#we left the restaurant and I still feel horrible for walking out. if I had known the item was removed we wouldn't have even gone there

[emometalhead]

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[cosmal]

Hi, could i make a request for Eddie Munson, an angst/comfort one where he cries the first time reader kisses him? Because he's never ever been loved like that, and he didn't realize how touch starved he was until the gesture overwhelmed him? 🥺❤️ Love your writing

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 — 𝐄𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧

thank you!!!

summary — eddies first date with you doesn't go how he'd planned and he hadn't even expected a kiss. still, you kiss him because you want to.

warnings/tags — fem!reader, touch starved!eddie, eddie's never been on a first date before

word count — 2.3k

In Eddie’s opinion, his first date with you goes to shit.

If he could sit here and say that he’s surprised, he would. But he’s not. He’s Eddie Munson, things don’t go to plan for him like they should.

He was a nervous wreck to begin with, how he’d even scored a date with you in the first place is beyond him. Though he can’t attribute much credit to himself anyways, you had asked him out.

Sitting in Steve Harrington’s backyard after a swim, you start to tell him about this new, fancy restaurant up behind the arcade. It’s just opened and,

“Would you want to go there sometime? I heard their pasta is delicious.”

He had to get you to repeat the question, his ears were full of water and he was sure he’d heard you wrong.

He psychs himself out for the better half of his afternoon, so not only is he late to pick you up, his old, dingy, stupid van breaks down before it can even make it out your drive. You tell him it’s okay, it’s a nice night, we should walk. Eddie tells you that he shouldn’t have you walking all the way into town in those shoes.

“What’s a few blisters if it means I get to spend more time with you?”

Your kindness does nothing for his thrumming heart.

Once you’re at the restaurant he forgets to open the door for you. You don’t seem to mind, of course, you don’t, but Eddie has a checklist of gentlemanly dues he feels he must achieve to impress you. It’s stupid, really stupid, but he’d be damned if he messed up such an amazing opportunity.

You sit and chat for a while, waiting for your meals, and the entire time he thinks you want to hold his hand. Your manicured hand keeps inching closer to his over the white tablecloth, knuckles almost brushing, and he’s too nervous about making the final move to tangle his fingers through yours.

Then you say something terribly, awfully kind to him. Something about his hair, how it looks really nice tonight. How you’ve always loved his hair.

Eddie spurts his soda out over his glass and gets it all down his white shirt. Yeah, his white shirt. Something he’d begged Harrington to let him wear.

“Please, man. I don’t have anything nice to wear tonight. I can’t exactly show up in my Judas Priest shirt that’s covered in bleach.”

“You could show up in a brown paper bag and she’d still think you were the hottest thing out.”

“It’s not that easy for me. I need to impress her.”

Eddie had wiped the soda from Steve’s shirt, feeling utterly stupid and you had laughed like it was the cutest thing you’d ever seen.

You’d laughed when he’d choked on his spaghetti. Smiled kindly when he offered you to try his food and you’d reminded him for the second time that night that you were allergic to tomatoes. To top it off, you’d pretended it was no big deal that he had accidentally left his wallet in his van and that you had no problems paying for dinner.

“Really, Eddie. It’s fine. Just get me back next time.”

The thought of a next time was enough to stop his racing thoughts for just a moment. Not for long though, because watching you pretend like your feet weren’t aching on the way home had Eddie cursing himself the entire walk.

How could he fuck up so badly and how could you be so calm and kind about it?

Now, standing at your front landing, he’s apologising profusely for how horrible he’s made your night.

“Horrible?” you question, eyebrows raised and skin glowing if it's entirely possible. The setting sun casts you amber.

“I don’t know,” Eddie stammers, “It didn’t go how I wanted it to.”

“It didn’t?” you question again. Your voice is pitched up and its melody has his brain spinning, “How were you expecting it to go?”

“I’d have expected not to forget my wallet. And maybe have a van that works,” Eddie can’t help but laugh at his stupidity. Especially when you’re making the same face you have been all night. A smile that looks like it could ruin him.

“I don’t know,” You reach forward and take the hem of his shirt in your fingers, playing with the thread. “I had a really good time.”

“You- you did?” Eddie stammers. Suddenly you’re really close, if it’s because he’s been too deep inside his own head he hasn’t noticed you inching closer, he’s not sure.

“Yeah,” you nod gleefully, hair bouncing.

“Yeah,” he echoes. More to set it in stone himself.

Eddie watches where your fingers play with his shirt, the closer they inch towards his skin, the louder he thinks his heart becomes in his ears.

There’s a silence that you hate, “Hey, Eds?”

Eddie’s breath hitches. You’ve never called him that before.

“Yeah,” he murmurs. Voice quieter than he’d like to admit. Any louder and he feels as if you’d step back from him.

He looks up and catches your gaze before you speak, “Can I kiss you?”

Eddie doesn’t know how to reply. He’s never even been asked such a question before so he can’t even pretend he’s got an answer somewhere in the back of his numb mind.

His heart thrums in his throat, feels as if it might escape, “You want to kiss me?”

You nod like it’s the most obvious thing ever. To you, it is, to Eddie it’s unimaginable.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

The moment your lips press into his, he freezes. Not in a bad sense, his mouth still moves. He still shows you how much he wants to kiss you with his tentative and loving lips. But he doesn’t know what to do with his hands. They flex at your side until you’re cradling his face in your own.

Your touch is warm, warmer than your lips and it almost burns. Burns so much that his eyes well with tears and he gasps into your opening mouth.

Your face suddenly feels wet and you can feel a sob making its way through Eddie's throat. You pull away, “Eddie? You okay?”

He slams his eyes shut to will away the tears, fisting at his hair when he pushes it behind his ears, “M’sorry,” he sniffles.

You reach up to cradle his face again, wiping hot tears away from his flushed cheeks, “Hey, it’s alright. I had a great night. Promise.”

He shakes his head, “No,” he swallows, “No, it’s not that. I’ve just. I’ve never been kissed like that before.”

“Oh.”

Eddie feels stupid. That is until you say,

“Oh, Eddie. Hey, c’mere.”

Eddie lets himself fall too willingly into your arms. Has no problems this time when you wrap your arms around his back and pull him as close as possible. Close enough that his hair presses so hard into the skin of your neck that he expects it to be embossed.

He grasps at the back of your shirt a little too hard. Pressing his nose into the skin behind your ear, sniffling wetly.

“It’s okay,” you murmur into his head, “I had I really good night and I think,” you pause and let him rub his cheek into your shoulder, “I think I’ve wanted to kiss you for a really long time.”

He pulls back and you think he has the prettiest eyes. Despite them being glassy and the tiniest bloodshot. “Yeah?”

You lean in and peck him right above his top lip, overthe plush of his cupid's bow, "Yeah."

“You think you'll want to try it again sometime?"

You smile brightly, "I think I do. More than you think."

"Way more than I think."

[upsidedownwithsteve]

hi love, can i request shy!reader and eddie having an argument over him forgetting a date or something similar and reader kinda gets snippy with him for it and hes genuinely shocked and also a little proud that reader is standing up to him?

Eddie was late. Like, stupid late. Over an hour late.

You felt silly, waiting on the sidewalk, your hopes of your boyfriend remembering your date night lowering the same way the sun was. The business fronts around you were closing, including the bookstore you worked at, Mr Giannti smiling a little sadly at you as he closed up, confused as to why you’d asked for an early finish, if you were still standing there.

“You okay, kid? Need a ride?” The elderly man asked kindly.

You did. You’d taken the bus to work that morning, knowing Eddie was picking you up at five to go straight to the restaurant. But it was bordering past six o’clock on a Sunday and Eddie was nowhere to be seen. Plus, the buses had slowed to an hourly service, the next one not due for another fifty minutes at least.

But you shook your head, thanking your boss anyway and decided to hold out another five minutes. Rain threatened the sky, evening creeping in with shades of navy and grey, the breeze turning cooler and you frowned at the way your lip threatened to wobble. You wouldn’t cry.

No. You didn’t want to cry. You were mad. A rare emotion for you to feel, something that usually stayed to a simmering annoyance and it was even more uncommon for it to be directed at Eddie. But you’d left him that morning with a soft kiss and a softer smile, telling him through his exuberant bouncing that you hoped he enjoyed the end of his campaign, but he remembered the dinner reservation he’d made for you both, right?

The boy had nodded even though his nose was stuck in the notebook he used for his scripts and plans, stray paper fluttering to the table top, the floor as he ran his eyes over each stage.

“Sure, babe,” he’d said. “Game ends at five, dinner’s at quarter to six. I’ll get you at like, quarter past five tops.” He’d smacked a kiss to your cheek as you passed him and you’d grinned, excited.

Your new dress stuck to your thighs as the drizzle started, a horrible kind of misting rain that soaks you through. Eddie caught up to you half way back to your home, the van rumbling down the street, slow at first as he kept a lookout for you, faster when he spotted you at the end of the block.

The breaks squeaked as he pulled up beside you, zero hesitation from the boy as he jumped out the drivers side and dashed around the hood to meet you. You kept walking.

“Babe!” Eddie sounded frantic, brows pulled together in a stitch, lips parted and ready to apologise until he was blue with it. “Baby, baby, I’m so fuckin’ sorry, wait— wait!”

You spun when his hand curled around your wrist, his skin much warmer than your rain cooled body. You tried to glare, to show the anger you really felt at being left waiting for him, but your face betrayed you and that wobbling lip of yours finally gave in. Tears sprung to your eyes and your lips twitched, corners turned down and you sucked in a gasp.

“Where were you?”

“Baby,” Eddie tried again, “I’m so sorry, I— we, we just got a little caught up—”

“I waited an hour, Eddie! Longer, in fact!” You sniffed, wrenching your hand away from his hold before swiping the back of it over your eyes and tutting when it came away streaked with ruined mascara. “You knew we had a date!”

Eddie didn’t know what to say, but his chest was aching. You looked so sad, so disappointed, because of him. You’d never looked at him like that. He swallowed, throat tight and tried to reach out for you again.

You flinched away from him and the ache doubled.

“Can you get in the van, sweetheart?” He asked you softly, big, brown eyes wider and glassier than ever. You could see the regret in them. “Lemme get you home, huh? And dry, please. And then I swear, you can yell at me all night, I promise.”

You stared at him, jaw clenched and arms folded, your dress getting heavier the more you stood as the rain clung to it. “I don’t wanna yell at you,” you told him mournfully. You hated yelling, Eddie knew that. “I wanted to have a nice night with you, Eddie.”

“I know, I know,” he soothed, stepping forward to unfurl you from yourself. He took one hand and let out a breath when you let him. “But I deserve it, okay? I fucked up, and I’m so sorry, baby. C’mon, get in the van for me, yeah? You’re soaked.”

You relented, letting the boy coax you into the passenger side. “I wouldn’t be soaked if you showed up on time,” you told him surly. It wasn’t your usual tone and the catty comment wasn’t something that you’d usually say but Eddie merely nodded emphatically.

“No, I know,” he agreed, before running around to the driver's side, shaking his own damp hair out like a dog. “I'm an idiot, babe, and I need a watch that works, or somethin’, I have no idea what happened—”

You frowned. “That’s a poor excuse, Teddy.”

Eddie let out a breath. You weren’t usually so upfront with him. Not that he’d ever given you a reason to bite back but he wasn’t going to say the sound of it didn’t make him proud. He liked that you were standing your ground, you were right and he deserved it. And god, at least you were calling him Teddy.

“You’re right,” he nodded, voice soft and barely heard over the patter of rain on the van roof. “I’m an idiot,” he said again.

You sniffed, looked over at him with hurt eyes that he was sure would haunt his worst dreams. “A little bit.” God, you felt so mean but it made you feel a little better, especially when Eddie’s lip quirked up at your words.

“Shit, baby, you’re out for blood, huh?”

Your lips parted in offence, a scoff coming with it but Eddie pulled you in, thighs dragging over the van bench as he manhandled you onto his side. You were pretty sure he’d have you on his lap if you hadn’t poked at his ribs.

You peered up at him, still frowning. You didn’t wanna let him off that easily, you could practically hear Robin’s voice in your head. ‘C’mon dude, you don’t gotta be the nice guy all the time.’

But it was still Eddie who was gazing back at you. Looking extremely forlorn, you might add.

“You hurt my feelings,” you told him, ‘cause it was healthy to communicate such a thing, right? “You made me feel like Hellfire was more important than our date. And I know how much you love it and it is important to you but— it was like you forgot about me.”

Eddie sighed, sad but not annoyed. If he was frustrated, it was certainly at himself and not you. He watched you suck in a shaky breath after you spoke, a reminder of how you sometimes struggled voicing things that could cause a possible confrontation. So he soothed a hand up and down your arm, hating that you were still cold to the touch.

“I’m really sorry I made you feel like that, babe. Really, really sorry,” Eddie leaned in to press a kiss to your temple and he felt his heart kickstart when you let him. “But you’re the most important thing to me, yeah? Like, ever. How could I forget about you, huh?”

You shrugged, sad.

“Time got away from me, baby, it won’t happen again though, I promise.”

“Okay,” you whispered. “But you gotta make it up to me, Munson.”

“Anyway you want,” Eddie promised. “In the kitchen, the bedroom- ow, don’t hit me, woman- I’ll do it.” He was grinning, like he couldn’t help himself, ‘cause you were kinda hot like this; all stern brows and sharp talk, a far cry from his soft and sweet girl he usually got to see.

With twisted lips, you let Eddie soothe away your doubts, his gentle, warm hands sweeping up and down your sides, cupping your jaw with a thumb pressed to your cheek to turn you to him. He reached up to sweep under your eye, tutting as rubbed away a drag of mascara. 

“Cutest fuckin’ panda I’ve ever seen,” Eddie confirmed.

….

[chososdiscordkitten]

Obsessive!Choso♡ pt 11

pt 10 here

Content: direct cont of last chap, reader wears heels, implied reader has boobies O-O, soooo much hand holding it should be considered lewd, 2 pics to help see what I picture (underlined text), date hehe, reader wouldn't mind if Choso kidnapped them 0-0, they play battle ship, jokingly implied Choso is an escort(?), reader is kinda mean, reassurance, idk just my usual bs??? just reader nd Choso being cute man what else can I say. Word Count: 11.9k (wtf, im sorry)

(a.n) this was so long, I know, pls excuse any mistakes- I underestimated how hard it was to edit something longer than 5k words. ALSO???? take this as a celebration of me hitting 1k followers!! yayyy

Taglist: @eristi @sunaumi @ex-ria @just-pure-trash @kha-0s @iluvreinah @iamboredowo @integers @waytootiredforthisss @1arminsimp @hannas16 @chosowhore @tojicvmslut @ofalcaodacolinablue @thesharkcollector @mochipip @hotvillianapologist @ziklope @saeline @morinuu @b3llair3 @24hrnanami

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After you left his apartment, Choso’s mind blared with the possibility of you being kidnapped- only to find solace in the small red dot blinking on his phone. Cautious eyes watching as he expected it to move- but no. It stayed still at a restaurant right outside of campus. Choso wanted to desperately leave behind those incessant urges to follow you- to make sure you were safe. 

Knowing that his day of reckoning would come. Choso knew that if he kept following you- the day would come when you’d see him. And he wanted to trust you now that things were starting to advance. 

There was nothing he wanted more than to trust you, to trust that you could take care of yourself- 

But everytime he’d try to ignore the blaring ‘warning’ signs in his mind. He’d remember every time he watched you walk home without caution, every horror story he read of people getting kidnapped and trafficked- and on the occasions where Choso couldn't shake off the invading thoughts, your voice would haunt his mind.

Overwhelming his brain as he tried to focus on what you were saying- your whispering voice making his brain pound in his skull as he watched that blinking dot.

Choso had to call you- if he couldn't run out of his apartment and find you- the least he could do was call you. Feeling like one of your clingy ‘friends’ as the phone rang, his pointer finger picking at the side of his thumb as he closed his eyes. All but praying for you to answer, opening his eyes as he heard the receiver being picked up, 

“I was just thinking about you-” he spoke, hearing your angelic laugh ring through his ears. ‘I left like 20 minutes ago.’ you teased, “I know-” he mumbled “What're you doing?” he continued, not in the mood to dance around what he wanted to hear, ‘uh- I'm at..lunch with a friend.’ you hesitated. –

‘What're you doing, Choso?’ you asked, confused as to where this was going. Choso let out a half laugh from his chest. “M’sitting in the dark thinking about you.” he professed, pressing his hand to his forehead and hearing you laugh at the serious tone he took. ‘Sounds healthy.’ you joked back with a playful tone, closing his eyes and thinking. Your tone was kind- speaking sweetly as you normally did. But. You hesitated.

The same way you hesitate whenever you refer to him as your friend. 

“M’sorry. I just wanted to hear your voice.” he sniffled, “Tell your friend I say hi.” hearing your smile when you replied a quick ‘Okay.’ at his request. 

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The conversation of the date was a rough one. Sitting in his apartment as you played chess. The timing was horrible- sure. The econd week of February left an unavoidable holiday sitting in front of you. “We can wait...till after if you want.” he offered a solution as he moved a pawn. 

“It's not so much the day for me.” you admitted, scanning the wooden chest pieces on your side of the checkerboard. “If you want- we can wait till after.” rephrasing his words as you watched his eyebrows furrow, “S’the same for me.” mentally chanting ‘pleasepleasepleaseplease’ as you pondered. 

And with those words- the date was set for Valentines day. Which made Choso believe there really was a god from how well this turned out. And you're thinking of moving out from that house full of idiots- and into the small apartment complex as his neighbor.

For the first time in Choso’s life he felt like life dealt him a good hand.

When it came to actually thinking about what to do- he didn't want to ask you. Knowing you were indecisive on what you were eating for lunch that day- so he didn't want to plague you with planning a date he owed you. Checking his bank account and barely seeing enough for a stack of pancakes in the town diner. 

Choso contemplated it. He thought about it over and over again, weighing the pros and cons in his mind before going into his closet and reaching into a pair of boots that were 3 sizes too small for him. Finding the thinning wad of cash he was looking for. The so-called ‘rainy day fund’ thinned every time he ran out of money for the month.

But this was worth it, you, were worth it. So he pulled the rubber band from the roll of cash, slowly counting the bills in his hands to be sure he didn't miss count. 

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The next time you saw Choso you asked him what his plan was- “Just be ready by 7.” he smiled to himself, already picturing you on that day. 

Furrowing your eyebrows before speaking, “Well-” you scoffed “what are we doing?”

“It's a surprise.” he grinned, looking down at the stupid game you called ‘Candy Land’ 

You sighed dramatically, “Choso, I hate surprises.” as you stared at the little pieces of plastic on the colorful board. “Atleast tell me what to wear.” you insisted, seeing his lips flash a pearly smile to you. 

“Wear whatever you want- I’m sure you’ll look great.” he scoffed, holding the little piece of plastic between his fingers, making it hop as he counted the squares. 

“Well if you're taking me to a nice restaurant and I'm wearing a t-shirt nd jeans- not gonna be very fun. Or if you're taking me to a horse race-” Choso laughed at your assumptions, “And I open the door in a dress and heels? Then what?” you threw the possibilities at him as he smiled at your nervousness. 

“It's a first date- I wanna make a good impression.” You mused, earning a half laugh from his chest. “C’mon-” you batted your eyelashes at him, trying to convince him to tell you what he was planning.

Nodding his head at your coercion that was working better than you thought, “You're terrible.” he whispered, making your pouting grin turn into a toothy smile. “Wear something nice-” he avoided your eyes, moving the character on the squares again as you listened carefully, “Bring a coat- weather app says it's gonna be cold.” He instructed.

“Do I eat beforehand?” you grinned, seeing his jaw clench at your question, “Hmm- No.” you smiled at how a few pleads convinced him to tell you. 

“How nice should I dress then?” pressing the issue with a winning smile on your face as you moved your plastic character, pleased at how easily he was to convince. “Atleast tell me that.” Choso looked at you and pondered the question, before nodding his head ‘no’. Knowing he's already said too much. 

You pouted playfully at his denial, “Just a hint- just oneee.” seeing his eyes look over your face, “I’ll even settle for one word.” he thought of a word to use, staring at you as he skimmed through words in his mind. 

“Wear something- striking.” he squinted as he settled on the word.

With raised eyebrows you started, “Striking huh?” in a teasing tone the choice of word he used, “Must be some first date to wear something striking.” your borderline bullying caused Choso to regret his choice of telling you anything. 

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On the 13th of february, just one day before your date- Choso facetimed his baby brother Yuuji, knowing out of all 9, he was probably the best one to call about this delicate topic. 

“What about this?” he holding a black knit sweater to his chest while looking at the screen, Yuuji let out a snicker- ‘If you like it-’ his tone was snide- almost mockingly as Choso tossed the knit onto his bed, staring at the pile of clothing that he had gone through. 

Showing him a band t-shirt from one of his drawers and hearing Yuuji let out a small laugh before he tossed the t-shirt on his already messy bed. “You're no help.” 

‘M’not here to helppp-’ Yuuji droned on, “That's precisely why I called you, Yuuji.” Choso retorted in a stern tone, not enjoying the game his brother was trying to play, slipping on a black dress shirt and doing up the tiny buttons.

‘Didn't you wear that to your graduation?’ he heard from the phone with a half laugh forming in his brother's words. “Can you tell?” straightening his back and seeing the fabric flex against his chest and shoulders, ‘Looks a lil tight buddy.’ Yuuji held back a laugh, being able to see the buttons strain and form small openings down his chest.

With an exasperated sigh he looked back to the mess on his bed, “I don't know what to wear.”

