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wintaerbaer · 4 months

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ringing in the year (jjk)

summary: Your six-year relationship with Jungkook certainly hasn't been devoid of the occasional mishap. But when Seokjin accidentally winds up with a gift meant for you, Jungkook's proposal may wind up being the biggest blunder of all.

pairing: Jungkook x Reader

rating: generally sfw, sans a handful of swear words

genre: established relationship au, pure fluff, bit of a crack fic

word count: 2.2k

a/n: this was so fun to write, and a bunch of the details were inspired by real life events! thanks to @animeniacss for brainstorming this one with me and sprinting me through it. wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year! <3

MASTERLIST

Jungkook knows he’s messed up several times over the course of your six-year relationship.

There was the time in college when he wanted to cook you dinner and, upon realizing that he didn’t have a corkscrew to open the bottle of wine, tried to pry it open with a screwdriver and sprayed most of it all over the kitchen and himself.

There was the time when he ate suspiciously old-looking dumplings out of the fridge for lunch in spite of Hoseok’s warnings and spent your anniversary date that night going in and out of the bathroom.

And of course, there was the time when he'd insisted that it was fine for you to get frisky in the living room because Jimin wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Only to realize, oh wait, it's Saturday, the second the man himself walked in the door with both Yoongi and Taehyung in tow, all three getting quite the view of you and Jungkook on the area rug.

But this right here, he thinks, has got to be his biggest fuck-up of all, watching Seokjin peel back the wrapping paper on his white elephant gift to reveal a white mug that says, in large black lettering, “WORLD’S BEST WIFE.”

“Awww, Jungkookie,” he coos, raising the mug up above his head to show it off. “You’re proposing?”

He is, in fact, trying to propose, but certainly not to Seokjin. Every New Year’s Eve since sophomore year of college, your friend group has gotten together to party and do a holiday gift exchange that consists of a white elephant round and a general present swap.

Jungkook, wanting to propose amongst your friends and on what you’ve always said is your favorite day each year, had intended to give you the mug and propose later in the night. But, it would seem, he must’ve mixed up the two presents, putting your mug into the white elephant pile instead of the travel mug he had meant to contribute.

“Ah, Y/N,” Seokjin is now sighing, “I’m so sorry you had to find out this way.”

You're giggling, wrapped in a burrito blanket that was courtesy of Hoseok. “It's okay. I understand that your love can't be denied.”

“Actually, hyung,” Jungkook finally gets the courage to pipe up. Is it hot in here? It feels hot in here. He might be sweating. “Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a second?”

“You need to talk now?” Hobi asks, wearing a t-shirt that also happens to be a collage of Seokjin's face–his white elephant offering. “It’s Yoongi’s turn. Let’s finish the white elephant, and then you can talk.”

“But–”

“I want Namjoon’s,” Yoongi says, snatching up the gift and tearing away the paper to unfurl a large black Snuggie. “Oh, fuck yeah.”

“You got a Snuggie?” Jimin jeers in Namjoon’s direction. “Lame.”

“Lame? It’s funny,” Namjoon argues.

“Yeah, if it was 2008.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining.” Yoongi slides his arms into the sleeves, settling into the couch and eyeing the rest of the group warily.

Jimin rolls his eyes at him. “No one is going to steal it, hyung.”

“Nobody better fucking steal it.”

The game actually finishes with no steals. Namjoon opens up your gift (a KFC-scented fire log) and Jimin and Taehyung choose each other’s only to find out that they both bought Bob Ross Chia Pets. With the game over, your group devolves back into party mingling–Yoongi dozing off on the couch in his new Snuggie, Jimin and Taehyung heading immediately to the dining room to get started on their chia projects, and the rest of you trying to decide which party games you’re going to play as the night goes on.

But when Seokjin stands up, declaring that he’s heading to the kitchen to get a drink for his “fun new mug,” Jungkook jumps to follow him, bringing along the slab of granite with twenty dollars taped to it that he’d opened (“I’m renovating my countertops,” Yoongi had explained).

“Hyung,” Jungkook hisses as Seokjin reaches into the fridge for a beer. “I need that mug.”

Seokjin turns, sizing him up in the glow of the refrigerator. “Then you probably should’ve picked it.”

Jungkook huffs in exasperation before stepping in closer, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. “Listen, I am trying to propose to Y/N tonight.”

“With a white elephant gift that anyone could’ve gotten?” He clicks his tongue, scolding. “That’s just terrible planning, Jungkookie. And proposing with a mug? A little boring.”

Color rises to Jungkook’s face, giving his cheeks a natural blush. “We were watching reruns of The Office when I kissed her for the first time. And it wasn’t supposed to be a white elephant–you know what? It doesn’t matter at this point. I just need the mug back.”

He reaches for the counter, intending to steal the mug away, but Seokjin gets there first, cradling it to his chest with a pout. “No, it’s mine. I opened it, and I’ve already imprinted–”

“We never should’ve let Y/N show you Twilight. Here, look.” He raises the granite sample and money in his hands, offering it up. “I’ll give you Yoongi’s gift and the gift I was supposed to be giving for the game. You’ll get two.”

Seokjin narrows his eyes in suspicion. “What was your original gift?”

“A travel mug that says, ‘Weird to be the same age as old people.’”

He gets a wrinkled nose in response. “Well I like this one better. The other one calls me old. This one says I’m the best wife ever.”

“Oh my God, hyung. You’re not a wife!”

“I’m not old either!”

Jungkook throws his arms up in frustration, practically launching his hunk of stone across the room. “Then what am I supposed to do? You’re really going to ruin my entire proposal?”

“Hmm.” Seokjin lifts a hand to his chin, the other still clutching the mug to his body. “Thirty-two-race drunk Mario Kart?”

“Hyung.”

“What? You want the mug–this is how you can get it.”

Jungkook scrubs a hand over his face, accepts the inevitable. “Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”

“Hooray!” A clap of his hands as Seokjin practically skips from the kitchen. “I’ll get us set up!”

By the time Jungkook drags his feet into the living room, Seokjin has already gathered a crowd, your friends piling onto the couches and armchairs to watch the upcoming event. Surely they’re expecting a slaughter; Seokjin is notoriously a Mario Kart ace.

“You looking to get drunk, babe?” you ask, settling into the spot next to him on the couch. “There are easier, less humiliating ways, you know.”

He pouts, eyebrows squishing together. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he grumbles, immediately forgiving you when you press your lips to his.

“For luck,” you say, giving him one more peck before sitting back to watch Seokjin hand him a controller, shot glass, and bottle of soju.

“Pick your character.” He plops onto Jungkook’s other side, selecting his own racer on the screen.

“Peach? Really?” Namjoon teases.

Seokjin shoots him a look. “I don’t wanna hear that from a basic-ass Mario main.”

Jungkook, meanwhile, chooses Donkey Kong, and loads up the first map, Peach and Donkey Kong lining up in their pink and yellow go-karts at the starting line.

“May the best me win,” Seokjin says, a split second before the light goes green.

He does win the race. And the next one and the next one. And Jungkook is three shots in before he even knows what hit him, fingers wrapped tightly around the controller.

“Not too late to back out, Jungkookie,” Seokjin jests, nudging him in the ribs. “At least leave with your pride intact.”

But before Jungkook can even respond, mouth already half-open in indignation, you wrap a soothing hand around his knee, massaging lightly.

“You've got this, Kook. You can do it.”

The sound of your voice puts him at ease almost instantly, and he ignores Seokjin, loading up the next track. This time, he does his best to relax, letting the feel of your palm siphon away his anxiety.

This is for you. He can do this for you.

The race is close, their cartoon avatars neck-and-neck until Jungkook manages to gain an edge at the very last second and blow through the finish line first.

“Holy shit!” Taehyung exclaims. “The Kart King lost?!”

“Calm down, it's one race,” Seokjin says. But he shifts forward on the couch as he takes his shot of soju, clearly miffed. “We have twenty-eight more to go. I like my odds.”

Seokjin wins the next one again, celebrating with a whoop, but Jungkook goes on a run after that, winning three in a row so they're tied. And once the thirty-second race has been driven, Seokjin has won sixteen, Jungkook has won sixteen, and they've each drunk two bottles of soju apiece.

“TIEBREAKER RACE,” Seokjin slurs, swaying on his feet. He's played the last dozen games standing up, claiming it “helps with the turns,” whatever that means.

“I think you two have had enough,” you say, patting Jungkook lovingly on the arm. “Just call it a tie and leave it there.”

He jerks away, stretching his arm out like he thinks you're going to try and take the controller from him. “No, Y/N! I need that mug!”

Your lips pull down into a frown. “What mug?”

“I think Y/N is right, you guys,” Namjoon chimes in. “You both need some water.”

“Everyone shut the fuck up. I'm trying to sleep,” grumbles the Snuggie blob.

“ONE MORE RACE!” Seokjin yells, insistent. “FOR IT ALL! FOR THE MUG!”

“Again, what mug?”

But you don't get an answer. Instead, Jungkook shouts, “FINE! RAINBOW ROAD, ASSHOLE!” and everyone's eyes fixate on the screen, eager to find out who will emerge victorious.

Both characters rip off the starting line, Seokjin quickly obtaining a mushroom power-up that gives him a speed boost and comfortable lead. But after Jungkook lucks out on a green shell throw, causing Seokjin to spin out of control, he takes the lead as the first lap ends.

“C’mon, babe!” you cheer, Jimin and Taehyung joining in in their desire to see the Kart King tumbled from his throne.

Jungkook holds his lead for most of the lap, but Seokjin takes it back after a couple more mushroom boosts and a red shell. The final lap is tight, the lead going back and forth and back and forth until all hope seems lost as Seokjin begins to pull away on the last leg…

Only for him to cut the final turn too closely, allowing Jungkook to bump him right over the side of the track and into space before blasting across the finish line.

The room erupts in cheers, Jungkook leaping to his feet with a shout even as Seokjin falls to the floor with a scream of anguish. You stand as well, trying to give your boyfriend a hug, but you’re shocked when he moves away from you instead, preoccupied with something on the dining table.

He crosses the room–dodging Jimin and Taehyung, who are now flossing over Seokjin’s prone body–to grab the “WORLD’S BEST WIFE” mug and triumphantly raise it in the air before stumbling back to where you stand both perplexed and amused by the scene before you.

“This,” he says, clumsily pressing the mug into your hands, “was supposed to be for you.”

