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joelswritingmistress · 3 months ago

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Neighbors With Benefits: Chapter 11 (Joel Miller x f!reader)

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Word Count: 2500

Warning: Mild smut/fluff

You were back to bliss. Loving Joel had you high as a kite and light as a feather. You might as well have skipped your way around that afternoon leading up to your planned night away with him.

Since you didn't have to lie to your mother anymore, at least not fully, you took your time packing your things for the night before heading out the door. Joel was already out on the course with your father, and so all that was left for you to do was check in. With your father occupied, also playing golf, you figured checking in to the room would be a safe bet.

Your heart rate picked up when you drove through the parking lot of the hotel, knowing the golf course was adjacent to it. For good measure, you tossed on a pink and blue netted ball cap and hurried inside with your duffle bag slung over one shoulder. You caught a quick glimpse of yourself in the door’s reflection and decided you did good by wearing a cute but casual blue and yellow checkered, button down dress.

As you approached the front desk a middle-aged woman smiled. “Checking in?” She asked.

You nodded. “The room should be under Joel Miller and (Y/N).” You couldn't help but couple yourself with him. It was like a personal badge of honor to broadcast that you two were together - even if it was just to one stranger.

“Looks like you're already paid in full,” the woman explained, “Can I just see some ID, please?”

You nodded and retrieved your drivers license from your purse and eagerly handed it over.

“Thank you.” She glanced at your photo, typed a few things into her computer and handed it back. “Would you like both cards, or will Mr. Miller be by to pick his up?”

“I'll take both cards and just let him know I've arrived,” you decided on the spot.

“You got it.” She shoved both key cards into a white, paper sleeve and handed them to you. “Room 612. Elevators are around this corner. Breakfast tomorrow goes from seven to ten and there are fitness rooms on every floor. Pool is on ground level and the bar in the lounge is open until midnight.”

“Thank you!” You smiled, readjusted your bag and hurried around the corner to the elevators.

“Thanks for inviting me, Tim.” Joel exchanged a handshake with your father and the two of them chipped away at the bottom halves of their beers.

“Of course.” He gave a nod. “I hope you and the Mrs. can work things out. My wife says Cecille moved back in.”

Joel cleared his throat and took a swig from his beer. “She.. she's back in the house but we're not..” he shook his head, “..we're not getting back together.”

“Oh.” Your father's eyebrows raised, “Well, I'm sorry to have mis-spoke.”

“It's fine.”

He shook his head. “No, I shouldn't have said anything.”

“It's fine,” Joel assured him. “Cecille just decided to drop back in with no notice.” He added, “So, I appreciate the hotel room. You didn't have to do that.” There was guilt that rested on Joel's shoulders, knowing Tim’s daughter was accompanying him overnight.

“You're a good man,” Tim went on, adding insult to injury. “If you need anything from us, let Jen or I know.”

“Thank you.” Joel's smile faded a bit and he masked it by the bottle. He knew his feelings for his neighbor’s only daughter were real; but he was fairly certain that Tim wouldn't see it that way.

Fuck.

“We’re having that picnic tomorrow,” your father reminded Joel as the two of them hopped into the golf cart that would lead them back to the club. “Feel free to stop by and have a beer and a burger.”

“Sounds good.”

Your father cruised the golf cart the short distance back and Joel helped him load his clubs into the trunk of his car. The men parted ways with a handshake as Joel thanked him again for the room.

“I hope you get things sorted out,” your father said with a nod. He gave a wave and slunk into the driver’s seat before driving away as the sun began to creep below the trees.

Joel loaded his car and scooted around the corner to the posh, little hotel that was tucked into the trees and overlooked the course. He made his way inside, checked in at the front desk and made his way up to room 612.

Butterflies made home in your stomach when you heard the door to the hotel room click open. You were about to rise to your feet to greet Joel, though he made his way into the room before you could.

A smile bloomed on your face when your eyes locked. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Joel grinned back and shrugged his bag off his shoulder to the floor.

“How was golf?”

“Fine.” He stood at the foot of the bed with his hands on his hips.

“Did my dad shoot for par?” You snickered but saw Joel couldn't quite smile. “What's wrong?”

Joel rounded the bed and sat down on the side of it, placing a hand gently on your ankle. You knew he couldn't help it when he leaned in and kissed you. It made you smile into the kiss.

He pulled back just an inch or two. “I feel bad for lying to your parents about all this.”

“It's not exactly a lie,” you reminded him.

Joel's eyes remained set on yours. He sighed and let his thumb dance along your ankle bone. “He comped me the room.” He began to shake his head and then looked back up.

You toyed with his hair and then rested a hand on the side of his face. “You might be the best man I've ever met.” You meant it, seeing the guilt in Joel's eyes.

“A good man wouldn't…” He shrugged.

“Joel,” you said, making his eyes meet yours again. “We’re not doing anything wrong. I get that we're neighbors, and that you're friendly with my parents, but I'm an adult.. and I love you. There's nothing wrong with what we're doing.”

Joel never looked away. His hand snaked up your calf, and he began to run his hand up and down the area. He tipped the corner of his lips up in a half-smirk. “You make a solid argument.”

You pulled him back to you, kissing him a little firmer. “As soon as I land my first real job I'm moving out,” you added, “And then you can come over to my place guilt free whenever you want.” You guided him down on top of you on the bed.

Joel’s tongue penetrated your lips and your arms wrapped around his back. “Then we wouldn't be neighbors anymore,” he whispered with a little laugh, making you smile against him.

As your hands pushed up at the back of his shirt, Joel aided your pursuit of him and ducked out of it. He hovered above you, locking his arms in place on either side of where you laid.

“I was going to take you to dinner first,” Joel said in all honesty while still smirking down at you.

“I say we do it all backwards tonight.” Your hand rested on his forearm. “Sex, dessert then dinner.”

Joel huffed a laugh. “Well, I usually don't put out unless my meal’s paid for, honey.”

You laughed a little louder, pushing yourself partway up and resting your hands behind you. Your lips were only an inch or so from his.

“If you really want to take me to dinner first I'll let you.”

Joel never broke eye contact as his fingers reached for the top button of your dress and undid it. He then did the same with the second and the third until you were able to easily shrug your shoulders out of the top of it.

Neither of you said anything else. You accepted a long, sensual kiss from Joel as your hand made home on the side of his face.

You couldn't get enough of him. You wanted to feel the weight of Joel's body. You wanted him inside of you - all the time. You wanted to watch the expression on his face and feel his breaths against your neck. Every moment of intimacy left you feeling needy and satisfied all at once.

