half sleep. A single knock at my door is enough to make me want to jump. I rub my eyes a little more firmly in hopes of waking up more before someone sees me.

I approach the door without worry. Maybe it's not as late as I assumed. Or maybe it's really early? I open the door while still fighting against my slight disorientation. I'm so focused on acting normal, I almost don’t register the person standing at my door.

I don’t know who I expected, or what--maybe Jesper, much more tipsy than he was before, slumped against the doorframe, only knocking because he’s too tired to push the door open. Maybe even Inej, on her way here to deliver some kind of job or notice of dismissal. But it’s nothing I could expect. It’s...Kaz.

The Dirtyhands stands at my door, expression as hard as ever yet something behind his eyes that burns the sleep away from me. “Uh--hi.” I bite my tongue to avoid cringing at that very awkward beginning. “Are you here to kick me out yourself?” The only response I get is the slightest shift of his gaze off of my face. “No? Well then I think I’m going to bed. It’s late.”

My tone and words are clear. Get out of my doorway, I’m in no mood to go back to arguing. When he still doesn’t say anything, I’m emboldened by my nerves. I push the door between us without breaking eye contact.

Before the wood can meet the doorframe, he moves his cane, wedging it between us. “Y/n.” I don’t understand the way he says my name, but I’m certain he’s never said it like that. “I...” When he’s not prompted by the uncomfortableness of silence, I raise an eyebrow, my grip on the door tightening. “What I said shouldn’t have been said.” Wait--is he admitting fault? I’m so thrown I almost melt entirely. “Not to you.”

The addition leaves him so lowly a part of me wonders if I’ve imagined it. I’m so thrown by it I don’t even think to reply until a long second has passed. “You seemed to believe the opposite a few hours ago.”

His lips press together for a moment. “You didn’t ask me to play cards tonight.” He took that as intentional? At least that got me some kind of apology? I keep my mouth shut, greed making me want more information. I guess he must sense my silent tugging because he head inclines slightly. “Don’t push.”

I fight down a grin. “Push what?” His only response to stiffen further. “I’m going to tell you something as a peace offering.” That seems to intrigue him in some way. I can’t tell if it’s a good kind of interested, but I note the slight raise of his eyebrows and his intentional silence. “I didn’t chose not to ask you to play cards.” He gives me no indication of anything, which is fair...considering my vagueness. “I was mad, obviously, and in the middle of deciding on a course of action...and then I fell asleep.”

A long pause of silence. “You fell asleep?”

I’m not sure if his incredulous tone should offend me or not. If I wanted to lie, I’d like to think he knows me well enough to know that I’d have thought of a better excuse than that. Or at least a less embarrassing one. “Yes, it’s not that difficult to believe. Today had been long and all I wanted to do was read, but then Jesper came in to say the oddest things and then leave me to...”

Oh--oh. I guess there’s a reason people say to ‘sleep on’ something. Because now, actively remembering Jesper’s words for the first time since I fell asleep...I understand what Jesper was implying in the oddest way possible. He meant that Kaz and I...that perhaps there is a Kaz and I in a context that’s more than just grammatical. Wow. I really had to realize this with Kaz right in front of me.

My face feels warmer than it did before, an irrational bout of anxiety forcing me to consider that me might be able to read impossible, embarrassing thoughts from my expression alone.

“What did Jesper say?” I’m too lost in my own spiral of confusion and panic and some feeling I can’t recognize to register how Kaz asks his question. There’s an edge to it, an odd one, but that could easily just be Kaz.

This is most definitely the last conversation we need to be having. I’m still mad at him for his earlier dramatics. So I just shake my head, feigning an exhaustion I could lose myself in. “Nothing and everything all at once.” I resist the urge to rub my eyes again. “I’m pretty sure he was drinking, and I wasn’t really listening. I was just trying to read.”

Kaz’s expression hardens briefly as he takes in my words, and then he exhales, nodding once with the breath. “What were you reading?”

My lips part instinctually, ready to spew off details about the latest novel that’s captured my attention. But before I can let myself take off, the reality of the situation strikes me directly in the chest. This is not Nina, or Inej, or even Jesper after what he considers a ‘good night’. This is Kaz Brekker, the man believed to not have a soul. I’ve spoken to him before about casual things, though most of the nights in which we end up playing cards or just sitting near each other are spent in silence. But he’s never prompted me before. Not in the one topic he knows is guaranteed to turn me into an overenthusiastic, gushing fountain of poor summaries and character analysis.

I guess this is his peace offering. This shouldn’t warm the way it does. He was still unbelievably dramatic and treated me like I’m some kind of unreliable fool. “It’s late, and you know how I can be. I’d hate to keep you for nothing more than a poor summary and honestly, an embarrassing rant about plot or characters, because there’s just nothing as frustrating as when two people so clearly care about each other and both are too stubborn and oblivious to acknowledge it.”

Kaz’s eyebrows draw together just enough for me to be able to make out a shift of expression in the poor light. Perhaps his lingering irritation is preparing to rear its ugly head. The corner of his mouth seems to threaten to tilt upwards as Kaz angles his head to the side slightly. “I can’t imagine that position.”

No kidding. I bite my tongue to keep the sarcastic comment and awkward laugh that would sure follow it away. “Who can? That’s like half the point of reading.”

How can interaction feel so over and just at its beginning all at once? I press my lips together to avoid filling the silence with things I’d no doubt instantly regret. It’s easy to be mad at Kaz in the moment. Too easy. But to stay mad at him when his temper has passed and he returns with some kind of begrudging and admittedly awkward and uncertain truce is another task entirely.

“I’ve never understood your attachment to written words.”

“It’s not about understanding, it’s about everything else.”

“And you say I’m cryptic.” Is he...kinda almost joking? I straighten my spine, too tired to fight and too wounded to forgive. “There’s understanding in everything, nothing can survive on sentiment alone.”

“If you read the way I did, you’d understand.”

His lips press together as his expression remains unwavering in its hardness. “Read to me.”

...Interacting with Kaz in any way often leaves me feeling like I’m wandering through unknown territory. But this, this is undeniably different. So different I can’t even think of a way to react. I watch his expression as cautiously as possible. He’s purely reserved, no distinction from the look he wears during business propositions. Except there’s a tightness I can’t quite understand.

Maybe it’s because I don’t want to fight anymore. Maybe it’s because exhaustion is leaving me partially delirious. Or maybe it’s the weird feeling in my chest that I can’t quite place. That I don’t want to place. “Okay.” I shift carefully. “If for no other reason then to prove you wrong.”

Never did I think I’d end up in the position of sitting in my bed, book in hand, with Kaz Brekker sitting next to me. But here we are. I’m so tired, I almost let out a nervous laugh when he first walked in. So brooding and tall, gripping the head of his head cane as he sits at the foot of my bed, on my pastel quilt.

I’m glad for the excuse to keep my gaze away from him and on the words in front of me. I read out loud, feeling more and more comfortable with each page I finish. But as my inhibitions slip away, so dos my hold on consciousness. My eyelids seem to grow heavier with each word that I read.

“You’re falling asleep.”

I straighten my spine on instinct. “Am not.” I’m not sure why I feel the need to deny something so simple.

“You’re impossible.”

From him, that statement is laugh worthy. “I’m impossible? Do you not remember earlier today?”

From the way his jaw locks, I realize that he’s in no mood to be light about this topic. I don’t understand why. It’s not like I’m the one that wronged him. “I remember your lack of focus.”

Keeping my hands at my side to avoid rubbing my eyes, I frown. “If you want to have this argument again, fine. Jesper is more ‘distracted’ than me half the time and you’re much more lenient on him. It’s not like I was flirting with someone or gambling or doing anything but having a two second conversation. One that I needed to have to get information that you wanted.”

The last time we fought, I had more energy to restrain myself. This could be atomic. I hold my breath, waiting for Kaz’s retaliation. He exhales, eyes not meeting mine. “Arguing with you when you’re present is exhausting enough. It’s not worth it when you’re half asleep.”

This angers me further. I hate that he’s right. “I’m not half asleep.” He leaves it at that. I glare even harder at him, slumping further into my bed. “But for the sake of argument, I’ll drop it. Something you’re incapable of doing.”

At that, his eyes meet mine. I try to hold his gaze, but the harder I think about not seeming tired the more exhaustion slips in. A yawn escapes me before he looks away. Great. “I know when to lie in the grass in wait.”

Rolling my eyes, I shift back slightly. He’s incapable of being less dramatic than this. Still, I can’t imagine the effort it’s taking on his part to not start an argument. Maybe this is why Jesper spent so long implying that there may be a Kaz and I in any capacity beyond a vague kind of friendship. “I’ll admit you’re tactful.”

“Resourceful people recognize that trait in other people.”

Blinking twice, I lower my book slightly. Am I truly exhausted, or did he just compliment me in a way? “Careful, I may start to think you find me tolerable.”

“Let’s not exaggerate.” Okay, now I know I’m exhausted because I think he might have just attempted a joke. Rolling my eyes, I decide not to acknowledge this lightness in fear that I’ll scare it away. “Y/n?”

I press my lips together, worried about the destruction of our peace. “Yes?”

“What did Jesper say to you? Earlier?” I pause, slightly unsure why we’re moving backwards.

We’re in a decent place now, and I’d hate to ruin it. I’m too half asleep to lie eloquently. And it’s not like he’s an easily convinced man. “Oh, he said it so cryptically it took me longer than it should have to understand. And it didn’t help that it was something so...well, you might find it funny. As funny as you find anything, anyways.” Wow...I’ve spent such a long time talking. Rubbing the back of my eyes, I avoid his gaze. Exhaustion and awkwardness mix in my stomach oddly. “It seemed like he was trying to imply that you and I...me and you...” Why is this a difficult thing to say? It’s not like I was implying it and Jesper’s known for his oddness. “I think Jesper was implying that there was a you and I, or at least that there could be.” I’m too lost in a haze of almost sleep to watch his reaction. I let my head rest against my headboard even further. “Isn’t that odd?”

He’s quiet for a long second, and then he finally speaks again. “Odd, even for Jesper.” The response doesn’t satiate me...what’s that about? I exhale, deciding that feeling is tomorrow’s problem. When I blink, I decide to let my eyes stay closed. Just for a moment. The sound of something shifting is what makes my eyes squint open. Kaz is standing, his expression unreadable as he straightens. “Goodnight, y/n.”

At that, I sit up slightly, ignoring the exhaustion behind my eyes. “I haven’t finished the chapter.”

“You’ve convinced me of enough.” A concession? How exhausted do I seem? My lips press together as I think of my next argument. Before I can get it out, Kaz leans forward. He grabs the quilt at the end of my bed and tosses it onto my legs casually. “Goodnight, y/n.” The meaning of his repetition is clear. His word is final.

I find enough energy to manage a glare, but I pull the quilt over my legs anyways. “Goodnight, Kaz.”

#kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker x you #shadow and bone #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone fic #shadow and bone netflix #shadow and bone imagines #six of crows #six of crows x reader #six of crows imagine #six of crows show #shadow and bone show #six of crows netflix

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football-writing · 3 years

Text

Jack Grealish - real smooth

Note: I haven't seen the david and liza vid that this request was based on, and I have the attention span of fresh gravy so I didn't watch it either lmao. But I had a bit of an idea in mind for this more like Mason's fifa forfeit vid with Chunkz (let's be honest that vid was hilarious I still watch it sometimes for laughs lmao) anyway I hope that's okay. Also this features other players too bc why not

Warnings: contains some curse words probably, slight mentions of sexy times at the end, also I have no idea how waxing actually works as my only knowledge comes from that Mason vid so,, this is probably not accurate sorry xoxo

Hope you enjoy babes x

It wasn't unusual for Jack to invite some of his friends over whenever he had a day off. In fact, his days off were usually spend either with you or with his friends, most often opting for eating out with you before getting back and playing fifa with the boys for well past midnight. Today was no different. You had occupied yourself with a book and and cup of tea in your shared bedroom, while Jack was downstairs with his friends playing fifa. Their yelling and laughter could be heard even from behind the closed bedroom door. Not that it bothered you too much: as long as they were having fun and cleaning up after themselves once they left, it was fine by you.

However, it surprised you to hear footsteps coming up to the stairs, then down the hallway to your room. They had everything they needed downstairs, and never before had they bothered you upstairs, so why would they now?

A knock sounded on your bedroom door and you yelled out a quick 'yeah' as you closed your book and sat up on the bed, curious as to what it was they needed.

"Hey angel." Jack said as his head popped through the door before making his way into your bedroom, sitting down defeatedly onto the edge of your bed. He had a slight pout on his face, and bit his bottom lip nervously as he looked at you.

"What's wrong, baby? Please tell me you didn't break anything down there." You said, a stern look plastered on your face.

"No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just- uhm." He hesitated as he looked down, playing with the hem of his shirt instead of maintaining eye contact with you. Worry took over your features. What was he up to now?

"We were playing fifa forfeit, right. And Ben said I had to wax my legs if I lost-"

"Oh my god, Jack!" A releaved sigh left her lips. It was never gonna be anything serious with these boys anyway. She should've known better. "Did you lose, though? Please tell me you did."

He only nodded in response, and she let out a squeel as she fell back on the bed.

"That's hilarious, I was worried there for a second, but this is great."

"Don't get too excited. The boys asked if I'd ask you if you had any wax. But I just came up here to chat for a bit and then I'll go back down saying you didn't."

"Now, why would you do that?" She said as she looked at him with raised brows, challenging him.

"You know, I actually do have some strips left, I'd be more than happy to wax your legs. Besides, a bet is a bet, Jack. You can't just back down now." She smiled thriumphantly and he groaned in response.

"Why won't you just have my back with this?"

"Oh, I can wax your back too, no problem."

"Not what I meant sweetheart."

"I know." She smiled cheekily as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek, before telling him she'd be downstairs in a bit with all the necessities to wax his legs.

"Hey boys!" She hollered as she rushed down the stairs with her wax kit, the boys looking up at her. Jack was already sitting on the chaise longue with his legs up. His shorts ridden up a bit more than usual to expose his muscular thighs. The others sitting next to him on the couch, ready for the action that was about to unfold.

"Ready, babe?" She wiggled her eyebrows at him as she sat down her kit.

"Oh I sure am!" Ben replied with a big boyish smile on his face.

"I'm sure you are, Ben." She chuckled as she ruffled his hair. He'd usually have it gelled back whenever he had a game, but kept it natural and curly when he came around theirs. It was her favourite look of his, perhaps partly because she could mess with his hair more easily.

"I remember when I had this done, hurts like hell. Good luck bro!" Mason interjected, patting Jack's shoulder in mock-sympathy.

"Yeah, I cannot wait to see you cry like a baby. I love you for coming up with this, Ben."

"Babe!" He whined. "You're supposed to support me here."

"Well I am supporting you, I'm the one waxing you. Trust me, you do not want to have this done by someone who has no idea what they're doing." You said as you warmed up a few strips of wax between your hands.

"Seconded." Declan replied with a serious face. Everyone looked at him in confusion; he had never told them about getting waxed before, but it sounded like an intriguing story.

"I'm not even gonna ask, mate." Jack said. Horror stories would not make this experience any more bearable for him. It left Dec pretending to be upset, eager to tell the - no doubt ridiculous - story.

"Alright, I'm gonna get these on." You interrupted their banter, tearing the strip to reveal the sticky substance underneath.

She put the strips on his leg as the boys chatted away. Just as she was putting the fourth strip on, Jack swatted her hand away.

"You have to put all those on?" He questioned her.

"Well the forfeit did say 'legs'. As in, both legs. Completely." Declan argued.

"I did say that. But that's a bit too harsh innit?"

"Yeah, there's already three strips on now, let's see how he gets through those first." Mason offered.

"Will hurt like hell with that much hair." Declan hit Jack's leg for emphasis.

"No doubt." You laughed as you smoothed out the strips once more.

"Ready, Jack?" You asked as you hold the edge of one of the strips, ready to pull it off.

"Wait, wait I gotta film this!" Declan was quick to exclaim as he took out his phone, much to Jack's dismay, who had his hands in front of his face as he waits for the inevitable pain of ripping off the strips.

"Alright, 3. 2. 1!" The boys count down in unison as you rip off the first strip.

"Jesus, Y/N!" An array of curses leave Jack's mouth as he yelps, gripping his leg in pain, his eyes wide with shock. Clearly he had underestimated how much this was really going to hurt, which has all of you rolling over with laughter. Mason is gripping his stomach as he's sitting on the floor, barely able to breathe between his giggles. You're trying to ease Jack's mind and soothingly rub the sensitive skin on his leg, but you're shaking too much from the laughter leaving your lips.

"Oh my lord, and look at the hair that's come off!" Declan hollers as he takes a step closer to properly film the strip that was, indeed, covered in Jack's leg hair. You held it up for the camera as you shrieked at the sheer amount of hair. It's like a lion's mane got glued on the strip.

"Jeez, Jack, you hairy lad." Declan laughs, which earns a grumble from dissatisfied boy. You're pretty sure if Dec wasn't responsible for filming the whole ordeal, he'd be on the ground just as Mason was.

"Oi, what are you crying for, mate? I'm the one in pain here." Jack points a finger accusingly at Ben, and when you turn around you see he has tears in his eyes, breathing coming out in desperate gasps as he shakes his head no, signalling he can't take any more of this banter. It seemed like everyone had at least slightly calmed down, but looking at Ben made everyone burst out in laughter yet again. Mason had tears streaming down his face now too, and you're sure he might piss his pants if he laughs any louder. It even makes Jack chuckle.

"Just get it over with, alright. I don't wanna be in pain any longer." Jack asks you nonetheless, guiding your hand to one of the other strips.

"It can't be that bad." Ben's voice is higher than usual from his earlier laughing fit, but he's wiping the tears from his eyes as he seems to have calmed down considerably. Mason can only nod in confirmation, still unable to form words without giggling.

"I have no problem waxing you lot too, babes." You smile up cheekily at them, which results in loud protests from the boys.

"Now that I would love to see." Jack replies, before looking down at his leg and rubbing the spot that was now rid of any hairs. "Perhaps this would be funnier if there weren't two other strips on me leg." He sighed in despair, staring at his leg with sad eyes. It made you chuckle, but seeing Jack's stern look dericted at you, you quickly focused on the task at hand.

"Alright, next one Jack."

"Lord have mercy."

The next strips don't have any other effect than the first one. It sends all of you rolling on the floor laughing, and Jack with tears in his eyes and red skin on his leg. Dec leaves the room at one point because he genuinely can't breathe, and Mason has to sprint to the bathroom, like you predicted. Meanwhile your hands get shakier and shakier from laughing, and you can barely see what you're doing due to the tears prickling at the corner of your eyes. Jack's decided to rip the last strip off himself, and you're shrieking with laughter as he pulls at it but chickens out from the pain, resulting in it only coming off halfway. When it is finally off, and all the hairy strips are disposed of, everyone slowly but certainly calms down. You're getting some lotion from upstairs to soothe the stinging, and when Ben orders pizza, it all seems long gone.

Yet when you're watching tv, and Mason steals a sneaky glance at Dec, the both can't help but try - and fail - to surpress their giggles.

It's how the rest of the night continued until the three other boys finally left in the late hours of the night.

"I'll clean, love. Get in bed and I'll see you in a bit, yeah?" Jack's offering once they're gone, and you're accepting gratefully as you kiss his cheek. The night was fun, but the laughing fits had you beyond tired.

So when Jack slips into bed next to you, you're already in bed with your eyes closed, dozing off.

"Hey, babe."

"Hm?" You mumble as you open your eyes at Jack's whisper.

"Wanna feel my leg?" He asks, but he's already draping his freshly waxed leg over your legs, wiggling his eyebrows at you.

You've known the guy long enough to know that he won't stop bothering you if you decline, and the request makes you think of the many times you've asked him to feel your legs after - finally - shaving them again.

So you decide to humour him and softly carress his smooth leg.

"Feels pretty good, huh?" His voice cocky as he questions you.

"Sure, real smooth Jack."

"Wanna have sex with a sexy smooth beast like that?"

You snort loudly at his inappropriate request, shoving his leg off of you in a joking manner.

"Oh come on, don't tell me I went through all that for nothing!" He exclaims in agony.

"No, you went through all that because you suck at Fifa." You deadpan as you grin at him.

His eyes are darker as he watches you intently, and the knowing smirk on your face makes you apprehensive of what he's up to now. He's moving closer, hovering over you and effectively trapping you as his muscular arms hold himself up on either side of you. And next thing you know, he's placing a soft kiss on the corner of your mouth, before trailing down to your jaw. A gasp involuntarily leaves your lips as he nibbles at your earlobe.

"You know with how soft my leg is and all." He starts to whisper in your ear. His voice is husky and smooth - and normally you know what it means. But you have no clue where he's going with this sentence. "Would you mind if I-" And he's pausing again for dramatic effect as his lips graze over your hot skin. "Slitherin." He finally whispers in your ear, accentuating the 's'.

And just like that, you're back rolling over with laughter just like you had been that very afternoon.

#Jack grealish #Jack grealish x reader #jack grealish oneshot #jack grealish imagine #jack grealish fanfic

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ahkaahshi · 4 years

Text

sleeping over at their s/o’s house for the first time [scenarios]

pairings: sakusa kiyoomi; hirugami sachirou; kuroo tetsurou x fem reader

genre: fluff and humor, as per usual

warning(s): n/a

notes: kinda popped off on hirugami’s part. couldn't help myself. not sorry bout it either. can’t wait til we get to see more of his cute lil face in the anime.

he is so painfully awkward I love him

will just stand in the entryway with his duffle slung over his shoulder, staring straight at you until you tell him when he can put his stuff

this literally isn’t his first time over at your house but he acts like it???

poor baby’s obviously nervous about ~ spending the night ~

immediately washes his hands

brings his own pillow

asks if you’ve sanitized all your surfaces recently/if anyone in your household has been sick lately

does he wanna play video games? not until he’s wiped down all the controllers.

does he wanna watch real housewives? no, but you put it on anyway because you know he secretly loves the drama

does he want a snack? possibly? but refuses to eat on your bed because lying on crumbs is nasty

all he does is get under the covers and hang out

only moves to brush his teeth and, of course, wash his hands

will do a face mask with you but only after thoroughly reading the contents of the bottle/package

wears his hoodie and sweats to bed

is asleep before 10pm

2/10. total party pooper who only gets points because he’s hot and dislikes the same housewives as you do

Moments after releasing a rather loud guffaw at a funny scene from the television show you have playing on your laptop, you hear a small groan echo from beside you. Turning your head to the source of the noise brings your attention to your boyfriend, whose tall form rested on the bed beside you, ensconced in your blankets. His eyelids flutter open and his eyes the color of charcoal fasten on you before narrowing in a small glare of annoyance from underneath the sea of black waves atop his head.

Maybe you would’ve felt even the slightest bit intimidated if his face wasn’t close to being absorbed by the yellow fabric of his hoodie--and if he hadn’t flattened his hair against his forehead by closing the drawstrings to secure his hood around his head.

“Kiyo!” you whine, crossing your arms in front of you chest, “Were you really asleep just now?”

His dark eyebrows furrow as he answers matter-of-factly, “Yes. You know I go to bed at ten o’clock, (f/n). It’s ten thirty.”

You roll your (e/c) eyes at him and protest, “But this is a sleepover! Would it kill you to stay awake a little longer so you can spend some precious time with your beloved girlfriend?”

“Lack of sleep can lead to sickness. Sickness can lead to death. So, yes, staying awake longer to spend precious time with my beloved girlfriend could kill me.”

“I hate you.”

He lets out a long sigh and reaches over towards your laptop to close it, putting an end to your Real Housewives marathon. Once he’s moved it off of your bed, one of his arms snakes around your waist and pulls your body down towards the mattress. His midnight gaze doesn’t falter as he says, “If you get sick, I won’t be able to spend time with you like this, so sleep with me.”

Your heart skips a beat at his tenderly spoken words, and you crawl underneath the covers so you can place your head on his muscular chest and curl up beside him. The feeling of his warmth surrounding you is enough to make you melt into his arms and forgive him for completely ditching you in favor of sleep.

“(F/n).”

“Yes, baby?”

“If you kick me off the bed, this will be our last sleepover.”

sweet boy who is very excited to spend the night at his girlfriend’s house!!

brings snacks and movies

he enjoys doing any activity with you, whether it’s watching movies, playing video/board games, or just cuddling on the couch and talking

not hard to please at all!!!

watches rom coms with you. secretly a hopeless romantic

you’ll probably spend at least ten minutes of your night trying to catch pieces of popcorn in your mouths

and another ten doing the same thing with m&ms

poor boy is too tall to fit under your blankets, so you have to give him an extra one for his legs and feet

bedtime attire consists of boxers with corgis on them, a sweater, and crew socks to keep his tootsies warm 🥺

brings you a pair of matching, corgi-patterned sleeping shorts bc he wants to twin with you

your parents are gone, meaning you can do chaotic activities...

... like baking at 2am!!

he loves to bake (and you can’t convince me otherwise). pls bake with him

wants to stay up all night with you but ends up passing out around 3am after y'all eat all the cookies you made together

11/10, best sleepover ever

Few things were more romantic than spending an evening with your boyfriend on your hands and knees, against the cold, tile floor of the kitchen, cleaning up the aftermath of the mess you’d created.

Lifting your gaze from the white goop coating the flooring, you glance over at Hirugami, who looks completely unfazed and unbothered despite his face still being decorated with dollops of whipped cream. Beholding this sight once more sends you into another fit of laughter that makes it hard for you to keep yourself steady.

“What?” he asks, a small smile creeping onto his lips at seeing you so amused.

In between breaths, you manage to ask, “Why’ve you still got whipped cream on your face?”

With a roll of his chestnut brown eyes, he uses his fingers to swipe some of it off so he can help himself to another serving. “Obviously,” he scoffs sassily, “I’m saving it for later.” His smart comment makes you snort rather unattractively, which, in turn, causes chuckles to pour out from his mouth. “I’m assuming that’s what you’re doing too, right?”

Your (e/c) eyes widen, since you thought you’d done a good job of clearing up the results of your whipped cream battle from your face. A glance at your reflection in the glass of the oven where the cookies were slowly baking soon proved you wrong. Instead of being irritated by this discovery, however, you let out another, wheezing laugh and fell onto your side.

To any outsider, the situation would’ve looked rather strange--an incredibly tall volleyball player dressed only in corgi-patterned boxers, a sweater, and socks, face covered in whipped cream as he fell about laughing with his girlfriend who wore a similar ensemble and was sporting the same whipped cream situation. However, in your defense, it was two o’clock am, and you were high on sugar.

"Come over here and I’ll get the rest off your face, then,” Hirugami suggests, extending his long arms towards you that beckon you closer to him. After you scoot closer to him, he pulls you into his embrace and starts peppering your skin reddened from laughing so heartily with kisses. With each press of his lips against your face, your heart flutters in your chest.

He only pulls away from you when the oven beeps, alerting you that the cookies you’ve been awaiting are finally ready. But he does so with hesitation, seeing as he’d been caught up in savoring the sweet taste of your lips instead.

“You ready to eat some cookies?” he asks with a grin.

Your reply makes him snicker: “Always.”

is fully prepared to stay up the entire night (spoiler alert: doesn't)

made an entire party playlist for y'all to listen to throughout the evening

expect lots of dancing, vibing, singing, and buzzfeed unsolved episodes

brings dance dance revolution over to your house and then proceeds to challenge you to a dance off

was not prepared for what you brought to the table

tries twerking to distract you but still fails

will go on a midnight mcdonalds run with you

is the kinda person to share deep, late night thoughts with

only with him can your conversations go from discussing the questions of human existence to debating which form of potatoes is the most elite

will 100% do face masks with you to keep his complexion lookin godly

INSISTS on watching scary movies

expectation: “don’t worry, babe; I got you!!”

reality: is visibly shaking underneath the covers, questioning all the shadows in your house

wears only a pair of shorts to bed even tho it’s cold af (he runs hot, if ya know what I mean heheh)

8/10. would’ve scored the last 2 points if he hadn’t stolen the blankets and made you wonder if your house was haunted

"(F/n).”

The familiar and gentle voice of your boyfriend rouses you from your semi-conscious state, and you hear the sheets of your bed rustle.

