#notes from the boneyard

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: McKowski and Howe Gelb - “Return of Pygmy Pony”

Take some atmospheric country-classical music, set it to a half-hearted waltz and “Return of Pygmy Pony” emerges from the atmospheric haze.

The instrumental heralds the Sept. 22 release of McKowski’s Notes from the Boneyard. And with a credited Howe Gelb adding electric guitar and the uncredited Laura McFadden and Dave Murphy on cello and pedal steel, respectively, McKowski (aka the Lost Brothers’ Mark McCausland) has a place to lay his acoustic guitar.

It’s evocative, contemplative music with the added bonus of a melody to make it engaging.

Grade card: McKowski and Howe Gelb - “Return of Pygmy Pony” - A-

8/30/23

[eternalxvenus]

༻ room for one more? ༺

summary: after many failed dates, you begin to give up on the dating scene until Sarah and John B give you an interesting proposal.

cw: smut 18+, sarah x f!reader x john b, threesome, oral (f and m receiving), face sitting, overstimulation, squirting, dirty talk, praise, p in v, unprotected sex, pet names (sweetheart, pretty girl, good girl, baby), brief drug use, lmk if i missed any!

wc: 3.6k

notes: thank you to the lovely @juniebugg for giving me this amazing idea, i loved writing it and hope i did it justice 🙏🏽

☆ obx masterlist ☆

The sun was setting but the day was still hot, a soft wind tickling your skin. You were lying on your towel, opting to enjoy the last few rays of the sun with Kie. JJ, Pope, John B, Cleo, and Sarah were all in the water swimming and playing around. You all had a rough week for different reasons and so JJ called for a mandatory beach day.

As you dozed in and out, listening to the sound of the waves, Kie nudged your side softly. "So... how is the whole dating thing coming along?"

Even though she was genuinely curious, you couldn't help the sting of embarrassment as you tried not to groan. "Not so great. I have a date with Kelce tomorrow, but I'm not over the moon excited." You turned to look at Kie through your sunglasses with a tight smile. "If this one doesn't work out, I'm giving up."

Her nose scrunched up in mild disapproval. "Kelce? I didn't think you'd go for someone in that circle.

Truth be told, you usually wouldn't. Even though the whole Kooks vs Pogues thing isn't as relevant anymore, some Kooks were still stuck in their old ways. "Me either. He came up to me and started a conversation at the boneyard a couple nights ago and asked for my number. Now we suddenly have a date at the country club," you sighed with a shrug.

"Even if it doesn't go well, don't stress it. You don't have to push a relationship anytime soon– you're still young."

You sat up and turned onto your back, deciding to take a nap while you could. "Easy for you to say. You have JJ, Cleo has Pope, and Sarah has John B. I'm the odd one out." Kie gave you a solemn smile but didn't say anything else, which you were thankful for.

A few hours later, everyone was out of the water, and the wind picked up leaving goosebumps on their wet skin. While everyone was drying off, Kie woke you up and said it was time to go.

You asked John B to take you home because you had plans tomorrow. As everyone laughed and joked around with one another, you couldn't bring yourself to be in a cheerful mood knowing they each had their special person within the group.

Once you were home, you immediately took a warm shower to try and let the warm water relax you. It did somewhat, but it didn't stop your brain from overthinking. After what felt like hours of tossing and turning in bed, one melatonin later, you finally were able to fall asleep and stay asleep.

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱✩•̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

The room was unbearably hot when you woke up. You flung the covers off you as you wiped the light sheen of sweat from your forehead. You'd left the window open, and your AC wasn't on. With an irritated groan, you got up and closed the window. Wanting to cool down your room as quick as possible, you turned the AC on as low as it could go.

You checked your phone and saw a few missed messages.

Kie: have fun on your date, lmk how it goes!

Sarah: if you aren't busy later come swing by the chateau :)

Kelce: morning, i'll be there at 1 to pick you up for lunch. can't wait to see you.

You sent in your replies and got ready for your date with Kelce. Light makeup and a cute but simple white dress. As you grabbed it from your closet, you saw the red dress you shoved in the back with the price tag still attached. You'd bought it impulsively while shopping with the girls one day but had never worn it. 

It was a mid-thigh deep cherry red with a slit and showed off your cleavage perfectly—according to Sarah, at least. It had never seen the outside of your closet, no matter how many times your friends tried to make you wear it. You never felt like you could truly pull it off.

There were five minutes to spare when you'd finally finished up. As you were spraying your perfume a text from Kelce came in letting you know he was outside. You grabbed your purse and met him outside, where he sat in his car.

A small sigh left your lips. He didn't bother to meet you at the door. Perhaps he wasn't the gentleman type. You got into his expensive car, the leather seat cool from the AC blasting on high.

"Ready to go?" He asked, giving you a once over. You nodded softly and gave him a small smile. Neither of you spoke much the entire ride there. You sat on your phone checking social media, playing games, anything to pass the time.

Kelce parked in front of the country club and beckoned you to follow him. He led you to the outdoor patio that connected to a restaurant. After a waiter sat you both and you ordered drinks, Kelce started the conversation.

"So, is this your first time at the country club?."

"Uh... yeah, it is."

"What do you think of it?" he said, taking a sip of the drink that had been placed in front of him.

You shrugged, "It's nice, I can see why people come here." There was a beat of silence and you knew this date wasn't going to be the best.

"Honestly, I'm surprised we're here right now. I never thought I'd be taking a pogue on a date at the country club. But you're really hot, so I've got no complaints."

His statement made you internally roll your eyes. "Right..."

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱✩•̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

You were back home, feet aching slightly from your shoes, and the heat was making you feel groggy and gross. The date was not good. All Kelce could talk about was himself, the kook life, and how he wanted to bring you to a party at Topper's next week. You declined. He also made slick remarks about you being a pogue which pissed you off.

You: hey sarah, i'll be over in a bit.

She sent a thumbs to your message. You got in your car and made your way to the chateau. When you pulled up, you saw John B out by the deck. 

Inside you could see Sarah walking around so you went in to greet her.

"Hey, I'm here," you said knocking on the door as you walked inside. 

"Hey! Glad you could make it." She sat the plates she was holding into the cabinet and motioned for you to sit. She came over and sat next to you on the couch as you both got comfortable. "Kie mentioned you had a date… how did it go?"

You picked at your nails and shook your head. "Not too great."

Sarah hummed sympathetically. "Well, Kelce isn’t as interesting as he makes himself out to be." You both laughed as you nodded in agreement.

You laid back on the couch letting your head fall back. "When is everyone else coming?" assuming Sarah or John B had something planned for everyone tonight.

"Actually, I only invited you. John B and I wanted to talk to you about something," she sighed. You felt nervousness bloom in your stomach as she stood up. "I'm gonna go get John B, just sit tight."

While waiting for them to come back your mind was wandering, not sure what could be so important that they had to talk to you together and in person. The door swung open and Sarah walked back in with John B right behind her. No one spoke as they pulled up two chairs and sat in front of you on the couch. John B gave a soft smile which helped your nerves just a little.

"Okay so," Sarah spoke up. "We weren't really sure how to go about this so just bear with me here. You're one of our best friends and we've spent a lot of time together over the years..."

You could hear your heart beating in your ears, almost drowning out Sarah's voice. Please don't tell me they don't want to be friends anymore, you thought to yourself.

"Anyways, me and John B have been talking. We both find you attractive obviously. And we wanted to invite you to bed with us! Like a threesome." Sarah had a smile on her face and your eyes widened.

"W-what? You want to have a threesome? With me?" They both nodded.

"Basically, me and Sarah had been talking and we asked each other who we'd want to hook up with if we were single. To our surprise we both said you, so we figured why not just ask."

Your face felt burning hot with shyness and embarrassment. You'd only had sex one time and it wasn't all that great. You and your boyfriend at the time had wanted to lose your virginities to each other but neither of you knew what you were doing.

Sarah's hand grabbed yours and pulled you out of your swarming thoughts. "You don't have to answer right now." She was caressing the back of your hand with her thumb reassuringly. "Go home and just think about it. We'll be waiting patiently for your answer— no pressure at all, okay?"

The air in the room felt a little less heavy. You knew they wouldn't force you or be mad if you decided not to. "Okay," you said with a small smile.

They both hugged you, walked you to your car, and waved you off home. On the ride back, all you could think about was whether you should accept or not. You weren't experienced and didn't want to disappoint them.

You were laying in bed but once again couldn't sleep. You decided to take a few hits of the weed pen JJ had given you a while back, it's lasted you a while since you only use it when you can't sleep or need to relax.

Once you felt the high encompassing your mind you laid down and closed your eyes. Your mind drifted to the thought of being in bed with Sarah and John B. With that, you fell asleep.

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱✩•̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

It had been three days since your threesome invitation. You had thought about it a lot. Even though you hadn't spoken to Sarah and John B directly, you all still talked in the group chat with everyone else like normal.

It was still early in the morning when you texted Sarah.

You: hey are you and John B up yet?

20 minutes later, you got a reply.

Sarah: good morning! i am but he's still sleeping lol. what's up?

You: i've given it some thought and i wanna do this but are you sure? i'm not the most experienced when it comes to all that

Sarah: i'm so happy! thank you for trusting us and don't worry we'll both be there to guide you. are you free tonight?

You said yes and she told you to come over at 7. That gave you 11 hours to completely freak out before heading over there.

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱✩•̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

The warm air from outside blew into your car as you sat outside the chateau, trying to give yourself a mini pep talk. They suggested that you come in loungewear, so you wore shorts and a cropped tank top with no bra, all things considered.

You went up and knocked on the door and waited. John B came and greeted you with a hug. He didn't hide the fact that he was taking in your body. 

"Hey, come in. Sarah's finishing up in the shower so she should be out in a few minutes." With a brief nod, you followed him inside.

It was so weird, normally the chateau felt like a second home. You'd help yourself to whatever and never felt out of place. This time it was the complete opposite. You didn't want to touch anything or sit without someone telling you to. You felt like a guest, who was visiting for the first time.

John B sensed your nervousness and gave you a smirk. "Don't get all shy now sweetheart, we haven't even started. Speaking of which, is there anything you wanna do? We could have some takeout, watch a movie, anything really."

You gave him a puzzled look. "I thought we were going to... you know."

"I love your enthusiasm," he chuckled. "We are, but Sarah and I both thought it'd be best to ease into it rather than just jump right in. We want this to be as comfortable as possible for you."

It was the little things like this that reminded you that these are your best friends. They knew you like the back of their hand and wanted this to be enjoyable for you and them. "A movie sounds nice," you said with a smile.

A little while later you were all sat on the couch watching some random movie that you'd picked. It wasn't all that good but you were still tuned in. Your eyes glanced away from the TV when you felt Sarah's hand start grazing the inside of your thigh. She was still facing forward almost as if nothing was happening. You looked back at the TV and spread your legs a little wider.

It was summer, entirely too hot for any blankets— even with the cool air of the AC blowing— so if John B looked, he'd see what was happening. The light, teasing touches went on for a few more minutes and you could feel yourself getting more and more worked up. You were ready to break the silence and ask for more until you felt John B's lips on your neck. A soft gasp slipped past your lips as your eyes fluttered closed.

"This okay?" he muttered against your neck, and you nodded. "Use your words, pretty girl."

You managed to whimper out a soft 'Yes' which encouraged them both to keep going. Sarah's hand moved higher, lightly rubbing you through your shorts. A moan slipped from your pouty lips at the contact and you tried grinding your hips against her hand for more stimulation. "Let's go to the bed," Sarah whispered.

The short walk was filled with little kisses and light touches, none of you wanted to stop even for a second. Sarah instructed you to take off your clothes and lay on the bed. She and John B did the same as she sat behind you and John B positioned himself in between your thighs.

"Fuck... your pussy is dripping." You attempt to close your legs but he has a strong grip on your thighs. "Don't try and hide yourself, I wanna see everything."

Sarah brought her hands up to massage your tits, your nipples feeling painfully hard. "John B is gonna use his mouth to make you feel good, okay?"

"Okay– oh!" He wasted no time licking a long stripe to collect your arousal on his tongue.

"How does she taste baby?" Sarah asked. You could hear the lust and neediness in her voice. "She's so fucking sweet, like candy." John B couldn't help but moan as he continued to move his tongue in and out of your hole. You felt one of Sarah's hands leave your breast to touch herself behind you. Her soft moans make you even more turned on.

John B brought his mouth to your clit and sucked hard. That was all it took to have you falling over the edge in pleasure. One hand squeezed Sarah's arm while the other tugged on John B's brown tresses. Your moans filled the room as you rode out your first orgasm of the night.

Sarah replaced your spot in front of John B and once again he wasted no time lapping at her essence. Once she reached her peak John B didn't stop he was pushing her into overstimulation and instructed you to hold her legs open.

"John B! Please– ohmygod– it's too much!" she tried to push his head away but he didn't budge until he pulled another orgasm from her. You watched in amazement as she started to squirt making a mess of the bed and his face. He wore your combined juices proudly, not bothering to wipe any of it off. 

You leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Fuck Sarah you look so hot like this, squirting all over the place, being so messy." She whimpered at your words as John B finally gave her some reprieve.

She pulled you down so your lips collided with hers in a heated bruising kiss. Her tongue swiped across your lip and made its way into your mouth massaging your tongue.

In the corner of your eye, you saw John B stroking his hard cock slowly. Sarah noticed as well and gave you a smirk. "Let's show him how thankful you are for making you cum."

John B positioned himself up against the headboard and Sarah brought you face to face with his length. "Grab the base and take him into your mouth. He likes it really messy," She whispered while keeping her gaze on him. You followed her instructions and did your best to please him.

Once you'd taken as much as you could into your mouth, a light gag leaving your throat, he groaned. "Fuuuuck, that's it, take it all in that tight little throat." You went at your own pace for a bit, then Sarah took over gagging you on his cock at a brutal pace. Your eyes watered and there was spit and drool all over your chin and his pelvis. John B's thighs tensed and without warning his load filled your throat forcing you to swallow it all. 

You coughed a bit and Sarah rubbed your back soothingly while you and John B caught his breath. "You did so good baby." She went to kiss your neck and caress your body.

The praise did things to you. "Thank you." John B pulled you against him and kissed you deeply. "Do you wanna keep going, sweetheart?" John B muttered against your lips. The room felt so hot in combination with all the body heat and the summer air. You were definitely spent, but you wanted to go again. "I want you inside, please."

He nodded and moved you down to straddle him. Sarah moved to sit on his face, facing you. She moaned, feeling his tongue on her clit again. You sink down on his length feeling completely and utterly full. Sarah pulled you in for a kiss as you rocked your hips in a slow rhythm.

The stimulation on your clit from grinding felt delicious, you knew you wouldn't last much longer. One look at Sarah and you could tell she was close too. "I wanna cum together," you whispered against her lips. "Okay, together." she nodded. John B pushed his hips up to get impossibly deeper and gave a harsh such on Sarah's clit, pushing you both over the edge.

You both collapsed onto the bed, your body completely worn out. Sarah and John B left kisses and comforting touches anywhere they could, telling you how well you did and that they were so proud. Their voices faded away as sleep overtook you.

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱✩•̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

A month after your night with Sarah and John B things couldn't have been better. You'd spent many pleasure-filled nights at the chateau. They were always showing you something new and making you feel so good. There were even times when it would be just one of them if the other was busy or not around.

You weren't expecting the text from Sarah asking you to come over considering you were just there two days ago. She asked you the wear that red dress which made you even more confused.

Walking into the chateau, not bothering to knock, you saw the table with lots of food and a candle adorning the middle of the table. "What's all this?" you questioned. John B and Sarah both turned from their spot in the kitchen and greeted you. 

"We wanted to do something special to thank you, you look beautiful by the way," he said leading you to the empty chair. They sat down at the table and you could tell something was coming up. Even Sarah looked a bit nervous. Maybe they were going to end things.

"So, we don't want to keep you here with this uncertainty. We did all these because this past month has been amazing. You've always been a great friend and I think– we think– doing this has made us incredibly closer." You nod in agreement. "We want you to be our girlfriend. We'll be an official polyamorous couple. I don't want to have to give you up to someone else and neither does Sarah. We want you to be ours and we'll be yours completely."

You felt like the wind had been sucked out of you. They wanted you to be their girlfriend. Before you could say anything Sarah chimed in. "Sorry if this seems sudden and we understand if you want to keep things how they are. You don't have to have an answer–"

"Of course I would," you cut her off with a wide smile. You could see the worry leave both of their faces. "God I love you." Sarah laughed leaning over to place a kiss on your cheek, John B following suit.

The rest of the night was spent having an amazing dinner and even better sex with your new partners. Never in a million years did you think this would be your life but you loved it and you loved them. They were your best friends and lovers wrapped in one.

likes, comments, and reblogs are greatly appreciated!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

more words for your fight scenes (pt. 3)

Argue

ado, altercation, argument, battle, bicker, cause célèbre, conflict, confrontation, contend, contest, contradiction, controversy, demur, dicker, difference, disagree, dispute, dissent, divide, double standard, expostulate, falling out, fight, friction, haggle, hue and cry, imbroglio, misunderstanding, object, protest, quibble, rebut, rift, row, run-in, sass, squabble, tiff, vendetta, wrangle

Punishment

blackmail, damage(s), dressing-down, fine, lesson, rap, reproach, sanction, whipping

Pursue

chase, dragnet, hound, shadow, tag, trace, track/track down, trail

Rip

claw, lacerate, snag, tear

Rub

bite, burnish, creak, erase, file, friction, glaze, grate, polish, smear

Search

comb, dig, explore, forage, grope, hunt, investigation, nose, plumb, prospect, quest, ransack, rummage, scout, snoop, track/track down

Squeeze

choke, clinch, constriction, crush, enfold, pinch, pulp, rumple, squash

Stab

claw, gore, impale, lacerate, perforate, prick, puncture, spike, stick, tap, transfix

Throw

buck, chuck, dash, disseminate, eject, extrude, fling, heave, intersperse, launch, lob, pelt, powder, propagate, scatter, sling, splatter, toss

To break

collide, crash, dash

To burn

arson, conflagration, flame, glow, incinerate, kindle, light, scorch, singe, smolder

Injury

abrasion, affliction, blister, boo boo, concussion, corrosion, damage, detriment, disadvantage, fracture, harm, inflammation, laceration, prick, rip, rust, shock, swelling, wound

Death

abort, curtains, decease, die, end, expire, mortician, pass away, perish, undertaker

Deathplace

boneyard, crypt, graveyard, monument, tomb

NOTE

The above are concepts classified according to subject and usage. It not only helps writers and thinkers to organize their ideas but leads them from those very ideas to the words that can best express them.

It was, in part, created to turn an idea into a specific word. By linking together the main entries that share similar concepts, the index makes possible creative semantic connections between words in our language, stimulating thought and broadening vocabulary. Writing Resources PDFs

Source ⚜ Writing Basics & Refreshers ⚜ On Vocabulary ⚜ Part 1 ⚜ Part 2 Writing Notes: Fight Scenes ⚜ Word Lists: Fight ⚜ Pain

[222col]

what about jj and maneater!reader meeting again. like maybe at the beach when he goes for a surf and she’s laying on a towel all shiny from sweat and tanning oil and he’s just obsessed

maneater!reader x jj maybank

summary: jj is growing obsessed, and seeing you alone at the beach isn't helping

cw .ᐟ hints at nsfw

꒰ notes ꒱ continuing on from this post

were you doing this just to taunt him? did you somehow know he was gonna be there? the blood was rushing to his groin at the idea. god, he could be so lucky. to have someone like you doing this purposefully for his attention.

you weren't, of course, he knew that. but he couldn't deny how he'd have loved it if you were.

wired earphones in your ears, sunglasses perched on the end of your nose as you laid upon the red towel in the sand. could you even call the tiny triangles covering your chest a bikini? jj was fucking loving it either way. sun kissed skin glistening in the rays, all he wants to do is lick every inch of sheen from your body.

board in hand, tucked in under his armpit and he walks at snail's pace past you. he hadn't seen you since that night at the boneyard, and what a treat he'd been given to see you like this for the first time since kissing you.

digging his board into the sand, obnoxious smirk on his face as he leans his arm onto the board. the shadow casting over your body, forcing your eyes open. "'sup, mama?"

"huh?" you mutter, pulling your earphones from your ears, propping yourself up on your elbows as you look up to jj over the top of your sunglasses.

jj nearly trips over nothing as you look at him, grateful for his surfboard for keeping him up upright. "just sayin' hey," he murmurs, not so subtly flexing every muscle he can.

"hi jj." you mumble, pushing your sunglasses back up your nose. all you did was say his name and jj's having heart palpitations.

laying back down fully, eyes closed behind your sunglasses, not that jj could see through them. "oh, am i interrupting your precious tanning time?" he teases, gently kicking your foot with his own to get your attention. immediately regretting it when he sees the look of disapproval on your face. "sorry— sorry."

"mhm," you mutter, placing your earphones back in your ears as jj admits defeat. begrudgingly picking up his board and walking toward the ocean.

which is exactly when he gets your attention. watching him from the shore as he surfs the waves. only when he's not aware are your eyes completely devoted to him.

finding yourself smiling at his whoops and shouts of joy when he catches a big wave. watching the blonde locks stick to his skin, how his necklace ends up between his lips when he's paddling on the surfboard. leaning back on your palms, just admiring the view you've been blessed with for the day.

jj would like to think you're watching him. but all he can see if you sitting up, too far away to know whether you're watching the view or if it's his lucky day and he is the view. he's trying so fucking hard too. going for the biggest waves, pulling out all his best tricks.

trudging out of the water a short while later, walking straight over to your position in the sand. "this seat taken?" he smirks, not waiting for a response as he places his board down and sits right next to you on your towel. "no? thanks." he teases, bumping your shoulder with his own.