When you felt him fill you, your breath became short. You had waited for this all afternoon - as if you hadn't just been with him in your parents’ kitchen earlier in the day. Still, it felt too long.

Joel’s fist gripped the pillow as his other pulled up on the back of your thigh. He nudged your legs apart wider with his knee and drove himself deeper into you.

“Fuck,�� you whimpered the word and it motivated him to repeat the movement again and again. “Joel.” You wanted him so badly.

Your legs pressed firmly into the outsides of his, securing him between your legs as if to tell him never to stop. And he didn't; not until he was a sweaty, panting mess on top of you, groaning out as much of your name as he could manage as he buried himself in you a final time.

Fuck. There was something euphoric about watching Joel orgasm. Not only watching but feeling him in that moment. The muscles tensed in his back and shoulders, you could feel it beneath your palms. It was erotic and hot and made you fall deeper and deeper for him. You were a Joel Miller addict.

Your lips pressed together and Joel hummed a moan into your mouth. He rocked his hips gently into you a final couple of times before letting his head fall on the pillow beneath you.

Your eyes flickered open and you eyed the ceiling, still clinging to him as he remained dormant inside of you. Your breathing steadied and you swallowed hard. Before Joel you always thought sappy moments to be corny and unrealistic. While you still wouldn't label yourself as the lovey dovey type, you couldn't help but whisper to him.

“I love you, Joel.” You felt it fiercely and fully. Since first meeting Joel, you were a changed woman.

He lifted his head and planted a firm kiss on your lips, making your eyes close again. Joel then pecked your lips several times in a row. “I fucking love you,” he said in an enthusiastic whisper.

Dessert and dinner were halted by your lust for one another. After a short intermission littered with pillow talk and gentle touches, Joel pulled you on top of him for another round of love-making followed by an aftercare shower together.

When the two of you were finally seated in a dark corner of the hotel lounge, you were still fully flushed and glowing.

Joel's hand topped yours on the table and he smirked across the way, highlighting a set of boyish dimples. “Dessert first,” he reminded you.

Your finger traced over the back of the menu. “Something decadent.”

“You already had that,” he teased, still grinning behind his menu.

“I'll require an encore,” you said back, making him laugh.

“You may be the death of me.”

“I'll be gentle.”

The two of you shared a laugh before ordering a pair of espresso martinis and two pieces of what appeared to be a rich, chocolate cake. When the dessert arrived, it didn't disappoint.

Joel forked a bite of his own and extended an arm across the table, slipping a bite into your mouth. “Decadent?” He asked.

“Very.” You raised your martini glass as you finished the bite. “To..”

“Us,” Joel finished when you didn't.

You smiled. “To us.” You tapped your glass against his. “And tackling the obstacles together.”

“I'm glad I have you in my corner, baby. It's been a long time since I've felt that way.” He took a sip, prompting you to do the same, and then you leaned across the high top table to leave a chaste kiss on his lips.

“I'll always be in your corner.”

Joel's eyes never left yours. “I know.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER

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supernovafics · 6 months ago

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series masterlist | last part — next part

pairing: modern!college!steve harrington x fem!reader, bestfriend!eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: 7.5k words

warnings: explicit language, pining, some angst, steve being very charming and flirty, weed smoking (only briefly mentioned at the end)

summary: you’re really not looking forward to your blind date with steve, but you force yourself to do it anyway

CHAPTER ONE | ❝𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕❞

Fall Semester 2015

The elevator in your dorm building was a hazard, and getting stuck in it was pretty much guaranteed.

That fact was established within the first month of school; it would break down a handful of times per week, almost always with people in it. And even though, after every incident, maintenance would say that it was “fixed for good,” it never really was.

Even with all of these issues, everyone seemed to have the same mindset. They’d rather risk getting stuck in an elevator for thirty minutes to an hour than simply walk up more than two flights of stairs. You lived on the sixth floor so you were also okay with running the risk. However, when you finally did get stuck, you regretted not just making the trek up the six flights of stairs.

There was only one other person in the elevator with you when it happened, and you weren’t sure if that was good or bad. You would’ve hated it if the elevator had been packed with people like it always was most mornings and afternoons, but it also felt like you were now being forced into having some sort of conversation with this person that you were now stuck with. So, you kind of wished that there was at least one other person in the elevator to alleviate some of the sudden awkwardness you felt.

This guy seemed entirely unbothered by the fact that it was just you and him in there. Maybe it was because you two were standing on opposite sides and he hadn’t even really noticed you yet. His eyes were focused on his phone and he looked slightly familiar, especially his mop of curly hair and the black denim jacket he was wearing, but you weren’t entirely sure how you recognized him.

You leaned back against the metal wall of the elevator and for a second your fingers mindlessly fumbled with the zipper of the hoodie you had on.

“Have you ever gotten stuck in here before?” You abruptly asked, breaking the prevailing quiet. You were good at that, filling silences that felt as if they needed to be filled. Most of the time, though, it was probably only in your head that any quietness that lingered felt awkward or uncomfortable. But, you didn’t know this guy, so everything felt awkward and uncomfortable.

“Yeah, last week,” He nodded as he looked at you, pocketing his phone in his jeans. “It only took them twenty minutes to fix it, though.”

“Okay, that’s good.”

Your words hung in the air as he nodded at them and then sat down on the floor. After a second of inward contemplation, you followed suit and sat down too.

You both stuck to your corners and things stayed quiet for a bit. The silence didn’t feel completely awkward anymore, but you still hated it just the same, and the minutes felt as if they were passing by way too slowly because of it. You wanted to think of something, anything, to say.

And then, as if the universe was trying to help you, you were randomly connecting the dots on how you vaguely recognized him.

“I think you live across the hall from me,” You said, suddenly being reminded of brief moments where you’d see him when you were heading into your dorm and he was leaving his, and vice versa. “I’m in 612.”

He looked at you and opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it when it seemed as if he realized something. His eyes widened a bit in what you could only deem as surprise, and then he was abruptly breaking your gaze. “Oh.”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How could any of what you’d just said warrant that kind of reaction?

“What?”

Before he could even answer your question, your own realization hit you and you immediately shook your head. “Oh my God. Shit. No. Any… noises that you’ve probably heard coming from my room are not me. I swear that’s my roommate.”

You weren’t sure why you suddenly became so flustered or why you felt the immediate need to correct what you were ninety-nine percent certain he was thinking right then. But the thought of being stuck in an elevator with him for however much longer, and letting him think that he had heard you having sex before felt entirely too weird.

“Anytime you hear anything, I’m probably camping out in the library,” You continued. “The second floor has become my actual home at this point.”

“Shit, that sucks.”