“I’m so tired, Tetsu... what is it?” you wonder groggily, not even bothering to open your eyes to see what’s upset him.

“I think your house is haunted,” is his response. Though he speaks calmly and coherently, his hazel eyes are wide with fear and darting around the dark bedroom.

“Oh, stop. I knew it was a bad idea to watch those supernatural Buzzfeed Unsolved episodes before bed.”

The bed sinks behind you, and you feel the warmth of the blanket he’d stolen from you earlier around your body as he pulls you towards him so your back is flush against his chest. While you appreciate his closeness to you, you can tell he’s far from relaxed. The grip his fingers have around one of your shoulders is tight, as if he’s using it as a stress ball.

You murmur his name with indignation and pry his cold hand off your shoulder, but press a gentle kiss against the back of it. “Baby, go to sleep.”

He noticeably stiffens when a quiet whoosh sounds from another part of your house. “What the heck was that?” he asks from where his face is buried in the back of your neck, too afraid to look around and risk finding something he might not want to see.

“The dishwasher.”

“Y-Yeah,” he stammers, “the dishwasher... of course...”

With a gentle groan, you lift your head so you can turn and press a gentle kiss against his forehead in an attempt to soothe him. As soon as you plop back down onto your pillow, Kuroo takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, desperate to get a wink of sleep.

The sound of a creak brings both of you to attention moments later, however, and your heart begins to race.

“That was the house settling... right?” you whisper.

He pulls the blanket over both of your heads, fully cloaking your bodies beneath it and says, “Yeah. Yeah. Let’s go with that.”

At this point, you realize it’s going to be a long night for reasons other than those you’d expected.

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stuckylibrary · 3 years

Text

Group Ask 177

What is a group ask?

Previous Group Asks

AO3 Search Tutorial

Please send us an ask stating which group ask and which person you are replying to. Thank you so much in advance!

scottiedotmp4 said:

i’ve scoured the apocalypse and post-apocalypse tags on AO3 but can’t seem to find this fic. all i can really remember was that steve and bucky lived in a cabin and thought they were the only survivors. i think bucky found steve bc steve kept trying to contact ppl with a radio broadcast. they had a garden and chickens and at some point contacted tony who lived in the west coat. thanks so much!

emzy2, time-lord-no-more, oh-ursmari and Anon sent in The Day the World Went Away* by 74days (complete | 21,323 | T) *chose not to warn

Anon 1 said:

hey :) so there was this fic i read a few months ago that i wanted to read again but i cant find it. basically, the avengers are wondering why steve is not getting in the christmas spirit and try to figure it out and then they find out that bucky died on christmas or something and that’s the reason why. sorry if that’s vague, thank you so much!!!! :)

dolphinqueen10 sent in For the Holidays by togina (restricted, oneshot | 11,279 | T)

Anon 2 said:

Could you please please help me find a fic where bucky and tony are running from cops. Its a cacw canon divergence where tony hates bucky as he has murdered his parents but ends up befriending him eventually when he realizes how much steve loves bucky and that bucky is a good human. I guess stucky is established relationship in this story. Congrats on the new blog, the fandom loves you!! Thanks!

getstucky sent in i need a forest fire by tomorrowsrain (complete | 65,812 | T)

Anon 3 said:

I CAN NOT find this fic where Bucky is living with Steve post hydra and isn’t able able to jack off and he goes to Steve’s room one night thinking that Steve will have sex with him. Steve is horrified and gives him a lecture about how not masturbating is dangerous with their increased sex drive with the serum and ends up letting Bucky fuck him instead. Any suggestions helpful, I’ve tried every tag combo I can think of!

sheetsforwhichimmade and possibleplatypus sent in Deep-Six* by Claudia_flies (oneshto | 3,474 | E) *chose not to warn

pekinessa22 said:

Hi! Ok so i have lost two fics (the travesty i know) The first one is an ABO fic where steve is about to give birth and he is isolated for religious reasons and after the baby is born bucky kinda smugles himself in (if i remember correctly it was like old roman vibes but i cant recal for sure).

(Polyamory:) The other one is nat/bucky/steve pure smut where the three live together and i remember bucky at one point laying nat on the dining room table like a snak for steve (smut ensures) THANKS

delilahdraken said:

I'm looking for a post-apocalyptic AU where skinny Steve is working as a mechanic. He finds Bucky in a landfill while looking for parts to repair something. Bucky is still a Winter Soldier, but different. They tried to make soldiers that could survice a nuclear winter, which they did, but it also made them sort-of vampiric and difficult to control. There is mention of a neural implant that stopped working for Bucky. Also Bucky's blood heals and only he can open a weapons cache Nick Fury wants.

Anon 4 said:

Hi! Do you know the fic where Steve died before the war and Bucky joins the Howlies and gets taken by Hydra but is saved by the Avengers and he kinda sees Steve? I think Peggy was Cap! Think you can find it?

Anon 5 said:

Hey there! Thanks for all that you do!!! I'm looking for a fic where Bucky has memory loss and video chats with Steve everyday from his room and then one day Steve doesn't video call him because he's depressed and Sam talks to Bucky. Steve maybe also reads Bucky a story every night? I would appreciate any help identifying this fic!!!

yumathings said:

Hi. I am desperately looking for a historical fic. I went through all the tags and .... I can’t find it. It’s a poor Bucky with a title and Steve with money. I think. But FOR SURE Bucky ja a war injury that keeps him in bed and they think he will die soon. So may as well marry and get a good settlement for his sister. But Steve is a good guy. And he figures out how to help Bucky and .... obviously.... they fall in love.... do you know that one?

greyhavensking, possibleplatypus and Anon sent in The Bargain by GoodbyeBlues (complete | 20,647 | M)

Anon 6 said:

Hello, I'm not really sure how to use tumblr but I'm looking for a fic where there's accidental noncon. Bucky asks Steve for stuff after sex and Steve doesn't realize that Bucky is using sex to barter for things he wants.

possibleplatypus sent in Uberrima Fidei* by asocialconstruct (oneshot | 3,075 | E) *rape/noncon

Anon 7 said:

Hi there! I’m trying to find a fic without results, maybe you can help. I remember just one thing: bucky and steve stuck behind enemy lines have sex and the scent of hormones kind of make the bad guys fuck too, so they can escape. I think it was abo and it’s either set during the war or in modern setting, but I don’t actually know. It’s really old, I tried to search in the abo tag, but I didn’t find anything. Sorry I couldn’t be more specific. Oh, it was multi chaptered if I’m not wrong

lesbucci said:

There’s this Fic I’m trying to find, but I only have a screenshot and I’m worried it might be deleted? The part I have screenshotted goes like this: “What kinda fucking stunt you trying to pull here, Rogers? Fucking left a note? Like that was supposed to fix it?" Bucky wants to rage, more than anything, twist his bones into something formidable so he can break, but there’s no one to hurt here but himself, and baby is all he's got. Only thing he ever owned, besides Steve.

Not a Stucky fic, Anon sent in a deleted Supernatural fic: The Dark Descent and Up To Reascend by Theboys

Anon 8 said: (possible underage?)

hi! Im looking for a fic where Bucky was modern and Steve was still Captain america. They lived in the same apartment building, I think Buckys was directly under Steves, so he keeps sneaking in until Steve catches him. I'm pretty sure Bucky was younger, a lot younger. The ending was something like Bucky showing up at one of Steves events and Steve sees him and just smiles in Buckys direction? please help me! thank you

possibleplatypus and Anon sent in erupted with rubies* by yasgorl (oneshot | 8,009 | E) *chose not to warn

Anon 9 said:

Hello! i love this blog thanks for all your organizing skills. I’m looking for a short fic where Natasha gave bucky a bath bomb and steve realizes he likes them so he buys him more. thanks

#group asks

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raytaku · 3 years

Note

Rierrot 1-20? :3

Oooooh thank you!! I wasn't expecting anyone to send me one of these fgdfdghhf

I'm throwing this under a readmore bc OOF did this get Long

1. When did they join the Zurkus?

I never really decided on an Exact time where Rierrot joined the Zurkus, but I did have an explanation of how they got there

They came across the Zurkus while they were walking through the desert at night. They ended up there by hitchhiking, and there were hardly any cars passing by. Somehow, they wandered away from the road and were trudging along the dunes.

They flop down onto one of the sand dunes, exhausted and ready to call it a night. They find themself looking up at the stars and are filled with a sense of wonder and awe. There's so many stars in the sky! They never saw how many there were in their home town.

Somehow, the sea of stars in the night sky makes them realize how small and how alone they are. They take a moment to think about this.

On the edge of their vision, they see some lights flicker in the distance. They sit up and squint to get a closer look. They hear faint explosions in the distance. Fireworks! They get back up to their feet and walk over to whatever is going on over there.

When they get there, they realize it's a circus. They gaze around at the tents, the cages, the posters and the audience. They don't see any performers, and assume they went to bed. Since they were feeling tired themself. They curl up behind one of the walls, out of sight, and fall asleep.

They woke up to a start the next morning as they thought the Zurkus wasn't a dream. And it sounds like someone's throwing bombs!

Rierrot spends the next few weeks or so trying to stay out of sight while living in the Zurkus, stealing food for themself and making a small "room" for themself in one of the old carriages that the Zurkus crew forgot about.

The Zurkus crew doesn't find out about them until Popee accidentally uncovers them. (I haven't decided if Popee accidentally makes them appear while trying to make an apple disappear or if they get blown into view by a bomb Popee threw)

Popee is about to unleash some Fury onto this random stranger but Papi stops them bc they can join the crew! Papi excitedly leads Rierrot to where the old costumes of past performers were stored and lets them pick out their costume and that's how Rierrot became a clown. :]

2. What kind of circus skills are they good at?

Rierrot is skilled with miming, knife throwing and contortionism!

They're somewhat good with magic tricks, but sometimes their clumsiness will get the better of them and everything falls apart. Their clumsiness also makes juggling, acrobatics and balancing hard.

They suck at tightrope walking and air acrobatics due to this, as well as their extreme fear of heights.

3. How is their relationship with Popee?

I think their relationship is best described like being siblings or cousins. Sometimes they fight and pester each other but they really care about each other and they get upset if something bad happens to the other (outside of Popee's tantrums that is)

Rierrot will stop what they're doing and head over to help Popee if they get hurt or need a hand with something, and they cheer Popee on when they're practicing tricks. Popee will try to cheer Rierrot up whenever they cry (which is often, they are a crybaby) if they're not in an angry or jealous mood ofc

4. How is their relationship with Kedamono?

Rierrot and Kedamono are besties! They both have a few things in common and both offer a shoulder for the other to cry on. Also Kedamono really appreciates Rierrot sticking up for him when Popee loses their temper (even if they do end up getting hurt bc of it)

And like with Popee, Rierrot will lend a hand if Kedamono needs one and will cheer him on when they're practicing. And also like with Popee, both Rierrot and Kedamono get upset if the other gets hurt/killed.

5. How is their relationship with Papi?

Rierrot's relationship with Papi is a little uneasy at first, but they grow used to him over time as they get to know him. They view him as a mentor figure that sometimes unintentionally oversteps their boundaries. Papi views them as an apprentice and kinda like another one of his children.

Rierrot will lend a hand to him typically, but helping Popee and Kedamono is a higher priority for them. They think that since he's the professional he doesn't need as much help as Popee and Kedamono. Rierrot will usually be upset if Papi gets hurt/killed, and Papi will usually be upset if Rierrot gets hurt/killed, but sometimes they'll just go "meh" if they think the other did something stupid (for example, if Rierrot is hurt/dies while trying to stop Popee from attacking Kedamono or Frog, Papi would just shake his head with disappointment)

Sometimes Rierrot will have tea with him or practice yoga/contortionism to spend time with him and to get to know him better.

6. Do they have a mirror form or are the the mirror form?

They do have a mirror form! Torrier! Torrier is an asshole and would probably make Popee look like a saint with how much they like to Start Shit. For Torrier I went the Junk Alley route and just inverted Rierrot's personality traits bc they don't really have an equivalent to swap personalities with.

7. Would they eat scorpions?

I guess it depends on the context and whether it is cooked or still alive. They would try to push themself to eat a cooked scorpion (but they might feel it's gross at first) but they would have a Very hard time trying to eat an alive scorpion.

And this reminds me of a short thing I was planning where the Zurkus crew were practicing eating scorpions for a sideshow act that I never got around to doing! fsdggh

8. How would they react to the White Wolf?

Oh they'd be Fucking Terrified.

9. How often are they killed?

I'd say more often then they have killed. So pretty often I guess.

10. How often have they killed?

If we're talking in terms of intentionally killed, very rarely. And in the rare times they do, it's typically "I've lost my patience with you, Die." or "You're a Threat, Die."

Typically they just accidentally kill others, typically from their own clumsiness or as a result of some freak accident.

11. What do they do after Popee leaves the Zurkus?

They also leave the Zurkus and go on their own path. They probably become an indie filmmaker or musician (maybe both)

12. UFO girls or board game?

Both!

13. How would they react to Papi kissing the poison out of them?

It depends on the context. If Papi didn't kiss the poison from someone else first they'd panic and fight him, but if they saw him kiss they poison out of someone else first they'd grimace and be like "This is awkward as hell, lets just get this over with as quickly as possible Please"

14. Reaction to coming back after dying for the first time?

Fear and Confusion. They'd p much act like Kedamono after he accidentally stepped on Popee's eyes in "Dance".

15. What they hate most about the Zurkus?

Probably the intense desert heat, the fact the Zurkus is so isolated and having to deal with Popee when they're angry. Also the scorpions. They're scared of scorpions.

16. What they love most about the Zurkus?

They love the circus arts, the Zurkus crew, Frog, and the fact that death is not permanent is a big plus.

17. How did they react to the Alien when they met?

They felt shock and awe. And then they learned that the Alien is kind of a grumpy guy and they were mildly upset (kinda in the :/ way, y'know?)

They still try to act kind and polite to the Alien bc they're trying to be considerate, like they don't know whet the Alien is going through, they might just be having a rough time (also they don't like being mean, especially to people with guns)

18. How did they react to the Frog(Kaeru)

I'm not sure if this is referring to Frog in General or in "Face" so I'll do both.

Rierrot was estatic when they first came across Frog and started feeding him bits of food to befriend him. They love this little guy and they will defend him if they need to, even if they need to fight the rest of the Zurkus crew.

In a scenario like in "Face" they would be shocked at first and then they would be like "I didn't know you could talk, little buddy! Why didn't you talk before?" and they end up unintentionally changing the topic and Frog doesn't end up telling everyone abt Kedamono's face bc Rierrot's too amazed abt a Talking Frog.

19. Any visual quirks/tics?

I guess in terms of visual quirks their cowlick is shaped like a heart and their eyes are red! But since it's a dark red they just look brown.

20. How would they react to Kedamono's face?

They would cry, not from sadness but bc they find Kedamono's face so cute.

#long post #popee ocs #ptp ocs #my ocs #zurkus tag #raytaku.txt #This took like. Two hours to write if you read all of this thank you so much #Also Thank you Anon for sending this in! I genuinely mean it since I don't get many asks asking abt Rie so it was nice revisiting them

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moon-stars01 · 3 years

Text

~Call Me Beep Me~

Hoshi x Reader

Author:prkjimin

Summary:Kwon Soonyoung does not know how to text

Pairing:Soonyoung(Seventeen) x Reader

Gene:fluff,friends to lovers,texting

Rating:General Audiences

Word Count:1147

Call Me Beep Me

kwon soonyoung, y/n learns, does not know how to text.

and maybe that's a little unfair to say, because soonyoung does know how, if his endless list of conversations dating to a year ago say anything. he just isn't very good at it.

he doesn't understand the careful etiquette of texting; replying too late to time sensitive messages and abusing emojis, sending multiple texts all on different subjects in the span of four minutes.

he also, for whatever god forsaken reason, decided at some point autocorrect wasn't a necessary, resulting in messages more often than not being a scrambled incoherent mess that leaves y/n guessing if soonyoung’s piss drunk somewhere or just typing too quickly (it's the latter, most of the time.)

Y/n’s phone buzzes one night as she’s trying -- and failing miserably -- to cram a unit’s worth of biology into her deteriorating brain, turning it to mush inside her skull.She nearly pounces on her

phone, welcoming the distraction with open arms until she sees the mess of letter on her screen and soonyoung’s contact name (which consists of the elders initials and an onslaught of star emojis that he just won't let y/n change).

She almost sighs when she swipes the message open, wondering if decoding her oppa’s message would cause more of a headache then trying to teach herself biology.

Ksy

10:27pm

Momdy!! r u fiished work???

Y/n furrows her eyebrows, wondering if her dysphericing skills are lacking or if soonyoung had just referred to her as “mommy”

Y/n

10:27pm

what

She sends back simply, throwing her phone back onto her bed because she knows soonyoung won't bless her another response for at least twenty minutes, turning back to her heavy textbook reluctantly.

to her surprise, her phone goes off again less than two minutes later.

ksy

10:29pm

oh lol ur nt my mother

ksy

10:29pm

ur nubmers r the sam but differnet

Y/n huffs a little airy laugh, unsurprised at the mix up between contacts because she’s pretty sure soonyoung has still yet to save a single number apart from the local pizza delivery.

before y/n can type a response however, her phone is buzzing again, the younger slightly surprised at how active soonyoung is.

ksy

10:30pm

but if u send me mkney for allowencd u could b my mommy;)

Y/n nearly chokes when she reads over the message, going through it a third and fourth time just to ensure this isn't a stroke or hallucination, half convinced now that this is one of the rare occasions that soonyoung’s drunk and his brain is beginning to seize function when she realizes she's read it correctly.

Y/n

10:32pm

oh ya that's me, ur two year younger bdsm sugar mommy dom who's actually a whole infant

is what she ends up sending in response, deciding to go along with soonyoung’s joke somewhat because she doesn't wanna be that girl who can't platonically joke around about being in sexual relationships with her friends.

again, soonyoung's response is surprisingly fast and y/n has to wonder if the elder had possibly been waiting for her text.

ksy

10:34pm

smh no bdsm mommy’s here

and then,

ksy

10:34pm

i'd settle for some vanilla kisses with you though

it's the lack of misspellings that really gets y/n, picturing soonyoung sitting on his couch, or floor, or bed or wherever and deliberately pressing each letter in order, words joining together to create a sentence with some sort of intentions that y/n isn't sure of just yet, unsure if she actually wants to know.

Y/n

10:37pm

lmao are you feeling okay??

the younger sends, only a little less concerned for her own well being as she finds herself reading soonyoung’s messages again. maybe he'd gotten his phone stolen, or maybe y/n’s being pranked. there's a million motives that could be lingering behind soonyoung’s messages besides real, actual mutual interest in y/n so she tries not to let herself get too invested.

ksy

10:40pm

ofc

ksy

10:40pm

got a little 2 confident behind an innocent joke n accidently exposed how i felt, ooPs

Y/n frowns at this, confused as to what soonyoung’s implying as another hundred scenarios whirl through her brain.

Y/n

10:41pm

what do you mean?

ten minutes go by without a response and y/n almost screams when she hears her phone go off, unlocking it quickly to reveal soonyoung’s message because she's almost driven herself insane trying to conjure up a reason.

ksy

10:53pm

i just mean that i genuinely do like u but i approached it w a joke which leads this to b weird now lol

Y/n wishes she could describe the feeling in her stomach as anything other than a violent, rumbling hurricane of emotion but she can't as she slaps either hand over her steadily warming cheeks, barely aware she's squeaking until the sound echoes back into her own ears.

her hands are shaking as she types a careful response, rewording it twice before finally bringing herself to hit send and then she's hovering over her device like a hawk, jumping at every sound and cursing at every instagram notification.

Y/n

10:55pm

i really hope you aren't fucking with me bc i actually like you soonyoung and it’ll be really uncool if you're just doing this for a laugh js

ksy

11:00pm

is that how lowly you think of me? ouch :( </3

ksy

11:00pm

i really do like you y/n l/n

at this y/n jumps into the call app, typing soonyoung’s number easily -- because she's good at remembering things and not because she's spent so many hours staring at the other’s contact okay? -- and biting her lip a little harder at each rhythmic ring until soonyoung answers.

“kwon residence, how may i help you?” he answers, cheery and perky like he hadn't just flipped y/n’s entire world on its head.

“you're an asshole ,” y/n breathes, laughing in almost disbelief and then there's an echo of an equally pleased laugh, light and innocent that sends y/n's heart soaring.

“oh man, you could have warned me if you were just calling to verbally abuse me over the phone,” soonyoung jokes and y/n can practically hear the pout in his voice.

“it’s due diligence, you almost gave me a heart attack. how could you of all people think it's a good idea to confess over text?” Y/n squawks but she's still smiling brightly, giddy at the realization that this is real.

“in my defence, i had a really good speech prepared with a little love letter and all, but you were going along with the joke so i got ahead of myself.” soonyoung says, clearing his throat a little before y/n has a chance to reply, and then;

“are you down for some vanilla making out right now?”

Y/n can only yell in response.

#seventeen #seventeen fanfic #seventeen fluff #kpop fanfic #kwon soonyoung #hoshi #hoshi scenarios #hoshi fanfic #kpop oneshots

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ajokeformur-ray · 4 years

Text

Hi honey. I’m sending this as a submission bc it’s going to be long; I just read your rant and I have a few things to say:

I’m so sorry and my heart bleeds for you right now. You have so much going on in your life and you’re feeling like you just need everything to slow down. I know it is all so much for you to have to take on at a time like this and I wish I could take some of your apprehension and anxiety for my own so that you weren’t hurting like this.

I truly hope your father gets better soon and all is well around your household again. It is very difficult to stick to the right path when a family member is ill. I’m keeping you in my thoughts, darling.

Self-care is not something which I am skilled in, but I do know that it is important and when we start to feel as you do right now, then we must take a step back and take care of ourselves first. Listen to your body and what it is telling you it needs. Does it need food? Rest? A shower? A fresh change of clothes? Love? Listen to your body and take care of it accordingly💗 your body will reward you if you treat it with all the same love and kindness as you do with Joker. He would love on you, darling, so why not love in yourself a little as well and make him even more proud of you than he already is?

As for the Covid testing, I know many who have had it done and most say it is not that bad. I don’t want to completely sugar-coat it, darling. It is a little uncomfortable, but it won’t be bad. We’ve talked at length about my experiences with this and so I tell you with the greatest certainty that it won’t be horrible at all. You will be fine, darling, just take a deep breath and it will be over very quickly. When I first started taking nasal sprays for allergies, I really had to psych myself up to do it because I cannot stans the thought of sticking something up my nose. But once I did it, it wasn’t so bad and now I do it without a thought. My point is that once you do it, you’ll realize it wasn’t so bad and then it’s over and you won’t have to worry anymore. I’ve found that usually the worst part about doing anything is worrying about it.

I hope you are able to get some rest tonight and find time to clear your head. I know Joker is there with you, ready to shower you in all the love and care you deserve. He is so so proud of you for making it through times like these. He knows them well, the poor soul, but now that you have each other to rely on during tough times, he doesn’t mind the rain so much because once the storm clouds clear he can see you for the stunning rainbow that you are💗

Take good care of yourself, Erika. I love you and so does Joker💗 @loveletterstoledger

Under a cut because Emotions pertaining to my recent venting posts are discussed.

Angel, omg 😭😭😭😭😭 I woke up to this after getting about three hours of sleep; I went to bed in plenty of time to get some proper rest last night but I was up so long worrying that in the end I only really had a nap, and this made me cry!💖 I really needed your kind words more than I realised and I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to send them to me, even with how you feel and with how much you’re going through. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

You’re right, now that I think about it... I do need everything to just... slow down. Things are happening all at once or not at all and every time I think I’ve got a grip on what’s happening in the world in general and also in my own life, every time I think I’ve processed something, there’s only something else to take its place. Time waits for no one, but jeez, I need a breather... I know I’m not the only one, of course I’m not, and I feel really guilty for putting negativity on people’s dashes and on my blog, which is meant to be a safe and warm space. People go to my blog to escape for a bit, not to face someone else’s problems. I put it all under a cut so people could choose for themselves to read it or not, but even so, I feel bad for it and I truly hope no one, especially you, was negatively affected by the venting posts I’ve recently posted. I apologise if so, loves.

My dad’s already getting better. He’s still not 100% but he’s much better than he was, which is a relief! Thank you so much for asking, angel! When my loved ones get sick, I get Very Scared. Even if they have a cold, I’m on edge until they get better because, especially right now, everyone’s at risk and people are dying everywhere and things are both not enough and too much all at once, if you understand what I mean. I’m just so, so scared, of everything all of the time and it’s truly exhausting. I put off bedtime every night until 2-3AM because I’m so scared that when I log off, someone I love on here will get injured or die or something and I’ll never hear from them again and I’ve even had dreams of death announcements on here and it’s... it’s not normal to have this high a level of fear for so long and funnily enough, I’m almost scared of how scared I always am and it’s a vicious cycle.

Thank you for that reminder, angel. I am... a mess right now. I’m functioning, but I’m definitely not okay. I’m barely eating (I am eating, but because my dad’s sick I just can’t bring myself to eat properly knowing he’s suffering), and because of how worried I am about everything, I’m barely sleeping... I slept three hours last night and grabbed an hour’s nap today. I’ll try to sleep more tonight but it’s just... everything just seems really hard right now. The only thing which is easy is sitting on my bed and watching the world pass me by and it’s a fight to not let myself totally zone out. I’ve been losing snatches of time - ten minutes here, half an hour there - and I’m trying to stay here, where reality calls. Thank you, angel; I very often forget to “tune in” to my body to find out what it needs and I’m definitely neglecting it. Today, I ate all three meals so I’m kind of proud of myself but at the same time, it’s concerning that that’s a point of celebration; it should be something I do so easily I don’t even think about it. OMG Joker 😭🥺 he’s with me, but there’s a very heavy air around him which I can’t read properly and I feel like he’s disapproving or maybe just super concerned. But he’s keeping me here ‘in touch’ with myself and I’m infinitely grateful to him and to you and to others for helping me to do the same. That’s very true omggg ~ 🥺🥺 I aspire every day to make my clown proud of me ❤ I hope that you’re looking after yourself in all the ways Pat and J want you to, my love! They’re so, so proud of you so why not make them prouder by treating yourself as they would?💜

I, ah... I did the Covid testing. I had to do it to myself and then a courier came and picked it up. I had to put a swab right to my tonsils and I wasn’t even half way into my mouth before I was gagging and then I had to use the same swab up both nostrils and that made me sneeze really badly afterwards and it was extremely uncomfortable and I got upset afterwards, but I did it. I hope the results help the government with their research, which is why I did the test! A moral obligation, if you will... thank you so, so much for comforting me with this too, angel. It’s extremely distressing, this pandemic, and I know that you’ve had your own experiences with it and I’m so, so proud of you for getting through it, angel! 🌷 I’m so sorry that you had to psych yourself up to do nasal sprays; I’ve never used them for the same reasons as you but I’m glad that they help you! Thank you, my love; and you’re right! The worrying was much worse than the actual test; I had panic attacks over something which was done in less than five minutes.