“World’s Best Wife?” you ask, heart hiccuping as you begin to have a suspicion. “Like Michael Scott’s mug?”

“Yes!” The word feels heavy moving off of his tongue, and he suddenly regrets not being sober for this. “Because uhhhh…I have this for you, too. Shit, wait.”

He fumbles around his pockets, panicking until he finds the ring, slips it out of his pants, and drops to his knee with a graceless thud.

“Ow, crap. Y/N.” He takes your hand, and in spite of the absurdity of it all, in spite of the fact that part of the room is now fawning over you while the other part is either sleeping or on the floor, you feel tears pricking your eyes.

Really, you couldn’t think of a more perfect scene.

“Y/N,” he begins again–slowly, like his words need to be corralled, “I love you. So much. And I know I may sometimes be forgetful or foolish or careless–sometimes I might accidentally spray wine all over the kitchen or ruin a proposal because I gave Seokjin the wrong present by mistake–but I just…love you.” He blinks, thoughts drifting away from him as the soju continues to take its toll. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what I’m saying is even making sense, but…I find I don’t mind having those moments as long as you’re there with me. I’m fine making a fool out of myself if it’ll make you smile or laugh so…” He hoists the ring up just a little higher, eyes hopeful. “Marry me?”

A leaping sensation takes off behind your ribs as you gasp, “Yes, Jungkook. Of course, yes.”

For someone who’s drunk, he surges back up with incredible speed to capture your mouth in a kiss, dragging your body to his and swaying you side-to-side.

“Congratulations, you two,” Yoongi says through the applause of your friends–even Seokjin managing to clap his hands like a seal from the floor. “Now can I please get some fucking sleep?”

a/n: please consider liking, reblogging, or commenting if you enjoyed :)

#jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook fluff #bts x reader #bts x you #bts imagines #jungkook imagines #jungkook fic #jungkook fanfic #bts fluff #bts fic #bts fanfic

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agi-ppangx · 11 months

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I have a question…? Could u do a part 2 to the “finding put ur pregnant with minho” where reader and minho plan a fun way to tell the other 7 that they’re pregnant and the kids react in a happy way and how they’re gonna be amazing uncles and stuff?

Thank you in advance 🫶

oh my god my first ask ever !! thank u so much for submitting ‹3 i wrote it in the middle of the night so please excuse all typos and grammar mistakes >< hopefully this is what you wanted, i tried to make it fun and chaotic :D please let me know if you liked it !

part one | part three

feedback and reblogs highly appreciated🫶🏽

you and minho found out you're pregnant a while ago. the past few weeks were really busy for both of you - going to the doctors, learning about pregnancy and reading about babies and overall implementing a new lifestyle. you've told your parents about the baby as soon as you have been confirmed by your doctor that you are pregnant. however, you decided to wait a while before telling anyone else just to make sure your pregnancy is safe.

now you were about to enter the second trimester and you and minho decided to finally tell the boys about the baby, since the bump was starting to show a little bit. but minho being minho didn't want to just say "hey, just so you know - y/n is pregnant and we're about to be parents" - no, he wanted to do it in a bit of a fun way. that being said, you two organised a little game night with the boys, wanting to share the news during charades.

when they arrived you started with some board games to set the mood. all of you were chatting and joking around, no one suspected anything. jisung and hyunjin asked you a few times if you wanted to grab some beer with them and you came out with some lame excuses, like "sorry, i'm not feeling well now" or "nah, i'm good, i have my orange juice" and they were looking at you suspiciously, but said nothing. after what felt like a hundredth question about beer, you announced that it's time to play charades. minho looked at you and smiled a bit, knowing whats about to happen.

chan went first, pretending to be michael jackson. you laughed a little at his impression since he didn't really know how to do the moonwalk but tried nonetheless. then there was hyunjin, trying to do an impression of bob ross, but it resulted in seungmin making fun of him for a good ten minutes. "okay, now it's my turn,'' minho exclaimed and stood in front of you. "i'm gonna make an impression of someone in this room," he added and he proceed to do his best at pretending to be you - he brushed his non-existent long hair out of his face and imitated your giggling. and then he started to show his non-existent pregnancy belly with his hands. you were trying not to smile, but then the boys started talking. "hey, you said it's someone in this room" jisung yelled and pointed a finger at minho. "he's right, no one ate so much food!" jeongin added at which you started grinning. "right? and the only person who could be pregnant is y/n and-" chan started, but quickly stopped in his tracks when he realised. he turned to you and stared at your face with disbelief, the boys following after him. "y/n, is there anything you wanna tell us?" the boys were staring at you, their bewildered faces making you laugh out loud. minho walked to you and sat by your side, giggling with you at how ridiculously funny the boys looked. when you calmed down a bit, you finally decided to answer their question. "i think you've already realised, but yes, there is something we wanna tell you guys" you started and took minho's hand, suddenly feeling a bit anxious. you took a deep breath and continued, "we are going to have a baby and no - we're not getting a fourth cat" you stated, squeezing minho's hand in yours. the boys looked at you two for a while and then the chaos began. they started yelling and jumping all around your living room. "oh my god, y/n thats amazing! congratulations!" chan said loudly, trying to shout over the rest. "we're gonna be uncles! yeah!" felix started screaming, visibly overjoyed by the news. he then proceeded to trap you in a tight hug, making sure not to squeeze you too hard. the rest of the boys followed him and soon after all of them were hugging you. you didn't see much besides their heads, but when you stood on your tiptoes you managed to take a glance at minho - he was standing next to all of you, his face lit up in a huge grin. "okay boys, let me breathe," you chuckled, feeling quite overwhelmed with their love. "oh my god, of course! hey, stop hugging her!" changbin screamed, suddenly protecting you from the boys. jisung was the last one to break the hug, which he did only because chan used force to get him away from you. "c'mon y/n, have a seat, you have to rest," felix exclaimed, leading you to the couch. you giggled again - you found it adorable how they became so protective over you in the span of ten minutes. "do you need anything? like baby clothes or a stroller? wait, we can help you to arrange a nursery!" changbin started to ramble. "and we can buy you all the essentials, like diapers and baby formula," seungmin added, getting his phone to write down a shopping list. "oh, can i teach your kid how to ride a bike? pleeeease!" jisung begged. "okay, slow down everybody," minho finally spoke, trying to control the situation. "y/n is fine, everything is fine, she's only like twelve weeks pregnant, we have plenty of time to plan everything and no - i will be the one to teach them that," he added, hoping that the boys would quiet down. "minho's right, we're fine by now. but im glad our baby will have such amazing uncles,'' you assured the boys, grinning widely. even though the boys' reaction made you laugh for the next few days, you were happy that you had their support. you and minho were nervous about the whole pregnancy thing, but their will to help and be there for both of you made you think that after all universe made a perfect plan for you.

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vanwritesfan-fiction · 6 months

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Trapped

Kinktober Day One Prompt: Getting Caught

A Jack Harlow x Reader Fic

Warnings: Smut, Language, Mentions of Phobias

"I feel like you're not taking it seriously." You roll your eyes as you step onto the elevator car, taking your spot on the far end, pressing your back against the cool metal panel. There's a tiny bit of alcohol still coursing through your veins from dinner; you nursed a single glass of wine the entire night, only feeling a bit of the residual tipsiness an hour later. Jack follows behind you, turning on his heels to face forward before leaning over to press the button that leads to his penthouse apartment.

"You're right, I'm not taking it seriously." He lets out a quiet chuckle, glancing back at you while he strokes his beard.

"But it won't make sense if we don't do it together." You snuck up behind him, resting your chin on his shoulder as your hands wrapped around his waist, patting his lower stomach. "No ones gonna know I'm a happy tree if you don't show up as Bob Ross."

Jack pressed the button a couple more times before the elevator began to move, shaking beneath your feet. He turned in your hold, cupping your face in his hands. "Not gonna happen." He gave you a quick peck before you could object, your mouth hanging open in disbelief as you parted. You felt your stomach drop to your feet as the elevator climbed one floor after another.

"I thought you wanted to go as Batman and Catwoman?" You scoffed at his question, having nixed that idea immediately when you heard there was going to be a costume contest at the Halloween party you were attending. "Sexy doesn't win costume contests, babe. Creative does. You already have the hair and everything." Jack smiled as he leaned in to kiss you again, his nose brushing against yours as your lips pressed against his forcefully, causing you to moan into his mouth.

"I don't know. If you show up as a pussy...cat", he lingered with his words, "I think you're taking home all the prizes." You playfully hit his chest, your cheeks turning red. Your gaze dropped to his lips, Jack pulling you in tighter at your invitation. "That costume is strictly for the bed-", you were startled by the elevator coming to a screeching halt. Jack barely caught you by the arm as you stumbled over your heels.

"You okay?" Jack helped you up, receiving a nod from you as you got your barings. "Yes, what happened?"

"I'm not sure." Jack searched the control panel, frantically pressing the penthouse button, which was still illuminated. He listened for any movement, but it was silent, aside for a few creaks above them.

"Jack...", you let out a shaky breath, white knuckling the metal railing.

"Its fine, baby." Jack pulled out his phone, groaning when he realized he didn't have a signal. "We're fine. I'm sure its just a quick problem that they can fix with the press of a button." He was trying to keep you calm, well aware of your claustrophobia.

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Your voice came out squeaky, sweat starting to bead on your forehead. You pushed past him, aggressively pressing every button on the board, lighting it up like a Christmas tree. "One of these buttons has to make this thing start up again!"

"Babe, I don't think that's going to help." Jack pulled you back, holding you behind him while he pushed the "Call to Help" button. It buzzed for a few seconds before someone picked up the line.

"Building Services."

"Hi, this is Jack Harlow, I live in 13A. We were riding the elevator when it suddenly stopped on the 8th floor."

"Mr. Harlow, so sorry for the inconvenience. Please stay on the line while I contact our maintenance team."

"See?", Jack lifted his eyebrows as he turned to you, seeing that your face had gone pale. He pulled you in close, cradling the back of your head. "They'll send someone to fix the elevator, and then you can put that Catwoman costume on for me tonight." Jack bit on his bottom lip, trying to distract you, but you could barely hear him, your ears ringing.

"Mr. Harlow?" Jack rushed back over to the panel, bending over toward the speaker. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Sir, I'm sorry. Our maintenance team has gone home for the night. We've reached out to emergency services, and they'll be here as soon as they can."