"you're insufferable," you mutter, slight smirk on your face as you push your sunglasses up onto your head.

"so everyone keeps telling me." jj smirks, resting his forearms on top of his knees, head turned to look at you. he is seriously seconds away from licking a line up your neck just to get a taste of you. you looked fucking delicious.

you couldn't deny you felt the same. the water droplets on his skin, the movement of his muscles, when he's not purposefully flexing, how hot he looked with his hair wet. but you'd never show that, couldn't give him the satisfaction.

"can't stop thinkin' bout that kiss." jj admits, voice lower as he rests his head on his shoulder to look over to you. he doesn't miss the way your lips briefly upturn at his words.

you had to admit. it was a fucking good kiss. jj could tell you felt that way, the way your eyes were meeting his. he can't stop himself from leaning over, chasing your lips again. desperate for another taste.

you smirk, almost chuckling but you don't deny him. still leaning on your palms, letting jj come to you as your lips meet once more. he tasted like ocean water and weed, overpowering the taste of your cherry lip oil. his hands caress over your stomach, landing on your waist. skin hot from the sun, coated in oil that only helps guide his movements across your skin.

gently nipping his bottom lip, sucking it into your mouth before pulling away from his mouth. "fuck." he whimpers, causing a chuckle from you.

"where you goin'?" he murmurs, almost pouting, watching you stand up. shaking your head with a smirk as you pull the towel from underneath his body. "got a party to get ready for." you smirk down to him, slinging your bag over your shoulder, not waiting for his response before leaving him sat alone.

he’s convinced he’s going to actually die if you keep kissing him and leaving.

jj: yo jb, any idea who's throwing a party tn?

© 222col. do not steal or repost my work without permission.

꒰ taglist ꒱ @khartalks @funkycoloured @bluestrd @appleaali @stanart4clearskin @donteventry-itdude (to be added)

[keikikait]

unfortunately should’ve been me is the last part of that series but i could do a jj fic with this as the plot if you want!!!

Yessss please if you can 🥹

ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʀᴏᴏᴍ (ᴊᴊ ᴍᴀʏʙᴀɴᴋ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

read my other jj fic here!

pairing: jj maybank x pouge!f!reader, (not au, both are early to mid 20s)

word count: 6.2k

summary: jj is more than happy to cheer you up after an argument with rafe

warnings: SMUT 18+: grinding, blowjob, throat fucking, no p in the v, dom!jj & sub!reader, friends to lovers, reader is…pining u guys… jj too, light angst (some self-esteem issues, nothing too detailed)

a note: am i a jj girl now?

please reblog and like, it means a lot! let me know what you think!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

You knew that JJ hated Rafe, yet you dated him anyway.

Well, date being a very loose term. You weren't Rafe's girlfriend, just one of the girls on his long, long roster. Rafe did care, somewhat, but he wouldn't actually commit to you, especially not after he started seeing Sofia.

You didn't want to be second best, or even third best. You wanted to be his first choice, so you marched yourself over to his new place in Figure 8 and stood your ground, claiming that if he didn't want you completely, you would find someone else. Rafe, as usual, didn't take your threats seriously, sending you off with a curt 'Sofia's coming over. We can talk later.'

You held back tears as you made your way out of Figure 8, arms wrapped around your stomach, fingers digging into your side. How could you be so stupid? As if Rafe Cameron would commit to anything that isn't a beer bottle and a bump off of someone's keys.  

The sun was setting, the wind blowing off the ocean thick and hot, a storm's warning on the horizon. You make your way down the street, heading into The Cut. All you wanted to do was go home, lay down, and wallow in your self-pity. You hear music in the distance, one hand coming up to cover your face from the sun as you squint. The Boneyard is packed, especially for this time of day, a bonfire already roaring, smoke billowing into the sky. 

There, among the Pogues, Kooks, and Tourons, is JJ. 

You stop dead in your tracks, watching him. Your breath catches in your throat, hands clenching into fists as you watch him laugh, throwing his head back before bringing the beer bottle to his lips. He takes a long sip before continuing, talking about something with Pope, gesturing with his hands. His hair shines in the sun, the orange and pink hues streaking the sky illuminating his sun kissed skin in a way that makes your thighs clench--

No. He's your best friend. It would be weird.

It doesn't stop you from turning off of the sidewalk, walking onto the sand and right over to him. Your stomach flips, and you’re suddenly nervous, and you consider turning right back around and walking away. But you don’t, in fact you don't say anything as you grab his shoulder, spinning him around and wrapping your arms around his waist, burying your face in his chest.

“Woah, hey,” JJ says, putting his free hand on your back. “What’s wrong?” You shake your head, not wanting to talk. Your eyes well with hot, shameful tears, and you grip him tighter, fingers clenching on the fabric of his t-shirt.

JJ frowns, slowly pulling back and getting a better look at your face. “Hey, hey,” he whispers, putting a hand on your cheek. “What's the matter?” He pulls his lower lip in between his teeth, looking you up and down. He knew you had gone to see Rafe today, and knowing the asshole, he had a feeling that it had something to do with that.

You just shake your head again. “Can’t… can’t talk about it,” you sniffle, trying to stop the tears as they start to fall, running down your face. “Don’t wanna talk about it.”

JJ’s face softens, reaching down to push his beer bottle into the sand, wrapping his now free arm around you, rubbing circles on your back. “Okay, we don't have to talk about it. Shhh…” he says, leaning down to press his lips against your temple. His left hand comes up to cradle the back of your head, pulling you in even closer so that your bodies are pressed together. You can feel his heartbeat in his chest, a steady rhythm against your cheek as he holds you.

You cling to him, arms wrapped tight around his waist as you cry, face buried in his chest. He holds you for a moment, his heartbeat still steady against your ear. As you keep crying, his pulse quickens, his grip on you tightening. “Do I need to beat his ass?” JJ's voice is low, quiet, making sure that only you hear him. You shake your head, resting your cheek on his chest. He just holds you, feeling you tremble as you cry, feeling you cling to him tighter when the sobs get worse. He doesn't say anything, just keeps his arms wrapped around you, swaying back and forth slowly. The other Pogues see you and JJ, glancing over in concern. John B frowns, watching you for a moment before giving JJ a concerned look. 'Everything okay?' He mouths.

JJ nods, reaching his hand up to intertwine his fingers into your hair. “You’re okay. He’s not worth crying over, sweet girl.”

“I just feel so stupid,” you mutter, reaching up to wipe away some tears. “He makes me feel so naïve. I can’t believe I ever thought that he would like me.”

JJ frowns, taking your wrist and gently pulling your hand away from your face, putting your hand on his chest. “You’re not stupid. You’re not naïve. He’s just an ass, and he’s not worth your tears.” he puts his hand on your jaw, tilting your head up so that you’re looking at him. With his thumb, he wipes away your tears, his gaze soft as he looks at you. “It’s not your fault. You can’t blame yourself for the way that he is.”

You sniffle, burying your face back into his chest. You take a deep breath, your chest aching. JJ smells so good and you squeeze him tighter. “I know I shouldn’t, but I still do.”

JJ holds you, his cheek pressed against the top of your head. There’s a beat of silence, JJ’s hand slowly rubbing your back before he speaks again. “Come on. Do somethin’ to take your mind off it,” he says, pulling back to look at you. “How about a swim? Or how about you and I go drinkin’ until you can’t remember what that dude looks like?”

You let out an involuntary whine as JJ pulls away, his hands moving to your hips. You yank him back into a hug, hands sneaking under the hem of his shirt to feel his back. “No. Don’t go, please.”

JJ’s breath hitches as your hands go under his shirt, feeling the muscles in his back. His pulse quickens, his hands sliding up to your hips, fingers curling against your skin, pushing your tank top up a little. “Fuck,” he whispers, his breath fanning across your face. He’s silent for a moment, his eyes roaming over your face, looking from your eyes to your lips. The feeling of your hands on his bare back makes something shift in the pit of his stomach, sending a shiver down his spine. He bites his tongue, trying to fight the desire to grab your face and kiss you until all you can think of is him. “I’m not goin’ anywhere.” he says, pulling you closer, moving one hand off of your hip to tangle his fingers back into your hair. “We could head back to my place. Nobody will be there.”

You nod, pressing your fingers against his spine. “I just wanna be with you.”

The feeling of your fingers trailing down his back cause him to tense up, his muscles flexing under your touch. He pulls his lip between his teeth, looking down at you. JJ’s gaze moves down from your eyes, slowly trailing across your face, down to your neck, and all the way down to the curve of your hips. He wants you. He’s wanted you for months. But he was too scared to say anything, never even allowing himself to think about it. And now you’re looking at him with those pretty eyes, begging him to take you home.

When he doesn’t say anything, you speak up, “Please?”

His eyes snap back to yours, his breath catching in his throat. He swallows hard, the feeling of your hands still under his shirt and the desperation in your voice making him weak in the knees. He’s never been able to tell you no, no matter what, and now is no exception. “Yeah,” he says, his voice coming out in barely more than a whisper. “Yeah, baby.”

Your eyes widen slightly as you suck in a soft breath. Your hands start to tremble, your stomach filling with butterflies. “Baby?”

His eyes widen, his face turning slightly red. He hadn’t meant to call you that, but it came out before he could stop himself. “Sorry,” he mumbles, averting his gaze down to your neck, feeling embarrassed. “Didn’t mean to say that. Force of habit.” Even though he didn’t really use that ‘force of habit’ very often. Ever, actually. JJ didn’t even call the girls he slept with “baby”, so he didn’t understand why it came out so naturally with you.

Oh. You look away for a second before meeting his eyes, your stomach churning. “It’s okay. I didn’t mind it.”

The corners of his mouth twitch, a smile barely starting to form on his lips before disappearing. “Yeah?” he says, his voice still coming out at a low register. He lets his hand trail from your hip up to the skin under your tank top, his fingers brushing against the curve of your rib cage. “You didn’t mind it?”

You shake your head. “No. I’m your baby.”

JJ feels his heart skip a beat, his face turning redder. He swallows heavily, hearing those words come out of your mouth making him dizzy. 

His baby. Holy shit. 

JJ’s breath catches in his throat, his thumb tracing the curve of your waist through your shirt. The possessiveness in you, saying that you’re his, and not Rafe’s. He didn’t realise how much he wanted to hear that until now. He’s known that he wanted you to belong to him, but he never expected you to just say it, let alone so easily. JJ swallows, his eyes flicking down to your lips, then back up to yours. “You are. You’re my baby.”

You smile softly, standing on your toes and wrapping your arms around his neck. “Can we go to your place?”

JJ swallows hard, feeling your hands on his neck, feeling you against him. He leans down, a hand on your thigh to keep you steady as you stand on your toes. “Yeah, baby. Let’s go.” He breathes, barely able to keep his hands off of you. He wants to grab you, pull you closer, hold you tighter, touch you.

He grabs your hand before tugging you out of the Boneyard.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

Thankfully, Luke isn’t home. 

You sit down on JJ’s bed cross-legged, watching him as he shuts and locks his bedroom door, just in case. “Thanks, Jay.”

JJ leans against the door, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. He feels like he’s going crazy. Being alone in his room with you, so close, is making it hard for him to keep his hands off of you. He knows that right now isn’t the time, that you’re upset, but he can’t stop thinking about kissing you. His eyes flick over to you, watching you sit cross-legged on his bed. His bed. “It’s nothin’.” He murmurs, leaning back against the door.

You pat the spot next to you. “Don’t leave me hanging.”

A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth, his lip getting caught between his teeth for a moment. He pushes himself up from the door, slowly walking over to his bed. He sits down next to you, sitting cross-legged just like you, leaving only a few inches of space between you. He can smell the coconut conditioner in your hair again, the familiar, comforting, intoxicating smell making his heart pound. JJ glances over at you from the corner of his eye, his leg bouncing up and down on the floor. “So, what, uh… what was the issue with Rafe?”

“I told him that I wasn’t comfortable being an option,” you say, sitting up straight. “And that I didn’t want to continue things with him if he wasn’t going to make a commitment.”

JJ nods, listening intently. “And he didn’t commit?” he guesses, knowing Rafe enough to know that the dude would never make a commitment, especially to someone who was willing to put out without it.

You sigh. “He told me we could talk later. I left after that.”

JJ purses his lips, his gaze turning from you to the wall. “Guy’s a piece of work. Why would you want to be with someone like that anyway?” he asks, his voice taking on a somewhat annoyed tone. “He doesn’t treat anyone like they matter, let alone the women he sleeps with. You really wanna be with a guy like that?”

You shift on his bed, starting to fidget with your hands. “I thought he liked me, and I thought I liked him.”

JJ swallows hard, his chest feeling tight as he watches you. He didn’t want to hear this. He didn’t want to hear you talk about how you felt about another guy. He didn’t want to hear about the time you had spent with Rafe, or your feelings for him. It wasn’t fair. He was the one who wanted you, yet you wanted Rafe. He wanted to tell you that, more than anything. But he didn’t. “Thought you liked him?”

“I don’t know if I do,” you say, shrugging. “I don’t know if I liked him or if I liked the attention he gave me, you know?”

JJ swallows hard, his heart pounding. His eyes move back over to you, his gaze running over your body for a moment before coming back to your face. Hearing you talk about liking the attention that some dude gave you feels like a punch in his gut. He clears his throat, his leg still bouncing up and down. “Were you just with him ‘cause you liked all the attention?” he asks, keeping his gaze fixed on the wall opposite him.

“Probably,” you say. “He isn’t exactly a fun guy to be around when he’s not in like…friends with benefits mode or whatever.” JJ clenches his jaw as you talk about the situationship you had with Rafe. He doesn’t know why he never thought about you and Rafe doing those things, especially when everyone in the Cut knew about Rafe’s reputation. But now that he’s thinking about it, all he sees is Rafe’s hands all over you. Rafe’s hands on you, Rafe’s lips on you, Rafe’s cock in your tight little cu-- 

“You wanted his attention that badly, huh?” He asks in a hushed voice.

“I think I just wanted attention, JJ,” you say, leaning back on your palms. “I just…wanted someone to want me, you know?”

JJ’s breath catches in his chest, his heart aching. He didn’t realise how badly you craved attention until now. He doesn’t understand why you think that someone wouldn’t want you, because everyone wanted you. He wanted you. Why wouldn’t someone want you? He swallows thickly, the image of you with another man making the pit of his stomach ache. He wanted you to be his. He hated seeing another man touch you, kiss you, be inside you. He wanted to be the one with his face buried between your legs, feeling you grind on his face before cumming for him like a good girl.

He glances over at you, seeing you lean back on your palms. His eyes trail down to your body, your shirt sitting a little lower than it was before, showing some of your cleavage. He shifts his legs as another wave of heat washes over him. “Everyone wants attention, baby.”

You sigh, laying down on your back, legs propped up. “I know. I just wish he wasn’t such an asshole.”

JJ glances back over at you, taking in the sight of you laying down, before looking back at the wall. He leans against the headboard, propping his arm up on his knee so he can lean his head on his hand. The way you’re lying there is starting to drive him crazy. He takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the thoughts racing through his head. “I’m still tryna figure out why you would want to be with him in the first place.” he murmurs, his eyes glued to the wall.

“Because I want someone to want me!” You say, throwing your arms over your head. “I want to feel wanted. I want someone to crave me, JJ.” Your tank top rides up, exposing more of your stomach, and JJ can’t keep his eyes off of it.

JJ swallows, his jaw clenching. That’s how he felt about you. He knew that he shouldn’t, but he craved you. It was like an addiction, wanting to be around you, wanting your attention, wanting you to touch him. He bites his tongue, trying to keep himself from saying what he’s thinking. “Well, you don’t need to be with assholes like Rafe in order to feel wanted, baby. Plenty of people want you.”

“Like who?” You ask, looking over at him. He’s not even looking at you, eyes on the wall, and your chest aches and burns. “You’re not even looking at me, JJ.” Your mind spins and swirls as you look away from him. Did he want you? Did anyone want you? JJ was being so nice and sweet earlier, calling you baby and holding you while you cried, and now he won’t even look at you.

JJ’s heart jumps into his throat as you say that, his breath catching in his chest. He wants to look at you, he does. But he knows that if he looks at your face, his eyes will trail down to your chest. Your legs. Your thighs. And he can’t. Because he’ll do something that he’ll regret. He takes a shaky breath, his eyes fixed on the wall. “Trust me, baby. There’s plenty of guys that want you.” 

“Like who?” You ask, rolling your eyes.

“Jesus Christ,” JJ mumbles, his jaw clenching. It’s like you can’t even fathom the fact that other guys would want you. He knows he shouldn’t say it. He knows he shouldn’t, but he can’t stop the words that come out of his mouth, his voice growing louder. “I want you, sweetheart. I’ve always wanted you. I always will.”

You suck in a breath, goosebumps running over your skin, the hair on your arms standing up. “What?”

It’s like the dam just broke open, his voice coming out in a rush, too quick, the words barely coming together. “I want you. I’ve wanted you for months, and I know that I shouldn’t. I know you ain’t into guys like me, but I can’t stand the idea of someone else havin’ you. I want to be the one touching you. Kissing you. Being with you. Bein’ the guy that calls you baby, because you are my baby.” JJ looks away, his eyes red rimmed with tears.

“JJ…” You sit up, moving to your knees. JJ swallows back his tears, his fingers clenching at the fabric of his shorts. His leg is still bouncing nervously, faster than before, his heart pounding in his chest. He can’t remember the last time he was this nervous, feeling so vulnerable. He looks over at you as you move, his breath leaving his chest when he sees you on your knees in front of him.

Silence. 

“Do you really mean that?” You ask quietly.

He doesn’t answer, instead, he just looks at you. His eyes run from your face down to your waist, stopping for a moment at your legs before coming back to your eyes. His lip trembles, his chest aching as he sees the sincerity in your eyes. When he speaks, his voice is barely a whisper. “Yeah, baby. I mean it. I want you so bad, it’s killin’ me.”

“Really?” You ask.

“Yeah,” He murmurs, swallowing as he holds your gaze. “Every time I see you with Rafe, every time I see him touch you, it kills me. Because I know that you ain’t mine, no matter how much I want you, I can’t stop thinking about what it’d be like to be with you. I can’t stop thinking about what it would feel like to kiss you, or touch you, or call you mine. It’s like I’m goin’ crazy.”

Fuck, he can’t get enough of the look you’re giving him. Your eyes are so wide, sparkling in the dim light of his bedroom. Your lips are glossy and puffy, and all he wants to do is pin you down and kiss you senseless. He lets out a shaky breath, his eyes flicking over your body again, his heart racing as he watches you kneel in front of him. He knows he shouldn’t be doing this, knows that it’s probably going to go badly. But he doesn’t care. He’s wanted you in so many ways, and hearing you doubt that someone wants you makes him want to take you right here and now. “Baby,” he breathes, his hands shaking at his sides. “Come here.”

You move over to him without hesitation, continuing to kneel on the bed.

God, you’re so obedient. JJ sits up straight when you get closer, his eyes running over you as he looks you up and down, biting his lip when he sees you move in front of him. He reaches out and takes your hand, pulling you to kneel between his legs, his back against the headboard. His eyes are dark when he looks back up at you, his breathing heavy as his chest rises and falls. “Look at you,” he murmurs, shaking his head in awe. “Kneeling in front of me like a goddamn angel.”

Your thighs clench and you reach out to grab him, your hands landing on his biceps. “JJ…”

He grunts as your hands land on his bicep, his muscles flexing under your touch. His hands come up to your wrists, his fingers wrapping around them, feeling your pulse beating fast under his fingertips as he pulls you to sit on his lap. “God,” he groans, biting his tongue, his body tense. He looks up at you with a pleading gaze, his eyes flicking from your eyes to your lips. “Kiss me,” he half whispers, half begs, his grip on your wrists tightening. “Please.”

You lean forward and kiss him, leaning your chest against his. You go to cup his face, to run your hands through his hair, but JJ keeps your wrists tight in his hands. JJ’s breath catches in his chest when your chest presses against his own, his eyes closing as he feels your lips on his. He has you right where he wants you, on his lap, your chest pressed against his, your hands in his, keeping you from running. 

But he wants more. He doesn’t want you to get away. 

He releases one of your wrists, catching it with his other hand, moving his free hand to the back of your head, grabbing a fistful of your hair and using it to pull you closer. “No,” he grunts against your lips. “Hands to yourself.”

You whimper and whine, grinding up against him, his hardening cock right over your clit. “JJ…”

He moans, his head tilting back as he feels you grinding up against him. Your whining and whimpering makes it so hard to keep his composure, his jeans feeling tighter with every movement you make against him, his cock throbbing in his boxers. He swallows hard, gritting his teeth as he looks up at you, his breath coming in short, harsh pants. “What,” he huffs, pulling lightly on your hair so you’re looking at him. “You think you’re in charge here?”

“No,” You murmur. “I know you’re in charge.”

He groans again, the sound sending a jolt straight through his groin. Hearing you say that he’s in charge, hearing you say that you know he’s in charge, drives him crazy. He pulls on your hair just a little harder, his eyes fixed on yours. “Then be good,” he says, his voice low and rough. “Listen to what I tell you, baby. No touching.”

You nod, leaning in to kiss him again, squirming in his lap. He lets you kiss him, his fingers still tangled in your hair, his chest rising and falling as he fights to keep his composure. He groans again when he feels your hips moving against him, pulling you in for a rough, hungry kiss, his teeth nipping at your lower lip. 

His hand moves from your hair to cup your jaw, his grip tight and possessive as he keeps your face where he wants it, pulling back from your lips after a moment and looking at you with lust-filled eyes, his voice coming out as a rough whisper. “Stop moving, sweetheart.”

