#Bo: “Just go with the flow and don’t ask questions.��

[better-call-mau1]

@jessicas-pi first off, that AU sounds awesome (and thank you for reassuring me that the “debilitating angst” is ultimately rewarded with a happy ending…I probably couldn’t handle it otherwise 😅)…you’ve got me wanting to ask a lot of curious questions, so maybe I should just start reading! And that other WIP??? 😲 Sheesh…I obviously haven’t considered the full potential (humor and angst) of seeing Sabezra through Bo-Katan’s eyes. Can’t wait for Sabine’s reaction to that question though! 🤣👌

Sabine: I can’t believe how much we have in common!

Satine: Our names, for starters —— just one letter different.

Sabine: Iconic style and fashion sense, of course.

Satine: And let’s not forget about our problems with estranged family members.

Sabine: We’ve both had precarious encounters with Maul, too!

Satine: Precarious indeed. Is there anything else you can think of?

Sabine: Hmmmmm...well...

Obi-Wan and Ezra: *standing together awkwardly in the background*

Sabine: ...nothing I’d admit publicly.

Satine: I suppose you don’t have your own Korkie, then? A ‘nephew’ of inexplicable origin?

Sabine: Sorry...a what??

Satine: Never mind. Give it a few years.

[callsign-rogueone]

fractured - b.d.

Bodhi Durran x reader You break your arm, but Nolon isn't available to mend it. Bodhi takes care of you in the meantime. [request] words: 1.1k 🏷: no book spoilers. she/her reader in an established relationship with Bodhi. mentions of injury (broken arm) but no blood and no description of how it happened. just some fluff of Bo taking care of you.

Bodhi is out of his seat as soon as he sees you exit the exam room, looking a little worse for wear -- your arm is in a sling, the bridge of your nose split, and you’re walking slowly, like your legs are sore.

“There you are,” he breathes. “Xaden said you were here, but nobody would tell me anything. What happened?”

“I fractured my arm in two places,” you explain, “But Nolon is busy, so until he’s done with whatever else he has going on, I have to heal the old fashioned way.”

You leave out the details of how it happened, and hope that he won’t ask. He doesn’t -- he just takes your bag from your ‘good arm’, slinging it over his shoulder before you can protest and pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

You give him a pained smile, letting him lead you back across the bridge to the rider’s quadrant, where everyone is sat down for dinner, in the middle of a spirited conversation. You slip into your normal seat, thankful that nobody seems to notice your condition or make a scene -- until they do.

“What’s with the sling?” Imogen asks, raising an eyebrow.

Every head at the table turns toward you. Great.

“Nolon was unavailable,” you answer in a tone that does not invite any more questions -- that seems to be good enough for them, but you still get a few worried glances and pitying looks from your friends in response.

You poke at your food, attempting to cut it with the side of your fork and failing -- it isn’t sharp enough. You set the utensil down, giving up; you aren’t that hungry, anyway, not after the painkiller the healers had given you, which isn’t doing anything except make you nauseous. You really hope that Nolon will be back tomorrow, because living like this is going to suck.

Bodhi notices your dilemma and slides your plate toward him, wordlessly taking your knife and fork and cutting everything into bite-sized pieces for you before he gives it back.

You thank him quietly, managing to eat half of it -- better than nothing, you suppose. Maybe you’ll feel better at breakfast.

He’s sitting on your right, your uninjured side, and he keeps you close to him all through dinner, tucked into his side.

When everyone is finished, he picks up your bag again, carrying it upstairs to your room, right across from his, following you inside and setting the bag on your desk chair. “Do you want help changing clothes? I promise I’m not just asking because I want to see you naked.”

You don’t laugh at the joke, kicking your boots off roughly, not caring where they land. 

“I’ll be fine,” you answer, turning your back on him. You’re sick of this, of feeling like a child, of being coddled and given those concerned looks all through dinner, like you can’t handle yourself -- like you haven’t had worse injuries, like you hadn’t run the gauntlet and bonded a dragon and literally everything else this terrible school asks of its students.

You try to tug your shirt off, hissing in pain at the movement of your arm. Hot tears start to flow down your cheeks as you continue to struggle, the fabric getting stuck on the thick wooden splint the healers had put around your forearm as a temporary fix.

“Hey,” Bodhi coaxes, “let me do it.”

You sigh, admitting defeat and taking a few steps toward him, allowing him to help get your good arm out of the other sleeve first, and gently untangle the shirt from the splint, tossing it into your laundry hamper with practiced ease.

He wipes away your tears with a gentle brush of his thumb, cradling your cheek in his hand. The familiar softness of his touch relaxes you near-instantly.

“I know this is frustrating for you, and I know you’re a badass independent woman dragon rider, who can take care of herself, and that’s one of the things I love most about you, but it would be easier -- and it would make me feel better -- if you let me help you. I love you, and I don’t want you to be in pain.”

“Thank you,” you say quietly. “Love you too.”

You stay like that for a moment, leaning into his hand and closing your eyes -- you’re exhausted.

“We’ll go by the healers before breakfast and see if Nolon is back,” he promises, pressing a kiss to your temple. “But until then, I’m gonna be here to help you, okay?”

You make a soft sound of acknowledgement, working up the courage. “Stay the night?” you ask softly. 

“Gladly,” he answers. “I’ll even bring extra pillows.”

There’s a moment of soft, comfortable silence that you want to linger in forever -- you really don’t feel like trying to shower with this thing on, or to lay down in bed; even with Bodhi by your side, it’s going to be uncomfortable, especially with how much you usually toss and turn during the night.

“I never asked you how this happened,” he realizes.

You stiffen, silent.

He looks at you with a seriousness you hardly ever see, deep concern with anger simmering underneath. “I need you to tell me who did this to you.”

You shake your head. “Nobody hurt me.”

He doesn’t look like he believes you -- you could very well be lying, because you don’t want him to go off and beat someone up just because they bested you in a challenge, but there weren’t any challenge fights today; they’re over for the rest of the school year. Had someone gone out of their way to injure you, to make an attempt on your life? 

“My love, I’m serious. If someone tried to-”

“I tripped over my own shoelace and fell down the flight of stairs by Kaori’s classroom,” you interrupt quietly. “Half a dozen first-years saw the whole thing.”

He knows you well enough to know that you’re telling the truth, that what he’s seeing is genuine embarrassment -- the shyness in your voice and the warmth of your cheeks give it away.

He laughs in relief, and at how deeply unserious this whole situation is. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing.”

“It’s okay,” you say, shaking your head with a slight smile. “It’s pretty funny.”

It’s hilarious. You’d completed your first year largely unscathed, sustaining no major injuries, but an untied shoelace had nearly done you in.

“That’s it,” he declares, “I’m tying your shoes for you every morning from now on.”

You laugh, wincing when the motion jostles your arm and sends a jolt of pain through you.

“Oh, honey,” he soothes. “C’mere.”

You settle into his arms, leaning against him as he embraces you, careful not to touch your splint.

“I love you,” he whispers, nudging his nose against yours.

“I love you too,” you reply. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Always, my love. Always.”

[withonly-sweetheart]

random ambulance leon x reader puff

hehe inspired from my irl experience, read abt it here!

There’s always been a faint, musty smell to Goodwill that you didn’t quite hate, but didn’t quite love either. It’s a neutral, blank scent, emanating from the books that you scan on the bookshelves.

An old lady hobbles towards you, tilting her head in confusion as you pick out yet another romance novel. Safe to say, you’re a sucker for cheesy love stories.

The girl that’s been hovering around you for some time now finally approaches you, tilting her gold-rimmed sunglasses to the point of her sharp nose as she looks you up and down.

“You look nice,” she comments vaguely.

“Thanks,” you reply. “So do you.”

She eyes the stack of books nestled in your arms against your chest, and strikes up a conversation about them. Surprisingly, despite her initial appearance, she shares your appreciation for novels and gives you good recommendations.

You’re just mustering up the strength to ask for her number, to continue your conversation long after you’re gone from the store when her phone rings.

She mumbles into the phone, a few quick words, before rolling her eyes and stuffing it back into her neon purse. You raise an eyebrow but say nothing, wanting to respect her privacy.

“My dad had another heart attack,” she drones, as if this is a normal occurrence, as tedious as the simple task of drinking water. “Nothing serious.”

“What the fuck?” You stare at her with wide eyes, only eliciting a shrug from her.

“The ambulance is outside,” she says. “Wanna go check on him?”

Still half paralyzed from the shock, you nod, letting her link your arms together as she tugs you into the searing afternoon sun. One hand stays protectively curled around your precious books as the other rubs her palm soothingly.

You realize you still don’t know this girl’s name. But before you can ask, you notice a guy, a few inches taller than you, back facing you standing near the back of the ambulance, conversing with a short, pudgy woman with tears streaming down her face.

“Go ask him what happened,” your friend, at least you assume, urges you, snatching your books from you and nudging you forward.

“Why don’t you?” you retort.

“I don’t want to seem weird,” she replies simply.

You don’t understand that logic, but without questioning it, you approach the guy, realizing that he’s much taller than you had first expected. He seems to be consoling the teary-eyed woman, who looks similar to the girl behind you. Must be her mother.

“What happened?” you ask, waiting for him to finish. The guy straightens at the sound of your voice, and when he turns, you lose the ability to speak.

He’s striking, especially with his face dappled in the shadows, highlighted by the flashing red and blue that dances across his face. His voice is lower than the bar holding you back from jumping on him the moment he speaks.

“The man’s going into cardiac arrest,” he explains. “We’re prepping to take him to the hospital.”

“How fun,” you say absentmindedly, letting the words flow from your dumbass mouth freely. You don’t catch the meaning of your words.

His face turns stony, serious, all business. “Actually, it’s not very fun.”

Your girl seems to have forgotten about her initial fear and comes to stand beside you, resting a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Wait, could I hop in? That’s my dad.”

“I was going to say that I wouldn’t assume that you’re his daughter,” he says, tilting his head towards you before nodding solemnly. Your friend casts you a knowing look before waving, never to be seen again, at least not by your eyes. 

Your books have returned to their original place, where they belong, and the guy keeps casting longing looks at them, so you offer to let him see them.

The way he perks up at the idea is so heartwarming, nearly as sweet as his soft chastises of your opinions, of what he thinks each book will offer. His eyes seem to sparkle, like pools of ice slowly melting as he warms up to you.

Eventually, you’re both sweating like dogs under the summer sun, however unrelenting in August. Your father’s calls reach your ears, asking you to grab some of the heavier bags from your shopping spree.

“Well,” you say, fumbling through your tongue, which seems to have twisted itself into a bow and is currently presenting itself as a present to this gorgeous hunk of a man. “That’s me. Bye.”

“See you around,” he says simply, raising a hand to wave. 

You feel the urge to clarify, “Oh, well, I’m not from around here.”

The corner of his mouth curls upward in a smug smile. “Well, if you ever need a hero to save the day, you know who to call.”

His words shouldn’t send butterflies swarming against the walls of your stomach, dainty little legs pressing, pricking, drawing blood that rises to flush your cheeks. You hope you can dismiss it as the heat.

He grabs a small card from his front pocket, tucking it between two fingers and holding it out to you. You grab it, duck your head, and rush away.

Later, at home, when you’re back in your hometown, you sink into your couch, about to throw off your jacket. You feel the card, sharply pointed at your arm, and take it out. You study the number before dragging your eyes to the name printed in bold.

Leon Scott Kennedy.

taglist (? if i started that would ppl be interested?) : @leonskittenbunny @rigorwhoring

[biaswreckme]

fly endlessly | woosan

Oh, my body, I don't wanna stop, until the break of dawn or Wooyoung needs San after the performance with the moon phases down his spine.

Fandom: Ateez

Pairing: San/Wooyoung

Member: San, Wooyoung

Length: 800 words

Genre: Smut

Rating: +18 (Explicit)

Triggers/Warnings: smut, oral sex, rimming, masturbation, small aftercare, established relationship

You can read it on: AO3

At first San had questioned why Wooyoung had asked him to keep the moon phases “tattoo” down his spine after the performance, but at this moment, feeling the younger’s tongue tracing the images etched into his skin he understood, and mentally thanked him for having this idea. It was much later that evening, both freshly showered and thoroughly cleaned, bathrobes carelessly placed on the chair in San’s bedroom, both men kneeling on the bed, San’s back to Wooyoung’s front, Wooyoung’s hands caressing and embracing the older, supporting his body upright as he descended with his tongue. Usually, San preferred to be in the other’s position, showering Wooyoung’s body with praises, pleasure, and love, for he had much to give, but he was not going to say no to the younger’s proposition. Don’t get him mistaken, he enjoys receiving pleasure, of course, but there is something more about giving, seeing his lover’s body contorting in bliss, that is incredibly satisfying to him, but for now he is more than content to let Wooyoung explore his body to his own pleasure. Feeling all encompassed by Wooyoung’s love, San’s legs trembled, having to fall down to his arms, head hanging low, subtly arching his back wanting more of the younger’s touches. 

And then he felt it. He felt fingers first, dry, just teasingly circling his rim, and could almost feel Wooyoung’s attentive gaze on his skin, watching him clench. Wooyoung’s hands grabbed his cheeks, massaging, spreading them, nothing to hide San clenching down on nothing. San heard the younger chuckle softly, enjoying the teasing. San was about to say something, to beg, when Wooyoung’s breath got that much closer to where he needed him, followed by a soft and almost tentative touch of his tongue. San sighed in pleasure, letting himself relax into a deeper position. Wooyoung helped him get settled, a hand pressing between San’s shoulder blades, making him arch his back even further until his head was on the mattress, hands grabbing the bed sheets. 

To Wooyoung, the vision was paradise: San’s head and large shoulders pressed on the bed, his arched back adorned by the moon phases, his small tapered waist leading to a handful of a backside, only his strong thighs supporting him upright. He could not wait any more minute, any more second, so he dove in, flat tongue licking from his balls, up his perineum until he reached San’s hole, letting spit flow from his mouth onto San’s skin, both of his hands making sure the cheeks were spread apart. He licked around and over the tight muscle until he felt San starting to relax, and then softly probed the hole with the tip of his tongue, searching a small way in, growing confident by hearing the muffled moans that were coming from his lover.

San didn’t know where pleasure began and where it ended. His entire body felt like it was on fire, the sensation overwhelming his nerves and running through his veins. It was too much and at the same time it was not enough, his hips moving back and forth, fucking himself on Wooyoung’s tongue mindlessly, feeling it make its way inside his hole little by little, needing more, deeper. He almost sobbed and clenched his fists on the bed sheets when he felt a hand circling his weeping cock, Wooyoung knowing exactly what he needed to reach his climax. His pleasure was rising on an unstoppable crescendo and he felt himself at a loss of words to warn, to beg, to plead, his thoughts blurring and only focusing on the sensation that was starting to make him clench his toes, tighten his fists on the mattress, moan loudly, uncontrollably. His entire body shivered as Wooyoung’s tongue reached as far as it could inside him, the younger’s lips touching him, mimicking their sensational kisses on another part of his body that was much more sensitive, while Wooyoung’s hand stroked him, back and forth, back and forth, pausing to circle the engorged head, and suddenly there was white noise ringing in San’s ears and his mind went blank, the strong orgasm overtaking all his senses as his body clenched, trembled, and seized under Wooyoung’s ministrations.

San didn’t even realize he had fallen down on the bed. Wooyoung moved quickly, bracketing San’s body with his hands, arms, and legs, almost like a weighted blanket to keep him grounded, patiently waiting for San to come back to him. When he felt movement under him, Wooyoung fell to the side, still hugging San’s body, turning the older’s head towards him. San’s hand reached blindly for Wooyoung’s, squeezing as a signal that everything was okay. And San was smiling, eyes still closed, but when they opened, there was nothing but his always unfaltering love for Wooyoung stamped across them.

[oh-shtars]

Bonjour, good day, I come with more questions~

1. What Disney character do you think most inspired each character in your rewrite?

2. More Rani loreeee

3. Does Rani have star magic? Although feel free to skip this as it might spoil your ending with Sueño

4. Does Hopes & Dreams have any other pet names for each other?

5. If Ashueño is similar to a genderbent Rapunzel, what dynamic is the royal couple like?

6. What trope best fits Hopes & Dreams? What about the royal couple?

7. Do you have any scrapped ideas you want to share?

8. Are the other character’s wishes important to the story?

9. What Hazbin character is each RFTS!character like?

Oh wow-

I get so happy whenever you guys leave asks and stuff like this. Thanks so much! 🥺💖💖 LOVE YA BO!

If y’all ever send me an ask and I haven’t answered it yet, please know I’m not ignoring you. I either don’t know how to answer it yet or I’m too busy atm. (Especially with exams coming up. Ew.)

(Looking at this, I feel more guilty the more they stay there. 😅 But hey! At least you can look forward to more content, right?)

Anyways, Onto the asks!

1. What Disney character do you think most inspired each character in your rewrite?

I remember doing this one post as a little fun game for everyone to share 3 characters that inspired their main characters. But since you asked for just one and it has to be a Disney character, guess I’ll do that.

You can visit the post if you want to see mine and other AUs’ participation.

Asha = Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

Sueño = Aladdin

Magnifico = Hades (Hercules)

Amaya = Zarina (Tinkerbell: The Pirate Fairy)

Valentino = Younger Simba (The Lion King)

(I don’t have a solid personality for the 7 teens since they’re not going to have as big of a role. I do have their key traits in my notes so I can look back to it as a guide. But I’m just going to go with the flow when writing their scenes.)

……..

2. More Rani Loreeeeee

I haven’t even finished a final outline for the main plot of the RFTS!story, so idk even for a sequel. Maybe I’ll do some random drawings of family bonding moments and just him being a precious little guy.

(Hypothetically speaking, IF both Asha and Sueño survive the tragedy I’ll inflict on them. I mean what- who said that?)

All I know for Rani is that he’s someone who’s not sure what is the one thing he’s passionate for. And in this kingdom where everyone is so sure what they want and striving to achieve it, he feels lost. Surely, people only have one passion, right? Why can’t he find and settle for one?

Whenever he finds something he could be passionate about, Rani feels icky at the thought of just permanently sticking to it from now on. But at the same time, he criticises himself for being ‘irresponsible and indecisive.’

He “longs” to know his place and know what he wishes to do exactly. Rani doesn’t like being told, “But you’re so talented!!” because he personally thinks it’s unhelpful. It doesn’t make his choice of picking one passion any easier.

He also doesn’t really like vague answers to his questions and gets frustrated with it. “Believe in yourself.” “You’ll get there.” “Keep going!” “You’ll know it when you feel it.” “I don’t know what you’re aspiring to do, but I bet you’ll do great.” Well guess what? He doesn’t know what he’s doing either. :D

Also: *G A S P*. Not a strong believer of Wishing stars nor looking to the sky for answers! 😱 Rani prefers to “see-it-to-believe-it.” A more down to earth person who wants real solutions, not just hoping for something to magically happen.

(Some stuff might change but here’s an overview of Rani just like you asked- :))

…………

3. Does Rani have star magic?

Ehhhhh, I’ll say he has general knowledge in magic and just about anything he finds interesting and gets his hands on. Not really star magic, though he has the skill of a fast-learner when learning about regular magic. Again, Rani’s existence may or may not be hypothetical. 🤷

………

4. Does Hopes & Dreams have any other pet names for each other?

Sueño is not really one for pet names since he adores Asha just as she is, including her name. But in his head and through the sign language he eventually learns, he does sometimes call her: “Love or My Sky”

(I love “My Sky” so much because it FITS him. He loves the feeling of freedom and is claustrophobic. So he’s basically saying he feels so free and happy to be around her. Also, *coughs* Bo. “Sky”. My Sky. “Cielo”. Amirite? This was unintentional, I swear-)

For Asha, she calls Sueño: “Starlight, Mi Sueño (this is her fav one ofc), Sunny (though this is more general), Hon/Honey.”

For the last one, I have a silly headcanon that Sueño comes to have honey as one of his fav foods. It sort of rhymes with his other nickname, “Sunny,” and Asha thinks it’s hilarious to tease him with the “honey” nickname when he gets all sticky.

Idk why I even came up with this, but the thought that he’ll eat anything, even food he usually doesn’t like, that is dipped in honey on it is just funny, okay? And it connects to Hal too since I remember she’s meant to be a beekeeper. (This may also be a cute little reference with Winnie the Pooh if Sueño shapeshifts. Hehehe)

Btw, stars can taste but not go hungry. Like how they touch and feel stuff but not feel pain when inflicted or hit by something. If it’s dark magic, then that’s the only exception and they can feel pain.

…….

5. If Ashueño is similar to a genderbent Rapunzel, what dynamic is the royal couple like?

Idk actually. I made Amnifico or ‘Grand Despair’ from scratch without referring or getting inspired by any couple I know. It’s mostly songs and vibes I’ve collected to create their dynamic. Same with Ashueño. The Rapunzel similarity was not intentional. 😅

(I think you should be worried because my RFTS!Spotify playlist has lots of angst- lol.)

Uhhhhhhh, maybe Grand Despair can be something akin to Charity and P.T Barnum from the Greatest Showman. But darker and eviler.

A guy who promises something for his beloved, gets carried away, and eventually forgetting what this was all for in the first place. :3

……

6. What trope best fits Hopes and Dreams? What about the royal couple?

Hopes and Dreams:

“Soulmates/Fate” (I think we can all agree that these two are meant to be, either platonically or romantically, in any universe both AU and Canon.)

👏 SLOW 👏 BURN👏 (That pang of realisation always gets me)

Thinks she’s no one special x Treats her like royalty

Grand Despair:

Doomed Romance

Pissy x Only one who calms him down

”Us against the World”

……….

7. Do you have any scrapped ideas you want to share?

Not anything that wouldn’t spoil some stuff for the plot. Sorry 😞

……

8. Are the other characters’ wishes important to the story?

Hmmmmm. I guess they influence the narrative and further establish the conflict of the story.

Like, the characters are used to just taking the easy way to achieve their dreams by waiting for the day Magnifico grants them one morning. They can make as much as they want. Unbeknownst to them, they’re stuck in this cycle of always wanting more but never satisfied.

They keep wishing and wishing, believing that they have no chance of reaching it on their own without their king’s help.

I’d like the main theme to be: not being afraid to dream big and “Reach for the Stars” but you shouldn’t expect grand things to just come to you instantly. You’ll need to take faith and work for it. Why? Because the whole journey getting there, regardless of the many struggles, is worth it and it sure is something to look back and be proud of.

It sure is what Walt Disney did, isn’t it? :)

……..

9. What Hazbin character is each RFTS!character like?

It’s kind of difficult to pick from the Hazbin cast what each RFTS!character is like since one plot is based off of dreams and everything nice while the other is literally based in hell. 😂

But I’ll try:

Asha:

Emily was the closest I could think of. (Since I literally couldn’t think of anyone else. Oof-) Not really referring to the happy, excited part of her. More like the “I believe these people deserve a lot better than this” and eventually finding her voice to stand up against authority for the people she cares about.

Sueño:

No, not the aggressive and assertive side of Vaggie. Lol nope. More like getting attached to the MC that helped them get back onto their feet, warmly welcomed them in this strange new world, and now they would do anything to help them get their dreams come true whatever it takes.

(Also, a secret they’re keeping that’s eating them up inside with guilt and constantly worrying that the MC would hate their guts if they knew. Oops-)

Magnifico:

I’d say the fake-ass showmanship he puts out in public but in reality, he’s really done and exhausted with his audience. He’s still pretty charismatic when he wants to be but I can see him losing his cool quite easily, leading to outbursts.

Amaya:

Idkkkk. The main cast of Hazbin don’t really fit RFTS!Amaya’s vibe so I just went with Lilith despite how we know nothing about her at the moment. (This is probs gonna age badly-)

She’s a parental figure to someone who trusts her a lot but in reality, her motivations might not be what they seem. She could be willing to sacrifice other people if it means she gets a benefit out of them.

[fakesurprise]

Of Christmas bones and jaysome wishes

The morning Christmas songs on the radio sound slightly strained, which would be silly if the world didn’t contain warnings if you pay even a small amount of attention. This close to the holidays, the tension in the world could be cut as easily as fruit cake. And taste almost as foul.

I pour myself a coffee. The wandering magician is already wandering the town, doing small magics to help places and people before the season made it too difficult. There are no texts from him yet about needing anything, so I’m considering options and what gifts to snag for him when Jay bounces into the kitchen of the hotel suite from his room.

“Oh! I’m totally going to be busy today Charlie just so you know!”

I pause, mid-sip of coffee. When an eleven year old from Outside the universe tells you he’s going to be busy, there are several responses. The sane one would be asking when and where and being as far away from the resulting adventure as possible. Adventures are one thing; busy adventures are very much something Else.

“Busy doing what?”

“I’m helping Rudolph,” Jay says proudly.

I set my coffee down. “And Rudolph is –?” I ask, because last week Jay was making friends with a virus he said was named Dave.

“The reindeer, Charlie. Because because because! Santa knows if you’ve been good or bad, so Santa knew the other reindeer were mean! And they shouldn’t be like that, so I’m going to help Rudolph have an extra jaysome time!”

Jay vanishes with a huge grin.

I finish my coffee and text the magician a warning before leaving the hotel.

The staff are polite and wary-friendly, which means rumours about Jay have spread. Most hotels have jaysome insurance, which Jay is convinced is a hug and a very good thing. I’m just glad this hotel doesn’t have memory foam mattresses.

It isn’t snowing yet but the air is a pleasant chill as I walk outside. Most of the shops are opening up, their gods working the morning shifts. Chain stores seldom have a god, but local places tend to even if no one realises that. Some nod when they see me. A few try to hide as the created gods hide as normal employees. I let the latter think they succeed, as I’m not remotely here to deal with anything weird that I know of.

I get a few nice shirts for the magician, a couple of pieces of clothing I’m certain Jay will enjoy wearing and the day seems almost sane before I catch movement in an alley and a skeleton girl walks up to me. She is wearing a redsatin coat over bones and her eyes contain bright stars that dance and play together.

No one else is noticing her, but people tend not to notice things they know can’t be real.

I don’t have that luck or luxury these days.

“I think we might have met before?”

The skeleton girl considers that, her head cocked to the side. She nods once.

“If you’re looking for Jay, he’s busy helping a reindeer.”