You felt your knees go weak at the thought of having to spend another minute in this enclosed box. “Jack…” you whispered out, this time more like a warning, before you felt yourself collapse to the ground.

“Hey, Hey! Alright.” Jack easily lifted you up, gently pinning you against the wall with his leg. “You’re okay. Hey, babe, look at me.”

You made eye contact with him through labored breaths, trying your best to focus on his face. “I-I can’t be in here anymore. I-I can’t breathe.”

“Listen, let’s just think about something else okay?” He placed his hands on your hips, his digits digging into your flesh. “Like what?” You stiffened in his hold, fear still controlling your body.

“I dunno, tell me more about this Bob Ross costume idea.” You felt Jack’s large hands move to palm your ass, the tips of his fingers grazing the underside of your skirt.

“Jack.” You felt like a broken record at this point, but your call fell on deaf ears again, as Jack latched onto your neck, placing wet kisses below your ear. “Keep talking.” He mumbled against your skin, hiking your skirt to bunch around your waist.

“Well, we just need to tease your hair a little bit, maybe darken your beard with some dye, fuck”, your eyes rolled back as you felt him slip his hand down the front of your panties, pressing against your clit before dragging his index finger through your wet folds.

“Keep going.” His words felt like an invitation for more than just costume discussion, but you were having trouble focusing on anything but they way his hand felt inside of you, as he pressed two fingers into your weeping hole. You lifted your thigh up, pressing your knee between his legs to give him better access, feeling his bulging erection through his jeans.

“I don’t know. I was gonna glue some leaves on myself or something, just don’t stop”, you grunted out, using one hand to grab the back of his neck and steady yourself, your other hand fumbling with his belt buckle, desperately trying to expose his cock.

“Fuck, faster” you moaned out before crashing mouths with Jack, your chest heaving as he pumped in and out of you furiously, his thumb circling your sensitive bud.

“That’s it baby girl, it’s just you and me.” He praised you, feeling you already racing to your peak, your muscles clenching down around his hand. You chest heaved with each thrust, your mind already forgotten about your situation.

Feeling yourself close to orgasm, you made quick work of undoing his zipper, Jack doing the rest as he pulled his length out, precum dripping from the tip.

“Fuck, baby, careful”, Jack groaned as he watched you grab at him, your fingers barely reaching around his girth. He pushed your panties to the side, exposing your glistening pussy to the air. You stroked the head of his cock, grinning as he fell into your hold, before he pressed himself inside of you, your back arching at the stretch.

His first strokes were a mixture of pleasure and pain, the tip of his cock hitting your g spot just right, but your tailbone hitting the railing with each thrust. “Shit, shit, shit.” You gritted out between clenched teeth, lifting yourself up in tandem with his movements. Jack noticed immediately how you pulled away from him, so he spun you around, grabbing your hips and rutting into you with no break, your back arching so more of you was exposed to him.

“Is it wrong that I’m picturing Bob Ross fucking me right now?” You uttered out in jest, your cheek pressed to the metal paneling. Jack let out a deep chuckle before ramming into you again, all of the air leaving your chest.

“Can you not ruin a childhood icon for me right now?”

“Sorry”, you giggled, feeling Jack’s movements begin to stagger as he pushed deeper and slower into you, teetering over the edge of his orgasm. You met each of his thrusts with a push of your hips, slapping your ass against his pelvis, knowing the sound drove him wild.

You were close to your own orgasm, slipping your hand down the front to frantically rub your clit, the coil in your stomach tightening with each passing second.

“Shit, I’m coming, babe.” A shiver traveled down Jack’s spine as he came, his release filling you up as he continued to fuck you, your orgasm traveling through your body, fatigue immediately starting to set in, as you muscles pulsed. You didn't even hear the elevator door begin to open, the firefighter standing on the other side not really sure to make of the situation.

“Uh, excuse me, sir, ma'am. Louisville Fire Department. Everyone okay in here?” The officer cleared his throat, waiving the flashlight around the elevator. Jack quickly pulled away, adjusting himself, pulling his zipper up. He turned away from you, blinking into the light while he shielded you from the firemen so you could collect yourself. You fixed your panties, feeling his warm cum pooling in the cotton. You pulled down your skirt and tucked your hair behind your ears, trying to erase any evidence of your illicit activities. “Yeah, we’re good. Would really love to get out of here, man.”

"We heard some distressing sounds, wanted to make sure we didn't need to call the EMTs." You pinched Jack's side, making him cry out before he could let out the laugh he was working so hard to stifle. "Ow! M-my girlfriend is claustrophobic, she was starting to panic." You wished you had the ability to burn a whole through his head right at that moment.

You stood back as the firefighters worked to open the door, letting you off on the eighth floor. You made a quick glance at the corner of the elevator car, growing wide eyed when you spotted a camera, a camera that probably caught every second of the nasty sex you just had with your boyfriend.

“Thanks so much” you quietly stepped past the men, hurrying to the stairwell out of embarrassment. Jack took his time thanking everyone individually, most of them recognizing him and asking for an autograph or handshake. You were pretty sure they were also congratulating him for all of those "panic" noises they heard.

You stood out of view in the stairwell waiting for Jack. He had an annoying post coital glow about him when he caught up with you, a cocky grin on his face.

“Did you see the fucking camera?” You edged out. “Yes, every elevator has a camera.” He shrugged, nonchalantly.

“You knew?! First we get caught by the firefighters, now the building has us on camera?!” You slapped him on the arm, considerably less playful than earlier in the evening. “You didn’t? What does it matter? It got your mind off your fears, didn’t it?” He furrowed his brow at you, genuinely confused.

You scowled at him, prepared to cuss him out, but held your tongue, too embarrassed to go at it with him tonight. You stomped up the stairs, the first of five flights you’d have to take up to his place.

“Do you think they’ll let me have a copy of that tape?”, Jack called up to you, just smitten with himself. “I think it’s probably some of my best work.”

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@fluidsentiment

@comehomeimissyou

#jack harlow #jackman thomas harlow #jackharlow #jackman harlow #jack harlow x reader #jack harlow concepts #jack harlow imagine #jack harlow fanfic #jack harlow fluff #jack harlow smut #jack harlow fic #jack harlow x you #jack harlow fanfiction

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mikey-wazowski · 1 year

Text

i know some people have been complaining about matthew lillard as william afton but now after seeing him in the trailer i am SO excited.

why?

because i can ABSOLUTELY imagine him as a mr.rogers/bob ross type.

while the pose and face he’s making look ominous in the trailer, when i see his outfit and the way he’s styled i can imagine this guy being good with kids and being calm and understanding. i can see him waving to me with a smile in a commercial and being SO charismatic at events and being able to talk so well that children follow him to the back without a second thought.

and not only does that work SO well for the character with how he runs a kids restaurant chain, it’s also gonna be fun when that facade turns sour

#fnaf #five nights at freddy's

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abiiors · 2 months

Note

cuddles with ross on a cold winter day 😔😔

WELP this turned into cockwarming!!! (not like i'm complaining tho)

there's a frown etched permanently on your face and ross is the sole reason for it!

he's done nothing all evening--you had dinner, you loaded the dishwasher together and cleaned up the kitchen. he helped putting the leftovers away. all standard stuff. which is exactly the problem...

he's done nothing all evening.

not when you slapped his ass on your way to get the plates out, not when you sat on the counter, swinging your legs and watching him expectantly, waiting for him to come stand between your legs and kiss you. waiting for him to take your breath away.

even now as you catch up on all the episodes of black mirror, trying to snuggle up to him and catch his attention. he won't. do. a thing. he's far too engrossed in the tv for that. silently, you roll your eyes and fume next to him.

"why are you pouting?"

"because i'm freezing my tits off and you won't do a thing about it."

your response is quick and snappy which makes him snicker. still, ross pulls your close to his side and adjusts the blanket a little better around you.

"better?"

it is, but it's still not the kind of warmth you want.

"mmm, sure."

"you don't sound very sure."

ross pulls you into him further, cuddling you closer knowing how moody you can get sometimes. it's got nothing to do with him, he knows what you need is either a good cuddle or a good fucking. it's only your luck that his brain's hung up on the wrong solution right not.

"can i sit on your lap? just wanna be warmer."

the mention of that perks him up and ross leans back, looking at you with renewed interest. "go on then... make yourself comfortable."

it takes you about two seconds to make your way onto his lap, relishing the way his hands grab at your waist, pressing into the skin to pull you closer and get you settled. you even hear a small groan he lets out when you move, ass grinding lightly against his crotch.

you aren't all the way wet yet but you suspect it won't be long if he keeps touching you the way he is right now.

"comfy?"

you nod.

"good girl."

the words have your breath hitching. good girl. "yeah?" you purr, turning around so your chests are pressed together, mouths inches away from each other. "what will i get for it?"

ross shifts slightly, eyebrow quirking. his thigh presses against your cunt and a moan almost slips out of you. "what do you want, baby?"

his voice is dripping with honey, saccharine and sweet and velvety and yet it sends shivers down your spine. yet it makes you clench around air, desperate and wet.

"can i just get closer? please?" you let your hands trail up his arms, nails scraping skin until he sucks in air through his teeth and closes his eyes. savouring your touch.

"please?" you ask again, voice dripping with desperation and ross nods, eyes still close. his adam's apple bobs when he swallows roughly and trails his hands down.

it takes him another minute to undo your shorts, sliding them down your legs while you cling to him, desperate for his touch. you even help undo the knot of his sweatpants, pulling them down just enough so you can palm his semi hard cock and pull it out.

"go on, sweetheart. know you've been dying to feel me..."

and he's right. you can't sink down on him quick enough, moaning and sighing as you take him in inch by inch--slow enough that it's sweet torture until he moans and you clench around him, hard.

"close enough for you?" ross teases, a dark edge to his voice and you nod, burying your face into the crook of his neck.

"'s perfect."

ross laughs, the movement sends tingles shooting up and down your body, making you shake a little.

"stay like that till we're done," he murmurs, pressing kisses on your shoulder, "then we can do whatever you want..."

it's fucking perfect--to sit here like this, feeling him so deep inside you that you might as well feel him in your tummy, ross' arms around you, pulling you tightly into his chest. the episode might as well not matter, not like you're paying any attention to it.

"feel so full, ross..." you moan, trying and failing not to move. just to get a little bit of friction. his hips twitch almost involuntarily, and the tip of his cock almost grazes the spot, making you moan into his neck.