You are truly so, so wise and I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to send me in such kind, patient and loving words. That’s very true; if anyone knows what it’s like to lay awake worrying about things one can’t control, it’s our beloved Joker, the poor man. I can feel him here, in part; he feels heavy around me but he hasn’t left for even a moment, which I’m very grateful to him for. I’d be so lost without my clown. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are a real and true source of strength and inspiration for me and I cannot thank you enough for being who you are and for doing what you do. I love you, I love you, I love you. Please take care of yourself and know that you are loved, dearheart!💚💙

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wongiemei · 5 years

Text

iKON Relationship with New Girl Member

Jinhwan:

Basically, her dad

Takes care of her the most dealing with her problems

He’s the oldest and he is used to dealing with the boys’ shit so he can handle hers too

But sometimes, it can be overwhelming

The girl member would listen to him like he would for her

Whenever she gets in trouble, he would always defend her (which annoys Bin a lot)

When she’s in that *cough* time *cough*, she would be the most comfortable with him

Jinhwan wouldn’t hesitate but go to the store 2 streets down and buy her chocolate, medicine, heating packs, chips, and tampons/pads

out of all the boys, she would trust him the most

if she needs something, she would go to him first

jinhwan loves to brag about that to the boys

he also loves the fact that someone is finally shorter than him

the boys still call him short but the girl defends him saying he’s taller than her

if anything, they should call her short

the first time it happened, jinhwan almost cried bc finally someone stood up for him

whenever he’s upset or hurt by what the others said, he hides it but she can usually tell

the only one he speaks his problems to

she experiments with makeup on him since he’s the only one who lets her

ngl, she’s actually pretty good

‘i didn’t spend 2 all-nighters watching jeffree star and james charles for nothing’

but as long as he sees that bright smile, he’s happy

i think he would be the im-never-letting-you-go type with her because he sees her as the girl he saw for the very first time

shy and innocent

and he will be damned if someone corrupts her

Yunhyeong:

if Jinhwan is her dad, he’s her mom

makes sure she does laundry, gets up early, goes to bed on time, showers before the boys

will feed and cook for the girl even when he’s tired

thinks shes the cutest little thing

but he knows that if he finds chanwoo and her are talking amongst themselves, shes gone

gets pranked on the most

the boys would use the girl to take advantage of his kindness to her for a prank

then the girl would be guilty later on and secretly tell song what theyre planning

believe it or not, yunghyeong is pretty scary when he’s mad

so she rats the others out bc she knows he wont punish her and she could watch the boys suffer

its like killing 2 birds with one stone

but really, she appreciates him

without him, she would be stuck eating delivery and ramen every night

since she rooms with him, chanwoo, and hanbin, hes always cooking something

ikonics see her a lot in his vlives and YT channel

when he went to the jungle, she was very worried

‘hyung, you’re going to get sick there! who’s going to feed me when you’re gone? you know Bin can’t cook for shit!’

‘yah! do you only see me as your chef?!’

‘what do you mean i can’t cook?!’

he looks out for her a lot

during ikontv, she was the only one excited for the mungap trip

out of all the boys, she appreciates him the most

okay, maybe she appreciates him and jinhwan the most

but, he was the one who made her feel welcome and tried the most to help her fit in and make sure she was comfortable

will never forget when he left her a tray of food at her door when she refused to leave her new room

there was a post-it note with encouraging words and she still has it to this day

just a wholesome mother-daughter relationship that will never be broken

Bobby:

oh, my baby

as i mentioned in the earlier post, he wasn’t very upset but he wasnt happy

but he wasnt upset enough to make her feel uncomfortable

bc jiwon is such a baby and so nice that he subtly helps her

over time, they build a cute relationship where he is like her older brother

steals her food all the time

‘no! song-hyung cooked that for me! Only for me!’

‘yah! it’s rude not to share with your elders!’

‘*mumbling* wdym elder. you’re practically a 5 year old’

jiwon has no mean bone in his body and you were practically an angel to him

well, when you’re not fooling around or goofing off

although he thought you wouldnt survive in iKON, he tries to help you as much as he can

even though bin is literally a big butt and gives you a hard time, jiwon helps you

like the time bin screamed at you because you couldnt get the dance right and you, being a strong woman who wouldnt let people push you around, screamed at him too

it resulted to you having a screaming match and the elders having to push you back because you were so close to punching him in the face and the youngers holding bin because he wouldnt hesitate to come at you

more on that in a sec

Donghyuck:

oof my baby sunshine

previously stated, he was the only one excited for your arrival

so obvs, yall are very tight

you, bob, and dong do vlives together a lot and ikonics look forward to it all the time

always cheers you up

remember that prank for ikon tv where dong literally started comforting the girl?

well, he does that to you

he knows when you start to get upset and he rubs your back

sometimes, just a hug from him makes it all better

did i mention that he gives out the warmest hugs?

ace dancers

both of you love to do covers as bonding time

whenever you can’t sleep, you just go to the other dorm and go under the covers while he sings to you

he sees you as his little sister and reminds him of his own little sister back home

btw, he loves to give you gifts

but so do you

when yall were filming ikon tv, he always picked up something that reminded him of you

like when he went shopping with bobby for their studio, he got you a little cute figurine that you still have to this day

or when you went to lotte mall for your day off and bought him a little necklace

fans get excited bc they always see matching yall have

the two of you wear the most fan gifts

like when someone gave hanbin a shirt, you snatch it and wear it

like how dong takes bobby’s clothing

yall are so cute together and fans wish they had a brother or a sister like yall

Junhoe:

this hoe

jk, but he really looks hot in this one

yes, he hated you in the beginning but once he found out similarities between you, he started tolerating you

also to him, i think he oesnt like the fact that him and the others worked so hard to get where they are and he doesnt really know what you went through to get there

junhoe has the personality that may seem very cold at first but he easily opens up to others and that causes them to open up to him

he knows the struggles you went through to be in ikon

you’re older than him by a few months and you treat him like your child

‘junhoe-ah! dont forget to take your makeup off!’

‘yah! clean your room! its like a pigsty!’

he gets annoyed with it but he knows you just look out for him

he calls you ‘noona’ with that cute ass smile if he wants something

how can you say no to that

yalls laughs are so loud and yall are just loud in general

one time, yall had a competition on who could sing louder and the guys almost banned you from the apartment complex

the neighbors weren’t happy

he always asks you for fashion advice even though you don’t have a good fashion taste

you have the habit of spoiling him of clothes and shoes

‘noona, you don’t need to do this. take them back’

‘wtf they’re from busan. i’m not about to take a train ride there to return those. keep them.’

his mom absolutely adores you

always tells you to look after him and junhoe blushing like a maniac

‘mom, i’m bigger than her. i think she’d need more protecting than me’

he turns red whenever you pinch his cheeks together

ngl, he had a crush on you but it faded away when he saw another member having a crush on you too

hes scared of him so hed rather back off

but you love him a lot and comfort him bc hes a little baby that really needs to be looked after

Chanwoo:

fuck, so cute

at first, chanwoo ignored you and made sure you were uncomfortable

even going as far as to disrespecting you

like being rude and being un-chanwoo

lets just say yunhyeong beat it out of him

as the youngest member, you baby him the most

‘oh, my little baby!’

initially, he was uncomfortable with it

but now, he lives for it

pouts when you give another member too much attention

teases you about your short height all the time

helps you grocery shop mainly for him to carry the bags

‘dont worry, noona. im strong’

you find out that chanwoo actually joined the group last and had a hard time fitting in

you used this to your advantage to get closer to him with your similar situations

‘you know, being in an unfamiliar environment is hard. but having someone who understands your feelings makes it easier’

and he just looks up to you with those big brown eyes and you just melt

gamer buddies

love to go to pc cafes even though yall have your own respective computers at home

only goes for the food

always calls him when you’re stuck in one level

*cute Hanbin’s voice*

‘CHANWOO-YAH!!!! JUNG CHANWOO!!!’

even though he might act like a bitch sometimes, hes actually so soft and cute

hes your little baby and will always be your little baby even though yall are like 80

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darkpoisonouslove · 5 years

Note

For the send title Griffin Heat of the moment Long live the queen Three of my fav one shots! Took some thinking to narrow it down!

I am so sorry this took so long, but life got in the way. I had a terrible night on Saturday and really wasn’t in the state of mind to write this yesterday. Also, tumblr ate my response the other day and I’m still mad about it. So it’s been a fun couple of days. Here’s to hoping this answer will cheer us both up!

“Griffin”:

1. I wrote this when I was on vacation but it took me a while to edit it before I could post it. It was a spontaneous idea that I was so excited to start writing that I stayed up late for it (pretty sure I went to bed at, like, 3:30am because of this).

2. As I’ve mentioned before, it was inspired by “I Fell in Love with the Devil” by Avril Lavigne (damn, I love the song and the video) and my own thought process while I was listening to it. My brain just went “Hey, how cool do you think it will be if Griffin tried to summon the devil aka Valtor and then fell in love with him but it had a tragic ending bc it’s them obvs?” And I went “Yeah, I think that would be pretty cool.” So I just went with it but since I wanted it to keep the winx-verse feeling even despite it being an AU, I decided that Valtor would be known as the all-powerful Dark Dragon which is sort of an equivalent to the devil but not quite. He has all the knowledge on magic and is prone to wrecking havoc everywhere he goes, but minus the ruling hell thing. He’s not ruling anything, he was trapped. Because we needed a summoning ritual in this. Who doesn’t love summoning rituals?

3. Speaking of which, I don’t know how I made those up, but I’m really glad I did. The obsidian idea just came to me but when I did some research, what do you know? It was perfect. And I also managed to tie it in with the Obsidian dimension. I love doing AUs because it gives me so many opportunities to play around with canon details and put them in a new perspective and mold them until they fit this new universe I’ve come up with. It’s my favorite part of writing AUs. The hair thing I know from my mom, a book I read (”A Discovery of Witches”, I think) and internet confirmed. And the tears I just thought would add to the aesthetic and provide some insight into Griffin’s head.

4. I chose the title “Griffin” because this fic mainly deals with the essence of Griffin, with what makes her who she is. Also, I did some research on griffins and they are supposed to be protectors so that also fit in super nicely. I am very proud with the version of Griffin I’ve built in this fic. There is so much anger and desperation in her but that in no way changes the fact that she is actually a good person. Which is why this: “She was strong enough to be a protector. Even with her pain. Even with her rage. Even with her darkness.” is my favorite quote from the fic. I was in a dark place at the time I wrote this and it was important for me to remember that.

5. I also love how Valtor turned out in this fic. He’s mysterious and clearly dangerous but also alluring enough for Griffin to ignore the warning signs. And while it’s clear that he was using her, it isn’t clear what he feels about her. He does feel about her. Maybe not love but he certainly feels a lot about her. She was the only one who managed to summon him (aka rescue him) from Omega so he is intrigued by her powers as well as by the interaction of light and dark within her soul. That is the reason why I have considered writing a companion piece to this fic that is from Valtor’s point of view (there certainly is enough unexplored material on that timeline (I only gave the beginning and ending (is it?) of that relationship)), but I’ve discarded the idea as many times as I have entertained it (until now?). I really have other more pressing things that need taking care of rn but I might reconsider it again when I have more time (will a moment like that ever come?) since I had some new thoughts about it now.

“Heat of the Moment”:

1. This was actually the third Winx Club fanfic I wrote but I posted it as the second one since chapter one of “Warmth of Rage, Cold of Love” wasn’t edited yet at the time.

2. It was actually written at the same day as “Fire and Ice” but it took me a lot of time to get it up on FFN because I didn’t want to post it at first. It was veering on smut so I wasn’t sure how people would react to it. Which is why it makes me so happy to hear that you love that story so much, considering all the doubts I had around it (it was also the first time I was writing about them in the past and we didn’t see anything of their interactions back then on the show so it was pretty much a shot in the dark there).

3. Do you know that amazing moment when you want to write something steamy but you’re not comfortable with smut in this particular situation for whatever reason? This fic is the embodiment of that. Which is why it ended up as dry humping. That’s always my go-to thing in a situation like that. Not actual sex, but you get all the intimacy of sex in it. It’s a win-win (and also hot).

4. I probably would’ve gotten discouraged and would’ve quit writing for the Winx fandom after I posted that one because it didn’t get any attention in weeks. The thing that actually kept me going and not just motivated, but excited me to keep writing for Winx was @her-majesty-wears-jeans‘ review.

5. The whole fic is constructed the way it is because I’m convinced that Valtor loved messing with Griffin in every way possible and that it always set off a competition of wills between the two of them.

“Long Live the Queen”:

1. I was bursting with creative energy and just didn’t know what to work on (not for a lack of ideas but because none of those I already had sparked my interest (I think I had idea-fatigue for all of the wips I already had). So I just picked song lyrics and wrote a fic. How do I do this? It certainly is a mystery to me.

2. So it was all total chance there. I was listening to music on YouTube and when the song ended, the suggestions showed up. One of them was a lyric video for Halsey’s “Young God” (which is totally their story in the past, I mean, come on!) and the thumbnail had the lyric “I’m the king and you’re the queen”. So I just took that and rolled with it.

3. I didn’t think it a big deal because I honestly wasn’t planning on posting the thing. I was frustrated with myself that day and was pretty sure that it wouldn’t be good anyway. And then what do you know? It was good. It was better than good. I actually loved the result. So I decided to post it after all.

4. That last paragraph was on the line until the last moment I posted it. I only added it on the last round of edits and wasn’t really sure about it. I almost deleted it a few times, but, ultimately, I decided to leave it be.

5. I had some random thoughts about what happened after Griffin took the crown. Since it will get so out of control with the length if I try to write this (and I really don’t have the time for that), I’ll just write them out here. In short because I forgot some details that were kind of important. Also, angst alert.

Griffin and Valtor start ruling Domino and Griffin’s worries prove to be true. Valtor is… well, not that he’s not listening to her but in a situation that needs improvisation, he always makes the wrong move. He’s listening to her, he’s just not listening to common sense. He’s angry and powerful and it’s not a good combination.

On top of that, Faragonda shows up at the Domino palace to look for Griffin because she is convinced that Valtor is mind-controlling her. Griffin barely manages to convince Valtor not to hurt Faragonda. He’s suspicious of her because he thinks she’s come to gather intel, but Griffin tells him that Faragonda is there because she’s worried about her.

They form a sort of flimsy truce that allows Faragonda to come visit Griffin so that she won’t be so lonely. And if she spills anything about Valtor and Griffin (not just about their plans, but in general) to anyone at all, Valtor will make sure she regrets it. Griffin is still unhappy, though, and after overhearing (whether accidentally or not so much) one of her conversations with Faragonda, Valtor understands how much the whole thing is weighing down on her conscience.

So after one last very tender night with her, he lets her go. He can’t run away with her because that will put her in danger since the Council will want his head. So he’ll stay on Domino and limit the destruction as much as possible, but he wants her to go with Faragonda. They can tell the Council that she was under his spell and that was why she was acting the way she was. They’ve seen enough of what his mark on people can do so that won’t be hard to believe. And it was Faragonda who saved her from it with some fairy dust.

Griffin doesn’t want to leave him, but she does because she can’t take any more of what he’s doing. Faragonda hides her in Alfea where a few weeks later Griffin finds out she’s pregnant. It turns out Faragonda knew all along (Valtor told her when he called her to escort Griffin to Alfea and gave her a letter for Griffin because he knew that if Griffin knew she was pregnant with his daughter, she would never leave his side). The letter tells her under no circumstances to tell anyone that the baby is his daughter. She is supposed to pretend that that is the heiress of Domino who was born just before Valtor attacked and that he’d been keeping her hibernated (which is why she hasn’t aged and is still a newborn) until they found her. It took them months to get her out of that state which would give Griffin the time to give birth to the baby. And the real heiress of Domino is stuck on Earth with her way back to the magical dimension severed by Valtor’s spell. And it will remain so as long as the Dark Dragon Fire is burning.

So Darcy grows in Alfea, pretending that she is a fairy her whole life. And her power of illusions helps her keep up the charade with Griffin and Faragonda guiding her through the discovery of her magic and helping her understand both light and dark magic so that she can pretend to be a fairy and learn how to control her actual powers. And a little bit of glamor helps hide the family resemblance between her and Griffin. She knows the truth about herself and her father but she keeps all of that hidden like her mother insists.

When she turns sixteen, Valtor appears to tell her she is to take the throne of Domino, defeat him and “claim her birthright”. He gives them a part of the embers the Ancestral Witches used to make him and tells them that that is the evidence of his defeat they are to present to the Council. And he will disappear for he can’t stay with them, no matter how much he wants to. It will put them both at risk if anyone discovers the ruse.

Griffin sees how much of his body mass is missing and follows him to learn what he’s done and where he found the ember. Valtor tells her that he cut off his wings in demon form and made them return to their original form. However, that also had consequences for his human form and he’s dying. He’s pretty sure what he did messed with his internal organs and he doesn’t have much more to live. But he doesn’t regret anything if it means that Darcy will finally be safe and happy. And once she builds her reputation and convinces everyone she’s not a threat, she’ll be able to drop the disguise.

Griffin knows that will never be the case. She’s seen clearly all these years to differ from him. They can never drop the pretense for the Council will be after them immediately. And with Valtor dying in her arms, she’s not sure if Darcy can protect herself. She’s never used the full potential of her Dragon Fire and Griffin fears it is too late for her to do it. She fears that having to pretend to be someone else her whole life has destroyed who Darcy actually was. And she fears that it is all her fault. Because she took that crown when she shouldn’t have. When she knew it was the wrong choice.

So after Valtor is dead, Griffin sets out to find out how to bring the actual heiress of Domino back to the magical dimension in hopes that if the two kinds of fire mix and both girls learn to control them, the Council will not hunt down her daughter. A perfect mix of light and darkness is her only exit. But can she be sure that she can achieve it now when she couldn’t years ago and that was what set off the whole chain of events?

So this was longer than I expected but I like how it turned out. Except for the insane levels of angst which I’m pretty sure we’re all used to, but that still doesn’t make them any less painful. Anyway, hope this makes up for the delay!

#ask #silverdragonstarlight #griffin #heat of the moment #long live the queen #griffin x valtor #winx darcy

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gayerluke · 5 years

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so i’ve been meaning to write about this for almost a week now since it happened early tuesday morning, but i’ve been burying myself in hyperfixation hell to distract from the utter shock & devastation of it. but i owe my friends on main to talk about it bc i know you guys care about me & my little family.

tw for animal death

my rat patrick passed away extremely suddenly & unexpectedly in the middle of the night between monday & tuesday. he was euthanized at the ER & went peacefully. i wasn’t with him during the actual moment (protocol with small animals is different because they use a different method) but i gave him a lot of love right before they took him back.

both rats were completely FINE early monday. they were active & behaving normally, like little scamps. i came in late that night to check them before bed. david was his normal self, climbing up the cage bars to come see me. patrick, however, was curled up in a little ball, fur all puffed out, eyes squinted: classic sick rat pose. i picked him up & he was awake & responsive, but didn’t squirm like he normally would. his breathing was extremely labored. to me it seemed like an upper respiratory infection, but it’s unusual for them to come on so suddenly -- usually you’ll see mild symptoms building up over the course of maybe a week before it gets this bad (i would’ve definitely begun treatment well before he had reached the state he was in). URIs can usually be treated with simple antibiotics/anti-inflammatories, which needs to be supplemented with a probiotic bc rats are hindgut fermentors who need the beneficial bacteria to digest. but i knew this was bad enough that he needed to go to the ER bc he needed oxygen.

took both rats with me to help reduce the stress for them. this was about 3am. the person who opened the door for me was someone i know from school, of course, bc there’s literally nowhere in town i can go without someone i know working there. it’s fine though bc she was kind of a calming presence & also they can tell the doctor im a tech so they dont dumb it down for me. they took him back right away & took vitals; breathing was labored like i said but he was also hypothermic with a temp of 96; normal is 100-102.5, same as a dog or cat. they put him in an incubator with heat & oxygen. took x-rays, found fluid in the lungs but also AROUND the lungs, known as pleural effusion.

it was at this point that i knew it was not a simple URI but something really really bad. i associate pleural effusion with heart disease; fluid builds up in the institial spaces when blood isn’t being pumped properly. the dr said the fluid could either be pus from infection, blood from trauma, or free fluid (water basically) from a cardiac abnormality, likely congenital given his age. the only way to know for sure was a thoracentesis (chest tap) for $2,000, which didn’t guarantee anything except diagnosis of the type of fluid, & could also cause further damage. just sending him home on antibiotics wasn’t going to work unless we knew it was an infection & could jeopardize his health even further. she also revealed that she didn’t want to do outpatient bc she really didn’t think he’d survive very long outside of the oxygen cage. i was there for several hours just trying to come to a decision. ultimately i chose to let him go. he was only 3 months old.

i elected to have a necropsy performed on site free of charge (as opposed to sending it out to the big lab for more precise diagnosis). i had to call the vet 4 times to finally get ahold of the attending doctor to get the report; the 4th time i called i sobbed on the phone to the receptionist. waiting was the worst fucking part. finally got to talk to her yesterday. the ER vet’s best guess was a congenital heart defect; however the vet who did the necropsy found that it was in fact a severe infection. i can’t help blaming myself & wondering if he could’ve been saved if i’d just taken him home on the antibiotic meds, or if it could’ve been prevented if i’d taken better care of him.

i’ve been a complete wreck since then, breaking down in sobs a lot. i didn’t sleep for 4 days. but the absolute worst part of all this is david. rats are social animals; they CANNOT live alone. human companionship isn’t enough. now i put him in his carrier & set it out on the couch or bed with a towel down so he can hang out with me for 6-8 hours a day. but he’s too nervous to come out of the carrier (patrick was always the investigative one who’d let david know when it was safe). he mostly sleeps all day. he is not eating much if anything & i’m trying to keep track of any weight loss, though he does seem to eat a bit with the emergency nutrical smeared on his kibble.

so now i’m at a crossroads: i either get another rat, which i’m not totally sure i want to do, or re-home him. the necropsy results help me determine that, because they’re most likely littermates so if patrick had a heart defect david could too.

again, i’ve been in stasis the last 5 days but now i have to make a tangible plan. at this point i’m leaning towards getting a second rat; david & i have bonded so much over this experience that i don’t want to give him away & really, 2 rats aren’t much more work than one. i might go back to the reptile store where they’re from to see if the owner (who i know) will just give me another one with good temperament.

but first david needs a vet appointment to see if he has any evidence of infection setting in, or if he should have prophylactic antibiotics. the cage & room need a deep clean. technically i could get a new rat right now since i’d want to quarantine both of them for 2 weeks, but unfortch i’m flying to fucking portland again next friday. i need to find where to board him.

sorry this is so long but i’ve really been Processing it all. i’ve spent all week in shock. for the first 2 days i couldn’t look at david without breaking down in full-on sobs. patrick was only 3 months. he was doing so well & becoming a big boy. i’m heartbroken. but i’m determined to still give david a good life.

#animal death -#pet death -

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phantasticworks · 5 years

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Don’t Ask Me How I’ve Been (Fake Happy) Chapter 2

This took forever to post bc of college and finals but I’m finished for the year so I finally had time to finish this! Thank you for reading!

read on ao3

Words: 10.3k

Description: Dan wakes up alone after his night with Phil.

Warnings: Swearing, drinking, some abusive relationship content (not between dnp)

There’s light streaming in through his bedroom window, and Dan groans into the pillow. He had no idea what time it was, but at the moment, he didn’t really care. There was a throbbing in his lower back, and as he gains consciousness, he slowly remembers the events of the night before.

With a start, he sits up, looking at the spot beside him where Phil should have been.

Except, the bed was empty.

Dan frowns, puzzled, as he rolls out of bed and glances around the room. He’s alone in his bedroom. A pit of anxiety begins growing in his stomach, but he forces himself to calm down. Phil probably just woke up early and went to the bathroom or something. Dan stumbles over to the en-suite, but he can already tell that’s a dead end, as the door is wide open, the light off.

The nervous feeling in his stomach refuses to settle, but he tries not to freak out. It’s fine. Phil might’ve gone out to the lounge or something to wait for Dan to wake up.

The lounge is empty.

After a quick round through his flat, Dan realizes he’s actually alone. He wonders if maybe Phil had left a note, maybe he’d missed it in his panic. He slowly goes back to his bedroom and searches every surface. Nothing. The same result in the kitchen, and lounge. It’s as if… As if he was never here in the first place.

Dan is uncertain why that hurts as badly as it does, but before he can think too far into the why, the reality sets in, and tears start leaking from his eyes. There was no way he’d made up the whole thing… Right?

He manages to pull himself out of his thoughts long enough to remember he had a cell phone. Maybe Phil had texted him to explain where he’d gone!

It’s not until Dan’s sitting down on the sofa and unlocking his phone that he realizes two things. One, he’d definitely skipped the awards show last night, and all the missed calls, messages, and social media notifications that were waiting on his phone was proof of how much shit he’d be in the minute he got in contact with his manager. And secondly, he had never thought to get Phil’s phone number.

Shit.

He ignores all the messages to open the Uber app, swearing when he realizes the settings no longer allowed him to see Phil’s number. The only option he has is to contact him through the app, but he has no idea how desperate that will make him seem. Then he recalls that he never actually paid Phil, so without another thought, he clicks “Contact Driver” and begins typing.

Dan: Hi. You’re probably busy so I’m sorry for interrupting, but you left before I could pay you for the ride. Do you want to meet somewhere so I can pay you?

He contemplates the words for a moment before deciding to just go ahead and send it. It’s not going to make him feel any worse if he does, and maybe when Phil responds they can go out for coffee or something and actually talk. Besides the fact that he’d had a great night with him in bed, Phil seemed to share a lot of his interests, and he’d really like to get to know him better. Especially since things were over with Ben.

With the reminder, he realizes he’s still got a ton of unopened messages and many missed calls, most of them likely from his manager. Reluctantly, he goes to his missed calls, deciding to get the worst of it over with now. He clicks on Annette’s name, the number fourteen red beside her name. He cringes as he waits for her to pick up.

“Daniel James, I swear to god, if you ever-“ She doesn’t even say hello, just immediately starts yelling at him.

He can understand this, but at the same time, he’d already been having a shit morning, he didn’t want to deal with this too. “I know, Annette. I know. I’m sorry.” He heaves a sigh, leaning back on his sofa and rubbing a hand down his face. “You know why I didn’t want to be there,” he says softly.

She’s quiet for a moment before she finally sighs. She sounds almost exhausted as he feels. “I know, Dan.” And she does. Annette had known how in love Dan was with Ben from the moment he’d convinced her to sign Ben to the company. Dan had already been working with them for a little over two years, but when he’d met Ben, he just knew he had potential. He’d begged Annette and the rest of her team to sign him, and eventually, they caved, assuming it would be for the best.

Oh, how the tables turn.

“How’s he handling the win?” Dan asks, bitterness lacing his tone. “I’m sure he’s letting it go to his head, huh?”

There’s a pause, and Dan feels a little uneasy at her silence. Then, “Dan, he didn’t win.”

“Oh,” Dan says slowly. He hates himself for it, really, he does, but he can feel himself feeling sorry for Ben. He’d wanted this so badly. “So, who did?”

Now, Annette just sounds amused. “Have you checked literally any of your notifications?” She asks, rather than answer his question.

Dan’s confused. “Um, no. I haven’t been up long, and I figured I’d get my ass chewed out if I didn’t call you the minute I woke up.”

Annette laughs at this, and Dan’s relieved to hear the sound. So, he wouldn’t be in nearly as much trouble as he thought, especially if Annette is laughing. “Good call.”

“So… Who won?” He repeats his question, the curiosity eating at him.

“You did, love,” Annette says gently.

Dan feels as if all the breath in his lungs has been knocked out. “I… What?”

There’s another laugh. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised, dear. The film was a huge success, and you did wonderfully in it.”

He’s having a difficult time wrapping his head around the idea that he’s just won an award, an actual, proper award, for his acting. Then, guilt swarms in as he remembers he hadn’t been there to accept it. There’s a tightness in his throat as he wonders who accepted it on his behalf. “Oh… Did… um, who-“

Annette seems to know where his mind is, because she cuts him off. “I did. I didn’t think you’d want Ben to do it, and it wouldn’t have looked good for his current… narrative.” The word comes out strained, and Dan is pretty sure he knows why. Their manager wasn’t thrilled that Ben decided he wanted to be portrayed in a specific heteronormative way, and Dan thought that the reason probably had a lot to do with himself. Annette was somewhat of a mum to him, and she had told him many times that Ben was a right twat. Unfortunately, she’d been right.

“Oh. Thank you,” Dan says sincerely. He really would have the worst time if Annette wasn’t his manager. “I’m sorry I skipped it.”

“Not a problem, Daniel. We said you were sick. You weren’t out doing anything stupid, right? If it leaks that you were out and not actually sick, we’ll have a hell of a time explaining it.”

Dan shakes his head before he remembers she can’t see him. He sits up and moves to take the mugs, still full of tea from last night, to the sink, a thought striking him as he goes to stand. “Oh. I didn’t exactly go out and do anything stupid, but…” He trails off, uncertain how to tell her. He knew technically it wasn’t her business, but he knew that she’d want to know just in case the story of him sleeping with an Uber driver ended up in the press. Not that Phil would do that. But still, better safe than sorry.