“Sucks” was probably an understatement. You thought back to the first week of school when your roommate brought a guy back to the room and they started making out on her bed barely ten feet away from you; you couldn’t have left the room faster.

“Yeah, it does. She’s the worst,” You said, pushing away your previous memory. “I hope your roommate is less traumatizing than mine.”

“He just started doing some frat stuff, so he’s barely ever around.”

“You’re lucky,” You told him and sighed. There was a beat of silence and then you were filling it with the first thing you could think of. “So, um, what are your thoughts on cereal?”

He looked at you, mainly confused, but it also kind of looked like he wanted to laugh. “What?”

“I don’t know,” You shrugged and crossed your legs. “I kinda hate silence, so I wanted to ask something. I also wanted to move the conversation away from the roommate sex stuff.”

“And you decided against asking the normal questions like, what’s your name or what’s your major?” He asked, an amused smile on his face.

“Sure, yeah, in hindsight those questions probably would’ve made more sense,” You responded. It was the middle of the day so you weren’t even entirely sure why your mind went to thinking about a random breakfast food instead of the two questions that you’d been asked a countless number of times since the semester started, but it did. “I just went with the first thing that came to my head.”

“Okay, well, yeah, cereal’s good, I guess,” He told you and let out a chuckle. “Is this about to turn into an ad for Cheerios or something?”

You laughed at that. “No, it’s not. Although, that would’ve been a great segue. Maybe I should become a salesperson for Cheerios.”

“Cornering people in broken down elevators like this would probably be a great strategy.”

“Very true,” You said with a nod. “They can’t go anywhere, so they’d have to listen to my sales pitch.”

He laughed. “Okay, now that I’m hearing the idea out loud it sounds like it would be harassment.”

“Shit, you’re right,” You told him and couldn’t help but laugh too. “Okay, so now that my salesperson dream is dead, let’s move on to the normal questions that I probably should’ve asked first. What’s your name and major and all of that boring stuff?”

He told you his name was Eddie, and then the elevator started moving again as he said that he was unsure about his major, but he was really into music, so he might end up doing something with that. You both were standing up and exiting the elevator once it stopped on the sixth floor and you told him your name and that you were an English major.

You two began heading down the hall to your respective dorms and as you got closer, you heard the sounds that you truly wished you weren’t familiar with, but sadly you were.

You couldn’t help but let out a sigh. You had just come from the library and you weren’t in the mood to make the walk all the way back there.

“Hey, you can come in my room, if you wanna,” Eddie said, breaking through your annoyed thoughts. “Camp out here instead of the library.”

You gave him a small smile and nodded at his offer. “Thanks.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

Spring Semester 2018

Whatever ended up happening tonight would be your fault.

You knew that.

You were the one that had suggested this blind date idea— an idea that you weren’t at all serious about, but Eddie took it seriously.

“Don’t be nervous for tonight,” He had told you earlier that day at his apartment. It was too cold to sit out on the fire escape, so you two opted for sitting on the floor in his living room, opposite sides of the coffee table, and pretending to focus on your respective class assignments.

“I’m not nervous. I’m excited,” You responded and forced a smile that you knew looked fake. It was really only a half-truth; you honestly weren’t nervous about the date, but you definitely weren’t excited.

“Yes, because that face just screams excitement,” Eddie deadpanned, reading through your disingenuous smile, and you flipped him off for the playful jab. “Don’t worry, Steve’s a nice guy.”

You weren’t the least bit worried about your date with him, you knew that it would probably be shitty because you weren’t really in the headspace to date anyone— you were way too hung up on Eddie. What you were worried about was Eddie’s date with Julia and how not shitty that could possibly end up being.

You decided to avoid that thought for the time being.

“Why am I just now hearing about this Steve guy?”

“Me and him aren’t friends friends. We’ve just had a couple classes together last semester and we have one now too. Not Music stuff, Business stuff,” Eddie explained and you nodded along. “He’s cool, though. In some weird small way, I think you and him are similar.”

You gave him an amused look. “I scream Business major to you now?”

“No, he has a History minor, and that’s kinda like English, right?”

You were shaking your head as you laughed a bit. “No, not really.”

“Oh, shit, well, it was an idea,” He said and smiled. “Anyway, I promise you’ll still like him.”

You probably should’ve responded with something along the lines of, “You’ll like Julia too,” but it felt too hard to say the words, and you also didn’t want to put that thought out into the universe.

You considered texting Eddie now, as you exited your bedroom wearing an outfit that you hoped was fine enough for tonight. You decided to send a simple “Have fun tonight,” to him, and then you were inwardly sighing, still annoyed with yourself for having proposed this entire thing in the first place.

“You look nice,” Robin’s voice pulled your attention away from your phone. You looked at where she stood in the kitchen, taking a pause from rummaging through the fridge to look at you.

“Too nice?” You asked as you glanced down at the black dress you were wearing that you paired with a simple denim jacket and sneakers because you didn’t want to look too formal and dressed up; you didn’t want to give the wrong impression.

“No?” She responded, slightly confused, and looked over at Talia for help, but your other roommate was too busy chopping peppers to notice the look. “This feels like a trick question…”

“No, sorry, it's not. It’s just,” You let out a sigh and shook your head at yourself, trying to find the best way to word what you wanted to say. You couldn’t admit to her that you didn’t even want to go on this date because that would open up a can of worms that you vowed to keep to yourself. “It’s been a while since the last time I went on a date and I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, y’know?”

You honestly didn’t want to try at all, but you didn’t want to be that much of an asshole to this guy you didn’t even know.

“You look great.” You turned to Vickie, who was sitting on the couch in the small living room area. “Perfect amounts of trying versus not trying.”

“I agree with Vick,” Talia looked up from chopping. “That’s a good outfit.”

“Okay,” You nodded. “Thanks, guys.”

“Is he here yet?” Robin asked you as she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and then shut it behind her. “Can I give him the parental third degree when he knocks on the door? The whole “What are your intentions?” blah blah blah, and “Have our darling girl back not a minute later than ten o’clock” spiel.”

You were holding back a laugh as you quickly shook your head at her words. “One, he’s not coming up here, I’m gonna just meet him downstairs. And two, if anyone was gonna give him the “parental third degree,” it would be Talia because she’s the oldest.”

“Jeez, don’t make it sound like I’m a grandma,” She said as she finished chopping and then went to grab the pot that sat on the dish drying rack. “I’m only a year older than you, and two years older than them.” She gestured to Robin and Vickie.

“You’re gonna be the best grandma ever someday, Tal,” Robin said, smiling at her.

“I completely agree. Your grandkids will fucking love those cookies you made for us last week,” Vickie nodded. “Robin, hurry, and help me choose a show to watch or I will put on the one about naked people dating that you hate.”