You hold back a squirm. “I’m sorry.”

He sighs, tugging lightly on your hair again when he hears the pleading tone of your voice. “What did I just say, baby?” he asks, his chest rising and falling as he pants. “I told you to be good, and I told you to stop moving. You gonna listen to me, or are you gonna keep trying to act like you’re in control?”

“I’ll be good, I’ll be good!” You say desperately, trying not to squirm again.

“Good,” JJ tugs you closer. “You wanna make it up to me?” He nods along with you, a smirk appearing on his face. “Good, good girl. You wanna do something for me, baby?”

“Yeah, yeah.” You say softly, nodding.

“Alright,” He says, tugging on your hair again. “Get off the bed. Get on your knees,” You don’t hesitate, scrambling down onto the ground as he shifts his position, moving to hang his legs off of the side of the bed. JJ hands you a pillow and you slide it under your knees before pawing at his shorts, rubbing the button with your thumb. 

“Atta girl,” he grunts, his eyes roaming over you, his cock throbbing at the sight of you kneeling in front of him. He slowly unbuttons his shorts, taking his time to unzip them and pull them down, revelling in the desperate look in your eyes. He watches you squirm and whine as he pushes his shorts down, taking them off completely. He reaches down and grabs his cock through his boxers, rubbing the ever-growing spot of pre-cum. “Come on, baby. Show me how good you are.” You’ve been sitting and waiting for his permission, kneeling all cute and pretty like a good girl. You immediately reach out, hooking your fingers in the waistband of his boxers before pulling them down. 

His cock springs out, throbbing and dripping with pre-cum.

He’s huge. A lot bigger than you thought he would be, thick and long and slightly curved to the right, with huge balls to match. Your mouth waters. “Go on, then,” JJ says, giving his cock a few slow strokes. The tip glistens with pre-cum, drawing your gaze. He smirks, enjoying the way you're staring hungrily at his cock. “Wrap your pretty lips around it.”

He lets go of his shaft, allowing it to bob free and twitch in the air between you. His heavy balls sway with the movement, full and ripe. The musky scent of his arousal fills the room, making your head spin with desire. JJ's breathing grows ragged as he waits for you to obey. He knows exactly what he's doing to you, and he's loving every second of it. “Don't make me tell you twice, sweetheart,” he warns, his voice low and gravelly with need.

You lean forward, your tongue darting out to lick a bead of pre-cum from the tip of his cock, your eyes never leaving his face as you revel the look on his face, his eyes rolling back as his eyebrows furrow. With a soft moan, you open your mouth wide and take the rest of him, your lips stretching to accommodate his girth.

You start to bob your head, working his length with slow, deliberate movements. Your hand wraps around the base of his cock, stroking in time with the rise and fall of your mouth. You can feel his pulse throbbing against your tongue, and it only spurs you on, wondering what it would feel like when he cums in your mouth. As you suck him deeper, you use your teeth to gently scrape along the underside of his shaft, eliciting a low groan from JJ.

“Fuck yes,” JJ hisses through clenched teeth, his hips jerking involuntarily as you work his cock with that sweet mouth of yours. “Good girl.” He can feel every inch of your hot, wet tongue tracing the veins on his shaft, teasing the sensitive skin beneath. Your gentle scrape of teeth sends jolts of pleasure straight to his balls, making them draw up tight.

JJ threads his fingers through your hair, gripping it firmly as he starts to thrust shallowly into your mouth. “That's it, baby... Take it all…” Each word is punctuated by a slight push of his hips, forcing more of his thick cock past your stretched lips. He can see the effort it takes you to accommodate him, and it only turns him on more. As you stroke his length with your hand, his grip on your hair tightens, guiding your head faster over his cock. “God, I just wanna fuck your throat.”

God, fuck, you’ve never wanted anything more. Your thighs clench as you scoot closer. You nod eagerly, relaxing your throat.

“Fuck…” He murmurs, feeling your throat relax around him. He gives one last hard thrust, burying himself to the hilt in your warm, welcoming mouth. “Fuck yeah... that's it, baby…” He holds you there for a moment, letting your throat adjust to his size. He holds your head still, using your mouth for leverage as he throat fucks you, his balls slap against your chin with each brutal thrust. He can feel his orgasm building, coiling tighter and tighter in his core. “Gonna cum soon, baby... Gonna fill this pretty mouth up…” JJ's words are punctuated by guttural grunts as he loses himself in the sensation of your warm, willing throat swallowing his cock.

He throws his head back, hands gripping your hair at the root as he fucks your throat, balls tightening at the feeling of your gags and your nails digging into his thighs. Tears sting your eyes, but you take it, trying to relax your throat, trying to be a good girl. JJ grips your hair tight, panting. “Fuck, baby, baby, fuck, I’m gonna cu-”

Someone pounds on the door.

He groans loudly, letting go of your hair. His cock twitches from his delayed release, his balls clenching uncomfortably. “Fucking Christ, of course.” 

You pull off, wiping some of the spit off of your mouth. “Do you want me to get it?”

“No, it’s probably my dad,” JJ grumbles, standing up from his bed. He grabs a pair of sweatpants, stepping into them and tying the string, tucking his cock up into the waistband. “Fucking asshole.” You stand up, fixing your hair and wiping your mouth on the back of your hand. You follow JJ out of his room, tailing behind him as he heads into the living room. You lean against the wall, arms crossed across your chest, as JJ opens the door. 

You’re expecting Luke. Maybe even John B or Pope.

But definitely not Rafe.

Rafe stands in the doorway, his eyes narrowed as he looks at you, then at JJ, a smirk appearing on his face. “There you are, sweetheart. I’ve been looking for you.”

“What are you doing here?” You ask, stepping away from the wall and approaching the door. You grab JJ’s hand, squeezing it. JJ tenses up beside you as Rafe’s eyes flick over to the two of you, taking in the sight of you holding JJ’s hand. His gaze seems to linger for a split second, his smirk growing a bit wider as he eyes you up. 

“I just wanted to see if you were ready to talk, sweetheart,” He says, his eyes locked on you. “I told you earlier that we would talk after Sofia left.”

“I’m sticking with my decision, Rafe,” You say immediately. “I don’t want to be with you anymore. Not if you’re going to treat me as second best.”

The smirk fades from Rafe’s face as you talk, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he looks at you. He’s clearly annoyed, clearly angry, but he’s doing a good job of keeping his cool, at least for now. “Come on, you don’t mean that--” he starts to say, taking a step forward.

JJ pushes him back out the door. “You heard her. Leave.”

Rafe’s eyebrows shoot up at that, a scoff escaping his lips. “Who the hell are you to tell me to leave?” He asks, his voice taking on a tone of barely contained anger. “I’m here to talk to my girl.”

“Oh, your girl?” JJ laughs, looking back at you briefly. “That’s funny, because last time I checked, your girl was in my room, on her knees with my big fat dick in her mouth.”

Rafe’s eyes go wide as JJ says that, his fists twitching at his sides, trying to restrain himself from just swinging at him here and now. He grits his teeth, his jaw clenching, his face going red as his eye twitches. “Watch your mouth, Maybank.” he grits out through clenched teeth.

“Face it, man, she picked me,” JJ says. “She came to me, came into my arms, and let me bring her home.”

“Bullshit,” Rafe scoffs, taking a step forward, only to be pushed back again. He scoffs out a bitter laugh, his eyes darting between you and JJ. “You expect me to believe that?”

“Rafe,” You say, stepping forward. “Go home.”

Rafe looks back at you, still looking frustrated, but some of the anger in his eyes leaving upon seeing your face. “Sweetheart,” he says, his voice soft. “I think we need to talk, just the two of us.”

“I told you, I made my decision,” You say. “Go home.”

His eyes scan your face as you speak, looking at you with pleading eyes. “Baby, just let me talk to you for a minute, okay?” He says. “Please, just give me one chance to explain myself, and talk it out.”

“No, don’t--” You suck in a breath, trying to not get upset. “Don’t call me that. I’m not your baby.”

Rafe’s lips twitch slightly as you say that, his fingers twitching again, his shoulders tense. “Please,” he says again, his voice sounding desperate now. “Just come outside and talk with me for a minute, come on.”

“Go home, Rafe.” You say again.

Rafe opens his mouth to speak again, but JJ cuts him off, pushing him back further, getting himself between you and the door. “You’re not welcome here, man,” he says, jaw clenched, shoving Rafe until his back is against the porch railing. “You heard her, she doesn’t want to talk to you. Now get the hell out of here before I make you.”

Rafe hesitates, seemingly embarrassed. His eyes flick from JJ to you, his fists clenching. “I’ll be back, sweetheart. I’ll have you, one way or another.” He looks between the two of you, a look of disgust sweeping across his face before he leaves, heading down the porch stairs and over to his dirt bike. He climbs on, not even bothering to wear a helmet, before pushing the kickstand up and revving the engine. The tires spin, spraying dirt and sand onto the porch before he drives off, heading out of JJ’s driveway.

JJ grunts as he watches Rafe leave, shoving his hands into his pockets. He looks over at you once the dirt bike is no longer visible, his brow furrowed. “You alright?” He asks, his voice quiet.

You nod. “Yeah, I'm fine.” You squeeze his hand.

JJ nods, squeezing your hand back before looking back outside, making sure that Rafe is gone. He sighs, the tension in his body leaving his chest as he relaxes. “God, I hate that guy,” he mutters.

“Me too,” You sigh. “Come on, let’s go back inside.”

He nods, a small smirk appearing on his face. “You just want me all to yourself, huh?” he says, taking your hand and leading you back into the house.

“Well, yeah,” You say, grinning as you both head back into his bedroom. “I have a job to finish, don’t I?”

JJ’s breath catches in his chest, his eyes growing dark as you speak, his hand tightening on yours. “God,” he groans. “Keep talkin’ like that and you’ll have me on my knees, baby.”

You push him onto the bed, kneeling on the pillow again. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be on my knees, JJ.”

He grunts as you push him, his eyes going dark as he looks down at you. “Yeah?” he says in a low, breathy voice. “You wanna get back down there, baby?”

You nod, palming his half hard cock over his sweatpants. “Yeah,” You smile softly. “I’m your baby.”

JJ nods, pushing some hair behind your ears. “Yeah, you’re my baby,” he grins and leans back on his palms, his cock growing harder under your hand. “Now come on, be a good girl and swallow my cock again.”

You bite your lip before starting to untie his sweatpants.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

let me know what you think!

★taglist: @ietss, @momoewn, @blairsblg, @teenwolfbitches28, @dasia21 (italics means i couldn’t tag you!)

[adoralineangel]

—WHEN IT HAPPENED TO ME.

rafe cameron x pogue!reader

partially inspired by 'we hug now' by sydney rose

content warnings— 18+ MDNI, original afab!reader, drug/alcohol use, suggestive, strong language, angst, author's first time writing "x readers" in four years...if this is bad, that's why.

author's note— please send in requests :)

SUMMARY: you were warned, that's why when it all came crashing down — you had no one to blame but yourself.

a drunken night at the boneyard caused you to land in rafe cameron's arms, swaying to the music on the speaker that some touron brought.

chasing highs would always crash down eventually.

rafe was the first guy who ever made you feel good about being you, the first guy you had sex with, snuck out of your house to meet, who told you he loved you, that he wanted you, that he needed you.

two months since august meant two months since rafe went no contact with you.

no warning, no explanation, just your mind constantly at war with what you did wrong to make him leave.

your friends did their best to distract you, treating you as if your three-month romance with the kook king himself never happened. that they weren't betrayed when they found out that you were hooking up with rafe.

but the memories of him haunted you ever since. his calloused hands that touched you at night only so that no one could see you together, his soft lips that whispers faux promises that sounded so real, you believed him.

the pogues successfully got you out tonight, jj claiming that "beer and a kush joint he got from his cousin" would be just what you all needed.

you're standing next to pope whose doing a poor job at sneaking concerned glances at you, while john b and jj crack open the keg as everyone lines up for a cup.

kie hands you a cup, "shitty beer but it'll get the job done," she smiles.

giving her an appreciated nod, you immediately bring the bitter liquid to your mouth. your eyes scan the boneyard - taking in the pogues, tourons, and kooks who are all letting loose.

turning to face the ocean, you meet his intense presence. though his back is to you, you only notice the girl who's wrapped around his arm. her hair is short, bob-ish in a way, she looks at him the way you used to. infatuated.

you don't know how long you've been staring until sarah's presence makes herself known.

"you shouldn't look," her words were soft. "my brother's such a dick, i'm sorry."

your eyes meets her sympathetic ones. "it's fine," you shrug. "doesn't matter."

you both know you're lying but neither of you cares to mention it.

two hours have passed, you've thrown yourself into your cups. badly dancing with jj, laughing at dumb jokes he cracked at his expense to make you laugh — he always knew what to do to make you feel better.

you're happily wasted, for the first time in months, rafe isn't on your mind. with stumbling footsteps and slurred words, you find yourself enjoying your night.

wherever rafe was with his new girl, you told yourself that you didn't care.

that when his lips would touch hers, you wouldn't feel as if you were punched in the gut, that jealousy didn't maim you to your bones.

after a while of swaying to music, yapping loudly with your friends, you find your feet leading you to a secluded part of the boneyard. the need for quiet overwhelmed your impaired judgements.

finding a log by the ocean, you let yourself relax, taking in the sand between your toes and the nice buzz you got from jj's joint.

when you hear laughter, your head turns.

rafe and her are walking next to one another, drunkenly stumbling as they kiss one another. your heart drops, eyes wide, when you make eye contact with him.

you think he might've tensed up when your eyes meet, but he does a good job at recovering, as if you meant nothing to him.

never one good at communication or confrontation, your eyes fall back to the sand. you overanalyze the way it looks, how it feels, your body being completely aware of his presence. as it always was.

their laughs echoed through the beach, he looked as if he got everything he wanted, not wasting time stuck here like you.

despite your better judgements, you look up to find him one more time. she's still clinging onto him, leaning onto his chest the same way you used to. his eyes aren't fixed on hers anymore, rather they're intensely looking back at you.

he looks...cautious? like you're an injured animal that's ready to break. is that what you were now? damaged?

with intensified eyes, you meet his. the alcohol in your system gives you the courage to do so, to not entirely back down.

neither of you say anything, or think to walk towards the other person— rather the both of you just chooses to stare.

thinking about the what-ifs, could-have-beens, if only he didn't allow himself to break your heart.

after another moment of reminiscing on his face, taking in the slope of his nose, his cerulean eyes, you're the first one to break eye contact.

maybe he thought your relationship was just a small thing that happened, but the world ended when it happened to you.

[scorpiossslut]

Sweetheart Syndrome— Rafe Cameron.

part two here.

Sweetheart Syndrome (n.)

A psychological phenomenon in which affection is used as a weapon - often characterized by one person's obsessive devotion masked as tenderness, leading the other to mistake control for love. Typically occurs in relationships where the lines between protection and possession become dangerously blurred.

pairing: bestfriend!rafe x reader

summary: Rafe and reader have always been inseparable - best friends since childhood, their bond seeming unbreakable. But when Rafe's affection for her morphs into something darker, he will stop at nothing to make her his. She is blissfully unaware of the darkness growing within him, finds herself caught between love and fear, unsure of where Rafe ends and she begins. As his manipulation tightens, she struggles to hold on to the person she once was.

Author's note: This is kind of based on the first fic ive written about Rafe Cameron. But like... in the way that it has similar themes. Also inspired by YOU. Anyway, enjoy xoxo💋

Warnings: possessive!rafe, borderline obsessive, crazy!rafe, violence, thoughts of murder, unprotected sex.

1. Unspoken Boundaries

"Some of the most dangerous people are the ones who pretend to be normal."

Song: "House of Balloons/Glass Table girls" - The Weeknd.

It started like every other summer before it. Salt on skin. Sand in shoes. Laughter echoing across the dunes.

The Pogues were causing a ruckus down at the Boneyard. The Kooks were throwing another party by the docks, where empty beer cans clinked against the dock wood and cigarettes lit up under the stars. Rafe Cameron stood on the edge of the crowd, drink in hand, head slightly tilted as he watched her.

Seventeen. Green-eyed. Tan-skinned from too many afternoons lying on the hood of his car, too many days falling asleep on his shoulder during movies they'd already seen a thousand times.

"Yo, Rafe," Kelce's voice broke into his thoughts. "You seriously gonna stand there all night and stare at her like a serial killer?"

Topper barked a laugh. "Dude, you're embarrassing yourself."

Rafe didn't even flinch. His eyes didn't leave her.

"She's drunk."

Kelce shrugged. "So is everyone. She's just dancing."

"She doesn't dance."

"She does now," Topper said, nodding towards her, who was laughing and spinning in the sand with a red Solo cup in hand, her hair wild around her shoulders.

A guy — some random local - twirled her by the wrist. She let him.

Rafe's jaw clenched.

Kelce nudged Topper. "Ten bucks says he loses his mind in the next five minutes."

Rafe didn't hear them. His drink was forgotten. So was the music.

She stumbled a little and reached out instinctively- her hand landing on Rafe's arm like a magnet that always found its match.

"Rafey!" she squealed, her eyes lighting up like he'd been gone for months, not watching her the entire time. "Why are you all the way over here?"

"Why are you drunk?" he countered flatly.

She rolled her eyes and threw both arms around his neck. "Because it's summer, Rafe. And you're no fun."

He didn't hug her back at first. Then he did - slowly, possessively, his hand sliding low on her back. She didn't notice. She never noticed.

"Don't call me that," he muttered, even as she leaned her face against his shoulder.

"But it's cute." She looked up at him, her pretty, green eyes shimmering. "You look mad. Are you mad?"

He didn't answer.

Behind them, the guy she'd been dancing with approached again, hesitating.

"Hey, you good?" the guy asked, not even looking at Rafe. Big mistake.

Rafe stepped forward. "She's fine."

The guy looked confused. "I was just—"

"She doesn't need anything from you," Rafe snapped.

Leah blinked between them. "Rafe, stop. You're being weird."

"I'm not." His tone was dead calm, but his fingers twitched.

The guy raised both hands and backed away. She sighed, pushing her hair back. "You scare people sometimes, you know that?"

"Good," he muttered. "Keeps the wrong ones away."

She didn't hear the way he said it. Not really.

Instead, she smiled - that blinding, dizzy smile - and hooked her pinky around his. "Come on. I'm bored."

He let her drag him toward the fire, her hand warm in his.

And he thought, You'll never know what you do to me.

Not yet.

But you will.

[rafesapologist]

the 1 — rafe cameron (mini series)

summary: one summer with rafe cameron was enough to make you fall madly in love with him, but at the end of the day you were just a pogue, and rafe would be leaving for college soon.

warnings: angst, age change (y/n is 17, rafe is 18), swearing, underage drinking, unedited

author's note: a fair warning to all of you who know of it, but this mini series will be inspired by 'the notebook'. i rewatched it before i started this and i was inspired + i wanted to do a mini series for holiday break, so without further ado, enjoy!!

You stand there, your apprehension dripping off of you like the summer humidity clinging to the air. The Boneyard sprawls before you, a kaleidoscope of bonfires, shadows, and laughter carried on the salty breeze. This is your first party ever, even though you’re seventeen. Your friends had begged you to come, their promises of escapade outweighing your usual reluctance.

Now, standing in the open among a mix of Kooks, Pogues, and Tourons, you feel impossibly small. Even with your group of friends around you, the scene feels overwhelming. It’s the beginning of summer break, the time to shed inhibitions and let loose. But you don’t know how, your comfort zone is a quiet corner, not the chaos of a gathering like this.

Your mind races, a storm of doubt and self-consciousness that won’t quiet. You wonder again why you even came. Around you, everyone else seems to be living their best lives—laughing, shouting, throwing themselves into the night like it’s their birthright. It’s as if the start of summer ignited something in them that you don’t have, something wild and carefree.

But not you. You can’t seem to shake the tension knotting your shoulders, the unease simmering just beneath your skin. You take a cautious sip of your drink, wincing as the sharp burn of vodka mixed with cranberry juice scratches at your throat. It’s not pleasant, but you hope it might work some magic soon.

You linger on the edges of your friend group, pretending to listen as they exchange jokes and stories you can’t bring yourself to care about. Their voices blend into the background noise of waves and music. Your mind drifts, untethered, far from this moment.

You take another sip, silently pleading for the alcohol to loosen its grip on your nerves, to numb the anxiety you’ve carried here like a weight. But it doesn’t come. The tension in your chest refuses to yield, a stubborn reminder that this kind of freedom might not be yours to claim.

Reality snaps back the moment your friends erupt in sudden cheers, rallying you to join them at the makeshift bar just a few feet away. The noise jolts you like a splash of cold water. You glance down at your half-empty cup, the remnants of cranberry-red liquid sloshing faintly under the firelight. For a moment, you hesitate, but then you shrug, forcing yourself to down the rest in one go. It burns on the way down, and you fight the urge to grimace as you follow them.

At the bar, you retreat into your usual timid form, arms crossed over your chest, shoulders drawn tight. The crowd buzzes around you like a hive, each person louder, more confident, more at ease than you feel. You stand silently, watching your friends engage in their effortless chatter with the person mixing drinks, their laughter spilling into the night. You’re grateful for their boldness, it saves you from the awkwardness of having to ask for anything yourself.

When one of them hands you your new drink, a familiar vodka cranberry, you give them a small smile. It’s the best you can muster, but it feels genuine in that moment. “Thanks,” you murmur, raising your cup slightly in their direction before taking another swig. The drink goes down a little easier this time, though the warmth spreading through your chest still feels foreign. You hope it’s the beginning of something, anything, that will make this night a little less daunting.