"yeah?" his mouth is hot over your neck, teeth scraping soft skin. "you'll be patient for me, right?"

you nod again, at least you think you do, so lost in the feeling of his mouth on your skin. ross presses one last kiss on your cheek, almost chaste but it has the exact opposite affect on you.

"patient girls get everything they want," he breathes on your skin, fingers digging into your hips.

"patient, yes..." your voice snags on the words but that's all there is to it, sitting here like this, feeling him twitch inside you, until the episodes done and he can carry you back to bed <3

#MINORS DO NOT INTERACT #ross macdonald #ross macdonald x reader #ross macdonald x you #✉️#♡: ross blurbs

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thisisnotthenerd · 4 months

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do you ever give yourself ideas that seem like they shouldn't take much time in execution and then end up taking up way too much time?

anyway we're back with the first real entry for thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats of 2024. this time we're talking:

cast appearances by episode count

season count is one thing; there's only 21 of those so far. by contrast, we've had 222 episodes of d20 as of 1/16/2024. by may 2024 we'll have finished fhjy and hit 241.

by the current count, the intrepid heroes' full seasons account for 128 episodes of the total 222, or around 57.6% of the total episode count. if you add the fantasy high oneshots, it bumps up to 59.4%, and if you consider that we're adding 20 to the count with fhjy, by may 2024, intrepid heroes episodes will make up 62.6% of the dimension 20 catalog.

anyway here's the cast list:

the uncontested winner is brennan lee mulligan with 211/222 episodes. 95% attendance. the only times he hasn't been there are: the 4 episodes of shriek week, the 6 episodes of coffin run, and the gencon mismag oneshot.

in second place is lou wilson, with 151/222 episodes. this is every intrepid heroes season (128/222), plus 3 sidequests (4+10+6) and 3 oneshots.

in third, sweeping her way with the most recent season, is siobhan thompson with 147/222, after the ih seasons, 3 oneshots and 2 sidequests (6+10)

in fourth, we have ally beardsley with 144/222, after the ih seasons, 2 oneshots, and 2 sidequests (10+4)

very close in fifth, we have zac oyama, with 143/222, after the ih seasons, 4 oneshots, and 2 sidequests (6+6).

in sixth is emily axford, with 138/222, from 126 ih episodes, 2 oneshots, and one sidequest (10)

and in seventh is brian murphy, with 130 episodes, from the ih seasons and 3 oneshots.

after this we have a steep drop off, since the ih episodes make up 57% of the total count, and will make up 61% by the end of junior year. anyway next is aabria iyengar, with 48 episodes, a little over half which she gm'd (26).

next is erika ishii, with 37 episodes. they've been in 5 sidequests (6+4+10+6+10) and one oneshot.

to finish off the top ten, rekha shankar and izzy roland are tied with 26, since both have been in three sidequests [(6+10+10) and (10+6+10) respectively]

the last of the three cree, in 11th place, is matthew mercer, with 18 (6+6+6) episodes, 6 of which he gm'd

after which is carlos luna with 12, though he's been behind the scenes as crew in many more.

13th is taken up with another tie, this time between danielle radford and becca scott, who each have 11, though their splits are different, since danielle has been in 2 sidequests and a oneshot (4+6+1), while becca has been in 1 sidequest and 1 oneshot (10+1)

after this we get into the mass groups:

with 10 episodes there's a couple of options for how they got to that point, but less options for 6 and 4

10 episodes: ify nwadiwe (6+4), lily du (6+4), katie marovitch (10), sam reich (10), raphael chestang (10), grant o'brien (10), persephone valentine (10), omar najam (10), oscar montoya (10), surena marie (10), rashawn nadine scott (10), and jasper william cartwright (10)

next is griffin mcelroy, with 7 episodes, because he did the RTX oneshot along with tiny heist.

6 episodes: amy vorpahl, justin mcelroy, travis mcelroy, clint mcelroy, jessica ross, marisha ray, krystina arielle, b. dave walters, jasmine bhullar (GM), anjali bhimani, alex song-xia, freddie wong, hank green

4 episodes: gabe hicks (GM), dani fernandez, monét x change, alaska thunderfuck, bob the drag queen, jujubee

and last but not least, our oneshot only friends: brian david gilbert, michelle nguyen bradley, noxweiler berf, and markeia mccarty

and that's all for this time! check out the spreadsheet to see where the data comes from and every individual checkbox that i had to click for this to be fully accurate.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 statistics #dimension 20 meta #thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats #intrepid heroes

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onedayimgonnasnap · 2 years

Text

MC giving the Yandere’s the Side eye

Warning: Crack, Cursing, Yandere

The MC’s gender is up for the reader to decide btw

(I decided to write this before school starts so have fun)

——

Riddle: What the fuck… how dare you not acknowledge his speech, his 30 minute essay that he worked sweat and tears on. He memorized the whole damn thing. For what?

He proceeded to stare at you back while you both had a staring contest. He could do this all day-

-Illuminati music-

As he was staring into your eyes when he started to see his whole past flash before his eyes. How his only friend besides Trey and Chenya was his homework, to his mom not letting him eat a tart-

Wait, is that Bob Ross painting happy trees?!

It felt so overwhelming.

Next thing you know, Riddle let you go back home with tears in his eyes. He transferred out of the NRC.

—————

Leona:

He was mad that you just stared at him. He kept staring at you back with at you until,

MC: “ tf are you looking at you walking second place trophy looking mother fucker-“

The whole dorm had to hold him back while you ran for your dear life home.

———

Azul:

Mc: “Bitches?”

Azul: “What are you talking about-“

Mc: “You kidnapped me because you had no bitches isn’t that correct? Shit with this attitude you have, you don’t even talk to me at school, after school and when you do it’s for business? The only friends you have are the Eels and even then they’re gonna get bored of you what then? You look mad stupid kidnapping me. 🤨”

Azul: *sniffling* …

Mc: “That’s what I thought you 50% off Squidward”

———

Kalim:

Kalim: 😃

Mc: 🤨

Kalim’s face slowly dropped as he felt like he made a mistake.

You got to go home with some gold as an apology.

———

Jamil:

As you both stared at each other he tried to use his unique magic but it didn’t work because you were staring at his forehead.

Mc: “Damn bitch you got a big ass forehead, I remember me and Grimm played Tic tac toe on your forehead once while you were sleeping-“

Jamil: “WAIT WHAT-“

———

Vil: Vil rolled his eyes as you side stared at him.

Mc: “You kidnapping me is some motherless behavior.”

He kicked you out faster than you can say motherless.

Rook had to cheer up Vil watching Soap Opera with him on the couch and some Ice cream while Vil sobs that you broke up with him.

———

Idia:

Idia couldn’t handle the tension. He kept looking away to avoid your gaze. It was like the whole school watching his every move.

He started to cry after 2 minutes of you staring at him in silence.

Idia: “THE EXIT IS ON THE LEFT, PLEASE JUST DONT HURT MY FAMILY-“

———

Malleus:

Malleus stared at you back thinking this was a human thing. It soon began to be a 3 hour staring contest with no blinking.

Malleus soon saw your eyes turning fully black and you were whispering some Satanic shit from ChernaBog or whatever the tf.

You gave Malleus trauma, Sebek hates you, you got to go home.

Malleus still gets nightmares of it crying into Lilia’s shoulder.

#twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twisted wonderland malleus #twisted wonderland riddle #yandere malleus x reader #yandere vil x reader #yandere malleus draconia #yandere leona kingscholar #yandere riddle rosehearts #yandere idia shroud #yandere kalim al asim #yandere azul ashengrotto #yandere jamil viper #Yandere crack

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thefrontofmymind · 11 months

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Lullaby 18+ (ross macdonald x fem!reader)

SYNOPSIS: you're having trouble getting to sleep, so your boyfriend, Ross remedies that (not proofread we die like men)

WARNINGS: unprotected sex (don't be stupid folks), and a "good girl" is in there

You looked at the digital clock on your nightstand again. 3:23. You couldn’t believe it had only been two minutes since you last checked the time.

It had been this way for hours–you just couldn’t get tired, you’d been tossing and turning since you and Ross had gone to bed at just after midnight. Speaking of, he had no trouble getting to sleep, and he was quietly snoring away to the right of you–rubbing it in your face.

You tried everything, you had a quick warm shower to try to get yourself drowsy, then some Sleepy Time tea, and you even listened to some meditation guide that encouraged deep breathing and relaxation, but to no avail.

There was one last surefire way that would tire you out. And you didn’t feel like doing it alone when the man who helped you discover this wonderful solution was asleep right next to you.

You rolled over to look at him–his eyes were closed, leading his eyelashes to lay on his cheeks, and his lips were slightly ajar. His arms were out in front of him as he laid on his side–they were previously holding you, but you’d slipped out of his grasp at the first sign that you’d be having a sleepless night. You wriggled closer to him and put an arm around his waist.

Almost completely on instinct, you placed a few gentle kisses to his naked chest and neck. He began to stir, and he moved closer to your body. He was warm–he’d always been, it was a real perk in the cold English winters you’d spent together.

“Honey…” you whispered, shaking him slightly, he groaned in response, still asleep. “Ross…”

“What?” He asked, half delirious from having just woken up.

“Can’t sleep.”

He let out a ‘hmm’ and rolled onto his back so you could wedge yourself further into his side. He stretched and yawned. You looked up at him from your position of your head on his chest, you watched as his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the sleep from his mouth. He caught your eye as you bit your lip and he chuckled.

“Oh,” he said.

“Yeah…”

“Well come here then,” he answered with a nod of his head.

You put a hand on his cheek as you adjusted, straddling him, you leant down to kiss him. His hands grabbed your waist and brought you closer to his body–if that was even humanly possible. You could feel his chest heave as he deepened the kiss, bringing one hand to the back of your neck to hold you against him.

You were so wrapped up in his kiss, you almost forgot why you woke him up in the first place. One of your hands left his soft cheek and trailed down. Down, down, down, until it reached the waistband of his boxers, and beyond.

Ross let out a soft moan into your mouth as you took hold of him. You smiled against his lips. He took hold of you and flipped you over so he was hovering over you.

He began kissing down your neck, you couldn’t resist running a hand through his hair–long and thick. You grew hornier by the second, he just knew exactly how to touch you to get you going.