“Coming, coming.”

Robin took her spot next to Vickie on the couch and you leaned on the arm of it. If it was any other Friday night, you would’ve joined them because that was just how things always went; the three of you cramped together on the couch and Talia in the small loveseat. And if Eddie decided to join you all, which he did most times, you’d sit on the floor with him.

“I can’t believe I’m missing reality TV night for a stupid date.”

“You’re actually going out and doing stuff, while we’re all wasting away on the couch on a Friday night,” Robin said. “I think you’re the cool one for once.”

Your phone buzzed in your hand and your mind immediately went to Eddie, but when you looked at the notification, it was Steve saying that he was at your building. You wrote back a quick, “Okay. Coming now,” and then placed your phone in your jacket pocket.

“Okay, he’s here. I’m gonna head down.”

Vickie smiled at you. “Good luck!”

“Have fun!” Talia said. “I’ll make sure to save you some pasta just in case the restaurant he takes you to is shit.”

“Remember to use protection!” Robin told you and Vickie promptly swatted her on the arm. “Ow! I’m just saying anything is possible and you should always be prepared.”

“That’s definitely not gonna happen, but if in the very very very big off chance that it does, I promise to use protection, Rob.”

“Good,” She smiled. “This apartment is already really loud and I think the place would collapse in on itself if we added a baby to the mix.”

It was an obvious exaggeration, but still, she was actually pretty right.

There was always something going on within the four walls of the shared apartment, and eventually, it was unspokenly decided that the never-ending noise just came with the territory of having four people under one roof. Whether it be Robin playing music loudly because it somehow helped her study better, or Talia moving about in the kitchen as she cooked some sort of elaborate meal for you all, or Vickie taking over the living room to work on her drawings and putting a shitty podcast on the TV because it was the perfect background noise to keep her focused.

Somehow, this living arrangement felt nothing like your unbearable roommate situation Freshman year. You’d honestly grown to love the noisiness that quickly became a staple within the apartment; weirdly enough, it actually helped you sleep better at night.

Your neighbors probably hated the four of you, but, luckily enough, they were also college kids who were way too loud and annoying at times, so in a way, the mutual hatred simply canceled itself out.

The last thing you heard before you shut the door behind you and became engulfed by the silence in the hallway was Talia telling Robin and Vickie to turn up the volume on the TV so that she could hear the show better as she cooked.

It was then that you decided that you really didn’t want to go on this date. You wanted to watch dumb reality television with your friends, and you wanted to have Talia’s cooking, and you wanted Eddie to cancel his date and come over too.

None of that could happen, though. You knew that. So, you reluctantly forced yourself to walk toward the elevator down the hall.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

Anyone with two eyes could see that Steve Harrington was attractive, and since you were also a person with two eyes, you could recognize that too.

But, that blatantly obvious fact didn’t change your indifference toward this entire night, and you hoped that wasn’t showing.

The initial “Hi’s” and “Nice to meet you’s” when you got into his car had been awkward, to say the least, probably solely from your side of things, and you wondered if that was how the rest of the night was going to be.

You then abruptly suggested that you two skip dinner and just head straight to the movies. You made up a quick lie about how you had a big lunch earlier and weren’t hungry right then— you were just trying to do anything to make sure that the night ended faster. And although you were kind of hungry, you decided that movie theater popcorn and candy would be enough, and you could also hold out and wait for Talia’s pasta.

“So, Eddie told me that you’re an English major.”

“Yeah,” You nodded, glad that you weren’t the one who had to break the silence that had been prevailing in the car for the last minute. You could’ve simply left things at that quick answer, and let the soft sounds of the radio fill the air again for the time being. But, then you thought about the fact that you’d be stuck with him for at least the next two hours, so why not just try to make things bearable?

“And he told me that you’re minoring in History,” You said. “He also said that he thought that they were kinda similar, so I think that might be the only reason why he wanted to set us up.”

“I don’t think I could ever do English.”

“And I could never do History,” You responded with a shake of your head. “I’ve had way too many bad high school experiences with it.”

Steve took a quick glance at you and then focused back on the road. “Let me guess, asshole teachers that only cared if you memorized dates or not?”

“Exactly.”

“I completely understand your hatred for it, then.”

“Thank you,” You said. “So, what do you have against English? Too much Shakespeare bullshit in your high school classes?”

“I’ve just never been the biggest fan of reading.”

“Ouch, it truly wounds me to hear those words,” You responded and overdramatically placed a hand over your heart.

“If it makes you feel any better, I did really like reading this one series about an Italian mouse that ran a newspaper back in like fifth grade.”

You let out a laugh. “I think that actually makes me sadder.”

He looked your way again and gave you a teasing smile. “Aw, sorry, how can I make it up to you?”

The flirty undertones of his words reminded you exactly what this night was— a date. And surprisingly, for the first time all day, for the first time all week, the smallest part of you didn’t hate that. Everything was actually, surprisingly, going okay so far.

You suddenly regretted suggesting that you two skip dinner and just head straight to the movies; maybe dinner wouldn’t have been so bad.

“If you let me choose the movie we watch tonight, then maybe I’ll let this whole hating reading thing slide.”

“I don’t hate it.”

“My fatal flaw is probably trying to get people who say that they don’t like reading to like reading, so I’ll find you a book you like,” You told him. “One that doesn’t involve an Italian mouse.”

You didn’t realize how much your words implied that you’d be seeing him again after tonight until you said them, and you figured it would’ve been too weird, and maybe even a little shitty, to immediately take them back, so you didn’t.

Steve gave you a quick nod and smiled too. “Can’t wait for that.”

“I would still like to be the one to choose the movie tonight, though.”

“That depends on how your movie taste is.”

“It’s great,” You told him. “My roommates always look to me for recommendations, and they’ve never been disappointed.”

“How many do you have?”

“Three.”

“Wow.”

You laughed a bit at his surprise. “Okay, it’s not that insane.” You then considered your words for a second. “Actually, it is, but I like it. I’m guessing you don’t have any roommates?”

Steve shook his head. “No, I like having my own space.”

“I tried that last year,” You responded. “This one bedroom dorm opened up at the last second, so I took it. But, living alone was just so boring and quiet.”

“So you went from none to three?” He asked, sounding amused and you laughed.

“Yeah, I know that sounds crazy, but at first, it was only going to be one. I met Robin through Eddie like a year and a half ago— even though she was a Freshman, she was in this advanced music theory class with him. We became friends easily. She hated the roommate she had and I hated living alone so we talked a lot about living together that next year. She also had a friend, Vickie, who hated the dorms too, so then it was the three of us looking for an off-campus place. But, we found this really nice four-bedroom apartment, and we thought fuck it let’s just do that, and then we found Talia on one of those “searching for roommates” Facebook pages.” You didn’t realize just how long you’d been talking until you were done. “Sorry, that was such a long-winded story.”