The next half-hour drifts by in a blur of drinks and laughter, each sip peeling back a level of your apprehension. The alcohol works its slow magic, loosening the tight grip anxiety has on you. You’re not the life of the party, not yet, but you’re finding your voice in the safe confines of your friends. It’s a small victory, but it’s something.

Your group gravitates toward the bonfire, standing in a loose circle that feels warm both from the alcohol pooling in your veins and the fire crackling behind you. The world feels softer and easier now, its edges smudged just enough to make everything seem less sharp, less overwhelming.

It’s in this softened haze that you feel it: the weight of someone’s gaze, heavy and deliberate. It prickles at the back of your neck, enough to jolt you from the conversation. You glance up, scanning the crowd beyond the flames. The faces blur slightly, but then you see him.

He’s tall, towering even, easily over six feet. His hair catches the firelight, dirty blond despite the buzzcut that does little to dull his striking features. His broad shoulders and strong stance exude an intimidating confidence that sets him apart from the crowd. But it’s his face that holds you, the sharp angles, the perfection of it all, like something carved from stone.

You can’t tell if it’s the alcohol or something else entirely, but your chest tightens as his piercing gaze meets yours. It’s unrelenting, a tether that keeps you locked in place, even as the world spins around you.

Your breath catches, a sharp intake that barely fills your lungs. His gaze remains steady, unyielding, like he’s daring you to look away first. The boldness of it unsettles you but he doesn’t flinch, doesn’t shift uncomfortably under the weight of being caught. If anything, he seems to relish it, a quiet confidence radiating from him.

You take in more of his surroundings, noting the group of guys he’s standing with. Their clothes polished, expensive, unmistakably Kook signal their place on this island’s invisible social ladder. His presence among them only cements your assumption: he’s a Kook too, one who belongs to the world that always feels just out of reach, a world that seems to thrive on your unease.

His appearance, so composed and self-assured, intimidates you further. It’s not just his stature or his looks, it’s the certainty in the way he holds himself, as if the world bends to his will.

Your friends are oblivious to what’s unfolding, their laughter a faint echo in the background. For a moment, it feels like time has slowed, the firelight casting shadows that flicker between you and this stranger. Nervous energy wells up in your chest, an overwhelming tide that you can’t push back.

It consumes you, forcing you to break first. You glance away, the weight of his gaze still lingering even as you turn back to your friends. Their conversation sweeps you back into its folds, and you force yourself to smile, to nod along as if you’re present. But in the back of your mind, the image of him and his piercing eyes, his commanding presence; burns like an afterimage you can’t quite shake.

A few more minutes slip by, and you glance down to see your cup empty, save for the faint red tint of cranberry at the bottom. “Be right back,” you tell your friends, raising your voice just enough to cut through their chatter. “Just getting another drink.”

They barely register your words, caught up in their conversation, and you head to the bar alone this time. Without your friends flanking you, the walk feels more exposed, but the alcohol dulls that vulnerability. It’s easier now to shift through the sea of bodies, the music and laughter blurring into white noise.

You order your usual, vodka cranberry, and step aside to let the next person take their turn. Leaning against the counter, you let your gaze wander, caught somewhere between the firelight and the rhythm of the night.

Then it happens. A deep voice cuts through the haze, pulling you sharply back to reality.

“Are you new around here?”

The words are casual, but they send a jolt through your chest. You turn, almost cautiously, to face whoever spoke them.

And there he is. The stranger from across the bonfire. Up close, he’s even more striking, tall and broad-shouldered, with a presence that seems to command the space around him. His piercing eyes meet yours, and though his expression is relaxed, there’s an intensity in the way he looks at you that’s impossible to ignore.

"Uh," you stammer, your voice catching as you clear your throat. "No. No, I’m not. I just… don’t go out very often." You laugh, hesitant and unsure, trying to chip away at the palpable tension settling between you and this stranger.

He tilts his head slightly, his expression shifting from curiosity to faint surprise at your answer. After a moment, he simply nods, taking a slow swig of his beer. The motion is unhurried, his confidence unsettlingly effortless.

“You shouldn’t be hiding a face like yours,” he says, the words slipping from his mouth with a sly edge.

The comment catches you off guard, and your eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Heat creeps into your cheeks, unbidden, and you’re certain the faint flush is visible even in the dim light.

“Oh. Thank you,” you murmur, your voice softer now, barely audible over the surrounding noise. You chuckle nervously, the sound light but forced, and avert your eyes to the ground. The weight of his intense gaze is too much to bear, and you focus instead on the empty cup in your hands, fiddling with it as if it might offer some kind of escape.

There’s a silence that stretches between you, fragile and uneasy, like the moments just before a storm breaks. The fire crackles somewhere behind you, but its warmth can’t touch the chill that prickles at your skin. His eyes stay locked on you, unrelenting, like he’s studying the cracks in your armor. And you can tell he enjoys this.

He revels in the way you fidget under his stare, the way your breath catches and your fingers curl tighter around the plastic cup. But there’s something else, too, something darker in the way he looks at you. It’s not just confidence; it’s control, a hunger for whatever power this moment gives him. And yet, even knowing this, you don’t move.

His words shatter the silence. “Let me take you out sometime.”

It isn’t a question. It’s a statement, sharp and certain, like he’s already decided the answer.

Your eyes snap up to his, wide and startled. You almost laugh, because surely this is a joke, a cruel one meant to entertain him and his perfectly dressed friends who are probably watching from somewhere nearby, waiting for you to embarrass yourself.

“What?” The word tumbles out before you can stop it, your voice barely steady.

His lips curve slightly, but it isn’t quite a smile. “I said, I’d like to take you out sometime.” He repeats it slower this time, as if you didn’t hear him the first time, as if he’s daring you to challenge him.

You open your mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. The world tilts slightly, whether from the alcohol or the weight of his words, you can’t tell. All you know is that he’s still staring, waiting for you to say something, to give him a reason to step closer or walk away.

And you can’t decide which one you want more.

You shake your head firmly, the movement small but resolute. "I don’t think that’s a good idea," you say, your voice steadier than you feel.

But he doesn’t flinch. That smirk, half amusement, half something you can’t quite name, lingers on his lips, and it sets your nerves alight. It’s infuriating, how unaffected he seems, like he’s already won this game you didn’t agree to play.

You brace yourself, expecting him to scoff or roll his eyes, to walk away and let this moment crumble into nothing. But he doesn’t move.

"And why’s that?" His words are low and deliberate, tipped with sarcasm, and they hit you square in the chest.

You falter, staring at him like he’s some kind of puzzle you can’t figure out. Why hasn’t he given up yet? Most people would’ve shrugged off your rejection and moved on, but he stands there, solid and unwavering, as if you haven’t just pushed him away.

You swallow hard and force yourself to speak. "Because…" You gesture vaguely at him, your words fumbling as you try to make sense of this. "Look at you. You’re clearly a Kook, and I’m not. I’m not going to say yes just to end up being laughed at, for what? Being some dare your friends put on you?"

His head tips back slightly, and he laughs. It’s not cruel, but it’s sharp and warm, like he’s genuinely amused by how wrong you are. The sound coils through you, confusing and unsettling all at once.

"You think I came over to talk to you because my friends dared me to?" he repeats, the question coated in disbelief and something dangerously close to admiration.

You don’t answer, just stare at him, your pulse quickening under the weight of his words.

Because he’s still standing there, still looking at you like he sees something worth waiting for. And it terrifies you.

"Well, yeah," you reply, matter-of-fact and sharp, but the edge in your voice doesn’t hide the unease curling in your stomach. "Why else would you be here with a Pogue?"

The words hang there, heavy and bitter. You force a half-hearted laugh, hoping it might soften the blow or drown out the doubt clawing its way to the surface. But it doesn’t. The uncertainty lingers, sticking to you like salt air and sweat.

He doesn’t waver. Instead, he licks his lips, slow and deliberate, before tipping his beer back for another sip. It’s infuriating, the way he moves with such ease, as if he’s never doubted himself a day in his life.

Then he says it.

"I came over here because as soon as I saw you, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you."

His voice is steady, low enough that you feel it more than hear it, but there’s no mistaking the confidence in his tone. It’s not a line, it doesn’t feel rehearsed or hollow. It’s simply the truth, spoken as plainly as if he were commenting on the weather.

And that’s what makes it so dangerous.

You can’t stop the sharp breath that slips past your lips or the way your fingers tighten around your empty cup. He’s too much; too bold, too certain, too beautiful for someone like you.

You drop your gaze, trying to regain some semblance of control, but it doesn’t help. His words linger, heavy and unshakable, seeping into your skin. You look back up at him, and he’s still there, still looking at you like you’re something worth staring at. And it terrifies you more than anything ever has.

Your breath catches, shallow and unsteady, as if the weight of his words has pressed the air right out of your lungs. You open your mouth, but nothing comes out. Your voice caught somewhere between disbelief and fear.

Your eyes flicker away from him, desperate for an escape. You scan the crowd, the fire, the shadows cast by bodies moving and swaying in the night; but no matter where you look, you can feel it. Him. His stare clings to you like smoke, thick and suffocating, refusing to let you slip away unnoticed.

If he’s lying, he’s a hell of a liar, you think. Too practiced. Too composed. And yet, there’s something unsettlingly genuine about the way he’s looking at you.

You hate how much you want to believe him.

Still, you don’t move, don’t let yourself lean into the moment. You’ve been here before, dangling on the edge of something that felt real, only to fall flat when the truth unraveled. And you refuse to be played again.

“How do I know you’re not just messing with me?”

The words fall out before you can second-guess them, softer than you intended but laced with an edge of defiance. Your gaze finally snaps back to his, searching for cracks, for some sign that this is just another game, another pretty lie dressed up in confidence and charm.

But he doesn’t flinch.

Instead, he steps closer, just enough to make your pulse quicken. The firelight catches in his eyes, and for a moment, you swear they burn just as fiercely.

“You don’t,” he says, the corners of his mouth tugging into the faintest smirk. “But maybe that’s what makes it worth finding out.”

[softspiderling]

illicit affairs - part six | r.c

summary:

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to talk to you.”

The tone in Rafe’s voice made you pause and you felt your stomach drop. This was it. Rafe found out about your feelings for him and he was about to tell you how he didn’t feel the same.

“Rafe-”

“Can you let me say what I want to say first?”

OR; Your parents are gone for the weekend and you have the house to yourself. Mostly.

pairing: rafe cameron x reader

warnings: none, I think

word count: 3k

author's note: wait.... this is kinda crazy, but don't hate me for this please. Also i'm genuinely so tired rn, falling asleep as i type this... happy reading!!! <3

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

pt. six: "you'll be flushed when you return"

You were sitting at the bottom of the stairs at your house, watching your parents pack the last of their things into their bags. They were headed to Charleston over the weekend, running the last errands before the Spring Fling the following week.

“Do you have your wallet and phone?” your mother asked your father as she closed the flap of her purse, checking her reflection in the mirror.

“Yes dear.”

Your father tossed his laptop into his bag, zipping it up before straightening his back, glancing over to you.

“Are you sure you don’t want Kelly to come over the weekend? It’s still not too late to call her in.”

“I’m good, dad,” you assured him. “Kelly should take the weekend off, it’s such a waste to have her for the whole weekend just incase I want a home cooked meal. I’ll probably just go out to eat.”

“Okay then,” your father said with a nod. “We’ll probably be back Sunday night, behave yourself.”

“Bye honey!” your mother called over her shoulder, exiting the house. Your father was hot on her heels, but just before he closed the door, he paused, turning back to you.

“And don’t you dare throw a party while we’re gone,” your father said, wagging a finger for good measure because apparently you were a child in the 80s being scolded by your parents. You resisted an eye roll, because they still had enough time to make you to come along on the trip, so you only nodded, like a good daughter.

“I won’t dad, don’t worry,” you sighed, leaning your chin on your hand. “I’m just going to hang out with my friends.”

Your father gave a curt nod, bidding you goodbye before he left, shutting the front door behind him. Shortly after you could hear the engine from their car start, before the sound of the engine slowly quietened down as it left the estate.

“Finally,” you sighed to yourself, padding back upstairs feeling like your stress had just left with your parents. It was a sunny day out and you wanted to use that time to get some tanning done. As you fished a bikini out of your drawer, you had half a mind to text your friends to come over, hang out by the pool. But that meant facing Rafe.

Ever since the nightly swim during the boneyard party, the ache in your chest that you felt whenever Rafe was around had started to feel more present, as opposed to dull. But you had promised yourself (and Rafe) that this wouldn’t get between your friendship. Tugging the bikini top over your chest, you stared at your reflection in the mirror, unhappy with yourself.

“Fuck it,” you muttered to yourself. Grabbing your sunglasses, some sunblock and your phone, you headed back downstairs, sending a text into your groupchat.

precious in 3 musketeers and their precious [04/05/24: 2:37 pm]: i’m out by the pool if anyone’s down to join

precious in 3 musketeers and their precious [04/05/24: 2:37 pm]: bring food tho

Sliding the door closed behind you as you stepped out to the patio, you headed for your designated sun chair, dropping your stuff on the small side table. You planted your ass on the chair, slathered the sun block on your body, because you very much did not want to look like the hamburgers Topper tried to grill and as you spread the sun block on your arms, your phone buzzed.

top in 3 musketeers and their precious [04/05/24: 2:40 pm]: stuck at the court house with my mom rn, i’ll text when i’m otw

kelce in 3 musketeers and their precious [04/05/24: 2:41 pm]: i’ll be over later

No reply from Rafe, though.

With an eyeroll, you turned your phone, screen side down and made yourself comfortable on the chair, feeling your skin warm up from the sunrays. You heard your phone buzz again, but you were too lazy to reach for it, shutting your eyes, a comfortable silence settling over your patio. Before you knew it, you dozed off, limbs growing tired in the sun.

“Hey Precious…. You really invite people over to hang out just to be asleep when I get here?”

….

“Precious.”

You let out a small noise, squeezing your eye shut, a frown on your forehead. The voice quietened, and you nearly slipped back into your slumber, when you felt fingertips dancing on your exposed stomach. The touch was featherlight, but it broke through your unconsciousness, your eyes fluttering open.

Rafe was perched on the edge of the sun chair, his palm resting on your hip. His mouth was curled in a smirk and you were already annoyed with him.

“I was having such a good nap,” you huffed, rolling your shoulders a little, before you arched your back, waking yourself up a little.

“You’re not being a very good host,” Rafe replied, all the while his eyes not leaving your chest, which admittedly, was your goal.

“You haven’t been a guest at my house since you were 14.”

Leaning on your elbows, you sat up to look at him, unimpressed.

“Where are the others?”

“Told them not to come,” Rafe said, his thumb tracing circles into your skin, but you only narrowed your eyes at him.

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to talk to you.”

The tone in Rafe’s voice made you pause and you felt your stomach drop. This was it. Rafe found out about your feelings for him and he was about to tell you how he didn’t feel the same.

“Rafe-”

“Can you let me say what I want to say first?”

You exhaled deeply, sighing, and buried yourself deeper in the sun chair. Rafe watched you intently for a second, removing his hand off your waist to run it through his hair.

“When I suggested we do this casual sex thing, I was mostly doing it out of comfort. I hated hooking up with those random girls who were always so insanely clingy after, and you were right there: my best friend, who’s also kinda crazy hot and understands me without having to say a single word.”

Rolling your eyes at him, you turned away to hide the flush on your cheeks, but Rafe stopped you, turning your chin to face him again.

“Will you look at me while I’m talking to you?”

You lifted your eyes to meet his, and nearly died at his undivided attention on you. After making sure, that you weren’t going to turn away again, Rafe dropped his hand, carefully reaching for yours.

“The past few days I have been struggling, feeling restless, and I couldn’t tell why, until I realized….” Rafe paused, taking a deep breath. “I love you, Precious.”

Your eyes widened at the confession, your mouth agape. “I…. What?”

“I know this sounds insane and I really really hope you feel the same way, because otherwise this is gonna get real awkward,” Rafe chuckled dryly, and you shook your head quickly.

“Rafe,” you started. “You know I’m in love with you, right?”

“You are?”

“Yes!”

Rafe beamed at you, pulling you in closely, and the weight on your shoulders disappeared when your lips touched his. Even though you have kissed so many times, this kiss felt… Different. He pulled away, hand gently caressing your cheek and you sighed softly, thinking of how to break this to Kelce and Topper.

“What are you thinking about?” Rafe asked, raising a brow at you. “Precious?”

Your eyes narrowed at the sudden increase of volume,, his voice his voice seeming so much louder than before. You opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“Precious, hello?”

With a gasp, you startled awake, your heart racing when you saw Rafe standing over your sun chair, his brows furrowed over his sun glasses.

“What?” you breathed out, swallowing thickly, trying to calm yourself down.

“Shit, are you okay?”

Rafe pushed his sun glasses up, his forehead creased in concern and you nodded, taking a deep breath.

It was just a dream.

“Yeah, sorry, you just startled me,” you assured him, grasping at your chest. You could barely look at Rafe, the dream was still replaying in your head, it seemed so real. Rubbing your face with your hand, you swung your legs off the sun chair, peering up at Rafe, hand coming up to shield your eyes from the sun.

“When did you get here?”

“Not that long ago,” Rafe replied, eyeing you suspiciously. “You sure you alright?”

You rolled your eyes at him, shoving his bicep. “Yes, dad.”

Rafe smirked, and you knew exactly what he was going to say next.

“I think you meant-”

“I know what I meant, you perv.”

Your hand reached out to whack him, but his reflexes were faster, his fingers slipping around your wrist to stop you. With a quick tug, he pulled you towards him, sending you crashing against his chest. You glared up at him, but your cheeks were flushed. If he asked, you’d blame it on the sun.

“Why aren’t we hanging out at your pool more often?”

Rafe played with the small strings of your bikini bottoms on your waist, a smirk ever present on his lips.

“Because you always get bored hanging around doing nothing,” you reminded him. He clicked his tongue, his eyes zeroing in on the valley between your breasts.

“I wouldn’t be bored if you wore this bikini every time, fuck.”

You rolled your eyes at him. “God, have you always been this horny or is it just since we started fucking?”

Before Rafe could answer, a crash sounded from inside the house followed by some cursing. Your head turned towards the sound before you looked back to him.

“Top and Kelce are here already?”

“Yeah, we came together,” Rafe said, as if it was obvious, but you only let out a sigh, pushing away from him to head into the house. As you got into the kitchen, you saw Topper and Kelce tinkering around in the kitchen.

“Hey boys.”

“Precious, hey,” Kelce greeted you, shoving a bag of ice on the counter to give you a half hug.

“What are we making?”

“I was thinking frozen daiquiris,” Topper said, heaving the mixer on the counter with a grin, before smacking a kiss on your cheek. “Hey. We were starting to think Rafe got lost out there.”

“Oh no. He was too distracted by my boobs.”

Topper paused to glance over to you, his eyes quickly flying over your chest, before giving a brief nod.

“Understandable.”

“Yeah, I don’t even like boobs and yours look good in that bikini,” Kelce chimed in. Rafe only gave you a look that said I told you so as he rounded the kitchen island.

“And you’re calling me a perv,” Rafe miffed, emptying the bag of mangoes. Together, the four of you managed to make a big batch of frozen mango daiquiris, tossed together the salad the boys got from Whole Foods and prepped the steak for grilling in-between bickering.

Sipping on your drink, you carried out the salads out to the patio, while Topper got the grill going, with Rafe breathing down his neck, because he paid good money for the steaks and he wasn’t about to let Topper grill it to death. Kelce was setting the table when you put the salad bowl down, a beer bottle in his hand as he laid out the cutlery. You eyed him carefully, thinking back to his text.

“Hey, what were you doing before you came over?”

Kelce’s hand stilled over the fork, and he decidedly didn’t lift his head, staring at the napkins. “I was at the golf course.”

He was being cagey, and his answer didn’t really satisfy you, especially because you knew how he Kelce hated golf. Whenever Top and Rafe went golfing, you and Kelce either went for ice cream or to the beach or hung out in a golf caddy, making fun of Top and Rafe. Kelce would never willingly go on on the green.

“…. What were you doing at the golf course?”

Kelce hesitated before he answered, taking a deliberately took another long sip of his beer, and you narrowed your eyes at him before he finally gave in.

“Malcolm asked me if I wanted to play a few rounds of golf with him.”

Your mouth dropped open, half in shock, half in excitement. “Wait, really?”

Kelce nodded, his mouth curling up in a small grin.

“Yeah, Just the two of us.”

“Kels, that’s great,” you told him, pausing as you thought his words over. “Wait. Was this just you hanging out, or was it a date?”

“… He didn’t say date.”

You sighed and Kelce shook his head, frowning.

“Don’t look at me like that. You know this shit isn’t easy, for either of us.”

“I know Kels,” you said, voice soft. “But I just don’t want you to get hurt again if Malcolm is scared of things getting real and throws himself at another girl.”

Kelce shrugged with his shoulders, like he didn’t really care, but you rounded the table to lean your head on his shoulder. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes and you were content to just stand there with him, watching as Rafe and Topper fought over the grill.

“What about you?” Kelce suddenly asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t heard anything about boys from you recently.”

Your eyes lingered on Rafe as he snatched the tongs out of Topper’s hand, and you bit back a smile. “Oh. No one’s caught my eye recently,” you lied and Kelce, sighed.

“You’re lucky, crushing on someone is so stressful. It is not what it used to be.”

If only he knew.

“Alright, steaks will be done in a few minutes!” Rafe called over from the grill and you nudged Kelce.

“Come on, let’s get the rest of the table settled.”

The four of you spent a rather chill day out at your pool. After a great steak dinner, with the steaks grilled to perfection (”I told you that it was the perfect time to take them off the grill Top, sometimes you just gotta listen to your gut.”) you got buzzed off of the frozen daiquiris and even went into the pool a few times. Before you knew it, the night broke in and it got too chilly, so you started clearing everything away, carrying the dirty dishes into the kitchen.