“What did you do?” Annette says with a wary sigh.

“Um, well… I had a hookup-“

“Oh Jesus, Dan. Did they know who you were?”

“Well, yes, but-“

“Dan, you’ve really got to be careful about that kind of thing. What if he’d hurt you?” Annette asks, voice full of concern.

Dan sets the mugs in the sink, an uneasy feeling in his chest from her words. “Phil was harmless, he wouldn’t have done that.”

Annette is quiet for a long time, and Dan starts to wonder if maybe the connection had failed. Eventually, she speaks. “Is he still there?”

Now it’s Dan’s turn to be quiet. “No… He was gone when I woke up. But, he probably had other clients, it’s not like he-“

“Jesus Christ, Dan! You hired a hooker?” Annette is near screaming, and Dan’s face floods with heat.

“No!” He shouts, embarrassed that he’d made it sound that way. “He was the Uber driver, not- fuck, Annette. Obviously, I didn’t hire a hooker.”

“Okay,” Annette breathes, sounding relieved. “That’s definitely more manageable. Do you have his phone number?”

Dan shifts awkwardly. “No,” he admits.

Annette sighs, but doesn’t sound surprised. “Well, that makes things a little more complicated.”

“Why do you need it?” Dan asks, confused.

“In case he decides to go to the press, Dan. We need to be able to get in contact with him.”

Something swirls in his stomach, and Dan knows he’s not going to be able to keep his mouth shut this time. “Phil isn’t going to go tattle that he slept with me. I seriously doubt he’d even consider doing that.”

“But how do you know that?” She asks, gentle.

Dan huffs. He doesn’t want to admit how infatuated he was with Phil, not yet. And especially not to Annette, of all people. “I just don’t see why he would. Would that even be a story worth selling? I’m already out. There’s no secrets here. If anything, it would make Ben look less like a liar.”

Annette seems to consider this. “I suppose,” she says slowly. “But I’d still rather you try and get his information, so we have it, just in case.”

“I already messaged him,” he reassures her, moving over to his kettle to fill it up with water. He desperately needed a cup of coffee.

“Good. Well, congratulations on your win, Dan. You deserve it. Take it easy, okay? Oh, and call your mum. She’s already called me twice, she wants to congratulate you.”

Dan groans, but agrees. “Thanks, Ann.”

“Mhm,” is her response.

The phone call ends with a beep, and Dan sighs loudly. He can’t help but go check his Uber app, hoping to see a response from Phil. Nothing.

With an unsettled feeling in his chest and a heavy sigh, Dan goes about checking the rest of his notifications as the water in his kettle heats up, wondering about a man with black hair and blue eyes the whole time.

Three weeks.

Three weeks pass, and Dan doesn’t hear a single peep from Phil.

Twenty-four hours after his Uber ride had scheduled to end, he’s no longer given the option of contacting the driver, so his contact with him is thoroughly severed.

Dan can’t help but be mad, at himself for not getting Phil’s phone number, but also at Phil, because who the fuck has that kind of night with someone and then just fucks off to Neverland? Phil, apparently.

Over those three weeks, Dan has a lot of time to overthink everything that happened that night. He wonders what he did that made Phil decide to leave with no note or anything left behind, and eventually, he comes to the conclusion that it was his oversharing. Who does that? Who ruins a perfectly nice hookup with a perfectly nice man with all of that ridiculous emotional baggage? Dan, apparently.

Despite the fact that Dan’s thoughts feel consumed with worries about that night and where he went wrong, he still has a life to live outside of that. That life includes a celebratory party at his agency in honor of his first big award win, a party that, thankfully, Ben isn’t invited to. Dan had all but begged Annette to make sure he didn’t come, but in the end, she hadn’t had to make a single call. Ben informed the team that he and Sophia would be going on holiday to Edinburgh only a couple days after the awards show, the purpose of the trip apparently so he could meet her parents.

Dan tries not to let that hurt too much, but if he gets wine drunk and breaks the vinyl records Ben left at his flat after hearing the news, well, that’s his business.

He does slowly start to come to terms with the ending of that chapter in his life, even if some of his coping mechanisms aren’t exactly ideal. The only good thing about it all is the timing, because he’s not set to start filming his part in a new film for another month, so until then, he’s got all the downtime he needs to have his breakdown.

A breakdown that includes some nights of copious amount of alcohol, or sometimes just copious amounts of food. The breakdown may also include a few nights of wearing Ben’s old clothes and sobbing into the fabric, but when the worst of it is over, Dan washes the clothes and folds them neatly, placing them in a cardboard box to start the process of packing up Ben’s things.

The process is more taxing than he’d originally anticipated, though, so eventually he finds himself putting it off for another time. It had only been a week and a half at that point, and something about stuffing Ben’s belongings into a box made him almost sick. It almost seemed like he’d died, and while the rational part of Dan’s brain knew this wasn’t true, the panicked, nervous part just screamed at him to leave it for another day.

Along with the packing, Dan had also taken to spending more time at the agency, mainly just to stay away from his too-empty apartment and, admittedly, to distract him from the thoughts of Phil that still swarm in his brain. Logically, he was aware that it was essentially a fluke; he’d barely been in the other man’s company for four hours, there was virtually no reason for Dan to feel as attached to him as he did. And yet, there was just something about Phil that Dan felt inexplicably drawn to.

Whatever the reason was, Dan had essentially given up any hope of ever seeing the man again by the time three weeks had passed since that night.

On the three-week mark, he found himself out of his usual routine when he’s invited to a house party. Apparently, it was just going to be a few people from his agency and some other people in the business, no one of any real importance from what he could gather. Just an ensemble of up-and-coming artists who for some reason thought getting drunk and making embarrassing memories together would strengthen their work relationships. Or something like that, at least.

Dan had agreed to go only on the principle that he hadn’t been spending much time hanging out with any of his friends outside of work lately, and sometimes he did miss them. Well, some of them, at least. There was a couple, or namely just one, coworkers that he’d rather not see, but with the hope that a house party would seem far too childish to Ben, Dan agrees to go.

When he shows up at Christopher’s house, the party is already in full swing. It’s not as bad as college house parties; there weren’t gaggles of drunk people loitering around on the lawn, but Dan wasn’t so sure he could say the same for the inside. With a heaved sigh, he plasters on a fake smile and makes his way to the door.

He doesn’t bother knocking, Christopher never knocked when he went anywhere, and Dan could hear how loud the music was from here; no one would even notice if he knocked. When he steps inside, he’s almost immediately called over by the host of the party himself.

“Dan! Dan the man! Come on, mate, we’re doing shots!” Christopher’s obnoxious voice calls over to him from his spot in the lounge, a group of familiar faces surrounding him.

Dan tries not to grimace, but it’s hard. He doesn’t like getting drunk with a group nearly as much as he did back in his teenage years, as he’s got this awful tendency to spill his guts about every secret in his life. That tendency had gotten him into a lot of trouble with Ben over the years, so eventually he’d stopped drinking so much at parties.

“Good to see you, mate,” Dan says amicably when he reaches the group, patting Christopher on the back. And it was, Christopher was one of the only actors that were signed on at the agency that he actually liked. Some of them weren’t horrible, exactly, but Dan did have standards when it came to his friends.

“Here you go,” says a girl called April as she hands him a shot glass.

“Thanks,” Dan nods to her. He glances around the room to survey the attendees for anyone else that he was friends with, mainly so he’d have an excuse to escape Christopher before his drinking games began. “Nice party, mate, I-“ He begins, eyes still flitting around the room. He cuts himself off abruptly when he sees blonde hair and a leather jacket.

No. Please, no.

But yes, it’s unmistakably Ben, and standing next to him is a petite girl with platinum blonde hair, much lighter than Ben’s could ever hope to be without serious work. Sophia.

Dan can’t help but study Ben, checking to see any visible signs of discomfort or grief. He doesn’t find any, but as he watches him talking and laughing with the few people around him, Ben’s eyes suddenly flick up, meeting his own briefly. His face flaming, Dan quickly turns back to the group he’s with, downing his shot at once. Okay, so maybe he’d have a couple drinks tonight.

“You alright, Dan?” Comes a quiet voice to his left. Dan glances over and finds Erika, Annette’s assistant and one of his close friends. She’s holding a water bottle, and Dan knows from previous party experience that it’s just that- water. She doesn’t drink, and Dan thinks that at this moment he’d never been so grateful to see another human being.

“Erika! I haven’t seen you in ages,” Dan says brightly, avoiding her question as he leans down to hug her.

The brunette smiles up at him but bites her lip and flicks her eyes over somewhere behind Dan, and he knows that she’s seen Ben. It wasn’t like everyone at the agency knew that Dan and Ben had been a thing and weren’t anymore, but it certainly hadn’t left the attention of his PR agent and some of her staff. If he wasn’t so anxious after seeing Ben, he’d probably be embarrassed about how the sight of Ben made him react.

“How have you been, love?” Erika asks in a soft voice, only barely loud enough for Dan to hear her.

He glances over at the group, and realizing they aren’t paying any attention to them, he nods for her to follow him to a corner to talk quietly. “I’ve been better,” he says with a bitter laugh.

She levels him with a pitying smile, and he feels a tightening in his throat, which he hates. “I heard that Ben moved out,” she says quietly.

Dan clenches his fists, trying to remind himself that Erika didn’t mean anything by it. It’s not like she knew all the details; he hadn’t even told Annette the full story. The first day back at the agency after the awards ceremony, she’d asked what exactly happened, and he’d given her the shortest answer possible, just explaining that he would be moving Ben’s things out soon. He’d left it at that.

“We weren’t really living together in the first place,” Dan mutters under his breath, looking down at his shoes and half-wishing he had gotten a drink from someone before this conversation.

Erika sends him a disbelieving look. “Sure, but his things were living at your flat, right?” The thing about Erika was that while she was a sweetheart, she was not afraid to call him out on his shit. It looked like this would be one of those times.

“Well, they aren’t going to be for long. I’ve already started packing it up.” He wasn’t going to pretend that she was wrong; Erika knew more about his and Ben’s situation than even Annette did.

It’s quiet for a few moments before Erika speaks. “I’m sorry, love,” she says gently. “I can’t even imagine… You know you can come stay with me anytime you want, right? If you just need to a change of view or some company.”

He knows her offer is sincere, but he hated to be a burden. “Thanks, Erika. I’ll let you know if I need a shoulder to cry on, but for now I think I’m handling it okay.” He offers her a smile to soften the blow of his rejection.

If it bothers her that he didn’t accept the invitation, she doesn’t let it show. Instead, she points to a group of people by the fireplace. “Did you hear that James and Phoebe are sleeping together?” She asks in a conspiratorial voice.

Dan laughs at this, more than glad that the topic of their conversation has moved to something that isn’t his own life. “I hadn’t, but I can believe it. James is just making his way ‘round, huh?”

Erika’s eyes sparkle, and Dan can tell she’s glad that her distraction is a success. “I think the only people he hasn’t slept with are the guys at the agency and me, of course,” she giggles.

“Imagine that!” He replies, shaking his head with a fond smile. “He wouldn’t sleep with a lesbian?”

“Yeah, I think-“ she starts, turning to gesture to the fireplace again.

She’s interrupted by a voice Dan definitely didn’t want to hear. “Gossiping, are we, ladies?” Ben sneers.

Dan huffs, turning to face him. His breath gets caught when he sees him up-close for the first time in three weeks. He looks good, obviously, with his stupid blonde hair and his stupid leather jacket. He’s got a smirk on his face when Dan looks at him, and Dan can only imagine how much he’s enjoying the way Dan is obviously still very much attracted to him.

“Not about you, sadly. Do something interesting with your life and you might just make an appearance in our little chats,” Erika says in a sickly-sweet voice.

Her sarcastic comment breaks Dan out of his stupor, and he tries to hide his smile. Ben looks at her with distaste, much the way that he looked at everyone else he thought was beneath him. “Right, because I want to be the center of attention in your little gay fantasies.”

Dan scoffs at that. “As if, mate. You would want to be the center of attention in a room of serial killers, even if they were trying to kill you.”

Ben narrows his eyes at him. “At least I’m not scared of the attention I get,” he snaps.

Shrugging, Dan shifts to lean against the wall, trying to put some space between them. “Not scared, just don’t get off to it like you do.” Dan smirks as he says this, seeing the perfect opening for a remark he’ll probably regret. “And I would know about getting you off, huh, Ben?”

The blonde clenches his fist at his side, and Dan instinctively flinches away. He doesn’t even realize he’s done it until he hears Erika gasp softly beside him.

“You need to go. Right now.” She’s glaring at Ben, a look of pure hatred on her face. Dan had never seen her look so livid, but right now she looked absolutely disgusted.

Ben shifts his glare onto her, laughing loudly and crossing his arms. Dan’s eyes flit around the room, and he shifts awkwardly when he realizes that they’ve got quite a few eyes on them at the moment. “Erika…” he says lowly, trying to keep her voice down.

“So, Danny needs a bodyguard now? Poor bastard can’t defend himself, so he needs you to do it for him?” Although Dan knows he’s speaking to Erika, he knows the words are meant to hurt him.

“No-“ Erika starts, stepping closer to him and poking his chest harshly.

“Erika, stop, just-“

“Don’t act like you don’t get off to someone taking care of you, Daniel. We both know you’re just a little bitch who can’t take care of himself,” Ben taunts, a smirk on his lips.

Dan’s teeth grind together, and he gently tugs on Erika’s arm to pull her away from him. He appreciated the thought, but he knew Ben, and unfortunately, he knew that he was absolutely the kind of person to swing a punch, even if the person in front of him was a woman. “That’s enough, Ben. Wouldn’t want everyone in here to figure out all your little secrets, would we?” Dan raises a brow in challenge, knowing damn well that Ben doesn’t want anyone to know about their past.

Ben clenches his jaw, but steps back. He glances around the room, and it seems like everyone who was watching them suddenly realizes how rude that is, as almost every pair of eyes flit away. “We both know you wouldn’t say shit, faggot.” Ben spits the word out, and Dan can feel his blood boiling.

“You seem to forget that I’m not the one stuck in a fucking closet. I’d watch my fucking mouth, if I were you,” Dan replies snidely, his anger giving him the confidence to say something so bold to Ben.

With his eyes narrowed, Ben leans in closer, and it takes everything in Dan to not flinch away. “You can call it what you want, but we both know that at the end of the day, you’re just another hole to fuck,” he whispers, just loud enough so Dan can hear over the music and chatter.

Dan doesn’t even think before he does it. One moment he’s feeling the pain and anger of hearing the man he once loved say that to him, and the next he’s shoving him, hard.

Ben loses his balance and falls to the floor, effectively quieting the room. He looks almost as shocked as Dan feels, looking up at him with an expression Dan has never seen on his face. Dan can feel his hands shaking and he knows he’s about to have a breakdown if he doesn’t leave.

Before he can even consider it, he looks down at Ben, a frown on his face. “I feel sorry for you, Ben. I really, really do.” He glances around the room until he catches sight of Sophia, who looks shocked at the scene in front of her. “I just hope she’s not as stupid as I was.”

Sophia stares at him, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion at his words. He knows it’s not his concern, but he hopes that for her sake, she breaks up with Ben. She really was a sweet girl, she didn’t deserve the kind of shit life she’d have if she stayed with him.

Without a second glance at the man on the floor, Dan murmurs a quick goodbye to Erika before heading to the front door. Christopher yells out to him, probably to try and get some sort of explanation, but Dan waves him off, pulling his phone out as he steps outside. He’d taken an Uber here, but he hadn’t asked the driver to hang around, considering he thought he’d be there for several hours, instead of less than one.

He quickly goes through the app and orders a car, walking out to sit on the side of the road until it arrived. A message popped up saying there was a driver less than ten minutes away, and he was more than relieved to see that he wouldn’t be stuck out here long. He’d hate for anyone to come out here to check on him, or try and ask him what had happened, which was honestly the more likely outcome.

Barely ten minutes later, a car is pulling up close to the house. Dan stands and tucks his phone into his pocket, slowly making his way over to the car. Something about the color is familiar to him, but it doesn’t full set in until he’s almost to the car. He stops dead in his tracks, staring in silence as the driver’s side window rolls down, revealing a face that’s been keeping him up at night.

“Um… Hi,” Phil says softly, scratching the back of his head in an awkward fashion.

Dan doesn’t speak. It’s almost as if he’s seeing a ghost, but he can tell that Phil is definitely there, and he is very much about to be alone in a car with him.

“Uh, you can… Um, you can sit in the passenger if you want,” Phil stutters out awkwardly, gesturing to the seat beside him.

Silently, Dan moves around to the passenger side of the car, his mind stuck on the fact that after three weeks, he’s actually seeing Phil again. He puts his seatbelt on slowly, staring at his hands as he does so and trying hard not to look over at the driver. As soon as he’s buckled up, however, he’s got nothing else to distract himself with.

“Do you need my address?” He asks flatly, staring straight out the windshield instead of looking at Phil.

He can feel the other man’s gaze on him, but he refuses to meet it. After a quiet sigh, Phil speaks. “No, I remember how to get there.”

“Okay.”

It’s silent in the car for a few moments, and Dan doesn’t know if that’s worse than talking about the obvious elephant in the room. He doesn’t know if Phil even wants to talk about it, but he knows that he’s biting his tongue to keep his thoughts to himself.

Eventually, Phil seems unable to handle the silence. “How have you been?” He asks softly.

Dan can’t help it. He glances over at him, an incredulous look on his face. “I’m sorry?” He asks, as if he hadn’t heard him right.

Phil clears his throat, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. “How have you been? It’s been… about three weeks, right?”

With a bitter laugh, Dan shifts to lean his head back. “Yeah. Three weeks. I’ve been doing just lovely, thanks for asking.”

There’s a beat of silence before Phil says, “I don’t think you’re being honest.”

Dan whips his head to the side to stare at Phil. “Well spotted,” he snaps.

Phil lets out a deep breath, and Dan can tell he’s becoming agitated. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

This time, Dan really doesn’t think he’s heard him right. “What?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowing together.

“I’m sorry. For… well, for not answering your message, for one. And…” He glances over at Dan then, swallowing hard, and Dan’s eyes flit down to take in the movement. “And for leaving without telling you.”

Dan can only stare at him in silence for what feels like a long time. He’d wanted that apology, but now that he’s got it, he doesn’t feel any better. If anything, it only manages to make him feel worse. “Right,” Dan says, clearing his throat. He glances out the window, relieved to see that they’re already almost to his flat. Luckily it was a short drive this time, because although he’d spent the majority of the past three weeks thinking about Phil, he’s finding that he really doesn’t want to be around him right now.

“I get why you’re upset with me, Dan, really, I do, but please say something.” Phil’s voice is almost begging, and Dan knows it won’t take long for him to cave.

Dan laughs once, without humor. “I don’t have anything to say, Phil. We fucked, and you disappeared right after. There’s really not much to comment on there, if you ask me.” He shrugs, trying to sound as nonchalant as he can.

“Dan…” Phil says softly, clearly upset.

They’ve pulled up to his building, and Dan knows he’s got to ask. It’s eating away at him, and he knows he’s got to have an answer. “Can you just tell me why?” He asks, finally turning to properly face Phil once he’s brought the car to a stop. “Was it… Was it not good for you? Or was it the fact that I told you all that shit about Ben? Because you literally told me I could talk to you about it, and I…” He trails off, his throat slowly closing up. He shuts his eyes tightly, trying to stop the tears. “I really wanted to be friends. Like I didn’t want to just fuck you, you know.”

“It’s not that! It wasn’t any of that, Dan, I swear. I just… I can’t…” Phil’s voice cracks, and Dan’s eyes flutter open to find him staring at him helplessly, his eyes watery. Some sick, hurt part of Dan is glad to see that Phil is upset. It made him feel slightly better about his own pain, in a weird way.

“Is there… is it someone else?” Dan whispers, almost not wanting an answer. He’d be sick, actually sick, if Phil told him he’d cheated on someone else with him that night.

“What?” Phil sounds shocked. “No, Dan. God, no. I don’t do that.” He’s shaking his head adamantly, and Dan believes him. The relief he feels at the reassurance is immeasurable.

“Then?” He questions, raising his eyebrows. “What the fuck?”

Phil takes in a deep breath, leaning back in his seat and letting his gaze flit away from Dan and onto the building they’re parked in front of. Dan doesn’t think he’s going to answer at first, but after a few moments, he begins speaking quietly. “I’m not good enough for you,” he breathes. “I’m not an actor or anyone special, okay? I wish I was, but I’m not. I’m just me. I work at a video store and drive for Uber to make ends meet, and I just-“

Dan cuts him off with a harsh laugh, pulling out his wallet and counting out enough money for this ride and the last one, since he’d never gotten to pay him. “That’s ridiculous, you know.” He can’t help the way his voice cracks. “Pulling the whole “it’s not you, it’s me,” thing. It’s good, but I really expected something a little more impressive.” He places the cash on the console between them before stepping out of the car.

“Dan, please-“ Phil starts, looking stricken.

“You know, I really thought that we just clicked, you know? Like the whole time we were together that night, I felt like we had a lot in common, and it was such a relief to be around someone who wasn’t a total dick, but I guess I’ve never been great at character judgement.” Dan shakes his head, a grimace on his face. He slams the car door shut, ignoring how badly he wants to turn around and apologize for what he’d just said.

“That’s not fair,” Phil calls to him. Dan turns around to find Phil stepping out of the car.

“No, what’s not fair is you acting like you gave a damn about me and then leaving without saying shit. Do you know how that feels? Like, honestly?” He swallows hard. He hadn’t given a name to what he’d felt since seeing Phil again, but he felt like he finally had some clarity. He felt used. As if Phil had only wanted to sleep with him because he’s “famous,” not because he actually liked him.

“I’m sorry, Dan. Please, I didn’t-“ he steps closer, holding his hand out as if he wants to touch Dan.

On instinct, Dan flinches away. The look of hurt on Phil’s face then almost breaks his heart, but he refuses to act as if it did. “It felt like being used, Phil. That’s how it felt.”

Phil’s shoulders sag then, as if he’s just deflated. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Dan. I just… I’m not like you. I don’t have money, or a ton of friends, or some amazing career. And, you… You deserve whatever you want, Dan.”

Dan shakes his head slowly. “What I wanted was you,” he mutters before turning to go inside his flat.

“Dan, please, I just-“

Without so much as a glance back, Dan walks into his building, shutting the door behind him with a firm click.

A heavy cardboard box sits at the end of Dan’s sofa, haphazardly closed with some scotch tape. He hadn’t bothered labeling it; when he dropped them off at Annette’s office, he’d make sure she called Ben in to come retrieve them. Dan had no desire to see the man himself, and he knew his manager would take care of it for him. With a heavy sigh, Dan allows his gaze to sweep over the lounge, making sure for the last time that he’d collected all of Ben’s belongings.

After finding nothing that didn’t belong to him, Dan moves to the kitchen. He was almost certain that he had already gotten everything of Ben’s from the cupboards, but he planned on double checking just to make sure. He opens the cupboard where he kept the coffee mugs, and his gaze catches on one in particular. He pulls the stupid Mario Kart mug out and without a second glance, tosses it straight in the bin. It was a shitty mug anyway, he reasons with himself as he turns back to the cupboard.

With nothing else left in the kitchen to remove, Dan makes his way to his bedroom. He’d left the final box in there, and after a quick check he would be done with packing everything up. He specifically avoids looking at the items already filling the box, instead turning to riffle through his dresser. He’d left one empty for Ben, and although he’d already emptied it out, he knew that Ben had a tendency to stuff his clothes and things in the other drawers, too. After finding nothing but an old Napoleon Dynamite t-shirt, he slams the drawers shut.

It was weirdly therapeutic, closing the box full of Ben’s things and closing it with crappy tape. It felt like the ending of a chapter, and even though it sort of felt like everything else in his life had gone to shit, Dan feels slightly better knowing that at least this part was over.

He drops the last box onto the top of the other one in his lounge, dropping his hands to his waist as he surveys his day’s work. “Well. That’s that, I suppose,” he says aloud. He’s well aware of how weird it makes him look to just talk to himself in an otherwise empty flat, but he’d declined Erika’s offer to help him pack. Maybe he slightly regretted that now, but he felt that he needed to be alone to do this. Now that he was done, however, we was feeling drained and exhausted and in desperate need of a shower and some human interaction.

Dan’s just picked up his phone and started typing out a message to Erika when he hears a knock at his door. He wants to groan, because he knew of only two people who knew the code to get into his building, and right now he wasn’t in the mood to talk to Annette or, god forbid, Ben. With a groan that’s more overdramatic than the situation warrants, he makes his way to the door and flings it open without a second thought.

“Hi, I- oh.” His standard welcome is cut short when he realizes the person on the other side of his door is neither party he expected.

Phil gives him a shy smile. “Hey, um, someone was leaving when I came in, and they held the door for me. I’m not sure if they just assumed I lived here, or they just didn’t care, but I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a serial murderer.”

It takes Dan several moments to find his voice. After their argument the other night, he hadn’t expected to see Phil ever again, and despite the fact that it annoyed him deeply, he’d managed to push it to the back of his mind, considering it wasn’t like he really had a lot to tie himself to the man. And yet, here he is, rambling at his door.

“Why are you here?” Is the first thing that falls from Dan’s mouth. He almost winces at himself with how rude it sounds, but then he remembers why they left things the way they did, and decides he’s earned the right to be rude.

Phil’s face drops into an expression of guilt. “I know you probably want me to leave, but I needed to come by and apologize. I know I made you upset the other day, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said, and for leaving without telling you, and for not answering your messages. I was a twat, and I know that.” His words come out in a rush, and Dan is left staring at him in mute surprise.

It’s then that he notices that Phil isn’t empty-handed; in his right hand, his fingers grip a small gift bag, messily stuffed with tissue paper. “What’s in the bag?” He asks rather than addressing Phil’s apology. It was almost exactly what Dan wanted to hear, but Phil didn’t have to know that right now, and Dan didn’t have to forgive him so soon.

At Dan’s words, Phil seems to remember he’s holding something, and he quickly holds it out. “Oh. Um, here. It’s for you.”

Dan frowns, his brows knitting together uncertainly. “Is it, like, a bomb or something?” He asks, only partially joking. He’d never been actually seriously threatened before, but he still barely knew Phil, he wasn’t going to just blindly assume that he wouldn’t try it.

Phil’s lips curve up into a small smile, and he shakes his head. “No, it’s not. It’s… well, just look and see.”

With a strong sense of uncertainty and more curious than he’d like to admit, Dan tugs the tissue paper out of the bag. Phil holds a hand out for it, and Dan is careful not to allow their hands to touch as he hands it over. He’s left staring into the bag, his eyebrows knitting together yet again as he tugs the object out. “A coffee mug?” He asks flatly. He wasn’t sure what exactly to expect, but a plain black coffee mug wasn’t exactly it.

Phil smiles, clearly excited. “It changes when you pour hot water in it. Like,” he reaches a hand out for it then, and unthinkingly, Dan flinches away. Phil’s smile drops, and he studies Dan with an almost sad look in his eyes. “May I?” He asks, softly. Dan slowly nods, holding the cup out to him. Phil takes it from him gently, turning it over to show Dan one side of it. “The cup will turn white, and this part right here will show the heart from Undertale,” he explains, glancing up at Dan with a sheepish smile. “I thought, um… I figured it would match your other one.”

Dan settles into a stunned silence at the thoughtful gift, staring down at the ceramic as he tries to process it. Phil didn’t have to apologize to him, obviously, but he certainly didn’t have to do so with a gift. Dan wasn’t sure anyone, especially Ben, had ever done something like that for him, so now he wasn’t so sure that he could fathom Phil’s reasoning for it. “Um, thank you,” he says softly, taking the mug back when Phil holds it out to him.

Nodding, Phil steps back, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck in what is probably a nervous habit. “You’re welcome. Um… I guess I’ll go, I just wanted to bring that by, and… I just wanted to say I was sorry, for messing everything up. I really didn’t intend for things to go the way they did.”

Still trying to gather his thoughts, Dan watches as Phil turns around, tucking his hands into his pockets as he moves to disappear from Dan’s life. Without much thought to the consequences of doing so, Dan steps out and calls his name.