Within minutes he was pushing into you. You sighed in relief as you relished in the feeling of fullness again. He gave you a moment to adjust, and with a ‘go’ from you, he began working into a rhythm–slow at first.

As he began to speed up, he grabbed your hips to position you at a better angle. As his cock hit your g-spot over and over and over you couldn’t help but let out an almost incredulous moan. It only made Ross go harder and faster.

It was only a matter of minutes before you could hardly get a coherent sentence out of your mouth. You were right on the edge.

Ross knew you so well, he could pretty much tell what was going on in that pretty little head of yours just from the noises you were making. He removed the hand that was previously holding onto your thigh and put it between the two of you.

With the added pleasure of Ross rubbing your clit, you fell off the edge. Ross watched you underneath him as you became a moaning mess.

He waited until you’d mostly recovered, and then kissed the side of your cheek and let out a reassuring “good girl”. As he was about to pull out of you but you stopped him.

“Please,” you said, breathless. “Keep going.”

And he did, spurred on by your constant praise, telling him how good he was fucking you.

Only after a few minutes of thrusting, he paused. And with a groan, he emptied into you. He pulled out of you and collapsed next to you, short of breath. He put an arm around you, so you could rest your head on his bicep.

“Tired now?” He asked with a special kind of caring tone in his voice.

You sank further into the mattress, and into his side. You let out a small hum of contentment before your eyes forced themselves closed and you drifted off into the lull of sleep.

#ross macdonald x reader #ross macdonald imagine #ross macdonald blurb

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stinkylittleanon · 1 year

Note

Hello hi hello

I have headcanons request

What would Wally Darling do to show affection? Idk of you've done this yet

I've actually written a way he shows affection twice, one instance is in my queues at the moment (this post will be posted after that!)

Wally showing affection!!

Wally's main ways of showing affection are Gift giving and words of affirmation!!

Wally loves to draw things for people and gift them! Or make something artsy, at least! Especially painting!

He'll do this often, more than his second way of showing affection.

He'll five you a little painting of you with hearts or a little crayon drawing and be like "Here you go, neighbor! I hope you like it."

If you're extra special to him, he'll go full Bob Ross! Somewhat... Look, he's in a kids show, there's only so much he can do!

And again, if you're extra special, you get to see his sketch book! Um... You might not be surprised to see a bunch of pages that are just scribbles.

His other way of affection, words of affirmation, are usually compliments in someones abilities!

Like "Wow, Neighbor. You're very talented in (insert thing)."

Or he'll just bring up something very niche that you never told him you do, and he'll compliment how you do it. Reassurance is key! I guess!

If you're super super special to him, he'll even get straight up affectionate!

"You're so lovely, neighbor." "You're absolutely perfect for a muse, neighbor."

He'll rarely straight up say "I love you" unless it's those special moments

On Valentine's day he's a little relentless with this, though

He needs to remind you!! That he cares!!!

A little extra, he LOVES cuddling

It's even rarer to cuddle him, he doesn't let his friends do this. But you? You're special to him, neighbor!

Go look at my snuggling headcanons if you want more about this ;)

#welcome home #welcome home arg #welcome home headcanons #wally darling #wally darling x reader

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sillylotrpolls · 7 months

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(Notes on names and translations below poll. Click the read-more link to see, for example, why "star", "noble", and "silver" were used in options.)

I can't be the only person who thinks "Elf-man" is a terrible name, right? Like, I get it Elrond, your family tree is a giant mess and you're like half elf, three-eighths man, and one-eighth demigod, and everyone you know love naming their kids with the same first letters as their own name (thanks for that, Tolkien, I just love trying to keep all those Fi- names in the Silm straight), but maybe you could have broken with tradition and given your boys slightly nicer names? It's not like it's Latin, either, where most people have forgotten what the words actually mean; this is your everyday language here.

At least Elrond and Celebrían wised up by the time Arwen came along, though "Noble Maiden" still isn't very creative. I think Elves just might have something to learn from Mormons in this case.

Pictured: definitely not Jolkien Rolkien Rolkien Tolkien.

Anyway, translations for Elrond's family's names and where I got the names for the poll choices after the cut:

Elladan and Elrohir (Elrond's twin sons)

The name Elladan is Sindarin for "Elf-Man" or "Elf-Dúnadan," referring to his dual descent from both Elves and Edain (a name given to those descending from the three houses of Men from Beleriand).[15] It comes from the words el ("elf or star") and adan, singular of Edain.[16] On the other hand, Elrohir means "Elf-knight", but rochir also means "horse-lord".

Elrond (Elrond)

Elrond is a Sindarin name that means "Star-dome" or "Elf of the cave", from el ("Elf" or "star", interchangeably) and rond ("cave, vault").[17][18][19]

Celebrían (Elrond's wife)

The name Celebrían means "Silver queen"[6], from the Sindarin words celeb ("silver") and rían ("queen").[7]

Arwen (Elrond's daughter)

The name Arwen means "Noble maiden", from Sindarin ar(a) ("royal, noble") and wen ("maiden"). Her epessë Undómiel means "Evenstar", from the Quenya Undómë ("evening twilight") and el ("star").

Elros (Elrond's twin brother who chose to be mortal and founded Middle-earth Atlantis and was, for the record, much better at naming children than his brother)

Elros was a Sindarin word that meant "Elf of the spray", from el ("elf" or "star", interchangeably) and ross ("foam, spray").[8][9] The name came from the Quenya word Elerossë.[10]

And while we're all here, epessë:

The epessë or the "after-name" is the third type. The after-name is given later in life, but not necessarily by their kin, as a title of admiration. In some circumstances, the epessë is chosen by the Elf himself or herself. An Elf could be referred to by any of the three, but the epessë typically took preference.

Galadriel is the Sindarin translation of Alatáriel, the latter being the Telerin epessë originally given to her by Celeborn. Galadriel means "Maiden Crowned by a Radiant Garland". The name itself is an epessë: her father-name is Artanis (noble woman) and her mother-name is Nerwen (man-maiden).

The poll choices were created using this Lord of the Rings Elf name generator. I tried to make sure I picked the Sindarin options, in keeping with Elrond's family's clear preference. I primarily used the "meaning" option, but you could also specify "starts with 'el'", "male", and "Sindarin elvish names" to turn up a list of names like Elunaer ("Light blue bridegroom") or Elanorchanar ("Star sun flower brother").

Although the generator has obvious limitations due to the nature of Tolkien's conlangs, it's a lot of fun to play with. Just be careful or you'll next find yourself on the Parf Edhellen (Elvish dictionary) and from there it's just a hop skip and a jump until you're in a discord chat trying to figure out how to properly conjugate "knitting" or something.

Finally, just because I have always loved this paragraph, a quote from Bigger Things by Blossomwitch on Ao3:

Most people had trouble telling the twin sons of Lord Elrond apart. Gimli did not share this problem. True, they were very similar physically, but to Gimli the difference was plain. The one hanging all over Legolas like the Mirkwood Prince somehow belonged to him was Elladan; the one with enough sense to keep his paws off other people's elves was Elrohir. Simple enough.

#lotr #lord of the rings #poll #polls #elladan #elrohir #please click the links I put effort into those

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mybrokenveins3000 · 8 months

Text

Everyday Rockstar - College!Ross Macdonald

A/N: Hi babies, me again. College!Ross was only supposed to be a oneshot but my delusional ass going-to-uni-in-two-weeks self wants more. Like I always say, delusion is manifestation. Anyways, enjoy!

word count: 1.1k

♫ The City - The 1975

The annoying one on your course invited you to one of his band's gigs. You weren't expecting much, I mean, this was Matty we're talking about. You could see it now, him parading across the stage with a beer bottle in hand and his shirt unbuttoned. However, what you weren't expecting was who he'd been sharing the stage with.

You and your coursemates are running a bit late. Despite it being two months since you moved out here to the city, you're all still figuring it out - the right bus routes to take, how much alcohol is too much, what shoes not to wear on any given occasion.

The wet, November pavement reflects the air back colder than it is. As you open the doors, you accept the warmth in the pub like an old friend. Your entrance is punctuated by loud drums and droning vocals, not to mention THE 1975 printed in blocked letters on what seems to be a pinned up old bedsheet. Yup, definitely Matty's band.

Your preconceptions were correct. There Matty was scantily-clad with a bottle in hand. But not of beer - wine. How pretentious. So French New Wave of you, you thought.

But next to him was someone familiar.

"Ross?" you whisper to yourself. You stand in shock, squinting hard as if to take a picture. You are mesmerised by the simultaneous nonchalant power and peace he brings on stage.

It caught you off guard how incongruous the History student was to the setting and yet how perfectly he fit in a dark, sultry place like this. He was wearing a black leather jacket, a far cry from that hoodie you stole from him just a month prior.

You and your mates walk into a gap in the crowd, not so dissimilar to a clearing in the woods. The song ends to which you all clap and holler as if your life depended on it. As you scream with adoration, he spots you.

His eyes widen like a child opening presents on Christmas. He smiles a smile so genuine it puts all of Matty's theatrics to shame. He's doing that thing where he looks down at the floor smiling, plays with the chain around his neck for a second. He's something out of a movie scene.

"Isn't that the guy you're hooking up with?" a disembodied head notices and exclaims behind you. You open your mouth but a response doesn't form. It's a yes or no question and yet neither response fits.

Ever since you met at that goddamn party, poured your heart out to each other, and ended up doing your laundry together, you both knew it would never be just hooking up. Heck, you haven't even done anything of that nature (yet), you've just been kissing, hanging out. Yes or no doesn't fit these weird romantically and sexually charged interactions you both have been having over the past month. So you turn to her and just shrug, mouth an "I don't know" much to both your confusion.

"This is a song called The City," Matty slurs down the mic. The percussion kicks in, heavy and confident.

There's a second before the other instruments follow suit where you wave at Ross and he waves back. It's this secret moment that's just yours. Blink and you'll miss it.

"You wanna find love, well, you know where the city is," your coursemate exclaims, like a drunken beat poet.

The bass rings right through you, your whole body reverberating under his hands, with every string he plucks. He catches glances at you as you bob your head and sway, eyes closed to really feel it. When your eyes aren't closed, you think he's made to be looked at like a Greek God on high platforms and by crowds bigger than these. It's like this for the entire show.

---

After the show, the pub is electric.

Matty's weak fist hits the side of your arm as he cries, "Ross is waiting for you outside!"