Steve was pulling into the packed parking lot of the movie theater as he shook his head. “No, it wasn’t.”

“I think you’re being way too nice to me right now,” You said, unbuckling your seatbelt once he was parked. “And I’ll return that niceness and let you pick the movie tonight. But, please, nothing that’s the Fast and the Furious or similar.”

“Shit, those are my favorite kinds of movies,” He said and you could hear the playful undertones in his voice.

You jokingly started to rebuckle your seatbelt. “Oh, well, in that case, I think we can just end the night here.”

��I’m kidding. My favorite genre is definitely cheesy romcoms.”

“You’re just trying to appeal to your audience now,” You said with a playful roll of your eyes.

He smiled at you. “Is it working?”

“Maybe a little,” You said before breaking his gaze and stepping out of the car.

Most of the showings for the new movies that were playing were either sold out or the few seats that were left weren’t next to each other, which made a lot of sense for a Friday night. In hindsight, it probably would’ve been best to have planned things a bit better earlier.

The only non-sold out movie that you both were okay with watching was the second Hunger Games one; which was only playing because of some special thing they were doing at the theater where they were showing all of the movies from the series over the weekend. Aside from you and Steve, there were only a handful of other people in the theater, and you even had the entire row you were in to yourselves.

You weirdly felt more comfortable than any of the other dates that you had forced yourself to go on over the past two years— which all had been nothing more and nothing less than half-assed attempts to get over Eddie; attempts that always ended with you feeling stupid and only wanting him more.

Maybe you were completely fine at this moment because you had absolutely nothing to lose with this date. If it went badly, it wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. And you fully weren’t expecting anything to come from it, anyway.

You also didn’t want anything more to stem from it. You weren’t using this as a way to try and get over Eddie, you were just holding up your end of the deal that you and him made.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

Steve was a charmer, and he probably did this kind of thing a lot; you could tell because he was so fucking smooth at it. The way he easily found your hand and linked it with his during the first twenty minutes of the movie, and then how he eventually pushed up the armrest that sat between you two to whisper a joke into your ear, but he never put it back down and instead wrapped an arm around you as you laughed.

It felt right to lean into his touch, and it was kind of cold in the theater, so that helped justify the decision too. And then there was also the fact that you knew that you wouldn’t be seeing him after tonight, so it felt okay to simply say “fuck it” for the time being.

“I can’t remember the last time I saw that movie,” You said afterward as the two of you walked back to his car. “I completely forgot about the ending.”

He was still holding your hand and you still didn’t mind it all too much. Your other hand was stuffed in the pocket of your jacket, mindlessly playing with the wrapper of your half eaten pack of Skittles.

“Yeah, it’s kind of an insane cliffhanger for the movie to end on. It reminded me of what it felt like waiting a year for the next one,” Steve responded as he walked you to the passenger side of his car and you turned around to look up at him instead of opening the door.

“Y’know, if you had read the books, it wouldn’t have felt like much of a cliffhanger,” You said teasingly, a small smile on your face.

He let out a laugh. “You’re never gonna let me live down this book thing, are you?”

“Nope, never.”

Instead of saying anything in response to your still teasing words, Steve closed the small bit of distance between you two and pressed his lips against yours.

Maybe you should’ve seen it coming because of how close you’d been standing and the sweet smile he was giving you right then, but you didn’t.

His hand that wasn’t linked with yours came up to cup your cheek, and then the other let go of your hand and found your waist.

You felt something twist in your stomach, a fluttery feeling that you weren’t at all used to, and instead of focusing on it, you attempted to simply shut your mind off completely.

Steve was a good kisser, really good. And just for a moment, it felt entirely right to simply kiss him back and not think or worry about anything else. One of your hands took on a mind of its own and carded through the hair at the nape of his neck and pulled him closer to you.

For the briefest of moments, you genuinely felt content. Like you were living in a different version of your life, and you didn’t mind it all too much.

But then, suddenly, it was as if everything that you shouldn’t have been thinking about, especially right then, hit you like a ton of bricks. And you were back to being your normal self.

Your mind became consumed with nothing but thoughts of Eddie. You started wondering if his date was going well, if he was joking around and laughing with Julia, if he was kissing her too. The thought of any of that happening made you feel equal parts sad and worried.

A part of you wished that you would’ve set him up with a shitty person so that the odds for the date going badly would be high, but you knew that you would’ve felt way too guilty about doing that. Therefore, instead you asked Julia, who you had met last semester in a creative writing class. She was really cool and interesting, and you could see her and Eddie getting along well enough.

Shit. Maybe too well?

Now, all at once, the only thing you could really think about was how much of a bad idea this was. All of it.

You shouldn’t be standing in this parking lot kissing Steve right now. Eddie shouldn’t be out with Julia. You shouldn’t have suggested this idea in the first place, and you definitely should’ve never gone through with it. All of this was so dumb.

You were abruptly pulling away from Steve.

“I’m sorry. I can’t,” You said softly as you dropped your gaze to the ground because it felt too hard and too embarrassing to hold eye contact with him in that moment. “It, um— This shouldn’t have happened. I… I like Eddie.”

You had never actually said those three words out loud— not even to Robin; although there were a bunch of moments in the past year and a half of knowing her that you had wanted to— and you weren’t even entirely sure why you were finally saying them in this moment. But, it felt like Steve deserved to have somewhat of an explanation as to why you needed this date to immediately end.

“Oh,” Was all he said at first, and then he was nodding as he seemed to process what you just said.

You weren’t sure what you expected him to say in response to your sudden confession. Perhaps it was simply your turn to talk and just ask if he could take you back to your apartment, where you were certain that you’d spend the rest of the night trying to forget that any of this ever happened.

Did you also now need to tell him to keep this secret that no one in your life knew? Maybe that was obvious? You weren’t entirely sure yet.

But then, before you could even really think about saying anything, Steve let out a breath of a laugh, as if he was being hit with an “aha!” moment. “Oh, if this whole blind date thing was about making him jealous we could’ve done something completely different. A double date would’ve probably made a lot more sense.”

You were quickly shaking your head at his words. “What? No. It’s not about making him jealous.”

“Okay… So, then, what is it about?” Steve asked, and somehow his question didn’t sound the least bit condescending or accusatory or annoyed, he just sounded genuinely curious. “Why did you let him set you up on a blind date and why did you set him up on one?”