“Man, staying out in the sun all day really knocked me the fuck out,” Kelce said, yawning into his shoulder as he put the rest of the salad into the fridge.

“Yeah, we’re getting old,” Rafe agreed with him, and Topper side eyed him,

“Who’s we? You’re two years older than us.”

Rafe smacked Topper’s head upside down and you snickered to yourself as you dried off the mixer. Rafe moved to open the dishwasher, but you waved him off.

“Leave it, I can do it in the morning.”

Rafe raised an eyebrow at you. “You sure, Precious?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“A’ight.”

Rafe yawned into his fist and the boys started to collect their things. You were taken aback, having expected Rafe to find an excuse to stay back, maybe even stay the night. You did have the whole house to yourself, and it seemed like he didn’t even care.

Tossing the dish towel on the counter, you walked the boys to the door, leaning against the door frame as you hugged them good bye.

“Alright, guys. See you tomorrow. Thanks for dinner.”

The boys waved, one by one getting into the car, and you crossed your arms as you stared at Rafe through the tinted window of Topper’s car as you stood on your front porch. As Topper’s car pulled off your grounds, you headed back inside with a sigh, shutting the door behind you.

You were tempted to go to sleep right away, but the amount of dishes in the kitchen was taunting you. In all honesty, you’d have appreciated a little help from the boys, you only turned down their offers because you thought that was what Rafe wanted you to say. On one hand, you really didn’t feel like cleaning up, on the other hand, you didn’t want Kelly to feel obligated to clean your shit up when she came back on Monday. So cleaning up it was. You put the dried off mixer away, and started rinsing the plates and cutlery. You cleared the last of the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, yawning into your elbow. Kelce was right, the sun shining down on you really had made you super tired. You yearned for your bed and for some rest, and sleep was near as you put in the last plate into the dishwasher. Just as you were about to shut the dishwasher and start the program, the hairs on the nape of your neck rose when you heard the sliding door to the patio open in the otherwise quiet house.

Fuck.

Didn’t you lock the door?

Your heart was in your throat, and you grabbed the nearest weapon you could find - a rolling pin - as you snuck into the hallway. There was no way that someone broke into your house, right? It was just your imagination?

You half expected to see nothing as you rounded the corner, the noise just being a figment of your tired self, but you froze when you heard steps come towards you so when you stepped out from behind the wall, you swung the rolling pin as quick as possible, hoping to knock the intruder out before he could do any harm.

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

author's note: wait omg my first actual cliffhanger in this series

[fangirl-writes]

Need A Hero To Save Me (Just In Time)

JJ Maybank x Fem!Routledge!Reader

Warning(s): mild swearing. that's all.

Request: could you do a fic with jj where y/n is a routledge and after john b is presumed dead, shoupe shows up and ends up taking her to a foster camp (the one kie was actually taken to) and then jj comes to save her while kie and pope go to charlotte?

Notes: This one took a while. It's the first obx fic I've finished since s4 and...yeah. S4 wasn't exactly motivating.

You wanted to die.

You'd already lost your dad, and now you've lost your brother. You refused to go back to the Cameron's so you holed yourself up in the chateau, crying.

Kie and Pope were pretty much on house arrest, but JJ came by often.

He was the only thing holding you together at that point.

Which was why it hurt all the much more when Shoupe came to take you away.

"The...Camerons have decided to send you to Kitty Hawk," Shoupe said. "They are still technically your legal guardians, so they have a say, since you're not eighteen yet."

Your stomach sinks. The behavorial camp? You'd only heard bad things about the place, the wilderness cookoos nest, and weren't excited to have your adventure ripped out of you.

Tears swelled in your eyes. "I- I don't have a choice do I?"

Shoupe sighed, shaking his head. "No. I'm sorry, you don't."

You nodded, choking up. "Okay. Let me just...pack some stuff."

Shoupe turned away, heading back outside where the Kitty Hawk car was waiting to take you away from the only home you'd ever known.

It was empty now, though. Void of the brother and father that gave it life. A shell of a happy home.

You contemplated texting Kie. Or Pope. Tell someone where you were going.

You also considered running, but where would you go? You didn't have a car, the twinkie was still impounded, and you didn't have anywhere to go where you wouldn't be turned in.

The Carreras and Heywards were lovely, but they'd think it would be best for you to obey, to go to the reformitory camp.

"Okay, JJ," you mumbled, quickly sharing your location with him along with an explanation text. "Be my hero."

With that, you threw a few pairs of clothes and other neccessities into a bag and went to meet Shoupe outside.

So, this was it.

No more chateau. No more Kildaire High. No more boneyard parties or late night bonfires. No more pogues.

You gave your home on last look, trying to keep the tears from falling as you went.

Shoupe was talking with one of the workers, dressed in boring beige that matched the car behind him.

"Ready to go?" Shoupe asked, brightly.

"No," you replied. "But I don't have a choice, remember?"

Shoupe frowned, a flash of guilt crossing his face before he turned away.

"Can I check your bag?" The worker asked, shifting his stance to face you.

"Why? Think I'm bringing a weapon or something?"

"From what I hear about you and your friends, it wouldn't be a surprise."

You glared, shoving your bag into the man's arms. "Don't go rooting around in my underwear, would you?"

He didn't dignify your jab with a response, simply rumaged through your few belongings before zipping it back up and handing it to you.

"Everything a-okay, boss?" you snap.

The worker grunts, opening the back door for you to get in.

You send Shoupe one last glare before getting in and having the door slammed behind you.

Meanwhile, JJ's phone dinged with a text that wasn't from the recently resurrected John B.

"Guys, we have a problem," JJ said, looking up from his phone.

"Yeah, obviously, clearing John B.'s name is gonna be-"

"No. I mean a new problem," JJ interrupted. "The Camerons sent Y/N to Kitty Hawk."

Kiara's head snapped up. "The wilderness camp?"

"Yeah," JJ slammed his hand against the lockers. "God damn it! Every time we catch a break it's something else."

"I hate to say this, JJ, but we have bigger fish to fry right now," Pope said. "Y/N will be fine at Kitty Hawk but John B. could be snagged at any moment."

JJ looked scandalized. "Pope they're gonna rip her personality out of her, haven't you heard the stories?"

"Yes, JJ, I have and I know that they don't shoot them on sight, okay?" Pope replied. "Right now, we gotta try to get some evidence against Rafe before the Camerons destory any trace of it, okay?"

JJ looked like he wanted to protest, but kept his mouth shut. "Fine. But we get something, I'm going for her, alright? I'm not gonna let her rot in there. Not when her brother's alive."

You were curled in on yourself, knees hugged to your chest as you watched the trees pass by, depression and hopelessness setting in. You hadn't heard back from JJ or anyone.

You felt well and truly alone.

The car pulled up to the gate where a guard was stood.

"I have Y/N Routledge," the driver said.

The guard waved them through and the gates closed behind you.

There were girls all around, gardening, mowing, digging. Manual labor type things.

Your stomach sank.

The worker and driver that picked you up led you passed all the girls (who looked about as excited to be there as you did) into an building where you were handed a uniform and sent into an office to speak with a woman you guessed was the leader of this...lovely establishment.

"Welcome to our camp, Y/N," she said with a smile that was a bit too kind for the soulless nature of the place. "How are you finding it so far."

You shrugged. "Not finding it inviting, if that's what you were hoping for."

The woman ignored you, jotting something down in the notebook before her.

"I understand you recently lost your brother," she said.

You glared at her. "Yeah. Someone was trying to frame him for murder and he died in a thunderstorm. Thanks for bringing that up, it only happened a few days ago, so it's still raw and all that."

She smiled at you. "You know, we can help you process it. Here we give girls like you the opportunity to rebuild."

"Girls like me?"

"Girls from...rough homes."

"I am not from a rough home."

She flipped a page she had. "Stop me if I'm wrong, but for the last several months you were living in your childhood home without a guardian, and with your brother, until Ward Cameron took you in."

"Yeah, and then Ward Cameron's psycho son shot our sheriff and they framed my brother for it, so forgive me if I wasn't too eager to go back," you snapped.

She closed the file. "Y/N. I understand that you are greiving. But this is a new opportunity for you. A good opportunity."

You snorted. "Yeah. I'm sure."

JJ was going insane. He couldn't stop think about you, about John B. It was like the Routledges had moved into his brain.

He tried texting you, no answer. John B. was also MIA, probably ditched the phone he was using.

And now Pope wanted to go to Charleston.

"Charleston?" JJ asked.

"I know," Pope replied. "It's like an eight hour drive plus the ferry, how are we going to get there tonight?"

"Yeah, we'd have to leave like right now."

"I have a free period," Kiara said.

"Material evidence," JJ whispered. "What's that even mean 'material evidence'?"

"It means he can clear John B.," Kiara explained.

"Oh, shit, then we're going to Charleston," JJ said, louder than the cranky librarian cared for.

"I need to tell my mom," Kiara said. "If we get it this time, we are not giving it to Shoupe."

JJ agreed.

Clear John B. This could be huge.

"Guys," JJ said suddenly. "If, uh, if we're clearing John B...I really think Y/N outta be there."

They both groaned. "Not this again, JJ."

"What? Doesn't she deserve to know he's alive? That he can maybe come home?" JJ said.

"Yes, of course she does, but we have to go to Charleston, we can't take a detour-"

"Then I'll go get her!" he whisper-shouted. "You guys go to Charleston and I'll go get Y/N."

Kiara huffed at him. "Do you even have a plan?"

JJ shrugged. "You know me, I make it up as I go."

"JJ, you don't have a car, how are you even going to get there?" Pope said.

JJ frowned. "I'll- I'll go break the twinkie out of lockup and use it."

"What?"

"JJ, what if you get caught?"

JJ groaned. "All right, how about y'all focus on Charleston and I'll focus on Y/N."

In the end, they agreed and let him go off to break out the twinkie and try to break out Y/N.

All the while, you were stuck hanging laundry and gardening. Nothing you'd never done before, but something about being forced to do it made it worse.

Plus, you'd never been a morning person and waking up before 6 a.m. was proving to be a nightmare.

And going to bed at 9 p.m. only made you dream about John B. About how he must've drowned in that thunderstorm. About him calling your name before being swallowed by the ocean.

You woke up crying.

JJ drove up to the Kitty Hawk gate, trying to appear as casually as he could in the beat-up, cracked windshield, hippie van that was the twinkie. It was a miracle that he was able to get it out and get it running without ending up with a flat halfway there.

"How y'all doing?" JJ greeted, giving the gate guard his brightest, most casual smile.

"Can I help you?" The guard said.

"Hey, there, uh, sir, I-" He gestured to the gate. "Camp couselor Laura, I'm- I'm her brother. I was gonna drop off one of these packages back here for her, if that's okay."

One of JJ's strengths was lying out of his ass.

He could only hope that a) there was a couselor named Laura or b) that these guy's didn't know the counselor's names.

"It's real quick, I promise, just in and out," he said. "That all right?"

JJ's heart was pounding, but his exterior remained calm.

"Yeah, go ahead," the guard said, gesturing to the other guard to wave him through.

Fuck. Yes.

"Thank you so much, all right," JJ said. "Y'all have a good day."

He drove the twinkie into Kitty Hawk on a hope and a prayer, easing it into a parking space and getting out.

"Okay, Y/N, if I were you, where would I be hiding out in this shit hole?" he mumbled.

It was an eerie place. Girls walked in formal lines and were watched like hawks at they did so.

JJ waved to one of the watchers. "Hi there, sir, uh, I'm looking for... I'm looking for the office."

The man seemed nice enough, seeming to trust JJ's nice demeanor (and the fact he was let in at all).

"Is there a main lodge or something?"

The man pointed him in the right direction and JJ followed without argument, sauntering right up to the office.

"Hi there, ma'am," JJ said to the woman at the front desk.

"Can I help you son?" she asked.

"I, uh, I have a message for one of your campers," he said. "Uh, Y/N. Y/N Routledge, she's here, right?"

"Unfortunately we're not allowed to do that," the woman responded, looking at him in the way the woman in the high school office always did when he got called into the principal's office. "You're not even supposed to be here on campus."

JJ licked his lips. "Okay. It's...It's just that's it's a very important- May I sit?"

The woman allowed him and he settled into the chair.

"A very important matter, ma'am," He continued.

"Oh, I'm sure it is, sweetie, but we have a policy. No contact from the outside world for the first six weeks."

JJ considered. He had to pull on this woman's heart strings to get anywhere. She was nice enough, had a picture of her cat on her desk...which sadly meant he could manipulate her pretty easily.

"Right...ma'am, it's actually a family matter, and uh," he said. "I'm...I'm related to her, I'm her cousin. So, I know you got a policy and all, but there's just been something that happened recently that..."

JJ was getting choked up.

Fakely, of course, but he was still doing it.

"You know what? I'm getting a little emotional, right now, so I think I should go," he stood up. "I shouldn't even be here, like you said, so I'll leave you alone. But before I leave-"

Here goes nothing.

"Could you just let her know, um...could you let her know that they found her brother?"

The woman seemed taken aback.

"I- uh, I'm sure you've heard that he drowned in a boating accident a few days ago and, uh, they've been looking for him since and...and they finally found him this morning, so."

The woman seemed striken, her eyes even getting a little misty.

"I'll- I'll go now, sorry to bother you..."

Then he was out.

But he wasn't done.

He snuck around the side of the building, watching as the front desk woman and an attendant went up to a building and unlocked it.

"Y/N? Sweetie? Can you come out here?"

You perked up from your space on the bed at the voice and headed to the door.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie, but at Kitty Hawk, we feel you have the strength to hear all the news," she said when you were in front of her. "Including bad news."

Your stomach sank. "What happened?"

"Well, your cousin was here a minute ago."

Your face flashed with confusion.

As far as you knew, you didn't have any cousins.

"What cousin?"

"A young man, blond."

Your eyes widened.

JJ?

"He asked me to tell you that...that they found your brother."

"Wh- what?"

"He said they found him this morning...that he didn't make it."

Your legs felt like they were going to give out.

No. No, no, no no.

"They- He-" Tears were swelling up in your eyes.

"Oh, oh, honey, why don't you go sit down," she said.

JJ, who was pressed against the building as tightly as he could, felt guilty for using John B. (who wasn't dead) as a way to get to you. But it was the only thing he could think of.

"Take all the time you need."

You went back inside the cabin and dropped on the bed.

JJ. He was there.

And he wouldn't leave you there, would he?

You needed him now more than ever.

That night, two attendants came by the reflection cabin, where they'd placed you for that afternoon.

"Y/N." the woman said. "We know your greiving and feel you're best supported by your peers. So, we're going to relocate you."

Your heart started pounding.

"I- I really feel like I need some more time to reflect," you said.

"No stalling," the man snapped. "Come on, we're putting you in a dorm. Cabin six. Let's go."

You could only hope that if JJ was still there, he was watching closely.

You followed them into Cabin Six, where girls of all kinds turned to look at you as you walked in. Like they were eyeing up the new meat.

"Girls. This is Y/N." the woman said. "She's had some tough family news. Let's show her some empathy and love, okay? Can we do that?"

The way they were looking at you, you guessed the real answer would be no.

They whispered and smirked as one of the male attendants walked you to your bed. It was a top bunk, near the middle of the room.

Not at all like your cosy, window side bed back home.

It made you feel like a trapped animal. And the girls didn't help.

It seemed like love and empathy were the last things these girls wanted to offer you.

At least they didn't taunt or bully, like the Kooks. At least they gave you the peace of being left alone.

You rumaged through your bag as the sun had nearly set and all the girls were getting ready for bed.

You pulled out the photobooth strip of photos you had with the pogues that you'd take on your birthday last year, before everything went to shit. One with each of them and one all together.

You heart ached as you looked at the picture of you and John B. and you felt the tears start to swell in your eyes.

You quickly wiped them away, not wanting to be caught crying around everyone.

Then, your eyes landed on the one of you and JJ.

God. JJ.

If he was there, if he was really going to save you, god, you'd kiss him.

You wanted to go home.

The night settled in and you closed your eyes, but didn't sleep. Waiting and hoping with all your might, that he was going to find you.

And JJ was hoping with all his might that none of these guys with flashlights stumbled upon him.

He carefully made his way to the building labeled "Cabin Group #6" and quietly tried popping the door unlocked with an old card he had in his bag.

It worked, but it also made a loud noise as it opened, causing him to swear under his breath as he eased it open, slipped inside, and eased it closed again.

There were rows of beds there and he had no way of knowing which one Y/N was in.

So, he started asking "Y/N?" as quietly as he could.

Unfortunately, in the otherwise pin-drop silence of the cabin, it was still loud.

One girl clicked on the light and he froze.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked.

Fuck.

"Uh, evening, miss," he tried. "Sorry- Sorry to bother y'all."

Other girls started sitting up and looking at him, none of them so far Y/N.

"Shit. I know this looks bad, but I come in peace," he insisted. "I'm just looking for someone, I'm looking for-"

"JJ?"

He turned at your voice, his heart jumping in his chest as his eyes finally landed on you.

Your eyes were puffy and your hair was messy but you were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Y/N." he breathed.

You moved, leg swinging over the bed and climbing down to see him. You rushed into his awaiting arms, hugging him tightly.

"JJ, what're you- how did you- did they really find-"

"No!" JJ assured, a little louder than he meant. "No. No, he's alive, Y/N. Him and Sarah, they both made it. They're hiding out in the Bahamas and Pope and Kie are in Charleston getting something to clear his name so he can come home."

The information hit you like a train. "Are- are you serious? JJ, I-"

"Look, we gotta go, okay? Before someone catches me- or us. Okay, we just gotta," he started moving towards the door.

You quickly grabbed your bag from the side of the bed and rushed after him.

"Ladies," JJ said. "Thank you for your cooperation."

And then you were gone, leaving the other girls with an unlocked door.

You and JJ rushed through the trees, hand in hand.

"I can't believe you did this!" you cried, absolutely elated.

"You thought I was just going to let you rot in there? When John B.'s alive? No way, man. Never."

"JJ," you stopped him in the middle of the trees. "Thank you. Really, thank you. Thank you so much."

He grinned. "You can thank me later, let's just get out of here before they send someone after us."

You both continued running, bags bouncing and hearts pumping, towards the place he'd stashed the twinkie before sneaking back in.

You saw the old van and felt your heart swell. It was just as much home as the chateau.

JJ jumped in the driver's seat and you in the passenger.

"Hey," you said, getting his attention.

When he turned his head, you kissed him.

He sucked in a breath, surprised at your action, so the kiss lasted only a short moment.

"Thank you, again," you said, smiling.

He blinked a moment, trying to get his brain back on line, and cleared his throat. "Yeah, you're- uh. You're welcome. Let's get out of here, yeah?"

His face had flushed, though you couldn't see it in the dark, and he drove off, back towards the Kildaire.

You and JJ were definitely going to need a moment to talk about your feelings later, but for now you were out of Kitty Hawk, your brother was alive, and he was going to be coming home.

You felt more alive on that drive back than you had since your dad went missing.

[rafesbowbunny]

was literally just reading all your work and you write so well!! new fav blog fr, i was wondering (if you're interested) if we could have some rafe x kook bestf!reader fluff, angst kinda one-shot story? thank youuu !! <3

thank you soso much ml !! ofc ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

req! 𝜗𝜚 kook!reader sneaks out to a boneyard kegger, & bsf!rafe gets pretty protective.

c!w; fluff ! for once, bsf!rafe, soft!rafe, possessiveness, overprotective guy friend, icky males, drinking, a brief physical fight, tiny mention of blood, mostly very fluffy with a tinge of angst ! notes; i can't believe this is my first fluff work lol ! i kinda wrote loads oopsie, i hope you enjoy <3

you sneak out of your house, careful to avoid the creaky floorboards. the night air is cool against your skin as you walk through the empty streets, the buzz of the kegger ahead growing louder with each step. it’s just past midnight when you reach the boneyard, the ground is uneven, the sand mixing with beer-stained grass, and the smell of salty air mingles with the faint scent of weed and sweat.

you grab a red solo cup from the keg, its warmth feeling strange against your fingers. your eyes scan the crowd, taking in the sight of everyone laughing, shouting, and dancing—people you mostly know but can never remember their names the next day. you slip into the chaos, easing into conversations, letting the alcohol dull the edges of the night. everything’s blurry, but in a good way, like you can finally breathe.

“hey,” a voice says, way too close to your ear. you turn, finding some random boy—a touron, probably. his blue eyes are too wide, his grin a little too eager. “you’re cute. want a drink?”

you arch an eyebrow, taking a small step back. “no, thanks. i've got one,” you say, trying to keep your tone light. you’re not interested, but you don’t want to be rude.

he doesn’t get the hint. instead, he takes a half-step toward you, leaning in as though he’s trying to get into your personal space. “oh come on, don’t be like that. one drink won’t hurt.”

you cross your arms and take another step back, annoyance creeping up your spine. “i said no, okay?”

he just laughs like it’s some kind of game, and that’s when you start to feel the frustration bubble up. you don’t want to make a scene, but it’s clear this guy doesn’t know how to take a hint. every time you move away, he follows.