"Fuck you! You're actually not half bad, you know!" you hit him back with all the force he lacks and rush out through to the back smoking area.

The wet, cold air greets you as you walk through the door. "Ooh, it's cold out here," you shiver. Ross is right by the door, having just taken a cigarette out of the box. He's surprised by your arrival but smiles that same warm smile. "Matty said you asked for me?" you questioned.

The slightest eyebrow raise and air of confusion about him and you're prompted to go back the way you came. Trust Matty to embarrass you like that.

"No, no. Stay." Ross' hand grabs onto your wrist. His warm touch lingers a moment longer, it could melt your ice skin. It's a moment soundtracked by the muffled pop coming from inside and the hum of cars far away. You oblige to his request. He lets go of your wrist. You lean on the wall of the pub.

"Matty didn't mention you were a part of the band," you say, watching the buildings and stars twinkle in the distance, "as a matter of fact, YOU never told me you were a rockstar."

"I'm no rockstar," he laughs, raising the cigarette to his lips. Just as he lifts up his lighter, he decides to hand it to you. You step closer, looking at the lighter and then back at him. Since your first meeting, it always got so tense between the two of you. You light the cigarette, shielding the flame, hands grazing his lips ever so slightly. The smoke dances into the night as he blows out.

You break the silence. "Bass as well, best instrument out of them all... you were really good."

"Oh yeah?" he smirks.

"You were amazing... why didn't you mention it before?"

He touches his lips in contemplation, his gaze fixed on you taking in your smokey eyes and dark lips. You were made to foreground cityscapes, he wants to say. But all he manages is an "I don't know."

"God, if only I'd known I was brushing shoulders with a rockstar this whole time."

"Rockstar", he whispers. You catch him blushing almost as bright as the tip of the cigarette. You take note of his affinity to that particular word. An unconventional name to use on him later.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I love the city," you breathe out.

"The place or the song?"

"Both."

You wanna find love, well, you know where the city is. The lyrics, shared like a memory, waver in another moment of silence.

"Can I kiss you?" he finally says as he takes his cigarette from his mouth. His dark eyes are transfixed on your lips whilst he plays with his chain.

"Yes please."

And he kisses you. You fling your arms around his neck like you did that very first night. He wraps his jacket around you, as if to take all of you in.

He is the warmth when it's cold. He is the rare quiet to your fluorescent metropolis. The cigarette ash falls onto the pavement as it dwindles away in the background. The pop song inside fades to another. The cars keep passing through. It's another secret moment that is all yours.

A/N: FIRST AND FOREMOST, thank you to @hypersonic04 for help when I was brainstorming. You know I love you.

Right so I don't know Tumblr terminology, dunno what a blurb, oneshot etc. actually are. College!Ross was only supposed to be a oneshot (?), but because I'm continuing the story, it's technically not now, is it? Is it a series? I don't even know. I don't know what this is unravelling to be, in my head it's just a series of episodic vignettes in the same universe about the same person, not necessarily a series. If you have any input on the subject, by all means, tell me because I'm confusing myself.

Also, what do we think about college!Ross as a tag? I'm British so college means something different here, so when I write it I just have the image of a 16-year-old doing a vocational course in my head. The tag feels very American, but university!Ross or uni!Ross makes him sound like a unicorn or smth silly, student!Ross also sounds lame asf. ANYWAYS, I digress, I hope you liked this. And send me requests of what you wanna hear from me/just to chat <3 <3

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heyidkyay · 11 months

Text

I guess I’ll take this pain, instead of your name |

Part Twenty-One

A/n: Hey! Another part... my w key on my laptop is bugging and being very annoying, but only for the past half hour or so, so editing this has been >:| Anyway, hopefully you enjoy this next segment!

Summary: In life, things changed. The boys you'd once grown up with were men now, and famous ones at that. The type that toured the world and had millions of adoring fans.

The five of you shared a shit ton of history. But you also shared a lot of mixed emotions for one of them in particular, a certain drummer.

Warnings: Eating, swearing, mentions of injury and anxiety, ANOTHER BAD attempt at Spanish...

Masterlist

I didn’t know if I was dreaming, making things up, or if he was actually there.

Everything else seemed to be real. The sheets that scratched at my exposed legs, the continuous beep of the monitor stationed beside me, the pounding in my head.

It must’ve been him.

Still, I had to ask. “Am I still asleep?”

He looked at me for a long moment before he shook his head.

“Am I dying then?”

His lips pressed into a very hard line at that, but he couldn’t quite hold my gaze.

“Then why are you here?” I choked out next, that burn that often tingled its way up the back of my throat and licked at the skin of my cheeks was back again, but I couldn’t cry. I wouldn’t let myself.

George hesitated for a split second then took a step inside. I saw him swallow, throat bobbing, before he made a gesture towards the door. I nodded numbly in reply, not even aware of what he’d been asking for exactly until he closed it behind him.

The shut door seemed to isolate the noise outside, leaving the two of us in this precarious little bubble that was sure to soon pop. He took another step closer, then one more, but halted by the end of my bed.

He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t. So I stared at him and waited. I’d been waiting long enough, what was a few more minutes?

Apparently it was just long enough for Matty to come barging back into the room, frowning down at the metal handle as the door swung open before him.

“Did I shut that?” He asked out loud with a furrowed brow when he entered, shaking his head lightly as if trying to recall whether or not he really had. It was in that next second that he glanced upwards, I watched the way his bemused expression shifted entirely when his eyes focused on George.

I could only assume that he was just as surprised as I’d been.

“What the fuck?” Matty said almost on instinct, confusion evident in his tone.

He froze mid-stride to gape at the tall drummer, who looked very out of place in the small hospital room, and blinked half a dozen times before he seemed to come to his senses. But Matty didn’t react the way I thought he would. I honestly figured that there’d be a lot more screaming involved, sort of similar to that of George’s last hospital visit.

“How’d you get here?” Was the first thing Matty asked and, although valid, was the last question I’d expected from him.

“Um,” George cleared his throat and my eyes shot away from Matty’s stilted form and over towards him, he was a tad bit twitchy, nervous almost. “Boarded the first plane I could. Was with Ross when you phoned.”

His voice only proved to ache me further and I had to focus very hard on simply breathing, seeing as though my eyes had already stopped functioning properly, like they were too scared he’d disappear if I dared even blink.

“You phoned Ross?” I heard myself ask, hardly even aware that I’d done so, too concentrated on the man stood before me, the exact one I’d been doing my very best not to think about for the last few weeks. Which had been hard enough after my short trip to Delia’s the other day.

“‘Course I did.” Matty answered me and I forced myself to spare him a glance, fighting against the urge to simply ask George to come closer so that I could make sure he really was there. So I could just reach out and touch. “Messaged him and Hann to tell him what’d happened, then the ugly fucker phoned me. Though, he did talk me down from a fucking panic attack, so I rescind that previous comment.”

I couldn’t even muster an amused smile for him, head too heavy, mind too busy.

Matty turned to George then, “No one said you were coming though.” He scratched at the back of his neck and then proceeded to look between the two of us. “Do you, uh, do you want him in here?”

I finally blinked when I realised that the awkward question had been directed towards me and the face George pulled upon hearing it told me he obviously hadn’t thought that far ahead. Whether I’d be willing to have him here, even after he’d travelled over two thousand miles to see me.

Was that all it took then, I wondered, an ocean to separate us and he’d come running?

The thought made me feel far too many emotions at once and so I silently played Matty’s question over once more. Did I want him here?

For the longest time I’d always felt like I’d put George through the ringer, during the time we’d spent together as friends as well as when we’d become something more. But looking back at our relationship, I’d never forced him to stay, to commit to all the baggage that appeared to trail behind me on the long rope which belonged to the noose I’d long since tied around my neck. He’d done that himself. He knew what he’d been setting himself up for.

I’d carried the guilt and the shame of my past for far too long, to the point it had seemed to affect the people I surrounded myself with, it made me put them on a pedestal, in a position higher than myself simply because they’d stuck around long enough, or hadn’t walked away when things had gotten tough.

But that was only because I’d never thought much of myself.

I’d always been confident, sure, quick to pick a fight and stick up for myself, knowing no one else would, but that was just a front. A facade I’d overused to the point where every one believed I wasn’t insecure, or lonely, or struggling. Because I was all of those things and more, I’d always been. I’d just been rather good at hiding it.

And the way George had treated me, not just after things had ended between us, but when I’d fought to keep him in my life after the fact, and that night I’d gone round to his, as well as the time I’d spent in hospital with him having left me alone to ride there when I’d been hurt. Vulnerable. It spoke volumes.

So even though I had a million and one questions I wanted to ask him, I also had an answer for Matty.

“No, I don’t.”

—MATTY’S POV—

It was fucking depressing.

Not only had he been forced to spend even more time in a place he utterly despised, he'd also had the luck of the draw by having been chosen to babysit his giant of a drummer, who had yet to even utter a word since he’d been all but kicked out of Y/n’s room.

So now they were both stuck sat in a waiting room, listening to the ambience of the bustling hospital around them. Both of them in foul moods.

Matty huffed, unable to keep up the silence much longer. “You good?”

He was met with a minute scoff, but that was it as George continued to stare blankly at the white wall ahead.

Sucking in a breath through his teeth, Matty allowed his body to flop further into the uncomfortable chair he’d been sat in for most of the day now.

“Well, what did you really expect, mate?” He said after a stilted minute had passed, “I mean, you’ve been a prick to her for months now. Can’t really blame her for not wanting to see you now that you wanna talk.”

George shot him a dark glare, one which was quickly replaced with a remorseful sort of frown. He looked almost pitiful- it was proper sad. “I know.” He murmured, voice hoarse and quiet enough that Matty had to lean a little nearer towards him to hear better.

“Can I ask, like,” Matty prompted, “What was actually going through your head when you got on that plane?”

The drummer shrugged helplessly, then dragged a lazy hand down his face. He looked worn and tired, twice his age under lights that were clearly on the brink.

“Her.” George replied, “All I could think about was seeing her. I fucked it last time, I know that. But I was just so fucking terrified, mate. And when Ross got that call- I just had to see her. I couldn’t not.”

Matty nodded slowly, he could sort of understand it. George had fucked up, big time, yes. And he’d be paying for those mistakes for the rest of his life, but maybe he could make up for it now?