That was a great question; one that you still felt entirely embarrassed by the answer to. “I don’t know… It’s not about anything.”

Before he could ask another question that you probably wouldn’t want to answer, you were stepping away from his car and letting your feet lead you away from him and the conversation completely. You weren’t sure where you were going, but you decided that that was okay because right then all you wanted was to forget about everything that had just happened.

You didn’t think that any of this— your need to avoid talking about what you honestly should’ve never said in the first place— really had anything to do with Steve, specifically. He was just collateral damage in this entire thing, and you actually kind of felt bad about that. He was also now the one person that knew something about you that nobody else in your life did.

You had only been walking for a few seconds, you hadn’t even left the movie theater parking lot yet, before he was catching up to you.

“Hey, I’m sorry about what I said, and for probably being an asshole back there. I’m just really confused right now,” He said as he fell in step with you. You still had no idea where you were going, but the street was long enough that you had a lot of time before you would have to choose if you wanted to make a left or right.

“No, don’t be sorry. This isn’t about what you said. Well, it is. But, I’m not mad about it,” You told him, keeping your gaze focused on the sidewalk ahead of you that was lit up by shitty streetlights on this road that you were seventy percent sure eventually led to a Target.

Things became quiet for a moment as you two kept walking. A part of you expected him to leave you and head back to his car, but he didn’t.

You still did not want to have this conversation— that you had technically initiated— with him, but you apparently could not run away from it, so you took a glance at him and then sighed and decided to actually be honest. “It’s just… I’m realizing that this whole thing was so stupid and I feel like such an idiot right now. I also feel like an asshole for dragging you into all of this. It was dumb of me to go on this date.”

“You’re not an idiot. And you’re not an asshole either,” Steve said with a shake of his head, and you didn’t get the chance to protest his words before he continued. “One date doesn’t really mean anything, and I didn’t expect anything more to happen after tonight.”

Hearing his words actually made you feel a little better. You still definitely felt like an idiot, but you didn’t feel too much like an asshole anymore.

“Okay,” Steve continued. “So you like Eddie.”

Hearing the words out loud, spoken so nonchalantly and from someone that wasn’t you, felt almost too weird, and maybe even a little wrong. But then, there was also the smallest part of you that felt sort of relieved that you weren’t keeping this solely to yourself anymore.

You were quiet for a second and then you were nodding at his previous statement before saying, “You’re the only person I’ve ever talked about this with.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, me and Eddie have a ton of the same friends, so it always just felt easier, I guess, to keep it to myself,” You explained, hands stuffing into the pockets of your jacket. “And also, never talking about it or actually admitting it out loud kind of, in a way, made it feel like it wasn’t really real. Which, I know sounds very dumb, but it was a really helpful mindset to have when he was dating someone for almost two years.”

“That makes sense,” Steve said. “Okay, I know the answer to this question is probably obvious, but you do wanna be with him, right?”

After another beat of silence, you were nodding again, no longer feeling embarrassed to admit it. You thought back to a moment that happened years ago in Eddie’s dorm room— sitting on his bed and listening to a band that he wanted to show you, and everything just suddenly switching for you. “Yeah.”

For the most part, Steve was still a stranger, but for some reason it no longer felt weird or awkward talking about this with him. And wasn’t that the saying, anyway— it was always easier to pour your heart out to a stranger?

“Okay,” He started with a nod, and you wondered where he was going with his words. “Then, you should make him jealous.”

You immediately laughed, assuming he was joking, but when he didn’t join in, you abruptly stopped. “You’re being serious?”

“Yeah, seriously, make him jealous,” Steve said. “Trust me, it’s a thing. If he has any sort of romantic feelings toward you, once he sees that you’re in a "relationship" he’ll finally realize it.”

He made it sound so easy, so obvious. But, it wasn’t.

“That’s literally impossible. I’m not anywhere close to being in a relationship.”

“We could pretend to date,” He responded with a shrug.

And for a second, you considered it— genuinely considered it. And a part of you actually wanted to say yes, but then you were thinking about how “dating” Steve just to potentially make Eddie jealous sounded slightly manipulative and at least a little messed up.

“I don’t know… Wouldn’t that be kind of a shitty thing to do?”

Steve shook his head. “Okay, as a guy, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we’re very stupid most of the time. And sometimes we need that little push to realize something that probably should’ve been obvious.”

You had to admit, his words kinda made sense. But, doing this— fake dating him to maybe see if Eddie liked you back— had the potential of being one of the dumbest things you’d ever done. Still though, you couldn’t help but consider it.

And maybe that was the problem. You kept considering doing anything and everything except telling Eddie how you felt.

“I think I’ll just… finally be honest with him,” You said, but even as the words left your lips, you knew that you were lying.

“That works too. Why haven’t you been honest with him sooner?”

You let out a sigh. “He started dating someone and I thought I missed my chance. And even though he’s been single for months now, I really don’t wanna ruin the friendship.” Saying the words aloud reminded you of how terrifyingly true they were. “You know what, maybe I’ll just keep burying my feelings down like I have been for the past few years.”

“That sounds like a sad life.”

“Thank you,” You said dryly as you pulled out your half-eaten bag of Skittles and poured some in your hand and then held the pack out for Steve in a silent offering.

He opened his palm out toward you and you poured some in his cupped hand. “Thanks.”

You two finally made it to the first intersection on the street, and you stopped for a second, thinking about whether you should go right or left or continue straight toward the eventual Target down the road. You turned around instead, and Steve followed suit, both of you walking back in the direction of his car.

“Y’know, even if I said yes to this fake dating thing, why would you wanna do it? We’re basically strangers.”

“I can’t just wanna help for fun?” He responded, and you simply gave him a look that said “No” without you actually needing to say it. He sighed. “Okay, it’s kind of a long story, so I’ll just say parent stuff.”

Hearing that confused you, and you almost asked him to explain further, but you had already said no to the fake dating thing anyway, so there was actually no point in asking him about his parent stuff.

“Okay,” You said instead and things stayed quiet as you two continued walking back to his car and you offered him what was left of the Skittles.

The drive back to your apartment was also quiet, but it was the kind of silence that you didn’t feel like you needed to fill with your random thoughts. Probably because you were back to remembering that you wouldn’t be seeing Steve again after he dropped you off at home, so it didn’t matter what the silence felt like. And the song that was softly playing on the radio was enough to fill the air and make things feel okay too.

“Thanks for the ride,” You said once he was parked out in front of your apartment building. You wondered if Robin, Vickie, and Talia were still watching bad reality TV in the living room. “Oh, and, um, this is probably obvious, but please don’t tell Eddie about the whole liking him thing.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

“And also, I’m still really sorry about this entire night,” You told him as you unbuckled your seatbelt. “Probably the weirdest date ever for you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve had weirder, actually,” He said, and you couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but it still made you laugh.