She smiles, and I know that in the same way I know that Jay is eleven. The god inside me stirs protectively.

I let out a breath. “You came to me for help instead of Jay?”

She crosses her arms and nods, and this time her silence speaks volumes.

“Fair enough.” I can do more than eat troublesome gods. Thanks to knowing a magician, a lot more than other god eaters. Thanks to being friends with Jay, sometimes far more than that.

I reach, opening a direction I have no name for. The moment stretches, my ears pop, and another skeleton is simply here. The snow keeps falling, and shoppers move around us as if unaware we are here. This one is taller, somewhat like a tree except not being a tree at all.

“You’re cruxymox’s skeleton?” I ask, the knowing a slow dawning realisation. The new skeleton nods and smiles almost shyly.

I have questions, and even more worries, but the skeletons touch hands, bone flowing into bone in a gentle fractal pattern.

They walk away, talking in a way that hums through bones and is not words at all. A sharing. An understanding. Making a story as wind whistles like music through their bodies.

I don’t listen in. Knowing things is one matter; knowing what not to learn is even more important sometimes.

I head back to the hotel, wondering about the bones of trees and garland but not enough to be foolish about it. The wandering magician is in the hotel suite, his eyes dark shadows. This is a rough time of year for magic, needs and desires acting as demands more than gifts.

I offer a light hug, which he accepts with a soft laugh.

“This is part of your holiday gift -.” I begin.

Jay appears. His eyes are wide and worry radiates from him.

“Kiddo?” the wandering magician asks.

“Uhms! I think an oops happened cuz Rudolph said something about Santa being the CEO of Christmas and got all kinds of mad-face before eating Santa!”

I exchange glances with the magician. Gifts can wait. A worried Jay cannot.

“Let’s go,” the magician says, and we vanish into an adventure that is probably Jay’s secret gift to us.

Sometimes even jaysome works in mysterious ways.

[autumnwoodsdreamer]

Oh. My. Word.

Another incredible analysis! (Riveting, actually, that’s the word: riveting.)

Do you know how much it irks me that that particular part (Bo-Katan’s deception) is just so completely glossed over? Half the time, I’m convinced I must’ve watched a different show because I swear I saw her change the deal (dishonourably) and yet it’s never mentioned? Never addressed? People act like that never happened (of course, I don’t blame anyone: Din does just go with the flow like a limp fish all of a sudden and it waters down the implications of a lot of things—I have a hard time remembering that that was objectively wrong).

I always find this the case when rewatching the series: season 1 connects to season 2 only as far as The Passenger. After that, it becomes… patchy. Din never does anything wildly out of character, there are many spectacular, strong character moments after that point, but by The Heiress it becomes very obvious that the plot is now happening to Din, like you say, rather than his character is driving his own life.

Season 1 opened the stage, brought in the character, and asked questions. From there on, they reminded us about those questions but then quickly refocused, turning attention to something else as if too scared to dig in, face that question and see what the answer can be.

(And, oh man, that alternative? Of what could happen if Din showed his season 1 backbone and left Bo-Katan’s mission when she showed herself deceptive? Amazing. Now that is what I expected from season 3.)

Analyzing The Mandalorian’s Motivations — “The Heiress” Criticism

Part I / Part II

Word Count: 2k

I have several issues with how Mando is characterized in Season 2 of the show, and some of the most concise examples come from actions in “The Heiress” and “The Rescue,” which have parallels in their ending fights and character takeaways. In Season 2 it often felt like the end result the writers wanted dictated how certain plot points had to be accomplished without taking into consideration what the characters logically should have done in the situations that came up based on their prior scenes and established characterization. It didn’t feel like Mando’s reasoning, choices, or personal motivations were explored or exemplified, so his agency as a character was put to the side in favor of meeting certain plot beats (though he wasn’t the only one).

The biggest conflict of this show is the fact that being a Mandalorian makes Din susceptible to danger at every turn, which he feels is no life for a kid to be a part of, and the longer the things he holds dear are in proximity to each other (him being a devout Mandalorian vs. keeping a mostly helpless Force-sensitive child), the more he’s in danger of losing one for the sake of the other. Both are at the core of Mando’s internal conflict, which sets up the biggest question of the series: “If forced to choose, which will be more important to the Mandalorian in the end?”

That gives us an overall objective of Mando needing to give the child to somebody else so the kid will be safe and he can continue to be the kind of Mandalorian he aspires to, even if it means he and the kid will be separated as a result. That internal struggle should dictate each of his smaller choices within the individual episodes because at this point in their story he doesn’t see any other way for him to have both.

For some reason, Season 2 felt like the writers missed the obvious reason Grogu needs a Jedi teacher. Mando needs to find a Jedi to train the boy so that not only will Grogu be safe (and presumably happy) with a person who better understands him as a Force-sensitive child, but so Grogu will be able to defend himself when he is alone. It’s important to remember that the Jedi code wasn’t just a belief system and way of life, it was also a martial art.

Even if Din were to keep the child and protect him to the best of his ability, he knows his own past as a hunter and his reputation as a Mandalorian make the child a target by association (to say nothing of the Empire and whoever they send after them, though he won’t know those are still a threat until later). The child does not age at the same rate humans do, and Mando knows there’s no guarantee he’ll always be around to save him. Even if he survives to old age with the child by his side, he doesn’t know if the child will be mature or capable enough of even caring for himself, especially if he doesn’t grow to be much bigger than he is now. Grogu needs to learn self defense and strengthen his skills if he is to ever have a chance at surviving those he outlives. Din has to reckon with the fact being the best Mandalorian he could be isn’t enough to keep the child safe on his own (which is another inner conflict we don’t get to hear about from him).

We never hear Din’s perspective on his quest outside of “This is what I was told to do,” which makes him a character the story is happening to instead of him driving his own narrative. The external goal is good because it means we get to see him struggling to keep the child at arm’s length, knowing he’ll have to give him up and not wanting either of them to be hurt by that separation, but Mando needed to have that internal motivation because it ties directly back to his main objective. Yes, the Armorer tasked him with returning the child to his own kind, but it was not only because she understood the importance of him being raised with his own culture, it was because the child is virtually helpless if his strength and control over the Force is inconsistent like Din has seen.

Without that internal motivation, Mando ends up not having much choice in where the story goes, making his character in the second season weaker as a result.

So now we’ve clarified his overarching goal and given him a more driven role and perspective in the story. Everything that follows should be a result of his active ambition in achieving it, which brings me back to his choices in “The Heiress.”

This episode introduces the idea of different Mandalorians having different customs/placing importance on different aspects of the code, but has Din choose to set those thoughts regarding ritual aside in order for him to receive information now that he realizes he’s so close to getting it (showing us him prioritizing the child over himself). What we didn’t get and what we should have gotten to see was Mando more visually desperate to achieve the episode’s tasks in exchange for the connection Bo-Katan has directly to a Jedi. The internal conflict of the episode now comes down to “What is Mando willing to compromise on to achieve his goals, and how far is he willing to deviate from his own code to get it?”

The main external conflict the writers/show-runners initiate but don’t resolve is Mando’s problem with Bo-Katan not sticking to the terms of their contract. Bo-Katan changes the terms of the deal midway through the heist, having kept her real motive from him the whole time. His character has no reason in these circumstances to honor the deal that she broke first, and I think his willingness to continue with the heist in order to get the information deviates too far from another seldom-explored, nuanced character trait of Mando’s: while he does give everybody at least one chance, if they prove to be a continued threat or refuse to back down, he reacts with swift, decisive justice.

This should have been the point in the episode where her actions were the last straw; she put him in a much more dangerous position and proved by her deception that she was using him. This should have been the point he said “No.”

I made a post before talking about Gor Koresh that puts Mando’s actions into perspective, but there are plenty of examples in every episode to back up the fact Mando has a tipping point. That’s a good thing. Yes, it’s admirable how much Mando shows restraint, but there has to come a point where your characters refuse to do something because otherwise they’re just a pushover and a doormat. Characters shouldn’t have to say yes to everything, and they should be able to make decisions that result in the story becoming more difficult for them. His choice here, outside of saving his own skin so he can guarantee being able to get back to the kid he is responsible for, should be to let Bo-Katan experience the consequences of her actions. He should have refused to let her be rewarded for her deception. He doesn’t have to shoot her to prove a point, but he certainly doesn’t have to help her.

If he’s willing to let their dishonorable actions slide, what else would he be willing to let others do at the expense of himself without holding them accountable or without them receiving the consequences they deserve? What aspects of himself will he compromise? I’m not even talking about compromise in the choice to take the helmet off in “The Believer,” I’m talking about who he is as a person.

Bo-Katan changing the terms of the deal reveals to the audience that she knew he wouldn’t have agreed to do the job in the first place because otherwise she would have told him at the beginning. Hijacking the entire Empire ship is intensely riskier and poses a danger to himself and by extension the kid if he doesn’t make it back. She gets him onto the ship and only reveals her intentions midway through, thinking he’ll abide by her command simply because they’re both Mandalorians.

That should have been the moment Mando decided the cost of this job outweighed the reward because if she was willing to deceive him about this, what reason does he have to trust her at all? She could have simply lied about having any information about a Jedi to begin with, or could withhold the information once the job’s done. Season 2 has several episodes with the theme of honoring one’s word being what marks somebody as a good Mandalorian, or at least as an ally Din can trust. Cobb Vanth, the Tuskens, the Frog Lady, later Boba and Fennec all have story elements that relate to the idea of honoring one’s word.

What Mando should have logically done based on what we’ve seen of him up to this point was tell Bo-Katan “No deal. I’m done. I’ll find the information I need elsewhere.” And then we see him jump off ship.

This has two major consequences to the show’s story moving forward.

• One: Mando doesn’t receive information about the Jedi and will have to find it somewhere else, a cost he is willing to take because staying with Bo-Katan would have meant putting himself at undue risk, with the possibility of her having lied about ever having the information at all. As it stands in canon, he’s forced to allow somebody he thinks SHOULD be honorable to reap the benefits of their dishonor, and what does that say about his character’s sense of justice in the end?

• And two: Bo-Katan’s heist fails, losing her the shipment (and potentially, in her eyes, the information about Moff Gideon she could have gotten if Mando had continued to the cockpit with them to interrogate the Imperials), meaning Bo-Katan’s already established antagonism would have pushed her into open animosity, pitting her against Mando as an enemy. That makes for a much more interesting and compelling narrative conflict Mando has to overcome in the finale when he has to convince her to join him, which would heighten interpersonal tensions and have the audience truly not know whether or not Mando is going to succeed in the end.

It also sets up a stronger villain for Mando after Moff Gideon is defeated. The show already presented Bo-Katan as an antagonist, and it would have made more sense to lean into that especially with the conflict over the Darksaber coming up at the end.

When Mando goes to her in the finale to recruit her for the ambush, Bo-Katan initially refuses anyway. I don’t have reason to think she entirely cares about Mando’s kid because her actions in the heist put him at risk. He is the sole caretaker and provider for the kid, and being willing to risk his life as collateral shows she only cares about Mando insofar as he’s willing to do what she says. With that change to “The Heiress,” each of them becomes a more strongly written character and he now has to make a more compelling argument to get her in the finale. It’s still the fact he knows exactly where Moff Gideon is that wins her over.

Their interpersonal conflict comes to its Act III at the end of the finale when it’s revealed Mando won the Darksaber in combat, and to add insult to injury Mando offers it up in forfeit in front of witnesses, so now she can’t even challenge him to a duel; people will know he never wanted it in the first place, meaning they’ll assume he’d throw any fight the two of them have. It’s the perfect setup for Mando’s next primary antagonist.

[raz-b-rose]

TMNT 2k3 character study: Donnie

Donnie is not a pacifist.

I don't know where the fandom got the idea that Donnie is a pacifist and hates fighting from when our boy loves to throw down just as much as his brothers.

Yes Donnie is calmer and pretty laid back compared to his brothers (Leo being the only one that can truly be even close to his energy) but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a fighting spirit.

He can be just as quick as Raph in attack first ask questions later (because these boys just gotta protect each other at the cost of themselves I swear lol),  like with their first encounter with Leatherhead. 

There are a few instantly where he likes to see the best in people (cautiously of course) and tries to talk first, but that doesn't always work out. Like in the “The People’s Choice” he was hoping the space robot was friendly before attacking but didn’t try talking it out again until after Jhanna woke up. 

He has an inquisitive mind and knows that true growth comes from sharing ideas and principles. So he tries to learn from everyone they come across best he can. Like April, Professor Honeycutt, Traximus, ect as well as the various villains. He even builds a unique relationship with Casey, given the lack of anything for them to bond over. He has even learned from his brothers often taking pages out of their books and using their tactics to get the job done. 

He loves learning and understanding, but that doesn't mean he's a pacifist. He can and will defend himself and his brothers. He’s a ninja, and understands that he shouldn't seek violence but he’s not averse to it. 

He actually puts more effort into his ninjutsu than Mikey, working hard to maintain his skills and strength. (He also loves to show off by spinning his bo around like all the time, that I cant find a gif for C’mon)

He is the turtle who can remain calm the best, his panic barely noticeable compared to the others. He thinks quick, precise and gracefully. The Bo being his weapon of choice speaks to his ingenuity and ability to use anything available to him to his advantage. He’s a versatile turtle. 

His calm head has gotten them out of quite a few situations and even his solo fights has helped him survive. He knows when he can win and when to retreat without Leo there to direct him. 

Leo looks to him for strategies constantly as well, asking how they can go about a situation and what's the best solution, especially when machinery is involved. Leo respects and listens to Dons advise all the time. And its always a sweet moment when those two get up to mischief together, being the more responsible turtles. 

Honestly all of them respect his intellect and look to him constantly, but they never forget to thank him and show appreciation for him as well. (leave that ‘they don't appreciate Donnie’ angst behind) 

Now Raph and Donnie...iconic duo. Donnie helps keep Raph calm and Raph helps keeps him focused. And when they both gang up on Mikey, they are hilarious. Also Donnie using Raph’s nicknames for Mikey is just adorable. (chuckle-head, bone-head, ect) True middle child energy.

And it's because of that energy that I feel like the fandom got this idea. Mikey and Raph are very vocal in their fights, and Leo has a quiet aggression. Donnie is easily over looked in these scenes with his calm calculated attacks and 'go with the flow' kinda fighting style. Yeah there are times when he tries to trash talk and be a wise guy like Raph and Mikey it just isn't common enough.

Donnie is smart and understands having a well trained mind and body. He keeps himself in shape, rarely pulling “all nighters” as the fandom likes to headcanon. He’s got that nerdy quick wit that just makes you smile because he’s trying so hard. He’s sweet and makes friends easy, one of those extroverts that aren’t high energy. And honestly when compared to Leo, he’s even more patient! 

With that patience he has a wonderful relationship with Mikey. They can just sit and enjoy things together, like games and heckling from a distance. Both nerdy in different ways just bouncing that energy off of each other. Donnie was honestly probably the one keeping Mikey the most occupied during their contained stay in Aprils place. Donnie however isn't above teasing Mikey as well without Raph’s involvement. 

Donnie can and will fight and will use his brains to do it. He’s a smart one and works great under pressure. He’s a great Brother and Ninja. As SAINW proved, he’s the backbone to the family, and its his easy going nature that lets him flow with his brothers and keep familial peace. 

[slasherhaven]

I've never made a request for anything on here before but if it ain't too much trouble I wanna know how slashers react to their s/o asking them to get pads/tampons for them (having them know what a period is or not is up to you!) Sorry to pester you-

Asking the Slashers to get you pads/tampons:

Thomas Hewitt

Honestly, Luda May probably got some in when you started staying with them. She probably gets those sort of things on supply runs into town.

However, if Hoyt goes on his own he might not get them (because he’s the worst), leaving you needing to ask somebody for help.

Thomas would get them as soon as you ask because Luda May raised him right. He can probably just get some from the gas station. 

He isn’t really that shy about it and Luda May is proud of him for being so helpful with you. He only hides them from Hoyt, knowing the comments and teasing he would get from him. He just wants to avoid the confrontation.

If not, there needs to be a trip into town which means it has to be Hoyt or Luda May. Just ask Luda, she won’t hesitate and she’ll have Hoyt drive her into town.

Michael Myers

At first he’s kinda like “no, that’s your problem”. He’s not exactly used to dealing with these things.

But all you have to do is ask him a few more times, explaining that you can’t walk to the store to get them yourself because you don’t have them right now!

He’ll eventually give in...he’ll steal some for you. 

It’s not like he’s going to walk into a store for anything, how he obtains them is none of your business, don’t worry about it.

You’re just lucky he went for them in the first place.

It takes a little while for Michael to become completely understand of your periods to be honest, but at least he’s kinda helping.

Jason Voorhees

When you realised that you weren’t prepared and asked Jason if he could find any products for you, he wants to help but feels like he can’t.

It’s not like Jason can walk into town...but maybe the most recent group of campers had some with them?

He’s apologetic that he can’t go to the store for you.

So, he will try and find some that were left behind or something. It only really happens in emergencies, just so you can make it into town to buy some more.

You make sure to stock up some more next time you go into town.

Brahms Heelshire

You just need to put them on the grocery list and you’ll be fine.

You’ll learn to make sure to always have a pack of pads/tampons in the house because if you forget to get some...you’re kinda out of luck.

Brahms can’t leave the house, he certainly can’t go to the shop.

Bo Sinclair

Bo was usually the one who went into town, so if you needed something, you had to ask him to pick it up for you.

So, you knew you would have to ask him to pick you up some hygiene products.

Because he’s a bastard man, he will tease you about it, maybe even telling you that he won’t get them (even though he will, it’s not like he really has a choice).

He just likes to mess with you, and tells you that you owe him.

Honestly though, he is probably the type to get a little weird about buying period products, which is ridiculous and makes you roll your eyes when you notice it.

He buys you what you need when he’s in town, probably just picking up the first pack he sees. He doesn’t know or care about the differences.

Vincent Sinclair 

Vincent never goes into town for supplies, for obvious reasons, so he feels terrible that he can’t help you when you ask.

He’ll run down to the gas station to see if there is any products there for you.

If there aren’t any...you’re going to have to ask Bo, which is a nightmare.

If you ask him, he will tease and mock, and then get you whatever is cheapest from town.

Or Vincent will offer to ask him for you, so he’ll get teased instead, Bo is just an ass.

But if he could leave Ambrose, Vincent would happily get you what you need.

Lester Sinclair

Lester sometimes goes into town, so when you ask him to grab you a pack, he’s happy to help.

He’s probably the type to get a little embarrassed about it but he pushes past it for you. You need something, so he’ll get it for you.

Get’s very confused in the store. Why are they all different? Why are they different sizes? What does it mean by flow? It’s very overwhelming.

Very much the “in the pad aisle, what size pussy you wear?” meme but means well! He just wants to make sure he gets the right thing.

Bubba Sawyer

Bubba would love to help you...really, he would but he doesn’t go into town for supplies.

...that means you have to ask Drayton. You’d rather ask Nubbins or ChopTop.

Drayton will get you them, knowing he doesn’t have a choice, but he will complain and grumble about it.

Bubba is very apologetic for not being able to help you out but you understand.

Bubba makes sure that Drayton gets them regularly so you don’t have to ask in emergencies again.

Billy Lenz 

Billy never leaves the house, what do you want him to do?

So, you probably won’t even mention it, knowing he can’t go to the store. Though, if he knows, he does want to help.

Probably randomly comes up to you, handing you a pack of pads/tampons, kinda like a cat bringing a dead bird into the house.

You have no idea where he got them from or how he got them, and he refuses to tell you how he got them when you question him.

You just make sure you always have a pack in the house, you don’t want Billy doing whatever it is he did to get you some again next time.

Asa Emory (The Collector)

You normally have some ready just in case your period comes unexpectedly, you thought you had some but apparently you didn’t.

So, you ask Asa to go to the store and get you some. He’ll go for you. It’s just one of those things, a necessity in life. He might chastise you a little for being unprepared but doesn’t really complain about getting them.

He already knows what you want, he’s seen the pack in the bathroom before, so he just gets you what he assumes you usually get.

It’s not that big a deal to him.

Jesse Cromeans (Chromeskull)

Sure, not a problem! Jesse will head to the store as soon as you ask.

Will ask questions to make sure he gets what you want. Pads or tampons? What brand? Flow? It really doesn’t bother him, so he’s pretty direct about it.

Once he gets the information, he’ll get you whatever you usually get. 

Probably gets you chocolates as well since he was already in the store, and he knows you like them.

Otis Driftwood 

Otis thinks you’re joking when you ask him to go get you some, but quickly realises you’re being serious.

He tells you to ask Baby but you explain that she’s not in.

He mutters to himself as you tell him what you need, but he goes to get them.

He kind of feels like an idiot buying them from a store. He doesn’t get flustered or embarrassed when talking about periods. With his lifestyle, of course it doesn’t bother him, but he feels stupid doing this.

He just can’t believe he’s running errands for his partner like this, maybe that’s why he feels so stupid.

Gives the cashier a look that says “comment on it and I’ll kill you right here”.

If you were there, you probably would have found the sight a little amusing.

Baby Firefly

It’s not even close to being a problem.

She might have some for you to use. Even if you don’t use the same products, it’s good enough to use before getting some more.

If she doesn’t have any either, she’ll gladly make a trip to the store for you, knowing you would do the same for her.

Yautja (Predator)

Your mate is happy to help in whatever way he can. His species do not get periods and so he’s just trying his best.

If you’re living among the Yautjas as the only human (or one of the very few), you have to explain what these products are, why you need them and how often, your mate will have something sorted for you.

Assuming you’re living somewhere were Yautjas and humans coexist, he’s happy to go to the store for you.

Of course he has no embarrassment about it, he’s just getting you what you need.

Just imagine him standing in the hygiene aisle, a pack in each hand as he compares them. He has no idea which is better, what to get you.

He probably gets you one of each, giving you a proud trill as he drops an arms full of products down in front of you.

[introloves]

Would any on the hard doms get mad at their sub for being a brat and using their teeth during a blowie?

yes yep. most def. i’m doing iwa, sakusa, and bo for this! (<- tho i don’t think bo is a hard dom only, for this headcanon he’s in a hard dom headspace).

— gagging + slapping (impact play) + punishments + unhappy doms

— in case you need something to make you feel better ♡

— iwaizumi: as soon as he has you on your knees, he thinks he’s tempered down that ugly attitude of yours. but once he hisses and feels the drag of your teeth over his sensitive skin? oh you’re on your back in seconds.

his hand wraps around your throat, holding you down against the floor, grabbing both hands and pinning them up above your head.

“brat-“ he spits, veins prominent on his neck, “you little brat. do you like hurting me? hm?” he questions, shaking you just a little- lets you know the power behind his grip is real.

“i’m not fucking you for the rest of the month. i’m taking away all your toys... and if you just so think of touching what’s mine-“ he makes a show to cup your throbbing center, “you won’t even see my cock for the next month either.”

he leaves you on the floor, trying to regain the blood flow back to your head.

— sakusa: it already took a lot to let you go down on him, if you did this? he’d be seething, pushing you off of him, straddling your middle with his hard cock painting your tummy with his precum and your spit. he looks down at you, hair framing his face as his eyes stare you dead in the face.

he grabs your jaw, lifting it up as if making you challenge his gaze. you know it’s coming, he’s done it before for other punishments, but it doesn’t mean it hurts any less or the shock of it doesn’t make you flinch back.

the moment his hand meets your cheek- you have to suck in a breath, blinking away the tears in your eyes.

“doesn’t feel good when we hurt eachother, does it?” he questions, voice almost eerily steady.

you shake your head, biting your lip at the way he looks down at you- almost in a bored expression. the slap itself wasn’t that bad compared to the detached gaze he’s pinned you with.

“so then why,” he says, lowering the swing of his hand to slap your chest,

“did,” another slap ends sharply against the other side-

“you hurt me?” he finishes it back where he started, the final one isn’t as hard- no real bite to it, but the sentiment is still there. he pulls off you, looking at your shaking form, before leaving, only calling back with a;

“once you’re all better, come and see me.”

— bokuto: oh, he makes it so it hurts you more than it does him when you do this... there’s clear shock on his face, you can see him work his hand up your back before settling at the base of your neck, tugging you off him. his reaction isn’t immediate- it takes a bit, letting you sit there and think about what you’ve just done.

“puppy has some bite to them dont they?” he asks and by now you regret it- regret it so much, but he doesn’t let you apologize. shoves his two fingers into your mouth- all the way. the size of his hands already surpass your own, it makes you gag so hard, but he keeps them there.

“c’mon, bite me now.” he challenges, watching the spit fall freely from your mouth, and when he sees that you don’t, he keeps a smile on his face, leaning down real close to you.

“puppy, i said bite- if you don’t i’ll just go into the living room and cum all over my own hand instead... you don’t want that? do you? dont wanna make me feel even worse?”

[littlespace-imagines]

Little Muse pt. 2

Part one

Pairing: CG!Vincent x Little!reader

Contains: fluff, short slow burn, Vincent Sinclair figuring out how to be a caregiver, CG/L dynamics, !Nonsexual! Dd/lg dynamic, reader is GN but wears skirts and dresses a lot (they’re so comfy and cute), cursing, Bo doesn’t understand but tried to be supportive, Lester is high key a middle

**Ageregression and Littlespace will never be sexualized on this blog**

You woke up and stretched the smell of food permeated the small room you were in and quickly caught your attention.

“There’s food?” You grumbled and could hear Brandon chuckle

“Yeah, Bo brought it this morning said it comes with the hotel stay.” You nodded and went to go freshen up before sitting down to eat

After breakfast and getting dressed you and Brandon decided to go wonder around the town and look at stuff. He mostly wanted to check out the House of Wax and so you relented.

On your way you saw Bo and you called out to him and waved he waved back and came over. You thanked him for the breakfast he looked confused for a moment before nodding, you brushed it off and figured he just didn’t know why you were thanking him if it was included.

“Where are y’all headed?” He asks and Brandon points to the House of Wax and Bo nods

“There’s a closed sign on the door but it’s unlocked you can look around just don’t touch anything, those figures break real easy and my brother works hard on em.” He says and you nod before thanking him again and walking off you could’ve sworn you saw a glint in his eye that was almost apologetic but you once again brushed it off as you barely knew the man.