‘The dark navy button down you wore to parent teacher conferences and black slacks.’ Yuuji spat quickly, ‘Hey when am I gonna meet this person?’ Smiling as he changed the topic, “When you stop being so nosy.” Choso muttered, looting through his closet and finding the button up Yuuji was talking about. 

Unbuttoning the taut buttons and slipping off the small shirt. Tossing it onto the pile of discarded options before slipping on the better fitting dress shirt, doing up the small buttons and looking in the mirror, ‘I'm not nosy-’ Yuuji laughed, ‘Excuse me for trying to find out who’s involved in my big brothers life-’ enunciating the words. Attempting to make Choso feel bad for scolding him. 

“If you ever come out here- I'll introduce them to you.” he looked at the top two buttons that were undone, trying to decide whether or not to do them.

‘I'm on the next flight out.’ Yuuji quipped, making Choso scoff.

 “No Yuuji. Go to school.” Choso demanded, knowing he was skipping more than a handful of classes. ‘One day I’ll fly out there and you won't be able to say no to me till I’m standin’ at your door.’ Yuuji threatened, Choso offered only a sarcastic ‘haha’ in response.

‘How you got a date before I got a girlfriend is still insane to me.’  he pressed, “Why’s that Yuuji?” rolling up the sleeves of the dress shirt as he looked in the mirror. 

Yuuji laughed- knowing just what to do to annoy his older brother, ‘Cause you're so… weird.’ Yuuji struggled to say the words through a bully-like smile, “For your information- brother of the year,” Choso snapped playfully, which surprised Yuuji since Choso was never the type to banter- not because he didn't want to. But his quips would always come out in stutters, never being able to come up with smart replies fast enough. 

Choso smiled as he recalled your slurred words,“They like that I'm ‘strange’.” Yuuji chirped from the phone, ‘They tell you that?’ with a sarcastic tone. 

Looking at Yuuji with a cocky smile, “They did.” earning for his baby brother to raise his eyebrows in feigned shock, ‘The world is so backwards.’ he scoffed before asking more questions about you. 

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Choso wanted to make tonight special, he wanted to make this the last first date you ever went on. 

So as he looked at himself in the mirror, putting on his many rings and muttering words of encouragement to himself, hands shaking as he rolled up the sleeves of his dark navy blue dress shirt. Trying not to nitpick any detail that he didn't like about the reflection staring back at him- whispering that even if he was ‘strange and off putting’ you still liked him. 

Side eyeing the clear bowl shaped vase that held three white lilies, Choso felt nerves eating away at him as his eyes flashed down to his phone that lit up with a message from you. 

‘lmk when ur outside :)’ your message read. If only you knew Choso’s stomach was in knots. A specific kind of anxiety he had never felt before, it almost felt like how your stomach churned while in line for a scary rollercoaster for the first time. 

He quickly typed, ‘im omw now’ with trembling thumbs.

So as he put on the torn up carhartt jacket he relied on whenever it was cold, he straightened his back as he held the clear vase in his hand- Choso hesitated to turn the doorknob of his apartment. Thinking on if this was a good idea- a million doubts racing in his mind. 

But he only needed one thought to pull him from his doubts. All he needed was to remember you to open the door. 

The walk across the lively campus full of people carrying bouquets of red roses and overcompensating stuffed animals made him think that maybe the three lilies were not enough- Till the realization that he was actually taking you out on Valentine's day hit, which only made him even more nervous, the pondering thoughts of ‘am I making a fool of myself?’ making him overheat in the heavy jacket. Choso must've taken it off and put it back on 2 or 3 times before he reached your neighborhood. 

Standing on your rundown porch, thinking about ringing the doorbell. Those doubts daring to creep back into his mind, but his hesitant finger pressed the button anyway. Holding the bowl in both hands as he heard muffled shouts through the heavy wood door. He watched the brass handle turn before the door cracked open- his eyes being granted the honor of seeing you. 

‘Breathtaking’ was the word his mind formulated once he felt air fill his lungs again. 

Choso swore that every single time he looked at you, it felt like the first time. But this time- this, took the cake. This would be the mental image he’d remember every time he thought of you. The nerves and unease he felt in his chest melted away when he saw the warmth of your smile.

His eyes blinked quickly- almost in disbelief as he looked at you, so love drunk it hurt his chest a little. 

And you, bent to the side and fiddling with the tiny buckle of your heel. To Choso it felt like you came straight out of his teenage dreams as you looked at him.

Smiling as you uttered the word that was stuck in his throat, with a hurried smile you spoke, “Heyy-” before placing your foot back onto the ground as you stepped back with a quiet gasp, looking at the bowl in his hands. “Come in!” you urged sweetly, seeing his eyes scan your frame, darting to your living room that was full of your gawking roommates and their friends. ‘An anti-valentines day movie night’ you called it.

“Thought I told you to tell me you were outside-” you grinned, standing at the entryway of the house. ‘God, you are haunting.’ You looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to reply. Unknowing your roommates were ignoring the movie on the living room tv. Furrowing your eyebrows as you looked at the round vase in his hands.

“T-these are for you.” He muttered, his heart racing at an abominable speed by seeing you grin kindly before your smile fell.

It turned into a grimace, “I have something for you too-” looking back up at the stairs you practically fell down when the doorbell rang. Turning back around to face him. Taking the bowl from his extended hands with a prolonged touch, “They're lovely. Thank you.” you smiled, “Stay right here- I'll be right back.” You hushed, turning around and dashing up the stairs. 

Choso stood at the doorway, almost mournful knowing the sight of you that greeted him would only exist in his memory now. Fiddling with his rings as he felt the people's eyes burn through him. Unintelligible whispers from the prying gazes. Gulping as he heard your bedroom door slam shut, urging footsteps on the ground as you hurried down the stairs. Both hands held behind your back as you hid his present. 

A silly smile on your lips as you looked at him, the thin heel of your shoes clacking on the tile as you stood before him, reaching your arm around as you a box with a small bow on top. Raising his eyebrows and looking at the box holding a pair of white glass plates inside. “Plates?” he smiled defeated at the present as you tried to suppress a small laugh. 

Your shoulders moved in a silent laugh as you watched his eyes flash back up to you, “Yes. Plates.” seeing him exhale through his nose, amused at what a coincidence it was that you bought him them.

“Thank you.” He mumbled softly, already being able to picture using them.

Choso held the box in one hand, looking at you with adoring eyes, you cleared your throat, “Striking enough?” you sneered proudfully. He practically choked on air at your question. 

He took a second to look at you, trying to find the correct thing to say, “You look beautiful.” he breathed softly, words that came straight from his heart. Mentally he was shouting any word he thought of when he looked at you. Words that are not to be said on a ‘first date’, confessions of yearning love and descriptive words of how he felt about you. 

‘Captivating.’ Choso thought as he admired your features that were accentuated by the warm lighting, almost casting a glow on your skin.

You felt the warmth in your cheeks trail to the tip of your nose at the compliment. ‘Thank y-’ you mouthed silently, being interrupted by a loud over exaggerated cough coming from the living room. 

Squinting your eyes as you turned around to face the source, “When did you say you'd be home?” one of your roommates spouted from the couch.

“I didn't.” You spoke with a raised tone laced with irritation, scoffing before walking into the living room. Focused on your coat that was draped on the edge of the couch.

Their eyes looked up at you as though you owed them something, “Where's he taking you?” desperate to keep you home.

You raised your eyebrows before you spoke, “No idea.”, reaching your hands into the pockets of your coat to be sure you had what you needed. 

Picking it up from the couch before turning around and speed walking back to Choso, looking at him with an urgent look on your face. “Let's go.” you whispered as you reached for the doorknob, “It's not safe to go to an undisclosed location with a stranger-!” your roommate shouted as you stepped through the doorway. Sighing as you pulled the door behind you. 

“Sorry about that.” you breathed, inhaling the cold air as you scanned the cloudy overcast with squinted eyes and creased eyebrows.

Choso inhaled sharply before he spoke, “Was that-”

“Yes, that was my den mother.” with a scoff, Choso parted his lips in a silent wince as you slipped your coat onto your exposed shoulders. Reaching a hand down and raising your ankle halfway to tweak with the strap of your heel again.

“Lead the way.” you smiled as Choso took a step forward onto the rickety stairs. 

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“Can you tell me where you're taking me now?” You sounded almost defeated as you walked side by side on the pavement. Choso made sure that he was on the open side of the sidewalk, walking between you and the potential risk.

Quiet streets derived from people made the walk peaceful, the sunless sky causing everything to look pale blue- almost as though you stepped through a blue tinted filter.

The weather was fresh- cold enough for a coat but not freezing the way it was a few days ago. A small breeze would have made you regret your choice in what you wore- your calves and ankles exposed to the frigid air.

Looking over at him as he held the boxed plates, with a smug grin on his lips, “We have to go pick something up first.” you hummed at Choso’s denial as his rundown oxford-esque shoes stomped on the ground.

Seeing an opportunity to wear down that smugness, you looked at him with an unashamed smile. “You look beautiful too, Choso.” circling back to his compliment that was interrupted by your roommate. He looked over to you- not shocked but surprised at your choice of words, despite the gloomy weather- you looked warm in his eyes. As though the sun was shining and it was the middle of summer.

He sighed as he felt your shoulder brush against his, “I don't think I’ve ever been called that.” he admitted honestly with a flustered smile. 

You laughed, “I can call you something else-” with an enthusiastic grin, looking up into the sky as you thought of the words to use, “How about- scenic. Or uh, captivating-” watching the blush on his cheeks trail onto his exposed ear.

Choso’s teeth stuttered as he heard you- trying to silence the sudden compliment, “My name is fine.” He insisted with a nervous laugh, trying his best to ignore your gaze.

You raised your eyebrows, “Are you sure? I can keep going-”

“Ju-” he breathed, “Just Choso is fine.” he implored, his heart racing at an unimaginable speed.

You were pleased with his stutter, “Okay. ‘Just Choso’, where are you taking me?” grazing the back of your palm against his as you walked, his eyes on the ground watching the lines on the pavement come and go.

Choso sighed, “I already told you- We. Are going. To pick. Something up.” He paused between the words as though that was an answer, flinching when you bumped your knuckles into his as you strolled beside him.

“Don't take that tone with me, mister.” you teased playfully, holding your knuckles against his as you saw him perk a smile. 

“Sorry-” he grinned as he looked over at you sweetly, “We’re gonna go pick something up.” he corrected himself, smiling at the sugared words, not moving his hand from yours- if anything pressing it closer. 

With a sigh you took the initiative and interlocked your fingers with his, your cool hand icing his warm palm, “If you're gonna kidnap me- let me know. Promise I won't fight back or anything.” you joked, making Choso shiver at your accusation. 

With a grimace he hesitated the words he was about to say, “That is a terrible and equally horrifying thing to say,” he spoke your name in a reprimanding tone.

“I mean in the way that life sucks right now, and you're a pretty cool person. And you're nice, and tolerate me.” squinting your eyes at the sudden frost-like breeze puff against your bare shins.

Your circling hum on the side of his pointer finger made this conversation suddenly very difficult for him to focus on. “Just don't put me in a glass cage. That's all I ask.” You continued the unsettling topic as you squeezed his hand. 

Choso laughed at the reference, “You see,” being able to conjure the words in his mind. “I had reason to worry about you getting kidnapped.” he murmured, mentally damning you for putting that thought into his head again. 

“That's different though.” you hummed, tilting your head towards him. “Of course if it was a stranger I’d fight tooth and nail-” a playful grin on your lips, watching his eyebrows slowly pull upwards. “But, if it was you?” you continued, feeling his palm subtly start to clam against yours.  

Choso looked over at you- waiting for you to finish what you were saying. The troubled expression on his face made you smile at how easy it was to fluster him. 

Shaking away the words in your mind, the sky dimming as you clutched onto his hand, you let out a ‘tsk’ at the thought, “Now that would be something quite forward to say.” you grinned playfully.

‘Your smile hides your mischievousness a little too well- I think you're just being cruel at this point.’ he thought as he looked at your profile. A proud smile adorning your lips. 

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“A parking garage?” you asked, twitching your ankle as you watched Choso input a security code into the metal receiver.

Choso sucked his teeth with a smile, “Did you expect us to walk for the entire night?” looking down to your shoe that was clearly bothering you. 

“You have a car?” you asked as you watched the metal gate creak open. 

He winced, “Technically no-” hand in hand as he led you through the barrier of the two story garage. Walking up the sloped concrete as you looked at the dusty cars. 

“I didn't even know this place existed.” You muttered, eyeing the gray walls illuminated by old yellow lights. Swinging your connected hands softly as Choso laid eyes upon the black car cover he hoped was waiting for him. 

“Let's hope it still runs.” he joked as you let go of his hand. 

“Hold these for me won't you?” he whispered, handing you the cardboard box as you tapped your heeled foot on the ground, causing Choso to look down at your ankle once more.

Placing his hands on the front end of the cover, yanking it off as you laid eyes on the two seater maroon colored classic. Almost perfectly polished as you raised your eyebrows in shock, his hands balling up the black car cover and placing it on the hood haphazardly.

He inhaled almost painfully, “It was my father’s-” as he inserted the key into the driver's side and turned it, unlocking the doors before walking to the passenger side and opening the door with a hand held out to you.

Taking the boxed plates from your hands and placing them on the roof of the car, holding your hand as you eased into the vehicle.

Connected matte black seats meeting your eyes as you eased into the seat. Silent as he nervously tried explaining why he had the car, “H-he left it behind- and I didn’t wanna leave it to be sold.” He smiled, looking down at you as he held the frame of the door. 

“So you brought it with you?” You hummed, fiddling with your hands on your lap and looking at the interior.

“I stole it- yes.” he admitted without shame, leaning on the frame of the opened door.

Pulling off his jacket as your hands reached out to take it from him, a small ‘Thank you’ fell from his lips as you held it in your lap. His lips parted in a grin, looking at your expression as you pinched your eyebrows together. Reaching your hand down to the bothersome buckle that squeezed your ankle a little too tightly. 

Your fingers struggled to fix the issue as he watched you. Flashing your eyes up at him with an awkward giggle before you spoke, “When you rang the doorbell I accidentally pulled the-” You sighed, trying to pull the black strap from the bothersome buckle, “-the strap too tight.”

Choso smiled before mouthing an understanding ‘oh’ 

“May I?” he asked, frustration starting to seep from you and into him by just watching your aimless attempts. You eyed him, lowering himself to his knee, the other propped up as you turned your body to face him. 

Suddenly all too aware of the veins on the tops of his hands, the light arm hair on his outer forearms that were exposed from his rolled up sleeves. 

His calloused hand held open awaiting you to lift your dangling foot to his palm. Without a word, you lifted your ankle. Choso delicately placed his hand onto the back of your calf, your cold skin warming in his palm as he guided the back of the heel to rest atop his bent knee. Trailing his fingertips mindlessly on your skin as he gently unbuckled the silver rivet of the shoe. 

Feeling the instant relief as he slid the buckle into a neighboring notch. A warm blush forming on your cheeks as you watch his painted hands trail gentle touches on your skin.

“There?” he mumbled, looking up at you as his thumb settled on the protruding bone of your ankle. Only offering a blushed ‘Mhm’ from your dry throat as he laced the rest of the tiny strap beneath the metal. Your hand was clutched on the edge of the seat- if your grip tightened any more you’d scratch the pristine leather.

Choso gently placed his palm back onto your calf, easing your leg back down gently before he stood up again. “Now for the moment of truth.” he winced, taking a step back and leaving you with your feet on the ground.

You inhaled sharply as his hand rested on the door again, waiting for you to sit correctly. You turned your body back to face the windshield, he closed the door for you- reaching his hand on the roof of the car for the plates before walking to the drivers side.

With how easy it was to fluster him or make him nervous, you were unsure why out of the two of you- you were the one who was on the verge of hyperventilating from the innocent act of kindness. In your mind an obstacle presented itself; how you were expected to keep your composure for the rest of the evening. 

Your hand dared to tremble as you placed his heavy jacket on the center of the benched seat. Some kind of desperate attempt at a wall to keep you from acting on your self-indulgent thoughts. 

Hearing a small thud as he placed the plates on the roof again. The driver's door opened smoothly, Choso eased into the seat as he placed his hand on the wheel with the keys in hand, leaving his door open with one foot on the ground.

Choso cleared his throat as he turned the ignition, raising his eyebrows in hopes the car would turn on. A wave of relief washed over him when he heard the loud roar come from the muffler. Quiet music playing from the staticky radio breaking the silence.

He stepped out of the car once more, walking to the hood to grab the car cover he carelessly folded. Your eyes followed him as he slid the pair of plates from the roof and walked to the back of the car, your shoulders tense while trying to breathe. 

Flinching when you heard the trunk pound shut, clearing your throat when you saw him walk back to the opened door. 

He settled into the driver's seat once more, mindlessly picking up your attempt at a wall and placing his jacket onto the ledge of the rearview window, leaving nothing but air to keep you separate from him. 

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The drive was silent, the quiet radio music easing the tension in the air only you felt. Hands in your lap as you fiddled with your thumbs, Choso was unaware of your tense shoulders till he stopped at a red light. 

Looking over at you- your head locked forward and sitting very, very far away. The look on your face though, furrowed eyebrows and unblinking eyes, lips pressed tightly together as though you were in deep thought- that's what made him realize something was wrong. 

Replaying the last 10 minutes- not recalling a single snide comment or any attempts at flirting since he started driving.

He murmured your name- trying to pull you out of the thoughts that were whirling in your mind at that moment. Blinking your eyes and turning your head slightly, looking at Choso’s face that was illuminated by the red light. “Something wrong?”

You nodded your head ‘no’ intertwining your hands harshly together. Choso looked down to your latched hands, then back up to you with a perked brow- He didn't need to speak, you knew what he was asking with the look on his face. 

You inhaled, trying to find something clever to say- “M’trying to keep my hands to myself.” you murmured, looking out of the window, gathering he was driving into the neighboring city as your knees pointed to the door along with your head.

‘...hands to yourself..?’ Choso mentally repeated your words, not knowing why you had to try to, when you were never shy about it before.

Air caught in your throat at the realization you said that louder than you were expecting, “In a- a non creepy way.” you reiterated, scrunching your eyes together at the stutter in your words. 

Mentally you were cursing the stupid old traffic light that refused to turn green, even with the lack of cars around- it still beamed red. “Did I do something?” he asked, worried he offended you in some way. 

You sighed, “Yes-”, refusing to look at him, “Yes, you did something.” you muttered as you looked into the glass, staring at him through the reflection. 

“I’m sorry- I didn't mean to-” he started apologizing unknowing what he did- but it still felt like he had to. 

You let out a laugh that rang through his ears in the sound of a hymn, “You don't even know what you did.” corners of your lips twitching upwards, turning your knees over to him as he looked forward at the now green light- accelerating slowly as you scanned his side profile. 

“Must've been something worth an apology if you- of all people are keeping your hands to yourself.” he joked slyly. Only he meant to think those words- not actually say them to you.

You squinted your eyes at his banter, “Oh haha-” you grinned sarcastically, planting your hand onto the seat, “I'll make sure to keep ‘em to myself from now on if you feel that way.” You played, feeling your confidence soak back into your words. 

Choso turned his head slightly over to you, low eyes knowing you wouldn't be able to keep that declaration, dropping his hand from the bottom of the wheel as the other held onto the side of it, placing it on the black leather to tempt you. Suddenly the distance you set between you too was too evident- too far, his eyes were forward- watching the road. 

You gulped, scanning the top of his veiny hand, slowly you shifted closer to him.

Now close enough that he could sense you, “Choso?” you whispered, earning for a small hum to leave his throat, a childish smile on your lips “Can I hold your hand?” you spoke in a whisper- Choso furrowed his eyebrows at the question.

A gentle grin on his lips, “You don't need to ask me.” he whispered back, looking forward as he heard alarms and bells ring in his head from excitement. 

So as you scooched closer to Choso, he held his hand out for you. His heart couldn't help but beat at an alarming pace, so close your thigh was pressed against his. Your knees pointed in his direction as he felt his palm threaten to sweat. 

You slumped the tiniest bit into the matte seat, looking up at him as you gently took his hand into yours, interlocking your fingers with his as your other hand caged the back of his palm. 

Both of your hands overwhelmed his tender one, smiling as you leaned the side of your head onto his bicep. Resting your joined hands on the seam where his thigh ended and yours began.

“I've always liked your hands.” you mumbled, caressing your thumbs on his skin as he drove- he was grateful the sky was darkening. Cause he was so sure the blush he was sporting on his cheeks was starting to roam down his chest.

Choso’s breathing hitched- catching in his throat, “My h-hands?” feeling his heart pound in his chest. And for the foot that wasn't on the gas to start bouncing nervously. 

You giggled, “Yeah, your hands.” you hummed, unaware of the state you were pushing him to. “They're so pretty.” you complimented him with a tone only heard in his frantic dreams.

And as you scanned his jeweled hand engulfed by your own- the veins that trailed up his forearm beneath his pale skin proudly, you smiled as you pressed your thumb down onto a blood filled ridge on the top of his hand. Stopping the blood flow from the prominent vein. 

His mind was whirring in his skull- had you said anything else he would've had to pull over to catch his breath. 

But you didn't, no you only traced mindless doodles on his skin softly. ‘This has to be some kind of attempt on my life.’ his brain managed as the scent of your perfume infiltrated his nose.

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Though he was eternally grateful to be so- (some would say too close) to you, he felt his lungs able to breathe with a set pace once he found a parking spot in front of the building he was looking for. Streets full of couples as the moon started arising. Choso exhaled expectantly, switching the ignition off and feeling your grasp on his hand loosen.