Phil turns around with an eyebrow raised, looking more surprised than Dan feels he has the right to. “Yeah?”

Dan chews his lip for a moment, glancing back down at the mug in his hands. With a sigh, he closes his eyes and speaks. “Are you busy right now?”

There’s a beat of silence, and Dan slowly opens his eyes to take a peek at Phil’s reaction. He’s expecting more silence or even an awkward excuse, but Phil has a soft smile on his face. “I’m not, no.”

Nodding, as if he’d expected this, Dan runs his hand through his curls before gesturing to his flat. “Would you like to come play Mario Kart with me?”

Phil’s smile shifts into something even softer, if it’s possible, and Dan swallows hard. He’s inviting him in as a friend this time, nothing more. He can do that, and they can be friends. He’s afraid if he doesn’t convince himself of this, he’ll mess things up. “I’d love to,” Phil responds easily.

Dan steps back and holds the door for him, closing it with a gentle push once Phil is making his way to the lounge. “You can take your coat off and put it wherever,” he says off-handedly as he goes to set the mug in the kitchen.

When he makes his way back to the lounge, Phil’s left his coat on the back of the armchair Dan rarely used, and the man himself is stood staring at the boxes at the end of Dan’s sofa, an almost-grimace on his face. Before Dan has the chance to say anything, Phil turns to look at him, a strange look on his face. “Are you moving?” He asks. If Dan didn’t know better, he’d think that Phil actually sounded upset about it.

Dan smiles at this but shakes his head. “No, I’m just clearing out some junk I don’t need anymore.” He moves to the television and begins setting up the game, glancing over at Phil as he does so. “You can sit, you know. I’m not going to make you stand the entire time you’re here.”

Phil smiles briefly at this, but he’s got a panicked look on his face, like he really wants to say something else. Dan quirks an eyebrow at him, and apparently that’s all the permission he needed, because then he’s speaking quickly, barely giving Dan a chance to catch his words. “Not that I don’t want to spend time with you, because obviously I do, but I really think we should talk about what happened. You’ve barely said anything to me since I got here, and I want to know what you’re thinking. Please, just say something so I know you don’t hate me.”

Seemingly done with his rant, Phil drops to sit on the sofa, looking up at Dan with an almost pleading look in his eyes.

Dan blinks. He certainly wasn’t expecting all that, but he supposed it was good that Phil brought it up, so he didn’t have to. Grabbing his switch from the bookcase where he kept it, he carefully took each end off so that he and Phil could play in multi-player mode, all the while carefully gathering his thoughts for the conversation they were about to have.

“I was upset after you dropped me off the other night,” he admits quietly, handing Phil a controller as he sits beside him on the sofa. “I was confused, mostly, I think, but I was definitely upset.” He sighs then, turning to share a small smile with Phil. “But, like all things, I had to get over it, right?”

Phil looks upset, with himself or Dan is unclear. He shakes his head slowly, his eyes never leaving Dan’s face as his fingers trail over the tiny controller in his hand. “No, you had a right to be upset, Dan. And… I hate to sound cliché, god, but you’re allowed to hold onto that, you know? Your anger wasn’t misplaced, and you’re allowed to hold onto that if you aren’t ready to get over it. I…” he trails off then, finally dropping his eyes to his lap. “I know that I messed up by treating you the way I did, but I swear I didn’t do it with the intentions of hurting you.”

Dan takes a moment to process this, swallowing a few times to try and get rid of the dry feeling in his mouth. It doesn’t work. Eventually, he finds a response. “I don’t want to be that person that holds onto things like that. You fucked up, but you know you did, and you’ve already apologized. I’m not… I’d like a fresh start, I guess.” He rolls his eyes as he says this, sending Phil a bemused smile. “Look at me, being the real cliché here.”

A small smile quirks at Phil’s lips, finally. “I think a fresh start would be good.” There’s a tremor of nervousness in his voice, as if he’s afraid Dan will suddenly want to change his mind.

“Yeah?” Dan asks, chewing his lips as he watches Phil push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Phil nods, taking the same hand through his hair, messing his quiff up. It looks good that way, though, so Dan doesn’t say a word. “I’d really like the chance to show you that I’m not a total dick, even though I definitely acted like it before.”

Dan grins at this, nudging Phil gently with his elbow as he finally turns to the TV. He felt the serious part of their conversation was over, and he was ready for some friendly competition. “I don’t mind dicks, believe it or not,” he teases lewdly, sending a smirk to the man beside him.

His lips pursed as if he’s holding a laugh in, Phil levels him with an unimpressed look. “At least take me to dinner before trying to get in my pants, Howell.”

The joke is funny, and Dan snorts, but something about the usage of his surname reminds him of something important. “I don’t know anything about you,” he says suddenly, completely disregarding what Phil’s just said.

Phil glances away from the screen, where Dan had been going through the motions of setting up the game, frowning at Dan. “Don’t you?” He asks, sounding confused.

Dan shakes his head adamantly. “I don’t even know your last name,” he informs Phil, his eyes scanning over the screen to pick a course. “What course is your favorite?”

“I’m good at the Electrodrome.” There’s a beat of silence then, before he speaks quietly. “Lester.”

Glancing over at him with his eyebrows drawn, Dan asks, “Pardon?”

Phil gestures to him with the hand not holding his little controller. “My last name. It’s Lester.”

A little surprised that’d he’d actually told him, Dan pauses. “Oh.” Then, “Thank you for telling me.”

Shrugging, Phil moves to lean back on the sofa. “My middle name is Michael. If you were wondering.” He’s got a small smile on his face, and Dan wonders if this is turning into twenty questions.

With a little smile, Dan selects the Electrodrome course on the game before speaking again. “Mine’s James.” He shifts so that he’s sitting with his legs criss-crossed, tugging a decorative pillow onto his lap for arm support. “I suppose you could just google anything you wanted to know about me,” he muses, almost as an afterthought.

“I couldn’t google what you look like when you’ve just woken up.” Phil’s voice is soft, and although the race has already started, Dan can’t help but look over at him, swallowing hard when he sees the hopeful, almost pleading look on Phil’s face.

Dan’s eyes shift back to the screen to focus on not losing, but his mind is swirling with what Phil’s just said. The implication was obvious, but he wasn’t positive how exactly he should interpret it. He goes with the obvious way. “I guess that’s something you’d have to find out for yourself,” he breathes, trying not to show how nervously excited the prospect of Phil spending the night, like actually spending the night, makes him.

“Could I? Find out for myself, that is?” Phil murmurs. Dan feels the sofa shift and he feels rather than sees the way that Phil has turned to be almost facing Dan, his knee pressing against Dan’s thigh gently.

Dan swallows, and nods, barely glancing over at the man beside him. Bright blue eyes meet his gaze, and he almost says fuck the game right then and there. “I’d like that.”

Phil smiles then, an adorable sight that has Dan’s character on screen running into a wall with how distracted he is. Shaking himself slightly, Dan shifts his gaze back to the screen. Phil chuckles softly, and Dan almost flushes at the fact that Phil knows how he’s affected him.

“Are you hungry?” Dan asks sometime later, once they’ve started a new race. He glances over at Phil and finds him concentrating on the screen intently. His gaze meets Dan’s when he realizes that the brunette’s stare is on him. “If you’re staying anyway, we can order pizza, or something. If you want?” Dan’s a little uncertain if Phil was serious about the earlier implication, but now he’s basically asked him for an answer.

“Pizza sounds great,” Phil smiles at him.

Dan nods, and they finish the round they’re on with banter and some light shoves. Dan wins, but Phil promises to redeem himself later. When they’re done, Dan tosses the remote onto the coffee table before standing to go search for his laptop. “Domino’s?” He asks.

Phil nods, excitement in his eyes. “The superior pizza place, honestly,” he comments as Dan moves over to his armchair where his MacBook is laying.

“Right? It’s the only food worth consuming.” He drops back onto the sofa and kicks his feet up onto the coffee table, opening the laptop and hoping that he’d closed any weird tabs he’d had open. Luckily there’s only a couple Wikipedia articles and a tab with a funny YouTube video pulled up. He quickly opens a new tab and finds Domino’s website, going to the build a pizza option. “What do you like on your pizza?”

Phil is looking at the options, and it’s not until Dan glances over that he realizes how close they are on the sofa. He wants to close the distance and press his lips to Phil’s, but he holds himself back. “I like their sizzler, but I’m really not picky. Just don’t like, add a bunch of extra cheese, and I’ll be fine.”

Dan raises an eyebrow. “What did cheese do to you?” He teases before clicking the options to build a half and half pizza with the option Phil had suggested, as well as what he normally got.

“I don’t like cheese.” Phil shrugs as if it’s no big deal, but Dan’s head whips around to stare at him in shock.

“You’re kidding,” he gasps. “On second thought, I don’t know if this is going to work out.”

Phil rolls his eyes and gently elbows Dan in the ribs. “Don’t be so dramatic,” he whines. “I just can’t eat cheese. It makes me sick.” He flushes as if he’s embarrassed to admit this, but the knowledge that he doesn’t hate cheese and cheese just hates him settles Dan’s attitude.

“Oh, well that’s different. You can’t eat cheese, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to,” he says with a shrug. Phil opens his mouth as if he’s about to speak, but Dan is quick to bring a hand up to cover his mouth. “Nope. Don’t speak, you’ll ruin it.”

Phil’s eyes crinkle like he’s smiling, and Dan is so focused on how the different shades of blue swirl in his eyes that he jumps when he feels a little nip at the palm of his hand. When he pulls his hand away, Phil giggles, likely at his expression.

“Did you just- you bit me!” Dan accuses, staring at his hand as if he’s been infected.

“I did,” Phil agrees gleefully. He leans closer, dropping his head to press his mouth to Dan’s shoulder. Their eyes are locked when Phil gently nips at the skin covered by Dan’s t-shirt.

Something about the look in Phil’s eyes and seeing him mouthing at his shoulder like that makes Dan’s stomach swoop with arousal, and he can’t stop the shiver that wracks through his body. “You’re not…” He lets out a breath before glancing back at Phil, finding the other man looking up at him with a mischievous smile. “You’re not like a cannibal or something, right?”

Phil laughs then but shakes his head and leans away from Dan’s shoulder. “No. You do look good enough to eat though.” Dan feels his skin flush then, and Phil seems to misunderstand the reasoning for this. “I’m sorry, am I being too forward? I just- I don’t know, I’m not great at like flirting, but-“

Dan interrupts him then. “No, I promise you’re doing just fine. I just- ah, I’m not really used to that kind of attention unless it’s followed pretty directly by… well, you know,” he stammers, feeling embarrassed at admitting yet another fault in his and Ben’s… arrangement.

Instead of being bothered by this, Phil only smiles, shaking his head. “That’s a shame. If you’ll allow it, I fully plan on showering you with horrible attempts at flirting and compliments.”

With a snort, Dan finalizes their order and closes his laptop, setting it on the coffee table. He tries his best to act unaffected by Phil’s words, but he can feel his heart racing at the idea of being pampered like that. He’d gotten so comfortable with hiding any feelings he had for Ben, so this sounded like some kind of heaven to him. “I guess, if there’s no way to stop you, I’ll probably just have to deal with it,” he sighs, as if it’s the biggest inconvenience in the world. He remembers then that he wanted to go shower, so he stands to do just that.

Before he can make it past the coffee table, Phil sticks his feet up, trapping him in. “You know we have like fifteen minutes before the pizza gets here,” he says, his eyes holding a suggestion Dan really doesn’t want to turn down, but he knows that he needs a shower more than he needs to mess around with Phil. Besides, if he was actually staying the night, they’d have time for that, if they still wanted it.

“I know, but I need a shower, and you probably need some time to make sure you’re not making a mistake by staying.” He means it as a joke, but as he looks down at Phil, he realizes it might not be. He feels his heart clench at the idea that even after all this Phil might still leave, but he pushes that away.

Phil frowns at him and leans forward suddenly, dropping his feet in favor of reaching a hand up, tugging Dan down by his shirt. Dan barely has a moment to catch himself on Phil’s shoulder before their lips are meeting, his eyes slipping closed at the contact. Phil doesn’t linger long, but as soon as he lets go of Dan’s shirt, he leans back and levels him with a serious look. “I’ve had plenty of time, Dan.”

Swallowing hard, Dan tugs at his shirt and chews his bottom lip. “You’ll still be here when I come back?” He asks, just to make sure.

A pained look crosses Phil’s face, and he nods. “I swear. I’m not going anywhere.”

Dan nods, and he knows he’ll just have to trust him this time. “Okay. I’ll be right back, then.”

He can feel Phil’s gaze following him as he walks out of the lounge and makes his way to his bathroom. Although Phil had just promised he wouldn’t leave, Dan rushes to shower and wash his hair, finishing in less than ten minutes in his rush to make sure that Phil kept his promise. As soon as he’s finished, he throws a towel around his waist and makes his way to his bedroom to put on some pajamas.

After pulling on a stripey t-shirt and a pair of pants, Dan pauses, pondering the pros and cons of bothering with any actual pajama bottoms. If the evening was going where he thought it was, he wouldn’t really want the extra layer later, but if it wasn’t… well, it might be a bit awkward.

Rather than sit and dwell on it for too long, he trades his underwear for a pair that is slightly looser, as well as a baggier t-shirt with ugly cats on it. It could pass for everyday pajamas, he hoped. As an afterthought, he tugs out a second pair of pants and another t-shirt for Phil, just in case he really did plan to stay.

Once he’s finished and he’s certain he isn’t going to lose his nerve to wear what he has on, Dan makes his way back to the lounge.

And for the second time, his world feels like it’s crashing down, as he’s met with an empty lounge.

#phan #phanfiction #fake happy fic part two #swearing #drinking #light angst #i love a good plot twist ending huh

27 notes · View notes

stagekiller · 5 years

Note

Ship: Jerome & Harley. I mean, had to know it was coming.

Meme

{ not accepting :[ }

(( doing this for their younger years bc 1. they’re precious and 2. it leaves u the option to send it again for their older years :”D ))

who wakes up first in the morning; probably harley, just because jerome went to bed at 7-8am and he won’t be up before 12. but if they’re sharing a bed ( by which i mean, ‘if jerome invited himself over to spend the night’ ) probably jerome because he’s very easy to wake

who’s the first to fall asleep at night; harley and tbh? if they’re hanging out he probably had to tuck her in a couple of times ( by which i mean ‘ dump her on the bed and mumble a ‘i’ll leave u to dream of me, short stack’ before sneaking out’ )

what they playfully tease each other over; … literally? everything? it’s not even playful at this point they just end up fighting over really petty shit. some classics include harley teasing jerome about his paranoia w grayson ( even tho she’s also enabling it at the same time but we dont talk about that ) the amount of times he has nearly got himself killed bc of a dare & his cheesy pick-up lines probs. and jerome teases harley about not being able to reach the top shelf, her room & occasionally her accent

what they do when the other’s having a bad day; they?? are both HORRIBLE at consoling people soooo >_>’‘ jerome usually tries to distract harl or make her laugh w some really bad jokes & pranking people ( this relationship is a curse upon gotham i s2g ) but if that doesn’t work he just avoids her for a while tbh. i feel like the same would go for harley, though we have yet to see her trying to console carrot cake. perhaps she suggests some fun activities ? ( and by fun i mean near-death experience level of fun )

how they say ‘i’m sorry’ after arguments; “ im what ? “ I feel like there’s been a few instances where they beat an apology out of each other, but probably took it back the next second. at most i can see them walking away or stopping a fight, which in their language is code for ‘surrender’. but even that has to be very rare.

which one’s more ticklish; i want to say harley, because jerome can probably will himself to resist it, especially if it’s in the context of a tickle war ( isn’t he the most obnoxious piece of crap on the planet )

their favorite rainy day activities; i doubt rain would deter them from destroying lives, but when they’re stuck inside -for whatever reason- they usually stick to board games ( it always goes bad ), fighting w each other, scheming about what convenience store to loot next, talking shit about their fellow circus dwellers, coming up with disgusting nicknames for each other, and - they will never admit to that one - sometimes cuddling ...

how they surprise each other; usually in a way that could either result in a heart attack or just plain death. i feel like jerome is much harder to surprise because he’s always on edge & alert, but harley has sharp reflexes too so even if he did manage to surprise her, he might just get a good kick to the crotch ( knowing jerome, that’s like telling him to do it again )

their most sickening shows of public affection; oh OH GOSH listen- if there’s an audience, they will do anything in their power to make them uncomfortable and that includes steamy make out sessions, calling each other by disgusting nicknames, playing the ‘you hang up-no you hang up first’ game if they’re on the phone etc etc leave it to them to scar people for life with their pda tbh

#{ crimescupid }#♥ Familiar taste of poison | Jerome Valeska & Harley Quinn//crimescupid ♥#You'd better not forget to clap! || {Asks answered}

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maxattack-powell · 6 years

Text

Boston - Just Keep Swimming (2-8d)

The Freshman

Book 2: Boston - Just Keep Swimming (2-8d)

***This is an original fic that fits in Book 2/Chapter 8 (split) - labeled as 2-8d in my masterlist***

Masterlist - go here for other chapters and related original fics

Disclaimer: The following are fics (adaptations from actual game chapters AND original works) to Choices: The Freshman and The Sophomore stories. It is a fictional adaptation. I do not work for Pixelberry Studios, the game developer or own the rights to the characters Chris Powell, Nicole or any other IN GAME character. All of the ORIGINAL characters, storylines and events were developed for my adaptation of The Freshman story.

Comments: I enjoyed playing Choices: The Freshman… But I wanted more. Basically, I’ve included certain things that aren’t really full fic size, adding more substance to the story. I ALSO have quite a few full size fic moments. I wanted to see MC and Chris through their freshman year… with more angst, fluff, sweetness, real life and overall detail.

NSFW may exist moments in this story - Mature Readers Only Please

Paring: MC x Chris

POV: ~MC~ or ~Chris~

~MC~

MC shivers, unsure why she feels cold. Her eyes slowly crack open and she finds herself alone in a dark room, wondering two things: one, why was she awake, and two, why was she alone. She decided the first was directly tied to the second. MC rolls over and verifies that she is in fact, alone. Her nose scrunches up as she rolls back to face the side table, reaching for her phone to check the time.

Just as she sees that it is far too early for her to even care, the door to the room flies open and in rushes one very awake, very energetic Christopher Powell. Her eyes grow wide as he rushes the bed, jumping into the air as he sails across the mattress and half lands draped over her. His impact forces out a rush of air from her lungs, making her suck one in as she gives him the craziest look.

Chris just tilts his head and smiles, as if his actions were perfectly normal and acceptable. She presses her lips together, knowing exactly what he's about to say and completely disagreeing with his wishes.

“Nope.”

“Yes.”

“No way.”

“Oh baby, yes way… yes all the way.”

MC tries to roll over and curl up into a ball, not quite ready to face the day as she prepares for the next words to come out of his mouth.

Chris easily flips her onto her back and gives her a very serious look. “MC. You’ve skipped going with me for four…” He looks up for a second as he thinks back. “...no. Five days?” He gasps and looks at her in shock. “MC!”

“So?” She says before she sticks her tongue out.

He rips the covers away from her, exposing most of her skin to the cool air. She gasps and he grins mischievously before pushing her shirt up and blowing raspberries across her stomach and ticklish sides. She immediately starts to squirm and kick, her hands digging into his shoulders as she tries to escape his grasp. He holds onto her hips as he continues to attack her midsection with his lips.

When he doesn’t let up, MC begins to smack his broad back and shoulders, trying anything to slow him down. “Chris!”

He lets out a horse laugh as he continues, talking between each contact his warm lips make with her soft skin. “You’re. Going. Say it. And I’ll quit.”

MC tries to fight him a little longer before finally deciding it’s futile. She takes a deep breath and sighs dramatically through a smile she can’t seem to stop from creeping across her face. “Fiiiiine, just… stop!”

Chris instantly lifts his head from her stomach and gives her the sweetest smile. Butterflies begin to fill her abdomen where his lips were seconds earlier as she feels him rub her exposed hips with his thumbs. He holds her gaze and everything seems to slow down for a moment as they lay there, both staring quietly into each others eyes.

He finally shakes his head and lets go of her, much to her dismay. He climbs up and off the bed before reaching for her. When she places her hands in his, Chis pulls her up and against his chest, humming deeply when their bodies flush against one another.

“That’s my girl…” He says softly before suddenly reaching down and lightly slapping her on the ass cheeks.

She gasps out at the light sting and he spins, taking off as she reaches for a pillow. MC lobs it with scary accuracy at the door as he barely closes it behind him in time. She grumbles and gets ready fairly quickly, only taking a few minutes, knowing that if she doesn't he will be back with a vengeance. When she exits the room and makes her way towards the front of the apartment, she finds Chris with Ethan and Steph in the kitchen, all three dressed and ready for the gym.

MC looks at Steph curiously. “Is Ethan making you go too?”

The shorter strawberry blonde laughs and glances at the guys. “Yeah, I was politely reminded that I was going last night. Apparently this was the plan all along.”

Ethan scoffs lightly next to her, his lips curling slightly on the edges. “You agreed to going days ago. It’s not my fault you forgot.”

Steph nods. “Yeah, yeah… okay. You got us out here boys, are we doing this or what?”

MC smirks as she watches her new friend give the guys back some attitude, quickly noting another reason why she likes Steph so much. The group collects their things and heads out, walking for a few blocks before jogging the last few on their way to the BC Rec Center.

They enter the Flynn Recreation Complex and follow Ethan to the elaborate fitness area. Once inside, the guys split and head towards the free weights towards the back of the room to begin setting up as they wait for Ethan’s roommates.

The girls head up to the cardio equipment that is setup on the open floor directly above with plans to come back down after they get their heart rates up. They jump on two ellipticals facing out over the rest of the area, unable to see the guys directly below them, but at least they have something to look at in the remaining space.

~Chris~

The Hartfeld Quarterback did not like this setup. At the Knights Student Rec building he could easily see MC from any spot while he was stationed at the free weights. Just about anywhere she went around the facility, he could enjoy the view and keep an eye out for any incoming threats he might have to intercept. But here, she was completely out of sight, at least for now.

Chris knows they will move back out into the center of the Fitness Center after a while because that's where the battle ropes are setup, but it wasn't going to be soon enough. His brow creases slightly as he tries not to openly sulk at the thought, choosing a pair of 100 pound dumbells to work through his dumbbell press and row sets before walking back to Ethan near the row of benches.

His friend begins to grab multiple weight disks as Sam, DeLuca and Scotty all arrive. Sam greets them both with wide smiles, patting each of the Cherryfield boys firmly on the back with his wide hands before grabbing another set of dumbbells and setting them down next to the set at Chris’s feet. DeLuca stretches as Scotty helps Ethan grab the remaining disks they will need for their bench press workout.

They set up different stations on multiple benches, taking turns running through sets and spotting one another as they workout. Having an odd number of guys, one would occasionally take a break to grab some water or stretch nearby. It was Chris’s turn and he suddenly reaches for his phone as an idea pops into his head.

Chris pulls up Google and quickly searches for something before opening his texts messages. He easily finds MC’s name on top, making the end of his lips curl just a little. His fingers fly over the screen, typing out his message before he hits send and puts it back down on the empty machine nearby before turning to join the guys when he hears Ethan call his name.

~MC~

Chatting about their course workload and a few other school related subjects, MC and Steph don't seem to notice the notification ding on MC’s phone inside the elliptical cup holder. After a minute or two without her response, her phone dings again, this time catching the pair’s attention.

She reaches for it and instantly smiles when she sees *Captain* across the top of the screen. When she opens the message and views the text, her brow knits together slightly in confusion.

‘Girl is on my mind. Girl is on my mind. Try to ignore it. I try to unwind. But she is on my mind…’

MC mumbles to herself. It felt very familiar, but she couldn't place it. So she copied the lyric and Googled it instead, instantly shaking her head when she saw the results.

“Fail MC…” She scoffed at herself as she realized that they were the intro lyrics to The Black Keys Girl Is On My Mind, a song Chris had sent her at least once before during one of his self proclaimed boring history classes.

Before she can reply a small text bubble appears, show that he was typing another message at the same moment. It only took a second before the text appeared.

‘baby?’

She begins to laugh, catching Steph’s attention. MC holds the phone so her friend can see it, making Steph smile and shake her head.

“That boy has it bad… you're in trouble MC.” She laughs softly as she adjusts her incline and continues to push through.

MC snorts as she tries not to outright laugh. “Oh yeah? And your sweet as sugar ginger down there doesn't?”

Steph opens her mouth to refute MC’s statement but quickly snaps it shut, her cheeks turning a nice pink shade. “I plead the fifth.”

The tall blonde laughs hard as she opens the text to reply, glancing over and cocking an eyebrow at her slightly shorter friend. “Uh huh… thought so.”

Her fingers fly over the screen as she types her response. ‘On your mind? Shouldn't you be focusing on the guys, the weights, and making Cohen happy with your advances?’

His reply bubble appears instantly, his text appearing in less than three seconds. ‘impossible. I know youre above me and i cant see you. somehow youre more distracting this way’

MC smirks. ‘Oh, this is my fault? Thats hilarious.’

‘you laugh at my pain? such a cruel mistress.’

‘Mistress huh?’

Minutes pass without a response, making her set her phone back down and wonder what he might have meant. She shakes her head, removing the slight crease in her brow as she tries to decipher his message. Before she gets too deep in thought, her phone dings again. MC cautiously lifts it up and softly smiles as she reads the message.

‘shit i didnt mean it like that’

Only a few seconds pass before another comes directly after. ‘I meant it like… youre a mistress because youre completely in control. or something?’

As soon as he sent the text, another bubble appears. ‘can i take it back?’

MC laughs hard and shakes her head. ‘Oh, so I’m in control here? That's interesting...’

‘um.’

‘I'm just messing with you handsome. Kinda. Don't get hurt down there because you're distracted thinking my being “in control” of the situation.’

‘damn. okay thats not fair and its not possible. im looking forward to getting to those ropes since they have a better view of the cardio section’

‘Do they?😏’

‘sure do. until then i need you to do something’

‘Hmm. What's that I wonder?’ Her curiosity is honestly piqued, instantly wondering what he’s going to ask.

‘you recognize the song?’

‘Totally.’

‘😂 uh huh. you had to google it didnt you baby…’

‘No….’

‘lol you LIAR.’

‘Okay so, I knew what it was but wasn't sure. I don't remember lyrics as well as you Chris. Don’t make me start quizzing you on my favorite books.’

‘okay okay. theres no reason to crush me. i just wanted to play a game… you in?’

MC shrugs to no one in particular, noticing Steph turning on her own music to give them some privacy. ‘Sure. What are we doing?’

‘the black keys - lyric story. we take turns choosing a song, tying them together… yanno, to tell a story.’

She smiles and quietly speaks to herself as she turns her own earbuds on and begins to search through her music library for the right response to his choice. “Could be fun… and hard. He knows he has the advantage. Ugh.”

‘How do we win?’ She shoots back, quickly searching through their music library.

‘first person to get stuck or crack loses.’

She smiles wide. Chris might know a lot of music, The Black Keys specifically, their songs and the lyrics well, but she knows how to Google and more importantly, she knows how to get to Chris. It doesn't take her long to find a song she's sure will get a response from him, scrolling to a particular verse before she copies and hits send.

~Chris~

‘And I’ll be good. Like I should. Waitin’ is such Misery! I need, your TOUCH.’

Chris swallows hard as he reads her text message, feeling his lower body respond to her choice in song. He quickly glances around the group and shakes his head, refocusing on the next set when Sam pats him on the back after he stands. Chris thinks about his responding song choice while he pushes the bar up and smirks as it hits him, receiving a curious look from the Boston College student as he spots Chris’ lift.

“What’s up? You good?” Sam tilts his head slightly, his eyes running across the bar to check everything.

Chris can’t help it as his smile grows. “Yeah man. Just had an idea. It’s nothing.” He sits up and nods towards the bench. “You ready?”

He takes his turn spotting Sam, his mind running through the lyrics to Howlin’ For You. The moment Sam’s set is finished, Chris steps over to his phone and quickly types out a responding message, setting it back down with a triumphant smirk as he grabs the set of dumbbells to his right.

~MC~

‘I must admit, I can't explain. Any of these thoughts racin’ through my brain, it’s true. Baby I’m howlin’ for YOU.’