The two of you came to a stop outside the House of Wax and you took a deep breath not yet knowing what you would find inside and pushed your way. You and Brandon went in two completely opposite directions he was looking at the figures but you were looking at the paintings and the mini sculptures as you admired them you caught movement out of the corner of your eye and turned to see a man standing there. He was tall with long black hair and a mask on you stared at him for a moment before smiling

“Oh, hi! You must be Bo’s brother? Is this your work? It’s amazing!” You compliment and he just nods slightly before walking closer to you you turned and once again looked at the detail on one of the beautiful pieces until you felt a sharp pain in your neck. You looked to see the man was no longer there after a few minutes you felt dizzy and black dots clouded your vision and it wasn’t long until you felt yourself falling and you heard screams.

When you came to you were in a bed you looked around confused until you heard the door open you looked up and saw Bo you looked at him confused and scared and he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Listen, you’re lucky, my brother he likes ya think you’re real nice. You gonna be staying with us from now on if you listen and be good we’ll all get along real nice.” He said slowly and you felt the tears bubbling up and you looked away before covering your mouth to hide the sobs, your mind racing as you tried to wrap your head around what was happening.

Where was Brandon?

Did they find out about you being little?

What did they know?

Why would they keep you?

Your brain kept coming up with questions and wouldn’t stop. The tears flowed freely as you just gave into the stress. You heard a soft knock on the door which pulled you back into reality slightly and Bo stood up you stared at him in disbelief. You had actually allowed yourself to trust him, why did you. This was so unlike you you were careful.

“I’m gonna let y’all get acquainted.” He said before walking out and squeezing past the man standing in the doorway. You locked your eyes on the mask and he walked into the room slowly you pulled your knees to your chest and wiped your eyes, trying to not cry, no one likes you when you cry.

“M sorry, this is just a lot to take in.” You say, trying to keep calm trying to justify what was happening. Aslong as you made them happy they wouldn’t hurt you. You flinched as the masked mans hand came in contact with your face, you braced yourself preparing for the worst but instead he was wiping your tears away. You found yourself leaning into his touch, his hands were soft, warm, and inviting and you were in desperate need of comfort.

“What’s your name?” You asked looking into the eyes of his mask you took note he only had one eye, you had questions but decided to keep them to yourself for now. You watched as the man pulled out a notepad and began writing.

Vincent

You looked at his neat handwriting

“Your name is Vincent?” You asked feeling his name roll off your tounge. There was Bo and Vincent, a very fitting name for the two brothers you thought, maybe Bo was short for something. Vincent nodded, his hand stroking your face still he seemed to be taking in all of the features you picked at the comforter on the bed.

“Can I have my stuff, if I’m going to be staying here I’d like to atleast have my things.” You say with a weak smile and Vincent nods furiously. He seemed to perk up when you mentioned staying, almost as if he was happy there wouldn’t be a fight about it. Almost as if on cue your stomach rumbled Vincent looked at you.

“I guess I’m a bit hungry.” You thought aloud and Vincent looked around before pulling you over to the door of the room he opened it to show a bathroom, the other door to the room was the closet and the last was the exit leading into the hallway. You thanked him for his mini tour and he held a finger up signaling he’s be right back before disappearing out the door. You heard the click of the lock and sat down on the bed, you just need to do what they want and behave and you’ll be okay.

(Vincent’s POV)

I exited their room and made my way down to the kitchen where I came face to face with Bo. He was angry I could tell but I brushed it off, this was for me, finally something for me. I deserve to have them just as much as he justifies keeping girls under his shop, I’m not letting him talk me out of this one.

“D’ya even know what you’re doing with em?” He mumbles with his hands on his hips obviously trying to keep his voice down so he doesn’t scare them upstairs. I looked at him and shrugged

‘I’d figure it out.’ I signed quickly hoping to shut him up, I’ll learn I’ll adapt I’ll be everything they need and more.

“I was talking with that guy that was with them, they’re a ‘little’ whatever the hell that means, sounds like they needs a lot of extra attention. Are you gonna give them that?” I sighed as I dug through the fridge for leftovers, why would he even care, he just uses the woman keeps and dumps them down the basement when he’s done.

‘Why do you care?’ I signed as I plated the leftovers I found

“Listen, you’re the one who’s insisting on keeping this one long term. Atleast take care of them.” He grumbles before leaving out the front door. I pick up the plate and pop it in the microwave heating it up before taking it upstairs. I knocked on the door before unlocking and opening it I handed the food to them before walking back out and locking the door. I needed to collect their things and bring them to them so they can feel more comfortable here.

I walked into the hotel room Bo set up for them and began collecting their stuff. I heard a truck pull up outside when I was done and saw Lester I gave him a small wave and my younger brother came bounding over.

“Heard from Bo you were keepin someone, I found their car and grabbed all the bags.” He said and I signed a quick ‘Thank you’ to him and grabbed the rest of the bags it seemed like they were packing for a long trip. I made my way back to the house to sort through everything and see what I could get my hands on. What was theirs and that other guys? Maybe I could learn more about them.

[nriacc]

An Encounter | NRIACC: Part 9 |

Nothing Revealed In A Common Crisis 

Plot by @imagine-that-100​​ and @ghostlightqueen​

Written by @imagine-that-100​

Description: | Here |

Word Count: 22.9k

Warnings: This series contains mature content and themes throughout

A/N: HERE WE GO! THEY ALL FINALLY MEET!!!! Really hope you all enjoy!!!! Thanks a million for reading x

| Series Masterlist | N’s Masterlist | NRIACC Playlists | The Band’s Info | Read on Wattpad | Read on AO3 |

~*~*~*~ January 2008 ~*~*~*~

“No,” You stop Alex from trying to interrupt you down the phone again, “You’re listening to me.”

“We did not happen.” You state plainly, “Whatever the lies were for the past few months, all of that stuff in my house, that now didn’t happen.”

“The tour, and everything that happened on it, means nothing,” You lie through your teeth, the pain in your chest coming back as you talk, “It did not happen and we won’t be speaking about it again because the lads don’t know and Y/B/F knows nothing.”

You refrain from telling him that the only people that now know, apart from the two of you, are Matty and Adam. There was no way you could keep it to yourself with how upset you’d been.

You’d worked up the courage over the past few hours to call Alex and get out what you needed to say. After blankly ignoring him for just over a month, you were still wrecked and still in Manchester trying to distract yourself.

Christmas had gone by, bringing you just a fraction of the amount of joy that it usually did. You’re just trying to get back to normal with the help of the boys - and for the most part, distracting you was really helping.

But you knew that you needed to have it out with Alex before you went back to Sheffield for his birthday. You didn’t want to go to his birthday in the slightest, but you couldn’t avoid attending, because you still hadn’t told Y/B/F anything.

And you weren’t going to tell her anything.

So, at first when you told her that you were going to miss Alex’s birthday this year, she asked why. Obviously not knowing what happened over the course of the tour resulted in her being confused, because you had never, evermissed Alex’s birthday before.

After all, he’s your best friend, after her.

And that was still the case, as far as she knew.

You just want to forget about it all, which was why you hadn’t told her what happened. And you called Matt the day after you left their tour, pleading with him and the other lads to not tell Y/B/F just how close you and Alex got on the tour.

So, after she questioned you a fair few times on why you weren’t coming home for Alex’s party, you gave in to keep up appearances. This, on the phone now, was just an extra effort to make sure that everything would appear normal when you were in his presence again.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” You double check that he’s still on the other end of the phone as you glance at your pained face in the mirror.

You’re doing so well to keep your emotions at bay whilst you talk about this. Tears are only just starting to pool on your waterline as you hear Alex’s reply.

“Yeah, I understand, Angel.”

You bite your lip until it’s painful hearing your pet name fall from his lips again. It hurts you more than you let on.

After you stay silent for a moment longer than Alex expects, he carries on, “Listen Y/N/N, I’m so sorr-”

As soon as you hear Alex start speaking, you hear the front door open so you cut the conversation short. Partly because you don’t want others to hear your conversation and partly because you don’t want to hear Alex try and grovel his way out of it, “I’ve gotta go. See you on the sixth.”

“Okay. Bye, Angel.” Alex says softly, and you can tell he’s a little shocked at your sudden need to end the call.

You don’t bother saying goodbye yourself, because as soon as he calls you Angel again you want to cry. After hanging up the phone, you throw it down and let your tears flow.

Your hands cover your face as you sit yourself down on the settee, and you hear footsteps getting closer to you. You don’t bother hiding your sadness from whoever it is, as your family and friends in Manchester all already know you’re having a rough time.

You’re crying when whoever it is comes into the room, and they don’t say anything when they pause at the door and see you upset. All they do is drop whatever bags they have and make their way over to you silently.

As soon as his skin touches yours, you know it’s him. He silently sits beside you, stroking the back of your head coaxing you out of your hands to look around at him.

Matty gives you a sad smile, not questioning why you’re upset, as he already knows. You called him earlier and told him what your plan was, you didn’t expect him to come round though, as you knew he was meant to be out with his Dad this afternoon.

“Come here, Wheels.” Matty says, opening his arms up to you after wiping your tears away.

You don’t hesitate to hide yourself in him, despite the guilty feeling settling itself in your chest again. All you’ve seemed to do is cry to him whilst you’ve been over, and you always feel bad about it.

Matty doesn’t care about that though, he just wants to cheer you up and get you to your old happy self again. So, he holds you tight, kisses your temple and softly whispers, “You’re alright, Sweetheart. You’re gonna be alright.”

~*~*~*~

You’d been dreading coming back home to Sheffield. Manchester feels like a safety net at this point and you don’t really want to leave, so you stay till the very last second possible.

Adam is the one to drop you off at Y/B/F’s house and you can’t express just how much the bear hug he gives you beforehand means to you. Especially since you’d be seeing Alex again today for the first time after that morning you left crying.

You knew that the other lads would be there too, so it wouldn’t be as awkward. Y/B/F would also be there and Alexa more than likely would be too. So, you knew that he would have to try and act normal for them.

But you go to Alex’s house anyway and pretend like everything is fine. Even getting him a small present to keep up normal appearances.

Seeing him again was difficult for you; it felt awkward. But it had to be done to get some normalcy back between the two of you.

There were genuine laughs that day, despite you and Alex keeping your distance from each other. It appeared normal because Alexa was there, too.

It was weird because you wanted so much to hate her. You wanted to pretend that it was all her fault that you’d had your heart broken. But that just simply wasn’t the truth.

Alex was the only one to blame for what happened because your intentions were pure. You weren’t after a meaningless shag.

Alex was your best friend and with the way you were acting with each other, it was clear that you wanted more than that.

You were just the idiot that thought he did too.

At the end of the night on his birthday, you were the first to leave, which was probably no surprise to the lads. There was a moment between you and Alex by the front door.

It was a silent one, other than Alex saying a quiet, “Thank you for coming,” but when you both hugged each other, it seemed to put the matter to bed. It was like the hug said everything that needed to be said.

It was one of ‘thanks for coming’ at first, but you hugged each other for a lot longer than you originally intended. It was like you both found that you were okay with each other after a second or two, and then it turned into a real hug.

You hugged him tighter, and the thing that was weighing your chest down seemed to disappear. The lump in your throat left, and you could just hug your friend again - pretend for a brief moment that everything was normal.

At least you felt like you could speak to him again and know that everything would be alright between you if you were in a room alone again. You’d by no means forgiven him, but at least you know you can move past it.

You had never replied to that ‘Miss you Angel xx’ text that you received when you were on your way to Matty's after you left the Monkeys tour - or any of the ones that came after. You never answered the phone calls that came from Alex’s phone either.

You iced him out for a solid month. Responding to everyone but him, even on Christmas Day.

You spent Christmas with your Mum over in Manchester, and you liked that you got the chance to spend it with your boys. They made you feel at home.

But things got tougher for you when you went back home to Sheffield on your own. You’d gone back the day of Alex’s birthday gathering so you didn’t have to face it alone.

But after you hugged Alex goodbye at his door on his birthday and you dropped Y/B/F back off at home, you were left with your empty house.

And you hated it.

You wished your Mum hadn’t told Alex to come round more often all those months ago, because now your lonely house was just filled with tarnished memories.

Walking back into that house alone hurt a lot more than it should have.

In your hall you remembered kissing Alex goodbye that day of Matt‘s party when you were younger, along with all the times he’d kissed you goodbye the past few weeks before you went on tour with them.

When you went outside for a smoke and looked toward your bedroom window, more tarnished memories come back to you from even further back into your childhood.

Years before you and Alex even spent that night in your room, you’d been grounded for coming home an hour late for your tea. Of course, you’d told your friends at school that it happened, and they had decided to come and sneak you out of your house on a Friday night when everyone was going to the park.

It was winter, so it was getting dark really early and you’d pretended to feel sick all day. So, you’d told your Mum that you were having an early night because of that. She usually went to bed early and was typically a heavy sleeper, so by the time Alex and Matt came to help you out of your window she had been asleep.

You remember dressing in all black like you were a spy in a Mission Impossible film, and you were thankful that your mum and dad had bought a house with an extension, so it was easier for you to get down. You’d made Matt go round to the side of your house to make sure that your Mum's bedroom light didn’t come on whilst Alex helped you get down off the roof of the extension.

Thankfully, you’d made it down with him holding your waist as you got yourself down on the garden table that you positioned against the wall. It was a grand plan which you were thankful paid off.

Now you just wished it never happened.

Your kitchen held no better memories. You wished that you’d never made that stupid ‘cuddles in the kitchen’ joke, because before the tour it had become a reality.

Alex had been around a lot then, and most of that time you spent eating because you were both constantly hungry.

Alex was bragging earlier on in the day that he could make spaghetti bolognese. So, you’d put him to the test. You kept joking about how he'd forgotten how to do things for himself whilst on tour because everything was done for him.

You helped him cook a little bit, but he seemed to like doing things himself to prove a point. So, you sat on the side of the worktop and watched as he finished.

You’d been chatting about him being away on tour whilst he cooked and what he missed about back home. He seemed to miss a lot of different biscuits that were household favourites in the UK and apparently other countries didn’t have them.

You’d told him that you couldn’t deal with not having your favourite snacks around. But then you start talking about the people that he missed and the people that he’s met along the way.

After putting the pasta in the pot of boiling water, Alex turned to you.  

“You know you’re my favourite,” Alex genuinely told you.

But you didn’t believe him.

“Alex, shut up,” You shook your head.

Flattery wouldn’t get him anywhere.

“I’m being serious,” He had said, coming to stand between your legs.

His hands were on your thighs when he told you, “Out of everyone I know, you're my favourite.”

You shook your head again, not believing him for a second, “You’ve met Lily Allen.”

“So?” Alex chuckled, his hands moved to your hips, pulling you closer to him, “You don’t think you’re better than Lily Allen?”

“No,” You argued, but the way he looked at you just made you grin.

“Well, you are,” He said, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear, “You’re better than everyone, Angel.”

“So poetic, Shakespeare,” You teased with a little grin.

Alex smirked at you then, “You love it.”

“I do,” You grinned, liking that he was once again flirting with you.

It was at that point he kissed you for the first time since your birthday. It was a sweet kiss, like he was testing how far he could go with you again.

But by the time your arms went around his neck, Alex knew that you were just as into the kiss as he was. So it progressed until his tongue connected with yours.

And for a few seconds everything was fine, the butterflies found their way back to your stomach and you could feel the pull between you both again. Or you could, until Alex had a wave of realisation and paused his actions.

“What’s up?” You asked the shocked looking brunette in front of you.

Alex told you honestly, “I forgot about your tongue piercing.”

You couldn’t help but start giggling. Matt had been right on your birthday when he said that Alex wouldn’t have been able to handle kissing you with it in.

“Matt was right, you did shit yourself,” You laughed, remembering how funny it was at the time - and at the fact that Alex still looked a little shocked now.

“Didn’t shit myself,” Alex defended himself, “I was caught off guard.”

“I stuck my tongue out at you before. You knew it was there,” You giggled, finding the situation really funny.

Alex seemed to stumble on his words then, obviously feeling a little embarrassed about the situation. But you wanted to tease him some more for it.

“Want me to take it out for you?” You asked, biting your lip to try and stop yourself from giggling.

Alex said seriously then, “I can kiss you Y/N, it’s not that. I just...”

“Sure you can,” You laughed, not believing for a second that he could handle it again.

“I can,” Alex insisted.

You waved him off, “Whatever Ale-“

He kissed you then, in a kiss that you couldn’t escape from. And you didn’t want to escape it.

Your hand cupped his jaw and you settled into the kiss again. And to be fair to your best friend, he didn’t let your piercing phase him, as you both got off with each other for a good few minutes then.

When you parted to catch your breath, Alex kept you close. His arms were fully wrapped around your waist and your legs were wrapped around his.

Alex asked you a little breathlessly, “How’d I do?”

You grinned a little, knowing that he was trying to prove his own point with the kiss. But you once again liked to tease.

“Think you need more practice if I’m honest,” You said with a little grin.

“Yeah?” Alex grinned, and you nodded.

And slowly but surely, his lips found yours once more.

But now, you wished that you could wipe all of those good memories from your mind completely.

Even memories that involved more of your friends were ruined. All because your fucking dickhead of a mate couldn’t be honest with you.

Your lounge was tarnished from about a week before you went on tour with them. When you were in there with the band.

They’d all been over to prep you for what you needed to bring on tour. You’d pretty much got all the necessities in your bag, you’d just add more private items of clothing later.

Matt picked up on what you were missing though and pointed to your case as he said, “You need to pack your skimpy underwear.”

“Why?” You grinned, “Did you have a particular set that you wanted to see me in?”

“Not me. But I know Alex really likes that black bra you had on last week,” Matt smirked at you, before glancing over to his best mate.

“Really?” You turn and grin at him.

You’d gone out with them to a bar last week where you’d worn a black mesh top over your bra, with your leather jacket over the top. You had caught him looking a fair few times and when you called him out on it when you went outside for a smoke, he just pulled you into a kiss.

Alex grinned at you but looked over at Matt and gave him a dirty look. Matt dropped the subject of you and Alex for a while then, but of course more teasing came back eventually.

“Y/L/N,” Matt grinned.

You smiled back at him, “Helders.”

“How’s your tongue piercing?” He wondered, starting to smirk a little.

“Great, why?”

“Just wondering,” The drummer said before going quiet for a moment.

But then he came back confidently and asked, “Can you give blowjobs with it in?”

You laughed a little before you started telling him, “Well, I spent a full summer with it in and I don’t thi-“

“Oh, no, Y/N sorry,” Matt interrupted, “I was asking Al.”

“Imma fucking murder you,” Alex said before he dove onto his best mate who was laughing along with Nick and Jamie.

You’d all had a nice laugh that night and Alex ended up staying over. More lingering touches and possessive kisses were exchanged before you both fell asleep in your bed.

It was harder for you now to sleep in that bed. You’d been deceived by your best friend who’d tricked you into bed on tour - and to make it worse, you’d actually lost your virginity to him in the same room and the same bed.

It just made your heart hurt.

So, you decided to start clearing your house sooner rather than later. You got your life in order and started sorting things out as you finished up your masters degree.

Thankfully your lectures were posted online, so the things that you missed when you were away with the lads you could easily catch up on. So, whilst you finished your masters off, you also set your own business up.

And as it turned out, your first customers were Domino Records asking you to design a logo and merch for a band you’d never heard of. You assume they got your email through the Monkeys, but it was only a few months later that you realised who was in the band.

You were a little surprised that you weren’t told about Alex and Miles’ little side band, The Last Shadow Puppets, but you can’t really blame them. You’d barely been speaking to anyone back home.

You were friends with Alex again and you spoke when he wasn’t busy. But it wasn’t quite the same just yet. Though, maybe that was because for the last six months you’d been used to flirting with him.

It would be a cold day in hell if that ever started back up again.

The only person you spoke to properly was Matty. He called you when he drove home from work, and you liked your late night chats with him.

Whether he made you tell him about your art, or if you asked about his music, he never left you bored. He really did keep you going and keep you happy.

The only marginally depressing thing that you and Matty spoke about on the phone was that you wouldn’t be coming over this summer, because you were moving out of your house. Since Christmas you’d gutted it and plainly decorated it enough for you to be able to rent it out.

Your Mum was already set up in Manchester in a small flat that she’d bought, and you’d found a flat not too far outside of High Green that you were going to move into at the beginning of July. It couldn’t come fast enough.

~*~*~*~ July 2008 ~*~*~*~

In the months after Alex’s birthday, you made friends with him again. It was a difficult thing to do, but you did it.

After all, you’d been close for years and you were obviously close before everything. But refusing to mention what happened between you definitely made it easier to be friends again.

Starting the phone calls back up was awkward at first, but you just found it easier to ramble on about things you knew you both enjoyed. You asked him about the Puppets to distract the both of you, as you could always listen to his show stories and not get bored.

Thankfully, the phone calls got easier and longer the more you did them. And when the time came to move into your flat, you were practically besties again. You don’t really know how, but the sourness of everything had long since passed.

Over a week you slowly moved into the flat with the help of Y/B/F, and once you were all moved in you wanted to have a little get together with all your friends so they could see it. However, The Arctic Monkey lads said that they unfortunately couldn’t come and help, because they were having meetings about their next album.

They went down to London for those important meetings, and you’d never ask them to pick between you and their work. Their music was more important.

So, instead you just decided to leave it, and you’d organise something when they were next back.

With your best friends' help, you get your flat ready in record time and you love it to pieces. You have two bedrooms (an extra for guests like your Mum, Adam, or Y/B/F to sleep in), a bathroom, a nice kitchen, and quite a big lounge area.

And you adore it because it’s yours. You’d hung your art up on the walls and set up a desk in the corner of your large bedroom so you could do your graphic design work from home.

You also had a family moving into your old home, so the rent for the flat would practically pay itself. Everything was amazing and you wouldn’t change it for the world.

Especially when Adam and the rest of the band came for a spontaneous visit to check your new place out. Your best friend was over when they arrived and she seemed thrilled to be finally meeting them all, especially Adam and Matty.

After hugging them all, they filtered into your flat and met your best friend. You’d told them so many things you’d gotten up to over the years that they all felt like they knew her, and likewise with your best friend meeting them.

She couldn’t help but tease your curly haired boy, though.

“Ah, so you’re the famous Matty,” She said as she hugged him.

Matty laughs, “Famous? I wouldn’t go quite that far.”

“Oh, I would. You lead topics of conversations back over here,” Y/B/F grins, letting him free.

“Talk about me that often, Wheels?” He grins, turning back to look at you just near the door.

You smile, before you hug him again, “You’re one of my closest friends, of course you come up a lot.”

“I’m glad,” Matty grins, kissing the top of your head, “I’d hate for you to come back over here and forget about me.”

“I could never,” You say, pulling out of the hug before you head into the kitchen to make them all a hot drink.

You obviously knew what everyone liked, as you’d spent enough time with them to know them all like the back of your hand. You were so thrilled they were all over, it was a really lovely surprise.

But it wasn’t the only surprise you’d get today. You just didn't know that yet.

You caught up on what the boys' lives had been like since Christmas, and were pleased to hear that everything was going well. They asked you how you were and you told them that you were doing great.

You were glad they didn’t push you for further details because you obviously hadn't told Y/B/F anything about what happened on tour. The only two people who knew were Matty and Adam.

Ross and George knew that you’d had your heart broken, but they didn’t know by whom. Even if you did try to tell them, they wouldn’t have believed you for a second when you said it was Alex Turner, one of their favourite musicians.

So, you left them in the dark about it. They seemed to know just enough to help you take your mind off things when you stayed over for Christmas.

You liked watching your worlds mingle when you watched Y/B/F interact with them all. You were sitting next to Matty quietly on the little loveseat settee you had.

It was funny to you seeing Matty and Y/B/F chat shit about something you knew they both had in common, but obviously had never spoken about to each other before. You could also see a little sparkle in Y/B/F’s eyes when she spoke to Adam.

You could tell she understood why you liked to spend so much time with them because of how well you all bounced off each other. Before you knew it, they’d all been round for a few hours and you’d ordered takeout.

You ate and chatted along like it was a normal Friday afternoon, but you knew that you’d unfortunately have to cut their visit short because you were going to work.

Your freelance graphic design business was going well, but sometimes there were a few slow patches. To combat that, you got your job back where you used to work when you were younger in a bar just on the edge of town.

It was only on a 0-hour contract, so you were just asked if you could work when it was needed - unfortunately tonight had been one of those nights. You liked working there because you were really close to one of the girls; she knew quite a lot of your stories - not all of them, mind you - but you vented to her on shift quite a lot.

You never gave details on who was who in your stories, but she knew some of the things that you liked to get off your chest.

So, when it was about three hours before you were due to start, you told the boys that they were welcome to stick around but you did have to go and work. It was very quickly arranged that they were all going to come out to your work and have a night out there with Y/B/F whilst you could serve them.

It was arranged that they’d be staying at your flat for the night and you were actually pretty happy to have some guests over.

An hour and a half before you were due to start, you got another knock at your door, which confused you. You got yourself up, hoping that it wasn't one of your new neighbours telling you to keep the noise down, as you’d put on some music a while ago and you were all laughing quite loud.

Surprisingly though, it wasn’t anything like that.

You walk down your hall and open the front door to find a bunch of familiar faces that you certainly didn’t expect to see today.

Matt, Nick, and Jamie are all standing at your front door with massive smiles on their faces and you can’t help but let out a screech seeing them in front of you. You always knew when they were back home - so to see them so unexpectedly had genuinely shocked you. You were so excited to see them again.

“Oh my god! You’re back!” You practically yell, launching yourself into Matt’s arms.

He of course wraps his arms around you too, and you clutch him tightly, saying, “You’re here. I can’t believe you’re here.”

Matt gives you a tight squeeze, walking you a bit further into the hallway of your flat before letting you go, “Of course we’re here.”

“Had to see your new flat Y/N/N,” Jamie grins, before pulling you into a hug.

You gave both him and Nick a massive hug each, as it had been a good few months since you’d seen them. You were so thrilled they were here now.

You’re gutted Alex isn't with them. You hadn’t seen him in person since his birthday, but you understood. He had The Last Shadow Puppets to think about and that took up a lot of his time.

