#I had started writing this before my grandma's passing

[mochiimadness]

Not a request, dw, but I saw that horror movie thing and Dannie saying "I've seen that guy" and my first thought was "what if the person in the reader position had a missing loved one and this was how they found each other again" and just...warm fuzzies, you know?

Sort of a continuation of Mikey's part in this!

“Hey, I know them!”

You tore your gaze away from your phone screen to stare at the mutant turtle sitting behind you, eyes as wide as saucers. Mikey’s phone laid abandoned beside him as he leaned forward to peek over your shoulder at the news article you’d been reading, legs neatly crossed. You hadn’t even noticed him reading off of your screen, too tunnel visioned to feel his presence get closer. He blinked, eyes large and innocent as he smiled sweetly at you, not at all embarrassed at having been caught red handed.

His smile quickly vanished, however, when he noticed your hardened expression. He frowned, straightening up as he took in your tense form.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, growing concern evident in his eyes.

His question snapped you out of your frozen state, and you lurched towards him; shoving the hand holding your phone closer to his face, twisting awkwardly to do so. He flinched back slightly, eyes darting briefly to your phone screen as his brow ridge furrowed in confusion.

“You know them?” You pried, the electrifying burn of anxiety beginning to surge through your veins. It filled your mind with desperate hope of finding them and stole your breath from your lungs, loudly demanding answers with every passing millisecond.

Mikey was quick to answer, perhaps sensing the urgency behind your question. “Yeah- I met them the other day, they needed some help dealing with some silverfish." He answered, voice tinged with confusion. His hand reached out carefully to meet your own and, with the gentleness of holding a baby quail, pressed down to lower your phone away from his face.

"Where are they?" You pressed, allowing him to move your hand as your eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Mikey did not hesitate to answer you again.

"They're down in the hidden city, we helped them get set up in their own place." He said, before frowning at the crestfallen look you gave him. You finally moved back and away from his personal bubble, clutching your phone in both hands.

You gazed down at your phone screen as you inhaled deeply, feeling an all too familiar sting in your throat. "...They moved?" You questioned aloud after a moment; voice tinged with the realization that the person you had been looking for all this time had just up and moved to the mystical city- without so much as a word from them. They'd been right below you this entire time- Mikey had even helped them move in!

Why didn't they even bother to contact you?

Michelangelo stared at you for a few moments, giving you time to process his words before reaching out to cup your chin, lifting it up gently to meet your gaze.

"I can take you to them if you want." He offered softly, his hand moving to cup your cheek, gently brushing his thumb across your skin.

You relaxed into his touch, leaning your cheek further into the palm of his hand and studying his gaze.

“Yeah?” You asked.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

You let out a soft breath, reaching out to cup his cheek- mirroring him- and smiling as he relaxed into your palm as well. He smiled back at you with all the lovely brilliance of sunshine and cloud free skies.

“Thanks Mikey.”

He chirped brightly in response before gathering both of your hands in his own, and practically hopping of the bed- pulling you along with him. “What are we waiting for then, let’s go!” He cheered, rushing out of his room and towards the lairs exit.

You let out a laugh at his sudden enthusiasm, quickly matching his pace with the practiced ease of having done so many times.

The thought occurred to you, as Mikey drew the hidden cities entry rune, that you were finally going to be reunited with them again. All this time spent searching, waiting and wondering about their safety- and all your questions and worries, would finally be answered in just a few moments.

The entry portal to the city glowed brilliantly in the shadows of the alley. Mystic energy swirling through the air to reveal the hidden city before you. Mikey reached over and grasped your hand, looking at you.

"Are you ready?"

You could feel your heartbeat against your chest, memories of them flashing before your very eyes as reality finally set in. With a deep breath in to steady yourself, you met Mikey's gaze and nodded decisively.

The ninja turtle shot you a large grin and tugged you through the mystical threshold. This was it-

You were finally going to see them again.

Hello, I hope you enjoyed this!

I know this wasn't a request, but I couldn't help thinking about this. I do apologize if it was a bit more angst-y instead of wholesome like you had said. I've been going through a difficult time, and I think it may have translated into my writing a bit.

[iknityounot]

(Long post, sorry y'all)

A little more than two years ago now, my grandmother passed away. She and my grandpa had moved down to my home town a few years before so we could take care of them. I brought them groceries once a week, helped them write checks, fixed tvs, and found lost things. I was really close with my grandma.

In addition to her hilarious personality and dry wit, one of my favorite things about her was that she was a painter and a crafter like me! She used to crochet, and I took her to the craft store a couple of times so she could get more yarn and books on crochet. But her arthritis and the shaking in her hands kept getting worse, so she eventually had to stop.

She kept her most recent project, a granny square blanket, safely packed away in a plastic bin. She told all of us she was going to finish it one day.

Her hands never got better, and when she got sick, and we found out it was cancer, she rapidly deteriorated.