The Hartfeld student bends over with laughter, trying not to attract too much attention as she stifles her cackles. Steph gives her a curious look and MC shakes her head, pointing at her phone to let her know that she’s still texting with the Hartfeld quarterback. Once her friend turns back to her own phone MC immediately starts searching through more songs, eventually selecting Work Me for its very literal lyrics.

~Chris~

His phone chimes with her text and he does his best to hide his excitement, taking his time to walk over and pick it up, not willing to let anyone see his eagerness. His blue eyes fall on the screen and he almost chokes.

‘Want you to work me, baby. Lord how, make me feel it.’

Chris feels his face heat up quickly, reaching behind to rub the base of his neck in an attempt to relieve the sensation. His mind races through all The Black Keys songs he knows as he searches for the best response while his heartbeat does its best to calm down. He eventually settles on one and types out a response.

‘She’s the worst thing I’ve been addicted to. I run right back, run right back to her.’

He quickly leaves the bench press section and steps out from under the edge of the cardio area, his bright blue eyes searching for his girl. He needs to see her face when she reads it. Something was pulling him to her with that one and he can't quite explain it. When his eyes find her and Steph on the right side he stops moving, eagerly watching as she picks up her chirping phone.

MC’s face scrunches up slightly as she reads the text. He knows she’s not very familiar with some of the songs like he is, so he assumes she will search for the lyrics. When her face lightens back up and she smiles with a soft laugh he can't help but grin, knowing she understands his choice and what it means.

~MC~

Her eyes search the page, scanning over the full song lyrics as she knows why he chose the song. Feeling his gaze she looks away from the screen and out across the floor. It doesn't take long to find the set of piercing blues staring back up at her. She already had a song in mind from her previous search, so she quickly copies some of the lyrics from Black Door and hits send, her eyes holding his as his phone buzzes in his hand.

~Chris~

The tall quarterback quickly looks down and reads her text.

‘What’s behind your black door? I want to know. I want to know, yeah. Make take a week, honey. It may take more.’

His eyes flip back up, finding hers still focused on his. Chris feels his chest tighten slightly, understanding the message from his girlfriend. He can't help but smile when he thinks of her like that. When he thinks about MC being his. And right now, his girlfriend is asking to be let in, to know more about him, all of him. Including the dark side most people don't want to know, hidden behind their black doors. She’s not afraid to fully know who he is. It just about scares the hell out of him.

Chris licks his lips as their eyes stay locked. His mind reels through his past, good and bad, and all the people that have meant something to him before. Not many truly know who he is, but she wants to, or at least he hopes that's what she wants. He feels his heart beat harder as his eyes search hers. Feeling his own burn slightly at the corners he blinks rapidly and looks down, knowing exactly what song he wants to send her next.

~MC~

She watches with quiet intensity as his thumbs move quickly over the screen of his iPhone, not noticing as Ethan and Sam climb the stairs and approach the girls on Steph’s opposite side. MC’s phone buzzes in her hand as Chris looks back up to find her hazel eyes once more. She hesitates as she studies his face, not missing the serious edge now rooted in his expression.

Glancing down she carefully reads his message. ‘When I was thirteen, my mom said “Son you're the one I adore”. Now I'm old and wise, when I see your eyes, you're the one I adore.’

MC feels her face heat up as she blinks slowly, glancing back down to find that his eyes never left hers. When she doesn't move a small smile slides across his lips, making her relax and let out a breath of air before she smiles back. She begins to sift through more songs by the band, highlighting a section to copy and send back when Sam approaches her right side.

~Chris~

His brow furrows slightly as his eyes flick back and forth between MC and Sam. They are too far away for him to hear what they are saying, so he watches with intensity instead. He trusts her, he really does. He even trusts Sam. Mostly, but he can't help but curse the guys timing.

“Not right now…” He grumbles under his breath as Scotty and DeLuca approach him from behind.

Scotty pats him on the shoulder as they move to setup the battle ropes just a few feet away. Chris lets out a small sigh as he turns to join them at the new station, his eyes often glancing back up towards the others, watching as Sam makes MC laugh loudly.

He freezes, his senses assessing her reaction for interest. It takes a moment, but he eventually relaxes, deciding that she was being her normal friendly self. It only takes a few seconds before she turns to search for him, her eyes shifting quickly when he's not found in the spot he was a minute before. Chris grins as he watches her confused and slightly concerned expression grow. A moment later finds him, her wide eyes relaxing as she sees his knowing smirk.

Chris watches as she finishes her conversation with Sam and pulls her phone back out the instant the BC student turns towards the stairs. It only takes a moment before his phone dings with her text notification. He glances up at her before pulling it out, noting how her expression turns very confident, making him curious about her choice as he looks down to the device in his hand.

‘Nobody babe. Nobody but you, darling. Nobody babe. Nobody but you, darling. On my mind.’

He can't help it as his lips curl up sharply, creating a wide smile that reaches his crinkling eyes. The pressure on his chest he didn't realize had settled in begins to lift, making him feel lighter than he has all morning. Chris looks up, wide smile still in place as he finds her hazel pair once more.

He steps over to the battle ropes and bends down, grabbing a set as he watches Steph and MC descend the stairs behind Ethan and Sam. Feeling very confident now, thanks to her recent lyric choice, Chris begins to whip the heavy ropes in a perfectly executed pattern. He keeps his eyes on her as his arms tighten more and more with each pop of the rope.

~MC~

She nods to Sam as he and Ethan move from the base of the stairs to join the others, her eyes only briefly leaving to search for Chris so she’s not rude to the Boston students. When her hazel eyes find his set of beautiful blues once more she licks her lips, noticing the way his upper body begins to flex, making plump veins grow as he works through his set.

Steph leads her over to a set of machines nearby where they both sit down and adjust the weights before they begin. MC’s eyes stay glued to Chris as his chest begins to rise and fall rapidly with his intense workout, swallowing hard as he finishes and drops the heavy ropes to the ground with a loud thud. She watches as he paces nearby, shaking his arms and stretching them high and wide before he pulls out his phone.

His eyes leave hers long enough to type her another message. Only a second passes before they shoot back up, finding hers at the exact moment she hears her phone ding. Chris continues to pace like a caged animal, shaking the blood back into his limbs as the other guys work through their sets of battle ropes, holding her gaze with intensity the entire time.

MC forces herself to break the hold he has on her and looks down, realizing that he hadn't sent lyrics, but the entire song itself. She hits play and leans back as The Only One begins to play in her earbuds.

Can't explain, nor can I contain

Control, you have on my soul

'Cause all I do, is baby dream of you

I'm fallin' down, when you're around

MC focuses on the words, her movements stalling as she watches him continue to tread back and forth nearby.

You're the only one, you're the only one

I am so wrapped up in a daze

Hopin' this is just a phase

But when all is said and done

I know you are still the one

You're the only one, you're the only one

Cupid's bow it stung

Now you're the only one

She watches as his expression turns soft, his brow knitting together slightly as he looks at her with obvious longing.

Mystery, is what this is to me

I'm givin' up, I am having no luck

Like a ghost, the one that I love most

She disappears, when I get near

Something in his expression makes her heart twist. He’s clearly trying to communicate something to her, but she isnt fully understanding. There’s more he isn't saying, at least not with his words, not with his lyrics. However his eyes are doing the opposite as they bore deep into hers.

You're the only one, you're the only one

I am so wrapped up in a daze

Hopin' this is just a phase

But when all is said and done

I know you are still the one

You're the only one, you're the only one

Cupid's bow it stung

Now you're the only one

MC has stopped all movement, completely unaware that Steph had changed to another machine further away. She’s aware that other students are moving around the facility, but they are a blur as she can really only focus on the tall handsome young man just a few yards away.

O-o-only one, o-o-only one

As his song ends she knows what she has to send next. It came across her phone earlier while searching for another and wasn't a good choice at the time. But now, now it’s an absolutely perfect way to describe how she feels. She knows she has to find it again. MC curses as she scrolls through the list, doing her best to recall the name.

When her eyes land on the right one, it only takes her a moment to send it back, watching as Chris activates his earbuds to hear it. He doesn't take his eyes off of her to look at the song title on his screen. She hits play at the same time his fingers tap his phone, trying to sync with him as she watches for any change in his expression as it begins.

She knows Chris is much better at lyric games or generally anything to do with songs, especially when expressing how he feels. She has been trying to learn, but she knows she has a long way to go. This one though, it’s perfect.

Let me be your everlasting light

She immediately notices as his shoulders fall, his body language softening as he listens to the words. MC tucks her bottom lip as Everlasting Light begins to play.

The sun when there is none

I'm a shepherd for you

And I will guide you through

Let me be your everlasting light

Her head tilts as she sees him ball his hands into fists, stretching them back out slowly as the song continues. They repeating the process over and over, making her question the reason for the action.

Let me be your everlasting light

(Shoo-shoo-shoo-wa)

I'll hold and never scold

(Shoo-shoo-shoo-wa)

MC begins to worry that the song doesn't mean what she thought it did when his brow knits tighter together. She watches with some anxiety as he begins to walk towards her, leaving the guys behind and a little bewildered as his speed increases with each step. Before she realizes what's happening, Chris closes in and firmly wraps his right hand around her left wrist.

Neither notice as Sam auditably groans, his expression a slight jealous pout as Chris pulls MC from the machine and towards one of the doors that leads into a less populated hallway.

In me you can confide

When no one's by your side

Let me be your everlasting light

(Shoo-shoo-shoo-wa)

She opens her mouth to say something, now clearly worried she had messed it all up when he pulls her towards him. He spins and pins her against the wall as his large warm hands rise to cup her face on either side.

Oh baby, can't you see

It's shining just for you

Her eyes search his as the now darker set of blues flick back and forth between her very wide hazel pair.

Loneliness is over

Dark days are through

They are through

(Shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-wa)

It clicks then. She knows what's happening, and she nods as his right thumb slowly caresses her left cheek.

Let me be your everlasting light

(Shoo-shoo-shoo-wa)

I'll hold and never scold

(Shoo-shoo-shoo-wa)

She chose the right song.

In me you can confide

When no one's by your side

Let me be your everlasting light

(Shoo-shoo-shoo-wa)

MC watches as a small smile slides across his lips and his eyes roam her face as he continues to stroke her cheek. She can’t help but smile back, a tiny laugh falling from her lips as his small smile transforms into a very large grin.

Let me be your everlasting light

(Shoo-shoo-shoo-wa)

A train going ‘way from pain

(Shoo-shoo-shoo-wa)

Love is the coal

That makes this train roll

Let me be your everlasting light

Yeah

She sucks in a sharp breath as Chris swiftly leans in, claiming her smile with his own. Her eyes close as he caresses her now warm lips with his own soft and eager ones. He leans into her slightly, causing her to wrap her arms around his waist and pull him closer to her, silently asking him to press against her. She didn't care how sweaty he was because she loved every part of him.

Let me be your everlasting light

She swallows suddenly, realizing what she just thought, her entire person instantly giddy as she questions if it’s true.

Be your everlasting light

Ohh

He obliges, pinning her hips against the cinder-block wall behind her as his hands continue to gently hold her face to his. When he asks for more she doesn't hesitate, her own tongue meeting his immediately. MC can feel his smile against her own, making her nip at his bottom lip as he pulls back to stare into her eyes.

~Chris~

As his eyes refocus on her close proximity, Chris tries to calm his steadily beating heart. From the moment he recognized the song it felt as if it might jump out of his chest. Everlasting Light was an important for him. It had been one of his favorite songs for years, but even more so after his breakup with Nicole. There was something about it. He always wanted to live inside of the song, to experience something so great. A one time he had thought Nicole was his everlasting light, but ended up learning the hard way she was never even close.

Now here, in his hands, was a very bright light. His girl, his MC. Miss Cherry. The brightest light he had ever seen. He studies her face as he contemplates the very real possibility that she was his everlasting light, his heart fluttering slightly when he thinks about it.

“Well?” She speaks softly, interrupting his thoughts.

His brow creases with confusion, totally caught off guard by her sudden question. “Huh?”

A small smirk appears, that smirk, the one he loves so much. ‘Yes… the one I love…’ he thinks happily to himself.

“Does this mean I win?” She says with a cocky edge to her tone.

He suddenly laughs, his head tilting back as he barks out into the empty hall creating an echo that eventually fades as his eyes find hers once again. “Ayuh… you win MC.”

She tilts her chin up triumphantly, making his chest swell with pride, enjoying her competitive side greatly. “So… what do I win Captain?”

He shrugs and slides his hands down to her shoulders, along her arms until he finds her wrists, wrapping his large hands around her thinner ones. “Whatever you want beautiful. It’s all yours.”

MC hums as they hold each others quiet gaze for a few seconds. When the corner of her lips curl slightly he arches an eyebrow, curious about her next move. She flashes him a soft smile as she wraps her arms tighter around his midsection.

“You?”

“Me… what?” He tilts his head slightly, his mind shuffling as he contemplates what she wants him to do.

Her voice goes soft in the empty hall. “Just you, Chris.”

He blinks a few times as he realizes what she means. “Oh…”

Chris’s face flushes slightly as he laughs awkwardly.

“Sorry, thought you were going to tell me that you wanted me to do something… or get something…” He gesticulates sloppily in the air as he begs the heat to leave his face.

When his eyes settle on her face again he sees that her expression has turned mischievous, his mouth instantly goes dry from the promise provided in the glint from her eyes.

“Saving that for later.... Rogers.” She swats him on the ass and takes off, cackling as she runs back towards the double doors and into the fitness area to join the others.

Chris shakes his head and chuckles. “I’m so screwed.”

-------

~MC~

The group finishes up the rest of their exercises and splits off to shower and dress for the rest of the day. Scotty and his girlfriend Jade, decided to join the four once they learned about their Saturday plans. DeLuca scoffed in typical fashion when they asked if he wanted to join, making up some excuse about plans with a hot older student later in the day. Sam sighed and politely declined when invited, mumbling something about not wanting to become the odd man out, or as he humorously put it, the seventh wheel.

MC can't help but smile when he flashes her a sweet but sad smile of his own, sensing that he really does want to spend the day with everyone, but has made the decision to stay back instead. His actions and comments have been giving MC the impression that he might like her, but not in the way most people would assume. Something felt different about it.

Not being able to put her finger on it, MC decides he’s probably generally lonely and less specifically interested in her from his comments. She knows Chris has been paying attention though, his eyes occasionally finding hers anytime Sam was near or talking to her. It was cute, watching her much taller, quarterback boyfriend fret over the attention their new friend gave her on occasion, doing his best to stay back and give them space and not be possessive.

The three couples meet back up and grab a quick breakfast with coffee before jumping on the Green Light Rail to hook up with the Blue Line that heads straight to the New England Aquarium. MC had mentioned to Chris over winter break how her aunt had a beautiful aquarium that she absolutely adored growing up, saying how she would love to have one of her own someday.

She realized that morning when Chris told her some of their plans for the day that he had remembered, obviously adding it to his list for the trip. She knew he was still trying to distract her from everything going on at Hartfeld, and that thought made her feel warm all over.

It didn't take the group too long to arrive at the aquarium, walking up just after the doors had opened for the day. Chris, Ethan and Scotty went to get tickets while the girls all stood under the edge of the awning as a light snow had started to fall in Boston.

They compared family snow traditions, learning that Jade had limited experience with snow before moving to the New England area. Her family was mostly located far enough south where snow was a rare experience so she mostly laughed when the others told theirs.

The guys came back with tickets in hand, chuckling about something the girls quickly learned they didn't want to know about. The group made their way inside the warm building, almost every set of eyes wide as they take in the brand new surroundings. Even inside and still wearing her thicker jacket, MC was shivering. She was having some trouble adjusting well to the cold morning.

Chris must have noticed because before she knew it his long muscular arms were wrapped around her, cocooning her in his warmth. She lets out a soft sigh as she leans back into his chest, enjoying his firm muscles as she snuggles against him. They take their time walking around the aquarium, especially near the penguin exhibit. Everyone enjoying the crazy little birds as they jumped around their rocks and dove into the water.

~Chris~

The Hartfeld quarterback grins as he watches the black and white birds bounce around them. An employee was feeding them during an enrichment exercise and the little birds were more than excited about it. He glances at Ethan and finds his redheaded friend already looking at him, knowing exactly what he's about to say.

“Ryan would die to be here right now.” Ethan states in an even tone, the right side of his lips curling ever so slightly.

“Ayuh… we will have to bring him when he comes back up.” Chris nods with a sad smile.

“Does he have a thing for penguins or something?” Scotty asks with an amused expression as he leans against the railing and Jade rests against his shoulder.

MC looks up at Chris curiously before rubbing her nose into his chest as she clearly tries to absorb more of his warmth. Chris and Ethan chuckle at the same time before Chris leans down slightly, burrowing his nose into her hair.

“He was kinda obsessed with penguins when we were kids… he wanted to live in Antarctica so he could be surrounded by them. His mom kinda crushed his dreams when she told him he couldn't rent a boat and go up there, saying something about needing shelter and yanno... food. He did his best to argue, yelling something about being built for the weather. He even snuck out to the docks one night, his school book bag slung over his shoulder. It was stuffed with snacks, underwear and a compass.”

Ethan starts to laugh harder. “Holy crap. I forgot all about that. His mom was sooooo mad. I remember my dad going down and snagging his hoodie as he tried to untie Mark Jacob’s lobster boat from the dock.”

The redhead doubles over with laughter as Chris begins to laugh harder into MC’s hair. She leans back to see them all better, her eyes sparkling with joy as she joins in.

“No he didn't.” Steph says, standing next to Ethan with a slightly shocked expression.

“Ayuh. He totally did.” Chris chuckles as he wraps his arms tighter around MC. “He tried to get us to go with him too…”

They strawberry blonde glances at Jade and Scotty as they move closer to the group on Chris’s left side. “His poor mom. I would have freaked out.”

The dark haired couple both nod in agreement, eyes wide as Jade speaks. “Pretty sure my dad would have locked me in my room forever if I had tried something like that.”

“Okay. I’m fixing this.” MC interrupts as she spins in Chris’s arms, her back to his chest so she can face the penguin exhibit as she pulls out her phone and selects his name for a FaceTime call.

Chris can’t help but smile as he rests his chin on her shoulder, adjusting his position so his face is in the frame as she waits for the call to connect. He glances over to Ethan, their eyes connecting for a moment as he feels a mixture of glee and sorrow, something he's unfortunately getting used to when he thinks about his two best friends that are always too far away. He really misses having them so close, realizing how spoiled he was for many years.

The loud voice that spills from her phone halts his musings, jerking him back to the present as he turns to look into the ice blue eyes of his best friend, Ryan “The Hawk” Hawkins.

“MC! Girl... I have missed yoooooou… did you ditch that giant--oh hey Rogers. Didn't see you there…”

Chris shakes his head and tries to hide his amusement with fake annoyance. “Uh huh. Nice try you ass.” He can't help but smile when his friend smirks back. “How's the south treating you?”

Ryan shrugs, leaning back on what appears to be his dorm bed as he bends one arm behind his head. “Eh, it’s still cold-ish. More wet than anything. Lots of mud and not much snow at the moment. Kinda lame...” He trails off as he picks at something on his shirt.

Ethan slides next to them, bringing Steph with him. MC holds the phone further back and tilts it, attempting to get everyone in the frame. Chris watches Ryan’s eyes as he realizes what's happening.

“Okay, what cool shit are you guys doing today…” He says in a somewhat defeated voice with a puff of air that jostles his blue black bangs.

The others all turn to MC with a grin and she lets out a small laugh. With a touch of her screen, the camera switches sides and she focuses on the penguins squabbling a few feet away over a patch of rock. They all watch as his somewhat annoyed expression melts and is replaced with elation.

“Oh my god… you're at the AQUARIUM?! Look at them!” His face splits into a huge gaping grin as he sits up and holds the phone close to his face, his eyes shifting across the screen as he studies the view she provides.

“Someone play the song from Happy Feet - see if they will dance! Quick!”

Scotty chuckles next to Chris as he runs his hand through his fluffy jet black hair. “It's practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry.”

Jade smiles and tilts her head to see better. “Okay, he's kinda cute.”

Her boyfriend stands straighter and leans over slightly to look her in the eye. “What was that?”

The others laugh as they turn back to the screen, watching Ryan as he’s completely enamored by the animals on the screen to notice her comment. “Can you… like is it possible to feed them… or pet them? Do they have special things people can do, yanno with the penguins?”

MC smiles hard at their friend’s excitement. Chris tightens his grip on her waist when his heart begins to flutter as she responds.

“I don't know, but I’ll ask. That way we can be ready when we all come back next time.” She promises.

“MC.” His voice cuts through the speaker sharply, suddenly very serious as he looks into the camera.

She turns the camera to face the group. “Yeah?”

~MC~

Ryan sighs. “I love you.” His eyes flick to the Hartfeld quarterback. “Chris, I’m sorry, but… MC and I were meant to be together. She's my penguin soulmate. Hate to break it to you this way, but fate is real, and it has brought her to me.”

Chris rolls his eyes and reaches for the phone, taking it from her gently as he takes a few steps away to catch up with his crazy best friend for a few minutes. MC laughs and turns, her eyes searching for an employee with her mind full of questions for their missing friend.

After a few hours and a lunch break at the cafe inside, the group makes their way back outside, their phones and memories full of images to take with them. They take a right and head north, following Steph and Scotty’s lead as they know the area the best as well as Chris’s plans for the rest of the day.

They walk a few blocks until they cross the road and pause. MC looks around and notices they are standing in front of one of the most fascinating carousels she's ever seen. Turning slowly, she looks at Chris and arches an eyebrow. He grins and nods towards the artistic structure and tugs her as they step closer. As they approach the group near the carousel they hesitate, noticing that the others have stopped advancing.

Scotty frowns and turns to face the group of friend. “Well… this is The Greenway Carousel. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s down at the moment.”

~Chris~

The tall freshman quarterback turns to study MC’s face for any level of visible disappointment. He sees a brief flicker flash across her eyes before it disappears forever, quickly replaced with a warm smile and happy eyes as she turns to look at him.

“It’s still neat.” She wraps her arms tightly around his bicep and leans on him as she gives it a reassuring squeeze.

His shoulders fall a little but he leans over and kisses the top of her head. “Sorry baby. Maybe it will be fixed when we come back through later.”

Jade and Steph nod in unison when Scotty speaks. “Actually, that's very likely. They occasionally have to maintenance it while its running. I’m sure it will be working later.”

His girlfriend turns to him with a big grin. “I personally think it’s much cooler at night anyway.”

The Boston baseball shortstop suddenly grins. “You're right. We are definitely coming back.” He looks up towards MC and Chris. “Jade’s right, you have to see it at night.” He nods and takes a deep breath. “This is actually a good thing. Let’s keep going so we make sure to get back before they close.”

The group of students collect themselves and start to move past the carousel until MC stops, causing Chris to become snared in her grasp. He turns to give her a confused look, opening his mouth to speak when he sees her pointing towards the carousel.

She doesn't have to say anything, as her subject is very clear and directly in front of them. Ethan and the others stop and turn around when they realize the couple has fallen back. The BC fullback turns his head towards the massive ride and immediately smirks.

Chris shakes his head as MC lets go of his arm and pulls out her phone, quickly snapping a picture and sending it in a group text between the Maine boys. It only takes about fifteen seconds before they receive a response from Kentucky.

‘I need that.’

Ethan and Chris groan simultaneously, knowing that they will have trouble dragging Ryan away from the giant hawk mount if he gets anywhere near the carousel on his next visit.

It doesn't take long for the group to navigate the small walk over the next six blocks to their next destination. Chris watches as they approach the small dark wooden house nestled in between many larger brick ones.

~MC~

The tall blonde stands there for a moment, looking at all the buildings, quickly realizing that one looks very different from the rest. She glances at Chris with an arched eyebrow. “Okay. Who’s house is that…”

Chris grins and pulls out his phone, sending a quick text before starting a FaceTime call. Someone picks up on the other side and he turns the camera to face towards the house while he hands it to MC. Her brown furrows tightly as she cautiously takes the phone, now very confused with his actions. She doesn't miss Ethan and the others a few feet away with amused expressions.

She lifts the phone and sees Ryan’s face on the screen again. “Uh…” She turns the camera to face her as she begins to speak. “What are yo--”

“THE BRITISH ARE COMING! THE BLOODY BRITISH ARE COMIIIIING!” Their raven haired friend interrupts her with a loud yell, followed by howling laughter.

MC startles with his deafening exclamation, quickly looking up to see who in the area was equally disrupted by his outburst. Luckily, only the group of friends and one very entertained older couple were close enough to hear it, but it didn't stop her face from flushing a deep red.

“What the hell Ryan!” She turns to see everyone laughing fairly hard, especially one Chris Powell who was now folding over almost in half as he struggles to breathe in between each gasp.

Her nose scrunches up and she swats at him with her free hand, the other still holding onto the phone while Ryan continues to laugh. “So this is how you tell me it’s Paul Revere's house?!”

Ryan quickly interrupts her, doing his best to save his best friend. “Wait, wait, waaaaait! MC! Stop. Beating. Chris!”

She does as he asks, letting out a huff of air as she turns her gaze to the screen, occasionally shooting Chris a threatening side glare. He holds up his hands in defense, waiting for Ryan to continue.

“It was me! MC it was MY idea. Chris told me what you guys were doing after the aquarium and I MADE him let me.”

Her eyes narrow as she holds his digital gaze, making his face go neutral as he swallows and remains quiet. “Not funny Hawkins. You're lucky no one was around… or I might be on my way to Kentucky right now.”

She tries her best to keep her lips flat and tight, unable to fully control the corners as they curl just a little. Ryan doesn't miss it and neither does Chris. The spunky running back starts chuckling softly as Chris steps over cautiously, slowly running his arm around MC’s shoulders and tucking her against him.

He leans over and presses his lips against her temple as he kisses on her between almost every word. “Sorry. He asked. I didn't think it would be that... loud.”

MC shoots Ryan another glare before quickly turning her head and biting Chris hard on the shoulder. She made contact easy enough since he was only wearing a thin hoodie over a basic t-shirt, something he was currently regretting from the look on his face as he jumps back.

He gasps and cries out. “Christ woman! What are you doing?!”

“Sweet revenge Powell!” She says as she reaches for him again, making him turn and run behind the others, clearly using his friends as a shield.

She hisses at him as the others laugh, her eyes landing on the red headed young man. “Ethan…”

He quickly holds up a single finger. “No ma’am. I had absolutely nothing to do with this idiocy.”

Steph shakes her head as she crosses her arms. “Uh huh… but you wish you had thought of it.”

MC watches as he struggles to maintain his very solid neutral expression, his eyes locked on MC’s while Chris leans to look at her from between the pair.

The Hartfeld freshman grumbles and turns away, looking at the phone screen once more. “You know I’m going to get you for that. Tell me you know this.”

Ryan’s face splits into a wide grin. “Would it be weird to say I’m counting on it?”

She laughs and sighs. “Knowing you… not really.”

MC hears someone approach and turns to see Chris standing a few steps away, his hands shoved in his pockets with an apologetic expression.

Turning back to the phone she rolls her eyes. “Your distance is keeping you safe… for now.”

Ryan lets out a hearty laugh. “Thanks lady. I won't forget it. You kids have fun now… later.”

Before she can say anything else he ends the call. She knows he was having fun, but could also hear his sorrow whenever they called him. The others cross the street as Chris carefully approaches her right side.

“So… want to go see a really old house, where a guy lived who didn't successfully warn the Americans that the British were coming..?” He gives her a cheesy grin and she can’t help but laugh as she shoves his phone into his hands.

“Didn't warn them?” She asks with an arched eyebrow.

He straightens up, his eyebrows lifting high. “Wait. You don't know this?”

“Uh…” MC glances around as they cross the street, her mind quickly searching for all the facts and stories she knows about the one and only famous ride of Paul Revere.

Chris pumps his fist. “Yes!”

She rolls her eyes as she surrenders. “Okay. What is it… what don't I know?”

He puffs his chest out with pride as he slings an arm around her, leading her inside the courtyard next to the house. “Well, Paul Revere was one of three riders that night, aaaaand… two of the three riders were caught by British patrols. He was actually one of the two.”