Of course, you spoke when you could and you were pleased that things were normal between you again. You’d even spoken to Alexa a few times and you really liked her. You knew that she was lovely when she’d joined you all on tour, but your mind had been clouded back then, so it was nice not hating her for a change.

Jamie had to venture back outside to grab your house warming present that he’d “idiotically forgot to bring up” with him. The other lads started filtering into your lounge to meet your other group of boys.

You were actually really excited for everyone to meet each other.

You’d left your door open slightly so Jamie could get back in and you paused yourself by the end of your hall to watch the scene unfold.

You couldn't help but giggle when George snuck himself away from the newcomers and over to you. He looked shell shocked and you had to bite back your laugh.

He asks you with wide eyes, “Y/N... What is Matt Helders doing in your flat?”

“He’s a friend,” You grin. “As are the rest of the band, like I’ve told you for years.”

His jaw is agape as he turns back and looks at Adam doing a bro-hug with Matt. George turns back to you, his eyes still wide when he says, “But you were lying.”

You laugh and shake your head, “No, honey, I wasn’t.”

The drummer just stares at you helplessly then and you give him a little side hug whilst you laugh. You call the other drummer back over to you.

“Helders,” You wave him over and he comes without question, “This is George, he’s a big fan.”

“Hiya mate, how you doing?” Matt smiles at George, offering him his own bro-hug and you take a step back to witness the interaction in all its glory.  

George nervously chuckles, “Mind blown, pal.”

“How come?” Matt laughs a little.

George points his thumb back towards you, explaining to Matt, “I thought she was lying when she said she knew you.”

“Ah, nah,” Matt chuckles, “We are best buds, me and Y/N.”

You feel arms go around your waist then  which makes you jump. But you know there’s no need to fear for your life when the person hugging you pulls you toward them a bit, saying, “Speak for yourself, Helders. Think she chats to me more than you.”

“Oh my god,” Your eyes go wide, twisting yourself around in Alex's grip.

You don’t even waste time looking at his face to check it’s him, you already know it is and you just clutch him, “I’ve missed you so fucking much, you’ve got no idea.”

And it was true.

Yeah, he hurt you, but it was a long time ago now. Seven months had passed and you’d genuinely missed him like crazy whilst he’d been doing a press tour and a load of other stuff with Miles for The Last Shadow Puppets.

“I’ve missed you, too, ” Alex tells you and you can hear the emotion in his voice.

He sounded like you felt. It felt like relief that he was back again.

You pull back from the hug a little bit to see your close friend, whose hair is now slightly longer. You say, whilst his arms are still around you, “I can’t believe you’re here.”

You hug him again, and Alex chuckles at your excitement, “I couldn’t miss you moving into this flat that you haven’t stopped going on about.”

“Do you like it?” You ask like he’d had a chance to see it - but you wanted to know anyway.

Alex pulls back from the hug and grins, “Looks amazing, Angel.”

Everyone gets a bit more acquainted then, with both Alex and Jamie back in your flat now. You see Ross first, who’s still a little spellbound and you make sure he’s alright.

You’re thankful that he is, despite him not believing you for years. And after that you notice that, the only person that you’ve not yet introduced to Alex is Matty.

You head over to your curly haired brunette, and smile when you turn slightly to see Alex has followed you. You grin back at Matty and say, “Matty, meet Al.”

Matty smiles at your friend and politely questions as he offers him a handshake, “Alex Turner, right?”

“That’s me,” Alex nods, taking Matty’s hand.

The shake lasts long enough for Matty to tell him, “Your music’s pretty sick, mate.”

Alex replies, “Thanks,” with a smile before they drop hands.

“Heard a lot about you,” Matty smiles at the singer.

Alex smiles, taking a glance at you, “All good things I hope.”

You knew it was playful, there nothing menacing about it like it was a warning or anything. Because let's face it, you could beat the shit out of him if you really wanted to.

There was nothing menacing about Alex Turner at all.

“Ah, wouldn’t you like to know,” Matty chuckles a little dryly, but only you noticed that.

You think Matty was about to say something else, before he notices the new drummer in the room makes eye contact with him.

You follow his gaze and realise they both hadn’t met yet. So, you call the drummer over, “Matt, please come and meet Matt.”

“You never call me Matt,” Matty almost scoffs at you.

You grin, “Just like you don’t call me my name.”

Alex is a little confused at the smile and wink Matty shared with you, but didn't have enough time to question it.

The drummer comes over and takes up your attention then, doing a little bro-hug with Matty. Matt grins, “Ah, you're the younger model she went for instead of me.”

“Fuck sake, Helders,” You close your eyes in a little embarrassment.

“That would be me,” Matty grins, wrapping his arm around your shoulder. You lean into him when he nods to you, telling both Matt and Alex, “Gotta say, really didn’t believe her initially when she said she knew you all.”

“Ah, yeah,” Matt chuckles, “She told us last year… Pretty funny actually.”

You laugh a little at the memory and Alex asks him, “Believe her now?”

“Be deluded if I didn’t,” Matty chuckles and you laugh.  

“Sweetheart, do you mind if I run downstairs for a smoke?” The curly haired brunette turns to you a little.

The ‘Sweetheart’ makes both Matt and Alex share a little look, but neither comment on it.

Your eyes go a little wide at that, but you say with excitement clear in your voice, “Oh, let me show you this... It’s the best part of my flat. I don't have to go downstairs to smoke anymore.”

You end up leading them through to your bedroom to show them the american style pull up window that has the american-esk metal fire escape attached to your building. You loved it because it meant that you didn’t have to venture down three flights of stairs to go for a fag, but everyone else just rolled their eyes at your excitement.

Once Matty had his fag, you all pretty much went back to standing about in your lounge. You had a three seater settee, the loveseat and a beanbag.

Unfortunately, not everyone fit. But all of them seemed happy enough to stand and chat.

You and Adam had just ventured into your kitchen so you could make him a quick drink to take a couple of paracetamol, as he’d been getting a headache for the last hour. You’re both in a little conversation when you hear Matty say something.

“So how’s Alexa, Alex?” Matty asks your friend.

You and Adam both flick your heads round to look at Matty hearing him say that. You could both tell the condescending tone from anywhere, but you're thankful that your Arctic Monkey lads didnt know him well enough to pick that up.

“Yeah, she’s good. Thanks, mate,” Alex smiles at him, seeming glad that someone asked.  

You don't give Matty another chance to ask him another personal question though. Y/B/F seems to engage Alex into another conversation about Alexa when you head towards your kitchen door.

“Curly,” You call and Matty twirls himself around to look at you, “Can I steal you a minute?”

Matty smiles and walks himself into the kitchen. As soon as he's in the room though and facing you, Adam hits him over the back of his head.

Matty is about to shout at his mate but you hold up a finger, getting his attention, and say, “Let’s not do that.”

You shut the door to your kitchen quietly, before turning back to look into those brown eyes you are so fond of.

“I’m over that and I'm over him, which you know. So, it doesn’t need to be dragged back up,” You tell him seriously, “Especially on a surprise visit.”

“You’re right,” Matty agrees, nodding understandingly, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, ” You smile, not angry at him at all, “Just play nice for me, yeah?”

You knew Matty was just looking out for you, and trying to defend you. But you’d really like to just forget about it, like you’d agreed with Alex.

“Just talk music,” You smile, “I swear, he’s not a bad person.”

Matty thought otherwise though.

He hurt you. You cried because of him.

And Matty wasn’t okay with that.

But for your sake, he would let it go. Matty could never deny it, Alex was fucking good at what he did for a living, so talking to the best that there is probably wasn’t a bad thing.

After Matty consoled you the day he picked you up from the train station, it didn’t sit right with him when you said it was Alex from Arctic Monkeys who’d hurt you. It pained Matty that he didn’t believe you for so long.

Seeing you cry like you did over someone made Matty realise that you had to be telling the truth. There was no way that you could’ve been so worked up and kept some elaborate lie up at the same time.

When you explained the situation, it was too on point. Especially when the week after, Matty saw an article online speculating about Alex Turner and Alexa Chung.

A month after you left, Matty saw the love letter that Alex had given Alexa all over the internet. Reading it, he saw the exact words you’d quoted him when you explained what’d happened in his bedroom and it made Matty’s heart sink.

It prompted Matty to drive over to Sheffield the next day on his day off and check on you. He unsurprisingly found that you weren’t too good again.

Your cheeks were puffy, you had bags under your eyes, and you looked so tired. But Matty could still see your beauty despite you not being able to.

You’d been thankful when your curly haired boy showed up at your front door. It was an instant sigh of relief when you saw him in front of you.

For a brief second, it didn’t feel like you were drowning.

Matty stayed for the whole day, enough time to periodically chat about how you were feeling. Something you were actually really grateful for, because you were still hiding what happened from Y/B/F.

So, you didn’t have your usual support network around to help.

You didn’t want her to be angry at you for falling for it again, and you also didn’t want to distract her from her job. She was doing so well and you didn't want to make everything about you.

Matty also phoned you at one point when they re-released Fluorescent Adolescent as a single. The song itself wasn’t the problem, the B sides that they had released along with it had Too Much To Ask and you knew it was about you.

The situation that Alex sang about in the song just fit too well for it not to be about what happened on tour. The final few weeks on that tour you weren’t happy and smiley like you usually were, and you weren’t the same around Alex at all.

What pissed you off about the song was that Alex had painted you as the bad guy. Why should you have been smiling every time you walked into the room when you’d been lied to and essentially cheated on?

A kiss certainly would be too much to ask.

Matty was so caring towards you when you aired how you felt about the song. He calmed you down a lot faster than you would have calmed yourself, and you got less upset about the situation until only your anger remained.

So, that was the last day you cried over Alex Turner.

Every now and again Matty asked you how you were and how you were coping, and you told him the truth every time. Matty knew you were over the twat, but he just wanted to make sure you were doing alright.

And if that meant that he couldn’t make sly digs, he wouldn’t. No matter how much he wanted to.

“Talking music is something I can do,” Matty grins before pulling you into a quick hug.

You chuckle in his grip, “Oh, I know. You talk about it in your sleep,” as your hands run up and down his back.

“Do I, now?” Matty laughed, letting you escape from the hug, “You never told me.”

After the brief encounter in your kitchen, you all went back to mingling in your lounge for the next half an hour, until you had to get ready for work.

You tell them all to make themselves at home as you go change, and you’re thankful that they do. When you come back out they are all sitting down and chatting amongst themselves.

“Y/N/N, you know it’s not Halloween for another few months, right?” Alex grins as you walk back out of your bedroom in your uniform.

You had to wear a shirt and a tie because you were upstairs in the VIP section of the bar tonight. You just rolled your eyes at your friend's joke, you didn’t look that bad.

“Yes, Shakespeare, I know. Don’t take the piss just because I have a uniform,” You say, perching on the arm of the settee next to him.

You mess his hair up and flick him with the end of your tie before you clip it to your shirt.

“Shakespeare?” Matty asks curiously.

He’s sitting on the love seat not too far from you, with Ross next to him. George was sitting on the floor, just by Matty's feet, almost like he was sitting at your coffee table about to have dinner.

Adam is on your beanbag near George, but he’s closer to Jamie who is sitting on one of your dining table chairs that he’d brought over. Nick was sitting next to Alex and Matt was on the end of your three seater settee with Y/B/F on his lap.

“It’s just something I call him…” You shrug, glancing back down to Alex and you smirk, “Guess you also look like him now with the long hair. ”

“Bitch,” Alex scoffs, leaning to the side so you couldn’t ruffle his hair anymore.

“How’d that happen?” Matty asks, a little intrigued, ”The name?”

“We talk about poetry a lot and she said I’m like him or something because of the songs I write,” Alex smiles and shrugs a little.

He couldn’t really remember. It started off as a joke a few years back when you said his lyrics were too clever when he didn’t have to be.

“He’s being modest,” You shake your head and tell Matty yourself as you throw your arm around Alex to hug him a little, ”I call it him because he’s a lyrical genius and he’s the Shakespeare of his time.”

Matty playfully scoffs then, pretending to be offended, “Never said that about my songs, Sweetheart.”

“Did you write Do Me A Favour or did he?” You say as you hug Alex a bit more.

“Hey,” Matty says to you, but then he looks to Alex, “I’m not saying you’re not the best, mate, because you definitely are,” Matty then looks back to you, “But I’d love a nickname too.”

“You have one,” You smile, sitting up a little.

Matty asks you confused, “What?”

“Curly,” You say, sending him a look of disbelief that he didn’t know that.

“That’s the shittest nickname,” Matty shakes his head at you.

You look offended when you say, “You used to love it when I called you that. Still do.”

“I don’t,” Matty says blankly, before defending himself, “And I was fifteen and fancied the fuck out of you.”

You scoff, “You were fourteen and you still do, Curly,” before getting up off the side of the settee.

“No, I was fifteen when you started calling me that because you did it for the first time at your eighteenth,” Matty says watching you as you walk around the back of the seat.

“Alright, alright, alright,” You grin before walking up behind him and hugging him from over the seat, “No need to be jealous, you're my favourite Manc. Don’t tell my cousin.”

You can see him grin a bit then as he tries to look at you.

“I love you, Curly,” You press a kiss to his cheek

“Yeah,” Matty grins, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand, “Love you too, Wheels.”

You grin and knock your head against his, feeling his curls against your cheek. Matty gently knocks your head back and you can’t help but smile at the small gesture between you.

Alex feels anger rise in his system at how Matty can earn your affection so quickly. But he pushes it down. And it’s easier to do that when his best mate starts making jokes, however distasteful they might be.

“Cougar,” Matt calls, covering it with a cough. But you hear it clearly.

“Helders, this is actually my flat now so if you start that joke back up, you can get out,” You say, giving him a look before pointing towards the front door.

“Don’t you have work to get to?” The drummer says as you perch on the arm of the loveseat.

“Might call in sick,” You say, putting your legs over Matty’s lap.

George, however, whips his head round and says. “No, we want you to serve us.”

“Yeah, we are looking forward to free beer,” Ross grins at you.

“I said free shots, not free beer,” You correct him, grinning back, ”I can’t get sacked.”

Matt Helders lets out a childish whine then, ”I want free shots, too.”

“Come with us then Helders,” You grin.

The drummer looks to the other members of this band and Nick decides to ask you, “Can we just infiltrate your night like that?”

“I mean, you already have,” You joke, twirling Matty’s curls through your fingers.

They all laugh a little, but you smile back at the drummer and the other members of your home band, “Of course you can come.”

The Monkeys all seem overjoyed that they could tag along on the night out, but a certain someone has to bite his tongue seeing you sitting so casually on Matty’s lap. It didn’t sit right with Alex at all, especially when only a handful of months ago you would do the same to him.

Your fingers would be in his hair, not Matty’s. Your legs would be over his lap, not this random guy from Manchester.

The conversation continues on for a little longer then. You like watching both bands interact with each other. It was pleasing for you to watch your two worlds collide, and they both seemed to get on so well.

George has been chatting Matt’s ear off for the past five minutes and you can't help but smile. You practically sink into Matty’s lap, his hand resting on your jean-covered thigh, and you're still twirling his hair round as you listen to the surrounding conversations.

You grin looking between both the drummers before turning to Matty and quietly grinning, “George is a tiny bit obsessed with Matt.”

Matty nods, also grinning before cheekily adding, “It’s the name.”

“Ah, yes,” You grin, very amused by his joke, “It does have that effect.”

You and Matty both grin at each other like idiots for a few seconds before you feel the need to just confirm something for the singer.

“You know I love your songs, right?” You ask him seriously, searching his brown eyes in hopes that he does.

“Yeah, I know you do, Sweetheart,” Matty smiles, giving your knee a quick squeeze. ”But I’ve got some bad news for you.”

“What?”

“Name’s changed again,” Matty tells you in a hushed tone before pressing his lips together.

You pinch the bridge of your nose, “I hate you.”

“Who changed it this time?” You ask, still keeping your eyes closed.

“Ross,” Matty tells you.  

“MacDonald!” You shout, kicking his leg, “I’m going to batter you.”

“Why? What’ve I done?” He asks, seeming to have no clue as he had just been chatting to Alex.

“Changing the fucking band name again,” You shake your head, “Do you know how many fucking logos I've designed for you?”

You get up, stalk to your bedroom before coming back with a load of loose paper in your hands. You drop them on Matty and Ross’ laps, “Look at this bullshit.”

Matty and Ross flick through all the different logos you’ve made, whilst you rant, “When you get famous I want every single fucking one printed onto a top and given to me... I get all your fucking merch for free or I’m not doing it.”

“You think we’d make you pay for our merch?” Adam questions in disbelief.

“You’re Hann’s cousin,” George says.

Ross assures you, “We aren’t animals.”

“Yeah don’t worry, you get mates' rates,” Matty jokes, keeping a straight face.

You scoff at that, resting your hand on his hips and you give him a pointed look.

“Alright mister big time actor.”

“I’m joking, Wheels,” Matty smirks, looking up at you, a grin forming when he asks, “Have you been watching my show?”

You grin and nod, “Every week.”

He was an extra in Waterloo Road and you loved watching it every week in hopes to find him with his cute glasses on. He was so adorable.

You ask, now the anger has left your system, “What are you called now?"

“Drive Like I Do,” Your curly haired brunette informs you.

You think it over for a moment but then nod, “I actually like it.”

“That’s pretty good, actually,” Y/B/F agrees.

You nod some more, taking the paper back off them that they'd just piled up and put on your coffee table, “It ties in with your Music For Cars theme.”

“Music for what?” Alex asks.

“Cars,” You tell him but shake your head, “Don’t ask questions, it’s just music that we wanna listen to in the car when we get high.”

Alex’s eyebrows furrow, along with the rest of his band. He asks you in disbelief, “You get high?”

“Occasionally,” You tell him, “What do you think we do in Manchester?”

“Fuck him?” Matt suggests nodding to Matty.

You laugh looking at your curly haired boy, but you speak to Matt, “Do you not think we did both?”

Matty just grins at you remembering the first time you’d smoked weed with him way back before anything happened between you. It had been a few days after that night in the club when you both left early. You handled it pretty well for your first time doing it, and each time you did it after you felt even more relaxed.

But the following summer when you’d been seeing Matty, it was quite fun getting high and having sex, too.

“Don’t wanna know,” Adam cringes and the subject was dropped with your laughter.

You think over a few logos in your head before you perch on the arm of the settee again. You let yourself get excited over this name, “Ooo Matty, I’m excited for this new name.”

“I’m your cousin, you know? Still in the band,” Adam scoffs a little, looking at you like you’d abandoned him.

“I’m excited for you, too,” You tell him, and then you smirk, “But I speak to the frontmen first.”

Then literally everyone in the room but Matty and Alex scoff, looking at you like you’ve just killed their dog.

“I’m joking.”

~*~*~*~

You all bundled into the bar turned club that you worked in and you managed to get them upstairs without paying for wristbands because the manager loves you. They sit on the table in the far corner of the bar and it was a wonder one on a platform that was slightly raised so at least you’d be able to see them when you were on the bar.

It had been a few hours and seemed to be fine. Every half an hour or so another one of your group came over and bought everyone a round.

First it started with Adam, then Matt, then Alex, then George, and in front of the bar now stood your curly haired brunette.

“Wheels,” Matty greets you with a smile, leaning against the bar.

“Can you get us some more drinks please?” He asks you with a bright smile.

You grin leaning against the bar for a second, asking, “Same again?”

“Think so,” Matty tells you and you get to work making the array of drinks.

Your curly haired brunette watches as you work, but then out of nowhere he asks you, “Oh, Sweetheart, can I have a milk please too?”

Pausing mid way through pouring his wine, you look up at him with the dirtiest stare and you can’t help the words falling from your mouth, “What did you just ask me for?”

“A milk,” Matty leans forward a little, trying to suppress his grin, “Please.”

Shaking your head, you immediately dismiss him, “I’m not pouring you a milk.”

“Well if you’ve not got any milk, can you get me an eggs please?” Your curly haired brunette confuses you even more.

“Did you hit your head on the way over here?” You ask blankly, frankly worried about him and why on earth he’s asking for a milk and an eggs.

Matty’s grin gets so much bigger when he corrects you, “No, I hit my head when I fell for you all those years ago.”

Your demeanor falters slightly then, letting your amusement seep through and you smile as you go back to pouring him the drinks. You smile, “Glad to know you're still just as cheesy in Yorkshire.”

Matty chuckles, “But of course, Sweetheart.”

“You having a good night?” You ask him after prep the rest of the glasses and eye which spirits you need.

“Yeah really good,” Matty nods, watching you as you work, “Nice to meet them.”

You smile, “You getting on?”

“Yeah, we’re all talking music,” He grins and he likes that your face lights up.

“Bet Y/B/F’s bored,” You giggle.

She likes her music but she had other things to talk about. She didn’t like to talk about work when she wasn’t there which was pretty difficult when your best friends were a big band.

“I think she went on the pull actually,” Matty tells you.

You laugh, “Unsurprising.”

Alex turns and sees Matty chatting to you at the bar. He watches as you make the drinks up and he sees you giggling away at whatever the curly haired boy was telling you.

The next time Alex looks back, he sees you grinning at Matty as you put the drinks on a tray. Just before Matty hands his card over to you, Alex watches as you lean over the bar and kiss him.

Alex doesn’t know why he’s surprised considering your history with Matty, but he is. It didn’t sit right with him seeing you kiss him and look that happy when you pull away.

You and Matty both weave your way through the crowds that had now found their way upstairs into the club, and you carry the tray with confidence as you make your way over to the table. The men smile as they watch you come back with a tray full of their drinks.

“Look, our sexy waitress is coming back over,” Jamie grins as you slide the tray onto their table.

You grin and flick your hair, “Well, you know, service with a smile and all that jazz.”

You stand at the end of the table and watch as they all take their drinks. Matty takes his seat at one side of you, opposite Alex, and you laugh when he pretends not to give George his drink.

“It’s pretty good in here. Maybe you Yorkshire lot aren’t so bad after all,” Matty says after looking round the place and appreciating the vibe and the music.

“We are the best,” You smile leaning slightly closer to Alex and the Monkeys side of the table.

“Do you like working here then?” Alex asks you.

“Yeah it’s not bad,” You nod, turning to look back at the bar. “I only do it to keep me busy when the art’s slow. Rent to pay and all that.”

“That’s fair,” Alex nods, taking a sip of his drink.

Ross seems to start asking you a question then but you're startled by your best friend running back over to you, sounding very giddy.

“Y/N,” She beams.  

You grin, seeing her face, “Where have you been?”

“Getting a lads number,” She grins, practically bursting with joy as she wiggles the phone at you.

“Oooo is he fit?” You question.

“Yeah,” She nods, “But my god, you need to meet his friend. He’s so your type.”

“What’s my type?” You grin.

“Skinny brunette with brown eyes,” She says it like it’s obvious.

“Wow, okay, you’re not wrong,” You laugh, but then glance back at the boys who were around you, “Got a table full of them though.”

A minute goes by where she keeps you chatting but when Matt has your attention, Y/B/F quietly squeals next to you, “They are both coming over.”

Y/B/F says hello to the guy she was talking to and you and Matt have a little knowing look between you and what Y/B/F was like with new guys she liked. But then you were pulled back around to Y/B/F so she could introduce you.

The guy starts but then stops, “Hey, nice to meet yo-“

“Wait, Kyle?” You gasp.

“Y/N,” Kyle grins at you before opening his arms to you for a hug.

You all but run into his arms, “Oh my god.”

All of the lads sat at the table, along with Y/B/F and her boy, are watching in confusion and intrigue.

“What are you doing back here?” You say but Kyle starts speaking at the same time.

“Oh my, I haven’t seen you in so long! I’ve missed you,” He grins when you release each other from the hug.

“I’ve missed you too,” You smile, “Waking up hungover isn’t the same without you next to me anymore.”

All Matty and Alex can think is what the fuck is going on?

“I know! I miss it so much,” Kyle smiles before you hug him again.

“Wait, how do you know each other?” Y/B/F asks what the other eight lads were thinking.

“We were on the same course at Uni” Kyle smiles as you both part from the hug but you both keep an arm round the other.

“Yeah, me and Kyle used to sit in lectures dying because we drank too much the night before,” You smile, telling everyone about your fond Uni memories.

“Those were the days,” Kyle grins at you, catching your eyes once more.

“They really were,” You grin back at him, giving his waist a little squeeze.

You really had missed him. He’d gone on and done a masters near Kent which was closer to home. You were shocked to see him back up here.

“How did your masters go?” Kyle asks you, obviously wanting a full catch up.  

You grin as you explain what happened to him, “Oh, great thanks. Bit of a rocky start but that was my own fault for wasting a few months with my mates,” You gesture over to the Monkeys but you smile up at Kyle when you finish telling him, “Played catch up though and got a first.”

“That’s amazing, I’m thrilled for you,” Kyle says and you can tell that he genuinely is.

You appreciate the praise, “Thank you.”

“How long are you back for?” You ask curiously.

“Indefinitely,” He grins and your jaw drops.

You ask, a little shocked, “Really?”

“Yeah.”

You can’t stop yourself from asking, “What are you doing with yourself now?”

Kyle goes on to tell you that he’s designing websites at some company in the city but he’s also doing it freelance on the side as well. You joke that you may need him to make you a website but after he makes you explain what you're after, he says that he can do it for you no problem.

“Amazing,” You grin, “I can’t believe you’re back. I’m proper buzzin'.”

You give him another hug and you have a little conversation with him as you can also hear Y/B/F and Kyle’s friend chatting to each other. You’re that into your little catch up that you sort of forget who you're around.

However, that was the complete opposite case for Alex and Matty as the only thing they could focus on was Kyle’s hand on your hip that was dangerously close to moving down onto your arse. Not that either of them could do anything about it, but they both didn't like it.

When conversations were wrapped up and you could hear Y/B/F and Kyle’s mate saying their goodbyes, you realised they were off. This prompted you and your old friend to say goodbye to each other.

“We will have to go out for a drink sometime,” Kyle suggests with a grin and you agree immediately.  

“Yes, definitely, I’d love to,” You nod, excited at the prospect of having your old friend back.

You hug him once more and before you know it he is heading down the stairs and he disappears from your view. You feel quite uplifted when you turn back to your group of friends, but seeing their faces makes you think you’re in trouble for a second.