“We’re here.” he practically choked out. You furrowed your eyebrows and looked onto the street, watching the people walking past the lit up glass doors. 

“What's here?” you grinned, straightening your back and looking at Choso, you were so very close to his face. The light on the roof of the car made it very obvious that he was blushing.

“A uh-” he inhaled the air between you, “A museum.” his shoulders were tense, looking from your eyes to the curve of your nose- darting back and forth from the cupid's bow of your lips back up to your eyes. You smiled hearing his hesitant tone- relishing the sight of pure nerves flooding in his pupils from how close you were. 

With an amused smile you snorted softly, “Ouu you want to kiss me sooo bad- I can see it-” you teased, earning for Choso to look away from you in embarrassment. 

And as you pulled your hands from his, he opened his door, mumbling small curses, racing to the passenger side- reminding himself that he needs to be polite and well-mannered.  

As he pulled your door open he held a hand out to you, giving you a brace to step out from the old car. 

The sight of your hand in his as you stepped from the car elegantly made one thing click in his mind. Choso felt in his heart that he would be more than happy- elated even, to do this with you every weekend till you were both old and wrinkly. 

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Hand in hand as you walked past the white walls. Stopping at any piece of art that caught your attention. 

Your eyebrows pulled tight as you looked at a piece painted black with glimmers of red. Choso’s eyes were on your profile as you examined the art, “What do you see?” he mumbled, looking back to the large canvas. Unable to understand how you could see meaning in a few colors. 

You sighed, tilting your head and staring at the streaks “It seems sad.” you whispered as he furrowed his eyebrows. “Like the person who painted this was distressed.” 

Choso didn't see what you saw- he saw a lazy attempt at modern art- “You can see it in the brush strokes-” you leaned over to him as you pointed to the seemingly violent brush strokes. He tried to see what you saw, “In the way they decided to use a little bit of red.” You continued, looking over to his lost expression.

When you walked into the room of sculptures you stared at an old wooden chair placed on a small platform with a harsh spotlight on it, “Performer.” you read the words on the silver plate at the bottom, “What do you see Choso?” you repeated his question as he stared at the chair.

He squinted his eyes before speaking, “I think it's a chair-”, feeling your elbow shove him gently. He sighed, “Well, the chair is old, and the spotlight is on it almost in a mocking way.” Choso expressed his depiction of the piece. “And the title signifies that the chair is a piece to be gawked at.” he muttered as you smiled at his intune thoughts.

He huffed, almost feeling like he said too much. “You?” he broke your silence as he looked back at you.

“I think it's just a chair.” you mocked with a perked smile. 

On the other end of the room there was a wired sculpture, if you looked in the right angle you'd be able to see the projected image within the silver wires.

You were tilting your head trying to make out the image, “I think it's a face?” you whispered as Choso furrowed his eyebrows, “Or two?” you squinted your eyes as you finally saw the image with a gratified exhale. 

Choso huffed- frustrated from how tedious this was. “How are you seeing anything?” he asked frustrated as his neck started to strain from how long he was tilting it. 

You dropped his hand- taking a step behind him and placing your hands on his shoulders, “Here.” you hummed, moving him to where you previously stood. “Lean down a little-” you whispered, you weren't able to see it- but his eyes were wide and his cheeks were tingling from your guidance. 

And as he lowered himself, you placed your hands onto the side of his head- angling it softly to this side as he allowed you to. You stood behind him- close enough for him to be able to feel your breath wisp on his nape. “Can you see it?” you whispered- Choso felt goosebumps form on his arms at your soft tone. 

You slid your hands from the side of his head- seeing him stay in place as he looked at the sculpture. “Can you?” you whispered as he raised himself back to stand up straight. 

He looked at you with a horrified look on his face, “Yeah I can.” he muttered before you took his hand in yours again. 

And when you found the room he specifically chose this museum for- he lit up with a smile.

“Art history-” you read the plaque on the wall.

Choso led you into the dimly lit room, “Finally some real art.” he muttered before turning the corner. Standing before the grand in size portraits- he looked at them in silence. Only you didn't find the same fascination in the old paintings as he did- you found the excitement that gleamed in his eyes more interesting than the dusty art works.

With every piece he knew, he'd tell you the tragedy behind them, star crossed lovers and small comments of the trageties- “Why are you looking at me like that?” he paused his previous sentence, looking at you worried that he was talking too much. 

You offered a timid smile, circling your thumb on his skin lovingly. Reaching a pinkie up to his temple and brushing away a loose strand from his temple, “I can't look at you now?” you murmured playfully, his eyes glimmered with shock at the sudden contact against his face. 

Choso diverted his eyes from your gaze, looking down to his shoes before mumbling, “You can't look at me like- that.” he felt his heart pound in his chest recalling the expression on your face with closed eyes. 

You giggled at his words, “Why not?” you pressed, being able to feel his hand tighten its grip on yours. 

He sighed, looking back up to your seemingly intoxicated face. Choso parted his lips, daring to say the first words that came to his mind. You raised your eyebrows and gripped his hand to urge him to give you a reason. “Cause I don't know what it means.” he retorted quietly.

You scoffed, an amused smile on your lips as you nodded your head. Not knowing how he could be so insightful in some ways and completely blind when it came to this. 

Your eyes scanned his features, “How many times do I have to tell you before you get it?” you quipped, seeing his eyes pool with confusion at your question. 

“I like you so much, Cho.” you whispered, seeing his eyebrows furrow harshly at the shortened version of his name. “I stare at you because I like you.” You assured, “I laugh at everything you say because I like you.”, watching his eyes blink down in timidness. In his mind, actually processing your words took a lot of effort. 

“Can I be honest?” you whispered, seeing his lips mouth an ‘okay.’ to your question. “I don’t think I've ever liked someone in the way I like you.” Choso exhaled at your words- mumbling a ‘stop’ as you smiled.

You exhaled, “I'm being serious. You're just-” you started, only for Choso to raise your hand and place it flat onto his chest. His eyes trembled as he looked at you with a stern but pained expression. You raised your eyebrows at how fast his heart pounded in his chest, explaining why he asked you to stop without words. 

Your lips curled into a sweet smile, pulling his hand that was wrapped around your wrist, holding your hand flat on his chest as you led his hand towards your exposed cleavage in attempts to show him how fast your own heart was beating.

Only for his eyes to widen and pull his hand from your grasp in shock- all but clutching his imaginary pearls as he hissed your name. Mortified to even think of touching you there. 

A small laugh left your throat at how he exclaimed your name. You were kind enough to not attempt to do that again- fearing his heart might go into cardiac arrest from being skin to skin. Instead you pulled your hand from his chest, guiding his opposite one onto your wrist and pressing his index and middle finger onto the pulse in your wrist. 

His eyebrows furrowed as he felt your racing pulse against his two fingers, “You make me just as nervous.” you whispered softly, smiling as he parted his lips. 

Choso softened his gaze, “You do a great job at hiding it.” he whispered back, recalling every moment his heart palpitated in his chest- wondering if all those times your heart was racing too. 

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“I think this is the first official date I've ever been on-”  you smiled, now standing outside. Thinking how stupid it was that the exit was on the other end of the building.

Choso furrowed his eyebrows, “First, first date you mean?” he clarified your statement assumingly.

You scoffed with a smile, “No, the only date I've ever been on.” seeing his expression fall in surprisement. 

Choso nodded his head as though that proclamation didn't make his heart burst in his chest, “Besides the times where we'd hang out after class- but I think this one is the first official one.” you grinned, pulling his hand with you as you turned to start walking back to the car. 

‘The times we’d hang out..?’ he thought, recalling the afternoons you'd spend with him. 

He inhaled quickly, “Those were dates?” he urged with a horrified look on his face, scanning at your profile. You looked at him as you stepped slowly.

Raising your eyebrows almost amused, “Well when two people like each other- and admit it to each other,” You taunted playfully, turning the corner of the sidewalk, “If both are consenting parties-” you continued your mocking tone as Choso listened to your words, to be sure he wouldn't miss hearing what you were saying.

“They start dating.” you teased, looking at him with a smile full of satisfaction.

In his mind, he replayed every moment from when he admitted he liked you till now- reevaluating them at the new information. With warm cheeks that were grazed by the cold air, “Are we..” he started, his palm becoming clammy against yours at the words he dared to spout. “Dating?” He asked, looking at you in a new light at that word.

No longer were you a person he liked- or a school friend. He was a person you were dating.

A soft chuckle left your throat at the dramatized words, “Don't tell me you just wanted to be a situationship?” you asked with feigned offense, furrowing your eyebrows as he listened to your words.

His face fell, trying to process the word you just said, “What is a situationship?” he asked almost scornfully at the unknown word as his grasp in your hand tightened. A sweet laugh left your throat at his question, not even being too sure of what that word meant yourself.

“Cho- are we dating or not?” you asked- turning the question around on him. His face went pink, both at the confrontation and the nickname- looking at you as though you hung the stars in the sky. You raised your eyebrows waiting for his reply. 

Choso tried to think- he tried using all 4 fried brain cells in his mind to formulate a proper sentence, but all his trembling lips could muster was one word;

“Yes.”

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The walk back to the car was silent- You were pleased with how much he blushed, how you practically forced him to confirm that your goal was achieved. 

Choso, on the other hand, had a mortified look on his face. The fear of taking the first step was long gone since the first 3 steps were already taken unbeknownst to him. In his mind he started seeing every possibility, every negative thing that could wait for him 10 miles down the road. Choso knew he should've been elated- but he couldn't help the heavy feeling in his chest as he thought of the future.

Staring at him lovingly, “Where to now?” you broke the silence as he opened the car door for you, holding your hand with trembling fingers as you eased into the vehicle.  

Choso hurried to the other side of the car, taking a deep breath before getting into it. Thinking how everything is different now- he drove this car as your friend and now he was driving it as a person you were dating.

You scooched back to the spot you previously sat in, “I hope you're hungry-” he started, his cheeks tingling as he felt your hand interlock with his again, “God– I am starving.” You interrupted, looking over to him with an enticing grin.

Choso smiled to himself, “I have a fridge full of groceries waiting for us.” he tried ignoring your tracing thumbs as he put the car in drive.

You reached a hand over and pushed a few stray strands of hair that blocked his profile from you. “You gonna cook for me?” You hummed sweetly, seeing the blush on his cheeks deepen. 

A small ‘Mhm’ left his lips as he pulled out of the street parking, you looked at him with adoring eyes, intoxicated on how close you were to him. “Those plates were definitely a good idea huh?” you asked smugly.

He sighed with a smile, “Yes. They were a phenomenal idea.” he fed into your boastful tone.

You looked at him, admiring that he cared enough to agree with you,“You’re so-” you hesitated as you tried to find the word, “So,” Choso was smiling as he awaited your words. You gritted your teeth- feeling cuteness aggression, “It's like I made you in a computer.” You smiled, hearing a hearty laugh from his chest.

The entire ride back to the campus- you didn't let go of his hand. The cringey love songs played on the radio quietly, with any song you recognized you’d tell him a memory from your upbringing. Grazing the tips of your fingers along his larger ones. 

Choso made sure to listen to every single word you'd speak into the air- “M’sorry I know I'm talking a lot-” you sighed, noticing he wasn’t replying to your words.

Hee scoffed, “Don't apologize- I like listening to you talk.” flashing his eyes over to you as you nodded your head in disbelief at how smoothe he could be at times.

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You didn't check your phone the entire time. So you were happily relishing in the peace you felt being in the presence of him. 

Walking past the entryway of his apartment, reaching into your coat pocket and taking it off as Choso reached for it in your hand, hanging it along with his on the coat rack. 

You checked the stupid piece of aluminum, widening your eyes at the countless messages from your overbearing roommate, and checking the time. 9:05 pm as you heard Choso set down the boxed plates onto the kitchen counter in front of you.

You sighed as you pulled out a barstool from the wall, furiously typing as Choso gently peeled off the tape from the box.

Looking across the kitchen counter at you as you settled on the barstool with furrowed eyebrows. Scanning your bugged expression, “Everything okay?” he pulled you from your thoughts. 

You sighed as you shut off the phone, placing it onto the counter faced down as you looked at him- completely defeated. “I’m moving out.” you claimed with a deadpan tone.

Choso looked at you from the cabinet, “What now?” he smiled as he reached for a pan. 

“I have like- 50 texts and 20 missed calls from my-” you were interrupted, Choso finished your sentence, ‘roommate’, watching as you huffed a sweet smile at how he knew what you were ranting about. “Regardless, I'm moving- even if I live on the street for a few days. I can't stay at that house anymore.” You sighed, watching Choso turn on two knobs on the stove. 

Looking at him with defeated eyes, “You won't live on the street.” he assured, turning around and opening the fridge. 

You rested your elbow on the counter, placing your chin in your hand as you watched him set various small containers of already prepared herbs onto the counter. “At the end of the day people really are disappointing aren't they?” you asked with a sigh, watching as he pulled out two pre-marinated chicken breasts from the fridge. 

Choso decided to ignore your previous statement- not wanting to sullen the mood even more, “Are they like this with your other roommates?” he asked with a smile, drizzling oil into the pan. Going to lower the heat on the small steel pot on the back burner before moving to stand in front of you. 

You watched as he slowly pulled his jewelry from his fingers, “No- if anything they enable their behavior.” eyeing the silver metal on the counter, your proclamation earning a sigh from Choso.

He noticed your eyes following his hands, furrowing his eyebrows at your gawking. “You need better roommates.” he declared, turning to the sink and washing his hands as you reached for the abandoned metal he left on the counter.  

As you rolled the warm metal in your hand you sighed, “I need to move out is what I need-” watching as he dried his hands. You smirked to yourself, “If I was your neighbor would you cook for me everyday?” You asked- half joking as he looked up from the searing pan.

Choso smiled at your question, picking up one of the raw chickens, “If you were my neighbor I’d cook for you anytime you asked.” he flashed his eyes up at you before placing the white meat into the pan, a loud sizzle coming from the action.

You rested your elbows onto the counter with a hearty giggle, “You say that now- But when m’knocking at your door 2-3 times a day- you can't complain.” you warned, watching as he let out a half laugh.

He picked up metal tongs from the utensil holder, “If you knock on my door 2-3 times a day- I won't have any reason to complain,” he spoke your name in reassurance as he flipped the grilling chicken on the other side. 

You laughed to yourself, not being able to sense any nervousness or hesitation in his words anymore, almost as though he gained more confidence in the past half hour. 

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As he plated the cooked chicken, you watched with a grumbling stomach. Almost drooling as he scooped a decent portion of mashed potatoes onto the brand new white plate, “God- that looks so good.” You bit your lip, reaching your hands to the plate. 

“Wait-” he held onto the edgeas he reached for a pre-cut lemon- squeezing it gently as the citrus glazed the browned chicken.

With a warm smile he spoke, “There- now you can eat it.” looking down to the beautifully plated meal, you sighed. Grabbing onto the edge of the plate and pulling it towards you.

You looked back to him, “I can wait for you-” you muttered, hoping he'd say no. 

He exhaled, smiling as he watched your eyes full of hunger flicker from him back down to your serving. “It's okay- you eat.” He assured, watching the smile return on your lips as you picked up the metal fork placed on the side of the plate. 

Choso watched you expectantly, the fork scraping against the plate as you sliced into the meat-piercing the chunk you cut off and lifting it to your lips, looking at him as you placed the fork into your mouth. The warmth from the grilled chicken landing on your tongue as you pulled the fork from your lips- leaving nothing on it with a sigh from your nose.

Chewing a few times as you closed your eyes, savoring the flavor between every bite. 

You swallowed, opening your eyes and nodding your head, “You're insane.” you mumbled, looking at his expression unchanged- not knowing if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 

“Please finish cooking so I can eat more-” you joked, placing the fork onto your plate, he scoffed at the words that seemed like a compliment. 

And as you asked, he plated his own serving, not with a quarter as much love nor care- but it was infront him as he leaned down to take a bite, assuring you it was fine for you to continue eating. 

He hummed as he placed the fork down onto his plate, “I didn't even offer you anything to drink-” he scoffed to himself reaching to the cupboard above his head and pulling down two glass cups. 

You opened your mouth- hesitating to speak as you watched him turn to the fridge, “Not to sound alcohol-dependent or anything-” you grinned as he peeked back to you. “But do you…?” you insinuated with half lidded eyes. 

Choso sighed, “I don't. I have water and orange juice.” he mumbled, knowing exactly what you were trying to do- but he knew in his bones it wouldn't have been a good idea to let you drink right now. 

You gave a half laugh, “Water is fine.” you smiled as he reached into the fridge. Choosing to keep the bottle of ‘Titos’ he had a secret from you.

Pulling out a glass bottle from the fridge he had bought yesterday. Pouring water into your glass as you chewed on your affection infused meal. 

You placed down your fork, swallowing the previous bite before reaching for the cold glass. “You'd really be okay with me moving next door?” watching his eyes trail down to his plate.

Choso inhaled, “If it makes you happier- and not feel so stressed, I would let you move in here-” he spoke mindlessly, halting his chewing as he realized what he said. He inhaled sharply- feeling like your silence was deafening. He was about to apologize-

Only you laughed, “All my clothes would not fit in your closet.” you inhaled as you placed a bite of the mashed potatoes into your mouth. He huffed through his nose at your comment, pleased that you took it as a joke rather than how he truly meant it. 

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Somewhere between him finishing half of his meal and your 5th compliment on how fucking good the food tasted- a battle ship board was put up between you. 

Furrowed eyebrows staring back at you as he called out a number on the board. You hissed as you looked at your side of the game, “Nope.” you grinned as he gruffed at his attempts.

You were examining your grid, trying to use all the divination you could muster before he spoke up- “Did I tell you I'm thinking of getting a job?” he smiled, watching your furrowed eyebrows ease at the question. 

You gasped, “No! Don't do that-” holding a peg in your hand as his expression churned to confusion. “I won't be able to see you as often.” you pouted, looking down at your board. The words seemingly came unfiltered from your heart, and the sight of you pouting at the idea of not being able to see him as much anymore was more than enough to push that idiocy to the side.

And though you meant it as a half joke, it still pained you to know that now- of all times. When things were finally advancing, he'd pull away. 

“If you need money-” your lungs threatened to laugh at the words forming on your lips. “I'd be more than happy to pay for your time.” You spewed as though you were a sleazy 80 year old man speaking to a lady of the night. 

Choso furrowed his eyebrows and parted his lips, “Like an escort??” he huffed a laugh, you looked up from your board with an entertained smile. “No- no, not like an escort-” you defended. 

Calling out a number on the board as he nodded his head. “Like a paid…” you thought of the word, “Though I can't call you a friend anymore can I?” You spoke to yourself as he scanned his side of the plastic game, smiling at the thought that you'd no longer hesitate when referring to him. 

He inhaled as he took a bite from the coldening food, looking over to your plate and seeing you had finished. “I thought you were broke?” he spoke thoughtlessly, not being able to feel the hesitance before he spoke now. 

Your smile fell, he squinted his eyes as you shook off the sudden heavy feeling- “You're that expensive?” you chirped, looking at him bewildered at the thought he might've taken your words seriously. 

Choso scoffed, “No, you don't have to pay me to hang out with you.” he reiterated, watching as you fiddled with the peg in your hand. Recalling your query of if he'd mind if you were his neighbor. “But I remember you said you were broke..?” he looked at you with detective eyes as you called out a square on the grid. Sucking his teeth when you actually hit one of his boats. 

You hummed as you avoided eye contact, “I uhh-” you lowered your shoulders and raised a brow, “I figured it out.” flashing a warm smile at him. Only you meant it in an assuring way- Choso saw past it. He saw the way your lips fell after you said that, the way your eyes dimmed from recalling what you were hiding. 

You cleared your throat, “Meaning, I can afford your company now.” you circled back to the silly topic with a smile, Choso sneered through his nose at your insistence. He opened his mouth to speak- but you spoke before he could. 

“What kind of job?” you looked at him, changing the topic before he called out a number on the grid. 

He sucked his teeth, “I was thinking at the library- Quiet, don't have to do a whole lot.” He muttered as he studied the target grid. “Or I could apply to be a TA.”squinting before calling out a number. 

You tightened your lips, mouthing a curse as you marked a small boat with a red peg. “Why now of all times?” you asked as you waited for him to call out another number.

Choso parted his lips- almost saying the words that popped into his mind before closing his mouth. “No- say what you were thinking.” you caught onto the little habit he had developed since he was a child.

He smiled at your attentiveness, “I was thinking, now that I’m..” looking at you with a blushing smile, you raised your eyebrows, all but saying ‘go on.’

“Now that I am seeing someone.” he murmured, looking down at the board embarrassed and trying to ignore your gaze, you laughed at his avoidant eyes. 

You inhaled, nodding your head ‘no’ disapprovingly. “You don't need to get a job just because we're dating, Cho.” you assured, standing from the barstool and taking a step around the end of the kitchen counter, standing before his figure as he looked at you with furrowed eyebrows, “Look at all the times we've hung out- not once did we need money or to go out to have fun.” placing a hand on his bicep and squeezing gently to affirm your words even more. 

Choso inhaled, “Would it be enough?” he muttered as he looked down to his shoes. You scoffed, trailing your hand down to his forearm, then to his hand. 

“I would be more than fulfilled if all we did was stay here and play board games day after day.” you whispered, holding your hand gently in his as he felt his throat close up-

He looked back to you with creased eyebrows, the tip of his nose daring to turn pink from an expression that looked close to tears. “You want a hug?” you asked sweetly, hearing a sniffle from his nose before pulling you to him.