MC stops and turns to look at him, not missing his wide grin. “Wait. Really? How did I miss this…”

He tilts his nose down, tucking it into her hair near the ear, speaking low just for her. “Yanno why this is great… from now on, when you think of Paul Revere, the British invasion… Boston… you will think of this moment.”

She tilts her head and gives him a questioning look, making him grin. “I’m inside you forever now baby.”

Her head falls as her eyes close. “Oh my god… Chris!”

He quickly flexes away from her, trying his best to avoid her hands as she tries to grab and poke at his sensitive sides.

After much exploration inside the tiny house, the group of friends move on down the street to the next unknown destination. After another four blocks they cross the road again and make their way up a tree lined path. The branches are bare due to the time of year, but it’s clear where they are going by the large statue in the middle of the walkway.

~Chris~

The tall freshman quarterback tightens his grip on MC’s shoulders as they lag a little behind everyone else. They approach the statue of Paul Revere and it makes him smile, his mind linking this one with the one at Hartfeld. They are different of course, but similar enough to trigger many memories of the one on campus. The same statue that helped him find the tall blonde in his arms. His girl.

He watches MC as she studies the large horse and rider perched above their heads. Briefly glancing up he nods to Ethan who’s waiting a few yards away. His friend gives him a nod in return and starts to move the others further down the path, finally pausing by the fountain to give the Hartfeld couple some time to themselves. Chris thanks the stars that the day was fairly cool, thinning the crowd considerably, leaving them alone near the impressive statue.

Waiting patiently, Chris stuffs his hands into his pockets as MC finishes her admiration of the figure above. She slowly spins and locks eyes with his, her smile warm and inviting.

“It reminds me of--”

“Hartfeld.” Chris softly finishes for her, his cheeks tight with happiness as his grin grows.

Her face slowly scrunches up in a joyful smile as she removes all the space between them, slipping her arms through the loops his tucked arms created. “Yeah.”

“Me too.” He looks up at the figure for a moment before drifting his gaze back to her hazel eyes. “I guess that means it reminds me of you too beautiful.”

She hums and chews lightly on her bottom lip as she gives him an impish smile. “So, does this mean anytime you think of Paul Revere, the British invasion, Boston… or Hartfeld… you will think of this moment?”

Chris starts laughing, immediately recognizing his own words as she recites them back to him. “Ayuh. Which means you’re now inside me… forever.”

MC flashes him a triumphant smirk. “Good.”

He hums a quick agreement, his blue eyes trailing down her face and resting on her lips. She had tucked it back in after her last comment without realizing. He did of course, and now it was teasing him badly. Without hesitation he leans in, pressing his warm lips over her seasonally cooled ones.

She melts into the contact, clearly enjoying the way he feels against her as her hands separate and slide into his rear jean pockets. He laughs against her lips when she playfully squeezes him through the jeans, making him lean forward in surprise as a laugh bubbles out of his lips and makes him break the contact.

“Don't embarrass me woman… there could be people watching.”

She shrugs with amused indifference. “Let them look. That way they know you’re mine Powell.”

He hums through a wide smile. “Alright. I’m good with that.”

They finally make their way down the path, joining up with the rest of the group as they cut through the back gate of the church. The begin to head around the front as they cut through the small yard behind the building. They pause briefly to admire the memorial garden set off to the right.

Multiple posts are tied together with strong wires holding thousands of shiny dog tags. They stand there in silence for a few minutes, paying their respects to the names pressed in metal, representing lives lost in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Ethan pulls something small out of his pocket as he steps around the shimmering wall of metal. MC glances at Chris and he gives her a small sad smile. He squeezes her hand and gives her a understanding nod, receiving a crushed look in return as she bows her head, accepting that he will let her know more later.

Steph walks up behind Ethan as he finishes connecting the small chain on the dog tag around one of the wires, resting her hand on the small of his back. She uses her free hand to make the sign of the cross on her person before Ethan reaches for it, threading his fingers through hers as he leans over and kisses her on the cheek.

No one speaks as they join the others back around the front. Ethan gives Chris a somber smile as they approach. Chris separates from MC and reaches over, pulling Ethan against his chest as they wrap each other in a brief but fierce hug. It ends almost as fast as it begins, with each patting the other firmly on the back. Ethan turns and finds Steph’s hand again before nodding towards the church with his chin.

“We need to get in there. Don't want to miss the tour.” He says after clearing his throat.

They follow the silent redhead as they approach the front of the church. Once inside they hand over their tickets purchased online the day before. A set for admission and another for the special behind the scenes Bones & Burials Tour. Chris knew MC would enjoy going down below the church, but it wasn't scheduled for another half hour so the group takes their time with their own exploration, walking around the pews, quietly reading all plaques.

Ethan and Steph find a secluded pew off to the side and sit down for a while, chatting in hushed tones as she runs her fingers through his hair. As the others walk around, Chris occasionally looks over, trying to nonchalantly check on his friend. When their eyes meet, Ethan gives him a genuine smile and a quick lift of his chin, signaling that he was good. Chris tips his head slightly, reaching up to pluck the bill of his friends stolen Boston College baseball cap. Ethan doesn't miss it and laughs when he realizes it isn't Chris’s usual Hartfeld cap, but his own BC hat instead.

The Hartfeld quarterback continues to walk around behind MC until she pauses near a particular pew. Each pew was actually a small, high backed boxed in area. Each also included a latchable door. Many had plaques on them, telling a random selection of stories and facts. She approaches one and shakes her head when they read that it’s still owned by Paul Revere's descendants.

“Wow… talk about an inheritance. Guess we can't sit here if we ever come for Sunday service.” She blinks a few times and opens the door to enter.

Chris laughs quietly. “Ayuh, I can't say I’ve ever been in a church where people owned the pews.” He sits down next to her, throwing his arm around her shoulders as he settles in. “If we can even call them that. It’s kinda neat though… I wonder if they did it to keep kids under control. I know my mom would have appreciated the help.” He swallows his laughter. “I would have pretended to be in a boat or fort or… something, if we had these.”

~MC~

“Or a spaceship… maybe the Avengers plane… Captain Powell?” She says in a hushed voice, her expression full of amusement.

He laughs softly and leans in close, his lips brushing over her ear, making her shiver. “Uh huh… too bad these walls aren’t taller…” His hand rubs slowly up her thigh, creating an electric charge that runs to the center of her body.

“Chris.” She hisses, her eyes darting around to see if anyone notices. “We are in a church. And not just any church…” He wraps his wide hand around her leg and squeezes a little, making her squeak out. “Chris!”

His body shakes with silent laughter as he releases the pressure but keeps his hand on her thigh. “Okay. I’ll behave. For now.”

She swats him gently on the chest, causing another laugh to rumble underneath her hand as he speaks. “Come on, the tour is about to start.”

The group makes their way to the predetermined location to meet the guide and learn that no one else would be joining them. MC looks around the group and smiles when she sees that the others were as glad to hear it. The group followed the guide down two flights of narrow, steep stairs, and through many very narrow hallways, all lit with eerie dim lighting.

MC was loving it. “Man… Kaitlyn would be eating this up. We should take another day trip just to do this with our roommates.” She says to Chris in particular.

He smiles wide. “I donno if the rest of them would enjoy it as much as you two, but we can try? Trick them if we have to. Tell Tyler were going to check out some new tech, Abbie an art show… oh and for Zack we just need some weird store full of old things...” He winks at her and she grins.

“True, true. Let’s revisit this idea. Formulate a plan.”

The guide stops in front of some tombs built into the old brick walls. Everyone takes pictures and listens as he tells them more about each one.

“I wonder if we cracked it open… if we would find hidden treasure.” MC mumbles more to herself than anyone else.

Scotty arches a sharp eyebrow at her and whispers, clearly creeped out by the idea. “Excuse me?”

She glances around the group and lets out an awkward laugh. “Uh, like in National Treasure..?” Her eyes shift around the group, even gaining the guides attention. “The movie?” She tries again but gets no response, except for Chris who’s entire body starts to shake against her with laughter. Ethan does his best to contain his amazement as well, both clearly understanding the reference.

MC sighs. “Kaitlyn would get it.”

The guide picks back up where he left off, telling entertaining stories about the church’s crypt area. Everyone’s heads bob with conformation as they listen, that is until MC hears something strange down the corridor across from her. It came from behind Scotty and Jade who were too focused on the guides words to notice as he continues to speak. She glances around the group, checking to see if anyone else heard the unusual scraping sound, but no one was reacting.

Shrugging it off, MC turns her attention back to the guide only to hear it again a second later. Her eyes dart back to the corridor and this time she sees that the others heard it too. Each pair of eyes wider than before as they start to turn and look in that direction. MC’s lips press into a thin line as she tries to hide her disturbed excitement. She looks over to Chris and finds him staring down the corridor, his form frozen as his eyes narrow slightly.

“Did you…” He says softly.

The Boston College boys nod in unison as the girls all move closer to their respected boyfriends, especially Jade who moves to stand directly behind Scotty. All except MC however, who grins and leans over instead, doing her best to look past the others and into the darkened corridor.

Chris sees her shift as she begins to move closer and he wraps his hand around her forearm, halting her progress. She pouts and looks back and forth between him and the mysterious sound.

“Hell no woman.” He hisses in response to her silent question.

She grins wide. “Are you scared Captain?”

He snorts. “No. I don't want you to get attacked by a giant rat or something. Then I’d have to carry you up all those stairs and I’ve already lifted weights today.”

Her mouth falls open in shock while the others try not to react.

Steph covers her mouth with both hands and mumbles. “Oh shi...”

~Chris~

Jade shoots Chris a very dark glare while Scotty looks away with an awkward grimace. Ethan sighs, closing his eyes as his head falls and he rubs his forehead. Chris swallows with instant regret.

Thankfully for the Hartfeld quarterback, the guide senses their distraction and interrupts his own story. “Did you have questions? Do I need to repeat anything about the tombs?”

Chris sees the vengeful look on MC’s face and stutters through his words as his eyes meet the guides. “Uh, no… we um, there was a sound…”

He jerks his thumb back towards the noise and glances back towards MC, his mouth racing to finish so he can dig himself out of trouble, hoping to reassure her that it was a complete joke. One he now realizes was a very, very bad idea. The oblivious guide doesn't miss a beat, telling them all about the old pipes they have running through the area that creak and groan as they expand or shrink with the varying temperatures.

The guide then moves them along, quickly followed by the other two couples as Chris snags MC’s forearm, delaying her hasty move to join them. She tugs once in a weak attempt to pull free but stops when he locks his fingers around her wrist. Not turning to meet his gaze, she stands still, eyes focused on the backs of the others now a few yards ahead.

“Baby.” He sighs.

She remains silent and his shoulders fall. “MC, beautiful… that was a joke.” She doesn't move and he rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. “A very, very bad joke…”

MC pulls her wrist from his slackened grip and he rubs his face with both hands. “You know I don't mean it. You know it was a joke.”

She crosses her arms against her chest. “Okay.”

He shakes his head. “Alright, I’ll prove it then.” Without another word he steps in front of her and squats. “Get on.”

She shoots him a confused look, leaning back slightly. “What..?”

Chris reaches back and grips her thighs, pulling her towards his broad back. “Get on woman.”

MC stumbles and ends up bracing her arms against his shoulders, making it easy for him to pull her legs around his back as he begins to stand. She lets out a startled gasp and wraps her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life as he shoots back up into a standing position. He adjust his grip, lifting her so quick he basically tosses her as she wraps her legs and arms tighter around him.

Without a word he begins walking and she speaks in a low voice so the others don't hear. “Chris.”

“Hmm?” He hums quietly.

“You can put me down. I can walk.”

“I know, but I want to apologize for my bad joke. You are ridiculously light I’m going to carry you for the rest of the tour.”

She tucks her face into the crook of his neck and he can feel her smile against his skin as she burrows in. “It was a very bad joke.”

“Ayuh, I won't be making one like that again.” MC kisses his neck and he smiles, feeling relieved that his girlfriend wasn't one to make a big deal out of his poorly executed joke.

He knows that if it wasn't said in front of the others she would have laughed it off like with previous jokes, but since he did it with an audience he knows that it became embarrassing for her. He felt pretty bad about that, taking a deep breath as he mentally scolds himself.

~MC~

Chris does as he promised, carrying her through more corridors, up the stairs and back onto the main floor of the church. The guide turns to take them outside for the second part of the Bones & Burials Tour and he begins to follow without missing a beat. MC knows Chris can easily handle carrying her, something he’s proved many times before, but she didn't want him to do this from the start. It was time to put an end to it.

She gently taps him on the shoulder and he turns his head, doing his best to look her in the eye. “What’s up?”

“Down please.” She requests.

He starts to shake his head and she pats him lightly on the chest, brushing her lips against the edge of his ear.

Chris stops dead in his tracks as she whispers. “Please.”

He sighs and begins to lower her, squatting slightly so she doesn't have to do much but swing her legs behind him to stand. Once separated he turns and she threads her fingers through his, giving him a sweet smile as she squeezes his long digits in hers.

“Thank you.” She looks down at their hands and makes an awkward smile. “So... would you be interested in a nice cemetery stroll with your dramatic girlfriend?”

Chris lets out a huff of air as he flashes a small smile, shaking his head. “MC, that’s no--”

She quickly cuts him off with a hasty kiss, making him blink a few times with confusion. “It’s really okay Chris. I just got a little embarrassed, I guess… it's… it’s dumb. I knew it was a joke.”

He shakes his head. “No, I shouldn't have--”

MC reaches up and gently presses her finger against his lips, arching an eyebrow until he nods once in conformation.

He speaks only after she lowers her hand, gesturing towards the group at the door. “After you m'lady.”

The group follows the guide uphill towards the Copp’s Hill Burying Ground. MC and Chris hang back as the other couples follow the guide a little closer. The sky is grey and overcast, matching the low breeze that cuts through the open area.

MC snuggles close to Chris and he wraps his arms around her as they listen to the guide.

~Chris~

After a few minutes of listening and walking around, MC leans back to look at Chris with a small frown, making his brow crease with concern. “What’s wrong?”

She lets out a small sigh and looks towards their friends, focusing on Ethan. “Is he okay?”

Chris smiles softly and pulls her closer, rubbing her back with one hand while the other holds her tight. “Ayuh… he’s alright. It’s not a new wound, but the scar is still there.”

She nods and keeps silent. Chris knows she doesn't want to pry or bring it up near their friend and he appreciates her thoughtfulness. He makes a note to tell her some key points about Ethan and Ryan’s past at some point when they are alone, knowing it will make it easier for her to navigate the relationships with his best friends.

The sun begins to disappear and the group thanks the guide before heading back the way they came. They pass the statue of Paul Revere, pausing to get a group shot with the help of a random passerby. As they walk down the main street they stop for a quick bite to eat followed by a sweet dessert further down the path. After everyone is content with their choices, they head back through the neighborhood, pausing to take a few more shots of interesting buildings as they go, enjoying the cool walk as they make their way back to The Greenway Carousel.

When they round the corner near the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park Chris see’s why Scotty and Jade said they should come back later. The sun was just about gone and the sky was dark as a large brightly lit city like Boston could be. None of that mattered though as there was clearly one point of focus in view.

He turns to watch MC as she looks down the street, seeing the exact moment she notices the brightly lit carousel. Her mouth falls open and her eyes grow wide, making Chris smile so hard his cheeks hurt.

She whips her head around to face him, her expression full of wonder and excitement. “Oh my god, Chris!” She shoots her hand out, her finger pointing at the neon lights like a kid in a toy store. “Let’s go!”

Without much warning she peels herself from his embrace and takes off, sprinting down the sidewalk towards the magnificent structure. He doesn’t waste a second, taking off right behind her at a full run, doing his best to catch up but only getting to her when she stops at the crosswalk to check for cars. Once the path is clear she takes off again, sliding to a complete stop in front of the carousel, her eyes wide and reflecting the many colors.

They stand there and stare in awe as they wait for the others to catch up. It doesn't take long for them to arrive and the group pays for a pack of ten rides each. As soon as they are through the gate everyone scatters. Since it was late and even colder than earlier in the day, the carousel was basically empty. Only one other couple was on the ride which meant the students had their choice of mounts.

Jade and Scotty walk calmly towards the big ship and slide into the bench seat under the giant eel, snuggling in for the duration of the experience. Chris smiles at them, sensing that this is something they have done many times before and that exact boat is their spot. His mind starts to flash through places around Hartfeld that he and MC could start frequenting, hoping that at least one significant location will become special to them. Besides the statue of course.

They continue to search for the perfect mount when Steph climbs up on one of the large rabbits along the way. Ethan instantly scales the rabbit holding a carrot next to her, keeping both legs off the side facing her. Chris forces his gaze away once he sees how they look into each others eyes, not wanting to intrude on their soon to be private moment as Ethan leans closer.

He continues to follow his leggy girlfriend, matching her pace as she walks briskly around the mechanical circle in search of the perfect mount. He stops dead in his tracks when she finds the large lobster. She throws one hand up, gripping the pole as she turns to grin wildly at Chris. He starts chuckling when she clambers up so fast he worries she might slip. He moves quick, stepping close to help her. His hands grip her hips, easily lifting her so she can swing her leg over the long arthropods body. He swiftly steps over to the giant blue whale next to her and lifts himself up with minimal effort.

Once everyone settles in the conductor starts the ride. It moves at a slow pace at first, giving them a few adjustment rotations before it really takes off, drawing an excited squeal from MC. Chris chuckles as they spin even faster, watching as she throws her head back and laughs. He can’t stop watching her as she giggles and cackles from the sensation of the spinning ride.

Her eyes find his and her mouth falls open in the biggest toothy smile he’s ever seen. “What?”

Chris shakes his head and licks his lips. “Nothing… you just look… happy. Really happy.”

MC bounces up and down on the lobster. “I love this. I love rides.” Her eyes snap to his. “Chris! Do you think we could go to an amusement park sometime? Like Disney or Universal… oh, maybe Six Flags? Any of them would be so much fun...”

He chuckles. “Whatever you want baby… I’ll go to or ride whatever you want.”

She grins. “Well, I won't be able to ride everything… but I love to go fast.”

He smirks. “Really...”

MC snorts at him with an amused smile. “There could be children nearby Powell. Behave yourself.”

The conductor yells out to the riders. “You guys all paid for multiple rides… unless someone comes up I’m going to let it roll for the entire time. Cool?”

“Yeah!” Ethan and Chris both yell at the same time from opposite spots on the ride as Chris stares into MC’s neon hazel eyes.

As the ride continues to turn she watches him out of the corner of her eye, trying her best not to acknowledge the predatory look in his eyes as he continues to stare at her. Eventually she can’t take it anymore and starts laughing before she turns to face him.

“What are you doing?!” She stands up in the stirrups to rise above him.

Chris is not to be outdone, doing the same on his giant blue whale as he leans towards her, their mounts going up and down on opposite rotations. She shakes her head and playfully shoves his shoulder.

He gasps and pretends like he’s going to fall backwards, receiving the exact response he hoped for. MC’s eyes grow wide and she quickly leans over, reaching for him as if she could save him from a real descent.

“Chris?!” She cries out and he stops flexing backwards, suddenly snapping back up and towards her.

“Ayuh, MC?” He says with a blank face.

She immediately scowls at him. “Seriously?!”

He lets out a soft laugh and swings his leg over so both are facing her now. “There you go, thinking you can budge me again… when are you gonna learn, beautiful?”

MC lets out an exasperated breath as she turns to look forward, doing her best to ignore him.

Chris grins and reaches over to dig one of his boots into the lower rung of her stirrups. She feels his leg nudge hers and turns to look at him, gasping as he reaches over to grab her pole while he also holds onto his. He leans all of his weight onto her lobster as he holds himself up between the two mounts, effectively suspending himself between the two.

She looks up at him as he hovers just above her, her eyes flicking back and forth between his as he studies her face. He sees her swallow hard when he leans a little closer, silently asking for something specific.

MC takes the hint and presses her lips together tightly as she reaches up, spinning his hat so the bill is facing backwards. He grins when her eyes slide down to his lips, making him eager to claim hers. When she looks back up to his eyes he closes the gap, lightly brushing his lips against hers but not fully kissing. He continues to tease her, lightly kissing her lips and nipping at her lower lip until she can’t take it anymore.

He sucks in a sharp breath when she reaches up with one hand, wrapping it around the back of his neck so she can pull him closer. Her lips crush into his and he instantly feels hot. His entire body tingles with excitement as she turns him on with just her fingertips and lips. She deepens the kiss and he has to force himself to break it after a moment, suddenly out of breath but pleasantly surprised.

“Shit.” He gasps out as he sucks in ragged breaths. “What was that...” He states more than asks.

She pulls in her bottom lip and holds his gaze, making him feel a little shaky with desire. Without a word he reaches over to grip her lobster pole with both hands, adjusts his one foot so he can swing his other leg behind her. MC scoots as far forward as he pole will let her and he melds into her back, wrapping his long arms around her to grip the pole and hold them securely to the mount.

~MC~

She leans to one side and turns to look behind her, as she feels him fully press flush against her back. Chris pulls one hand from the pole and threads it through her hair, supporting her head as he leans in and once again captures her lips with his own. An electrical current shoots through her from the contact, his lips massaging energy through hers as he kisses her with force. She reaches up with one hand and slides it through the hair at the base of his neck as the other stays wrapped around the pole for stability.

MC gasps when he nibbles on her lip and he takes the opportunity to slip his tongue in, eagerly searching for hers. She meets him immediately and sighs against his lips. Neither seem to notice the spinning surroundings, the loud music or the bright lights anymore. It’s only them now and this moment is all that matters.

She lets out a small whimper when he pulls his lips from hers but sucks in a quick breath with a small moan when he places them on her exposed neck.

“Ah… Chris…” She whispers softly.

He responds with a nip to her throat, clearly enjoying it when she shudders in his hands. He hums against her cool skin, his hot breath making her shiver in the cold night air. Her mind has gone to mush, no longer able to think of anything other than the affection he’s providing.

The ride begins to slow, making the pair separate and look around curiously. When they realize that it was intentional and their consecutive rides are over they both sigh with disappointment.

“This is probably a very good thing.” He says in a low husky voice as his neon green glowing blue eyes find hers while he helps her sit back straight and wraps both of his arms around her again.

She pouts and sighs as she leans back against him. “Yeah?”

He nuzzles into her neck, his hot breath pushing through her hair and caressing her skin as he mumbles against her. “Ayuh. I kinda forgot where we were and was going to take you right on this damn lobster.”

A huge smile splits her face as she lets out a sudden laugh, quickly scrambling to cover her mouth with one hand.

~Chris~

The ride finally slows to a stop and he frowns when he sees her bare hand cupping her face. Before he can speak she pulls out her phone and leans back as she holds it up to take some pictures of the two of them. Finally satisfied with her efforts, MC puts it into her jacket pocket and gives him a sweet smile.

Without a word he slides off the back of the lobster and helps her down. When her feet hit the ground he reaches into her jacket pocket and she gives him a playful look as her head tilts to the side to gain his attention.

When his eyes meet hers he shrugs and pulls out her gloves without a sound. She holds up her hands and he gently slides the gloves on, slipping his fingers between hers to make sure they were snug and wrapped fully around each digit. She leans over and kisses him softly on the cheek before reaching up to lift his hat and flip it to face forward.

He watches her as she tussles his hair before putting the hat back down. Her eyes are focused and intense as she works, another thing he loves about her. She works so hard at everything and he loves it. Chris sighs blissfully when he thinks of how he feels about her.

MC’s eyes flick to his and she gives him a curious look. “You okay?”

“Never better.” He says calmly and with all sincerity.

They stand there as she studies his face until interrupted by the approaching couples. Ethan pats him on the back and they all turn to exit the ride. The group walks a few blogs to jump on the Orange Line to take them back to Boston College. The ride is a little long, but it’s relaxing as the group chats about the day, sharing memories and pictures. The girls end up huddling together as they collectively access their social media pages, tagging and commenting on all the amusing images from the day.

The guys line up on the opposite side as they discuss the possibility of working out the next morning again, how their coaches are running things differently and more. Chris’s gaze occasionally looks across the train to watch MC as she interacts with Steph and Jade. She’s so happy, laughing at their comments and pictures, enjoying the memories they've made over the small trip. He smiles.

Chris can’t help it as he zones out, no longer really listening to Scotty and Ethan as he thinks about the next trip they will take together. It’s fuzzy, but he remembers MC asking him about spring break the previous night before he fell asleep. He thought it was a dream at first, but then remembered the way she smelled when he kissed her neck and he knew then that it was real.

Eventually the train makes it to the Boston College light rail station and they disembark. Scotty and Jade say goodbye as they head across the street to the BC campus. Ethan and Steph start walking towards her apartment a few blocks east, quietly talking as she wraps her arms around his pocketed one.

~MC~

Chris glances at MC and sees her shivering in the cold air. He stops and turns her to face him before reaching over to pick her up, effortlessly wrapping her legs around him. She immediately forms to him, tightening her arms and legs around his solid frame as he starts walking again. Her warm breath trails across his neck as she burrows in, sighing with relief as she begins to siphon his warmth.

The small group arrives at the building and heads inside. MC takes off her gloves and jacket but still feels cold, even inside the warm apartment. She decides a hot shower will help and says goodnight as she heads down the hallway. Ethan and Steph talk quietly with Chris as she goes into their room to grab some clothes. She doesn't notice if they are still in the living area when she crosses the hall, focused on the hot water that's about to warm her flesh.

She runs her hand under the water as it heats up and removes her clothes before climbing in. As she reaches to slide the curtain close a warm hand wraps around hers and she jumps before awkwardly trying to cover herself.

“Shit. Sorry.” Chris says apologetically.

MC instantly relaxes and breathes out a heavy breath. He removes his underwear and climbs in behind her, closing the curtain as she turns to soak under the steaming water. As she closes her eyes she feels his large hands on her shoulders, kneading the muscles as he moves up and down her back.

He slides his palms around her front and she leans into him as they step closer to the warm water. Chris continues to rub on her warming skin, humming against her neck as he helps the water warm her. He reaches up and moves her hair back, trying to keep it out of the water if possible as he continues to rub her body.

MC relaxes even more, her lips parting as he begins to slowly kiss back and forth from neck to shoulder. She relaxes so much that she halfway loses her footing and slides across the bottom of the tub.

Chris quickly slips his arms around her, holding her to him as he lets out a soft laugh. “Alright, I hope you're warm beautiful, because I’m taking you to bed before you fall out of the shower.”

She shakes her head in an attempt to wake up and lets out a tired laugh. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

Tag Lists

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jhope-seok · 6 years

Text

Yin;Yang

Disclaimer: All of the things mentioned in this story are all works of fiction and have been made up by me, the author. I did not intend to make anything based on real life, and any coincidences to real life are purely coincidences.

Warnings: mentions of cigarettes

Genre: Angst. Fluff. Slight Smut.

Members: Suga x Reader

Length: 7,447 words

Sequel to The One That Got Away

(A/N: holy cow wow. I got the itch to write this after hearing “All I Ask” by Adele and now this is a reality. I know I’ve been shite at posting my writing, but it’s bc i’m working on something huge right now and it’s taking all of my attention, but I took a break on my big project to write this so i can finally have my catharsis. Highly recommend reading the first part before reading this (it will make a whole lot of sense. Also a HUGEEEE thank you to @hungline for being the best beta ever. <3)

(A/N#2: HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING ON DESKTOP. Mobile screws up the formatting....reads way better on desktop.)

Masterlist

[Y/N 9:47pm] “I still love you.”

The cigarette in his fingers hovered midway on its journey to his mouth, the smoke trailing from the end the only thing letting him know time hadn't stopped. His eyes flickered back and forth from the words on the screen to the name at the top of the conversation. Suga had to sit up in his bed, as if it would help him focus better on his phone in front of him, and shook away his thoughts in an attempt to decipher if this was real or a dream.

“No,” he thought. “This is very real.” The sounds echoed up from the street below a good indication that he was, in fact, not dreaming.

He’s surprised to have heard from you at all, let alone the same night, especially after the way your time together had gone. If he had expected to hear from you, he would’ve thought to hear nasty words from you, something far different than the words he was staring at now. He had lied to you.