“seriously, i’m not interested,” you snap, voice growing more annoyed. “go find someone else.”

the boy’s smile falters, but his hand comes out to touch your arm, a move that feels more possessive than friendly. before you can even say anything else, a shadow cuts through the crowd, and you hear a familiar voice bark, “hey, man, leave her alone.”

you glance over, relief flooding you when you see rafe, your best friend, pushing through the crowd, eyes narrowed and jaw tight. his presence has always been a kind of shield for you, and this time, it’s no different.

the touron boy looks up at rafe, sizing him up like he’s about to say something smart, but rafe doesn’t wait. he steps closer, his voice colder than you’ve ever heard it. “i said, leave her the hell alone.”

the tourist smirks. “or what?”

before you can even blink, rafe’s already moved. his fist connects with the touron's jaw, knocking the boy off balance, and the crowd around you steps back, forming a ring. it’s over before you can process what’s happening—a punch here, a shove there, and the guy crumbles. rafe doesn’t stop. another hit to the stomach, and the touron goes down, blood trickling from his lip.

you’re frozen for a moment, shock settling in your chest, but when rafe finally steps back, you see the blood smeared across his knuckles and the red pooling around his nose. it’s not much, but it’s enough to make your heart stop for a second.

“oh my god, rafe,” you rush to him, your hands hovering at his shoulders as you try to figure out what to do. “are you okay? your nose…”

he swipes at it with the back of his hand, but it only makes it worse. his eyes narrow, his face flushed with anger, but his voice is rough, like he’s trying to convince himself he’s fine. “yeah, i’m fine. it’s just a scratch.”

“rafe…” you trail off, frustration mixing with your worry. you want to help, but he’s already brushing you off, turning his back to you to walk away.

“let’s get out of here,” he mutters, walking toward the edge of the party. you follow, watching him, unsure of what to say. your stomach twists, unsure whether to be relieved that it’s over or angry that he’s hurt, again, because of you.

the two of you make your way down the beach, the sounds of the party growing distant behind you. it’s too quiet, and you can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong.

“you shouldn’t have done that,” you say finally, breaking the silence. you’re still angry, but your voice cracks with worry. “you didn’t have to get into that fight. you could’ve just-”

“and you shouldn’t have snuck out in the middle of the night to get drunk at a kegger alone!” rafe snaps, his voice rougher than usual, and you flinch at the bite in his words. “what the hell were you thinking? you know i worry about you.”

you swallow hard, the sting of his anger hitting you like a slap. “i didn’t mean to… i wasn’t trying to-”

“you’re reckless,” he interrupts, throwing his hands up in frustration, and you step back, feeling the weight of it settle deep in your chest. his words cut through you, sharper than you want to admit, and you stare at the sand beneath your feet.

“i’m sorry,” you say quietly, your voice small now, “i didn’t mean to make you worry. i didn’t-”

rafe stops walking and turns to face you, the moonlight catching the blood on his hands and the jagged split on his knuckles. he looks at you for a long moment, his expression softening just a little.

“it’s not just that,” he mutters, the words barely above a whisper. “i care about you. i don’t want anything to happen to you.”

you feel your chest tighten, your heart fluttering unexpectedly. you step closer to him, unsure of what to say, but then your arms are around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“'m sorry rafe. thank you f'caring, so much about me” you whisper into his shirt, the words soft, sincere. you feel the tension in his body for a moment, like he’s not sure what to do with this closeness, but then he wraps his arms around you too, just a little hesitantly at first, before he holds you tightly.

“don’t thank me,” he mutters, his voice breaking a little. “i’m just... doing what you deserve.”

but when you pull back to look at him, his eyes are full of something else, something that feels a little more vulnerable. you reach up, brushing a strand of hair out of his face, and that’s when you see a tear, slipping down his cheek, a quiet, unexpected crack in his facade.

“rafe…” your voice trembles. “what’s wrong?”

he swallows hard, avoiding your gaze. “it’s just… no one ever thanks me for caring. they just expect me to always be the one looking out for everyone else, but no one ever... gives a damn about me.”

you blink, heart catching in your throat. “that’s not true,” you say, pulling him back in closer, holding him tighter. “i care. i always care.”

he sniffles, his shoulders shaking just slightly as he pulls away, his expression softening but still strained. “dad doesn’t love me 's much as he loves sarah. he’s always telling me how proud he is of her. he- he never says it t'me. and i try so hard. i do everything f'him, everything to make him proud. 'm just invisible to him”

the weight of his words hits you like a punch to the gut, and you squeeze him tighter, not knowing what else to say. “’m so sorry, rafe,” you murmur, your voice thick with emotion. “i can’t imagine what that must feel like. but you’re not invisible t'me. you never will be.”

his breath hitches, and then, finally, he lets go. tears slip down his face now, the kind he’s always kept hidden. you hold him as he breaks down, your arms around him, offering what little comfort you can.

you both sit there in the sand for a long time, the sound of the ocean surrounding you, the night stretching on like a long, quiet exhale. finally, rafe pulls back, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

“thanks for being here,” he says, voice still rough, but softer than before. “for… f'caring.”

you smile at him, your heart full. “always, rafe. i’m always here for you.”

when you finally sneak back to your house, you help him up to your room. in the soft glow of your bedroom light, you clean the blood off his hands, gently tending to his wounds. rafe watches you, the affection in his eyes evident as he gazes at you with a softness you don’t see often.

“y'always so damn careful with me,” he murmurs, his voice full of something unspoken.

“'ts because i care,” you whisper, holding his hand in yours, feeling the warmth between you that has always been there.

[pintrestgrl]

loved your bsf!jj drabble!!!!! maybe a little drunken love confession from bsf!jj … and reader thinks its lowkey too good to be true bc she’s been yearning forever… but when they both sober up jj is like !!! i meant wtf i said !

hi i wrote this and then it completely disappeared. sigh. also im sorry if this is bad, i was half asleep bc i spent forever writing it the first time.

also i’m sorry for being inactive yesterday i was so so stressed nd had cramps and was dying… but hi !! hope u like this anon 🥹

note: after writing this, i rlly don’t like it. but i pray u guys do 😞

drunk!bsf!jj x pogue!reader.

“here, drink this.”

you spoke, shoving a glass of water into jj’s chest, sitting down next to him on the couch of the chateau.

he was clearly very wasted, and you were only a slight bit tipsy.

you two had both went out to the boneyard together, the rest of the group out doing god knows what.

he rambled on about not wanting to drink it, before giving in and chugging the clear liquid.

“thank god, you’re annoying when you’re drunk.”

“no, ‘m not. you are.”

“at least i’m not sloppy wasted, unlike somebody.”

“whatever. guilty by association.”

he spoke, slurring his words and laughing drunkenly.

“i’m not associated with you, you wish.”

“you’re my bestfriend, of course you are.”

he spoke, rolling his eyes amused at your denying.

you managed to let out a fake chuckle, silently cringing inside as he called you that. were you really only his ‘friend’ to him?

you wished to be so much more, and he had no idea whatsoever.

you were snapped out of your thoughts by his voice, drunkenly rambling again.

“thanks for the water. that was like, kinda sweet.”

“sweet?” you question, laughing as you furrowed your brows.

“yeah. you’re a sweet girl, i swear.”

you opened your mouth to protest, before being interrupted before you got the chance.

“you’re kinda pretty too.”

you froze at his words.

pretty?

that’s the last word you thought jj would use to describe you; at least to your face.

“what?”

“actually, no. you are pretty. very pretty.”

“jj, you’re drunk.”

“yeah, i am. and you’re pretty. probably beautiful if i could think right now.”

“you don’t mean that.”

“no, i do. i definitely do. i don’t know why you don’t have a boyfriend. or why i’m too dumb to ask you out.”

you were completely baffled at this point, trying to find any truth in his words. and to your surprise, he sounded genuine. drunk, but genuine.

you had liked him forever, and this was the most he’d ever showed any reciprocation.

you were always too scared to say anything, afraid of his rejection and what it would do to your friendship.

so, you opted for having some of him, rather then none at all.

“do you even understand a word you’re saying?”

you spoke, desperately needing to know if he was just drunkenly saying bullshit, or revealing the truth of how he felt.

“yeah, i do. you’re a sweet girl who is too pretty to not have a boyfriend. i mean, god. your face is perfect.”

“jj, shut up. stop.”

“no, you shut up. let me talk. i think i like you.”

“i’d hope so, considering i’m your bestfriend.”

“no, no. like actually like you. like seriously.”

you desperately were trying to deny his words, convincing yourself this was a dream and you needed to wake up.

“you think you like me?”

“no, i actually know i do. like a lot.

“jay, you’re joking.”

he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“can you let me be serious about one thing in my life? i mean, god. i’m not joking. i’m serious. serious about this, about you.”

you could tell he was probably getting agitated the way you kept denying him, the way his mood shifted from amusedly drunk, to pissed off.

“why don’t you sleep the ‘liking me’ off, yeah?”

it took a while, but you convinced him to just go to bed. and as he layed in the next room over, you couldn’t get over his words.

was he trying to get in your pants because he was wasted, or was he serious about liking you?

you knew the thought would keep you up all night if you let it, so you decided to drop it from your brain, drifting off to a light sleep.

next morning

————————————————

you woke up groggily, a slight hangover lingering on your body. once you registered everything, you decided to go to the room next door, consisting of a likely just as hungover jj.

you opened the door, sitting on john b’s his bed, silently shaking him awake.

you knew he’d probably get all mad, but you needed him to help you clear the lingering thought in your head.

he groaned, mumbling a sleepy short sentence.

“what do you need?”

“can we talk?”

“speak or forever hold your peace, stupid.”

you rolled your eyes at his tired insult, reluctantly continuing with your words.

“uh— last night, you told me some stuff. like that you liked me, thought i was pretty and stuff. were you serious?”

he shot up as the words spilled out, immediately sitting against the headboard.

“i told you that?”

“yeah, you did.”

“shit— um, well yeah. kinda. in a way.”

“kinda?”

“no. not kinda.”

he said, rubbing a hand over his face.

he spoke again, sounding embarrassed.

“yes. i did. i meant it. every word. ‘m sorry. i didn’t mean to— jesus, fuck.”

“no, it’s fine, uh— i ‘kinda’ like you too.”

you said, letting the words come out before you thought about their weight.

“kinda? you’re serious?”

“yes, i’m serious. and not kinda, i didn’t mean that. i like you a lot.”

“shut up.”

“i’m serious, i do.”

“well, why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

“i don’t know. i was nervous.”

a silence filled the room, not awkward. just waiting for someone to figure out the right thing to say.

finally, jj spoke.

“uh— i’m like really hungover.”

you rolled your eyes at the subject change, finding it just like him to do something like that.

“that’s what your gonna say?”

“no, fuck—sorry. can you just sleep in here with me so i can think straight after?”

“you could’ve just said that.”

“well, i just did, didn’t i?”

“i guess. and yeah, i can. scoot over.”

he awkwardly listened to your demand, not used to the feeling of you knowing about his thoughts of you.

you both fell unconscious soon after, unknowingly shiftinging your bodies closer as you slept.

you slept for another hour or two, limbs tangled and intertwined together as your mind tried to decipher if this was a dream, or if your head was really resting on your bestfriends chest.

[snapdragonessart]

Kinda went crazy on dragon teeth anatomy! Biology geeking out under the cut

Bogsneak dragons are very crocodilian in appearance, and the fact that they prefer swampy environments definitely lends to this. Out of all the crocodilians, I’d say they resemble alligators the most due to the thicker, rounded snout, and the way the upper teeth poke out from their jaws; Crocodiles visually show both upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed, while alligators only show upper teeth. Their teeth structure is like alligators; they’d possess around 74-80 sturdy, razor-sharp teeth specialized for vice-gripping their prey. Unlike alligators, Bogsneaks possess a forked tongue. It reminds me very much of a Komodo dragon's tongue, and I imagine they would use it to taste air as well. Bogsneaks eat meat and plants. Alligators are carnivores, but they have also been reported to eat various fruits as well!

Coatls are easy in one sense; they’re obviously snake dragons, but the question is… what snake? I’d argue that they’re visually similar to cobras, with the feather crest resembling a cobra hood, the head being vaguely cobra-shaped, and the fangs poking out of their mouth (cobras have permanently erect fangs). There’s two big differences here though; for one, Coatls are not said to possess venom. For another, Coatls only eat seafood, while cobras eat terrestrial and semi-aquatic prey. However, there are several snakes in the Elapidae family (cobra family) that eat seafood… sea snakes! In fact, there is one type of sea snake that is nonvenomous, but it only eats fish eggs; Coatls would have a diet more similar to other sea snakes, which eat fish, eels, marine gastropods, and other marine invertebrates. Coatl dentition would be a mix of cobras and sea snakes; they’d have the big fangs in the front with several smaller teeth behind the fangs on the upper jaw. 

Fae dragons are insectivorous, and I think they’re most similar to geckos in terms of diet and dentition, as geckos are also insectivores. Faes would have rows of small, sharp, conical teeth on both the upper and lower jaws. I specifically researched geckos for Fae dragons, but if you wanted to go the more mammalian route, I’d say shrews are the best fit.

Fathom dragons are an interesting case. They have external ears like a pinniped, echolocate underwater like cetaceans, have amphibious gills, and travel in pods. I’d say they’re dentition is a mix of sea lions and orcas. They’d have the big canines that sea lions have, but the rest of their teeth would be more similar to orcas; interlocking and conical. However, Fathom dragons are omnivorous and eat plants and seafood; sea lions and orcas are both purely carnivorous and have not been seen eating plant matter of any kind. The plant part of their diet I think would be similar to manatees, which graze on seagrasses and other aquatic plants.

Like Bogsneaks, Guardian dragons look quite crocodilian in their tooth structure. I’d say they lean more towards crocodiles due to their teeth poking from both the upper and lower jaws when the mouth is closed. They’d also have big canines similar to leopard seals. Guardians will eat just about anything; plants, flesh or bugs. Crocodiles mainly eat insects when they’re juveniles, slowly transitioning to bigger prey as they age. Like alligators, they also occasionally consume fruit.

Imperial dragons always looked very fox-like to me, and like foxes they have a diverse diet. Foxes eat mammals, birds, insects, fruits, grains and veggies. Some red foxes have even been observed fishing! That ticks off all the boxes for the Imperial diet. They’d have dentition like a canid as well, with pronounced carnassials for shearing and canines for gripping prey.

There’s a few things to take note of when it comes to Mirrors: they hunt in packs, they run their prey down, they are carnivorous and they originate from The Abiding Boneyard - an arid wasteland. I’d say they’re opportunistic predators, and will scavenge as well as hunt. Their diet and tooth structure would be similar to that of hyenas, and they’d possess bone-crushing premolars that spotted hyenas are well known for. Spotted hyenas also hunt in packs, and are known for their endurance when they hunt, chasing down prey until their quarry is exhausted; a perfect match-up for Mirrors. Their canines would be pointier than a spotted hyenas, and would be more similar to a jackal or wolf in appearance.

Nocturnes are based on bats, which is apparent based on their diet and overall appearance. I think their dentition would be most similar to the spectral bat, the largest carnivorous bat in the world. It consumes birds and rodents as well as insects, which perfectly lines up with Nocturnes!

[222col]

BOT DUMP by @ 222col °❀⋆

norman fucking rockwell! - lana del rey ᯓ★

꒰ notes ꒱ ft challengers & obx characters 𖤓 thank u to those have been patient with me during my break, lotta love for u all <3 any feedback is welcomed!!!

JJ MAYBANK

𖤓 ( norman fucking rockwell )

𓇼 you and jj were best friends. always had been. but lines had been crossed, and suddenly he was barely paying you any mind outside his bedroom. fed up of his childish behaviour, you call him on his bullshit at the boneyard.

RAFE CAMERON

𖤓 ( mariners apartment complex )

𓇼 rafe's sweet girl. never could you believe that he was your rafe that shot peterkin, you'd stuck by him through it all. only when he fucks up and confesses in front of you do you realise who he is.

ART DONALDSON

𖤓 ( venice bitch )

𓇼 art's enjoying college life, biggest name on campus thanks to his famous pop star girlfriend. living it up at frat parties, and only occasionally riling up his very possessive girlfriend. when you come back from tour to surprise him,and find him between two girls, it was never going to end well.

TASHI DUNCAN

𖤓 ( fuck it i love you )

𓇼 four years since you'd seen the girl you once loved. tashi had promised to keep in touch, stay friends, but you hadn't heard from her since the breakup. out celebrating another tournament win, and she sees the one she loves.

TASHI DUNCAN

𖤓 ( doin' time )

𓇼 you loved her so bad, and she treated you like shit. tashi never let you put a label on it, despite how often she called you her girlfriend, she'd never make it official. time to give her a taste of her own medicine.

RAFE CAMERON

𖤓 ( love song )

𓇼 rafe has always cared more about his image than anything else, and that carried through to his relationship. in reality, he could barely care about you. just the looks that he got when he was with you. prettiest girl on the island, and you were all his.

PATRICK ZWEIG

𖤓 ( cinnamon girl )

𓇼 you were retiring, from your life as a famous band-aid. too many broken promises from musicians, too many boys wasting your time thinking you were just some groupie. one final show, and that's when you spot him. up-and-coming lead guitarist, patrick zweig. retirement was never going to last long. ( almost famous (2000) au )

JJ MAYBANK

𖤓 ( how to disappear )

𓇼 jj could never admit you weren't his anymore, ask anyone and he'd say you were still his girl. whether you had a new boyfriend or not, his answer remained the same. despite the new boy on your arm, you can't help but run back to him.

PATRICK ZWEIG

𖤓 ( california )

𓇼 patrick was finally back in town for off season, months after the breakup. that didn't stop him from spending the whole time with you though. time moves too quickly, and suddenly he's by the door ready to leave you again.

JJ MAYBANK

𖤓 ( the next best american record )

𓇼 pogues were starting to get noticed, touring around the us on their first headline tour. but you and jj were still focused on writing the perfect song. everyone could see it was more than that, the two of you spent every minute together, saying it was all for the song. until jj realises, it's not about the song at all.

PATRICK ZWEIG

𖤓 ( the greatest )

𓇼 things were perfect, then patrick goes off to the junior us open and you never hear from him again. it took art and tashi doing the same to him to realise, you were the greatest loss of them all. when he sees your name on the list of coaches at the tennis club he's playing a challenger at, he realises he can't let you slip away again.

JJ MAYBANK

𖤓 ( bartender )

𓇼 the only thing that got jj through his shifts at the country club, was his favourite little kook sitting pretty waiting for the drinks he made. he's playing the long game, desperate to be the one who taints your prissy lifestyle. so when he hears you've been blown off from a kook party, he's waiting to swoop in.

RAFE CAMERON

𖤓 ( happiness is a butterfly )

𓇼 you'd heard the rumours about rafe, about what he did to peterkin and god knows how many others, even before the two of you started sleeping together. you never knew the truth, but seeing your situationship covered in blood when he picks you up answers every question you had.

ART DONALDSON

𖤓 ( ​hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it )

𓇼 art had never had his faith tested, never in the way you were testing him. two weeks staying at his house, in your silk nightgown that he couldn't get out of his mind no matter how hard he tried. when you come knocking on his door when you can't sleep, even god couldn't stop him saying come in.

© 222col. do not steal or repost my work without permission.

꒰ taglist ꒱ @khartalks @funkycoloured @bluestrd @appleaali @donteventry-itdude @gublerstylesobrien1238 @peachyparkerr @stanart4clearskin @chrattvibe @tacobacoyeet @lexiiscorect @glassmermaids @voidsuites @matchpointfaist @s0ftcobra @artaussi @simmerinsauce @coolgrl111 @hrrysglitter @cinnamoncunt @elsieblogs @tennisthatcher @deeninadream @magicalmiserybore @soulxinxthexsky @sohighitscool @4jjsbank (to be added)

[keikikait]

ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴘᴀɪɴꜱ (ʀᴀꜰᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

this is part three. part two is here!

pairing: rafe cameron x kook!f!reader, (not au, both are early to mid 20s)

word count: 6.7k

summary: rafe can't go on without you

warnings: ANGST!!!!, no smut but suggestive, reader is a little high in the beginning, pushy rafe, mild violence (throwing stuff + a little fight), jealousy???, cheating mention, angry rafe, crying, not proofread

a note: i'm so sorry this is late!

please reblog and like, it means a lot! let me know what you think!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

Why didn’t you want him anymore?

Did he do something wrong?

Rafe thought everything was fine. You had talked it out, worked through your problems, and now you were going to move on like he wanted you to. You two watched your movie, you cuddled up against his side, his hand drawing random shapes on the skin of your arm. It felt like the old times, when you would watch three movies in a row, and you would fall asleep with your head on his lap and his hands in your hair. He would carry you to his bed, ignoring the feelings in his gut, ignoring the blood rushing somewhere south, and ignoring everything that had to do with you. 

He looked down at you as you lean against his chest, arms around his hips. He bites the inside of his cheek and shifts, pulling his sweatpants down from around his crotch. He didn’t want you to notice it. 

He had Sofia now, why was he thinking like this again?

He wanted you to stay with him, needed you to stay, but you wouldn’t. You had given him some half-assed excuse that you had to run errands, and that something was wrong with your car, but he didn’t believe you. He didn’t want you to leave him, abandon him like everyone else, like he was a piece of trash discarded in the gutter on the side of the road. Rafe was hurting, watching the way you cringed and pulled away and the way you tensed when he touched you. You couldn’t leave him, it wasn’t fair. 

Rafe tried to hug you as you grabbed your bag and your keys, but you shrugged him off, quickly rushing out of his front door and slamming it behind you. He stood there for a few seconds, hesitating, before slipping on his shoes and grabbing his keys. He shouldn’t have chased after you, and he shouldn’t have followed you all the way to The Boneyard, and he definitely shouldn’t be watching you with JJ. He crouches behind one of the rocks, watching quietly as JJ wraps his arms around your shoulder and pulls you closer.

Rafe watches you take a hit. He didn’t like that you were smoking with that Pogue fuck JJ. He didn’t like the way you were looking at JJ, like he was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.

You’re supposed to look at him like that. He shouldn’t be so jealous at the idea of you being with someone else, but he is. He needs you, in any way he can have you. He doesn’t want someone else to have you, to keep you, to take you away from him. He doesn’t want there to be someone else that would steal your attention away from him.