Your hands wrapped around his waist as his arms rested atop your shoulders, holding you tightly as your bodies came together in a perfect mold. Choso held one hand on the back of your neck softly, the other pressed taut between your shoulder blades as you smiled into his chest, circling your hands soothingly on his spine, he sniffled before speaking.

“Be honest. Did you come over here to look at where my boats were?” you breathed out- defeated that he saw through your plot. Pulling away from him as his hands hesisted to let you go from the hug that felt like home. 

You looked at him with a cheeky smile, “I did.” you nodded, looking over to his side of the board and seeing you were close to winning by a few more pegs. You looked back to him, parting your lips expectantly as he took a step back.

‘Be well-mannered’ Choso thought as he watched you brush off the slight disappointment. 

He cleared his throat, “I think it's time to take you home.” he smiled, watching your eyes blink down to your shoes that had to be uncomfortable by now. 

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The trip to your house was short now that there was a car, and yet- you still held onto him as though it was the last time you'd have the chance to. 

Choso parked on the opposite side of the street, turning off the car as your eyes looked at the wooden door across the street almost resentfully. “Ready?” he asked, knowing you’d refuse to face the music were he not there. 

With a begrudged exhale, you nodded your head. 

Choso held the car door open for you, holding your hand as you stepped onto the street. You almost resented how polite he was- knowing if it were anyone else they would have invited you to stay the night- regardless if it was a first date. 

But not him, Choso didn't dare to even think of asking that of you.

And as you stood before him on your unlit porch, you smiled, “Thank you.” with a whisper, looking into his eyes as he scanned the prominent aspects of your face.

“Don't thank me.” he murmured, his voice low and throaty as he watched the sparkle in your eye round your pupil. 

With a modist smile, you looked at him impatiently. “I think this is where you kiss me goodnight.” you leaned forward mere millimeters as Choso refused to step back this time. 

He gulped at your words, “It wouldn't be polite.” he dissuaded lowly as you grinned innocently. 

Close enough that you were breathing the same air- “It would be more impolite not to, Choso.” you compelled, watching his gaze dart from your lips back to your eyes. 

He raised his hands to the side of your face- thumbs caressing your temples softly, parting your lips as his fingers kept a light touch beneath your ears. You fluttered your eyes closed as you heard ringing in your mind, cheeks warm and tingling as you awaited.

Only you awaited something to press against your lips- But Choso had other plans.

His parted lips pressed onto the center of your forehead, pulling away with your head in his hands. It wasn't disappointment- more like a challenge that you felt. “Goodnight,” he spoke your name in an intoxicating tone, softly taking his hands from your face and taking a step back from you.

You couldn't help but smile at his chivalry, “You're cruel.” you whispered, earning a quiet half-laugh from his chest. 

“It’s not respectful to kiss you on a first date.” He scolded playfully, watching you roll your eyes lightheartedly. 

You stared at him as you leaned your back onto the door, placing your hand on the brass knob before sucking your teeth. “When is a respectful time then?” you murmured, watching his hands slide into his coat pockets.

“Third. Maybe even fourth date.” he smiled, knowing that would gain a feigned groan of dissatisfaction from you. Though it was earlier than you'd like-  10:43 to be exact, you were still grateful he was courteous enough to bring you back home as though you had a curfew. 

“Goodnight Cho.” you smiled, turning the brass knob as he kept his eyes on you.

Were the porch light on you’d be able to see the beaming blush on his cheeks, “Goodnight.” he replied sweetly, watching as you stepped into your house, taking one last look at him before waving a small goodbye. 

Choso was able to contain the excitement in his throat till he turned away from your porch, his lungs threatening to start hyperventilating as he tried to confirm with himself if that actually just happened. He stood at the car door- looking up at the sky and thanking whatever celestial being was out there for the lucky hand he was dealt. 

There was one thought in his mind at that moment. He was now sure that you made him feel more alive and far less lost than he felt without you. And he relished in that thought as he drove back to his apartment, no longer fearing the future- if anything he was thrilled to know that for the first time, love finally loved him back.

⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧ ⋆ ˚｡ ⋆

and if I told you I over indulged sooo much in this chapter??? and if i said........ I almost hemorrhaged writing this?!!! this was too cute, (just wait till I write abt the first time they have sex) And if you're curious- yes the rewarding cigarette was delicious.

[leah-lover]

Meeting again. Alexia x reader part 3.

Reader is confronted by her friends.

Saying that tension was in the air would be an understatement. After the hellos, hugs and kisses the whole team went back to the changing room and took Leila with them. So there I was standing in front of Alexia, mapi, ingrid, parti, claudia, and aitana.

The silence was loud and their glares were unforgiving. All i thought to myself was that i didn't belong in barca anymore, i was cursing myself for ever choosing to leave city before Ingrid said “ We cant talk about this here how about we go to a restaurant and have a proper conversation.”

The rest of the girls seemed to agree with her, then Parti jumped and said “ okay then we will meet at our usual spot in about an hour, you still remembered no ?” she asked me with a sarcastic tone.

Confused, I only nodded and waited for them to all get inside before I breathed again. This encounter was harsh but I had a feeling it wasnt gonna get any easier.

After an hour I found myself at a table in my favorite restaurant with feelings I buried three years ago. All the anger, shame, and sadness came back with it. I waited a little before they all came together except alexia who was running late.

“ So how do you want to start this? Maybe with an apology for what you have done.” started Patri as soon as she sat down, which earned her a jab from Claudia who told her to be nicer.

“ i don't know what had gotten into you these past three years Patri but i don't this i have anything to apologies about.'' I replied with a defensive tone.

“ yes you do carino. You let us, no goodby no nothing we had to learn the news from instagram like everybody but we are not everybody we are your family and we felt hurt. Plus you didn't talk to us for 3 years. You denied every try at contacting you. You abandoned us you……” said mapi softly so as to not sound angry because she wasn't. They all went angry; they were just hurt.

“ Look, we don't have to do this. I came here to do my job and play good fucking football. I did this for my career not to rip my insides out again.'' I replied, trying to hold back my tears.

“ Darling, we are not trying to hurt you, we are trying to understand you. We are just curious why our best friend left us. ” explained ingrid with a concerned look on her face.

“ there is nothing to understand that your bestfriend is dead. She died three years ago. I have been a walking corpse since I left. I don't feel anything i am numb to everything.'' I managed to get out before a few tears left my eyes.

I then got up and went out. I was overwhelmed and all the feeling came back rushing. Which led me to hyperventilate. Suddenly I felt a hand on my back.

“ I am sorry about our reaction. We didn't know this would happen. We acted out of love for you. We missed you. We just are so very sorry just come back inside.” said aitana before pulling me into a hug.

I then started crying, all the tears i have been holding back decided to go out all at once.

“ i love her tan, i still do, i abandoned her, i gave up on her i didn't fight for her.'' I said while crying into tana’s shoulder.

“ I know darling, I know. She loves you too. She has been suffering without you we all have. Now just come back inside please.” she added running her hand through my back.

“ i dont think it's a good idea, I just want to go home now.” I said after we separated.

“ okay. Call me when you are ready to talk, okay.” she added before going back in.

When I got home Leila was already there. So as soon as I saw her on the couch I went straight to her and laid on her chest.

“ How did it go?” she said, running her hand through my hair.

“ fucking horrible.” I answered.

“ Do you want some ice cream?” she asked. “ I will get you some ice cream.” she answered herself after looking at me.

When Leila was gone the doorbell rang so i went to answer it.

And there she was in front of me, beautiful as ever. “ I know you want space but we need to talk.” she said and I ushered her in.

“ I miss you and I want you back.” she started after sitting on the couch. “ I know I was shitty to you, you didn't deserve what I put you through. I changed carino. You motivate me to get my priorities straight. You are my number 1 priority. You matter more than football more than le and more than life itself. Please give me a chance again. Please mi amor.”

Her words left me speechless. I was too tired to start over. I just want to be comforted and loved.

[urperfectcinnamonroll07]

Your Lips, My Lips

requested?: no pairing(s): nishimura riki x gn!reader genre: fluff fluffity fluff fluff fluff warning(s): fluff (thats literally it), small mentions of reader's gender, but it isnt really specified (riki calls reader m'lady) summary: 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘪 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬, 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 word count: 554 a/n: two posts in two days, *le gasp*. i did this while watching the england v denmark match nd icl they started to piss me off so i had to tune myself out for a few seconds to finish this. there might be another fic later tonight if you are lucky (or if i am just feeling lazy or not) but yeah:). remember to eat and drink something, love yas, mwah!

you and riki never really had time alone together. you with school (that you actually attended) and riki with enhypen. but, the rare times you were left alone together without the rest of the members, you both made it count.

you would both go on small but cute dates, whether it be in a fancy restaurant or just in eachother’s arms and watching a movie. either way, you made it count. this time though, you had both decided to go on a late night walk, something that wasn’t very uncommon for the two of you, but felt a lot more domestic and romantic this time.

you and riki were walking through a field, with small daisies scattered around it. it was summer time, so it practically showed how late it was, as it was dark out. it wasn’t dark enough so that you couldn’t make eachother out, but you could just about make out shapes in the distance, so you couldn’t see that well. a few times you had almost fallen, so riki had to keep you up, keeping an arm wrapped around your shoulders, and occasionally switching to your waist, just to make sure you didn’t fall.

you were both laughing and talking about your lives, when you felt small drops of rain. initially, you brushed it off, thinking it will just stop soon as it wasn’t forecast, but when it started to get worse, you looked at riki. you both stood there in silence for a few seconds before breaking out into your own bright smiles.

“may i have this dance, m’lady?” riki asks, outstretching his hand and placing the other behind his back, bowing slightly.

“you may” you smile, taking his hand and curtseying slightly.

riki instantly brought you into his chest, holding your waist and your hand, swaying the both of you slightly. you were both in your own words as the rain splashed against your bodies, but you didn’t care. the fact that you were both pressed against eachother’s bodies was protecting you both from getting cold.

after around ten minutes, and loads of twirls (in which you tried to twirl riki, but it ended up turning out horribly due to his height), you both pulled away. you smiled up at riki, and he smiled down at you.

“how are we meant to get home?” you ask softly, riki still had a hold of your hand, bringing it up to his mouth and pecking your knuckles, before raising both of the hands above your head, signalling for you to twirl.

you giggled as he did so, your hair fanning out with you before sticking back to your face again. riki smiled down at you and leaned down, completely ignoring your question and kissing you. he kisses you sweetly. it wasn’t overly passionate, but not bland, it was loving. just the right amount of love. not long after, he pulled away.

“I could call jake?” he suggests, you smile at the idea.

“you sure your phone isn’t soaked?” you chuckle, riki proves you wrong by plucking his phone out and finding jake’s contact, bringing the phone up to his ear.

it was safe to say jake scolded the two of you a little, but you both fell asleep in eachother’s arms that night, relying on eachother to keep yourselves warm.

[specialagentlokitty]

Aizawa x reader - the heart of a hero

Part 2:

You woke up to something being thrown at your head and you groaned, rolling over to the side.

“Don’t be such a bitch…”

“You need to take your tiny foods!” Venom yelled.

Reaching down, you pat the floor, trying to find the bottle and you picked them up, reading the label before looking at the symbiotesface in front of yours.

“You know these are food right?”

“The science man said you have to take them!”

You grumbled, tossing them back across your apartment, only to have venom fling them back at your head.

“That’s abusive man, what the fuck?”

“Take your tiny foods!”

You sighed, sitting up as you picked up the bottle, walking over to the sink to get a glass of water.

“Will you stop throwing them at me if I take them?”

“Maybe.”

Venom came over, studying you for a moment as you took your medication.

“I still don’t understand why we have to take the tiny food.”

“They’re antidepressants idiot, they’re supposed to make me so called normal. Anyway, I have work, so let’s go.”

You grabbed your work shirt, pulling it on over the one you were wearing, and you made your way to the quiet cafe.

You didn’t work much, you worked part time, it was the only job you could get, the pay was crap, your boss was horrible, but it paid for your medication you had to take, and let you buy a little bit of food each week.

As always, you finished late, you threw your hoodie back on and pulled your hood up as you left the kitchen of the restaurant, making your way into the dark street.

“I am hungry!”

“You’re always hungry…” you grumbled.

“I want brains!”

“You wouldn’t eat the damn chickens!” You hissed.

The creature huffed a little bit, taking control of your legs and you just sighed, letting him.

You couldn’t be bothered fighting him, and you didn’t feel like going home straight away either, so you let venom lead the way.

He jumped up on to a building, and you pulled your bandana up as you crouched down, resting your arms on your legs.

You stared at the ground below, yawning a little bit.

“This blows, can’t we just go to the shop. You’re not going to eat their heads anyways.”

“I crave violence!”

“Of course you do…”

Sighing heavily, you rested your elbow on your knee, and your chin on your hand, slowly looking over the streets.

So many people wondering about, probably having actual homes to go to, friends, families, maybe some of them felt the same way you did, you weren’t sure.

You were half asleep at that point, but when you heard a noise behind you, and the feeling of being tangled up in some sort of fabric you just sighed as you were dragged backwards.

“You’re coming with me venom.”

You recognised that voice.

Tilting your head up a little, your eyes bore into his, and you looked away again.

“Venom mask…”

Soon enough your body was gone, and he free of the scarf, and he let out a loud laugh as he pointed at the hero.

“I will eat your brain!”

“Don’t hurt him.”

“You are no fun!” He huffed.

Venom looked around, noticing a helicopter light was on him.

“Look, just try lose them if you can.”

“Fine!”

Venom ran towards the end of the building, jumping down the ledge.

He used the surrounding buildings to jump around, jumping between them, or swinging from them to get around corners.

He was fast, but you noticed that the pair of you weren’t alone in the skies, and in his attempts to escape from the heroes, you realised it was on purpose.

“It’s a trap!”

Before venom could stop, he came crashing into a clearing full of pros and police, all then them focused on the pair of you.

Venom looked around the construction site, grabbing some steel beams as he held them above his head with a roar.

“Venom don’t! They’ve got us, just sit down.”

You didn’t want to hurt any of them, so you forced him to give himself up as well, watching as they cuffed you, leading you to the back of a van.

You were taken away, taken to an isolated cell with guns in each corner, and you were strapped to the chair.

“I want food!” Venom yelled.

A police officer stood in front of the glass, arms crossed.

“Tell is who you are first. What’s your real name?”

“We are venom.”

“We know you have another form, I want to speak to that one, we believe that’s the true owner of the body, am I right?”

Venom tilted his head a little, grinning widely to show his teeth.

“I have eaten them!”

“No you haven’t. Where is the human? What is your quirk?”

Venom pushed his feet on the floor, pushing his chair backwards, and the guns followed him.

“I will stare at the ceiling!”

Half of venoms face receded to show yours.

“You dumbass, we’re going to be stuck like this now. Idiot.”

“I do not want to look at his ugly face!”

“I don’t want to lay here forever either, push us back up!”

“Fine! But you can look at his stupid face!”

Venom pushed you both back up, quickly covering you as the guns fired, and you waited for them to stop.

When they did, he fully disappeared, hiding inside of your again.

The officer couldn’t see much of you, you kept your head down, and you were still wearing your bandana.

“What’s your name?”

“His name is venom.”

“I want to know your name.”

You didn’t respond.

“What’s your quirk?”

Again you didn’t respond.

“Who do you work for? The league of villains?”

This caught your attention, and you lifted your head just enough so he could see your eyes.

“I’m not a villain.” You spat.

“Then what have you been doing?”

You refused to reply to his question, and he sighed, crossing his arms.

“Fine, I’ll try again tomorrow.”

They kept trying, day after day, you had your food delivered by robots, which venom enjoyed messing with.

You wouldn’t give the a chance to get closer to you to see your face, or try take your hood down, venom always had you covered, the mist they would flood the room with to knock you out didn’t affect the alien.

So he would keep you covered while you slept, or while they flooded the room with it.

You had broken free of your restraints a while ago, but you didn’t have the effort to try and break out of the prison, so you kept to your cell.

You were sitting in the corner playing a game with venom with some cards you had hidden in your pocket when you heard the speak activate.

“We have some heroes who are here to talk to you.”

Venom lifted his head to look up, and you smirked, swapping his cards before going back to looking at your own.

The speaker was shut down, so you couldn’t heard their conversation.

“Why aren’t they restrained?” Aizawa asked.

“They kept breaking out, they seem to have no interest in escaping.”

Aizawa nodded his head, putting his hands in his pockets as he looked through the window.

“He’s strong enough to escape, why won’t he?”

“We don’t think he’s the one in control, at least not fully. He seems to sometimes listen to what the other says. We don’t know their name, they won’t tell us, they just keep telling us they aren’t a villain, that’s it.”

Aizawa nodded his head, carefully studying the pair of you before.

Venom used your left hand to pick up his cards and he narrowed his eyes a bit before throwing them in the air.

“You cheated!”

“No I didn’t!”

He took over your body before launched you across the room, quickly uncovering you so your back slammed into the wall.

You fell on the floor with a heavy groan.

“This is why no one likes you…”

“They do this every day.” The officer sighed.

He left the room, leaning Aizawa sitting there.

“Venom the hero who found you is here to ask you a few questions.”

You and venom looked up, and you stared at Aizawa, pushing yourself to your feet.

Walking over, you stood in front of the glass with your hands in your pockets like him.

“Who do you work for?” He asked.

“I’m not a damn villain! Stop asking that!” You snapped.

“We eat villains!”

You turned to venom.

“Stop saying that shit we don’t eat them!”

Aizawa narrowed his eyes a little, then activated his quirk.

Venom decided to play along with this and hid himself inside you, and you rose a brow in confusion.

“You’re not a hero either, so what are you? Who are you?”

You sighed heavily.

“I’m a vigilante. Bringing down villains, we’ve never actually hurt somebody who didn’t deserve it.”

“That’s still a criminal offence.”

“Doesn’t make us a villain, just a criminal then.”

“What’s your name?”

You stayed quiet.

“This is the same question they refuse to answer. That and what their quirk is.” The officer said.

Aizawa released his quirky, and venom came back out, putting his face against the glass.

“We want our tiny foods!”

“You won’t tell us what your tiny foods are! What does it mean?!” An officer shouted over the speaker.

“The tiny foods that make us normal!”

“Medication? What kind of medication?” Aizawa asked.

Maybe this could narrow down their search, if they could find the matching name or description from doctors, they might be able to figure out who you are.

“The tiny foods make us normal, so we are not so sad.” Venom said.

You sighed, placing a hand on top of your hood.

“He means antidepressants. I take antidepressants.”

“What’s your name, we can get a prescription for you.” Aizawa said.

“Im not stupid.”

“We’re going to find out anyway.”

You walked over to the back of the room, sitting down, resting your arm on your knee as you began throwing the cards across the room.

“No you’re not. I’ve been out of the system for years.”

“You’ll still be somewhere, we’ll ask around.”

You scoffed.

“I don’t get why you won’t leave us alone…”

“You’re using your quirk, scaring civilians, and taking justice into your own hands.”

“Well if people just left me alone like I wanted…”

“What’s your name?” Aizawa pressed.

You pushed yourself up again, marching over to the glass and you pulled your bandanna down, letting him get a good look at your face.

“There, happy now? You know exactly who I am.” You snapped.

With that, you pulled your bandanna back up and went back to your corner.

“Just leave us alone…”

“(Y/N)…” he whispered.

“Bring us the tiny food!” Venom roared.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes a little bit.

You were you, he’d recognise you anywhere, but he couldn’t recognise you all at the same time, you looked so tired, worn down, you looked so sad and void of emotion all at the same time

[sugar-omi]

HIII I HAVE A REQUEST!! like maybe like step 3 cove asking fem reader to prom their senior year!! it’s a really nice proposal with a sign and flowers and stuff, MAYBE BY THE BEACH?/?1)?2

but he’s also like rlly nervous and kinda fucks up but reader accepts anyway because they’re in LOOOVEEEE AND ITS JUDT RLLY CUTE AND STUFF

OMG YES<3 I've beent thinking abt prom w cove for days now. this is LONG btw, sm so I will make headcanons/another drabble with cove n reader clothes shopping and at prom <3

tags : fluff, step 3 cove, fem reader (use of she/her pronouns & girlfriend), non-established relationship but yk abt each others feelings n it becomes established

synopsis : cove asks you prom and it goes almost horribly wrong.

cove is totally shitting himself with nerves.

everyone has been asking their crushes, lovers, and friends to prom and cove wants to ask you so bad. he sees you looking a bit longingly at the public proposals and the way you stare at him afterwards with a look of anticipation and want has him reeling.

after a late night of looking at prom proposals and seeing one too many people get rejected at school, cove knew a public proposal was out of the question.

he'd die if you rejected him, and a public display of that would make him flee the country for sure...

cove had enlisted the help of his dad, a willing volunteer after cove almost busted at the seems during dinner last night with anxiety and tears.

they drove all the way to Prism Vista to pick up supplies, the likelihood of you seeing them at the store too high and cove certainly couldn't handle the teasing or knowing eye of the clerks, everyone knowing what time of year this was for seniors.

as his dad pulled into the driveway, cove exhaled shakily, noticing that you were still out with your family.

quickly snatching the stuff in his arms, cove slams the trunk and winces.

cliff laughs at his son's haste and tender nerves and throws the front door open so they can make haste on the board.

it takes a bit of planning, and the only thing cove tasked his dad with was the calligraphy, cove's hands far too shaky for such big letters, but he glues on plastic seashells and sand dollars for awhile before he helps his dad with painting the letters as he becomes more focused and determined to make this the greatest promposal ever.

eventually cliff left, letting cove take over now that he didn't need help with the preparations.

it's a corny poster, with "will you be my mermaid to my merman at prom?" in pretty blue letters and 'prom' in yellow glitter.

cove sits back, a bit hot from being hunched over and moving around as he ogled and analyzed the poster while working.

he wipes his forehead and moves the board to the guest bedroom where he knows you won't see it if you decide to sneak in his bedroom.

cliff notices cove cleaning up, and he perks up at his son's relaxed movements. "hey bud, all finish? how about we order some pizza?"

cove wasn't ready. well he was, he had the bouquet of your favorite flowers and the sign, and he even bought your favorite food from one of the restaurants in Sunset Bird.

instead of his usual way of entry, cove makes his way to your front door and knocks.

your ma opens the door, a sweet smile on her face but with a knowing look only a mother could have, cove pulled at the the collared shirt he wore and he really hoped between this half buttoned shirt and jeans, you didn't know what he was planning...