“I met someone.”

He was sure at the time that your words hadn't been a lie, that fate had somehow once again provided you both with a chance meeting with no options to move forward. But, looking back now, he guessed you had lied to him too.

“Me too.”

This text message almost proved to him that you had lied to him. He wasn’t sure if you had seen through his lie and were now trying to call him out on it, or if you had somehow slipped: sent a message to him that you had meant for someone else. Or, in a highly unlikely third possibility, if you had meant it for him--Suga wasn’t sure you had meant to actually send it. Either way, he knows that if he missed this opportunity to be with you, he would regret it forever.

There have been too many moments in his life where you were close in his grasp, so close he could’ve closed his fingers and you would’ve been together. Yet, every time you had always managed to slip away like grains of sand, leaving only an emptiness in his heart. He also knows that there have been times where he was to blame, his own actions having pushed you away, but he wanted to ensure that he took this opportunity to prove to you how much you mean to him.

[Suga 9:56pm] “Where are you?”

He knew this was not the answer you would have wanted back to your confession, but he couldn’t tell you how he felt through text. He knew he had to do it in person. He needed to see you, feel you in his arms when he said it back.

When his phone buzzed again in his hand, all that he had from you was an address. It wasn’t the same place where you had met earlier, and when he plugged it into his maps application on his phone, it seemed to be an apartment building. He immediately grabbed his coat and headed out the door of his hotel room.

The night air nipped at his skin as he tried to hold his hood as close to his face as possible, trying to shield his neck from the cold. He’s surprised at how much it had cooled down, almost positive that the temperature earlier had been hot enough to make his shirt stick to his back. Then again, that could've been from his anticipation of seeing you pushing his heart to pump the blood in his veins faster. But, he’s glad for the brisk walk, the air cooling down his body temperature as his heart raced. With every step he took he could feel his pulse raise slightly. He’s not sure what he wants to say to you when he sees you for the second time that night, but he knows he needs to make it count, otherwise this could very well be the end of a possible relationship--and friendship--with you. The end of everything between you two.

The last few weeks of his life had felt like a blur. What had felt like a normal Monday had wound up being one of the worst days of his life. He remembered the tone of his boss’s voice as he sat him down in his office and told him that, “Things just aren’t working out anymore.” Suga had, in the company’s eyes, been performing below standards.

“We just aren’t getting results from you like we used to. And you aren’t showing signs of improvement. You’re not listening to criticism, and you’re behind on all of the projects you’ve been given. We’ve given you a lot of opportunities to show us better, but unfortunately, things just are not working out anymore. We’re going to have to let you go.”

Suga remembered the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, the way his heart stopped for a moment. His brain couldn't comprehend what he was hearing. However, as he had packed his things, left the building and gone home to an empty apartment, he remembered feeling nothing. No anger towards his boss for firing him, no sadness at having lost his job. Nothing. He just kind of shrugged it off. He was emotionless at the thought of no longer having a job and having to find work for himself now for the future. None of that mattered.

And after a week of Suga laying around in his bed, doing the bare minimum to survive and ignoring almost every call from his girlfriend, she had finally gotten so fed up with him that she’d shown up at his apartment, just to break up with him.

“I just don’t get what’s happening, babe. I know you’re upset about having lost your job, but you won’t talk to me. You won’t answer my calls, you won’t respond to my texts. If you won’t open up to me then I can’t stay with you. This relationship isn’t a one way street, Yoongi. You act like you don’t love me anymore, and I can’t handle that. I love you, Yoongi, but you have to get your life together before we can work things out.”

He remembered how even after all of that, he’d just felt nothing. None of her words had pulled at his emotions, every word bouncing off of his skin, falling to the floor. It was all just air to him, wasted breath. Because she was right; he didn’t love her. She had just been a filler in his life. Something to make his parents believe he was living a “normal” life. He supposed at the beginning he had felt something for her, a flicker of something stronger than apathy. That's why he'd chosen to date her, but every night he laid in bed with her, every time she pulled him close, every time she kissed him, he was left wanting. She had left him wanting more, left his heart aching for something he knew he could never have. Nothing for him had been the same since college, and he knew that nothing ever would be.

After he had run out of food in his kitchen, after he’d gone through ordering delivery from every place within delivering range, he finally had decided to go to the grocery store and get himself food. He felt that it had been long enough and that he needed to go back to his facade of living like every other person. But, as he’d driven home from the store, some song on the radio had caught his ear. It was your favorite song, and hearing it flooded all of the memories of you he’d been holding at bay for so long. He remembered the first time he heard you sing along to the song, your eyes closed, voice slightly off key, dancing around like an idiot in the middle of your living room. He remembered listening to it in his college dorm room, during the moments he missed you most. Something inside of him snapped, and as he sat in his car outside of his apartment building, he cried. He really cried for the first time in years.

He let himself be sad over the times he’d lost you, he let himself cry at the thought that he’d let all communication with you drop because he was selfish. He cried because he'd let the one person he cared for most, slip away from him because being around you hurt. It had been the first time since freshman year of college that he truly felt pain. The wall he'd built to keep the hurt at bay finally fell away and released all of the things he'd held back for all those years. And as he'd wiped away his tears, and stared at the dashboard of his car, he thought to himself that he had to do something. He didn't know what he was going to do, or how he was going to fix things, but he needed to try.

So he ran up to his apartment, gathered a small bag of belongings, and drove home. He drove back to the city he'd been avoiding for three years. Along the way he called your parents. He still remembered your home phone number, the digits burned into his memory after having called so many times during high school before his parents had allowed him his first cell phone. When your mother answered she was surprised to hear his voice on the other line.

"Yoongi? Wow! It's great to hear from you for so long. I just saw your parents the other day at the grocery store. How are you?"

He initiated small talk for a while, shocked at how nice your mother was being to him considering how rude he’d been to you for the last three years. But eventually, he got to his point.

"Mrs. Y/L/N, I was calling because I recently got a new phone and couldn't switch over my contacts. I was wondering if you had a current cell phone number for Y/N? I'm coming home for the weekend and wanted to catch up with her."

He hadn’t exactly told the truth to your mom, but she bought it, quickly reciting off your cell number to him. He was thankful to find out that the number hadn’t actually changed. He contemplated the rest of the drive what he was going to send to you, what he was going to do now that he actually had a way to contact you. He felt bad about lying to your mom, so he felt like he should at least try to contact you, but he had no idea what he was going to say if he did. Suga had thought out many different versions of the same text, each sounding far too cheesy in his own mind. There was no way you would ever say yes to seeing him after all of the pain you’d gone through together, especially since after the last time you’d seen him, he had been the one to stop responding to your texts.

When he’d parked outside of the first hotel he could find in your city, he pulled out his phone and opened a new text message conversation. He punched in your number methodically, as if it hadn’t been three years since he’d last used the number. The cursor blinked on the screen at him, taunted him. It was telling him that if he wasted all of this gas to drive all of the way here, called your mother and lied to her about seeing you, and then word somehow got back to you that she spoke to him...he knew things would forever be ruined. He had to do something.

The sun was low in the sky, his courage fading with every minute, he knew it was now or never. It was worth a shot to him, so he typed quickly, and before he could think himself out of it, he hit the blue arrow, and the message was sent.

“Y/N–I’m in the area. Are you free to meet up? –Suga”

Why he had chosen to sign the his text with your chosen nickname for him from high school, he didn’t know. He waited, growing ever the more nervous as time went on. He panicked that he had gotten your number wrong, or that your mom had purposefully given him a false number. He chewed on his lower lip as he stared at his phone. He knew that the longer he watched his screen, the slower time would move.

So, he got out of his car, and walked into the hotel, and prayed that they had a room he could sleep in tonight. He hadn’t planned on staying long, but he figured that if he was here now he wasn’t going to push himself to drive all the way back to his apartment through the night. As he stepped into the lobby of the enormous hotel his phone buzzed in his hand.

“Sure, meet me at the park by the river in an hour.”

He almost dropped his phone as he read the words on his screen. You said yes. His heart jumped into his throat,anxious at the thought of seeing you again. He tried to calm himself, get his mind off of the situation that loomed in the near future, by speaking with the person at the front desk. Luckily for him they had one room left. He spent an approximate ten minutes getting himself situated in his room until he decided he could take it no longer, and grabbed the pack of cigarettes in his bag and headed out to the park you’d detailed.

It had been a while for him, walking among the streets of the city he grew up in. He was surprised at how natural it was to him, how easily he fell back into the same routine. There was only one park he thought you would be speaking of, and when you arrived, three cigarettes later, he was astonished at how it felt as if everything was exactly the same as he’d left it with you.

Except it wasn’t. You smoked, he smoked. You had both matured into beings so separate from each other, the only thing connecting you were the memories you shared between you. And he had revealed to you the truth behind those shared memories, he admitted how he’d been feeling for all of those years.

“I was going to ask you be my girlfriend.”

You’d responded in a way that didn’t catch him off guard as much as he thought you were expecting to catch him.

“That was the first time I remember wanting to tell you I loved you. The first time I wanted you to kiss me.”

But between you both, there had always been a catch.

“But you kissed her instead.”

He had always felt a need to lie, to protect himself from harm, from potential heartbreak. So when you’d called him by the nickname you’d come up with during freshman year of high school (“You’re sweet, Yoongi. You know that? I’m gonna call you Suga.”), he closed himself off immediately. He always had his guard up.

“I met someone.”

Until now.

When he arrived at the address you sent, he stood outside for several minutes, staring up at the windows above his head, trying to imagine what kind of scenario he was entering into. He pictured everything from you slapping him in the face saying that even though you still loved him, he had hurt you way too many times and he should have never spoken to you in the first place, to you crying and claiming he was the love of your life but that you were with someone else and you wouldn’t leave your boyfriend to chance a relationship with him. Although, he still had a small itch at the back of his head that you hadn’t been telling the truth when you’d told him you were seeing someone. Either way, he took one last breath of the cold air and headed inside.

He was surprised to find the front desk of your building empty at such a late hour, but he didn’t let that deter him from the task at hand. He easily found the elevator, and with every second it took for it to arrive, and then to deliver him to your floor, his heart began to race faster than he thought possible. He hadn’t mentally prepared himself to see you again so soon and now that he was mere steps away from you again, he wasn’t sure he could actually face you. But before he could blink, he was in front of the door marked with the same numbers as you’d sent in your address. And with three simple knocks there you were.

His breath hitched in his throat when he saw you in his sweatshirt. He was thrown back into the past to the day he gave it to you. It was the first and only time he had ever kissed you, and he had given you his favorite sweatshirt to remember him by. He never forgot how your lips felt against his, and he almost broke down and cried when he saw you wearing that memory so plainly in front of him. All of the words he’d intended to say escaped him as he stared at you. His past was colliding with his present and future and his sense of time was turned upside down, a loop that was connecting that day to this moment.

“Y/N--,” he started, his words falling into nothingness in the void between you. He had thought out his speech so carefully. He was going to tell you he’d lied, he was going to tell you how much you meant to him. But when he tried, there was nothing. When he couldn’t fill the space, you did.

“Suga--” was all you had to say. The precious nickname you’d shared for all those years was the only word it took to break through his wall, to force his guard down. Hearing it now was all it took for him to close the gap between you, and suddenly, just like that day all those years ago, he was kissing you. It was just as he remembered, just as he had re-lived over and over again in his dreams. Your hands easily found a grip at the nape of his neck, and his fingers curled around your waist, pulling you as close as physically possible. The space that had separated you both for so long closed so suddenly, you were like the most powerful magnets it the world. He never knew that the pain he had endured for so many years could be washed away as easily as it was washing away now. Your lips against his was the only medicine he needed to mend the hurt of past years, and he never wanted it to end.

In the past, he had imagined that if he were to ever have a chance to kiss you again, it would be awkward and uncomfortable, the memories of the past making it difficult for you both to fall into each other. Yet, it was anything but. Your lips tasted like all of the memories he never wanted to forget plus all of the memories he'd been trying to run away from all of these years. Your tongues clashed together in a choreography so synced it was as if you had done this a thousand times. He could feel your heartbeat against his chest and it was the perfect match to the beat inside of him.

As you pulled him into your apartment, he wondered when he'd memorized this routine you were both so quickly falling into. He felt as if time had been moving so fast before, and now with every second that passed, all of his senses were alight, aware of the mere milliseconds that passed as your limbs tangled together. It was so natural to him, the push and pull between you and him, as your fingers left his skin blazing as they danced across his back. When he found your skin under his sweatshirt, the heat from within you lit a fire inside of him that had long been extinguished.

It was a blur of passion that overtook every fiber of his being. He knew that if someone were ever to ask him to recall this night in the future, time would not be able to cloud the memory of the way your lips felt against his neck, or the way you clenched around him as your climax overtook you. Every movement you made against him molded him, shaped him, left its mark on his body, and he knew that he would never be the same.

In one of the few moments where your lips broke away from his, as his eyes fixed upon yours, he wondered how he ever convinced himself that any other woman had been the one for him. Your body melded with his like you were the yin to his yang, the perfect match for every movement his made. And when the night was over, as he kissed your skin, his head spun, love drunk on the taste of your sweat mixed with his.

As the moon shone brightly on your skin as you lay in his arms, the thought crossed his mind that this was where he was meant to be. When sleep fell over him, your scent surrounding him, he felt complete; fulfilled.

The sun woke him up as it usually did. He felt called by its rising, the warmth of its rays the only thing that had kept him sane all of these years. But, as he rubbed his eyes clear of his sleep, he realized something was off. You had left him, the sheets where you had lain were cold against his arms, empty like the bed. He heard you before he saw you, the clinking of something--likely a toothbrush--against the sink his only indication you were in the adjoining bathroom.

He shifted in bed, rested against your headboard, the wood cold against his bare back, unsure of what to make of this situation. Although he could not see your face, it was as if the air in the room had become denser than the night before. He could feel the tension between you and him, a rope strung taut as a heavy weight pulled upon it. He wondered to himself what had changed during the night, wondered how only a few hours could have shifted your feelings of him. He wasn’t yet ready to face these questions in his head, so he reached over into his pants that lay on the floor, and dug around for the pack of cigarettes he always kept in his back pocket.

He considered for a moment that it would be rude to light a cigarette in your apartment, in your bedroom during his first visit, but as he contemplated this his eye caught a trail of smoke leaving a still burning cigarette in an ashtray on your bedside table. The first hit off of a cigarette in the morning did more for him than a cup of coffee ever would, and as he exhaled, smoke dancing in the sunlight.

You yanked open the door of the bathroom, hair still wet, pants unbuttoned.

Suga stiffened, but before he could get out a word, you were rushing. “I’m going to be late for work, I have to go. You can let yourself out after me. Feel free to use the shower. Just lock the door behind you.”

Your last word still hung in the air as you ran out of the bedroom, into the living room. He heard you rustling around, moving through your apartment at such a fast pace that he thought if he was standing in the doorway watching you move, you would be a blur before his eyes. He imagined you were trying to get away from the situation, but he wasn’t quite sure why. He took a deep, deliberate breath, counting to himself the seconds it would take before he heard the front door click.

Twelve seconds.

He took another drag of his cigarette, wondering what he was supposed to do with himself, left alone in your apartment. He needed to shower, he still smelled like the events of last night. Yet, while it had lulled him to sleep the previous night--the thought lingering in his dreams that it had become his new favorite cologne--now the scent was making him lightheaded. But, he felt uneasy using your shower when you weren’t home, it was such a personal place that he felt he would be intruding. If he was being honest with himself, he felt like he was intruding even just sitting in your bed, so he got up, stretched and put his cigarette out in the ashtray, deciding it would be best if he just leave.

As he dressed, he couldn’t help but stare at his surroundings, wondering what it was like when he wasn't there to repel you out the front door; he wondered what your day to day life was like. He stood in the doorway to your bedroom, looking out at the living room. He saw you asleep on the couch after a long night of work, some show playing quietly on the television, your lullaby as you slept. He took a few steps and he could see your kitchen to his left. He pictured all of the meals you cooked, hoping that you had been eating well, and wondered if you had ever shared a meal with someone at your kitchen table. As he turned back around eyes cast back into the bedroom, he was presented with the thought that he had not been the first person to share your bed with you. He questioned how many had come before him, how many had been regular guests in your apartment, and how many had been like him, a one night stand to be left alone as you hurried out the door, away from the scene of the crime.

Everywhere he looked he could see the ghost of you, and he had the overwhelming sense that he was tired of thinking about your ghost. He was tired of only being left with the memory of you. He was exhausted from never being able to feel like he had won, that things in his life had settled and that he was where he meant to be. He wanted you, and he would not let you get away this time.

As he stood at your front door, hand gripping the handle tight, he promised himself that he would not let you get away, he would get you once and for all. He was meant to be with you, and he would be with you. He would do whatever it took to make that happen.

As you sit at your desk at work, you can't help but be consumed with regret at your actions from the morning. Your boss tells you that you seem out of it, unfocused. She brings you into her office, and asks if something happened. You lie and say no, knowing that if you were to tell her she would reprimand you for being so absent-minded over a boy. She tells you that if you need to go take a smoke break you're more than welcome, but you shake your hand at her, saying you were just tired from a long night. She smiles politely and tells you that she understands, but reminds you that you have an important task due by the end of the workday. You nod and go back to your desk.

So you do your best to focus, trying to get through the day, one word, one page, one assignment at a time. You’re sifting through the paper on your desk when your phone chimes. Your heart races as you reach for it, hoping to see his name on your screen. When you realize it was just a message from your mom reminding you that your father's birthday was coming up, your heart sinks, and the shame from the way you acted to Suga comes back like a brick wall.

You want to apologize to him, but you're unsure of how to do so. You acted like you hated him this morning, like he had given you some incurable disease. But in reality, you were mad with yourself. You had let yourself slip, let your strong facade give way for a moment, and although you showed your true self to Suga last night, you knew you could never be with him and you regretted the fact that you let yourself set a standard that you know no person could ever reach. Suga was the only person you wanted to be with, but he'd cheated on his girlfriend with you.

You were back and forth all day as to what you wanted to do, whether you should text him and tell him how much you really still loved him, or if you should pick yourself up and pretend like this never happened. After all, if there was another woman in his life, you couldn't ask him to leave her for you. He had never asked you to leave your boyfriends in the past, and you had never asked him to leave any of his girlfriends. You wanted so badly to be selfish, but your heart was telling you this had to be the end of it with Suga. You had to let him go. Once and for all.

When the clock struck 6:00pm, you gathered your belongings and went home, resolved to let last night lay in the past, no matter how much it broke your heart to do so.

The rest of the day, Suga spent pacing his hotel room. He was at war with himself. He was so desperate to make you his, he was telling himself he would do whatever it took. But there had been many times where he had second guessed himself. He'd been so determined when he left your apartment, that on his walk home he threw his pack of cigarettes in the first trash can he saw. He somehow stupidly thought it would be a way to show he was committed to you. He regretted that an hour later when his nerves caught up with him.

His brain had presented him with the very real possibility that his previous assumption that you had lied about meeting someone was, in fact, not a lie. That the reason you'd run out on him this morning was because you realized how much you had truly fucked up by cheating on this new person with him. He was convinced that any attempt he would make to win you over would be thwarted by the simple words, "I have a boyfriend." He was so sure, but there was one minuscule part of him that still believed it was false. And that part was fueling his fire. The tiny flame that refused to be doused.

Slowly, for the rest of the day, as the sun got hotter, so did the flame inside of him. He tried to switch his inner mantra from "She's going to reject me" to "I have a chance." His whole life, there had been so many missed chances with you. If he let this time be another one, another moment that you were able to slip through his grasp, he wondered what the purpose of life would be for him after this day. So he gathered himself, and decided he needed to see you. He needed to take the leap and just do it for once.

He quickly searched on his phone for the nearest flower shop to him. He spent a long time talking with the man behind the counter, deciding on the perfect kind of flowers to portray his feelings. He knew roses were the wrong kinds of flowers to express what he was feeling, and in the end they had decided on a mix of dahlias, peonies, with lavender mixed throughout. The man at the flower shop, Jungkook, had informed him that if he was trying to show commitment and devotion to a girl he was pining after that dahlias and peonies were the flowers to choose.

As Suga left the shop, he was taken with how much his heart had steadied, with every step he took closer to your apartment he felt his heartbeat calm, his mood lift, and his smile grow wider. All of his anxieties from earlier had disappeared. He could feel it. This time it would be real.

But, he realized he should probably not show up unannounced at your apartment. He wasn't even sure that you were home yet after work. In fact, he wasn’t even sure what time it was. The sun in the sky indicated that it was sometime mid evening, the sky having turned a warm pink as he made his way through the city. He dug his phone out of his back pocket, careful not to ruffle the bouquet and pulled up your conversation from the previous night. He reread the messages, wondering to himself what it would be like to hear you say what you'd wrote to him.

"I still love you."

He could almost hear it if he closed his eyes, but he stopped himself from lingering in his thoughts too long. He needed to focus on the present, on the now. He clicked on your contact information and pressed the phone icon as it prompted him: "Voice call" or "Facetime audio." Suga's finger hovered over his screen. He hesitated, unsure of how you would react to a phone call from him so soon. He ran through all of the possible scenarios in his mind again, but then landed on the decision that he didn't care, he needed to do this. At the very least he needed to do it to have a moment to look back on and say “At least I tried.” So, he pressed down, the dialing sounds filling his ears.

"Hello?" Your voice coming through his speaker sounded surprised. There was also a hint of anger that he couldn't place. 'Is she angry I called?' he wondered to himself.

“Suga?” you prompted him, and he realized that he hadn’t actually said anything.

“Y/N, are you busy?” He cut to the chase, not bothering with awkward pleasantries. He knew that if he let himself beat around the bush he would wind up hanging up and regretting his choice.

“No. I just got back from work.” You paused, and he was taken aback by how, real this conversation sounded. To an outsider on either side of the conversation they might think that this was just a normal chat between a boyfriend and girlfriend. Or at least a regular conversation between friends. Something he hadn’t called you for a long time.

“Why? What’s up?” You asked.

“Oh.” After everything he’d gone through in his head, he’d missed the one scenario where you asked why he was calling. “No reason,” he lied. “Just wanted to hear your voice.”

He shook his head at his own stupid lie. He was ashamed that he’d lost confidence so quickly. After so many hours of working himself up, he’d fallen so fast in the face of a question he hadn’t been prepared to answer.

He could hear your breath hitch through the phone. “O-oh.” After a few awkward beats you continued. “Okay. When do you go back?”

“Tomorrow.”

You bit down on your lip hard, chewing to keep yourself from asking the only question you wanted to ask. You yearned to see him again. You wished you could hold him in your arms one last time, feel his body against yours, taste him against your lips. But you refrained.

“Well, travel safe, I guess,” you murmured.

“Thanks, Y/N.” His voice sounded soft. You wondered where he was, what he was doing that prompted him to call you. He had never been the type to call without a reason. Not recently, at least. As you threw your phone down behind you on your bed, your eyes caught sight of the arm of his sweatshirt peeking out from the under the bed. As you reached for it, you figured it must have gotten kicked under your bed in the haste that was made to remove each other of all clothing last night.

You pulled it on over your body, relishing in how soft it felt against your skin, imagining that the fabric was his hands, brushing over your arms as he pulled you close. You wondered if this would be your new normal, if you would forever be left with this yearning inside to relive the events of the previous evening. You knew that no one would ever live up to anything he had given you, would never make you feel anything compared to the way he made you feel. And while these thoughts were running through your mind, you still wished somehow you could make it work: fix the past, and forge a new path, together.

You sighed to yourself. What you both had done last night had been a mistake, you reasoned. He said he had met someone. He had cheated, and you hadn’t stopped him, in fact, you were the one who started it after all. You should have respected his boundaries, but now he would have to go back to his girlfriend and tell her that he cheated with some nobody from his past.

You shuffled through your bedroom to your couch, tears slowly streaming down your face as your mind ran through the negatives. There was no way for you and him to work. The past was a prime example of that. Every time your paths crossed, it was as if you were looking at him from below and he at you from above. At the same place but never truly together.

You turned on the television to try and drown out your thoughts as you wrapped yourself in your favorite blanket. “At least I have this to remember him by,” you thought, as you pulled the hood up over your head. You were keen to lay on your couch for the rest of the night, letting the sounds from whatever show was on to muffle your thoughts and lull you to sleep. But after only a few minutes there was a sudden knock on your door. You turned the sound down on the television, hoping that whoever it was would assume you weren’t home and would go away.

But they didn’t seem to be fooled by your act. They knocked again, three raps on the door. You lifted yourself into a seated position, still hoping that they would go away if you just never answered.

“Please, answer the door. Answer it, Y/N. Where is she?” Came muffled behind the door, his voice sounded impatient and anxious. You stood in your spot at the sound of his voice, the blanket falling to your feet. You rushed to the door, heart pounding in your chest as you fumbled with the locks. You had to see him, had to prove that this wasn’t a dream. As cliche as it sounded in your head, you had to know that he had come back for you.

Your heart felt like it would burst up through your throat at the sight of him in your doorway. You were speechless as you stared into his eyes. The tears that had subsided from earlier returned as you fell into his arms. You heard something that sounded like plastic crumple as it thudded by your feet. Your brain briefly wondered what had made such a sound, but all that mattered to you was his warmth that surrounded you in an embrace that cured all of your broken hearts from all of the years past.

“How are you here?” Was all you managed to get out, the only words that made sense to your brain.

“Y/N, I’m here for you. I’m not leaving without you this time,” his breath fanned over your hair, a calm reassurance. “I am leaving tomorrow, but I can’t go back without knowing you’re mine.”

You lifted your face from his chest, a tingling spreading throughout you. “This is real,” you repeat in your mind, a mantra you have to keep to stop yourself from collapsing at his feet.

“Suga, I have always been yours.” A smile spread across your face, a contrast to the tears that were still raining down your cheeks.

“I know,” he whispered, as he wiped away the tears on your face. “And I’m yours too. I love you, Y/N. I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you in photography class freshman year. I have loved you since the first time I kissed you. And I will love you until the moon falls out of the sky.”

You chuckled, the joy now evident on your face. As you kissed him, your pain melted away, your heart beat with a new life. Your arms laced behind his neck, his hands wrapped tight around your waist, you knew: you had found the place that you wanted to be forever.

He did leave the next day, moved back for a month, but he called you every day and visited on the weekends. He owned up to the fact that he lied about having a girlfriend, and you told him the truth as well. He’d brought you flowers, which wound up slightly crumpled, but you reassured him that all that mattered was the thought. He didn’t tell you about how much thought was put into them, but he smiled as you rummaged around for anything large enough to hold the bouquet. (Which wound up being an old wine bottle you rinsed out in a hurry so they had somewhere to go).

You apologized for running out on him the morning after your first night together, and he laughed as you explained your embarrassment. He told you he’d gotten fired from his job, but that he would look for a new one, one that was much closer to you.

He also said that the only reason he had to move back was so he could finish out his lease, and that he’d already spoken to his parents about moving in with them until he could find another job and a new apartment. You told him it was unnecessary, that although you were going to take your new relationship slow, you would be more than happy to have him live in the spare bedroom in your apartment. You had been best friends for years, there was no way you would let him stay with his parents, especially when you had an empty room that you’d never gotten around to renting out. He said he would consider it once his lease was over.

After all, it felt like no time had passed; as if time had just stopped, waiting for the two of you to reunite again and pick up where you’d left off. Which is exactly what you told him, but that this time you were moving forward with the title of boyfriend and girlfriend.

“And, you know,” you paused, a laugh escaping your lips. “A lot more sex.”

He had laughed at that. A sound that lit a flame inside of you that had long been smothered. You were so elated to finally have your best friend back, and it felt like a burden had been lifted from your chest, one that you’d been holding on to for far too long.

You could see into your future together, and the questions he had asked you now became clear, the answers laid out in the years to come so apparent.

“What would have happened had we been together? Would we still be together? Would we be married? Would we have kids?”

As he held you in his arms at night, his heartbeat the lullaby that sung you to sleep, you knew that the answers to everything would be yes. All of those missed opportunities meant to serve as a purpose. You had both matured, ready for forever. Forever with each other. Suga was your perfect match, as you were his. You belonged together, just like the sun needed the moon. With him, you were home.

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