You take the joint from JJ and take a hit before handing it back, holding it in your lungs before exhaling slowly. You look up at him, watching as he puts the joint in his mouth as he shifts in the sand. You smile softly again, admiring the way his eyes shine in the pink and orange hues of the setting sun.

JJ can’t resist. He brushes his nose against your cheek, gently kissing your skin. It’s soft, gentle, the most intimate thing he’ll allow himself to do without it feeling like cheating on Kiara. Did you even know that they had gotten back together? His fingers slowly run through your hair, the touch so soft, so light that you can barely even feel it.

“Thanks for being here.” You say.

He smiles softly, rubbing your arm reassuringly, continuing to comb his fingers through your hair. “No need to thank me. You know I’ll be here for you whenever you need,” He says, leaning his head against yours. “Anytime, anywhere.” He swallows hard, feeling his heart thump. The way you were looking at him, so sweet, so grateful, he wanted so badly to kiss you. But that wouldn’t be fair to you. Kissing you wouldn’t be fair to her.

You close your eyes, feeling the sun shining on your face. You sigh, pressing your cheek against him. He closes his eyes as well, taking a deep breath in through his nose. He loved having you this close, so close to him that he can feel your heartbeat.

In moments like this, he had almost wished he had met you before Kiara.

Your eyes open when you feel him shift around on the sand. Your gaze flickers to his hands, the joint between his pointer and middle finger, before looking up at him. “You okay?”

JJ looks back at you, noticing how you looked so calm. You were so relaxed, it was like you were on a cloud. He smiles. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” He answers, bringing the joint back to his mouth to take a hit to suppress the thumping of his heart.

You nod, smiling softly. Your eyes move from his eyes down to his lips just briefly before meeting his gaze again. He catches you watching his lips. He notices that slight glance, only for a millisecond, and he feels a little tingle in his stomach. He’s always been so observant, noticing everything. He lets out a soft sigh, a puff of smoke escaping as he does so. His eyes flick down and linger on your lips for longer than a second, your mouth looking so sweet, so soft. 

He swallows hard, his eyes locking with yours again as he watches the pink and orange light of the sunset cast a glow across your face.

“JJ…” You whisper.

He leans in closer, the hand wrapped around your shoulder, pulling you in closer. He can feel your body heat against his, and he can’t resist any longer. His gaze drifts between your eyes and your mouth, flicking back and forth as he fights his growing temptation. He doesn’t look away from your mouth when he responds. “Yeah?” He replies softly.

You don’t respond, meeting his eyes again before looking back at his lips. His heart thumps in his chest. He can see the way you’re looking at him, and the way your eyes keep flitting down to his mouth. He can’t look away, not when you looked like that, so sweet, so beautiful, so good. 

He takes another hit from the joint he was holding. He doesn’t look away from you as he does, grabbing your cheeks with one hand and bringing you closer as he inhales the smoke. He pushes your lips open, leaning in close to exhale the smoke into your mouth.

It’s so simple, so intimate, and it makes your head spin. Your eyes soften and you squirm, and JJ notices. He can feel you squirming, fidgeting with the closeness of his body. He feels something in his chest, warm and tingles. How are you making everything so difficult? 

He sets the joint down in the sand to free up his other hand, bringing it to the side of your neck to rub his thumb against your jaw. It’d just be easier to tell you all of his conflicting thoughts, all of his feelings he refuses to admit, but he can’t. He can’t, not when you’re looking at him like this.

JJ sighs, leaning in close, and your eyes close as your lips brush--

“Hey!”

Your eyes open, looking over JJ’s shoulder. Your eyebrows furrow. “Rafe?” JJ quickly jerks his head back, letting go of you like you’ve burned him, as he sees Rafe standing on the other side of the rock. His heart rate doubles, racing, his cheeks red from the rush of adrenaline that comes over him.

You had finally decided to try to move on and here he was, the island’s prince. Your prince. 

Rafe stares at the two of you from his hiding spot, his eyes focused on how close JJ had been to you, how he had been touching your neck, how he had been about to kiss you. He stomps through the sand, right up to both of you. “What the fuck?”

JJ scrambles up off of the sand to his feet, facing Rafe. He crosses his arms, standing his ground. “What the hell, dude?” 

Rafe glares at JJ, taking a step forward. “I could ask you the same thing. Is this what you do now? Kiss other girls and cheat on Kie? I knew you weren’t good enough for her.”

You stand up, feeling more angry than heartbroken. “You’re still with Kiara?”

JJ looks like he was just slapped across the face, a look of guilt and shame sweeping across his expression. “I uh--” He stutters, shifting in the sand. He hates that look on your face, so disgusted and disappointed. He hates the way he looks right now, guilty and ashamed of how far things had just gone between himself and you. 

“What the fuck, JJ?” You say exasperatedly, stepping back. “What the fuck?” 

“Listen, I was just--”

“You were just what?” Rafe steps forward, pushing his way between you and JJ. He glares at JJ, taking one more step and getting in his face. “Don’t you dare bullshit your way out of this, you Pogue fuck. I saw it with my own eyes, you tried to cheat on Kie with my best friend. You’re not good enough for Kie, and you’re not good enough for her,” Rafe looks over at you. “I tried warning you about this asshole. Why doesn’t anyone on this shitty island listen to me?”

You stick your hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, I’m not dealing with either of you. Sort out your weird personal beef and leave me out of it.”

“No, you don’t get to walk away. This involves you,” Rafe snaps, grabbing your arm. “Why the hell did you let him touch you? Why did you let him almost kiss you?”

“Why do you care?” You ask, pulling your arm away. His nails scratch against your skin, leaving five little red lines on your skin.

“Why do I care?” Rafe repeats your question, a look of pure disbelief on his face. “Because you’re mine. You’re my best friend, and I’m not gonna let an ass like this use you, make you look like a fool, and cheat on his girlfriend at the same time.”

“I’m not yours, Rafe. I’m not property you get to own.” You say.

Rafe falls silent, taking a step back. He can’t believe this is happening. He can’t believe you were saying this, saying that you were someone else’s, or that you were no one’s at all. He hates the look on your face, the way your voice sounds, so angry, upset. 

He hates that he’s the reason you’re feeling this way. 

“I know you’re not,” He says. “But for all intents and purposes, you’re my best friend. You’re the closest thing I got to family, and I’m gonna take care of you. Hell, I already do. Do you think JJ’s gonna take care of you? No. He’s gonna treat you like a goddamn rag and toss you away. Don’t let someone like him treat you like that. Not when you deserve better.”

“You don’t take care of me,” You say, trying to stay as calm as possible. “You immediately ditched me when you got with Sofia. You always ditch me when you find a new girl to play with.”

“I didn’t ditch you, I was trying to make you move on.” Rafe snaps back, also trying his hardest to keep his cool. It was difficult, especially when you were looking at him like that, so angry and hurt and disappointed.

You laugh. He has to be messing with you, right? “You want me to move on, but you want me to be yours?”

“You know what I mean,” Rafe snaps, trying to keep his cool as he crosses his arms across his chest, his fingers digging into his arms. “I don’t want you to keep pining for me. I don’t want you to ruin your life, hoping that one day I’ll wake up and want to be with you. I want you to do good, and I want you to go find someone who will actually love and care about you.”

“Well, good to know it’s not either of you,” You say bitterly, looking between Rafe and JJ. “Maybe it’s no one on this island,” You step away, clutching your sandals in your hand as the sun finally sets over the horizon. “I’m out. Have fun arguing with each other.”

You walk through the sand and over the dunes, heading back towards the main part of the beach. Rafe watches silently as you storm off. He wants nothing more than to call after you, to go racing after you and tell you that he cares, that he wants the best for you, that he’s been so damn selfish. But he says nothing, his mind racing with too many different thoughts and feelings. He can’t find the words.

JJ takes a small step towards him. “Please, man, please don’t tell Kie. Please.”

Rafe sighs, his shoulders dropping as he watches you walk away. He just waves JJ off before taking off behind you, fists clenched at his side as he calls your name. You ignore him, walking down the dune and trying not to stumble, the weed just starting to hit you. He keeps calling your name, over and over, and you’ve never hated the word more.

Your fists clench and you spin around. “What?!”

He skids to a halt, a few feet between the two of you. He stares at you for a moment, his face still a mask of anger and annoyance, hiding the guilt and regret gnawing at his gut. He grits his teeth before replying. “Where the hell are you going?”

“Home, I don’t know,” You sigh. “Away from you.”

“You didn’t let me finish.” He says, his tone dropping from the edge of anger to something calmer after getting a good look at you. He’s seen you angry before, but not like this. 

You’d never looked at him like that before, with such raw heartbreak, disappointment. You’d always been so fond, soft, loving with him. And now you looked like you hated him. Did you?

“Finish what?” You ask. “Insulting me? Making fun of me for being stupid enough to fall in love with you?”

“No, you idiot,” He snaps, the words coming out a little harsher than he meant for them to. “I wasn’t done trying to explain myself. But you just walked off without letting me explain, like you always do. You never give me a chance.”

“Quit calling me an idiot!” You say, your voice cracking. “I’ve given you so many chances, Rafe. So many fucking chances.”

He hesitates, noticing you were beginning to cry. He’d never seen you cry before. He didn’t think he could feel any worse. “Please, just let me talk.” He says, his tone soft as he takes a step closer to you. He hated how small your voice sounded when you yelled.

“All you do is talk,” You say. “And I’m tired of it. You never let me talk. You never let me say what I want to say. It’s always about you.”

“I know I’m selfish. And I know I’ve been the biggest bastard to you. I know I haven’t been the best person to you,” He says, closing the distance between the two of you as he takes a few more steps closer. “Just let me talk. Let me say just one thing before you hate me.”

“Even after everything, I couldn’t hate you,” You say. “I’m just upset, Rafe. I’m upset that it’s come to this. I’m upset that I even admitted my feelings to you in the first place.”

“Don’t say that,” He pleads, his voice cracking as he puts a hand on your shoulder, the touch soft and comforting compared to his usual rougher touches. “Please don’t say that you regret it. I can’t stand to hear you say that.”

“It’s done us no good,” You say, fingernails digging into your palms to stop the tears. “Things will never be the same again.”

“I know, I know it won’t be,” Rafe says. “But don’t ever take it back. Please, I need you, alright? But you deserve better. You deserve someone who’ll give you what you need, what I can’t. I can’t be that person.”

“Quit rubbing it in, please,” You say pathetically, bottom lip trembling as you start to cry. “I know I’m not good enough for you. I know I’m not what you want, I know I’m not what you need. I know I’m not the one you love.”

“This isn’t about you being good enough for me,” His hand tightens on your shoulder, his fingers digging into your skin. “You’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to family. You’re smart, loyal, and you care enough about me to deal with all of my bullshit for so long. Anyone here would be lucky to have you. I would be lucky to have you. But I don’t deserve you, not when I can’t give you what you want.”

“All I’ve ever wanted was you, Rafe,” You say. “Even now, I still want you.”

He swallows hard, his throat bobbing. He can feel his heart sinking to his stomach as you look up at him, tears streaming down your face. He wants nothing more than to push you back against the nearest tree and kiss you right now. The way you’re looking at him, so vulnerable and needy, it makes his entire body ache. 

He fights to control himself, to keep himself in check. He won’t let his desires overtake his better judgement. Not again. It took him so long to move on. “But I’m no good for you. I can’t give you what you need. Not the attention, not the love, not the time or the care or anything like that. I’m selfish, and I’m broken, and you deserve better than me.”

“I was trying to move on,” You say. “I sure do know how to pick guys who are in relationships.”

“And that’s just it. You keep picking the wrong guys. You keep picking assholes like me who don’t care about how you feel. And it drives me crazy, knowing you keep setting yourself up like this.” He grips tighter, his fingers digging into your shoulder, holding you in place.

You sway slightly, the weed fully hitting you. “I should go home.”

“I’m not letting you drive home when you’re half-baked. You’d end up running into a tree or something,” He says, noticing you swaying. “And I’m not letting you walk home.”

“I don’t wanna go home with you.” You mumble.

He knows that. He knows that you wouldn’t ever want to hang out with him now. He can’t help but notice how vulnerable you look, like you were completely broken down. Like all you wanted was a hug and someone to take care of you. Against better judgement, his hands come up, gently grabbing your shoulders and pulling you closer. “Please just come stay with me for the night. You can have the guest room, I promise I won’t push anything on you. Please.”

“No,” You try to shove him off, but your arms feel like they weigh a thousand pounds. “Wanna go home.”

“You’re in no condition to drive, or walk,” He says, holding you steady as you push on his chest. “Look at you. You’re high out of your mind, you’re exhausted, and you’re upset. You’re clearly not in the position to make the best decisions for yourself.”

“How do you know what’s good for me?” You ask, trying to push him off again.

“I know that you’re not in a good headspace right now, alright?” He snaps. “And I know that if I let you go home, you’re gonna lock yourself in your apartment for the night and wallow in your own self-pity. And trust me, I know you well enough to know that’s not good for you.”

“I don’t wanna be with you.” You say.

“I know.” He says, pulling you in even closer so you’re practically pressed against his chest. “Just let me take you to my house. Just let me make sure you’re safe and that you go to sleep. I swear that’s all I want. I just want to know that you’re safe. Please.”

“You don’t care about me,” You say, successfully squirming out of his grip. “You never did. You’re just using me. You like keeping me around, all whipped and pining, don’t you?”

“You seriously think I like seeing you like this?” Rafe snaps, grabbing onto your arm as you squirm away from him. “You seriously think I like watching you go out on dates with guys who aren’t good enough for you, watching you get attached to any and everyone who shows you any sort of attention? Do you really think that I’m getting some sort of kick out of knowing that I’m the reason you’re crying right now?”

“Yes,” You say, tugging your arm away. “You don’t love me. You never did. This entire friendship, or whatever you want to call it, is just some big game to you, isn’t it?”

“You’re so wrong,” He says, stepping forward to grab your arm again. “You have no idea how wrong you are. And I’m sick of letting you think that I’m the same selfish, heartless, self-absorbed, bastard that I’ve always been. Because I’m not like that when it comes to you. When it comes to you, I’m nothing like that. I care about you so damn much.”

“Stop touching me!” You scream, pushing his chest. “I don’t like it when you touch me!”

He staggers back, looking at you like you’d just slapped him in the face. He has never heard you yell like that. And he definitely has never heard those words come out of your mouth. He’s seen you flinch at his touch before, sure, but he thought that was because you were nervous, or anxious. Not because you hated it. Especially not when it was him.

You angrily wipe your eyes, trying not to cry. Had you really been this stupid for so long? Rafe could never love you, he could never love anyone else but himself. He didn’t have the heart for it. “When Sofia eventually dumps you,” You manage to say, taking a step back. “Don’t come crying to me about it. I won’t be there for you.”

“Don’t say that,” He says, the words sounding harsh and pained coming from his lips as he tries to close the distance between the two of you again. “Don’t you ever say that, alright? I need you, and you need me. Stop pretending like you don’t. Don’t ever just turn your back on me, because I can’t lose you. We're supposed to grow old together.”

“Grow without me.” You say.

“Don’t say that,” He snaps, shaking his head. “You don’t mean that. You can’t mean something that shitty. We’ve been best friends for so long, I’ve been there for you through everything. You can’t just throw in the towel. You can’t just walk away and decide that you never want anything to do with me again. I care about you.”

“I can’t do this anymore, Rafe. I can’t pretend it doesn’t hurt anymore.” You say.

“And you think it doesn’t hurt me?” He asks, watching you move farther away from him. “Do you have any idea how much it hurts to watch you go out with other guys? Do you have any idea how much I hate seeing you get attached to those loser Pogue dickheads who will never love you as much as I do?”

“Why can’t you love me the way I love you?” You start to cry. You feel so pathetic, constantly begging him to love you, but you need to hear it again. Anything to help you move on.

Rafe goes silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on your face. He’d never seen you look so broken, so desperate, so lost and in need of him. He hates himself for doing it to you, for forcing you to look like that. His chest heaves, slowly taking a step closer to you, closing the space between the two of you again.

“No,” You take a step back, bottom lip trembling. “No. You picked Sofia. Not me.”

“Stop,” He says, his gaze flicking down to your lip. “Just stop pushing me away, alright? You’re just hurting yourself. Why are you letting yourself get so upset, when you know I care about you this much? Just let me take you home with me tonight, so I know you’re safe and not locking yourself inside your apartment, wallowing in some self-inflicted heartbreak.”

“I need to move on, and this is how I do it.” You say, reaching up to wipe your tears.

“And you’re moving on by staying out late, high out of your mind?” He says, taking another step closer to you. “You’re gonna move on by getting attached to the next guy who gives you a lick of attention? I thought you were smarter than that.”

“I guess you didn’t know me as well as you thought you did,” You pull out your phone to call a taxi. “Maybe one day things will be different.”

“Bullshit,” He says, the words coming out harsher than he intended as he grabs your wrist, stopping you before you can call. “Stop, just stop. You’re high and half-tired, and you’re too emotional right now. Just listen to me. I’m not letting you go out there when you’re like this, alright? I’ll never forgive myself if something bad happens to you.”

“Don’t touch me,” You say, standing your ground. “I’m going home, and I’m going to move on. Maybe one day we can reconnect, and things will be different, but I can’t do this anymore, Rafe.”

He swallows hard, his fingers tight on your wrist. He hated how hard you were trying to stay strong and push him away. He hated how vulnerable you looked, when he knew that was all his fault. He hated how he couldn’t tell you any of the things he wanted to. He hated that he couldn’t be honest. And he hated that you were right, that he couldn’t let you go. He couldn’t give you up. He swallows hard again, letting go of your wrist. “Okay,” He sighs. “Fine. Go home.”

Rafe watches you walk away, away from him, into the parking lot towards your waiting taxi.

And he doesn’t know if he’ll see you ever again.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

Rafe is lost without you.

He tries to go on without you, tries to grow, but he can’t. He needs you around, even just at arms length, and he’s finding it hard to live without your smile and laugh in the background. He tries to fill the void with drugs, alcohol, partying, and even Sofia, but nothing works. 

Nothing compares to you.

A cold winter has passed, and the warmth of spring has almost arrived. With it, Rafe can feel himself crumbling. He hasn’t heard from you in weeks. His texts, calls, emails have all gone unanswered. He can’t force you to talk to him. He couldn’t force you into feeling anything. You had tried to grow and move on. And Rafe had been left behind, by you and by her.

He thinks about you constantly, constantly wondering where you are, what you’re doing, who you’re doing.  And the jealousy and rage it sparks in his chest every time fills him with disgust. He’s the reason you were doing this, the reason you weren’t with him. He had done this to himself.

Do you kiss him? Do you suck his dick, looking up at him with your big, wide eyes? Do you moan his name into his ear while he fucks you deep? Do you let him in raw? Do you shake and shudder when you cum around him?

Does he want to know?

He spends his days high on cocaine, kissing and fucking random girls and imagining it's you, and his nights at the new bar in Figure 8, The Hazy Sailor. Rafe opens up his fourth beer, shoving the bottle cap into his pocket and bringing the amber glass to his lips. He looks around from his spot at the bar, eyes drifting towards the entrance.

He immediately sees you, your smile gleaming under the soft light.

For a second, it’s like the air is sucked from his lungs. The beer bottle almost falls from his hand, but he catches it at the last moment before it hits the floor, staring at you across the room. He can feel a painful lump in his throat, his heart aching to see you again. Even when you weren’t his, you were beautiful. He watches you step into the bar, dressed beautifully, looking flawless as always. He watches the other people around you, the guys in particular, their eyes roaming over your body and taking in every inch of you.

You’re on some other Kook’s arm. Is this the guy you fuck? Do you still think about him when you cum?

Before he can think, your name tumbles out of his mouth, and you look over at him. Your face falls ever so slightly. “Oh, hey Rafe.”

His chest tightens when he hears your voice, and his jaw goes slack when you look over at him. He feels like he’s going to die. He didn’t know how much he had missed the sound of your voice. He swallows hard, setting his beer down on the bar. “Hey,” He says, feeling awkward. He has a hundred different things that he wants to say to you, but he doesn’t know how to say any of them.

“Oh, uh, this is Nathan,” You say, introducing the two of them. “Nathan, this is Rafe.”

Rafe forces a smile, stepping closer. He hates the sound of this guy’s name in your mouth. He offers a hand to shake, clenching his jaw until his teeth ache. “Nice to meet you, Nathan.”

“The infamous Rafe? The best friend?” Nathan chuckles, shaking his hand. “Heard a lot about you, man.”

“All good, I hope,” Rafe says through gritted teeth. His eyes flick over to you. He can’t help but wonder what you’ve said about him. Did you tell him about all of his shitty moments, or had you only told him the good bits? “So, uh, you guys dating?”

“No, we haven’t had that conversation yet.” You answer before Nathan can, getting your ID out of your wallet.

“Interesting,” He says, his shoulders dropping a little. For some reason, hearing you say that out loud had made him relax just a little bit, even though it was stupid. He shouldn't feel relieved. You weren't his. You never would be. He looks at you again. You looked so nice tonight. He knew the bar wasn't exactly fancy, but he could tell you put more effort into your appearance. “You look nice.”

“Thanks, Rafe,” You say, a small smile on your face. “It’s a new dress.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” He says, letting his eyes trail down your body. He can't help it. He can't help the way his gaze lingers on your breasts, or the way he feels a dull aching in his chest. He missed you. You looked so good like that. Dressed up, looking beautiful, in a bar full of guys who didn't deserve you. Guys who didn't appreciate everything that you were, guys who weren't good enough for you.

Nathan wraps his arm around your hips, tugging you closer. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t ogle her, man.”