"cove, sweetie! looking for y/n?" noelani smiled, biting back a snicker.

cove distantly thinks that he hopes the sign doesn't blow away while he's here.

"y-yeah... um, is she here?"

pamela appears from behind, having been laid up in the living room. "I'll get her for you, don't run off!"

noelani hisses a scolding "pam!" at her wife's teasing and smacks her lips as pamela walks up the stairs to your room. "sorry sweetie, you're too easy for her to tease." she says bashful, knowing very well she can't help but snicker sometimes at cove and y/n's romantic fumbles and years of pining.

as cove distracts himself with small talk, you come down the stairs with pamela.

cove feels his heart beat against his chest, like a bee stuck in a window. he hoped you couldn't hear it, and with the way he felt, he hoped you couldn't see it beating out his chest as well..

in cove's hazy state, your moms have left and it's just you two.

"hey cove! what's up?"

cove swallows, wiping his hands on his jeans. you watch his mannerisms, you know them by heart and you see the sweat on his brow even though there's a chill in the air as the night befalls you.

"h-hey y/n.." great. as if he wasn't obvious before. "um, I wanna show you something, i-if that's okay.." cove laughs, and he tries to push away his worry. you never rejected him before, you always agreed with his crazy ideas or encouraged him to a better plan of action that still fulfilled cove's mild (or major, if he's feeling particularly bad) need for adventure.

you agree, and make your way across poppy hill.

before you reach the shore, cove instructs you to cover your eyes and he'll guide you to his surprise.

cove beams as your trust him, your eyes closed and covered by your hands as he takes you by the shoulders and helps you down the hill.

as you approach the park, cove sighs with relief as he sees his preparations are still there, he can even see the board hiding behind the jungle gym.

cove paced, waving his hands in front of you in a 'stay there' motion, as if you'd leave.

"tell me when i can open my eyes!" you laugh.

cove exhales, taking in deep breaths before he held it in anticipation.

he reached for the sign, briefly he thought about how embarrassing this was, he wished he could skip ahead but seeing your hopefully happy expression would make every second worth it.

"okay... open your eyes."

you shed your hands, and blink as you adjust to the light. eventually you beat the glare of the sun, and your mouth dropped in awe and shock.

cove feel hot under his collar, the breeze does nothing to relieve his edge.

while you're silent for the most part, besides a mumbled "what's this?.." that almost washes away with the beating waves of the sea.

cove speaks, "y/n.. i know you've been waiting for me to ask you, and uh.. i'm sorry i didn't ask you sooner. i was afraid you'd say no and that i'd embarrass myself and.." cove sighed, adjusting his grip.

"never mind. that's not what I wanted to say. y/n... i really like you, i have for a long time.. and i wanna go to prom with you. as my date."

cove flushed, his cheeks rivaling the color of the blushing evening sky.

you stood there, silently and shocked, but happiness bloomed on your face quickly. with watery eyes and a blinding grin you brushed cove's hands so he'd drop the poster.

cove drops the poster, smiling shakily as you wrapped your arms around him. "i like you too cove, so much. and i'd love to go to prom with you!"

cove grinned, happy as a peach. buoyed by the new development, he cupped your face. "can i.. kiss you?"

you nod, leaning into each others embrace and your lips meet in the middle.

you break apart, cove's head falls to your shoulder and water washes over your sandaled feet.

wait. water?..

the food! cove jumps up, suddenly remembering how close he'd put the food to the shoreline and the rising tide.

"the food! the flowers!" cove scrambles to the wet blanket he laid out, wishing he'd noticed this sooner.

he picks up the bag of take out, noticing how soaked the food already is. the tide must of washed over the food before cove came back.

thankful for small miracles, the flowers are only damp on one side but not bruised or flattened.

cove holds up the bouquet and presents it yet holds it close. "well... the food is ruined. the flowers are okay though?.." cove smiled sheepishly.

you sigh and approach, curling your hands around cove's trembling worried ones. "thank you for the bouquet, it's beautiful."

"i'm sorry.. i should've known i-" cove rambles.

"cove.." you try to sooth him.

"i hope you still wanna go with me, even after the majority of the surprise is ruined.." cove deflated, looking like a sad puppy who got his treat stolen by the other pup.

"cove! it's okay!" you push back his bangs, "I still wanna go to prom with you, even if our food and flowers almost got washed away for the fishes.."

he leans into your hand, blinking watery eyes.

"i'm glad.." cove brushes his nose against yours, leaning into your body. "so uh.. are we dating now?"

you laugh, "yes cove, if you'll have me as your girlfriend that is."

"of course!" cove kisses you again.

this is a great way to end your senior year.

[lesvegas]

New Vegas - Now Under New Management!

With his investigation 'concluded', Auguste returns home for some much needed R&R, and has a chat with his father before making an important call.

Chapter 4: Laplace's Angel [ao3 link]

When dogs ‘cried’, they made these horrible whines that grate on the ears, whether they’re in pain or just feel they’re not being doted on enough. They can’t help it, though; unlike people, they’re only capable of making a few kinds of sounds with their animalistic vocal chords. I still never understood why their whining was called ‘crying’, though. People didn’t sound like that when they cried, did they?

Maybe it’d just been so long since I let myself cry that I just forgot what it sounded like. I certainly forgot how to do it.

When I left the Ultra-Luxe, I started walking alongside Cal, lighting a cigarette to ease my nerves while keeping my head held high. I ignored the crowd that parted for us and dismissed him when he asked again if I was alright, going straight into the Tops without him and being let right in. I didn’t realize he still had my gun until I saw someone else getting their weapons confiscated, but the last thing I wanted to do was go back outside. I’ll have him return it another time.

I did a phenomenal job at maintaining my composure until I got into the elevator. When I was finally in solitude for a moment, I choked again, quickly clasping my hand over my mouth to shut myself up. I held my breath as the elevator doors opened, glanced up and down the corridor to find myself alone, then made a run for my room, slamming the door shut behind me.

Surrounded by childish comforts, I only briefly wondered which of the three stupid teddy bears Dia had apparently given me, then approached my oversized plush bed and collapsed onto it, bundling up the silk sheets in my hands before bringing them to my face and weeping. Finally able to be at ease, I sobbed into the smooth fabric, my face already feeling hot and soaked with tears. Muffled, I whined like an injured animal between gasps, shaking and inconsolable.

A soft, polite knock rang loud throughout my room, startling me into near silence. It was quiet for a half a moment before I realized in a panic that someone might see me like this. “Don’topenthedoor-” I said, quickly sitting upright and rubbing my eyes on my sleeve, taking a deep breath. “Don’t. Open the door.” I repeated, firmly. “What do you want.”

“I’m home.” my father said from the other side. Of course, who else would it be? Housekeeping? “Someone was selling bird eggs in Freeside. And Brahmin bacon.” He continued when I didn’t respond. “I’m going to make breakfast. It will be ready in twenty minutes.”

I heard him walk away from the door. It didn’t sound like there was anyone out there with him, so there was really no reason not to go out and join him. I got up and went into my private bathroom, taking a face towel and drenching it in cold water before pressing it to my eyes. It only took maybe ten minutes of cold compress before it almost looked like I hadn’t been crying. I combed my hair and slipped out of my coat and tie, leaving them on my bed. I wasn’t going out anytime soon anyway.

By the time I opened the door, the suite already reeked of bacon. My father stood in our kitchenette, his back facing me as he stirred something. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d cooked something; we both lived off the local restaurants with a never-ending tab that had no limit. But I do remember that the last thing he made was something he always called ‘Eggs Nevada’. Stupid name for an odd but really good breakfast.

“Could you set the table, please, Auguste?” He asked as soon as he heard my door open. I wordlessly walked through the living area to the dining area, and approached him to see what he was making first. In a glass bowl on top of a metal pot he was whisking a yellow sauce–

“Did they have butter, too?” I asked, retrieving a pair of forks and knives from a drawer.

“Unfortunately, no. This is just what we had in the freezer.” He said. “The sauce would be the same either way.”

Butter made from Brahmin’s milk wasn’t expensive or even difficult to obtain, if you lived someplace where Brahmin ranches were abundant. But we didn’t have an abundance of ranches here, and the few sources of Brahmin butter were sold to the casinos specifically, not individuals. We could get anything slathered in the stuff if we ordered it, but we didn’t normally have much to just use on our own. Not that we really needed it.

With forks and knives on cloth napkins, I retrieved two glasses next, and the jug of apple-pear juice from the fridge, setting it in the middle of the small dining table. All set, I then approached the counter again to watch my father finish preparing the food.

With the butter sauce at the perfect consistency, he took it off the pot of boiling water and quickly poured it over the eggs; four of them, about the size of a golf ball each, on top of crispy greasy Brahmin bacon, on of thick slices of toasted bread, split between two plates. A heavy breakfast, and one of the only meals he could make better than the restaurants. If he made this specifically to cheer me up… I had to admit, it was already working.

I took both plates to the table while he turned the stove off and did some quick cleaning up. I sat on my side of the table; back facing the door, looking to the windows, in the chair that has always been my spot. I didn’t need to wait for him, but I did anyway, because it was ‘polite’, he once said. And I might as well pour the juice for us both.

The second he sat down, of course, I picked up my knife and gently stabbed the egg until it broke. Even under the light yellow sauce I saw the yolk ooze out of the soft white like syrup, golden-orange lava slowly enveloping the deep brown bacon like the sun itself was melting over earth. I gave it a moment to soak into the bread before I began to cut it all into one bite-sized piece.

“I spoke to Callipho on my way home this morning.”

I stopped cutting. So, that’s what this is. He’s done this before; he’ll make or order food he knows I can’t resist, wait until I’ve sat down and started to eat, then ask a hard question I’d never answer otherwise. Only he hasn’t actually asked me anything yet. He was waiting for me to take the first bite. “So?” I asked.

“He told me you went to the Ultra-Luxe together.”

Was he stalling? Or was he waiting for me to break down and tell him everything? I just took my first bite and waited for him to continue. The bacon was a bit thicker than I thought it’d be, which kept it from being too crispy, and the runny egg drenching the crunchy toast was… it was honestly divine. Salty and savoury and as flavourful as a dish could be despite the simplicity of it all.

“He also told me why the Jackals were all riled up when I returned to the Strip.” He went on when I said nothing. He only paused to finally eat, quietly and with his mouth closed, and didn’t speak again until he swallowed. “He insisted it was nothing to worry about, and that he and Fresno could take care of it, but…”

“I’m not scared of them.” I spoke up.

That made him look at me, his expression as unreadable as always. I never knew what he was thinking, but at the same time I wasn’t scared of him. Not of him directly, at least. “Well, I don’t really care how you 'feel' about them specifically.” He said. “What’s done is done. But next time, you should really let Callipho deal with these things himself. It’s why we have employees.”

Fresno has employees. Father’s just their husband. Technically, neither of us had any real authority. I’m not sure if he really understood that, or if he simply pretended otherwise.

“So did he tell you why I did it?” I asked. If he didn’t, then that was a really important detail he chose to leave out.

“He did.” He said, and let me wonder exactly what Cal had said about me as he used his knife to carefully pile on equal parts egg and toast onto his fork, then eating it slowly. Chew, swallow, speak again. “So, how do you feel now?”

Great, he wasn’t even going to tell me what Cal told him. Did he have any idea someone tried to hire a Jackal to kill me? …would Cal want him to know that, or would it accomplish nothing but making him worry? If he really thought my life was in danger, he’d probably keep me locked up in here. I had to assume Cal left out some details for my sake yet again. “How do I feel about the Jackals?” I asked. “No different from before.”

“No, I mean how do you feel now that you’ve killed a man?”

I’d already finished an entire slice of toast with all the toppings, and it began to hit my stomach all at once, making me a little nauseous. That was the only reason I felt queasy, I told myself. “Again, no different from before.”

“Are you sure?”

He stared at me, and I stared back at him. He looked more tired than usual this morning, even though late nights were a regular thing for him and had been since forever. I still blinked first, conceding.

“What do you want me to say, here?” I asked, getting really fucking tired of whatever it was he was trying to pull at this point. He clearly wanted to hear something specific out of my mouth, but it was too damn early in the morning for his mind games. Thankfully, he then decided to get to the damn point.

“I would have preferred it if you’d said it was upsetting.” He said. “That it was simply so horrifying you’ll never kill again. Not that I want you to be upset, but it would be nice if you didn’t derive any catharsis or pleasure from murder.”

Oh, was that all?

“It was more like an execution, but sure, I really didn’t feel much of anything.” I lied. Well, it was a half-lie. I was scared, but it was less because I killed the bastard, and more because someone really wanted me dead. “Nothing at all?” He asked again, firmly, twirling his fork absentmindedly between his fingers.

I set my fork down to take a sip of juice. I wasn’t going to be able to give him a satisfying answer unless I was honest, but I didn’t need him to find out about the bounty on my head, so… “I mean,” I paused again, considering my words carefully, “Look, yeah, it was kinda scary in the moment, adrenaline and all, but… right now? I don’t really feel anything anymore.”

He followed me and had a sip of juice as well, contemplating my answer before asking another strange question. “Do you feel empty?” He asked. “Unsatisfied. Like you hadn’t done enough to him, or… that you lost a part of yourself.”

What the hell was he on about now. 

“Uh… no? To both.” Well, I guess I did feel a little… numb, now. Almost. It was hard to describe the feeling, but it was similar to how I felt not long after Brutus had been shot. A numbness that felt heavy, holding back the weight of emotions that threatened to break my composure. A temporary dam to hold back the tears, strong and unable to crumble until I’ve found some privacy again. “That’s… really specific. Got something you wanna tell me?” I asked, only half joking.

“Perhaps I should.” He said, and set his fork and knife down for now. Oh, this had to be important if he was going to let his food get cold over it. I continued to eat quietly as he spoke.

“I was younger than you are when I first killed a man. Much younger, I believe I was thirteen, possibly fourteen. I used to practice all the time with my father’s gun, shooting rats and birds… sometimes people, but I never killed them…” I held back a grin as I imagined him taking potshots at random people with some peashooter. “...and by the time I was old enough to work for one of the families in Reno, I was very good at my hobby; enough to prove myself a capable marksman, at least. There wasn’t much work for a boy at that age to do besides deliver messages and products, but I wanted to avoid all that. Killing full-grown men seemed the safer choice, if you can believe it.”

My father rarely ever talked about his past. His life back in Reno wasn’t one he liked revisiting, so I listened closely, enraptured. I knew he’d probably never repeat this story again, so I needed to dedicate it to memory. I’ll worry about how he’s trying to use it against me later.

“Now that I think of it, I was definitely thirteen when I took the first job. I’d killed an addict that owed money to the family…” I was only now realizing he would never in a million years tell me which damn family he’d worked for. Maybe Fresno knew. “...out of it when I confronted him, I don’t know if he even felt it when I initially missed the first shot. I had grazed his ear before the second shot landed near the centre of his forehead. Not quite, but close enough to impress my new superiors. For the first year or so, I was only really called up to deal with such simple cases, no one particularly important, but…”

This is where it gets good, I can feel it.

“Then there was a family. Not a casino family, a real family. A father who was about to be on the run after trying and failing to rob his employers, a mother that was in on it, and two young sons that were none the…” I knew it. “...they were playing outside when I showed up. The father tried to defend himself by grabbing a shotgun off the wall, but he was old, and I was faster. He was down before the wife could draw her piece, and she only managed to add some holes to the wall before I shot her. I still remember, it was one in the chest, one in the neck. Even I’d never seen so much blood before. It must have been horrific for the boys to see. They didn’t go in right away, of course, they were just watching at me as I left. Probably too afraid to look.”

“And that’s when you stopped?” I asked. Maybe the boys tried to pay him back, maybe his superiors ordered him to finish the job…

“No.” He said, to my surprise. “Double the targets, double the pay… a whole five hundred caps. It was too tempting not to continue. I killed someone different at least once a month for a few more years, just until I had made enough to leave Reno for good.” He picked up his fork and knife again, and I frowned, thinking that was all. “I always thought it would get easier. It didn’t. But it always left me feeling… empty. Which is why I wanted to know how it made you feel.”

Right, this was probably his idea of father-son bonding, or maybe he wanted to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. And I guess because killing people was something he felt like he had to do to survive, there was no reason for me to do it at all. This was all part of the narrative in his head that anything he had to go through, I should never even know about let alone experience. There’s good but misguided intentions in there somewhere, probably.

“Really didn’t feel any different from the first time.” I admitted, deciding to try and top his story. It was true, but not something I’d ever told him about before. Part of me relished in him finding out I’ve always been as much a killer as he was.

He only glanced at me as he continued to eat. He was surprised, he definitely didn’t know, but he didn’t want to make eye contact anymore. Maybe he was upset. Maybe he was already judging me. It wasn’t going to stop me from sharing my own story now.

“I was definitely fourteen.” I went on. “I remember ‘cause it was after my birthday party and I wanted to play more card games. But you made me go to bed at one o’clock in the morning, so I ended up sneaking out. But, see, I couldn’t play in any of the casinos since they’d just tell me to go back to bed on your orders, so I went just outside of Freeside’s gate.”

He definitely hadn’t heard this story before. He was listening intently, despite not looking at me at all. I had to make this sound good.

“I went alone, just had the gun you gave me.” Already hard to believe, I know; I wasn’t really comfortable leaving the Strip alone, not without Brutus at least. “I found a group of Scorpions just hanging around, drinking whatever, smoking I don’t even know, playing cards. Blackjack, poker, three-card Monte, anything they knew, right? I had a ton of caps, so of course they let me join in. And since you and Cal had already taught me how to play, there was no way I could lo–”

“Who shot first?” He asked, trying to force me to get to the point with an odd sharpness.

I scowled. Didn’t he know anything about storytelling? It’s all about the details, the build-up, the tension. But he was almost done eating now. I huffed. “I won too much and the guy across from me snapped.” I muttered, then cleared my throat. “He was yelling at me, demanding his caps back, but I didn’t wanna give them back. I won. I told him to fuck off and he pulled a gun on me. And he shot first.”

“In your shoulder.” He said quietly, suddenly remembering something, finally looking at me. “You never told me, but I had heard about it. You went to the Fort, when the Followers still occupied it. You must have thought I wouldn’t find out you received treatment there.”

I didn’t. I had no idea he’d found out. I didn’t even have a scar and those doctors swore confidentiality, so who the hell told him? He didn’t even mention it after the fact. “You knew?”

He hummed, and set his fork and knife down, but made no move to get up. He was waiting for me to finish, at least. How polite.

“So, he shot first.” I went on. “He was on something, all clumsy and shit, missed when he should’ve nailed me. Didn’t even hit my right shoulder. I mean, it slowed me down, but not enough for any of them to stop me from shooting right back.”

That had been an unintentionally perfect shot. I wasn’t even looking when I raised my gun, but when I took the shot, there was a split second where his body was still upright. Frozen in place, much like his comrades, staring right at me with dead eyes as blood seeped from a hole in his forehead, before his body fell forward, the dead weight crushing the cardboard box that had been a makeshift card table. Just a foot away from me, I got the perfect view of the back of his head, exit wound having blown his skull wide open. I didn’t know handguns, even powerful ones, were capable of that.

“And it left you feeling numb?” My father asked again.

In the moment, I think it did. Something between numb and scared. I had run away, back into Freeside, straight to the Fort ‘cause I was still too scared of getting caught. More than I was scared of being out there, at the time. I had nightmares about him for years, I still do sometimes, and I remembered him when I shot Rocco. I haven’t even stepped outside of Freeside’s gates since. These feelings, fears, were too complicated to convey to him. We didn’t talk about deeper things like that. “Yeah.” I said simply, and left it at that.

He didn’t ask any other probing questions, and I didn’t feel like telling anymore stories. He’d gotten up to start washing the dishes, and I finished what was left on my plate before giving it to him.

“We ran into Vera and Lun while we were on Fremont Street.” He said as he began to scrub my plate with a sponge. “They asked about you. I told them you were doing well. Vera wanted me to let you know that she misses you.”

Vera was the closest thing I had to a friend my age. We met when we could barely walk after my father arranged a play-date with hers. He had been concerned that I was missing out by not socializing with other children, but he also didn’t want me to associate with any of the typical street urchins. It turns out not many families were interested in having kids in the new raider capital of the world, and she was literally our only option. But despite growing up in Freeside, she was what I considered to be the last classy lady in the whole city… or close enough, at least. I thank her fathers’ paranoia for making her somewhat shut-in and my own class rubbing off on her over the years.

She only officially became my girlfriend two years ago. It only made sense; we were the same age, she was the only girl I liked (or at least tolerated), and she was pretty enough that we looked good as an item. As soon as there’s a good enough reason to, I’ll likely propose to her and maybe that’ll be enough to convince her to move out of that pit.