“Well, I hope I at least make the top three then.”

“You definitely do.”

“Thank you,” You smiled and then finally stepped out of his car. It honestly felt nice that things were ending on somewhat of a good note. “Goodnight.”

“‘Night.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

You hoped that the relief you felt when Eddie started telling you about how bad his date was last night wasn’t so clearly written across your face. If it was blatantly obvious, you blamed your lack of a poker face in that moment entirely on the weed.

You were glad that you two were sitting out on his fire escape right then, side by side on one of the metal steps, because your gazes were more so focused on the buildings in the distance than on each other.

You had initially wanted to avoid the blind date talk for as long as possible. When you showed up at his apartment a little before twelve, you planned to not ask about it and instead, you were going to talk about anything else— the dumb assignment for one of your classes that you’d been procrastinating for the past week, or the in-depth plot of the reality show that Robin, Vickie, and Talia watched last night, which they spent an hour explaining to you when you got home.

If you did that then maybe the whole blind date thing could just be entirely forgotten and never talked about at all. That was definitely a dumb thought, but it still eased away some of your nervousness as you walked over to his place.

But then after Eddie suggested that you two go and smoke out on the fire escape since it was a surprisingly warm day for the end of January, he was launching into how everything went last night.

“This just reminded me why dates suck. All of the random awkward silences and shit,” He continued as he leaned back against the step. “Julia was really nice and everything, but I don’t see anything more happening. Also, she loves The Beatles, and I know it absolutely makes me an asshole to judge that, but still, The Beatles, really?”

You let out a laugh. “Yes, you’re definitely an asshole for that.”

“Anyway, how was your date with Steve?” He asked as he passed what was left of the joint back over to you, and you took a long drag of it so that you could consider your words for a few moments.

Last night as you sat in bed, thinking about inevitably having this exact conversation with Eddie, you realized that there were a few different ways you could answer the question. You could slightly lie by saying, “It was fine, but it’s definitely not gonna lead anywhere, and I doubt I’ll see him again,” or you could be a thousand percent honest and say, “It was good at first, but then all I could think about was you because I like you and doing this whole thing was so stupid.”

Ultimately, though, you didn’t say either of those things in this moment— even though, last night, before you came to the silly conclusion that maybe the blind date talk could be avoided altogether, you had prepared to simply take the easy way out and lie.

“It was really good,” You found yourself saying instead. Which was also a lie, but not the one that you were supposed to say. “Steve was nice and funny, and we actually got along really well. I think we’re gonna go out again.”

You weren’t entirely sure why you were abruptly doing pretty much exactly what Steve had suggested last night, but somehow you didn’t immediately regret it, and you partly blamed that on the weed.

Eddie turned to look at you. “Really?”

“Yeah, I think I like him a lot,” You blurted out, only further doubling down on the entire thing. You waited for a moment to see if any part of you wanted to take back your words and just jokingly backtrack on the whole thing, but you surprisingly didn’t.

Not even twenty-four hours ago, you thought that doing this fake dating thing was the worst idea ever, even more insane than the blind date idea. But, now all you could think was, fuck it, maybe it was actually worth a shot.

“Wow, I can’t believe I actually successfully played matchmaker for you,” Eddie said, laughing a bit. “Make sure to thank me in the vows at your and Steve’s wedding.”

You immediately rolled your eyes and playfully hit his arm. “Ha ha. Shut up.”

It somehow wasn’t until a lot later— when you and Eddie were on his couch sharing a bag of chips that you’d definitely have to replace because they were his roommate’s, and you were slowly starting to come down from your high— that you finally realized, Shit, did Steve still even want to do this fake dating thing?

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

next part!

taglist (lmk if you want to be added or taken off<333); @eddiernunson , @loulouloueh , @the-aster , @blckburd , @totally-bogus-timelady , @yujyujj , @irhdifartzamfyaa , @mochminnie , @munsonssweets

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington angst #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things fluff #steve harrington series #stranger things imagine #stranger things series

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callsign-rogueone · 9 months ago

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faking it - s.h.

Sawyer Henrick x healer!reader When Sawyer's friends hear that an infantry guy has been bothering you, they suggest an unconventional way to get him to leave you alone. words: 1.7k 🏷: Iron Flame spoilers in future chapters, feminine healer reader who was childhood friends with Sawyer (no pronouns used here, but future chapters will use she/her), mentions of needles (one immunization), mentions of harassment from an original character, Sawyer has a huge crush on you, and his entire squad ships it, fake-dating trope. here begins the story of Sawyer and Peach! I hope y’all like her 🥺

You fight the urge to yawn as you continue to restock the bandages and straighten things up for the day — you didn’t sleep well, and you’ve never been a fan of the early mornings that the war college requires.

It could be worse, you tell yourself. You could still be working nights like you did your first year. That was even more exhausting.

There’s a soft knock on the doorframe. “Is Cadet Lowen working today?”

Your classmate bristles, drawing herself up to her full height, but it isn’t very intimidating— she’s even smaller than Violet. “Who’s asking?”

You laugh, setting the box down and smoothing out the creases in your pale blue robes. “It’s okay, Sarah. He’s a friend.”

He gives her a disarming smile, but she still eyes him with suspicion for a few seconds before she disappears into the other room.

You instantly start checking him over for injury, but it’s too hard to see anything under all that black fabric and leather.

He smiles. “I’m fine. I just came to give you this. I don’t know if they’re still your favorite, but…”

You take the small paper bag he’s holding, that cute little concerned frown quickly turning into a grin as you see the blueberry muffin inside — just like your mom used to make. “Thank you. What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion. Just making sure you’re taking care of yourself,” he answers, blushing. There’s a moment of silence before he starts to bail out. “I know you’ve been busy, let me get out of your hair-”

You don’t want him to leave.

“Did you get your flu shot yet?” you interrupt.

He laughs at your spontaneity. “I did not,” he answers truthfully.

You put the bag down, moving to go wash your hands. “Sit.”

“I brought you the perfect muffin, and you still want to stick me with a needle?” he asks.

You raise an eyebrow at him. “It’s for your own good, and the good of the quadrant. Unless you can’t take a little pinch…”

He straightens up a bit, scoffing. “Of course I can.”

You smile. You know exactly how to get these army boys in line. Pride is the biggest motivator they’ve got; they’re always eager to prove that they can handle whatever task at hand.

“Your full name and date of birth please, sir?” you ask, picking up a clipboard.