“What the fuck was that then?” Matty asks with an amused smile on his face, taking a sip of his red wine.

You give them a confused frown, “What was what?”

“Kyle,” George grins.

“What do you mean?” You question, not understanding what they meant by ‘what was Kyle’.

“I think he’s talking about the flirting,” Alex grins at you, also taking a sip of his beer.

“Flirting?” You shake your head, “I was saying hello to my old friend.”

“Y/N/N,” Jamie looks you dead in the eyes and tells you, “He was undressing you with his eyes.”

You shake your head, not believing it for a second. “He wasn’t.”

“He really was,” Matty singsongs back to you, a grin on his face that you wanted to wipe off.

You sigh, shaking your head, “I’m not having this conversation whilst I’m meant to be working.”

You pick up the now empty tray off the table and tuck it under your arm, but before you can get back to work your best friend takes up your attention.

She’s gone round and perched herself between Matt and Alex and she asks, “Wait... Is that the Kyle?”

Your whole face falls, “Stop it. ”

“Oh my god, it is!” She shouts

“Can you not, please?” You shake your head, practically pleading with her eyes.

All of the lads on the table look between each other completely confused. The only one brave enough to question it is George when he points between the two of you, asking, “What’s happening here?”

“I’m just putting two and two together, ” Y/B/F says as she grins at you.

She then teases you some more by creating a V with her index and middle finger before she brings it to her mouth and teasingly moves her tongue. The whole table's eyes widen at the obvious indication that Kyle had once gone down on you.

“This is why I don’t tell you my secrets,” You say, pointing your finger at her before you start angrily picking up empty glasses between your fingers.

Y/B/F just teases you some more, “You were very quick to tell me at the time.”

“Stop,” You tell her sternly, not looking at her as you picked up what you could with one hand before tucking the tray under it to collect more.

There was no way you could take a tray of empty glasses back. Drunken idiots would easily bump into you and they’d smash all over the floor creating more work for yourself.

“No... It makes sense why he was undressing you with his eyes now” Y/B/F continues on as you collect four more empties in front of you, “Cause he already knows what you’ve got going on underneath them clothes.”

“Fuck you,” You say giving her one last cold glance before you head back off to work.

Everyone on the table watches as you go, but your best friend shouts after you, “I hope his mate does.”

“No Sweetheart, come back. I need a milk. Please get me a milk.” Matty also shouts you, but you’re already in the thick of the crowd going back to the bar. Probably not hearing him, and definitely not seeing the smirk on George's and Ross’ faces or Adam rolling his eyes when he hears Matty ask that.

After Y/B/F’s drunken giggling subsides, Alex turns to her asking, “You’re not telling us she got up to stuff with him?”

“Oh, she did,” Your best friend nods.

Matt asks her, “When?”

“You remember when her and Peter had that rocky patch just before your first album release?” She asks the drummer and Matt nods. Y/B/F continues, “Then.”

“Wait, she cheated on the twat with him?” Matty then asks from across the table.  

“Not other than the time with you, no,” Your best friend tells everyone, “That time Peter said he wanted to have a break and see other people for like a week so they both did... She got herself a bit of fun at uni, seeing as she couldn’t at home.”

“She never told me that,” Alex says, feeling a little hurt.

Maybe at the fact that you never told him. Also maybe at the fact that you’d never come to him for a bit of fun back then when you were so close. Back then he was single after all, and it wasn’t like you’d both not done stuff before.

Y/B/F drunkenly frowns at him then, “Why would she...? You were busy releasing an album.”

“She’s my best mate,” Alex tells her and Adam and Matty have to resist the urge to roll their eyes.

Matty was also having to hold his temper. He had no idea what sort of best mate would fuck you over like that. Alex really did you dirty and he was sitting here like everything was fine. It infuriated Matty to no extent.

“Well, maybe she just didn’t wanna tell you details about a guy going down on her,” Y/B/F makes a very good point.

“But of all people, she went for him?” Alex scoffs a little, “He’s not her type.”

“He’s literally got brown hair and he’s a skinny white boy,” Y/B/F points over by the end of the table as if Kyle was still there, “Couldn’t get more her type.”

Alex shakes his head, “He’s too posh.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Y/B/F dryly laughs then, “Wasn’t aware you could be this possessive over her after pulling each other years ago and then the one kiss on her 21st… And when you have a girlfriend now.”

It’s George’s turn to be a little gobsmacked then, “Wait you kissed her?”

“Yeah, years ago,” Alex nods, and all but three people on the table have to hold back a scoff.

George can’t quite seem to get over it, “Damn... She really wasn’t lying all that time.”

“She kissed you too, right?” Ross questions Matt.  

The drummer nods smiling, “Yeah she did.”

Y/B/F grins at her best friend and then back to Ross, telling him that, “He really enjoyed it.”

“Think she enjoyed you more,” Matt looks back at her and Y/B/F nods in agreement, remembering the way you kissed her.

“But, yeah,” Alex steers the conversation back, “He is well too posh for her.”

“Says you, with Alexa”, Y/B/F scoffs and Matty had to hold back a laugh.

He definitely liked your best friend.

“Well, whatever it was, she seemed to take a liking just then,” Y/B/F tried to put the subject to bed.

“Liking my arse” Matty shakes his head, causing the attention to go into him, “She’s just horny... Can see it in her eyes.”

Alex’s eyes flick to Matty’s when he says that. Something didn’t sit right with him that Matty could sense those things about you too.

Alex saw it. You’d both got up to enough on the bus when you came on tour with him that he could read you like the back of his hand.

“You did not just say that,” Adam then shakes his head, rubbing his eyes.  

“Hann, your cousin has needs,” Matty shakes his head at his mate, “Get over it.”

“Ooo Matty,” Your best friend hums, “You gunna fulfill them?”

That spikes Alex’s anger again, but he keeps it off his face as he looks back at the lad from Manchester.  

“I never kiss and tell,” Matty grins at her before taking another sip of his wine.

George let out the biggest scoff and Ross was chuckling. Okay so, he didn't give them details about what you got up to, but they certainly got the gist of what went on.

“She tells me about you,” Y/B/F says, moving away from Matt and closer to Matty.

“Like what you hear?” Matty teases a little.

“Maybe,” She grins at the curly haired boy, pausing in front of him, “But you’re off limits.”

Matt is about to question that, but she carries on.

“Besides,” She moves around the table again until she finds your cousin, “Hann here is the first I’d pick out of you lot.”

Helders shakes his head, gasping as he holds his heart, “Y/B/F I’m offended.”

“Your my best mate Helders, fuck off,” Your best friend shake her head, and adds cheerfully, “And Adam is cuter.”

“He also has a girlfriend,” George spoils her fun.

“Aw,” She pouts, “I’ll come back in a few years for you.”

Adam has never found himself blushing so hard in his life.

About half an hour passes then, and you come back over with a tray of shots in your hand. You’ve calmed down now, realising it wasn’t actually that big of a deal that people knew now.

You just felt a little embarrassed. But there was no need to be, so you put it out of your mind.

“Your shots, as promised,” You say, solely focussed on not dropping those as you slide them onto the table once more.

However, you look up and see your best friend practically terrorising Adam. You ask the table “What have I just walked into?”

Matt starts explaining away, “It seems like Y/B/F fancies your cousin and your boytoy still fancies you.”

“I should hope he does,” You grin, looking at Matty, “Kissed you what? An hour ago? I’d be offended if it was for nothing.”

“Wasn’t for nothing,” Matty grins, “Don’t worry.”

“Good,” You grin a little then, nudging your shoulder with his.

“And…” Jamie grabs your attention then, “Seems like you got up to some fun a few years ago?”

“What fun?” Your stomach drops and you riskily spare a glance at Alex.

He subtly shakes his head, easing your worries before Jamie continues, “You and Kyle... Can’t believe you never told us.”

“Don’t disclose my sex life with you lot,” You say, before taking the Strawberry shot in front of you.

“Seems like even the people I do tell can’t keep their mouth shut,” You give Y/B/F a pointed look once the shot glass is back on the table.

“Oh, Y/N come on, it was years back.”

“Still,” You shoot her a fake dirty look, but you both giggle knowing it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Wheels, please can I get a milk, I’ve got heartburn.” Matty takes your attention back then.

You shake your head, knowing from the way Adam is staring down the curly haired brunette, that heartburn is not why he wants the milk. Rolling your eyes, you say, “I’m going back to work. See you later.”

After you disappear off, Jamie really can’t help but ask the group of Mancunians, “Why do you keep asking for milk, and why do you’s keep laughing at it?”

Alex is quite thankful Jamie asked, because he’d been wondering the same. But after hearing the answer, the singer should have just stayed confused.

Ross decides to explain, “Basically, we have this game that if we go out and we think the barmaid is fit, the first one that says it out loud has to go over and ask for ‘a milk’ and if they don’t have it you’ve gotta ask for ‘an eggs’ instead.”

“But if they have the milk and they pour it, you’ve gotta down it in front of them and maintain eye contact with them as you do.” George takes over and explains. “Then, and only then, are you allowed to start laying it on thick.”

George’s smile turns into a grin as he informs everyone, “So when Matty said that Y/N/N ‘looks so fucking fit in her uniform’ when he was staring at her before and I heard, the game began… Much to Adam’s disappointment.”

Adam looks how Alex feels. Entirely ready to punch Matty square in the jaw so that smug smirk leaves his face.

“If I get the milk, I’m telling you I'll still get a kiss by the end of the night.” Matty backs himself entirely.

“If not more.” Y/B/F encourages with an amused smile, finding the challenge quite funny.

Matty grins at that, repeating, “If not more.” and he takes another sip of his wine as his eyes wonder back over to the bar to see you serving looking all stunning. It takes everything Alex has not to bite his tongue off.

~*~*~*~

An hour later, you’ve again managed to sneak away from the bar while you were ‘glass collecting’. But in reality you’d gone back over to check how your friends were.

You were currently standing next to Alex. Your hand on his shoulder and you were giggling away at a joke Nick just made about Y/B/F pining for Adam.

You’d all definitely been having fun with this joke. Your poor cousin, though. But you loved to tease, despite you loving his girlfriend Rebecca.

“Excuse me,” You hear someone say and you feel a tap on your shoulder.

You turn and see a cute blonde just to the side of you. You smile and give him your full attention, “Hi.”

“Hey,” He smiles at you,

You think he’s a customer just looking for a staff member, but you were mistaken. He says, “I don’t suppose I could get your phone number? My mate over there is too much of a pussy to come and ask himself.”

Your best friend stands from her seat then and tries to look over the table in the direction he pointed, asking, “Who’s your mate?”

“Sorry,” You shake your head, “Ignore her.”

“I’ve got a boyfriend, I’m sorry,” You tell him, giving him a sorry smile.

The blonde nods understandingly, “It’s okay, I thought you might. That’s why I thought I’d come and ask you. Or he’d never ask anyone again.”

The blonde then looks to Alex and says, “Sorry mate,” evidently thinking he was your boyfriend.

Alex is about to say something but you correct the blonde first, “Oh no, he’s that one,” you nod over to Matty.

You smile at the blonde again before patting Alex’s shoulder, ”This one’s my best friend.”

The blonde nods understandingly before turning to Matty saying, “Sorry, man.”

Matty is just grinning like an idiot though, obviously loving every second of this now fake relationship, “It’s alright pal. I mean, I get it.”

Matty’s eyes flick to you, ”She’s gorgeous.”

“She is,” The blonde agrees, before he turns back to you, “You are.”

You smile at him then and he returns it, “Sorry to have bothered you.”

“It’s okay,” You smile. “Tell your friend he’s cute though. If only he'd caught me last year.”

The thought was nice, but you really didn’t want to find a boyfriend in a club, especially whilst you were working. It was a little ego boost though, you would admit.

The guy chuckles a little then saying that his friend would appreciate the compliment, and afterwards his eyes then flick back to Alex and then up the band, “I like your music by the way.”

Matt says ‘thank you’ and the blonde says a final, “Have a nice night.”

“Thanks,” You grin, and watch as he walks away before you turn back to face your friends.

“Let’s not speak of that again,” You raise your hand to stop Matty before he starts.

But you should have known that wasn’t going to happen.

“Girlfriend,” Matty grins at you.

“I’m going back to work,” You shake your head.  

But Matty stands up blocking your way, “You can’t now. We’re hitched.”

He’s grinning at you like a madman, “You love me.”

Matty elects to smoothly grab your hand and give it a tug, pulling you towards him. He guides your hand up over his shoulder whilst his other hand wraps tightly around your waist. You find yourself laughing at how smooth it was.

“Knew I should have pointed at Ross,” You shake your head at him, but you can’t wipe away your smile.

“You love me,” Matty repeats with a massive grin, pulling you impossibly closer.

“I love alcohol,” You correct him, “And speaking of it... I’m going to serve more of it.”

You pry yourself out of his grip and grab the few empties that were on the table. Alex can’t help but smile at that.

You may have rejected him as your fake boyfriend, but at least he wasn't the only one being rejected tonight.

“Let us know how many more people you find fancying you on the way?” Y/B/F smiles and you can’t hold your grin back as you shake your head before turning to leave.

“I’ll escort you back like the gentleman I am,” Matty’s arms find your waist again, but this time he hoists you into the air.

Your legs instinctively wrap around his waist and your arms tighten around his neck. Matty jokes, “Can’t let this dirty, Yorkshire lot have you.”

You’re laughing hysterically at how excited he is, but you do say, “Matty, put me down.”

But the both of you get lost in a sea of people as he takes you back to the bar. “Can’t I need a milk.” Everyone hears Matty say before he starts walking.

~*~*~*~

“So Mattyboy.” Helders drums on the table to get the singer's attention.

Your curly haired brunette had left you to work a while ago and came back with another round of drinks for everyone. And The conversations had been alright to be fair.

Matty would admit that Alex would probably be an alright guy to talk to if he wasn’t a complete and utter arsehole to you last year, but your curly haired brunette really wasn’t going to forget that any time soon. So he was pleasant enough and engaged in conversation with him, but he certainly wasn’t going to get all chummy with him.

After today, Matty would certainly say never meet your heroes as they turn out to be disappointing. Well, Alex is anyway, he quite likes the rest of the band.

Matty raises his eyebrows to Matt, prompting the drummer to continue to ask, “What’s the worst thing Y/N has ever made you do?”

“I don’t really have an answer because I’ve enjoyed everything we’ve done.” Your curly haired brunette shrugs with a smile playing on his lips.

Alex wants to sew Matt’s mouth together, because why would he continue to ask the manchester lad, “Most embarrassing moment then?”

“I dunno,” Matty shrugs, but thinks about it for a moment.  “We fell off the bed doing doggy.”

Alex wants to jump out of the nearest window when Matty reveals that. But the secret keeps him bound to say nothing. But clearly Adam as just as much distaste for the topic of discussion as Alex.

“Oh for fucks sake.” Adam sighs and rubs his eyes as if the most intense headache has just hit him.

However, the other Monkeys all end up chuckling and Nick laughs, “What?!”

Y/B/F just squeals and excitedly laughs, “When was this? And why didn’t she tell me that?”

“One night last summer.” Matty grins and laughs at the memory. Alex wants the ground to swallow him whole as Matty continues, “And, well, we’re only half sure it happened. We almost thought we had the same dream, but we came to the conclusion it definitely did happen.”

“What happened? How did you manage that?” Y/B/F pries for more details.

Adam shakes his head and his visibly displeased when he says a loud, “Please no.” clearly trying to end the conversation.

“Oh Hann, grow up.” Matty scorns him, it was a tired play now for him still to be embarrassed, “You’ve had sex, it’s all the same. Just think of her as your friend.”

Y/B/F smirks at Adam and says, “If you knew the things I do about your cousin, you’d cry.”

“Come on mate, you can’t leave us with just that. How?” Jamie asks, drawing Matty’s attention back to what he just revealed.

Matty thinks about it for a second, as he doesn’t really want to tell everyone because he’s worried after earlier on and your reaction to what Y/B/F revealed about Kyle. So Matty thinks about how he can say it without spelling it out for everyone.

“We were very drunk one night, came back to mine, and we could both remember shagging.” Matty explains with a small smile on his face, “But we found bruises the next morning that definitely weren’t from what we were doing or skating, and then we remembered that we’d fallen off the bed.”

“Oh my god.” Y/B/F laughs along with all but one of the Monkeys. She has to ask, “What did you do?”  

“Was hilarious,” Matty admits, and he  “And we both just got up and finished up on the edge of the bed.”

The thought of you bent over Matty’s bed has Alex plotting how he’s going to throw himself off the nearest bridge. It seems Adam might be joining him because your cousin is sitting there with his fingers in his ears until Ross nudges him and gives him the all clear.

Jamie grins at the singer of the other band, “Sounds like you had a lot of fun.”

Matty almost shyly admits, “We always do.” and everyone can see from his smile that he fancies you so much. He really is like a little boy with a crush.

Matt grins and teases, “You’re down bad for her, aren’t you?”

But your curly haired brunette doesn’t even find it embarrassing. He is, and there’s definitely no point in lying about it.

“Well, have you seen her?” Matty looks over to you at the bar, “How anyone hasn’t snapped her up yet is beyond me.” and he doesn’t hesitate to tell all of your friends when he looks back at them, “She’s gorgeous and has been since the day I met her.”

“Stop! I’m going to cry, you cutie.” Y/B/F runs around the table and gives Matty a side hug which makes him laugh as she says, “You don’t sound like a mingin’ nineteen year old.”

“He’s been in love with her since he was fourteen, he got the ‘being mingin’’ out of the way years ago.” Ross defends his mate, remembering how insufferable Matty once was about you.

Nick’s eyes go wide, “Fourteen?”

“Yeah.” Matty nods, “That’s when we first met.”

“Love at first sight?” Matt questions and Alex wants to murder his best friend for asking more questions.

“For me it was. Definitely.” Matty smiles, pleased that he even got you in the little way he has done.

He doesn’t plan to give up until you’re his one day. There will definitely come a day - maybe not right now, it could be in a few years time - but Matty fully intends to make you his girlfriend one day.

“I, however, made no promises not to be mingin’,” George brings Matty out of his thoughts and his best mate turns to him and says, “I’m jealous you shagged her. There, I said it.”

Matty laughs in disbelief, “Since when?”

And the Monkeys are laughing too, but mostly at the way Adam looks like he might just disown all of his friends here and now.

“Oh, you’ve got competition.” Y/B/F pats Matty on his shoulder before she goes back to sit in her seat beside Matt.

“I have no competition from George, thanks.” Matty shakes his head, before looking at his best friend, “She’s definitely not interested in you.”

“Watch this space,” George nods confidently, “Imma pull the same strings you did.”

“You’re all talk, mate.” Matty laughs before shaking his head and looking back towards you at the bar.

Alex can’t help but think it’s insufferable. He had caught Matty longingly looking over at you quite a few times tonight and it sits wrong in his stomach. He doesn’t like it in the slightest, why he has to be all over you, Alex doesn’t know.  

“What do you even do when she’s not in Manchester then?” Jamie asks your curly haired brunette.

Ross’ answers immediately, before Matty even has a chance to turn back to the group. The bassist tells everyone, “He’s insufferable.”

“No I’m not.” Matty frowns, entirely offended his mate would say that.

“You are.” Adam backs Ross up, and he sounds disgusted when he says, “You never stop going on about her.”

“Well he obviously only has his hand to deal with his thoughts of her when she’s not in Manchester.”

Alex wants to thank Adam when he pleads, “Please stop.”

“It’s going to be a really long night for you if you don’t just accept I’ve fucked your cousin, Hann.” Matty tells Adam but at this point he’s going into more detail to wind his mate up more,

“It’s a long night whenever your involved mate,” Adam backchats, clearly having enough, “You don’t shut the fuck up.”

Alex is silently cheering Adam on.

“They are asking me questions, I'm being polite and answering them.” Matty can’t keep a straight face as he says, “Your cousin is a great great sexual partner Hann, if it was the 1500s you’d be marrying her off to me in a heartbeat.”

“Downton Abbey style.” Y/B/F laughs, and she looks at Adam, telling him, “Give him your dowry now.”

Jamie smiles, “Anyone would be lucky to have her.”

Matty smiles, definitely liking Jamie. He can’t help but wonder if they had a go for Alex leading their friend on whilst the fucker already had a girlfriend.

“How come none of you have tried to get with her anyway?” George wonders out loud, clearly having no idea about anything. “If you think so highly of her.”

Matty watches everyone’s reactions to that, and it’s clear all of them (apart from Y/B/F) know something happened between Alex and you. Maybe they don’t know as much as Matty and Adam do, but they know you weren’t just best friends. Alex, looking all shameful and sheepish, gives that away.

The way the rest of the band look at each other makes that clear enough because they don’t know what to say. And Matty, of course, likes to stir the pot a little and he looks at all of them but says to his best friend, “How do you know none of them have tried, George?”

Alex feels like his heart stops. All the singer can think as he maintains a straight face is, Does he know something about the tour?

“Have you?” George questions again.

When none of them answer, Y/B/F spills what gossip she knows, “She’s kissed Matt and Alex and then she got with Peter and was until just before she got with Matty.”

“Interesting.” Matty nods and takes a long sip of his drink until he feels Adam kick him.  

“What was Peter like?” Ross questions, “She didn’t talk about him much in the last few years.”

“Peter was a class A cunt.” Matty scoffs, as it was so blatantly obvious that you were unhappy the last year you were with the twat.

Alex has to ask him, “And how would you know?” because to Alex, Matty was the one that made you cheat on Peter.

Yes he knew that by the end, you and Peter really weren’t compatible anymore, but he was there for you whilst you were dealing with the upset amongst your friendship group because you’re so-called friends thought you broke Peter’s heart by cheating on him. And Matty was just in Manchester completely buzzing because he finally got to kiss you after years of pining? It doesn’t sit right with him.

Matty, however, thinks that Alex has some nerve to ask him something like that.

“Because she used to call me at one in the morning, every morning, crying because he was being a dick to her and she couldn’t sleep because of it.”

“He was a dick,” Y/B/F nods, confirming this to the table. She tells Matty, “You’re right.”

“I know. She deserves the fucking world.” Matty’s voice is full of disgust as he says, and it’s a shallow dig at both Peter and Alex when he continues to say, “She certainly does not deserve someone who treats her like she's disposable when they should be feeling like the luckiest person in the world to even have her attention.”

That takes Alex aback. The small glance he saw Matty give him makes his blood run cold. Does he know?

“I like you.” Y/B/F smiles and offers to clink her glass of wines with Matty’s. “You’re down so so bad for my best friend.”

“Yeah, I am.” Matty playfully grins, and raises his glass to clink it with hers.

Both of them chuckle as they do it, but Matty catches Y/B/F’s gaze going towards the bar again. So when Matty turns to look, he’s happy to see his favourite person on the planet walking back over to the table.

And as you arrive, Matty grins, “Oh, hello gorgeous.”

“Hello.” You grin right back at him before looking round everyone and pushing another few trays of shots down for them. “More shots for you all.”

But what makes everyone on the table smile is when you place a half pint of milk down in front of Matty and say, “And here you go, weirdo.”

“What's weird about it?” Matty asks, as he now can’t wait to get his girl after proving this won’t put you off him.

You “Why anyone wants a glass of milk after they have been drinking red wine is beyond me.”

“It’s actually just a milk but thank you,” Matty smiles, “I really needed one.”

“So strange.” You say, before tucking your tray under your arm and you turn to go back to work.

Matty’s eyes go wide and he shouts, “Oi.” to get your attention again.

He needs to drink this in front of you and maintain eye contact or he’ll have to do it again.

Turning back, Alex likes the way you half glare at Matty as you raise your eyebrows and ask, “Did you just ‘oi’ me, Curly?”

“Sorry.” He says quickly but he waves you back over, “Come here please, Wheels.”

And as you do, you walk back to the end of the table and lean on it for a moment, giving your back a break from standing up straight.

“Relax, take a breather Sweetheart.” Matty tells you and when you smile he picks up the glass of milk and goes to drink it.

But before he even gets it to his lips, Y/B/F clearly forgets the rules of the milk game and she distracts you. So Matty stops himself from drinking until he can get your attention again.

You laugh at whatever Y/B/F says then but you keep looking away from him, so Matty gently but firmly, grabs your jaw and turns your head towards him. And he keeps you like that as he downs the glass of milk, looking into your eyes the entire time and watching as you become even more amused.

It’s weird for everyone involved - bar you and Matty - it seems. The Manchester boys seem to find it funny, as does Y/B/F, and the Monkeys seem perplexed at the bizarre joke whilst Alex is silently repulsed that Matty can make you smile so simply by drinking milk.

Once he finishes the milk, he puts the glass down on the table whilst he still has your eye contact and he smiles at you. And your smile is just getting bigger seeing that it seems he wanted you to watch him do that for some odd reason.

“Wow.” You praise him, but also tease, “What a good boy, strengthening your bones by drinking that.”

You wipe your thumb across his top lip and get the bit of milk that there before Matty holds your wrist so he can quickly suck it off the pad of your thumb. You smirk, “Such a good boy.”

Alex wants to die right at this very table.

Y/B/F knows you found him grabbing your jaw and grabbing your wrist so he could suck your thumb clean hot. But she giggles at the way you praise him, “Don’t unlock a praise kink at the table.”

“Please don’t give them ideas.” Adam begs, wanting to die from just seeing the interaction.

“Oh, I unlocked that a long time ago. He’s my bitch,” You smile at your friends as if you’re proud to say it. But you tease and nudge your curly haired brunette, “Isn’t that right, Curly?.”

Matty just has an amused grin on his face, which only gets bigger when he says, “Woof.”

You all find yourselves laughing at that. You really like that both of your groups of friends seem to be getting on with each other, it really does make your heart melt.

Y/B/F grins, her eyes full of amusement as she announces, “We’ve just found out something you’ll be keen to know.”

“What would that be?” You smile, looking at Matty expecting it to be something he’s told everyone.

But you’re surprised to hear her tell you, “George fancies you. He said he’s jealous you chose Matty.”

“Oh Georgie.” You grin, moving around Matty to hug the youngest boy here.

“No,” George shakes his head and tries to pull himself out of the loving headlock you’ve trapped him in, “Don't baby me. I wanna fuck your lights out, don’t Georgie me.”