There’s a beat of silent as he registers Nathan’s words, his gaze flicking over to him. Something dark and ugly fills his chest. He can feel his muscles tensing as he stares right at your supposed date. “Yeah? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t put your hands on her,” Rafe says, his voice dripping with venom. “She’s not a damn piece of meat, alright?”

“Well, I can do whatever I want with her,” Nathan says. “You can’t.”

That’s the breaking point. Rafe steps closer, eyes narrowing into a glare as he stares right at your date. He’s had just about enough. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Rafe, come on,” You put your hand on his chest. “It’s fine, just stop--”

Rafe suddenly falls over, knocking over a few barstools, the beer bottle in his hand falling and shattering on the ground.

Nathan hit first.

The second Rafe sees the fist connect with his side, he loses it. He immediately throws himself at Nathan, a roar of rage escaping his lips as they tumble to the ground. His anger fuelled him as he swings blindly, fists and elbows hitting any part of Nathan they can find. Nathan fights back, pushing back against Rafe, the sound of knuckles hitting flesh echoing through the bar. It doesn’t take long for bar security to come and pull the two apart, pushing them into separate corners to calm down.

You’re just stood there, completely shocked, unable to move, unable to speak. Rafe pushes the security guards away, stomping his way out of The Hazy Sailor, his dirt bike roaring and echoing through the now quiet bar as he peels off. 

You look at Nathan as he sits in the corner, eye bruised and lip cut.

You should go to him. 

But you can’t.

You grab your bag and leave, getting in your car to follow Rafe.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

He’s home, thankfully.

The door is wide open, broken glass and vases littering the entryway as you carefully step through, thankful to whoever’s listening that you decided to wear sneakers tonight. You walk through the house quietly, heading towards his kitchen, hearing more glasses smash. “Rafe?”

He looks over from where he is standing in the middle of his kitchen, hands shaking as they grip a glass that was recently full of expensive whisky. He didn’t have the mind to even clean up the broken glass that is covering the counter and floor in front of the sink. “What are you doing here?” He asks, his voice low and harsh. He feels pathetic, the way you’re looking at him. Pity. Fear. Disgust.

“Are you okay?” You ask softly, getting closer.

“I’m fine,” He says, sounding gruff and trying to put up a cold front. He hates that you’re looking at him like that. Like he’s some broken little kid who just needs someone to hold his hand and care for him. He hates that his chest aches, looking at you like this. So concerned and worried. “Leave, alright? I don’t need you here.”

“Do you want me to call Sofia for you?” You ask.

He pauses, feeling his chest tighten as you mention her name. Great. Even though you had seen him get into a fight in the bar for you, seen him nearly break a guy’s nose, seen him act like a jealous idiot, you were still bringing up her name. “Why, because you think she’ll care? You think she’d actually show up?” He asks, letting his anger start to slip into his tone.

Your eyebrows furrow. “Has something happened?”

“Doesn’t matter,” He mutters, swallowing hard. “Just leave it alone, alright?” He can’t do this. He can’t deal with your pity, your soft voices and concern. It only makes things worse for him. Makes him think things that he shouldn’t be thinking. “Why did you even follow me home?” He tries to keep his voice steady as he looks at you.

“I was worried,” You say. “Rightfully so,” You get closer, reaching out to take the broken whisky tumbler out of his hand. “Are you gonna tell me what happened between you and Sofia?”

The second your fingers brush against his, his hands immediately loosen, letting you take the glass from his hand. The feel of your touch makes him shiver, his pulse starting to pound in his ears. He doesn’t know how much longer he can keep this going. “Why do you want to know?” He asks, looking right into your eyes. “Is it because you care?”

“‘Course I do.” You say.

He swallows hard, feeling a lump in his throat. Why are you like this? He hates that you still care about him. Hates how badly he needs you to keep caring. “She uh,” Rafe sniffles. “She cheated.”

Oh, shit. “Did she?” You ask. 

His jaw tightens as he nods. “Yup. With a bunch of different guys, actually,” A bitter, angry laugh slips past his lips. “Guess I should have known better. I’m just someone to pass the time with until something better comes along.”

At least he knows how you feel now. “I’m sorry, Rafe.”

He looks away, unable to keep looking at you when you were being kind to him. When you were being so good and understanding, and it was all too much. “Don’t apologise. She stole $2,000 from me, too. Weirdly enough, that one didn’t hurt.”

“What the fuck?” You ask.

He laughs, leaning back and letting his head fall against the cabinets. “Yeah, well, apparently when you’re high on coke all the time, you leave your cash in a lot of places. She found my emergency stash, cleaned me out, and left. But at least the bastard that was in bed with her got punched in the face.”

You sigh, reaching out to touch his hand. “I’m sorry, Rafe.”

He feels his fingers twitch the second you touch his hand, the feeling of your skin on his making goosebumps break out across his arms. He swallows hard, forcing himself to remain still, even when everything inside him is begging to reach out and grip your wrist. “Stop apologising,” He says. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t cheat on me, you didn’t steal my money. You’re not the one I’m mad at, alright? So stop apologising.”

You take a shaky breath, regretting your words before they even leave your mouth. “Do you need a hug?”

The second you say it, it’s like a switch goes off in his head. He’s taking a step forward before he can think, pulling you against his chest and wrapping his arms around your body. His pulse is racing in his ears, his breath coming in heavy as he presses his face down into your neck, breathing you in. You felt so damn good, right against him like that. How much he’d missed that.

You rub his back, one hand going up to cup the back of his head, your voice soft. “I’m here, Rafey. It’s okay.”

Fuck, he’d missed that. Your voice, your touch, your smell. He feels tears spring to his eyes almost as soon as you start touching him, his hands balling into a fist in your shirt. He doesn’t know how much longer he can keep himself together like this, fighting the wave of emotion that keeps threatening to break through the surface.

“Don’t cry,” You whisper, pressing a soft kiss against his temple. “Don’t cry.”

You whispering in his ear, against his skin, is the last straw for him. The sound of your soothing voice, the feel of your lips on his face, is enough to break that final wall, that final dam that’s been holding back his emotions. His grip on you tightens, his arms pulling you even closer as he lets out a shaky breath against your skin. “Fuck,” He murmurs, his voice breaking like glass. “I miss you. I missed you being with me. I needed you, and I need you still.”

“You have me.” You whisper, rubbing his back.

He swallows hard, feeling tears rolling down his cheeks, pooling against your neck. It feels so good, yet so fucking painful, hearing you say that. That kind, caring voice of yours whispering in his ear, and telling him that you’re here, that you’re still his. “Please,” He begs, his voice broken and cracking in his throat. “Don’t leave me again. Don’t ever leave me again, alright?”

You can’t help it. You can’t resist him. “I won’t.”

Rafe pulls away, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand before cupping your face. He whispers your name, stroking your cheeks with his thumbs.

“Yeah?” You ask, your voice still a hushed whisper.

He purses his lips, his eyes welling with tears again. “I think I love you.”

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

the epilogue is here

★taglist: @ietss, @teenwolfbitches28, @momoewn, @blairsblg, @gilwm, @drewsphswife, @odairtrqsh, @watchmerora, @wearemadeofstardust0, @rafesbabygirlx, @slumnit, @evermorx89, @ivy-34, @ts1mp0ne, @drewstarkeysstuff, @kayreblogs, @rafeycameronsgf, @lulbabes, @xomarryamox, @montanajgbn, @monkey-d-juliana, @koalalafications, @stylestarkey, @loves0phelia, @lhhlver, @user381953, @wintergirlysstuff, @emberaurora, @wtfisastiles, @bluejeepgirl11, @artistadistrada2002, @fastlovela, @lucifersie, @marlenee3e, @koibleufish, @babygirlwilly, @dasia21, @karmasloverrr, @greyswaren, @tini5, @witchmoon10, @xcinnamonmalfoyx, @arivh, @devils-blackrose, @goldsainz, @vonhoe, @ursogorgeous1313, @exhaustedbutelated, @enjoymyloves, @rinasauruss, @danikasthings, @danicl25, @maybankslover, @rafeeeeeeee, @dreamygirli3, @girlgreeneyedgirrl, @ravenmedows, @outlawedmando, @abarelyexistentbeing, @immalosersblog, @rafecameronswifeyy, @cwufst (italics means i couldn't tag you!)

[riddikulusravenclawbelle]

opposite

plot - Belle returns home wearing Rafe’s clothes and barely dodges JJ’s suspicions. At Boneyard Beach, the Pogues run into the Kooks, and Belle catches Rafe avoiding her—until he unexpectedly defends her from Kelce’s teasing. But when she spots a new girl hanging off Rafe, something in her shifts.

trope(s) - enemies to lovers, slow burn, & kook vs pogue.

characters - rafe cameron x oc! belle maybank

wc - 2.6k

warnings - curse words, mentions of smoking, and small injury.

final notes -heyyy, we have a new character...and i dont think you're gonna like her, love. nonetheless, i really enjoyed writing this chapter. (i know thats a cliche but stick with me.) i think this really adds some more depth to their relationship. also this is chapter three of my 'ruin me gently.' series so if you haven't read part 1 or 2 do that first icon! k love u byeee.

Belle parked her car in the driveway of Maybank’s house. She immediately put her head on the steering wheel. This was the first actual moment of silence all day. Driving through Figure 8 always felt weird. The white-picket houses. The brunch-drunk moms clutching mimosas and judging her Nissan Rogue like it was held together by duct tape.The real problem? Her mind had made Rafe Cameron likable. The jersey, the picture of his younger, happier self. The clothes. The soft brushing of hands, those ocean blue eyes she could swim in for hours. She didn’t have to look down to know who she smelled like. She knew it was Rafe’s cologne. Oh my god. She was still wearing Rafe’s clothes he lent her last night.

“Shit shit shit.” She said as she threw off the shirt and stuffed it in the backseat. She’d give it back to him later. The joggers, fuck. She quickly slid those down and threw them where they could live with the shirt. Just then, as she’s catching her breath, she hears three hard knocks on her car window.

She turned like a deer in headlights—to see her big brother. He had a stern look on his face like she’d just been caught. She rolled down her window, mind scattering for any excuse she needed to look like she hadn’t been caught red handed.

“Ma’am, do you know why I pulled you over today?” JJ joked as he impersonated the other thing he always had trouble with–law enforcement.

She blinked at him, caught between panic and secondhand embarrassment.

“Shut up,” She laughed.

“How was Lacy’s?” JJ asked as she got out of the car. She had almost forgotten that she had spent the night at a sworn enemy’s house. Not by choice, though. Never by choice. She could still feel the weight of his clothes on her. He hadn’t even laid a finger on her. He probably didn’t want to, right? She thought as they walked into their house.

“Fine. Yeah we mainly just rewatched the Twilight series.”

“Ew. Chick Flick.” JJ pretended to be gagging as Belle playfully punched his side.

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

The sun was bright, the UV was 4, and the beach air smelled like sunscreen that had just been sprayed on. This was the kind of freedom she needed. The kind of distraction she needed. This was going to be a good day.

“Race you to the water, B.” JJ said, surfboard in hand ready to run.

“That’s ridiculous dude, I’m not racing-” Belle said dismissively, before sprinting leaving JJ in the dust and saying “See you on the water!” Her locks whipped in the wind, she felt the warmth of the sun, and for the first time in a few days–she felt like Belle again. She was ready to drown out all the noise, including him.

“Woo, go JJ!” Kiara cheered as JJ started to surf. They were so cute. Belle had seen how much they had gone through to be together. She was infinitely proud of them. More proud of JJ because she thought Kiara was way out of his league.

As she and JJ walked back to the beach, JJ explained “Just leave the surfing to the pros, yeah?”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes, with a smile on her face. Then she saw Sarah’s face. Then shifted her gaze to John B’s, and the rest of the group.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” John B said as Belle followed his eyeline.

There they were, loud and obnoxious as day. The Kooks. The bright flashy Jeep Wranglers and trucks that had been modified until they couldn’t be anymore.

“You wanna leave?” John B turned to Sarah with a soft, loving look. “No.” she said, sticking her tongue in her cheek with her arms crossed. “We were here to have a good time. Let’s not let my brother and his minions ruin it.” John B had put an arm over her and kissed her head.

“Let’s just try to have a good time.” Belle spoke up, trying to keep spirits high, mainly her own.

Rafe got out of his truck, and He wasn’t looking at her. Not even a glance. That should’ve been a relief—but instead it felt like an undeserved punishment. It was like he was avoiding her. That’s when he walked to his passenger seat.

That’s when an older girl with straight black hair hopped out, taking Rafe’s hand.Her outfit left little to the imagination. She was gorgeous. Flirtier, louder. Everything Belle wasn’t—and maybe that was the point.

She felt her stomach twist. Of course. Of course he brought someone. What an idiot she was to think Rafe and her had a moment last night.

“Uh, Earth to Belle! Round 2 or what?” JJ waved his hand in front of her face.

“Oh yeah. Be there in a second.”

Belle paddled out far enough to where they could catch a wave. JJ was too busy trying to impress Kiara by showing her all the different backflips he can do to surf with her. She had been doing pretty well. Had been.

That was until she heard Kelce, a Kook, yell “Didn’t know they let Pogues rent real boards now!” She wasn’t expecting it and she fell off her board.

“Kelce shut the hell up.” Rafe snapped. He said it low enough to where she didn’t hear it. But Sarah did. And that made her eyebrow slightly lift up.

“Fuck.” She muttered under her breath. Sarah and Cleo ran over to her as she now had her board in one arm and she gave a scathing glare to the group of Kooks one last time. Rafe was looking anywhere but at her. And that girl was too close to Rafe’s side, giggling. Had he said something funny? Was he making fun of her?

As Pope examined her elbow, she kept her gaze on Rafe and his crew. “Honestly it should probably scab over in the next few days, it should be fine.” Pope explained.

“Yeah,” she mumbled “Hey who do you think that girl is by Rafe?” she nodded toward the group and Pope glanced.

Pope returned his attention to Belle’s elbow cleaning it. “That is Olivia. She just moved here a couple weeks ago. If you can’t tell she is the epitome of Kooks. She fits in perfectly. Why?”

“Curiosity.” She excused. “Thanks for helping Pope.” She exchanged smiles with Pope and helped the Pogues clean up their area of the beach.

Belle sat in the back of the Twinkie as John B drove them all to JJ’s house to crash. She couldn’t focus on much. Why did it bother her this much? A week ago he was a random kook she abhorred. Now? He was her whole world. Before she could think anymore into it, she found herself in her room. It was dimly lit with string lights, and polaroid photos of the pogues adventures are scattered on Belle’s vanity. There are half-empty soda cans, blankets, and throw pillows scattered on the bed where the girls are sprawled out. Laughter drifts between them—easy, soft, the kind you only get with your best friends.

Sarah is braiding her hair, while Kiara is painting her toenails on the floor. Belle leans back against her headboard, twirling a friendship bracelet between her fingers. Cleo is scrolling on Instagram as all the girl’s hangout to decompress from the beach.

“I’m just saying, if I wiped out? We would still be able to hear Kelce’s awful donkey laugh.” Kie joked.

“Don’t worry, he is. It’s all on his Instagram story.” Cleo shows the group.

“Oh. Yay, I’m famous.” Belle sighed, her mind still lingered on today’s events. Why didn’t he look at her, once? Was Olivia laughing at a joke Rafe made at Belle’s expense?

“You’re infamous, B. There’s a difference.” Sarah smirked.

“Ha ha Sarah.” Belle replied, trying to play back but, she was too distracted to respond with something witty.

“Everything okay?” Kiara asked Belle.

“Hmm?” Belle perked up. “Oh yeah, just tired. Wiping out takes a lot out of you.” She joked, dryly.

“So does seeing those Kooks. Ugh.” Kiara said with a disgusting look on her face.

“Especially that new girl who was all over my brother,” the girls all agreed. “That was weird right?”

“So weird.” Belle replied at the same time Cleo and Kiara agreed with the same variation of what she said.

“Still.” Sarah paused. “She’s perfect for him.” Sarah’s tone was bitter and sharp, like she was declaring it. She paused again, this one felt longer to Belle. So much longer. “I bet my dad loves her, rich family, snobby attitude, and a lethal face card.”

A silence fell over the girls.

“Mmm. I am going to bed. Next time, no Kook talk.” Cleo commanded.

“Yes! Only facemasks and good times.” Kiara agreed.

“Well, I would pass out on your bed but, John B needs me to read him bedtime stories.” Sarah teased.

“Me too, except JJ needs to be tucked in.” Kiara added.

Once the girls left, it was just Belle and her thoughts that remained. It’s like the universe was teasing her today. She just sat there, staring at her phone sitting there like it would have answers for her.

Impulsively, she picked it up.

Belle: Nice rebound. Does Olivia surf too?

Belle: You didn’t even look at me today…

Belle: i didn’t hate you. emphasis on didn't.

She deleted all of that before she could even send it. She wasn’t sure if she wasn’t even supposed to be sending anything. Or if Rafe not looking at her on the beach today was enough of a signal in itself. She weighed the pros and cons of sending it to Rafe. If she didn't send it, there was no risk. If she didn’t send it she could ignore him too, go back to hating his guts. Bury that night like a secret. Forever. She didn’t know why the night felt so intimate to her. They slept in separate rooms. Separate floors of the house even. If she did send it though, he may realize it meant more to her than he originally thought. He may feel the same. And that meant more morning coffee chats with Rafe. More joking with Rafe. More exploring this feeling she had never felt before. God what a mess she had gotten herself into.

Normally, she'd go to Kie. Her unofficial big sister.

But not tonight.

Not for this.

Belle: You don’t have to pretend like I don’t exist.

She hit send before she could talk herself out of it. Immediately, below her message it changes from ‘delivered’ to ‘read’ She knows she shouldn’t care. But she does.

It’s only been minutes but it feels like hours. Why hasn’t he responded? She stuffs her phone in her nightstand after powering it off and goes to sleep. She’d been around Rafe Cameron her whole life — but last night was the first time she didn’t want to punch him. And that scared her more than anything.

⋆˙⟡⋆Meanwhile, across the beach, someone else is unraveling too. ⋆˙⟡

Rafe is smoking on the balcony. The same balcony he first encountered Belle. She looked so beautiful that night. Her hair fell a few inches below her shoulders, her infectious energy that pulled him in, and god she smelt like heaven. It was the type to hypnotize you. Fresh linen and salt air. It was subtle, but so unforgettable. Was it weird that he really enjoyed how she smelled? It didn’t feel weird. It felt right.

It felt the same way he felt when he saw Belle the other night. It wasn’t even intimate, so why did every time they touch, it felt like more? He let out a huge sigh before taking another drag of his cigarette. Belle has been the only thing occupying his mind for the past few days. Ever since the party. She hated her. Hated her perfect face. Her laugh he fortunately got to hear in the morning. Hated how he wants to put his hands on her when she’s near. Touch her in places he can’t see.

His phone pings. He sighs and opens his phone, assuming it is Topper. Luckily, it wasn’t.

1 NEW MESSAGE:

Belle: You don’t have to pretend like I don’t exist.

His mind travels back to the beach. He couldn’t look at her. That’d mean he’d see how beautiful she looked. He couldn’t handle the emotions that came with that.

When she fell off, he wanted to run over to her. He really did. It took all of his restraint not to run over there and check on her. He wanted to be the first one by her side. See if she needed help, if she broke anything, and if he needed to beat Kelce’s ass. He ached for her at that moment.

But her friends were right there. And so was his. So he couldn’t. She saw the blood on her elbow. He saw her staring daggers at his group. He didn’t have the courage to look at her. He felt like a coward.

“Yeesh, what’s her deal?” Olivia said.

“She eat it that hard for attention, orrrr is she just that bad?” Topper jokingly asked, he didn’t expect an answer. Rafe’s chest tightened at that comment. And so did his jaw. It ached as bad as his curiosity as to why he cared so much.

“Nah, she was probably hoping someone in particular would come rescue her.” Ruthie said, glancing at Rafe. “But guess knights don’t ride out for Pogues.” He bit the inside of his cheek, it was the only thing restraining him from lashing out at this band of idiots.

“Or maybe she thought last night earned her a seat at the table.” Kelce grinned and continued to poke the figurative bear, Rafe.

“Kelce. Shut the fuck up.” Rafe said, looking up at Kelce. His voice was tight and low.

“Relax, man. Just sayin’—some people forget where they come from.” Kelce shrugged, acting innocent and walking away.

“Hope she doesn’t think she’s one of us.” Topper said, then walked back to grab a beer.

“Yeah, Rafe,” Olivia put her hand on Rafe’s arm in an attempt to calm him down. “You’re acting like she matters.”

Then, he was brought back to reality by the burning of his cigarette. He hated himself for caring, for feeling something he shouldn’t. He should hate her, like every other pogue on the Cut. But he doesn't. So he hates himself for it instead.

He stares at the phone, thumb hovering over it and his breath quickens.

“Are you coming to bed, Ray?” Olivia says, which makes Rafe turn around. Olivia’s perfume travels from where she’s standing, near the door to Rafe by the edge of the balcony. It doesn’t smell the same as Belle’s. It smells… fake. Too sweet. Like store-bought roses soaked in poison.

He quickly powers off his phone and stuffs it into his pocket.

“Yeah. Be in a second.” He cleared his throat, before taking another drag of his cigarette. He hadn’t even touched her since she showed up, twirling her hair and giving him those eyes.

Everyone says Olivia is perfect for Rafe, a match made in heaven. So why doesn’t he want her? Why does he pull away? Why does he want a pogue he can’t have? He’s been on this balcony with many different people. So why does it remind him of her?

“Okay.” She said, giving a slight smile before heading back to bed. Secretly? He wishes that was Belle he’d be with tonight.