“I’ll call her.” I said quietly. I may have forgotten she even existed in the last week, but who could blame me? I was mourning. She’d understand. “I could use a distraction.” I added, quieter.

I waited until it was nearly ten in the morning before I made the call. Late enough that there was no way she wouldn’t be awake, but early enough that if she had any plans, she probably wouldn’t have left home yet. Not that she would have any plans; she didn’t exactly have much to do without me. All she did was help her fathers run their restaurant, and in her free time she mostly went out and about, despite how much everyone around her preferred she stay in where it was safer.

The phone in my room was pristine, but I always had to take a moment to brush off a thin layer of dust whenever I needed to use it. I only ever used it to call her; all other calls I just made on the suite’s main phone. I didn’t need privacy to order room service. 

I'm reaching for the phone when it rings first, the blaring bell drawing a startled squeak out of me before I can take the phone off the hook to make it stop. I almost thought Vera had the same idea and thought to call first before I brought the phone closer and spoke. "Yes?"

"They're not happy about Rocco." Cal said, though he sounded more annoyed than worried. "Honestly, neither am I. That was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen you do."

"Tell me something I don't know." I muttered, and laid back on my bed as I continued. "Look, I'm really not in the mood for a lecture, keep it short. I've got a call to make."

There was silence for a moment, and a little whisper of a sound that could only be an exasperated sigh from the other end of the line, with the receiver kept at an inaudible distance. Then his voice returned, loud and clear. "New rules, kid. You're not going anywhere anytime soon. Consider yourself grounded until further notice."

"Grounded?" I balked. "I’m an adult. My father could ‘ground’ me and I wouldn't listen to him, why would I listen to you?"

"Are you fucking dense?" Cal snapped in a way that made me glad we weren't having this conversation in person. Before I could further consider the stupidity of my response, he continued. "Have you already forgotten what your would-be assassin told you? Someone has it out for you and there’s nothing stopping him from just hiring another Jackal. Hell, the Jackals probably wouldn’t even ask for half as much after today.”

I knew he was right, I just really didn’t want to think about death right now. I just wanted to call my girlfriend and pretend the last several days hadn’t happened at all. I missed when the only things on my mind were how we were gonna blow Fresno’s caps and whether Brutus should have a Brahmin or Bighorner steak, too afraid of looking stupid to ask what the difference even was. There were no would-be assassins in the back of my mind just a week ago.

“You killing Rocco made the trail die.” Cal continued when I didn’t say anything. “I have absolutely no leads now. Just… ‘a man in a suit’. So do me a favour and just stay home while I figure something out.”

I blinked at the ceiling. “Figure what out?” I asked.

“Who the hell wants you dead, obviously.”

“A lot of people, I think.” I said, quietly. I don’t really know why I said that, it was just a funny feeling that came out of nowhere. Very few people actually liked me, because I liked very few people. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if many wanted me dead. Too bad for them, then. “Why? You have any ideas? You said the trail’s dead.”

There was a pause before he spoke up again. “Yeah, I do.” Cal said. “But mostly just a hunch.”

I sat upright on my bed, crossing my legs childishly. “What kind of ‘hunch’?” I demanded. “You should really just leave the overthinking to me.” Cal said. “But… fine. Don’t blame me if you get nightmares. Just think for a second, what would happen if you died right now?”

My father would be devastated. So would Vera. Cal, too, I imagine. But no one else would mourn me, not personally. The city would have lost one of its most important residents, but I had no other friends to speak of. “I dunno. What?”

“Not much. Sorry. But the only people who would know that for sure would be the people who actually live around here. The ones who’ve seen how you and Fresno act around each other. Or, more importantly, how you avoid each other. But to an outsider who only knows of you by name, it might be reasonable to assume the Courier of New Vegas was close to their kid. Would be real upset if he died. Might even weaken their hold on the city.”

Oh. That almost made sense. It was hard to imagine anyone thinking Fresno would do anything but party upon hearing of my death, but if someone really didn’t know anything about us, well…

“I don't wanna make you paranoid, but I have a feeling whoever is behind this has, let's say, political motivations. Twenty years is a long time to keep Vegas and the Dam out of reach. I can think of at least one party that's bide their time long enough and feels the need to start chipping away at the Mojave again from the inside out. So like I said, just stay indoors where it's good and secure away from any windows and you'll probably be fine. At least wait until I get in touch with some old contacts, alright?” He asked, his voice softening a little like it used to whenever he tried to explain to me why I couldn't do something stupid; like stand on top of the Tops’ courtyard wall or tell a raider to go away because I didn't like looking at him.

“...okay.” I said, only to placate him. “But who do you think it is?”

His hesitation told me that he didn't want to tell me, because he couldn't control what I did with that information. But he still told me anyway, if reluctantly. “I haven't felt much movement from out West in a long time. It's almost too quiet. And I know the Republic is still bitter about Fresno kicking them out of the Mojave. But again, it's just a hunch. Go ahead and make your call, I've got a few of my own to make.”

The low droll of a dead line played in my ear, and I returned the phone to its hook for a moment. I could listen to him and just stay home, but the thought of staying in my room with nothing but my thoughts made me want to shoot myself (good thing I still don't have my gun, I suppose), so I called Vera anyway. The dial whirred gently as I spun it ten times, once for each number and the speaker buzzed softly as it began to ring.

Her family’s phone, to my memory, was barely functional, and kept together with duct tape and glue. Sometimes it’d stay broken for a week or so until her fathers had the right parts to repair it again. If I could commend them for anything, it was that they were slightly more resourceful than the usual Freeside rabble, but it helped that one of them came from a Vault where he had the privilege to be taught how to read technical manuals. Broken or functional, her phone always took an agonizing minute to even start ringing, but fortunately for me she was too eager to let it ring for long.

“Auguste?” Her voice chimed in after half a ring, her delight always audible through the static of the horrendous reception. She knew it was me because no one else had any reason to call her family at this time of day. Unfortunately, she also sounded incredibly worried, and I knew I had to control the subject before she could ask how I was feeling. “Vera, dear, I’m glad I caught you.” I said before she could go on. “Listen, I…” I couldn’t act like everything was fine. I had to at least act sorry or something. “I apologize for not calling you sooner, I-”

“It’s okay.” She said, cutting me off. She rarely did that, but I forgave her. “You don’t have to say anything.”

I couldn’t help but relax a little. I knew she would say all of this, act like I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong and needed to be coddled, and that’s because she knows nothing. She knows my dog died and that it made me a very sad boy. And that’s all she needed to know. “Thank you.” I said quietly, and pretended to think for a moment before speaking again. “I… I just wanted to know if you’re free tomorrow?”

Today was too soon. “I was going to work, but I’ll get out of it.” She said, and I swear I could hear her smile. “Where did you want to meet up?”

“Oh, I’ll just come pick you up.” I said. I never liked the thought of her going around the city all by herself, even if she was armed. Her fathers and I had that in common. “We can just decide where to go from there. Eleven o’clock?” Perfect for late brunch.

“That’s perfect.” She said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetie.”

A pet name I tolerated rather than liked, and only in private. When we were kids we could talk over the phone for hours, but now I could hardly stand it. I needed to see her in person every time. I liked her voice, but I preferred hearing it without the fuzz, and I loved looking at her. Watching her whether she was telling me about some bizarre encounter in the restaurant or listening to me talk about something more important. I could count on one hand the number of people I actually enjoyed being around, and she was one of them. 

So, I said my goodbyes and hung up. And with nothing else to do until tomorrow, I decided to make the most of my time by sleeping the day away, too exhausted to avoid having any nightmares.

[lovesosweeet]

Hmm I would die over an angsty/fluff Calum (or Mikey) piece? Like you had had an argument before he left for press or tour, and you were meant to go visit him but he didn’t know for sure if you still would. But you do and it’s fluffy at the end? I know that’s very detailed haha, sorry! But something along those lines would be amazing! Xx

a/n: this request is literally from 2018 but i need a quick break from writing BLU soooo here it is. also please request things i love requests <3 i promise i won't wait 5 years to write it. this lowkey lines up a little with where we are with BLU but i did my best to make them feel different!!

It'd been three days since you and Calum fought. You both thought that it was a stupid fight over something dumb, in hindsight. You'd gone to a party over the weekend with your friends. Calum didn't come since he's on tour. An ex of yours ended up being at the same party, and since you didn't talk, you didn't mention it to Calum.

Pictures ended up on social media, Calum somehow saw them, despite not being a big social media guy. He wasn't really mad at you, just upset that you didn't tell him that you'd been in the same setting as an ex who had been so horrible to you. It wasn't jealousy, but he knows that you'd have been upset if he was spotted with an ex and he didn't tell you.

The fight snowballed, as it tends to with you two. You're both avoidant and don't always bring up the small things that bother you that the other does, but as soon as you let one thing come out, the rest come tumbling down, and then you'd both started rehashing your annoyances from the past several months.

Both of you regret letting the heat of the moment lead to you saying nasty things you didn't mean, but neither of you has apologized.

You've had three days of radio silence.

He left for tour two months ago, and you were supposed to go visit him this weekend and join the band for a week. You'd joined for the first few shows and he had come home for a few days during a break, but otherwise, it's just been phone calls, Facetimes, and text messages. You miss him. Your life has largely been the same as normal.

Work. Home. Walk Duke. Dinner. Bed. Repeat.

Calum has had the luxury of being exceptionally busy and spending time with his best friends, so while he misses you, he has far more to occupy his brain than just his feelings.

Your life has felt far emptier with him gone, and you had been looking forward to this trip, but then you weren't sure if you should go, given that you've been fighting and you think that he's upset with you still.

He's not, but he also thinks you're mad at him. It's a disconnect, and neither of you had the guts to try to remedy things.

You'd swallowed your pride, though, and boarded the flight to London without talking to him to confirm you're still welcome. He hoped you were still coming, but he didn't have the heart to ask, too scared to receive more radio silence or worse, a 'no.'

When you landed, you had planned on taking the underground to the hotel and trying to talk to Calum there, but when you got your bag from baggage claim and turned to try to find the way to the trains, a familiar face was waiting for you. Mali.

"I knew you'd come!" She cheers when you reach her, pulling you into a hug. "Here, let me get your bag."

"Mali, you didn't have to pick me up," you say, hesitantly handing her your suitcase. You could manage, but she's insistent.

"Well, I know Cal would've if he wasn't so scared to face you," she laughs. "He wasn't sure if you'd come, but I knew you wouldn't waste your plane ticket like that."

It was true. You didn't want to waste the $700 you'd spent on plane tickets or the PTO you'd used to join the tour for the week. Plus, London was one of your favorite cities. If Calum didn't want to see you, you had plenty of places to visit and restaurants to eat at.

"Well, I'm here," you say nervously.

Mali loops her arm through yours and starts walking, so you follow suit and let her guide you. "We have a car out front."

You exit the airport and find the black SUV out front, the trunk (boot) opened for your stuff already. Once you've helped Mali hoist your bag into the back, you join her in the back seat for the drive to the hotel. It's a pretty short drive, but the whole time you're nervous about facing your boyfriend.

"He's looking forward to seeing you, even if he hasn't said it," Mali mentions, as if she can sense your nerves. To be fair, she probably can, since you're picking at your nail polish that you'd just done on the plane, ruining the painstaking work you'd put in.

"I don't know, he got pretty upset the last time we spoke." Your voice is small, uncertain. It's weird. You know things are fine, but it sucks when you don't get an apology. Although, you're just as at fault as he is in this scenario.

She laughs. "Y/n, he's been beside himself since that conversation. He doesn't know if you're still mad and he didn't know how to make the situation better over text."

"He could've called," you mumble, but you felt the same. Making up is hard to do face to face, it's even harder over the phone or over text.

Mali does her best to reassure you that everything is fine for the rest of the car ride, but she fills you in on her plans for the day and says to text her if you need something to do. When you get to the hotel, she grabs your suitcase for you again and leads you inside, taking you straight to the elevator.

She guides you to a room and gives you a hug. "I'm four rooms down on the left if you need me, but I'll be heading out soon to meet up with some friends."

Then you're alone.

You take a deep breath and knock on the door.

You wait... and then nothing.

Maybe he didn't hear?

You knock again, a bit harder and a few more raps than before.

"I put the do not disturb hanger on, and I didn't order any room service, can you please—"

Calum's voice is faint at first and grows in clarity as he gets closer to the door, but he stops talking when he opens the door to find his favorite person in the entire world waiting for him.

"Y/n," he breathes. He looks relieved. He doesn't want to jump to conclusions and think that he's happy to see you, but he's at least happy that you're here and he can speak to you about the fight, face to face.

You then speak simultaneously.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—" you say.

"I'm an idiot, and I'm s—" he says.

You both laugh.

"You're not an idiot," you tell him. "I'm sorry, for all of it."

Calum nods. "I'm sorry too. I overreacted, and then I just couldn't stop myself from bringing all the other stuff up."

"No, I know. Me too."

"Maybe we should start talking about things as they come up, instead of leaving it all to come out at once."

You nod in agreement, chuckling. "Yeah, that would be good."

He smiles at you, and you both start to feel better about the whole thing. "We're good?" He asks.

Then you smile. "Yes, we're good."

That's all it takes for him to step closer to you and press his lips to yours, his hands cupping your cheeks. All of your worries melt away and you're both just happy to be together again with the argument resolved. The time apart didn't matter, and the time spent not speaking didn't either. You're both here, together, in a place that both of you love.

"Here, let's get your stuff in and then we can go explore?" Calum asks when he pulls away.

"God, yes, I need a coffee, pronto."

After you've freshened up and changed out of your plane outfit, you can Cal head out to explore London. You remember that you'd booked a timeslot at the Eye when you booked your flights and didn't cancel it when you'd had the fight. You have a couple of hours before you need to be there, so Calum takes you to visit the neighborhood they'd lived in before they toured with One Direction.

There's not a lot to see. It's a pretty residential area, and then he takes you to Portobello Road for the market. You take turns picking out different pastries and breads from vendors, not forgetting to stop for coffee at a cute shop while you browse.

"What do you think?" He asks, holding up a vintage Harley Davidson t-shirt at one of the clothing stalls.

"I think I'd steal it from you and you wouldn't get to wear it because it would always be dirty."

Calum grins, chuckling. "How about I just buy it for you?"

"No, babe, it's fine, I can buy it," you say, holding your hands out to take the shirt from him, but he won't listen. He walks up to the vendor and hands over his card, not even checking the price tag.

"See, now I bought it, so I have to be able to wear it at least once."

Ah, you think. It was a bartering tactic.

"But it's still yours!" He adds.

You roll your eyes, but accept that he will be able to wear it sometimes. You'd never deny him access to your wardrobe, since you also want access to his. You both love sharing your clothes. You've both got an affinity for vintage t-shirts, hoodies, and jackets. Calum steals your vintage Levi's jacket at least once a week when he's at home.

"Wanna head down to the Eye now?" There's still an hour before your time slot, but between the travel time and wanting to soak in the scenery while you get there.

Calum pulls you closer and hangs his arm around your shoulders, agreeing to start walking. "I'm glad you're here, love."

"I missed you," you confess.

"I missed you way more, I promise." He kisses your temple while you walk. He stops when he sees a cool mural and demands you take outfit pictures in front of it.

He's your hype man as you pose, telling you how cute you look and being a creative director at the same time, helping you look like you'd want to in the photos. He knows you inside and out, and he knows exactly which photos you won't like before you even look at them. You make him take selfies with you too, kissing his cheek in some, him kissing yours, actually kissing, and lots of silly faces.

Your fight is distant, and all is well.

my masterlist :)

[hockybish]

nico and matt making up more?

Nico woke up at some point early in the morning and couldn't fall back asleep. Knowing Matthew had the tea she liked, she got up to make herself a cup. On her way to the kitchen she notice him sleeping on the couch with the TV on.

She snagged the crocheted afghan the had been draped over a chair and threw it on him. She turned off whatever was playing in the background. She turned to face Matt on the couch again.

He looked so peaceful sleeping. She couldn't help herself. Her lips brushed against his cheek. And she swore he was smiling, it could have been something he was dreaming about but she liked to think it was because of her kiss.

The next morning Matt woke up to a burning smell coming from the kitchen. He scrambled to get off the sofa when the smoke alarm started going off.

“What are you doing?” He found Nico trying to cook something on the stove and fail horribly like she always does when she tries to cook. Thank god when she’s at the u she has Mara to cook for her or else she probably wouldn’t eat.

"Making breakfast." Nico had her tongue sticking out slightly. Even though the food was burned at this point she was still very concentrated on salvaging something out of it. Eventually she did get frustrated with it not turning out and ultimately tossed the eggs, instead opting to make a couple of slices of toast. She couldn't mess that up, like she had everything else.

"I'm sorry" She mumbled, she needed to break up the quietness. The silence between them was too tangible. Nico was staring at the table, memorizing the patterns in the wood, while Matt grabbed one of the pieces of toast.

"I know you said that last night." Crunch, Matt bit into the toasted bread.

"I know I did, but it got me thinking maybe you were proposing to lock me down, because of the whole Brock thing last season." She continued rambling off more of an explanation. She needed him to know.

"Can I talk?" Matthew switched the conversation. He had heard all she had said, he understood where she was coming from with her actions. He forgave her already. But did she really understand how much she hurt him?

She nodded giving him her full attention.

"It really hurt Nico. I know you didn't mean it. But just walking out of the restaurant not saying anything? I was confused. It felt like you were walking on me, like maybe you didn't want me anymore and I couldn't figure out why."

"All I was trying to do was tell you how proud I was of you. You set records this year and I couldn't be there for any of it. I wanted to give you something that showed how sorry I was for that. I wanted to make up for it. And you basically threw it back in my face."

"So I figured if you were leaving, I was going to too. I left the necklace with the Carmen to give to you, because I knew you come to your sense about the whole thing. See, I know you, I'm not some stupid hockey player."

"I never said that!" Nico tried to interject.

"I know, but it felt like that. And at one point you did think like that." He knew hoe she used to feel about him. But that was a few years ago, her opinions have obviously changed since then.

"So where do we go from here Matty?" She fiddled with the necklace again. She didn't want to lose him. She couldn't lose him.

"I forgive you and I love you too much to break up with you." He turned his lips up into a small smile. "I don't want to act like this never happened, I just need a little time, okay? You have camp and then it's Paris. Let's keep doing what we're doing and we'll be okay."

She sighed in relief. Nico knew she had a long way to make up for this whole situation. Maybe she could start tonight by taking him out, courtesy of her brother.

[thewritersaddictions]

Requests: The Adults: Eddie Munson- Best Sort Of Surprise

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Chrissy Cunningham

Pov: Chrissy

Warnings: Christmas Time, first-time parents, pregnancy tests, gifts, nerves, nervous Chrissy, hugs and kisses, Fluff, pregnancy. Uncle Wayne is there to also celebrate.

Summary: Chrissy is nervous about giving Eddie his last present, but she's sure he'll freak out once he opens it.

A/n- Firefly-graphics for dividers

WC- 3.0k

Requests Master List // Stranger Things Master List // The Adults Master List // Chronicles of Eddie & Chrissy Master List

Two Weeks Before Christmas 1990 

The timer clicks away, the stupid chicken timer from the kitchen is staring at me in the bathroom. Eddie isn’t home as of now, instead he’s working at the garage as he always does. Yet I had this nagging feeling that something was wrong with me. Eddie and I haven;t really talked about having kids, or starting a family by any means. It had been just the two of us for such a long time that we were both so used to waking up in the middle of the afternoon on a saturday. Staying in bed as long as we continue to love each other. Were either one of us prepared for a family at this point? 

The stick is also staring at me, and when the alarm goes off. I nearly jump off the side of the tub and rush over to the pregnancy stick. I had read the directions beforehand. Made sure I knew the difference between the two lines, and just the one line. But still my heart sank, and then it picked up with vengeance. Two strong lines. Two strong pink lines telling me that I was pregnant. My mouth was left opening wide and closing tightly. My lips pursed in a tight line. The panic started to set in so I took another and waited for the damn chicken to blare off and then I took another waiting for the exact same answer. Two strong pink lines from all three tests. I threw the box away in the bathroom trash and took it out to the bins outside. I hide the three tests in my underwear and sock drawer. I’d wait until I knew for sure that I was pregnant until I would unload all this information on Eddie. 

It’s hours later when Eddie comes home with a plastic bag filled with my favorite chinese restaurant. He toes his shoes off and wraps his arms around my waist pulling me impossibly close to his frame. “How are you feeling today baby?” He asks as he presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’m doing better now, Eds.” I told him, but now the throwing up makes sense. Every day for the past four weeks has been horrible. Constantly with my head deep in the toilet bowl letting all the previous day's food out. At first Eds thought I was sick with the flu, but then the meds didn’t work. He hadn’t forced me just yet to go to the doctors but I think I will have to bring it up today after we have dinner. 

“You should be washing dishes Chris, you aren’t feeling good.” Eddie says as if I don’t already know that I don't feel good. “But I’m fine right now Eds.” I say rolling my eyes at m y protector, “No buts Chirssy go lay down please, and eat something because you need to eat.” Eddie says, bumping my hip to push me away from the sink and towards the plastic bag filled with delicious chinese food. I sit by myself in the dining room for only a few moments before I hear Eddie finish the dishes and then he’s walking over to the table and rummaging through the plastic bag. We always get the same thing, and Eddie’s got my order memorized by heart. The chinese restaurant was the first place we had a date. Actually we didn’t have dinner there so we ordered it and brought it up to the lake watching how the moons and stars reflected off the surface of the lake. 