You silently laugh at this, really not expecting to hear this today and all the Monkeys and Y/B/F are laughing back at you. And as you hug George again, you tease him a little, “Oh Baby, like I told your best friend, hit me up when you’re older.”

“You’re kidding, you shagged him at eighteen and I've got a bigger dick than him and I’m taller than the both of you.” George looks you in the eye and promises, “I could blow your back out and it’d be ten times better than anything he’s done to you.”

Your jaw drops and you look up to see that Y/B/F’s jaw has too. But then you catch Matt’s eyes and he shakes his head at you, “If you even think about it, I’ll never ever stop calling you a cradle snatcher.”

Yeah, you can’t deal with that.

“Tell you what,” You offer to George to bide your time, “Catch me in a few years when I’m single and I’ll say yes.”

“No, he’s my best mate, he can’t do it.” Matty shakes his head, having none of it, “Violates the bro code.”

“Threesome then?” George suggests as a final plea. And as your jaw hangs open, entirely lost for words, the drummer says, “Please.”

You feel the need to tell him, “George, I'm not a make a wish.”

“You were to Matty.” He backchats without missing a beat and you can’t help but laugh.

You trap Matty in another hug and smile, “I know.” which makes Adam, Ross, and the rest of the table laugh at.

As you move around to the end of the table, George gets all upset and he can’t stop himself from asking you, “So you’ll let Matty fuck you off the bed in doggy style but you won’t give me a chance to show you I’d never let you fall off the bed.”

“Respectful king George.” Y/B/F cackles.

You laugh but look at Matty and ask, “Did you really have to tell them we fell off the bed?”

“Blame Matt, not me.” Your curly haired brunette nods over to the drummer.

“Yeah, it was my fault that one to be fair.” Helders owns up to it and you just roll your eyes.

As you twist Matty’s curls round your fingers, you ask him, “What was the milk about?”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it, Sweetheart.” Matty grins and the way you smile sweetly back at him makes Alex want to go home.

You’re too busy giving all your attention to Matty to notice though.

You’re grinning at your curly haired brunette as you tell him, “Don’t write a song and call it milk.”

“Oh,” Matty smiles, “The song will be about cocaine, but I'll call it Milk just for you, Sweetheart.”

~*~*~*~

After that whole encounter, Matty is a little touchier with you, which you don’t mind in the slightest. The few times you go back over to collect glasses, he'd given you a quick hug joking about you being his girlfriend, which had most of the table laughing.

Seeing your cheeks heat up was a nice thing for Y/B/F to witness. She hadn't seen you react to someone like you did to Matty in a very long time.

She couldn’t blame you for your summer with him last year if he made you as happy as he was making you every time you came back over.

You’d managed to sneak away from the bar with more shots again, and the table loved and thanked you for it. Matty had got up out of his seat, offering for you to sit there for the few minutes you could be with them, but you denied his offer, wanting to stay standing.

If you sat now, you wouldn’t want to get back up.

So, Matty just decided to stay stood up as well. He’d managed to sneak his arms around your waist, which made you smile when he did it.

You lean yourself back into his warm body and let yourself relax for a few minutes. You wanted to observe your friends mingling with each other as you didn’t think the possibility of it happening again was very high.

But as you watched your friends for those few minutes, you became a little distracted.

You can feel Matty’s breath on your neck and you let yourself enjoy the lone kisses he places there. That is until after a minute he kisses that spot on your neck and it’s like your whole body wakes up.

You feel his grip on you tighten as if to plead with you to let him carry on and you reluctantly do. The only reason you’re reluctant is because you’re around all your mates, but why deny yourself the simplest of pleasures.

A few minutes go by and you're still listening to George tell the group a story about one of your summers together, until you can’t really let Matty go on any more.

Not without you getting satisfaction yourself.

It made you want kisses of your own. So, you turn yourself around in his grip and pull on his hair to bring his lips to yours.

He tastes of the red wine he’s been drinking and it somehow entices you to him even more. An unfamiliar taste on those familiar lips just prolonged the kiss.

Matty could taste your favourite strawberry shot on your lips, making you all the more sweeter to him. His arms were tight around your lower back keeping you against him, knowing that you liked to be held when you were kissed.

Matty wants more of your sweet taste so it was only a few seconds before he teases his tongue into your mouth. And Matty is pleased to know that you still find his kisses satisfying as he feels you softly moan against his tongue.

Your fingers tangle in his curls and pull on them, needing a similar sort of reaction from him. He gave it to you straight away.

His hold on you tightens and the both of you wish the kiss never has to end. You’re both hungry for each other again, you can feel it inside you, but that was something you’d deal with later on.

Right now all you wanted was his lips on yours and for the kiss to continue.

Alex catches the kiss straight away, and he silently observes it.

You look happy when you kiss him, as your whole body seems to react to Matty in a positive way in general. Alex wasn’t sure if that was any different to when you kissed him though, as when you and him happened you always seemed into the kisses.

The only difference that Alex could really see was that you seem more assertive when you kiss Matty. Like your fingers have a tight hold in his hair and your hand on his chest has a fistful of his black shirt.

You seem really into each other and somewhere inside Alex, it didn’t sit right with him.

He didn’t like watching you two kiss each other. And he really didn’t like seeing Matty bite your lip, pulling you into another heated kiss.

The way Matty’s hold on you seemed so fixed, so permanent. Alex didn’t like that either.

But thankfully, Alex’s uncomfortable view was rectified by Ross catching the interaction too. The brunette who was on the other end of the table sighed, “Not again.”

This caught the attention of those around Ross, and obviously he nodded towards the two of you, who were still standing there kissing each other like your lives depended on it.  

“Oi,” Adam attempted to interrupt you but his call fell on deaf ears.

Y/B/F was grinning like a mad woman watching the interaction. So was Matt who was sitting next to her.

“You’re not in Matty’s bedroom right now, get off each other,” George says dismissively, shaking his head as everyone is now watching you and Matty finish the kiss.

“We were getting off...” You whine when you pull away, sparing a glance at George.

You don't let Matty get too far away from you though as you stay in his grip to pull him into a final kiss. And that extra one seemed to do the trick.

You get one more that lasts a second or two longer than it should, before you pull away properly and turn to your friends.

“And if it was his bedroom there’d be a lot less clothes,” You smile, standing yourself in front of Matty again, wrapping his arms back around you, “Believe me.”

“Least you remember,” Matty grins as he says into your ear for everyone to hear.

“Couldn’t forget,” You grin, turning a bit for one more kiss which he happily gives you.

You giggle at something he whispers to you after you settle back into his arms and Matt, Nick, and Jamie find themselves smiling at you. They hadn’t seen you this happy since the start of their last tour, almost a year ago now.

If you were this happy when you went over to Manchester it was really no shock that you spent pretty much half the year over there last year. If the others and Matty were your escape, then they were happy you found that.

“How is it that you’re that cute together and you haven’t seen each other for months?” Y/B/F can’t help but ask.

“I could ask you and Matt the same question,” You grin, seeing that his arm was holding her into his body which you thought was adorable.

Cute friendship things like that just made you happy.

“What about you and Alex?” She asks, and you just ignore the little uncomfortable feeling that washes over you.

“It’s the same,” You tell her, leaning back into Matty’s grip a little more. “You don’t have to be in contact with someone everyday to stay close friends. You just pick back up from where you last were when you spoke.”

The table seems to agree with you then. Even though you didn't speak to them all daily, well apart from Y/B/F, that was how it was. You did just pick back up where you left off.

“To be fair though,” You say, patting Matty’s arm that was around you, “I speak to this one a lot.”

You glance at your cousin then, thinking now was the perfect time to reveal some more information to your fake boyfriend.

You ask your cousin, “Have you told him?”

“No,” Adam shakes his head, “Not told anyone.”

Matty loosens his hold on you to look down at you and ask, “Told me what?”

“I’m coming over for a few weeks next month,” You grin, “And I’m yours all Christmas again.”

Alex’s heart drops a bit at that. Last year it had been rough spending Christmas at home without you over the holiday period.

Yeah, Alexa came and that was truly fantastic. Alex loved introducing her to his parents. But not seeing his best friend or speaking to you at all over the holidays hurt.

He just hoped that this Christmas you’d at least text him back.  

“Sweetheart, you just made my year,” Matty says, letting you out of his grip.  

However, he keeps a hold of one of your hands, twirls you around before pulling you back into him. You're giggling when you connect your lips back to his and he sweetly kisses you back.

Another hour goes by along with another rush of people coming to the bar. It was getting later now too and you were knackered.

After a few rude customers and getting some drink orders wrong, it had soured your mood a little and you were just really tired. So, when you came back over, this time for your actual break you just wanted a hug.

And Matty’s were the best.

You were standing in his arms, your face almost hidden in his neck but you were peering over his shoulder, your eyes focusing on the people who inhabited the rest of the bar. Matty‘s shirt was also quite open which left his neck and a part shoulder entirely exposed.

Matty’s holding you loosely, his hand running up and down you back gently and your lips find themselves on a spot just above his collarbone. You gently kiss it a few times before you suck on his skin there.

Literally nothing about him changes, his grip on you stays the same, he still pipes into the conversation, his hand still runs up and down your spine. Matty has no protests to you leaving a mark on his skin, which was something that made you very happy after the last time you’d tried to mark someone up.

You kiss and tease a fairly large mark on his skin, which you know Matty enjoys from the way he hums into your ear and holds you a little tighter when you teasingly run your tongue over it. You only stop teasing him when you’re spoken to.

Y/B/F breaks you from your daydream by saying, “You’re on your break but you haven’t spoken to us.”

“Sorry,” You shake your tired head, before taking Matty’s open seat at the end of the table, “I got lost people watching.”

Which was true. You were people watching over Matty’s shoulder, you even waved to your best work friend Sarah when she smiled knowingly at you.

“Who wanted me and what did you want me for?” You ask with a tired smile.  

“Just to say hello,” Jamie grins at you.

You lean forward, crossing your arms and resting them on the table, “Hello, Cookie.”

“You look drunk,” He chuckles.  

“I’m drunk tired,” You nod yawning, “Only had three hours of sleep.”

Alex shakes his head, knowing what lack of sleep did to you, “That’s awful.”

“I know, I need to catch up,” You agree.  

You look down towards where Alex’s hands were resting on the table then and you note that there’s a shot left from when you brought some more over with you. You’re confused as to why it’s still there because usually they disappeared within the first minute.

You nod down towards it and say, “Are you done drinking or something?”

“Oh,” Alex says, glancing down at the small glass. He shakes his head a little and slides the green shot over to you, “No, I saved it for you because you didn’t get one this time.”

You smile at the gesture and pick the glass up, “Thanks Al, but the apple ones make me feel sick.”

Matty watches the interaction, trying to keep a smile from his lips. It was pretty comical to him that your ‘best friend’ as you called him didn’t know that your favourite sours shot were the strawberry ones.

He silently found it even more funny when you immediately just gave the shot to Y/B/F. But Matty‘s heart goes out to you when you yawn saying, “I can’t wait to get some sleep.”

You did look really tired and Matty could tell straight away that your mood had dropped since earlier. That’s why he’d hugged you for so long before you sat down.

“Doubt that’s going to happen,” Matt smirks, nodding to Matty who is still standing just beside you.

“I’m not shagging him tonight,” You shake your head, “I’m too tired.”

You peer up at Matty to also tell him no with your eyes, but when he sees the look he seems a little hurt.

‘Good,’ was all Alex could think.

“Don’t give me that look,” Matty scoffs at you, looking quite offended, “I know when you're tired. I’m not thick, I wasn't going to try anything tonight.”

And you smile sweetly at him, knowing he was telling the truth. God, he was adorable.  

You like that he always knew things about you and you didn't have to say them outloud. So, you can’t really stop smiling at your cute curly haired brunette.

Your eyes flick down to Matty’s collarbone and you're pleased you see a bright red mark has already formed just above it. Your eyes then flick up and catch his brown ones, and you can see both humour and mischief in them.

You share a smile before your work friend comes over to you and interrupts the little moment.

“Okay,” She raises her hands in defeat, pretty much standing beside Alex as she looks at you, “I know you told me to leave you alone but I couldn’t.”

You just smile at her and she introduces herself to the table, “Hi, I’m Sarah.”

Everyone politely greets her back saying a hello, and you have to bite back a laugh when you see Matt’s eyes widen a little when he sees how pretty she is.

“I just wanted to say a quick hello because I hear stories about yous all the time and it’s nice putting names to faces.” Sarah tells everyone

“Stories?” Georges fakes a gasp.  

Matt bites his lip in fake fear, “Oh, no.”

“Anything bad?” Y/B/F asks her curiously.  

Sarah grins and laughs a little, “Oh lots of things bad.”

“Nothing bad about a Matty I hope,” Matty says, sneaking his arm back around your back.

You smile at the feeling and lean into him.

“Oh, no,” Sarah grins at you and then up to Matty, “Nothing bad about you… Quite the opposite if I’m honest.”

“Sarah in the nicest way, fuck off,” You grin, “I don’t need his ego bigger.”

She giggles then and she likes seeing Matty interact with you. She thought you were quite cute together, but she’d tell you that back behind the bar and save you some embarrassment.

“Hi, I’m Matt,” The drummer extends his hand to Sarah, and adds in a flirty tone, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Helders, pipe down,” Y/B/F half laughs at her best friend who’s shaking the pretty girl’s hand.

Sarah looks at you excitedly with wide eyes though, “This is Helders?”

“Yeah,” You nod with a smile, knowing how much she actually liked him from your stories.  

She turns back to the drummer and grins, “I just wanna kiss you.”

“Oh, right,” Matt grins back at her, not believing his charm worked that quick.

“That was fast work, mate,” Alex chuckles, nudging his best mate's shoulder.

You just shake your head at your coworker, “Sarah.”

“You’re so sweet,” She tells Matt, “Thanks for looking out for her because until she brings you up in her stories I’m ready to throw some fists.”

“Anytime,” Matt laughs, “She’s a good one.”  

“Okay,” You stay standing up, letting Matty take his seat back. You nudge Sarah a little, “Duty calls.”

“Oh,” Sarah grins at you, subtly glancing at Matty before looking back to you, “You didn’t wanna get paid to leave more marks then?”

“Marks?” Y/B/F questions, and your cheeks go hot.

“Sarah, we’ve gotta collect glasses,” You say, grabbing the few that were on the table before you push her away from the group.

The last thing you needed was her bringing up stuff about you being heartbroken when Y/B/F knew nothing about it. Mentioning it in front of Alex also wouldn't be very wise, you wanted to forget not relive.  

You’d not told her the full story but she’d got the jist of it. She didn't know who the band were either so it made things easier to explain, not that she’d ever rat you out though.

“Nice to meet you all,” She waves before you both head back to the bar.

“The fuck she on about marks for?” Matt asks Y/B/F both obviously confused.

Or they were until your best friend spots Matty trying to subtly move the collar of his shirt over his neck.

Your best friend's jaw drops though.

She gasps looking at Matty, “She didn’t.”

The curly haired brunette fakes innocence for a good minute until your best friend gets up out of her seat and heads over to him. She pulls on his shirt a little and sees a red mark forming, just above his collarbone that was quite clearly a fresh love bite.

“She did,” Y/B/F says with her jaw hanging open.

Matty just smirks and shrugs his shoulders before buttoning his shirt up a little more. He couldn’t really deny it now everyone around the table had seen the proof.

Alex hates the sight of it.

“Excuse me,” Matty waves your best friend off his shirt so she couldn’t try and see the mark again. “That’s between me and someone’s cousin.”

Matty, George, and Ross hear Adam groan then and they all laugh a little. As do most members of Arctic Monkeys, but one sat in silence, sipping his beer.  

“Excuse me, she tells me everything,” Y/B/F says, a little offended that she was being denied information about her best friend.

“I doubt that,” Matty says in a low voice, sparing a look at Alex.

And it’s at that point that Alex knows that Matty knew about the tour. And not just about the flirting and kisses, but about the sex too.

And that scared Alex a lot more than he’d like to admit.

“Try me, Healy,” Y/B/F pressed on, getting Matty’s full attention back.

“Did she tell you about what happened…” Matty trailed off letting Alex stew for a moment longer, “the day we went ice skating?”

Your best friend grinned at the Manchester lad then, “Ha, she did.”

“You know your shit then Y/B/F,” Matty smiles before downing the last of his red wine, “I like you.”

Matt seems curious then though, and after a look at Jamie and Nick who also looked intrigued, he asked the singer, “What’d you do after ice skating?”

“A lot,” Matty smirked at the drummer, “Can’t get into detail, it’ll ruin Adam’s night.”

Y/B/F just starts hysterically giggling. The details of that evening was something that amused even Matty, but both Matty and Y/B/F knew Adam would run for the hills if he heard it.

Matt chuckles at Matty’s joke then, but he then asks your best friend, “Tell me.”

“Absolutely not,” She shakes her head.

Matty chuckles as he watches the drummer press on, obviously wanting some insight, whilst Matty shrugs on his leather jacket, “Going for a fag. Be back in a few.”

Alex is just about to say that he’d join him, hoping to maybe have a private word with him, but that plan falls short when your best friend gets in there before him. So  Alex stays sat down, quietly sipping on his beer.

Y/B/F says, “I’m coming too.”

“Come on then, Love,” Matty says, holding out his arm so he can drape it over her shoulder.

After another hour of chatting between the bands, friendships seemed to have formed and the beginnings of a bromance seemed to have developed between Jamie and Adam.

They obviously had a lot in common both playing lead guitar and Adam, always being eager to learn, loved asking interesting questions about his music. Anyone observing your little group could see they were getting on well.

So, when a discussion that Jamie and Adam were having opened up to the full table, obviously music related, everyone was deep into the conversation. No one had spotted you for the past hour and a half so no one expected you to come running back over to the table.

When you did actually do that, you gave everyone a fright. Especially Matty.

You come bouncing back over and you startle Matty by cupping his face, which a second ago was facing the other way, and you immediately pull his lips to yours. And the whole table is shocked by how full on the kiss is.

Even Matty himself looks shocked by it, but he kisses you back. But you’ve completely dominated the kiss, you’re all over him.

Your tongue is in his mouth this time around and Matty seems to be loving every second of it. His arms have wrapped around you and you’re practically sat on his lap wanting to be as close to him as possible.

Alex had to admit that he was wrong about something he’d convinced himself was true earlier. He’d been sure it was Matty who instigated your earlier kiss but seeing this showed him that it was definitely you who initiated it.

And you were eager for him, too.  

“What the fuck,” Nick laughs, watching the kiss like everyone else.

The whole group was watching like it was the last TV show to ever be broadcasted. Eyes were glued to every tug of Matty’s hair or every time you bit his lip to pull him back into another kiss.

“Where the fuck has that come from?” Adam shakes his head, looking away, not wanting to see your tongue piercing go into his mates mouth anymore.

Your best friend has a theory as to what may have changed since the last time you’d seen them though, “Has she had a Jäger?”

Matty puts his thumb in the air as you carry on kissing him. There was no way he could get out of the kiss he was just very happy he was along for the ride. But he can taste the alcohol on your tongue.

“That explains it,” Your best friend smirks a little, explaining to the rest of the onlookers, “Makes her hyper... She’d definitely awake now.”

Matty breaks away from you a few seconds after he hears your best friend tell the group that. You certainly weren’t adhering to your tired pass on sex now, as you were sat on his thigh pretty much grinding away on it.

Matty hands went to your hips and paused your movements. He told you in a low voice, “You do that here and we won’t make it back to your flat.”

“There’s a staff room,” You say, pecking his lips again, keeping him close to you.

Alex is certain that all the oxygen leaves his lungs as he waits to hear Matty’s reaction to that proposition.

Matty shakes his head grinning, “Get alcohol into you and you’re a dominatrix.”

“You like it,” You murmur before you kiss him again.

And it's another feverish kiss that Alex can’t bring himself to watch any longer. He just pulls his phone out and replies to Alexa’s last text.  

Nick interrupts, “Y/N/N, the rest of us are still here, you know?”

You pull away from Matty, knowing you had to stop sometime soon, “Sarah just fed me five Jägerbombs because I’ve finished. And now I’m happy.”

“Why are you so happy?” Ross asks you.

“Because I got thirty quid in tips and that pays for two bottles of vodka on the way home,” You grin, not being able to hold back your excitement of now being free to get drunk with your friends.

“Thirty quid, fucking hell,” Alex chuckles, even when he used to work in a bar he never came out with that much.

George jokes, “You been doing strip teases in the back?”

“My strip teases are fifty, minimum,” You joke giggling away, “Premium content, you get premium price.”

“Oh and Matty’s the lucky one who doesn’t have to pay,” Matt laughs, raising his eyebrows suggestively at you.

“Nearly just got one,” Matty laughs back.

“Again, you enjoy it,” You grin before pecking his lips again, “So keep quiet.”

“I’ll never speak again if you keep coming to Manchester, Sweetheart,” Matty grins, pecking your lips once more too.

“But then I’d be bored in Manchester,” You pout, half of the fun was his flirting.

“Excuse me,” Adam scoffs and you see George shaking his head.

Ross reminds you, “We exist you know?”

“You’re my little brother,” You give Adam a pointed look before you move on to the other two, “George you’re fit but too young and Ross, you’re just too cute.”  

You knew they weren’t meaning it sexually but Matty did keep you on your toes with his flirty words and what you both got up to when you were alone. And you just couldn't see that happening with your cousin’s other friends.

Matt then also adds with a smirk, defending your case, “And Matty’s your boyfriend, right?”

Your best friend laughs, “Oh, the Matt’s are sticking together.”

“What have I started?” You grin back at Matty and he just laughs a little.

“Let me go and get my stuff and we can go,”  You grin, fiddling a bit with Matty’s shirt.

Matty sensibly tells you, “I’m not following you.”

“Aw,” You pout, slipping off his lap.

Matty shakes his head, saying, “Y/N,” as a slight plea to stop you from making him feel bad.

Y/B/F sticks up for her new curly haired friend, “Hey Y/N/N, as much as we wanna see you pull Mattys hair out, we don’t want to deal with you getting arrested for having sex at work.”

“Only get arrested if you get caught,” You laugh, and you kiss Matty once more before you leave to grab your things from the staff room.

~*~*~*~

“Jesus,” Adam sighs, watching as you almost fall over your own feet again.

You weren’t even that drunk, you were just in a giddy mood that made you want to go between members of all the groups. One second you were with Matty, the next with Jamie and then over to Y/B/F.

You were like the ball in a pinball machine, always too unpredictable.

What made it worse was that you were all standing stationary outside having a cigarette whilst you were waiting for the taxis to arrive. You’d all just been in the shop getting some alcohol and mixers for back at your flat.

“You know what random song I’ve got stuck in my head?” You ask your best friend before taking a drag of your cigarette.

“What?” She asks you.

You grin telling her, “You’re The One That I Want from Grease.”

“Not again,” Matty shakes his head at you before he wanders away hiding himself behind George.

“Fuck off, Healy. Grease is such a good film,” Y/B/F scolds him.

Matty just starts mumbling things into George’s back and George is chuckling away at his best mate.

Y/B/F just ignores him and finishes her cigarette. Then she asks you, “Wonder how that’s got in your head though?”

“Oh, I do wonder,” Matty says, coming back round with a smirk before lightly kicking your ankle.

Alex watched the action and he saw that he’d kicked your ferris wheel tattoo. He frowns a little, as did his friends.

“I don’t get it,” Y/B/F says, evidently confused.

Matty explains, “Well, she’s wearing her jeans turned up and she’s obviously seen her tattoo and with us around she’s gunna think of that song.”

“Bold of you to assume that you’re the one that she wants,” Matt smirks at him, nudging his shoulder slightly.

“I mean, not that bold. Imma shag him later,” You breathe out the smoke that’s in your lungs before you step into Matty‘s grip and when his hands go around your waist and you’re leaning against his chest you start to explain.

“But he doesn’t mean it that way,” You start, “Last summer we were all at a fair and we went to a funhouse and I had a proper Sandy moment. Even got a picture in the turning barrel with my shirt hanging off my shoulders.”

Everyone found themselves smiling at your story. The Monkeys and Y/B/F smiling because you looked so happy telling it and the boys who were actually with you were smiling at the memory of the fun night out.

“Just gotta find your Danny Zuko now,” Y/B/F grins at you.

You playfully fan your face as if you were really flustered, “No one will ever beat Danny Zuko. No one… He’s the reason I like brunettes, I’m sure of it.”

“I’ll be sure to thank John Travolta when I next see him,” Matty chuckles and you roll your eyes and burst out laughing.

George sighs, shaking his head, “Oh, here we go.”

“I’m just kidding. My Mum hasn’t met him… I don’t think,” Matty thinks out loud and you just laugh, finishing off your cigarette.

Nick questions what he means and Matty explains who his Mum and Dad are. It was a quick conversation but then Jamie got all giddy asking if he’d met anyone famous, despite Jamie basically being famous himself.

So, Matty fell into a conversation about how he went to Noel Fielding's birthday party not too long ago and he met James Cordon there. You’d been really jealous about that because for one, you loved Noel Fielding as he featured in a TV programme you loved, and two, James Cordon was currently in one of the biggest TV shows of 2008, Gavin and Stacey.

When the conversation died off a bit though and Jamie started chatting to Adam again, you felt the need to ask Matty, “Do you still like it or do you regret it yet?”

Matty looked confused for a second but then you looked down to his jean covered ankle and kick him like he kicked yours. He looks up at you and smiles, “Don’t regret it at all. It was a good day.”

“Regret what?” Alex asks, overhearing your conversation.

You look at him as if he should already know, “Our tattoo.”

“Wait...” Jamie stops and double checks, “You got the same?”

“Yeah, she asked me on the last day she was over. I’ve got a load that don’t mean anything, so may as well get something with a good memory, ey?” Matty smiles down at you and you're beaming back up at him.

That made Alex jealous. You’d never once asked him to get a tattoo with you, yet you’d spent a summer shagging the prick who had his arms around you and now the both of you had a permanent memory of it tattooed onto your skin.

Alex hated it.

“Who’d want to forget Adam decking in that barrel?” Matty smirks at you.

You can’t help but burst out laughing as if you’re witnessing it all over again.