All these fucking maybes…

He exhaled heavily and just decided to bite the bullet, “You finally gonna tell her then?”

George’s shoulder sagged in a defeated shrug. “If she even lets me.”

Matty tried not to let his surprise show, even as he dipped his chin in a nod again. “Just have to wait and see then, ey?”

—

Me: Did you know?

Ross: Why hello to you too sunshine Ross: Glad to know you aren’t actually dying

Me: Ross. Me: George is here. In fucking!! Spain!!

Ross: Ah

Me: So you did know he was coming then

Ross: Tried to talk him out of it Ross: Figured it might be a bit.. weird? Him just turning up out of the blue but he was fucking frantic

Me: Yeah well now I’M fucking frantic Me: Why now??? After everything??

Ross: Only he can tell you that love

Me: You’re not helping. AT ALL.

Ross: What else did you expect from me?

Me: Idk Ross! Some sympathy at least, I almost died Me: Again.

Ross: You fainted Ross: But if ur gonna make a habit of it I reckon I can tone down the sympathy a bit Ross: You know how much I’ve spent on fuel since ur first visit??

Me: Wow so it’s come down to money huh?? Me: Still a stingy bastard even now you’re loaded

Ross: Uh how do you reckon I stay that way? Ross: Can you fuck off now and just go talk to G Ross: You want answers, he’s where you’ll find em

Me: :(( Me: I can’t

Ross: Why not?

Me: I’m not ready yet

Ross: Or are you just scared?

Me: Rude of you to call me out like that Me: Can’t someone just sedate me again??

Ross: Voice of reason here Ross: Just give him a chance to explain, he might surprise you

Me: You know something I don’t MacDonald?

Ross: 🤷‍♀️

Me: >:///

Ross: Glad ur ok tho x

Even with everything going on, Ross still had a way of driving me insane whilst also managing to make me smile. It was nice to know I could always count on him to be an A-Class prick (though charming in his own way) during the most difficult of times.

A rapid knock rattled then and I turned my phone off just as I looked up. Blinking at the sight I was met with, I was more than dazed by the person who stood there gazing down at the clipboard they held in their hand.

I couldn’t help but silently question whether anyone else was going to magically appear in the doorway to my hospital room anytime soon… Or if it was merely just a coincident that two of the people I’d least expected to show up, actually did.

“Alvaro?”

It appeared that the handsome stranger I’d met at the bistro earlier in the week wasn’t just the handsome stranger who had charmed his way into sitting at my table and conversing with me over a love of literature, he was also a doctor. My doctor, or so I could only assume.

Alvaro’s piercing eyes swept up to find me at the sound of my voice and for a second I almost didn’t expect him to recognise me in return, but then he said my name. The surprise I felt was evident in his face too.

“Wow, this is-” The doctor begun.

“Unexpected?” I chuckled lightly as he slowly approached, he looked the same as how I remembered him but different somehow too. Maybe it was the white coat?

“Sí, aunque me alegro de verte.” Alvaro quipped back with a smile, he looked at me for a moment longer before he spoke again, seemingly realising just why we were remeeting. “This has never happened to me before,” He added with a tiny chuckle, slipping his clipboard under his arm.

“Really? Guess I must be special then.” I teased and made myself sit up a little further when he rounded the bed, “So you’re a doctor? How did this not come up before?”

He grinned when I did but then gifted me a small shrug, “You did not tell me what you do either.”

And I supposed that was fair, I acquiesced with a sly smile.

“So, is there any news? I’m feeling a lot better than I did when I first woke up.” I told him honestly and he glanced down towards his clipboard, thumbing at the few pages.

“They told me that this is your second time,” Alvaro mentioned, eyes flicking across the paper before they made their way back to me.

I nodded at him, “I was in an accident, back home. Um, just with a car. I hit my head then too, the wound is still fairly new.”

His lips pressed together, as did his brows, to create a displeased frown. “The old wound is fine. There was no need for any stitches this time around as well, but your friend told the nurses that you did hit the floor hard. Did you feel any symptoms before that?”

I thought about it and then recalled to him the dizziness I’d felt, as well as the exhaustion, but at the time I’d put them both down to the long day I’d had.

Alvaro was seemingly in flat-out doctor mode now, re-asking questions a nurse from earlier already had, then shining a bright light in my eyes, humming as he looked things over.

“Your tests have come back okay, there is no swelling on the brain, just a scalp-injury. Which is good. It’s what we were hoping for really.” He told me pleasantly, “But the fainting, that’s the issue.”

I chewed at my lower lip, mind flickering back to the room I’d spent weeks in, the same room they’d relayed to me everything that had gone wrong. My eyes casted themselves down to my cast on impulse and when I glanced back up, the expression on Alvaro’s face told me that he’d finally gotten that answer to the question he’d been asking just before Matty had interrupted us all those days ago.

“Post-concussion syndrome.” Is what he said next.

I frowned at him. “What?”

“That’s what we believe you are experiencing.” Alvaro clarified, he took perch on the very end of my bed, his white coat wrinkling as he turned to face me. “You told us about the headaches you been having, the drowsiness and weakness, the issue you have with your ear. It all leads to post-concussion syndrome.”

“Right.” I swallowed, thinking it over. “And is that… bad? I thought concussions lasted, what? A couple of days at most.”

Alvaro dipped his head once at me, “Typically they do. But head injuries they are strange and recovery is not a linear line. It does not happen quickly and is very different for everyone. When you had that accident, you suffered a lot of trauma to your head and the brain is a very fragile thing. This diagnosis is not bad, just something that had not been anticipated. It’s why you fainted, it is why you may faint again in the future, or experience the headaches and dizziness, as well as the ringing in your ears. You may even feel some anxiety and have issues with other things, like sleep, concentration, memory, and controlling your emotions.”

If I hadn’t felt broken before, I sure did now.

I must’ve looked a little out of it I supposed, because Alvaro placed a careful hand on top of mine and I peered up at him with stinging eyes.

“It won’t last forever. Just a little while. All you need now is rest and hope. ¿Sí?”

—

“Was that who I thought it was?” Came Matty’s baffled greeting as he stumbled into my room, casting greedy eyes at the back of the doctor who had smiled at him and trailed out the door just as he’d arrived. “Please tell me it was.”

I snorted softly, but conceded with a nod. “Mad, right?”

“You’re shitting me.” Matty muttered back, he shook his head before his attention zeroed in on me, “Did you two just have sex in here? Is he into role-play, were you playing his poorly patient?”

With a deadened expression I threw the closest thing I had to me in his direction. Matty squeaked and ducked just before the plastic cup could touch him, though the remnants of water that had lined it did catch the side of him. I grinned wickedly in retaliation whilst he gritted his teeth at the sudden dampness.

“Almost looks like you’ve pissed yourself.”

Matty scowled and reached for a paper roll, violently ripping away so that he could dab at his shorts. “Haha, what are you, three?”

I shrugged with a forced smile, “Don’t say shit like that then.”

“What!” Matty squawked at me, bewildered. “You can’t expect me not to! He’s your flaming doctor! It’s insane.”w

With a roll of my eyes, I relaxed back in bed before shooting him a tiny smirk, one that had him making his way across the room to shuffle in beside me.

“What the fuck did you two say then? Bet you shit yourself.” He commented as he kicked his legs up over mine. “I’d’ve killed to have seen your reaction.”

“Trust me, I almost did shit myself.” I replied around a huff, “I mean, first George, and then him? Feels like a fucking revolving door.”

Matty snorted, falling further into my pillow so that he could turn his head towards me. “Love Island more like. Only, it’s just you three, and there are a few more braincells involved. It’s a lot more fucking interesting too.”

I swatted his arm lightly with a faint chuckle before I sighed. “Alvaro isn’t like that. He’s my doctor.”

“Alvaro, huh? Forgot he had a sexy name.” Matty hummed playfully, I tried to bite back a smile. “What did Alvaro want anyway?”

Any amusement I felt flooded away and my gaze fell to the hands sat in my lap. Matty noticed, because he always did, and shuffled closer to take one hand in his.

I released a heavy breath, “They reckon I have post-concussion syndrome.”

“Right. And what’s that?”

“Just means it’ll take me a lot longer than we thought to heal. ’S why I fainted, why I might faint again. Why my hearing’s so fucked and why I either sleep too much or not at all. It's why I have migraines and get dizzy. Basically the reason why I feel so fucking shit all the time.”

Matty’s hold tightened a fraction before he decided to just wrap me up in his arms. “It’ll be alright, love. We’ll get you better, then put all this behind us, ey? Til then, we follow what the doctors say and do their fucking heads in.”

I gifted him a wet chuckle, “By doing what?”

“By annoying the fuck out of them until they let you leave this shit-hole.” Matty told me, quite seriously too, but then he could never seem to help himself, “Preferably with that fit doctor of yours’ number, yeah?”

I cackled and elbowed his side. He relented easily but was still smiling away whilst the two of us continued to talk about the most randomest of things, instead of the ghost who still lingered outside in the waiting room.

—

I had actually fallen asleep, but hadn’t gotten much of it, seeing as throughout the night either Matty or a nurse had woken me up hourly to check on me.

So by the time the sun had risen I was bleary eyed and just itching to get out of the stuffy room, I was tired but hardly feeling the affects of it. There was too much anticipation over whether or not I could leave before our trips end for me to linger too long on it.

“Ah, and how is my favourite patient doing this morning?”

I glanced over towards the door with a smile for Alvaro, thanking the stars for Matty, who had sent George back to the villa to pick me up some clothes and other essentials. I’d’ve hated to have felt so disgusting in front of the young doctor, yesterday had been a fluke thing, no adonis of a man would be seeing me that way again. Not if I could help it.

“I’m good, tired but excited to leave this place.” I replied in truth.

Alvaro gave me a mocking frown in retort and placed a hand over his heart. “You wound me, corazón! Y aquí estaba yo creyendo que esa sonrisa tuya era mi sol!”

I hid my rapidly colouring cheeks from the man behind a hand and laughed, “Nothing to do with you! I’m just really tired of hospitals.”

He hummed, eyes twinkling as he gifted me a gorgeous smile. “You’re in luck then! You are allowed to leave-” A tiny squeal, which erupted from me, cut him off and made him chuckle, though he was quick to finish his sentence, “But! You have to make sure you rest, okay? Take things easy. I have some medication to prescribe, but other than that I only wanted to talk to you about your stay here.”

My head titled on its own accord. “What about it?”