We sit in complete silence, even if it’s a comfortable silence it's always odd to hear how silent Eddie can get when he’s got a good meal in front of him. I can only deal with the silence for so much longer before my mind is racing towards the pregnancy tests. “I think I need to go to the doctor for this stomach ache.” I tell him, the relief washes over Eddie's face. “Thank god you said it because I’m not sure how much longer I was going to be able to keep my mouth shut about you needing to get checked out by a professional and not the pharmacist at the walgreens.'' Eddie says before shoving a fork full of noodles into his mouth. I roll my eyes, “The pharmacist does have a degree.” I argue with Eddie, and he just laughs at me. “Not the same thing, baby.” 

One week Before Christmas 1990 

I had called the next morning after Eddieh and left for work. The phone rang and rang until an older lady picked up from the other side of the line. “Hello this is Wellness Oasis, how may I help you today?” The older woman has a thick southern accent, but it reminds me of when my parents and I used to visit my grandmother. I blank for a second and then clear my throat after a moment before talking through the receiver. “I need to schedule an appointment for a check up.” I tell the older woman over the phone. She hums and then asks me what the check up would be for. “I… um I need to um, I need a pregnancy test done.” There's silence over the phone for only a few seconds and then the woman is much more cheerful. “Oh that’s wonderful, can you come today. I have an appointment time for three?” I’m frantically looking around for my small notebook, “Yeah, I can be there at three.” I tell the women, and then with that I have an appointment. 

The appointment goes well at first. They weigh me, and then I walk to the room. With the scratchy paper laying under my jeans overed thighs. The nurse takes the rest of my vitals and asks me about the symptoms I’ve been feeling, and I tell her without a fuss. She leaves and then returns with a little cup. “Just head down to the bathroom and when you’re done just put the cup into the silver door. Come back to the room, and we will have your answer in fifteen minutes.” I nod nervously, the nurse must notice it. “Don’t be nervous.” She says trying to calm my nerves. A part of me panics as I set the small cup in the silver door, I wash my hands and look at the rather panicked expression on my face and then walk out. 

The nurse is right though, it takes less than fifteen minutes because the doctor is knocking on the door five minutes after I had taken a seat. “Come in.” I say quietly, the door opens to a woman. “Hey there Chirssy, I thought you would like me to discuss the result of the test with you.” Her words make me panic, sounds like I’m not pregnant but that would mean that the three pregnancy tests that I had taken had been wrong. “Chrissy you with me?” The doctor asks, pulling me back from my thoughts. “Yeah I’m listening to you.” I say. My hands are feeling sweaty, anxiety sets in. I am bearing myself for the worst news of my life or for at least right now. “So I just wanted to talk to you about the results, so you could better understand.” I nod, and she continues. “So the test did come back positive.” My hands stop fidgeting, and my eyes go wide at the news from the doctor. “And that means?” I ask her, she smiles at me. “That means you’re pregnant Chrissy. Congratulations.” My face shifts into a smile that burns my cheeks. “I’ll leave you with paperwork, and then you’re free to leave Mrs.Munson.” The doctor hands me the paperwork and then leaves the room. My heart jumps in my chest as I think of how the hell I’m going to tell Eddie. 

Christmas 1990 

Everyone celebrates Christmas differently. The household that I had grown up in had taught me that there was a very certain way of doing things around the holidays. Dinner was to be served before gifts would ever be opened, the table had to be a perfect representation of the family sitting at it. The fine china was only ever used during those holidays. But now with Eddie the holiday season doesn’t seem so hectic, filled with frustration, and disappointment. The Christmas tree glowed in the early morning of christmas. Coffee brewed in the coffee cup as I started up breakfast. 

No matter what I was taught I always associated the holidays with a good home cooked meal. Eddie, and his uncle had grown very comfortable with getting stuffed during the holiday times. Neither one had ever complained about the abunced of food sitting on the dining room table on thanksgiving or easter. Christmas was no different. Wayne would be over before the clock struck ten, and with that I would need to make breakfast. Eddie didn’t want me to leave the bed, nearly pulling me back into the soft cushion of our bed. “Don’t go.” He muttered this morning with sleep coating his already deep voice, I groaned, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I’ve gotta make breakfast, your uncle will be here at ten.” I tell him, he groans and after a moment he lets his hold of me go soft. I’m able to slip out of the bed,and run down to the kitchen before Eddie can change his mind about letting me go. 

A small pile of gifts laid under the tree, but I didn’t worry about anything other than the little box hidden under my socks and panties in my dresser. I whipped together a nice plate of omelets, and bacon because Eddie would eventually wake up to the scent of maple bacon wafting through the house, and just one time a knock came to the door of the house. I was quick to wipe my hands off bacon grease and greet the smiling old man at the door. “Chrissy!” He smiled as he came in and grabbed me for a hug. “Uncle Wayne be careful with my wife there she’s not been feelin’ well.” We both hear Eddie say. He’s replaced his sleepwear with something more Christmas appropriate. “Oh let it go, I told you the doctor said it was just a seasonal thing. Due to the weather.” I say lying to both of them. Eddie hadn’t believed me when I arrived back from the doctor's office. “You should have called me, I would have brought over the soup recipes Ed's mom used to make for him when he wasn’t good enough for school.” Wayne says with a soothing rub to my shoulder. 

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” I ask to change the conversation between the two answers at the same time. Both wanting a cup of just black coffee. I pull two cups down from the cabinet and yet again are distracted by the younger Munson. “Good morning sweetheart.” He says pressing his chin into my shoulder. “Did the bacon wake you or did Waynes knock?” I ask, “Definitely the bacon, you know how to get me out of bed.” Eddie answers. “Go take this cup to your uncle, and I'll bring the food behind you.” I say pushing the cup into his hands. “Whatever you say ma’am.” I roll my eyes, and slap his ass as he walks out of the kitchen. As the two of them sip on their coffee, I go back to my bedroom and change into a more Christmas themed set of clothes. 

I opted for a green fleet dress that sways with each step I take down the stairs. “Look at you baby.” Eddie says as I reach the end of the steps. I blush hard under the intense stare. “You look good Chrissy.” Wayne adds as he sets his cup down on the dining room table. The food is already at the table and we sit and talk about the last few weeks. Normally Wayne is over every weekend but with the holidays he had been working a few more shifts and hadn’t managed to get over since the start of December. 

“I’ll be right back.” Wayne says as we get up. Eddie helps me with plates, and cups taking them back into the kitchen and helping me clean up the mess I had made while I was making breakfast this morning. “You look really good this morning.” Eddie tells me as I hand him a wet dish to clean off with the towel next to him. By the time we are done cleaning off the plates and silverware. Wayne has returned from outside, he’s carrying a bag with presents gift wrapped. “You didn’t have to do that Wayne.”I yelled through the kitchen to the living room, he just waved me off. “You know that will never work right.” Eddie says as he dries off the last plates. “I just thought I could try.” I answer Eddie before shifting from the kitchen to the living room. The underneath of the tree looks fuller. “Wait, I gotta grab one more present from the bedroom.” I tell Eddie as I pass him when he goes into the living room. His brows knit together but when I press a chaste kiss to his lips his face relaxes and then he goes to talk to his Uncle. 

When I make it up to the bedroom I look through the drawer in search of the long but small box with the pregnancy test in it. I hadn't thought that adding the test results from the doctors office would matter so those are in the bottom of my side table drawer. I’m quick to grab the gift and get my ass back downstairs before Eddie comes up and gets his own gift ruined because he’s too damn curious about whatever the hell I’m doing. 

On cue I hear Eddie shout from down the flight of stairs. “You alright?” I yell back, “Yeah I’m fine, I'll be down in just a second.” When I make my way into the living room, someone has turned on the tv and is playing classic christmas music from the sixties or early seventies. Eddie is patting a spot next to him on the couch and sits down but only after I had the small gift for him to the pile. As always Eddie and I get Wayne a new hat and a new mug always with a funny saying on the front of it. He laughs and thanks us both with a warm smile on his old features. Eddie gets an old box of letters from his mother that Wayne had kept until a certain time or Eddie ever managed to get married. They both of them manage to have tears in their eyes when Eddie thanks his uncle for the gift. 

Wayne gives me a set of sewing needles and crocheting needles. I cracked a joke. “I’m not as old as you think I am Wayne.” Wayne laughs and so does Eddie. The sound bounces off the walls and fills the house with a beautiful feeling. “What about the other materials?” I ask, Wayne only shrugs his shoulders. “I’m sorry but that’s on you Chrissy.” I laugh and grab a gift for Eddie. It’s another set of overalls for the mechanic job because the one he has now is covered in oil that I’ve tried three times to get out and there’s about ten dozen littles holes all over the jean like material from leaving tools in his pockets. He thanks me with a kiss on my cheek. “Thanks sweetheart.” He hands me a gift, it’s a new cooking book that has been talked about all over the news this year. “I know you like cookin’ and I saw you lookin’ at it at the book shop.” Eddie tells me sweetly. There's one more round of gifting before I go to give Eddie the small gift that has my pregnancy tests in it. Wayne has a rather knowing look on his face as I hand over the small box to Eddie. “What is this?” Eddie asks, shaking the box only to hear a little rattle. “Don’t shake it Eddie!” I exclaim and look over at Wayne. He smiles at me, and then looks over his nephew. 

The rest of the moment happens in slow motion. Eddie opening the top of the box's lid, Eddie moving the wrapping paper, and the shock on his face that turns into hot tears on the edge of his lashes. The wobbling bottom lip is what takes me out of my heart. “Eddie?” I ask in the silence that has somehow surrounded us. I can feel Waynes on each of us. “Are you… are you really?” He asks, unable to say the words. Wayne is silent, letting us have the moment. “Yes I am, that's why I haven’t been feelin’ good the last few weeks.” I answer Eddie. He looks up from the box making eye contact with his uncle and then me. “Chrissy you’re… I’m gonna be a dad.” A tear filled smile breaks out on my face as I nod my head and look at Eddie. I can hear the small ‘congratulations’ from Wayne as I get squished by the firm and loving hug that Eddie wraps me up in. “Chrissy we are gonna be parents, oh you’re gonna be the best mom.” He says as he presses kisses against my cheeks and lips. “Come on boy, give your girl some damn space.” I hear Wayne say a little louder so Eddie can also hear him. There’s a nice blush over each of our faces. “You’ll both do good.” Wayne says as he comes over to give me a small but meaningful hug. “You aren’t allowed to do anything else until our baby is here, do you understand me chrissy?” Eddie says, and it’s not a question of if it’s a demand from Eddie that I take care of my body. I nod, “Now can we finish giving gifts?” I ask, “NO I have to call the others and let them know that I’m gonna be a dad pretty soon.” I roll my eyes as Eddie goes for the kitchen phone. “And by the way that’s the best damn christmas present I could ever ask for.” Eddie yells through the house and it causes the hot blush on my cheeks to get even hotter.

Completed on: 12/31/23

Posted on: 01/12/24

[ashwhowrites]

Can I request Angst 1 with Chrissy? I relate so heavily with her character (especially her mom fat shaming her) and I just wanna take care of her.

Ofc baby!! Thank you so sm for your patience while I tried to get this out 💕

What’s the point of trying if it just proves that I’ll never be good enough?

⚠️mentions of ED. Chrissy is forced to not eat but reader makes it better

Chrissy didn't know what it felt like to be loved unconditionally. Her mom had conditions. Chrissy had to be perfect in her mother's eyes and that was difficult. It was hard to be on top of all the grades, the best on the cheer team, liked by everyone, someone for her mom to show off.

But if her mom wanted to show her off, that meant Chrissy had to look perfect.

"we are having dinner tonight with my clients and his family. So wear a dress and do not mess this up. I want your hair down and curled. No quirky eyeshadow. Keep it simple and natural. Wear the new heels I bought you and do not spoil your dinner!"

Chrissy sighed as her mom walked out of her room. Another day where she would have to force herself to not eat so her mother wouldn't shame her in her dress. She knew what her mom meant by not spoiling her dinner. That was key words for not even thinking about eating a single thing. Do not look big in that dress.

Chrissy could feel her stomach cramping all throughout the day. She was starving but made sure she didn't enter the kitchen. Knowing her mom would be standing there with a look in her eye.

Luckily dinner was in a few minutes. Chrissy stood at the restaurant in her tight white dress, her mom made countless comments about how if Chrissy didn't stuff her face that she would fit in it better. Chrissy tried to shrug it off. Praying this dinner would go fast and she could go back into comfy clothes. Clothes that didn't show off her disgusting body.

She went against her mom's demands and straightened her hair. Curling took too much time and she got overheated. Being overheated with no food in her stomach has caused Chrissy to pass out before, she wasn't doing it again. Her mom had words to say about it the whole way to the restaurant but Chrissy sat in silence. Her make up was natural and she wore the new heels. That apparently still isn't good enough for her mom.

Chrissy was eyeing the bread at the table. Her stomach begging for something to eat.

"hello! This is my wife and daughter" a man said as he sat down at the table. Chrissy looked up to see a young girl, around her age, sitting next to her. Chrissy's mom sat across with whoever the wife was.

"hi I'm Y/N" the girl said softly as she leaned closer to Chrissy. Chrissy could feel her body heating up as the girl got closer.

A smile and nervous sigh left her lips, "Chrissy"

~~

The night wasn't as horrible as Chrissy was expecting. Y/N talked to her the whole night and Chrissy could tell she was easily getting a crush on this girl.

She was gorgeous, she also was wearing a dress. She shifted around uncomfortably, Chrissy figured she wasn't the type to wear a dress.

Y/N was eating the bread when she noticed Chrissy never grabbed a piece.

Y/N grabbed her plate and placed a roll on it, using the knife to smear butter on the top.

"best bread around. You have to have some" Y/N smiled. She watched as Chrissy nervously looked over at her mom.

Once she saw her mom was occupied she slowly ate the bread.

Y/N watched as she tried to eat the bread in secret. Keeping her eyes on her mom the whole time. It wasn't any of her business so she didn't say a word.

Once the table began to order, Y/N noticed some more weird things.

"chicken Alfredo please" Y/N ordered as she handed the menu to the waiter.

Chrissy spoke up next to her, "sam-" but was cut off by Chrissy's mom.

"she'll have a side salad, no dressing"

The waiter awkwardly took the order and moved on.

Y/N watched as Chrissy deflated. She whispered in her ear, "do you want the pasta?"

Chrissy shook her head no fast. Her eyes locked as her mom stared back at her.

Y/N could sense some tension. She didn't want to assume but it seemed like Chrissy's mother didn't allow the girl to have freedom when it came to food.

"I need to use the restroom, Chrissy would you want to come with?" Y/N excused herself.

Chrissy nodded and followed behind.

~~

Once they made it into the bathroom Chrissy was confused when Y/N leaned against the sink.

"are you go-"

"this is inappropriate and I hope I don't upset you. I know we just met and I have no right to say anything. But are you okay? Your mom seems harsh"

Chrissy was flabbergasted. Never once has anyone picked up on her mother's words and actions. Never once asked Chrissy how she felt.

"oh yeah. She just likes to make sure I'm eating healthy" Chrissy lied through her teeth with a smile

"eating healthy? Or barely eating? My mom used to do the same shit"

Chrissy's smile fell. Y/N was staring at her with this look. The look you give puppies on the side of the road.

"I don't need pity. I don't know you and you don't know me. " Chrissy snapped. This girl knew nothing about her. She doesn't need to be getting in her business like this.

"you're right. I'm sorry" Y/N nodded. Going to open the door back to the table. Chrissy waited until she left. Small tears went down her face as she wiped it fast. Her makeup could not be ruined.

With a few deep breaths she headed out to the table.

~~

Once the food began to arrive, Chrissy's stomach growled at all the delicious smells and plates.

Chrissy watched as the waiter placed chicken Alfredo in front of her. Her mouth watered at how amazing it looked.

Chrissy spoke up, "I didn't order this" politely smiling as she went to pass the plate. Her mom watched her like a hawk.

"this miss told me you changed your mind" the waiter said smiling, pointing to Y/N.

"yes sweetie you forgot. It's okay, that's what you wanted to order." Y/N said confidently. Making sure her point was going across to Chrissy's mother, who looked like she was fuming.

"oh thanks" Chrissy whispered quietly. She wanted to eat it but she doesn't know if she could handle the aftermath of what she would hear.

Once the waiter left, the table was met with silence. Everyone is beginning to eat, except for Chrissy. Tears holding in the back of her eyes as her mother stared her down.

Y/N knew what it was like to have a controlling mother. Her mother wasn't the best at respecting her. Her mother made her insecure for years. Reading the calories on everything she ate. Chrissy was beautiful, she wasn't going to keep letting it happen to her.

"try it. It's so good" Y/N moaned at the flavors in her mouth.

"just focus on me, we'll do it together, okay?" Y/n whispered in Chrissy's ear.

Chrissy nodded and looked at her. Watching as Y/N twirled her fork in her pasta, encouraging Chrissy to do the same.

Chrissy slowly twirled her fork. Feeling her mother's angry gaze on her but she ignored it.

Staring right back into Y/N's eyes as she brought the fork to her mouth.

Together they took Chrissy's first bite. Chrissy wanted to cry at the flavors melting on her tongue. She doesn't remember the last time she had something so good and flavorful. Used to dry lettuce and tomatoes.

~~

Together they finished their plates. Not one single noodle left behind.

For the first time in a while Chrissy felt full. And she felt good. She takes good care of her body and her body deserved something good to be filled with.

Y/N and Chrissy excused themselves to the bathroom one last time before they all left.

"thank you" Chrissy said softly as they washed their hands

Y/N smiled at her, "you're welcome. There was nothing wrong with what you had tonight so don't listen to her." she was happy she could help out the girl. She looked so sweet and delicate.

"What’s the point of trying if it just proves that I’ll never be good enough?" Chrissy spoke quietly. Tears building right back up.

"I just met you, and I can easily tell you are good enough. You are gorgeous and sweet. Your mother, no offense, is a nightmare. Here's my number. Text or call if you need someone. Or if you want a dinner date where you can order everything on the menu without being judged" Y/N smiled as she kissed Chrissy's cheek. She left quickly. She doesn't know if Chrissy is even into girls or not but she wasn't wasting the shot.

Chrissy touched her cheek softly, smile beaming as she watched Y/N walk out. She held the piece of paper in her hand.

She was definitely going on that date.

[pewpewpugh]

More Than Friends: part 3

It wasn't long after walking out that I found myself heading back in the direction of the restaurant. I knew that I needed to face the music at some point, but I also had a commitment to Florence and to Deb, to drive them back to the flat at the very least. I couldn't just abandon them.

As I walked back up the street, I couldn't stop the flashbacks of that night. Bit by bit the events of it came back. The hand holding, the subtle glances, the kiss on the cheek caught on photograph which accidentally turned in to more. But if I was being honest, I wanted more. I had always wanted more with Florence ever since the party. That party changed everything. It was the start of a long and agonising few months, but also the best few months of my life. I had never been someone who had many friends, I'm selective, but Florence had slid in without notice, and had stayed. She had stayed through my relationship with Nicole, and she had flown home to be supportive when that relationship had ended. And I really hoped I hadn't pushed her away, I really wouldn't cope well with that.

I reached the entrance to the restaurant just as Florence and Deb were leaving. My breath caught in her throat as I took in how fragile Florence looked, broken if I was being honest with myself. I knew I was the reason, and I wanted to fix that.

"Hey" I said softly, walking up to the pair as they zipped up their coats. Flo's head whipped around at the sound of my voice, and before I knew it, I was knocked back full force as Florence wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Thank you for coming back" she mumbled into my neck. I wrapped her arm around her waist and pulled her in closer, burying my face in to her hair.

"I always come back" I whispered, "you know I always come back"

Florence pulled away slightly and smiled at me, her arms still wrapped around my neck loosely. She was staring intently at me, I could see every cog turning but I couldn't figure out what she was thinking. Did she remember that night too?

There was no doubt in Florences mind, she couldn't live without her best friend. And what was more? She was definitely in love with her. And she had hope this time. Every other time she had thought about the feelings she had towards Sheree, it was followed quickly by panic, and regret. She had the horrible realisation that she was nothing but her best friend and nothing more would come from it unless she did something about it, but she was scared to do so. Though after the events today she had hope that the girl she loved still had feelings for her too. Something within Sheree's actions today had shown it. Or, shown something at least. Even Deb agreed that there was something more than friendship between them, and they needed to discuss it. And mothers know best.

"I've just cancelled the Uber" said a voice from behind us. Deb.

"Shit" Florence mumbled before pulling away from me. We'd both been so lost in the moment we had completely forgotten our surroundings, "Are you okay to take mum back to the flat, Ree?"

"Yeah, sure, of course"

Florence smiled before digging in to her pocket, where she pulled out an iPhone. Not just any iPhone, but mine. I was in that much of a daze when I left, I hadn't even thought to grab my phone from Deb. I just fled.

'Shit, thank you' I said softly, taking the phone from her hand, 'Do you want to go back to the flat now?' I looked to Deb, who glanced between Florence and I before nodding.

'I wouldn't mind. I have plans with Clint later... and you two, you really need to talk'

'Mum!'

'She's right, Floss...' Florence turned from glaring at Deb to look at me with a look of panic, 'We do need to talk'

------------------------------------------------

Florence stayed in the car once we reached the flat. Deb hopped out, thanking us both for the meal, and informed her daughter that she wanted an update when she had one. Florence gave her mother a small smile, and told her she'd call her once things made more sense.