~*~*~*~

You hug yourself into Alex’s side in the taxi back to your flat and say, “I’ve missed you so much... You have no idea.”

You’d gone with the Monkeys in the taxi and Y/B/F had gone with your Manchester bunch. You thought it was only fair as you’d spent more time with your Manchester lot before work.

“I‘ve missed you too, Angel,” Alex smiles at you, grabbing your hand and interlocking your fingers.

You couldn’t help but ask him, “How long are you back for?”

“A fair while,” He tells you, “Got a couple of months before we have to record the next album.”

Your eyes go wide looking round them all not believing it, “Months?”

“Yeah,” Nick grins and Matt’s nodding at you.

You grin, squeezing Alex’s hand, “Amazing.”

You lean on him and close your eyes, feeling the tiredness creep back in due to the lack of alcohol. But as you do that, you feel his hair brush your cheek.

“Can’t believe how long your hair is now,” You say quietly, reaching up with your other hand to pull on the ends of his long brown locks.

“Think it looks alright?” Alex asks you, leaning his head against yours.

You nod, “Yeah, of course... Think you could go longer and it would still suit you.”

“Go full Julian Casablancas?” Alex smirks, “I don’t know, Y/N/N.”

“You could, I’m sure,” You say encouragingly, picking your head up to look into his brown eyes.

Alex chuckles, “You think I could look as good as Julian?”

“Don't think anyone looks as good as Julian but you can give it a go, I'm sure... And if nothing else it will hide your famous face,” You say, pinching his chin and shaking his head a bit.

Alex just laughs.

Soon enough you're back at your flat and your taxi gets there before the other one so you’re flicking on all the lights as your friends make themselves at home.

“I really love your place, Y/N/N,” You hear Nick tell you and when you look round at him he’s looking around your lounge.

“Thank you, Nick,” You grin.

“Do you guys want a drink?” You ask, getting the vodka out of your bag.

You end up making everyone a drink before you go and get yourself changed. You just decided on putting a vest top on and throwing a hoodie on over it.

When you came back out, you could see that the others were here now, too, and you went and hugged Adam. You just got more cuddly when you were drunk and you felt like you needed a hug from your family member.

There was just always something about Adam that just calmed you down. You weren’t worked up right now but he just made you feel even more relaxed.

You were all drinking peacefully in your lounge again, the conversation flowing much easier than it was earlier on because they’d all become better acquainted. You really liked that they were getting on with each other and that they seemed to mix so well.

The conversation drifted back to your new home from time to time, someone pointing out one of your paintings or one of your ornaments that they liked. You were grateful for all their compliments, but in truth you wanted to know when the Monkeys were finding their own places.

Because you doubted that they’d want to go back home and live with their mums and dads forever.

“You’s should get a place somewhere now the money’s coming in,” You tell the Monkey lads.

You were aware that their first album didn’t make them loads of money despite the album being a massive success. But you knew now that they were making a lot more than they were last time around and with going in to record their third album soon, you knew they were doing well for themselves.

“I’m actually moving after the next tour,” Alex tells you, and you’re pleasantly surprised.

“Oh, right,” You smile, really pleased that he was getting himself somewhere.

You could imagine Alex getting one of the nice flats closer to the city centre. He liked having things to keep him occupied, so having a city lifestyle around him would definitely suit him well.

“Whereabouts?” Y/B/F asks curiously, from the seat beside you.

Alex grins, “New York.”

You chuckle at his joke, “Funny... Seriously though, where are you moving? My guess is city centre.”

Y/B/F also giggles at Alex’s joke, but she guesses differently, “Nah, he’ll stay closer. Maybe Ecclesfield.”

“Erm, no,” Alex catches both of your attention again, “I am being serious. I’m moving in with Alexa in New York.”

Your heart sinks and a ball immediately makes its way to your throat. You try your best to keep your composure though, but you and Y/B/F go dead still.

“Oh, right,” Y/B/F spoke up first and you could hear the slight hurt in her voice.

You try your best to sound happier for him, smiling brightly, “That’s great.”

“Yeah,” Alex smiles brightly at you.

You could feel your eyes threatening to well up at that. You kept them at bay though and asked the others about their plans.  

“What about you guys?” You asked the others.

Matt was the first person to speak up and you held your breath hearing what he had to say.

“I’m putting a deposit on a house not too far from here actually,” Matt tells you and that makes you feel a little better.

At least you weren’t losing everyone.

“Really?” Y/B/F asking her best friend like he’d told her the best news ever.

You were happy for her. At least she could keep her best friend.

Matt nods at her and you can tell she’s completely overjoyed despite the first bit of depressing news you’d gotten.

“Me and Nick are just getting a flat somewhere for the time being, until we find somewhere more permanent,” Jamie tells you and you can tell he’s excited.

You can’t help but smile at him.

“We’re gunna do that one day,” Matty speaks up then and you look across the room at your curly haired friend.

“What’s that?” Nick questions, probably not hearing him over the music you had on because he was closest to the speaker.

“We’re gunna all share a big flat, aren’t we lads?” Matty says a little louder before turning to his best friends.

They all nod in agreement and you like seeing all their hopeful smiles. It would be so cute if they actually all did live together.

“Yeah?” You ask, feeling the ball come back to your throat.

This time being because the idea of the four best friends living together is adorable and also because you’re still not quite over Alex dropping that bomb on you. You couldn’t believe he was just up and leaving.

Your best friend discreetly grabs your hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. She knew how you must’ve been feeling after Alex told you both that, because her heart dropped too.

She could only imagine the pain that you must have been feeling. He was your best friend after all.

“Definitely,“ Matty smiles at you. “That’s always been the plan.”

“Think you’ll do that when you're as known as this lot?” Y/B/F asks them, nodding towards the Monkeys.

“Yeah,” Matty nods, “They’re my guys, they are my family. I wanna live with the idiots.”

You can’t help but smile at his grin.

“Would you move away?” Nick asks him and Matty nods.

“We‘d definitely get somewhere in Manchester first though, then maybe after a few years, if the band got bigger, move to London,” Matty told them and he got nods of approval from them all.

Matty felt the need to add on, “You know, home is home. Don’t wanna live away when we’d be touring all the time anyway...”

“Got people to stick around for,” Matty says and looks straight at you which makes you smile.

His eyes then move back to Alex and he smiles, “But New York mate, that’s pretty cool.”

“Yeah, it’s a sick place, too,” Alex grins, “I’m so excited.”

And you can tell he is. You can see it in his body language and in his eyes.

You know your best friend really well and if you hadn’t seen him play somewhere like Glastonbury, you’d say this was the most excited you’d ever seen him.

“Alexa has been telling me about this massive bookshop that I can’t wait to go around in,” Alex grins and then his eyes connect to your Y/E/C ones. ”Definitely need to write down some poetry books for me, Y/N/N.”

“Will do,” You smile but it doesn’t reach your eyes.

Thankfully, Alex doesn’t notice, but your best friend does.

“Y/N/N, come toilet,” She says, giving your hand another squeeze before letting go of it.

You just nod and follow her. You’re glad to hear the boys all starting to chat about other things like where the best place they’d toured was.

You just feel numb though as you follow your best friend into the toilet. As soon as you’re in there she locks the door and envelops you into a massive hug.

And you just break down hugging her back. You let the tears fall that you’d been holding back for the last few minutes and just sob into her.

You’re crying for a good minute in her arms before you start to calm down a little bit and she sits the both of you down. You’d put the toilet seat lid down and sat there whilst she sat just next to you on the edge of your bath.

“It’s okay,” She tells you, wiping your tears away.  

You shake your head though, “It’s not.”

“It is,” Your best friend tries to tell you.

“I shouldn’t be crying over him moving away,” You tell her wiping your own tears now, using toilet paper this time instead of your hoodie.

“I wanna cry too,” She tells you, her eyes are soft when she says, “So, I can only imagine how you’re feeling.”

“It isn’t even that I like him like that anymore, you know that, right?” You wanted to check with her through your tears.

You mentioned you thought that you may have felt something between you before you went on tour with them. But she was so busy with work when you were actually on the tour, that you never told her about things progressing.

And you called Matt a few days after you left saying that you weren't telling Y/B/F anything about the kisses that you and Alex shared on tour. You’d made the drummer promise he wouldn’t either.

You wanted the memories buried and you were just thankful to Alex that hadn’t seemed to have told the other lads just how much ‘fun’ you’d got up to that night they went out.

“He’s just one of those people that I click with,” You explain as your tears continue to fall. ”He just knows me through and through, and I miss him a lot as it is. So, never seeing him is gonna be so much harder.”

“I know, I know,” She coos, her hand on your knee rubbing it a little to let you know she’s there.  

“It’s not fair,” You cry, keeping the tissue against your eyes as you cry some more.

Your best friend swallows the lump in her throat, needing to be strong for you, “I know.”

After you calm down a bit, you’re thankful that the bathroom is near your bedroom so you can quickly slip in there and go outside to have a cigarette, which Y/B/F joins you for. She just shouted over to the boys that the both of you were ‘going for a fag’ and they all took no notice as they were deep in conversation.

After you’ve finished your fag and your best friend grabs a makeup wipe and removes the tear stains from your cheeks, you head back out to them all. You were glad your cheeks weren’t obviously puffy and that your big light in the lounge wasn’t on, because you could sort of hide better in the dimmer lighting.

You didn’t want people knowing you were upset.

You sit yourself down in the loveseat that you and Y/B/F had just previously taken up and take in everything. You just watch your friends interact together and try to memorise it, because you were certain it was never going to happen again. Especially now.

Matty seems to pick up on your slight change in mood though, even though you were hiding it pretty well.

When people start moving around for drinks and helping themselves, which you were fine with, Matty comes over and takes the free seat beside you.

After a silent minute between you, Matty tucks your hair behind your ear, which draws your attention to his face. He offers you a soft smile, which you return.

You both had your heads leaning on the settee, facing each other and just staying in your own little bubble for a moment. You appreciate the comfortable silence as his thumb caresses the back of your hand.

Matty speaks up a few seconds later, quietly pointing out that, “You’ve been crying.”

“I’m fine,” You whisper back to him knowing he could hear you.

Your faces were a few inches away and with most people in the kitchen, the volume in the room had gone down a lot, too.

Matty knows and can see that you weren’t fine, despite you saying so. So, he addresses the situation directly, continuing your whispers.

“You’re going to miss him, it’s understandable...  Considering everything,” He says, his thumb still tracing up and down the back of your hand comfortingly.

“It’s not that,” You shake your head slightly, lowering your voice even more, ”You know I don’t like him anymore.”

“I know you don’t,” Matty agrees, “I can tell.”

“How?” You ask him.

Matty smiles, once again tucking your hair behind your ear as it moved when you shook your head, “Your eyes... They give away a lot more than you realise.”

“What are they telling you now?” You question, actually curious.

“That you’re a little sad but you’re pretending to be happy,” Matty tells you and he’s spot on.

He continues to add, with a little smile, “And that you’re a little drunk.”

You chuckle, before honestly telling him “I wish I was more drunk.”

“I brought the strawberry shots?” Matty offers, knowing it was your favourite part of a party - you getting your strawberry shots.

“This is why you're my favourite,” You tell him, grabbing his hand and giving it a thankful squeeze.

Matty laughs and gasps a little at your honesty, “I’m gonna tell Adam.”

You laugh knowing he’s joking and you're thankful for him to have come over and had this little chat with you. It definitely made you feel a little better.

“But seriously though, Wheels…” Matty gets your attention once more, ”You don’t have to worry about that with us…”

“From the amount of time that lot have been telling us that they’ve been away, I don’t know why when they come back home they would want to be nowhere near their families...” Matty tells you, not really understanding Alex’s wish to move so far away permanently.

So Matty assures you, “And you are our family and you live in this country, so here is home.”

You lean forward and trap his lips with your own. You kiss him softly and slowly, trying to savour it, but also trying to explain how much you appreciate what he just told you.

Your hand coming up to stroke his jaw as another silent way to express your thanks as your lips moved together. It’s not a long kiss by any means, but your actions speak louder than your words.

Matty knows what you’re telling him.

“Thank you, Curly,” You say when you pull away, immediately moving to wrap your arms around him.

As his arms go around you and you’re rubbing his back you tell him, like you tell all your friends “I love you.”

“I love you too, Sweetheart,” Matty tells you before kissing the top of your head.

Whilst that happened though, your kitchen was getting rowdy with glasses clinking, new friends having loud conversations and old friends having hushed ones.

As your best friend was making you both a new drink, she kept Alex in conversation until everyone else slowly filtered out of the room. She had a laugh with him whilst he made his own drink but once it was time for them to both head back out to the others, she softly grabbed his wrist, silently asking him to stay for a second.

“Fair warning, Al,” Y/B/F gets his attention when he turns back to her from the doorway.

He comes back into the kitchen a little, sensing it was something important from her facial expression, “She got upset before because you’re leaving.”

Alex frowns a little, not understanding. He tells her, “I’m not leaving.”

He had no intention to leave anytime soon. He'd probably leave when the other lads decided it was time to head out.

But it was only 2:30 a.m. You all had plenty of time to drink and talk.

“New York,” Your best friend reminds him with a serious look.

Alex’s heart sinks, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” She nods at him.

“About me going or how I said it?” Alex asks her, just needing to check.

Maybe he shouldn’t have just dropped it on you like that.

“Alex, you’re her best friend,” She says, “Of course it’s about you going. The last time you saw her was your birthday and you’ve not had any time for her since. Then you tell her you're moving around the world... That’s a lot even for me, let alone her.”

“I’m sorry,” Alex says, pulling her into a hug seeing that she was a little emotional too.

He hadn’t meant to hurt the both of you by telling you his news tonight.

Half an hour later Alex was itching to get you on your own, noticing that your mood was slightly lower than it was before. Your beautiful smile wasn’t nearly on your face as much as it had been earlier and he felt so bad.

So, when you excuse yourself from the room and you head into your bedroom, Alex only waits about two minutes before he follows you. Entering your room, he notices it was empty, seeing only that white fluffy bunny teddy lay in the centre of your bed where it was earlier.

But then he feels the breeze as he closes your bedroom door behind him. He can also smell a little tobacco in the air, so he heads to your window to join you.

“Hey,” He smiles as he climbs out, seeing you sitting on the metal steps just a bit further along from your window.

When you see him, you stand yourself up so you don’t leave him standing alone as there was only room for one person to sit. You smile, “You alright?”

Alex doesn’t answer your question though, he just takes another step towards you on the metal structure to assure you, “You know you're the top reason I come home, right?”

You frown at the brunette with the long locks, unsure what he was meaning and where this was coming from. You ask him after taking a drag, “What?”

Alex tells you, watching your reactions closely, “I come home because I get to see you... Seeing Mum and Dad is a plus yeah, but when I think of home, I think of you.”

You don’t give anything away for a few seconds, as you just stub out the end of your cigarette. You give him all of your attention again, then.

“What are you trying to say, Shakespeare?” You ask him, knowing he’s trying to infer something instead of just saying it out loud.

His hands come and hold your hips, as he’s trying to make sure you believe every truthful word he tells you, “I just don’t want you to think that just because I’m moving, that means I’m never going to see you again or never talk to you again.”

“Al, I know,” You say, trying to hold back tears that were threatening to build behind your eyes again.

“Well, I want you to hear it from me,” Alex tells you, a hand coming to rest underneath your chin to make sure you won’t look away from him when he tells you what he needs to say next.

“I love you a lot, right, Y/N,” Alex starts, “You’re my best friend and you’re always going to be my Angel who loves her poetry and you’re who I phone when I need someone to talk to, and I’m always gonna be your Shakespeare.”

The assurance he just gave you makes a single tear slip down your face and you try and look down to hide it but Alex keeps you in place. He wipes the tear away with his thumb.

“Don’t cry on me,“ Alex quietly pleaded, needing you to be okay.

“Don’t leave me then,” You say in a strained voice, more tears gather on your waterline.

It really hurts Alex hearing that and seeing you in tears again. You sound so pained and he knows that you don’t want him to see you like this.

Alex knew that you never liked saying how much you missed him, thinking it would make him feel guilty for following his dreams. And he knew, without you having to tell him, that this was the same situation.

You never wanted to deny him anything, but the fact that he was leaving was going to hurt you. And he knew you couldn’t avoid that.

”I’m not leaving you,” Alex shakes his head, feeling a little lump form in his throat.

He’d want nothing more than for you to come with him and live over there. But you had your life here, your new flat and your business bound to set off and thrive any time now.

So, even if he offered, he knew you’d refuse it.

Alex can see you’re about to argue back so he gets in just before you and assures you, “I’m coming back. It's not forever.”

You knew that was a lie though. But it was a lie you were willing to believe for the sake of your heart to stop hurting.

You’d pretend that your best friend wasn’t going to leave you and you’d stay as happy as you could whilst he was around for the next few months.

You nod at him, and swallow away the lump in your throat. It hurt but it needed to be done. You needed to be strong and support him in his life choices.  

After all, living in New York sounded amazing.

But then Alex says something that makes you crumble a bit.

“I’m sorry,” He whispers to you and you’re searching his brown eyes for what he’s sorry about until he gives you your answer.

Alex repeats louder, “I’m sorry... For how things were, back on that tour.”

You shake your head, partly not wanting to think about that right now, and partly because that wasn’t what you were upset about at all.

You tell him, “I’m not sad because of that Alex. I’m not angry about that anymore...”

“It’s got nothing to do with that,” You state seriously, taking a step back furiously wiping your tears away that have split down your face.

Alex watches you for a moment, practically seeing you find the correct words in your head that you wanted to say before you told him whatever it was. You take a deep breath before you start.

“I just…” You look up before closing your eyes and reopening them when they make contact with his brown ones, “You know me best… You always have... I don't have to say anything for you to know what I’m getting at. We like the same stuff and we always have, we’re practically the same person.”

“You know me better than anyone. I’ve always gone to you to talk about things…” You take a deep breath, wiping more tears away as you tell him, “You used to live a ten minute walk away from me and now you’re going to be in another country with a different time zone.”

Your eyes close again then and you feel Alex come back and wipe away your tears. You're thankful for the silence because you’re not quite done.

You try and swallow the lump in your throat away again but it won’t quite budge. So when you open your eyes and look into his brown ones again, you can only conclude in a whisper, “It’s gonna be hard.”

“I know, Angel,” Alex whispers back to you, still wiping away more tears when they fall onto your cheeks.

He wants to cry too but he feels like he’s got to be strong for you. So, he keeps them at bay.  

“I’m just… I’m gonna miss you a fucking lot,” You say managing to say those words at your normal volume.

Alex can only manage a whisper back though, “I’m gonna miss you, too.”

He pulls you into a hug after that, and you’re not sure how long goes by, but it feels nice to be truly held by your best friend in this warm hug. You hold onto him until your heart feels less heavy and your throat doesn't hurt anymore.

You pull out of the hug after several minutes, thankful that the need to cry has passed. Alex looks down at you and offers you a sad smile, you can see tear stains on his cheeks too so you wipe them away.

God, what were you both like? Crying outside on a fire escape at three in the morning.

You try to smile in a happier way back up to him. You try to make the subject a little happier.

“I have a request though... For when you’re over there so we have to stay in contact,” You tell him, feeling the need to create some sort of arrangement.

The thought of you both having to do something makes you happier. Because you’d hate to never speak to him ever again just because he wasn’t living over here anymore.

”We‘re not gonna lose co…” Alex trails off, seeing that you needed something to latch on to, “Go on.”

He’d never let you lose contact with him anyway. Never in a million years would he let that happen.

“In this fancy bookshop I want a book each month,” You tell him. ”You read it, write in it, annotate it if you want and then you send it to me... I’ll do the same back to you and we actually talk about it.”

“So, we’re starting an international book club?” Alex grins down at you, liking the idea but also finding it a little funny.

“Yeah sure, if you wanna call it that?” You grin but you tell him honestly, ”I just don’t ever want to phone you up and we have nothing to talk about.”

“Y/N/N, it’s not going to be like that,” Alex assures you, tucking that piece of hair behind your ear so you couldn’t hide your face from him.

“I know,” You nod, “Because we can talk about books.”

“Angel, we’ve never had nothing to talk about,” Alex reminds you.

Even when you were angry with him, there was still something to speak about. In the seventeen years he’d known you, you’d never not had anything to say to each other.

“I know, I know,” You nod, “But I want to be sure there never is.”

Alex nods understandingly and he knows that you know that’s what he’s meaning by it. But he once again just has to assure you, “There never will be.”

“True,” You smile up at him.

“It's because you like the sound of your own voice so much, isn't it?” You joke, “That’s why you're the singer.”

“Wow, that was nasty,” Alex playfully scoffs.

You giggle, shrugging your shoulders, “I’m a nasty person, Shakespeare.”

“Nah, Angel,” Alex shakes his head, “You're too good for that.”

You chuckle before stepping into his grip again and wrapping your arms around him. Once his are securely around you again, you softly tell him as your hand rubs his back, “I‘m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you, too.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Thoughts??? Reactions??? Predictions??? Please let me knowww x

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[softomi]

Jealousy doesn’t look pretty on you; but it’s absolutely hilarious.

The Skirt:

It was incredibly cruel, the world was playing a joke on him; he tried his hardest to not be pouting, but it’s too obvious with the scowl on his face. Even as he drinks from his water bottle, his eyes are completely locked on you. Gaze lingering on the perfect curve of your body, the skirt hugged your waist, the end tauntingly asking to be lifted. The frown lines on his forehead was growing bigger, you had the audacity to look over your shoulder at him, a smile gracing your lips.

A ball knocks against your foot, it’s evident that one of the other guys purposely kicked it in your direction. Everyone’s inching to get on your back side, your knees bent, the skirt flowing ever so slightly as it continues to hide the mystery all the guys are dying to see. You toss the ball back to the player, continuing your conversation with Sakusa.

He’s drinking even harder when another ball falls to your feet. This time, you didn’t bend to your knees, no, you bent over, the skirt just barely covering your behind. He chokes on his water, his sharp inhale causes the water to splutter out of his nose. His coughing makes you and everyone in the room turn.

“Tsumu!” You’ve abandoned the ball, rushing to your boyfriend. He removes his hand from his nose, you gasp, tilting his chin so his head falls back, “Your nose is bleeding.”

That’s why he suddenly tasted blood, he thought he was dying for a second. You’re pressing tissues against his nose, pulled in between his legs, you’re running a hand through his hair with the other keeping his nose covered. He holds you by the waist, suddenly his hands begin to trail the fabric of your skirt; you feel a tug on the end of it.

“What are you doing?” You question him.

He’s frowning, “Did you come here just to show this off?”

You purse your lips, a sly grin plastered onto your lips, “Did you have fun?”

“You’re insufferable.”

The Flirt:

He wasn’t purposely trying to do it, when he talked it came out naturally for him. The girls followed him in the restaurant; their giggles could practically be heard from across town. He wasn’t even saying anything funny, but they batted their eye lashes at him, twirled their hair in their fingers, pushing their chest out to him. You couldn’t tell if he was actively enjoying the attention or if he was actually stupidly oblivious.

Your fingers tighten around the glass cup when one of the girls wraps their hand around his arm. He’s laughing at something she said, she’s definitely trying to lean herself into him. It’s like he doesn’t even notice you, he stands at the entrance with the girls trying to pile themselves in.

“What’s he doing?” Osamu leans over the counter, he can tell that if you held the cup any harder, it would shatter, “Let me just take this from you.”

Atsumu finally looks at you, he’s waving a hand but you look away from him. He’s puzzled but when you lock your eyes on Osamu; your lips form a smile. You decide to do the same thing those girls were doing to your boyfriend. Your finger wrapped around your hair, your giggle ringing in Atsumu’s ear, your hand suddenly reaches out to Osamu’s shoulder; your finger dragging along his arm. Osamu smirks, he knew exactly what you were doing.

Atsumu had now abandoned the girls mid-sentence. He’s quick to pull your wrist away, his hands covering your cheeks as he breathing you into his lips. He keeps you locked on his lips, for a minute the restaurant falls dead silent. The background noise of the bustling business comes back as he lets you go. Casually, he slips into the seat next to you; relaying his and your order to his brother while you glance at the women by the door. A smirk on your lips seeing their mouths fallen open.

The Piggyback Ride

He was purposely making you walk by yourself, when he told you that the night out with some of his friends, you insisted on wearing the new pair of heels. What he failed to mention or perhaps he did and you weren’t listening, was that the night consisted of various bars, clubs, and even karaoke.  So midway through the night, your feet ached, you walked with small limps as you clung to your boyfriend.

“Tsumu, can you carry me?” Everyone was getting ready to hit the next club, as you stood to your feet, you held onto his arm for dear life, “Please.”

He chuckled, fingers gripping your chin as he placed a kiss to your lips, “No.” You frowned, “I told you to wear comfortable shoes.”. He was choosing this moment to prove that he was right. You recall the other time when you forgot a jacket and he refused to give you his to teach you a lesson.

But you know your boyfriend will concede at some point, the more pain you display on your face, the more he’s likely to give in and do whatever you want; yet, there was something about tonight that made you just really want to get back at him, make him suffer.

“Koutarou!” You stopped the male just as he was putting his jacket on, “My feet really hurt, do you think you could carry me to the next place.” You gave him a pout.

“Of course!” He beamed, automatically bending down so you could jump on his back.

You squealed, Atsumu’s hand tightened around your waist but you quickly pushed his arm away, opting to wrap yourself on the back of a man who wasn’t your boyfriend. Atsumu had a scowl on his face the entire time and you just felt like you needed to rub it in a little more.

“Wow Bo.” Your arms wrapped around his neck, he looks back at you curiously, “You’re so strong! I’m surprised you don’t have a girlfriend yet when you can carry me like its nothing.” Bokuto beams, a hearty laugh coming from his mouth as he starts to feel energetic. Your boyfriend’s scowl deepens, “You carry me so much better than Atsumu.”

Atsumu gripped the back of your shirt, pulling you abruptly to make you shriek as you fall back. Bokuto lets go of your legs out of sudden surprise, your heart dropping as you have the falling sensation. Atsumu’s arm supports your back, the other catching you from under your knees; your arms instinctively hold against his shoulder as he carries you in his arms.

A blush appearing on your cheeks as you suddenly realize you’re being carried in his arms bridal style. He still has a scowl on his lips, you press a kiss on his cheek in hopes to get a small smile and he does, he cracks the tiniest of grins.