“When are you meant to fly home?” He asked me and came to sit in the wooden chair opposite from where I sat crosslegged on the bed.

“Um, tomorrow night.” I told him, a tad bit confused. “Can I ask why?”

Alvaro smiled, “Nothing too bad. Just with your injury, it may be safer to wait a few more days before you fly. Or perhaps use another mode of transport.”

He must’ve seen the muddled frown I wore because he shifted on the chair, elbows coming to rest on his knees as he leant forward.

“With a small head injury it is typically okay to fly after a couple of days, but due to your previous accident I don’t want to risk anything. It is not only about the concussion, but your hearing also. The high altitudes increase cerebral blood flow to the brain which is why patients are advised not to fly straight away, it can increase pressure and worsen symptoms.”

“Okay.” I said slowly, swallowing as I thought things over. I had my next checkup in three days time. Matty had band rehearsals. He had meetings. Places to be. Events to attend. I had… my checkup.

“Is that manageable?” Alvaro’s question broke me from my whirling thoughts and I snapped my head up towards him. His eyes were on me, their colour rivalling the warmth of late spring.

I licked at my lower lip and didn’t miss the way his gaze trailed after the motion. “I have to talk to Matty about it, my friend.”

Alvaro dipped his head in understanding, “That’s fine. I can too, if it would make things easier?”

My eyebrows lifted up in surprise and I found myself nodding away before I could really stop myself. “Um, that would probably help a lot.” I released a hollow chuckle, but smiled a little more genuinely when our eyes met.

The doctor mimicked the second gesture easily, “Then consider it done.”

Alvaro left shortly after our chat and Matty returned to the room a little while after with breakfast bags full of MacDonalds in hand, precariously balancing a tray of drinks on the crook of his elbow as he tightroped his way through the door.

I was practically all ready to go, only waiting on my release forms now. I quirked a brow at the curly headed frontman just as he placed the food down on top of the moving table that hung over the end of my bed.

“Did you order everything on the menu?” I asked him, moving closer. I peered into one of the bags whilst Matty released an over exaggerated sigh.

“Had to, it all looked too good and haven’t had a maccies here since last tour.” He told me, grabbing at the closest latte available, “Plus, it’s like our last day here so I had to make the most of it innit.”

I grimaced into the face of a McMuffin. “About that…”

Matty raised a brow at my choice of words but didn’t look too bothered by them as he threw himself into the bed I’d previously made. I wanted to scowl at the action but couldn’t, too anxious about what would happen once I'd told him.

But before I even could, George appeared and my mouth quickly snapped shut. I cut a sharp glance over towards Matty, who avoided my gaze by staring up at the ceiling, tongue toying with the straw of his drink. I closed my eyes for a split second and took a breath. A very necessary one.

I looked over at George again, he was stood toeing the line to the door, as though he was scared he might go up in flames if he dared even cross it. I huffed and reluctantly shoved one of the brown paper bags across the table at him, “You gonna dance about there all day, or do you want some food?”

George’s surprise was noticeable but he hid it quickly, then made his way further inside, doing his best not to get too close as though he was afraid it might irritate me further. It did, but I was adult enough to breathe through it, turning my attention back over to where my so-called best mate laid spread out on the thin sheets.

“You two plan this then?” I asked out loud and Matty looked to me then with a faux expression of shock.

“As if our two single braincells could put something as brilliant as this together!”

I hummed sarcastically, “Don’t play stupid, Matthew. It suits you, but you’re better than that.”

George snorted at the quip and I did my best not to look his way, though I could hear a bag rustling just behind me.

Matty pouted but brushed the comment off, “Oi, G, toss me that tortilla, would you?”

A wrapped tortilla went sailing over my head, straight into the hands of the skilled musician and Matty grinned.

“Cheers.” He said then took a victorious bite before looking at me expectantly, “Anyway, what were you saying, you know, before?”

“Oh.”

I gaped for a nanosecond, then just before I could come up with something to say, Alvaro waltzed back into the room. Only he wasn’t in his usual white coat and scrubs, no, in their place was a pair of pale green tailored trousers and a tan linen shirt, which he’d paired with a light jacket and some sleek trainers. My fish-mouthing was for a whole other reason now.

“Alvaro!” Matty cheered, grinning broadly as he waved the Spanish man in further.

Alvaro stepped inside, chuckling at his warm welcome. “Matty.” He greeted and then turned to me with a sincere smile. The only show of acknowledgement he showed George’s presence was a short dip of his head. “I was actually hoping to speak with you.”

Matty’s forehead furrowed briefly but he shrugged, “Yeah, ‘course mate. What’s up?”

Alvaro's gaze darted to me, apprehensive.

“Did you get a chance to mention it?” He asked me and I shook my head in return.

“They just got here.” I told him honestly, fiddling with the wrapper I held.

“Ah, okay. No worries, querida.” The doctor then pivoted back to Matty, “My office is just up the hall, would you be okay to speak there?” He also looked back to me just to make sure that it was fine with it too. I smiled.

Matty’s inquisitive nature had him jumping up off the bed and wolfing down what little remained of his tortilla without thinking it through, and he took his latte with him. “You gonna be okay?” He asked me quietly as he passed, a hand brushing my shoulder. I nodded mutely, feeling two sets of eyes on us.

Matty nodded too and went to make his leave, Alvaro paused before he followed though. “Are you still okay with it?” He questioned me and I was grateful for his cautiousness, his need to make sure he wasn’t overstepping.

It was new. Something I hadn’t had much experience with in life. Having known the guys for as long as I had, there weren’t many boundaries you could set. How much you could or couldn’t tell them. We’re all just constantly in each other’s pockets- or at least we used to be.

Having that safety net there to catch me when I felt unsure, only validated my agreement to let Alvaro speak to Matty about it first, explain it properly. It definitely eased my anxieties around the matter. About putting Matty out, or having to face the fact that I might have to stay in a foreign country all alone. Prepared me a bit.

“Thank you, again.” I murmured to him just as he went to exit, and he merely gifted me a smile in return before he wandered after Matty.

Then it was just George and I. All alone.

The last time we’d been alone was out in that hospital hallway back in the Uk. He looked better now than he had then, but not by much. Nowadays he just looked like he hadn't been eating as much, leaner than he’d been since we were teenagers. His choice of clothing had changed somewhat too, it was darker now, grungier almost, than what I was used to.

“So what’s with Julio Iglesias?”

George’s snarky comment had me shooting him a narrow-eyed glare, but instead of retorting in the same manner, I simply reached for the iced coffee Matty had brought me and took a long sip.

I watched as George worked his jaw over, screwing his empty wrapper into a ball and tossing it into the bin nearby as he walked his way over to the window beside the bed.

“Why’re you still here?” I asked him, not unkindly, just curious as to what his answer would be.

His hooded eyes snapped over towards me, he had a palm splayed against the windowsill, leaning himself against it. The morning sun trickled over his stoic features.

“Why am I still in Spain, or here with you?” He retorted.

I looked at him, it had been a while since I’d even had the chance to. “Both.”

George shrugged one shoulder, the one he wasn’t using to bare the brunt of his weight with, and looked back at me. His brown eyes were so familiar, but still, they held so many secrets. “There are a lot of worse places I could be. And, you’re here, so I am too, I ‘spose.”

I couldn’t hold back the scoff I made.

George sucked the inside of one of his cheeks against a row of teeth and nodded once. “Guess I deserve that.”

“And more.” I muttered, unable to help myself.

“If it helps at all, I hate me too. And I am sorry, for everything that went down, for everything I did.” He spoke, gazing at me even as I looked away, eyes concentrated hard on the sky outside. “You deserved better. Always have.”

I swallowed back the bile that climbed its way up my throat. “What I deserved was answers.”

George nodded. Both knowing it was the truth.

“But I won’t get them, will I? Even now.”

He was quiet a long while before he spoke up. “I want to answer your questions.” He inhaled slowly, “I just- back then I wasn’t in the best state. Even now, I’m still a mess. But I’m… trying.”

I couldn’t lie and say that his words didn’t affect me, or make me curious.

“You went to Delia’s.”

I decided to start off easy, figuring that it wasn’t something that would set off any alarm bells, a subject that could be breached here and now without much emotional hassle.

That, and I’d been intrigued about it. Agonising over it really since I'd heard.

George didn’t appear very shocked when I said that. Like he’d already known that I knew. “I did.”

My eyes panned between his own. “Why?”

He turned his focus outside, giving me a glimpse of his strong nose and jaw.

“I wanted to feel useful. I wanted to help you in the only way I felt I could at the time. Delia, she’s nice. She recognised me and let me stay. Didn’t ask questions and only offered up conversation when she started a brew.” George divulged, fingers tapping against wood of the sill. “She spoke highly of you, it was like you were there, even when you weren’t.”

I ground my teeth and drew in a breath.

“But I wasn't there, I was in a hospital room waiting for you to show up instead.”

George’s chin dipped at my words, his eyes shut as though he was struggling with some sort of inner turmoil. “I know. I let you down. I know that.”

“You let me down long before that, George.”

“I know that too.” He agreed willingly and the sincerity he spoke with hurt my heart.

I had no reply for him, not one that would prove useful now, and so I was thankful when Matty and Alvaro trailed back in, the former practically buzzing with excitement whilst the doctor tried to withhold a grin.

“Ten more days, baby!” Matty hollered loudly, beaming as he scrambled his way over to me, missing the tension I wore like a cape. He kissed my forehead rather dramatically and grabbed hold of my shoulders, shaking them. “I know I had a go at you for fainting on me, but now I’m almost glad you did!”

“Matty.” Came George’s bewildered rebuke, and I had to chuckle, even as Matty shook me lightly.

“You’re okay with it then? Alvaro told you everything?” I questioned him, glancing over at the doctor briefly before Matty was nodding away aggressively in front of my face.

“‘Course I’m fucking okay with it! Ten more days where I don’t have to do fuck all? Sign me up!”

I giggled lightly at his excitement and the anxiety I’d been feeling loosened its restrictive hold around my chest. “Good.”

“Why, did you reckon I’d leave you here?” Matty joked, still grinning madly away.

My tight smile must’ve been a dead giveaway because Matty tutted and shoved my arm gently. “Don’t be a div. As if I would. Besides, already got a plan, haven’t I?”

I frowned back at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Figured the rest of the band could come join us.”

Part Twenty-two>

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