The car journey from Florence's flat (her home away from home, as she called it) to my house was silent. Even the radio was turned off.

I could see in the corner of my eye Florence looking out of the window, but would catch her glancing over in my direction every few minutes. I could also see that she was twisting the ends of her hair, a habit I knew all too well Florence did when she was nervous. Once we reached the house, Flo jumped out of the car and headed to the front door without hesitation. I wasn't far behind. As soon as the door was closed behind us, Florence spoke up.

'So, are we going to talk about what the hell that was?'

I flinched. I have never heard Florence be that emotional, especially towards her friends.

'I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have just left like that. Especially when it was my first time meeting your mum, I was just so overwhelmed and I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry, Flo. I really am so sorry' I spoke quickly.

'You were... overwhelmed' Florence pulled her hair into a bobble and tied it up, sighing as she finished, 'I was also overwhelmed' she admitted, 'I broke down to my mum when you left'

'You... you what? Why were you overwhelmed?'

Florence hesitated, her lips moving like she was imitating a gold fish. She took a step forward, and I could see from her gaze alone that she was speaking to me with her eyes, checking that it was okay for her to come closer, to invade my personal space this way. She grasped both of my hands, and squeezed them tightly as she took a deep breath.

'I love you' The room stayed silent. You would have been able to hear a pin drop. We just looked at each other, 'I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. Ever since that stupid party where you were there with Nicole, and you were stood in the kitchen, looking cute as hell might I add... We both know that I was flirting with you that night. At least I was until Nicole appeared and I realised you were spoken for...' I smirked at the memory, 'You became so important to me in such a short amount of time, Ree, and I told myself that I would never tell you this. I told myself that I would keep this to myself, and I would just be that supportive best friend who was always there when you needed someone. And I was... I am. But I am also falling in love with you.' Florence paused, her eyes looking at every part of my face, looking for an answer or any sign of hesitation in what she was telling me. "'I always said that I don't have a dream girl, but I only said that to keep my feelings for you hidden, because you are my dream girl. You, and no one else, Ree'

I stood still, my hands still in Florences. I could feel the blood racing through my veins listening to each individual word. She loved me. Florence... loved me. In more than a best friend way. In the same way that I loved her.

'Say something' Flo whispered, 'Please'

'I remember that... I told you... the last time you were here we... I kissed you.'

Florence responded with a nod of her head. She did know, and she had tried so hard to forget about it, she'd tried so hard to forget the feelings she got whenever she thought about that night, or the next morning, and every agonising day since then when the girl she loved would even mention another females name. Until the picture came up, and she knew she'd given away her true feelings as soon as she'd opened her mouth.

'I've been falling in love with you since we met too...' I responded, 'I'm sorry I forgot we... that I told you...' before I could finish, Florence pushed her lips against my own, pulling me close.

I'm not sure how much time passed before we broke apart. Our heavy breathing being the only sounds around for what felt like miles.

"I, uh..."

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed her again, interrupting her. This time I kissed her with more passion as I had nothing to lose. As of now, in my mind at least, I had the girl I wanted. I could feel Flo's hands moving from their locked position on my waist, and her fingers began to draw patterns on my skin, under my sweater, slowly and gently. One of her hands moved up to my face and moved a stray piece of hair out of the way, tucking it behind my ear. Eventually we broke apart, eyes still closed, just taking in the moment.

Even though I couldn't see it, I could feel Flo's smiling in front of me, her hand was cupping my face and her thumb stroking my cheek. Her lips then connected with the end of my nose. Florence smiled as we both opened our eyes.

"What now?" she asked, as I rested my forehead on her shoulder, nuzzling my face into her neck. Eventually, I lifted up my head and sighed happily, "I don't know but fucking hell, I wasn't expecting this to happen when you said you were coming home" I chuckled, "I'd like to... you know... be with you. Properly. No games, no just being friends. I want to introduce you to everyone as my girlfriend, and I've wanted that for so long"

My eyes scanned over Florence as I spoke, waiting for a response. I could see the hopeful glint in her eye and the butterflies in my stomach were back. She bit her lip and then smiled. Taking hold of Flo's hand and entwining our fingers, swinging our arms gently and looking down at the ground, shyly.

"I'd like that, a lot actually. Yes"

"yeah?" I couldn't hide the smile now across my face.

"Sheree, its the easiest yes I've ever given"

And she was right. It was the easiest yes she'd ever given; and it followed two more of the easiest yes' she could have experienced in her lifetime "will you move in with me?" And "will you marry me?"

[kpopsickies]

could you do an emeto niki sickfic with sunghoon caretaker and also jay caretaker when he gets home?

heavy on the fluff =)

Sickie: Niki

Caretaker: Sunghoon and Jay

Niki p.o.v

The whole group was filming for our comeback. But somehow there had been confusion with the schedules and it ended up that I was going to be filming late that evening. Because I knew I had some time to get food I went to a restaurant not far from the filming location. My stomach had felt off all day, I hadn't eaten breakfast because I was in a rush, but that turned out to be pointless as I sat around the filming location for 6 hours. But my stomach was hurting so I went to find some food hoping that would help it a bit.

I ordered the food, and picked it up, enjoying the fresh air, after being inside all day. I felt a chill go through my body, which confused me. It wasn't that cold out. I shrugged it off and kept walking. I got to the restaurant and picked up the food. I got back to the filming location and found out the others had already left for the night. Only Sunghoon was left, I was informed by a staff member that Sunghoon had to refilm a section of is part. Because of this he was going to stick around until after I was done. Then he would film is part. Thankfully the staff gave me a few minutes to eat my food before I had to film. But halfway through my meal I found myself not hungry anymore. And the food was starting to make me feel a nauseus.

I discarded the remainder of the food and got in position to film. But only a few minutes into the shoot I started to feel even worse. My stomach was starting to hurt, rather than the previous dull ache. I waved at the staff. Sunghoon looked concerned, "Niki, you're really pale" he said after they stopped recording. "I don't feel good" I said, I clamped my hand over my mouth to muffle the gag. Sunghoon noticed and he rushed over to me but before I could move my stomach rejected the food I had just eaten and I threw up on the floor of the shoot. I instantly started apologizing to the staff. They all waved me off, and began asking me if I was okay. Especially Sunghoon who looked very concerned. "my stomach hurts. It's been kinda hurting all day. But I thought I was just-" I gagged and was thankful for the staff member who brought a trash can over to me, I threw up again. I felt Sunghoon's hand gently rub my back. "it's okay bud" his voice was quiet and soothing. Which I appreciated. I coughed a bit, the acidic vomit burned my throat. Sunghoon kept his and comfortingly on my back. "I think you need to go home now buddy" I nodded, feeling horrible, both from the guilt of throwing up on the filming sight floor and from just being sick. Especially after I noticed that some of the vomit had landed on Sunghoon's shoes. I quickly started apologizing, but Sunghoon waved me off. He helped me to the bathroom. Where he helped me out of my vomit splattered shirt and shoes. He handed me his sweatshirt. "It's clean" he assured me, gently rubbing my shoulder. "I'm sorry hyung" Sunghoon pulled me into a hug, "don't apologize. You can't control your body" he rubbed my back while he held me. "Lets get you home so you can shower and rest." I nodded against him. We both walked to the car without our shoes. I leaned on him while we walked. We got back to the car. "Niki I know you're tired and don't feel good but can I get you to stay awake at least until we get to the dorm." I nodded, "Do you need a bag? In case you get sick" I nodded, I felt lousy. Sunghoon seemed to notice because he kept his arm around me the entire way back to the dorm.

We got back to the dorm, I was glad that I only threw up once the whole way home. Sunghoon led me inside, being careful and gentle. Once inside we were met with Jay, who was still awake for some reason. “You're home early”

“Niki is sick” Sunghoon said, is arm still around my shoulder. Jay frowned. “Like how sick?” before Sunghoon could answer my body did it for him, as I gagged I brought the bag up to my face and te next gag brought mostly bile and some solids up. I felt awful, but I felt better wen Sunghoon and Jay both helped me to the bathroom, both speaking softly and comfortingly to me. “Shower and then bed?” Jay asked, more to Sunghoon than anything else. “Please. That sounds amazing” I said weakly, cringing at my own voice. “Okay buddy”

They both helped me into the shower. And helped me wash my hair. After I was done Jay helped me get into pajamas while Sunghoon showered off himself. Which made me feel guilty again, but both of them assured me it was fine. After Sunghoon showered he joined Jay and I in my room, where they cuddled with me while I started to doze off. I felt a soft comforting and on my stomach easing the ache.

[pbandjesse]

I just got out of the shower after driving home from Jess's house. And that was one of the worst drives I have had in a very long time. The rain was so bad. I literally could not see and it was very scary. But I am safely home now and I still got a couple things I got to do before I go to sleep. But it was a good day.

I woke up early with anxiety again. Annoying but not horrible. When I got up I would get washed and dressed and I basically had everything together already. So I spend a few minutes playing with sweet pea and then checking on crab cake. It fed him and made sure that his tank was warm enough. We're somewhere between 80 and 85 mostly so we're doing pretty good. Now we got to work on the humidity. So keeping it nice and moist in there is going to be our next important step. I was actually like really early still so I packed a snack for myself of my naan and cucumbers thing I made yesterday. And let Jess know that I would be leaving soon but there was no rush and we could leave whenever when I got to her house.

It was like a super ridiculously easy drive. I listened to my podcast and enjoyed the day. It was humid outside but it was a lot cooler. The skies were gray and I wasn't sure if we would actually swim today but that was all right. I was just looking forward to being in a beach town and just seeing the ocean. That was fine with me and that's basically what happened.

I would get to dress this house right at 10:00 and she was eating cake standing at her front door waiting for me. I was very happy to see her and I gave her the hair clip I got her and we sat and talked about her hospital stay last week and she told me the whole story. It's a lot more dramatic when you hear it in person. And it was already dramatic. I really hope they can figure out a way to make her feel better but she seemed in so much better spirits today and the steroids she gave her really are giving her energy. Not making it easier for her to sleep but at least she's not just in bed all day. She's able to live life.

We would finished getting ourselves together there and get ready to leave around 10:30. It was another hour and a half to get to Cape May and it would be a really nice drive. It was gray but the rain had been pushed back until 6:00 and so we were like oh this is going to be excellent and maybe the rain will scare people away and it won't be as crowded. And so we were in a really good mood. And just talked the whole time. I told her all about the drama at camp and it was nice to get all of it out to an outside observer. She told me like even though we work in very different jobs with very different people It is amazing how incompetence will really ruin the party for everyone. And makes it incredibly difficult to do your job. And it was just good to feel validated in my concerns.

Once we got to Cape May just had a plan for us to park in the municipal lot that was free to use. And then we would walk the half mile to the heart of the beach town. That was fine with me but I always worry about her ankles because she gets to be in so much pain so quickly but she was actually really good today. Like she was obviously hurting at times, as was I, But like I felt like we were doing great. And it was nice enough that we both decided we didn't need to bring any of our stuff with us. We just had our little bags with the important bits and we each had a long shirt to wear over our tank tops. And we started walking.

We got to the pancake House and it was pretty busy but because it was only two of us they let us sit at the counter. So we got to sit right away. We both ordered grilled cheese sandwiches and eggs and french fries. We shared the french fries. And the waitress was very nice and everyone was loud but I was still having a very good time. And then all of a sudden the sky opened up and it was pouring right now so I just absolutely buckets. But thankfully we would luck out and it would stop before we left the restaurant. I did feel like it was pretty expensive for two grilled cheese sandwiches but it was good and it's the beach so I always expect everything to be more expensive so it's whatever. Plus we always split the cost of meals I pay for a meal then she pays for a meal and so on and so forth. It was not a huge deal in the end.

We relieve there and started walking around the little downtown. The shops were a little bit too much money for us and while I enjoyed looking around there really wasn't anything I was probably going to buy. I don't need or want anything. I did end up getting one enamel pin of a turtle. And later we would go into a little antique mall and I found a golden heart spoon. It was not an antique but I liked it and those were my two purchases for the day. Just would get a very cute little ceramic boat that says Cape May on the back. And I felt bad because her tote bag was getting very full very fast between the half grilled cheese sandwich she still had and both of our little bags of chips that they gave us. I didn't really want the chips but she took them anyway so she carried them and that was fine but I still felt bad.

We would wonder around the town but there was just a lot of people. While the rain might have kept them away from the beach it did not keep them away from shopping. So we tried to get away from that by walking on the cement path near the beach. This was a pay beach and it was $10 a person per day. That's way too much in my opinion. especially cuz we're not going swimming. If we were going to spend the day at the beach on the beach with our little chair and everything like sure I could understand paying that but not if we were just going to go in touch the ocean and leave. So we just stayed on the top and watched people and birds and went into a couple places. I wanted to do a call machine but none of them spoke to me and it was very loud in there. We didn't even do the photo booth it was so loud. And then we decided to walk to West garage.

This was a place that just had seen on TikTok and it took us a while to get over there. It was cute just watching all the different buildings and I love beach style housing and all of the little gingerbread details. The flowers were beautiful. It wasn't too hot but it was humid. I was comfortable but I would get too warm at times and once we got to the place I was really excited for air conditioning.

And it was comfortable but it wasn't particularly cool. I enjoyed walking around and looking at stuff but it wasn't like a real antiqua It was more like a sort of old stuff vintage mass produced sort of place. Which is fine but I always hate when you go places in every store has the same chachkis because they're all buying from the same wholesalers. I find it very frustrating because that's not what I'm here for. I still enjoyed it though and we saw some cool stuff. I was just enjoying hanging out with Jess and being silly and talking and looking at it things.

We would leave there and walk down the street to an actual antique store. We went into two different ones. And we buy much. Like I said I just got my one spoon but I enjoyed looking around and it's always fun seeing things that you recognize from your childhood or from your grandma's house. And it was just a really nice day. I was having a really good time.

The sun had finally come out though and so we were like we should go to the lighthouse now because that is the state park and the beach is free down there. And then we can walk around and touch the ocean and accomplish our goal of the day.

But just had another goal as well before we did that which was to get ice cream. We already looked in a few places but none of them were speaking to her. I don't love ice cream that much so I wasn't as concerned but I want her to be able to have the things that she wants! So I have a head on a swivel and I was able to find us an adorable ice cream shop. That had questionable food safety. I saw one of the teenagers drop an ice cream cone into her arm and then still serve it to a guest. Kind of crazy. But we ordered the smallest ice cream amount possible and they were like oh a kids cone. And they gave us like three scoops of ice cream each and it was way too much. Jess got lavender honey and I got strawberry cheesecake. And they were very nice. And we ate those as we walked back to the car.

It was much warmer by then and I was very excited to be sitting for a bit but also I was just so thirsty and the ice cream was good and I was cooler because of it I really wanted water and I had stupidly forgotten my water bottle today. So I only had my soda cup and while it had stayed pretty cool in the car it was not the same as drinking water.

And then we drove over to the lighthouse and it was great. I had such a good time.

From the distance and we would park and walk the beach for a while. The sand was really nice. Not too hot probably because it had been rained on. The ocean was beautiful and there was a haze to everything. It was just awesome. I love that. Wasn't a ton of very good shells but I had brought my new little seashell bag with me and I had my sandals in it so I can walk around barefoot and unencumbered. I would put some of the few shells and rocks I found in there but mostly I was just enjoying being silly with Jess. We sat in the sand and I fell over backwards and was absolutely covered and she said that I look like a cinnamon pretzel which I'm going to take as a compliment. And we took pictures and we touched the water and we looked at the world war II bunker that was on that beach which I did not know was there and I thought was a very cool. We chased a little crab and we saw birds and we just talked about how much we like watching the water and it was great. The water wasn't very very cold so we probably wouldn't even gone swimming if we had been there all day. It was just really nice to walk around even though Jesse's feet hurt from the Sharp shells because she is the princess from the princess and the pea. And she said they were a thousand tiny shells stuck to the bum for me which is just what sand is but she was fine once we went rinsed her feet off.

I got us off the beach and we had to walk over to the tickets where you could rinse your feet off but it was farther than just thought And so she took a really long time to get over there. I would run to the car to get us towels so that we can put our shoes back on and I switched into Birkenstocks which I'm really glad I brought because I think putting my strappy sandals on top of my sandy feet would have been very painful. But we cleaned off after another family finished. And then we went and filled up our water bottles before we left.

On our drive out Charlotte texted me and James that one of their rescue cats that her and Cate had gotten had very unexpectedly died on Friday. And I read it out loud and cried and just cried too and we were supposed to so sad for her. I would be absolutely devastated and I know someday I will be once we be dies but nobody wants to find that so randomly, you won't warning. I think I got a little emotional because she also said that she loves both of us and Charlotte doesn't say that. She never says anything like that and I think it just really hit me because so often I still have the feeling that she doesn't like me so it's nice to see it even if it wasn't a moment of sadness for her. I feel awful I really hope that she's okay tonight.

Me and Jessica one more stop before we went back to her house. We had a very fancy dinner plan.

We went to a place called The Port. And this voice is nice. We sat outside on their dock, Which is the majority of the restaurant. It looks like they have it inside space but I think they only needs it in the winter time. And it was beautiful. I got them to open up an umbrella for us so that we wouldn't have to sit in the sun potentially get sunburned. And everyone was so pretty and nice. I was also over hearing some gossip because apparently someone was not very nice and they come all the time and I think they're a vlogger or something. But everyone was nice to us.

We already look at the menu because we both have so many weird food things. I was very excited for the whipped honey feta and it's a burrata peach and tomato salad I was going to get. Jess would get oysters, ceviche, and a sushi roll. She said that the sushi rollwas probably unnecessary, And she had enough food with just two things but do the oysters even really count?? She loves them so much. And she said these ones were very good. The honey feta was outrageously good. The burrata salad was not exactly what I was expecting. It was more chopped up than I was anticipating. I thought it was going to be the ball on some arugula with slices of peaches and tomato. It was more diced peaches and tiny tomatoes and green tomatoes. And cucumbers. And some other things. And it was good but it was a little bit much and I would take half of it home. But I was having a great time. The food was beautiful everything was so nice. Even the bathroom was adorable. It was a really good choice and I will absolutely go back there again next time I'm in Cape May.

I'm glad that we went. And we discussed coming back and finding a B&B to stay in or something. Spend a whole weekend there maybe.

It was time to go home though. Our ETA to arrive back at Jess's house was 7:30. And that was good because then I would get home around 9:00 which is later than I wanted but not too bad. So then we were off and it was a really good drive. No traffic really. Nobody acted stupid. The sky was a little scary as storms were going to be coming in soon but we didn't have to deal with much at all and that was great. My phone was dying but I had brought a charger box and it wasn't working and it was really frustrated. So I just tried to not stare at my phone but that was very difficult. I was tired and I just wanted to scroll mindlessly. But instead we talked about the green clouds and how strangers were Jess ended up living. How it's right next to the town where I spend so much time dating a really terrible person. And how so many places are the same there and so many are different. We even pass the street thar he lived on. It's weird how life is. Just bringing us together and intersecting our lives. I'm really glad that we found each other in all of that.

When we got back to her house she had peppers and a vintage matches holder for me. The sky had started turning a little green and it was making me nervous. So I filled up my water and used her bathroom and just as I'm getting ready to go the sky absolutely opens up and it is pouring. Like outrageous. Worse than this morning. Worse than I've seen in a long time but I was like okay it'll probably pass quickly and I can get out of here safely. So even though I did not have my umbrella. I gave Jess a big hug goodbye and I ran outside to the car and was just drenched. Thankfully I had moved my beach towel to the front seat. Was able to dry myself and the inside of the car off before I left.

I texted James to let them know my ETA was about 9:00 and then I very slowly drove out of her neighborhood. And that would basically be how the entire drive was. Very slow. I could not see anything. It was horrible. I was going down the interstate going 25 miles an hour with my flashers on. I was with like two other cars and most people were sitting on the sides of the roads waiting for it to pass but it was not passing. It was raining like that for almost 45 minutes. It was terrifying. And there were people that weren't having their lights on and I was flashing at them and thankfully they got the message but man they could have killed somebody. It was awful. My poor car was screaming at me that it couldn't see and then I was like girl me too I cannot see anything and this is awful. I was just trying very hard to be safe but I wanted to get home so badly.

About 25 minutes before I got home the rain mostly stopped. And I had a pretty quiet ride back because my phone stopped connecting to the car. I still was able to get the GPS up on my phone screen but it was not ideal. Thankfully I was able to get home in one piece, only 15 minutes later I had originally thought.

I did have to circle around the block and park a little far away because I couldn't find a spot because everyone is parked weird today. Like they left weird amounts of spaces So I couldn't fit anywhere. But James was sitting outside waiting for me and I was very happy to see them.

Brandon's over because they're going to watch House of the dragon. And it was really good to see him too. I gave hugs to everybody. I checked on crab cake whose tanks seem to dry so I added more water. But it was warm enough. And hug sweetp for a bit. And then went to go take a shower.

I was sitting on the floor in our bedroom now. Enjoying the air conditioning. I got to go through this pile of clean clothing to figure out what I'm bringing to camp and what I'm wearing tomorrow. And then I'm going to go to sleep because tomorrow I have to go back to camp. Honestly not thrilled. I'm very anxious. That the schedule is going to be completely different for me and it's going to be awful again like last week was for everybody else. I just hope that they solved something. My plan is to sleep there tomorrow. Maybe not Tuesday maybe not Wednesday. I don't know yet. We'll see how I feel. But hopefully it is fine. And I have a good week. I'm a little nervous about the project but I think it will be okay in the end. I really hope that you all have a really good night. And have a beautiful day. Sleep well my friends.