“You’re so spoiled.” He says.

You laugh against his shoulder, “You’re the one who spoils me.”

[auburnaudry]

Am I Your Forever? - Brock Boeser

A/N: I had lots of free time this weekend now that I’m taking a break from my series. I love Brock and this has been living in my head for a while so I finally decided to write it. I also just wanted to get this out so it’s super unedited, sorry in advance.

Summary: You wanted Brock to be your forever but sometimes he says things that make you think your not his end game. (Ends super fluffy)

Word count: 2410 words

You and Brock had been dating for almost 4 years. He was it for you and you assumed you were it for him, you were perfect for eachother. Your relationship obviously had its challenges but nothing you two couldn’t figure out and over come.

You both were getting ready for Bo and Hollys engagement party and of course Brock was ready way before you.

You were putting your last earring in when Brock came up behind you, slipping his arms around your waste and placing sweet kisses on your exposed shoulder.

“You almost ready” he whispered as his mouth was still attached to you shoulder. He looked up at you through the mirror and your heart melted at the sight.

“Yeah I just need to get dressed then I’ll be ready” he nodded against your shoulder and kept you in his arms, closing his eye for a few seconds.

“Which I can only do if you let go of me” you continued. He chuckled and placed one last kiss to your neck as he let his hands fall slowly down your hips until he wasn’t touching you anymore.

You walked over to your shared closet and slowly slipped your clothes off, leaving you in just your underwear. You took the dress you planned on wearing off it’s hanger and slipped it on. You quickly turned around to call for Brock to help you with the zipper but he was already standing in front of you, leaning on the frame of the closet door.

Brocks cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he was clearly caught watching you changed. Even after almost 4 years of being together he still blushed at innocent moments like that and it made you fall more in love every single time.

“Can you please zip it bubs?” You asked him with a smirk. He didn’t answer, just walked over and motion for you to turn around. He left small kisses on your exposed back as he zipped you up. When he finished zipping the dress he slipped his arms around your waste again.

“Now are we ready? We going to be late if we don’t head over soon.” You and Brock were usually late to most casual events that didn’t have an exact start time. You both got teased about it, everyone thinking you two just couldn’t keep your hands off eachother. But in reality, you too just enjoyed taking your time to get ready and were never in a rush. It’s one of the reasons you two fit so perfectly together, you never put too much pressure on things, you both liked to go with the flow.

The ride over to the party was comfortably silent. You guys were enjoying each others company and the last bit of quiet before you were stuck with hours of loud music and constant talking.

Your stared out the window thinking about you and Brocks future engagement, how fun it will be to be engaged to your best friend and the love of your life. You two didn’t talk about the future too often because, again, you both liked to go with the flow. The few times it did come up though, he seemed excited and like a future with you was something he wanted.

When you arrived to the party, you were pulled from you thoughts by Brocks hand giving yours a squeeze.

“You ready?” He questioned.

“Always” your go to response anytime he asked you that. You entered the party hand in hand and began greeting everyone you knew.

Later on in the evening, you were sitting at your table with other canucks players and their significant others. These people had become family to you in the time that you’ve been with Brock, so the entire night had been filled with laughs and light hearted conversation.

“So are you guys next?” Micaela spoke looking in yours and Brocks direction. Before you had the chance to answer though, Brock spoke.

“No definitely not” he said laughing. Everyone else at the tabled laughed along. You just gave a small smile, pretending to not be hurt by his words. You weren’t one to make a scene and say something in front of other people so you bottled it up and hoped that you would have enough courage to bring it up when you two made it home.

The rest of the night, you were consumed by your own thoughts. Why did he sound so disgusted at the thought of marrying you? Your heart physically ached. Were you stupid to think he was the one?

You tried your best to seem unfazed by his comment but it kept eating away at you.

“You okay babe?” Brock whispered in your ear on the dance floor. You were lucky because he too hated drawing attention to your problems in public.

“Of course, just tired.” You weren’t sure if you voice was convincing enough, but it must have been because Brock dropped it.

“Me too, we can head home soon.” And within the next 30 mins you were saying your goodbye and congratulating Bo and Holly on your way out.

The ride home was quiet, but not the comfortable silence you felt on the way to the party. But you didn’t want to bring up your feelings. You were embarrassed that you were on a completely different page than your boyfriend.

As soon as the car was parked, you hopped out and went inside. You stripped your clothes and threw on your Pjs, too tired to even take a shower. You wiped your makeup off with a wipe and washed your face. As you started to brush your teeth Brock walked into the bathroom. He wrapped his arms around your middle again and kissed your cheek.

“Your sure your okay? You seem off.” He asked looking you directly in your eyes through the mirror in front of you. The eyes contact made you nervous so you looked down at the sink and nodded since you couldn’t respond with your mouth full of toothpaste.

You finished your nightly routine and crawled into bed. Shortly after, Brock turned all the lights off and crawled into bed next to you. He pulled you into his chest and kissed the top of your head.

“I love you baby girl, goodnight” you could tell Brock was a little worried about you but didn’t want to push things, so he didn’t bring it up again. He knew you would bring it up to him if something was really bothering you or when you were ready.

“Love you too, night” and with that you both went to sleep.

...

You and Brock were having a relaxing day at home with the puppies. It was rare that you got an entire day to spend together doing whatever you wanted so you decided on staying home and just enjoying each others company.

You were cuddled up on the couch talking about anything and everything with the TV playing in the background. You were interrupted by Brocks phone buzzing from under you and you were forced to get up and look for it.

“Hey mom” he answers the FaceTime call when he finally found the phone between the couch cushions. You also say hello and then leave to go grab a snack from the kitchen. When you got back to the couch, you focused on the TV while Brock continued his conversation with his mother.

“So when are you two going to get married.” Laurie asked. You weren’t paying much attention before so you weren’t sure how it even came up, but now you were completely focused on how Brock was going to respond.

“Couldn’t tell you, stop asking.” Again your heart sank into your stomach. This is now the second time he was asked about marrying you and his response was the same both times.

Just like the night of the engagement party a couple weeks earlier, you got lost in your thoughts again, questioning your entire relationship.

They continued talking for a little bit and eventually you and Brock said your goodbyes to Laurie. You stayed quiet for the rest of the day and avoided Brocks touch. You were so upset, but again you were too embarrassed to even bring up how you were feeling.

That night you decided to take a bath. You didn’t take baths often but loved it when you had the time. You always asked Brock if he wanted to join, but tonight you were too upset with him. So when he took the dogs on their walk, you went to the bathroom and shut the door.

You filled the bath with bubbles and a fun LED light to set the mood. You had just recently installed a TV in the bathroom for nights like this, so you turned on your favorite show and got into the tub. It was really calm and relaxing for about 5 mins but your body tensed up when you heard Brocks voice.

“Babeeee?” He called through the house. You could hear his footsteps get closer to the master bedroom “Bubs are you in here?” You didn’t respond. You thought maybe he would give up after looking in the master bedroom, but you were wrong.

He must have noticed the bathroom door was shut and the lights were on because soon after he called for you he knocked lightly on the door.

“Hey baby you in there?” His voice was sweet, laced with a little bit of concern, probably since you weren’t in the spot he had left you before he walked the dogs.

“Yeah babe.” You tried your best not to give away the fact that you were upset. You heard the door handle jiggle followed by the squeaking of the hinges as Brock opened the door to peak his head in.

“You didn’t tell me it was bath time.” He looked at you, a little hurt that you didn’t invite him.

“Sorry” was the only response you could think of.

“What’s wrong babe, your acting weird.” He walked into the bathroom and kneeled beside the tub. All of a sudden you felt extremely exposed and wrapped your arms around your chest to cover the bit that was visible over the bubbled.

Tears started rolling down you face and you couldn’t hold it in anymore. Brock quickly stood and undressed himself moving you slightly so he could slip in behind you. He held you, trying to make you feel better, but you didn’t relax into his touch and it was very noticeable.

“D-did I do something?” He questioned. You slowly nodded, turning yourself around in the tub and sitting across from him. His face fell as you nodded and moved away from him.

“Are you breaking up with me?” He whispered clearly afraid of the answer.

“No no of course not I-I would never.” You voice was still a little shaky from the crying. His expression soften from your reassurance.

“What’s wrong baby, you have to tell me.” He grabbed one of your feet as he spoke and started to rub it. You were quick to pull it away because you wanted his full attention on you.

“Do you not want to marry me?” Now you were the one whispering, afraid of what the answer might be.

“What? Of course I want to marry you one day, what kind of question even is that?” You looked at him confused.

“When mic asked when we were gonna get engaged at Holly and Bo’s party you acted disgusted at the thought and today your mom asked you a similar question and again you responded like she was crazy for asking.” He now understood why you were so upset and he felt so guilty “I-I just... it really hurt my feelings, like is the thought of marrying me that bad? And if you don’t want to marry me are we just wasting our -“ Brock cut you off before you could even finish your sentence.

“Please don’t ever think like that, I love you more than anything, I want you to be my wife and I want to start a family with you.” You finally felt at ease with his words “I only responded like that because we are really private about our relationship, and I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable if I said yes and then everyone starts asking questions. And we really haven’t talked about it ourselves much so I didn’t want to put you on the spot. I wasn’t sure if you were on the same page as me, so I responded the way I did to get everyone off our backs.” He reached out and grabbed your hand and pulled you back between his legs with your back to his chest. “I’m sorry I hurt you and had you second guessing us.” You now understood where he was coming from and why he said the things he said

“It’s okay I understand now, I’m sorry I didn’t bring it up sooner.” He kissed your exposed shoulder and you finally relaxed into his touch.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He spoke after a few short moments of silence.

“Hmm?” You hummed, unsure what he was alluding to.

“About us, our future?” You smiled and grabbed one of his hands from your waste, bringing it to your mouth to place a kiss on it.

“I would love nothing more.” With that, you two talked about your future and when you wanted to get engaged, how long you wanted to be engaged before you got married, how long after you got married did you want to start having kids, how many kids you guys wanted, and so on. You spent so much time talking, the water turned cold and you were forced to get out of the bath.

You both dried off and finished your nightly routines, meeting eachother in bed. Once you were both laying comfortably in bed, Brock pulled you in for a long, passionate kiss. When you both pulled away to catch your breathe he rested his forehead against yours.

“I love you and want to spend the rest off my life with you, please don’t ever doubt that.” Brock whispered.

“Good cause your stuck with me .” The rest of the night was spent kissing and exchanging I love you’s. You truly couldn’t have picked a better guy to spend the rest of your life with. 

[seijorhi]

Ohhhhh kuroos doing a good job of tutoring bokuto in school lately (bc bby owl is a dumb dumb). Bokuto decides to thank kuroo and gives him a present - the girl kuroo has been after for a while, unconscious and lying in his bed 🙊🙉🙈

You... you just get me, anon 😌

Kuroo Tetsuro x Female Reader

TW kidnapping, drugging, implied dub/non-con ~ Part II • Part III

Gift Wrapped

“Fifty six!”

Bokuto’s hand slams down a stack of papers onto the desk and sure enough, written in big loopy red handwriting, circled and underlined at the top of the first page of the exam paper is his score - fifty six out of a hundred. Barely a pass.

“I freakin’ killed it!”

Kuroo can barely suppress his sardonic grin as he looks up at his friend, “Well look at you! Amazing what a little bit of study can do, huh? You’re a shining beacon of hope for idiots everywhere.”

Normally that would get a little rise out of the Ace, but Bokuto’s beaming grin doesn’t waver, and he’s kind of rocking back and forth on his heels like a little kid about to be set loose in a candy store. “You know I can’t study for shit. You really saved my ass on this one, Kuroo!”

Kuroo knows his friend too well to buy into the flattery, much less the innocent look that’s plastered across his face. A single eyebrow cocks, “You’re acting… weird. Why?” he asks suspiciously.

Bo’s grin widens and Kuroo’s stomach sinks. Whatever this is, he knows it can’t be good. Suddenly he wishes that Akaashi were here. Between the two of them, he’s always been better at managing Bokuto’s less than well thought out impulses. Unfortunately for him, the ex-setter was out of town for the weekend, meaning that whatever hell Bokuto was no doubt about to unleash would be solely his problem.

“Don’t be a dick! I am trying to be nice here, I even got you a present to say thanks for tutoring me!” Bokuto grumbles.

Now that makes him pause. “A… present?” Somehow it doesn’t ease the weird feeling in his gut. It’s not that he thinks Bokuto’s incapable of giving a gift out of the kindness of his heart, or that it would necessarily be a bad one, but the shit eating smile on his face that has yet to shift isn’t filling him with boundless confidence. It’s also apparent that aside from his test paper, his friend is empty handed. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m not gonna like this gift very much?”

Something in Bokuto’s eyes glints. “Oh trust me, dude. You’re gonna love it!”

He doubts it, but keeps his mouth shut as Bokuto grabs his arm and pulls him (or tries to, at least) to his feet.

Kuroo’s frown only deepens when he’s led down the hallway, passing his own bedroom and stopping in front of Bokuto’s. “Why are we-”

“Just shut up and close your eyes.”

Kuroo takes a deep breath, “Bo-”

“Dude, just- just trust me okay! Shut your eyes and don’t open ‘em until I say so,” he orders.

Kuroo eyes his friend warily, but after a moment he complies, praying to god that he’s not gonna regret this. He’s not exactly the cleanest guy himself, but he’s avoided going into Bo’s room at all costs - it’s kind of a health hazard. 

But he trusts Bokuto.

Mostly.

He hears the handle turn and the squeak of the hinges as the door swings open, and he tries not to snort as Bokuto grabs him by the arm and leads him inside. 

“… Alriiiight, open!”

Kuroo does as he’s told. He blinks in surprise, Bokuto’s room is exactly as he remembers it. Clothes, in varying states of cleanliness, littered across the floor. Dirty plates and empty cups spread out across almost every available surface, A few textbooks with various paragraphs highlighted lying open on his desk next to his laptop (browser window open at the pornhub homepage), but Kuroo can’t focus on any of that, because he’s staring at Bokuto’s bed.

Rather, the figure lying on top of Bokuto’s bed.

His breath catches in his throat, heart pounding almost painfully in his chest. It’s like the world’s stood still. He risks a glance out of the corner of his eye at Bokuto, but his friend’s just grinning wildly at him, as if he knows that-

As if he knows that this is the only thing Kuroo Tetsuro has ever wanted.

He can’t bring himself to speak, to ask how Bokuto of all people knows his dirty little secret when he’s tried so hard to keep it to himself… but, in that moment he doesn’t even care.

Because you’re lying there in front of him, in a pretty sundress, hair flowing free and spilling across the pillows, your chest rising and falling gently in your sleep. God, you just look so beautiful and so very, very defenceless.

He starts walking towards the bed before his brain even catches up with him. There are a thousand questions running through his mind as he carefully settles himself down on the mattress beside you - least of which is how the hell Bokuto even managed to get you here, but before he can ask you let out a soft sigh that sounds almost like a moan and his thoughts disappear entirely. He reaches for you, his hand trembling, and ever so gently, as if he’s afraid you’ll fade away before him, and tucks a lock of your hair behind your ear.

He shudders out a gasp. You’re real.

You’re really here. 

With him.

How many months had he been watching you in the classes you share together, following you around campus like a lost puppy dog? How many times had he thought about bringing you home, making a move to finally claim you as his?

This… this is his gift? He raises his eyes to look at Bokuto once more, only to find him practically vibrating with excitement. “Did I do good? Did I do good, huh?? Tell me I did good!” he says with a booming laugh, clapping Kuroo on the back.

And Kuroo can’t help but chuckle. Really, he should be more than a little alarmed that one of his best friends is more than comfortable essentially kidnapping a girl just to make him happy, but he’s no saint either. So he grins and nods his head. “Yeah, you did good, man.”

“Ahh, it was nothing!” he replies with a dismissive wave.

He almost rolls his eyes at that, but a sudden thought makes him pause. “Why is she here though, in your bedroom?”

Bokuto snorts, “Well I could hardly sneak her into your room this morning, now could I?”

Eh, he can’t argue with that. 

His attention moves back to you, deep in whatever drugged slumber Bokuto managed to induce. It’s not the first time he’s seen you sleeping of course, but it’s the first time he’s ever been close enough to touch you.

“Bo?”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Find somewhere else to crash tonight.”

Rather than being offended, he just laughs again, “What? Don’t think you’ll be able to keep it to your room?”

Kuroo’s lips curl into a smirk as he brushes the back of his knuckles against your cheek, but he doesn’t reply. Doesn’t really need to - they’ve always been on the same kind of wavelength with stuff like this. 

Bokuto just shrugs and shoots a wink, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

And then he’s gone, and it’s just the two of you. Slowly, gently, he eases you up off the bed and into his arms. Your head lolls back against his shoulder and he fights off a groan. Your skin is so soft and you feel so good in his arms. He can smell the subtle perfume of your hair and he falls in love with you all over again. He wonders, not for the first time, if you’ll taste just as sweet.

You’re perfect, but he’s known that for a long, long time. 

He can’t help but smile as he carries you into his room and lays you down onto his bed. So many possibilities, he can’t help but be a little excited.

God knows he’s wrapped his hand around his cock and jerked off to countless fantasies about what he’d do when he finally had you, but in those fantasies you were always awake, if not an active, eager participant.

He wants you aware the first time he fucks you, the first time he makes you cum for him. He wants to hear all your pretty sounds, feel your body tighten and writhe beneath his touch. He wants to stare at your face as you come undone for him.

It’s fine though, he thinks as he lies down on the bed beside you, pulling you into his arms. He doesn’t mind waiting, not when the two of you have the rest of your lives together to play each and every one of them out.

But surely a stolen kiss won’t hurt in the meantime, right?

~ Part 2

[winchesterxxi]

To Make you Mine (Din Djarin x Reader)

Rating: PG-13

Type: Fluff

Summary: Din got the darksaber and as we know he can’t yield it to Bo Katan, it needs to be won in a fight. He doesn’t want the darksaber to land in Bo’s hands because she doesn’t sit right with him, so he suggests you take it, along with an interesting proposal

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: CH.16 SPOILERS, graphical descriptions of violence, mentions of blood, implications of sex

A/N: This idea came to me in one of my many maladaptative daydreaming moments a few weeks ago so bear with me

MASTERPOST | REQUEST HERE | KO-FI

✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸

You were trying to find a sense of normality.

After yours and Din’s life had been turned upside down just the week before, with losing your home and giving away your kid all in less than a couple of days, you had to go somewhere and deal with things. And you knew the Mandalorian by your side would never willingly take a single day off.

But with the help of a newly acquired ally, who also happens to have become the newest leader of Jabba’s Palace, Boba Fett, you managed to get in the possession of a small A-47 Airspeeder. Having a friend feared by all of Tatooine had its advantages.

You flew the fighter to what you knew to be a safe place to rest, across the galaxy: the forest moon of Endor.

You landed three days ago, and you and Din have been living a nomad life, using the ship to sleep in and igniting fire every day and night to cook and keep yourselves warm. You could’ve easily settled on a planet with a more hospitality feel to it; staying in an inn. But you knew this is what you both needed – fresh air away from everyone.

Despite Din’s way of dealing with the past events was to either cry alone or keep quiet, you always found intense physical activity the best way to blow off some steam. Tragic events had a way of making you angry, and this is the coping mechanism you found.

Slipping out of the small cot in which you were pressed against Din’s chest, you get some sturdier clothes on and get out of the ship, and run in big circles until you feel tired.

Once you were in your 15th lap, you couldn’t really tell anymore at this point, Din descends from the ship, full armor on which catches your eye.

“What’s wrong?” you yell so that he can hear you from how far you are.

From where he stands, he simply motions you to come closer with his left hand. You stop running and head in his direction instead, regaining your breath.

“What’s so important, you couldn’t wait for me to run my laps?” you question him, letting your hair loosen itself from the tight ponytail in which you had put it in to prevent it from getting in your way.

“I was thinking about something, and I’ve come to a decision.” His modulated voice explains calmly.

“Okay… and what decision have you exactly come to?”

“I don’t want the dark saber.”

“Yeah, you made that pretty clear to everyone three days ago.” you frown up at him, not understanding where the conversation was going.

“And I don’t trust Bo Katan.” You nod along, following his words.

“I want you to have it.”

You almost choke on your own spit when he communicates his decision to you, completely aloof as to why he would’ve thought of such a stupid thing.

“Are you out of your kriffing mind?!” you practically yell at him, waving your hands in the air, striding away from him to calm yourself down. You take a deep breath before turning to face him, still a few feet away. “What in the galaxy makes you think that I would ever do that?! Plus, you do remember that if I were to get that thing,” you gesture to his right hand, which has since reached for the dark saber “we would have to fight over it. As in, beat each other up.”

Din doesn’t dare to get closer to you, simply talking from where he is standing.

“It’s not a thing, it’s the single most powerful weapon in all of the Mandalorian history and yes, I do know that.” His helmet nods down and you finally connect the dots as to why he was in full armor when there was virtually no one on this moon besides the both of you. You sigh and your shoulders lower. You can’t believe that you’re actually considering this, hand coming up to press against your forehead.

“What’s in it for me besides the pain in the ass of having to rule all the Mandalorians in the galaxy?”

“I’ll marry you.” Once again your body as if goes into shock, stiffening up every possible muscle and your eyes widening.

“You -…” you stop yourself, before you scream, quickly striding over to him “You’ll what now?”

“If you can win the dark saber, I’ll marry you, you’ll become part of my clan, you’ll become a Mandalorian, and no other will be able to oppose you as their ruler.”

If before your heart was beating faster than ever with a mix of rage, confusion, and just overall annoyance, it has now sunk to the bottom of your stomach.

You and Din shared a connection beyond words, having spent countless nights together, both in union acting as guardians to Grogu and if anything ever happened to him you know you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself. So many were the times when you thought you’d lose him for the crazy stunts he has pulled to save the people he loves.

It was a love that didn’t need to be spoken, rather felt or shown, but now you weren’t so sure it was reciprocated as his answer bore a purely practical solution to a problem. Not a declaration in any way.

“Oh… Yeah, that makes sense.” You can’t hide the way your body slouched slightly and your face dropped at his answer. Din walks over to you, his chest tight at the words that he wants to say to you.

“And…” He places his free gloved hand upon your cheek, causing you to look up and meet his hidden gaze. If you could see through the dark visor of his helmet you would you could see the gentle smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners as he looked adoringly at you, maybe soon “obviously, because I love you, mesh’la.”

You take a quiet breath in as your heart skips a beat at his confession. The words he’s wanted to say to you for so long and that you have longed to listen to for longer than you’d care to admit.

“I’ve lost too many things in my life, and if there is the chance for me to take you like a piece of myself for the rest of my life, I’m going to take it.” He brings his helmet down to meet your forehead and you take a deep breath before stepping backward and away from him, crouching down into a fighting stance, as you bring your hands up to be close to your face, closing them into two fists.

“Are you sure?”  You ask “What if I hurt you?”

“Give me your best.” Is all he says, igniting the saber at the same time as he reaches for the spear lodged in the back of his cape and throwing it in the direction of your chest. You grab it before it falls to the floor, handling it the way you had been instructed all those months ago when you insisted the man standing in front of you to teach you to defend yourself. “I know I’ve taught you well.”

The corner of your mouth lifts in a smile and you speed up to where he is, bringing the beskar speer down to meet the saber’s glowing blade as the sound of the clash echoes around you.

You breathe in before moving the spear to try and strike him from a different angle, moving forward as he backs away at the same time, grunting at the effort, all possible friendliness within the combat having completely flow away.

Once you finally think you have a good aim, he steps out of your trajectory, causing you to stumble forward with the momentum of the blow you were about to deliver.

“Think before striking, Y/n. We’ve done this before!” his voice comes heavy and sharp through the modulator in his helmet. Turning back at him, you are panting before running back to him, lifting your spear as if to strike him, but as his blade goes up to meet your weapon you slump below it and turn back, immediately hitting him on his defenseless back, in between the beskar plates.

He groans in pain and stumbles forward.

“Faster, Din. We’ve done this before.” You mock his earlier statement, smirking at him.

Oh. The man is pissed off. You can’t see his face, but having known him for so long you can tell by his body language that he is no longer padding around the playground. He means business.

He charges at you full force, but you block his blow with your spear, rotating and pushing it away from you at the same time, both of your weapons fly to the side.

You both look at the weapons, before looking at each other in sync, knowing exactly that you were going to try and go for the saber.

Din runs from you but you quickly catch up to him, advantages of him being in full beskar armor, weighing down on him and you only sporting some training clothes. You throw one of your legs around his waist and the other over his shoulder, rotating with his neck in the center so that you’re in front of him, and you pull your body weight to the side, bringing his own down with you.

You both fall to the ground with a heavy thud, his side crushing the leg that landed under him as you let out a cry. But you fight through the pain as you look to your side and notice that the place you are is only a few feet away from where the weapons landed. Holding him in a chuck hold with your legs, you hastily reach for the saber’s handle and switch yourself from underneath him, straddling his chest and holding the blade dangerously close to his throat.

You are both heavily breathing, you visibly sweating and his grip on you loosens as he holds his hands close to his face, surrendering.

You shakily exhale as a smile makes its way onto your lips and you nod in amusement, standing up from where you were.

Looking down at your lover, you extend him your free hand, which he takes as you pull him up to your level. He hovers over you as your right-hand turns the dark saber off, both chests still heaving up and down.

He brings his forehead down, shoulders slouching as he bows to the new Mand’alor.

“Ner alor.” My leader. “Mand’alor.” Sole Ruler.

You smile up at him once he straightens back to his full height.

“Now,” you grin with your tongue in peeking behind your teeth, and hanging the dark saber’s handle to your belt “If I remember correctly, I heard something about getting married... am I correct, my loyal subject?”

You walk slowly up to him, swaying your hips in the course.

His arms come to rest upon your waist, his voice letting out an amused hum and you just know he is smiling like an idiot underneath the beskar.

“And if I remember correctly, according to the Creed, that means that all this…” you tap with your pointer finger on the beskar of his helmet, chest and arms finalizing with a light tap of your nail against his crotch protection “gets to come off. Right?”

His grip on your waist tightens.

“Let’s go inside to find out.”

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