He knows you know it, but he humors you anyway — it’s cute seeing you in nurse mode. “Sawyer Henrick, July 15th, 612.”

You write it down as he unbuttons his shirt, pulling one arm out of its sleeve.

Your heart races at the glimpse of the rider’s relic spanning his back; a swath of bright red contrasting with his pale skin. You certainly don’t remember him being this strong, either — all that crazy shit they make riders do has paid off, you suppose.

You take a moment longer than appropriate to get the tension out of the muscle before making the injection and smoothing a bandage over the skin. “All done.”

“Do I get a sticker?” he asks, clearly joking.

You rip your eyes away as he does the buttons back up, turning to wash your hands again. “Fresh out, sorry. I’ll give you a rain check.”

You need to get him the hell out of here before your classmates start asking questions, and before he melts the rest of your brain. “Thank you for the muffin.”

“Thank you for the flu shot.”

You can’t help but smile at him. “I really missed you, you know. I’m glad our paths crossed again.”

“I missed you too, peach.” There’s a pause as he works up the courage. “Do you want to come to town with me and my squadmates on Saturday? They all really liked you.”

While the land-nav exercise hadn’t gone according to plan at all, you’d still enjoyed your time with them. “I’d like that.”

“Alright,” he says with that shy smile you’ve missed so much. “Meet you at the front gates around three?”

“Sounds like a plan. Now scoot,” you prod gently. “I’m sure everyone is wondering where you ran off to.”

He glances at the clock — he’s definitely going to be late for battle brief, but the scolding from Dain will be worth every minute.

He gives you one last soft smile before he leaves, one you’ll be thinking about all day.

------------------------------------------------------------

Sure enough, he finds you waiting outside at three o’clock sharp.

It’s been years since he’s seen you in civilian clothes. You look exactly how he remembers you, only somehow even more beautiful. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, he supposes.

You’ve swapped out the healers’ robes for something more fitted and more seasonally appropriate, a new pair of denim pants and a sleeveless light purple tunic. You’d even let your hair down for the occasion, leaving it out of the usual no-nonsense style you’re required to wear during your shifts.

Him and his friends are all dressed in their usual solid black. “I guess I didn’t get the memo,” you jest.

Violet smiles. “Don’t worry. It’s nice to see some color every now and then.”

You bring a hand up to swat away a fly, and Rhiannon’s eyes widen. “You guys are allowed to paint your nails?”

“There’s all kinds of rules about what colors and how long they can be, but yeah. I do them every Sunday afternoon. It makes me feel pretty, even with those terrible robes on,” you laugh.

Sawyer pushes down a remark about how you’re always pretty, clearing his throat instead. “Everyone ready?”

There’s a chorus of agreement from the squad.

It isn’t long before you’re all sitting around a table at the tavern, laughing over stories from your years at the school. “And then I told her that if she wanted to act like that, she should-”

The door opens, the small bell hung on it jingling. Everyone watches you fall silent, pressing your lips together and shrinking yourself as small as you can until the group of infantry passes. They head off to the bartop, out of sight, and you finally let out the breath you’d been holding.

“Are you okay? You look like a sheep that just saw a riot of dragons walk by,” Ridoc says, but there’s no humor in his tone.

You shift in your seat for a moment, uncomfortable, but the way your new friends are all looking at you with genuine concern has you admitting the truth.

“I stitched up the blond — James — a month ago, and now he thinks we’re soulmates or something. He keeps showing up at the infirmary with his friends, asking me on dates, and I keep turning him down, but he won’t take no for an answer. I’ve considered faking my own death just to get him to leave me alone,” you joke, but it’s obvious that you don’t find it funny. “It’s starting to freak me out.”

Violet frowns. “Have you talked to Nolon about it?”

“I have, but we can’t refuse care to anyone, so we’ve just been saying I’m busy and having the other girls deal with him, but they shouldn’t have to do that. I’ve tried everything. He just doesn’t seem to understand that I’m not interested.”

“Maybe not everything,” Rhiannon offers.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, those kind of guys won’t listen to you, but they will listen to another dude. They need to see another guy on your arm, because they don’t respect you as a person, but they will respect another man’s claim to you.”

Everyone looks at her, quizzical.

“I’m not saying it’s right,” she says, putting her hands up in defense, “I’m just saying it’s true. Get yourself a boyfriend, or a fake one, even, and he’ll back off, guaranteed.”

You chew your lip, pensive. “That might work. But I’ve been too focused on studying to go on any dates. I don’t know anyone who would be willing to…”

“Look to your left,” Ridoc offers dryly, taking a sip of his drink.

You glance over at Sawyer. Are they really suggesting…?

“It’s a logical choice,” Violet adds, shrugging. “You two already know everything about each other.”

You can’t quite read the look on his face, but it’s clear from his reddened cheeks that he’s uncomfortable. You shake your head quickly. “I couldn’t make you do that.”

“You wouldn’t be making me do anything. I’d be helping you, because I care about you, and because that guy’s a fucking creep.”

You’ve never heard him sound so firm before.

Your gaze drifts back to the bartop, where James is still sitting with his friends, several empty glasses in front of them. You’ve never seen him drunk before, but you know it can’t be pretty.

He laughs, too loudly, likely at some crude joke his friend had made, clapping the other boy on the back.

You wince, sinking deeper into the worn upholstery and praying they don’t see you, but you stick out in the crowd of riders and infantry — you’re the only person in the room who isn’t wearing all black, save for the bartenders.

“Breathe,” Sawyer coaxes, laying a hand on your knee beneath the table. It simultaneously soothes your anxiety and gives you butterflies, a feeling you can’t really describe.

You take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Sorry,” you manage, offering them a weak smile. “Didn’t mean to kill the mood.”

“Don’t apologize,” Ridoc says gently. “you’re one of us now, and we look out for our own.”

“He’s right,” Sawyer adds. “I promise I will do everything I can to get this guy gone, but I don’t want to cross any boundaries. We don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. You’ll be one hundred percent in control here, okay?”

You nod, entranced by the softness in his eyes as he looks over at you. “Okay,” you agree quietly.

“Attagirl,” he praises, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear.

You think your heart might give out.

“That’s actually really believable,” Violet comments with a soft smile, snapping you out of your train of thought and reminding you that you have an audience.

You tear your eyes away from Sawyers’, picking your drink back up. He moves his hand from your leg, resting his arm on the back of your chair as the conversation resumes, Ridoc bringing everyone back into a light mood again with another terrible joke.

This could work, you decide, but it could also go horribly, terribly wrong.

#fourth wing #fourth wing x reader #sawyer henrick #sawyer henrick x reader #Sawyer and Peach #mine

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