After she passed, I went to work helping my mom clean out my grandparents apartment so we could move my grandpa in with her. In our frantic cleaning, I found that bin again:

DOZENS of granny squares, dozens of half used skeins. I asked my mom what she wanted me to do with it, and she said she didn't care. I set it aside and later took it home.

Maybe a month later, that tumblr post about the Loose Ends Project was going around. It felt like a sign--I was never going to learn to crochet in order to finish my grandmother's blanket. But they might be able to help!

So I filled out the interest form. They got back to me SUPER quick. And maybe 2 weeks later, I was paired with volunteer in my state (only 2 hours away!) and the box of yarn, granny squares, and my grandmother's crochet hook were in the mail. That was at the end of January this year.

Over the next couple of months, my "finisher" emailed me regular updates on her progress, and asked me questions on my preferences for how she constructed the final blanket.

At the end of August, the blanket was done!

I had always intended the blanket to be a gift for my mother. So I cleaned it up, put it in the only bag I had big enough to fit it, and drove to my mom's. I gave the blanket to her and she was gobsmacked. I explained to her all about Loose Ends, and how someone volunteered to finish the piece for us. She was speechless. (I was quite pleased with this, because I am not the best at giving gifts, so this was a pretty exciting reaction!)

She said that it was the most thoughtful gift she had ever been given. She said "your grandma would love this". To which I replied, "yeah, I know she really wanted to finish it a couple of years ago". But that was when my mom dropped the bomb of a century on me--she told me that my grandma had started making those granny squares OVER 30 YEARS AGO. She had started the blanket when my grandpa was staying in the hospital, but that was back when my mom was younger than I am now! My grandma had packed them all away, planning on finishing it, when my grandpa was sent home from the hospital. Then it went from house to house, from condo in Chicago to their apartment in my hometown. All that time and my grandma had wanted to finish it, but couldn't. First because she was busy, then because she forgot how to do it, then because of her arthritis, and then because of the cancer. My mom said she had given up on expecting my grandma to finish it. 

She said I brought a piece of her childhood with her mom out of the past.

And really, all of this is to say, if you have seen or heard about the Loose Ends Project and have an uncompleted project or piece from a loved one who has passed away--these are your people. They were so kind and treated my project with such care. That box probably would have been found by my own grandkids one day if I hadn't heard about Loose Ends.

Five stars, absolutely worth it!

(From what I understand, you can sign up to volunteer too! If you have time to share, it might be worth checking out!)

[andwordsarefutiledevicess]

press relations

stanford!artdonaldson x sportsjournalist!reader

summary: assigned to write a profile of stanford's rising tennis star, you get to know art better. much better.

warnings: smut, dry humping, b0ner alert, implied consent

a/n: this does have a *hint* of art x patrick x reader undertones at the end! any (constructive) feedback is appreciated :)

you get the message as you exit the lecture hall and head to the cafeteria for lunch. “other writers are busy. can you take the art donaldson profile?” reads the text from your editor. having written for the stanford daily as a sports reporter for the past year, you’re no stranger to turning a dull interview with a rather dim-witted football player into an oh-so-riveting piece. however, this is out of your comfort zone.

tennis is…boring. sure, you’d happily tagged along to a couple of tashi duncan’s matches, unwilling to pass up the opportunity to see an olympic-bound athlete in her prime, but it isn’t your ideal way to spend a saturday afternoon. 

and yet, that is exactly what you are doing. the donaldson interview is lined up for directly after his match with a ucla player. “he’s got a tight schedule, so we need to accommodate him,” said your editor when you questioned why you had to sit through a match and then manage to cram in an interview in the men’s fucking lockerroom. 

art donaldson is a year above you, living in the same dorm. you recognize most athletes at this point—in part because they’re constantly (obnoxiously) sporting team merch, and because of your job—but art is known by most for his friendship with tashi duncan. neither are particularly social, keeping their circle tight amongst fellow tennis players, both at stanford and professionals. 

it’s difficult not to stick out in the bleachers. while other players, including a brown-haired boy cheering quite loudly, observe the game, it’s by no means packed. as donaldson pauses for water after the first set, he catches your gaze, giving an awkward wave in acknowledgement as he wipes the sweat from his face. you silently pray that he knows you’re the reporter he’s supposed to speak to, and doesn’t just think you’re some crazed tashi duncan fangirl. 

his playing is statuesque, long limbs sweeping across the court (but not entirely stripped of the boyish energy that defined his success as a high school student). after beating his opponent 2-0, donaldson steps off the court, dramatically embraced by the brown-haired spectator, who you have since realized is his former doubles partner, patrick zweig, and you take this as a signal to get this interview started before he becomes swept up in celebrations. 

climbing down the bleachers, you see art duck down into the hallway, making his way into the locker rooms. in all your time as a sports reporter, you hadn’t had such an…unconventional… interview location, and you feel a bit sick as the sound of the shower draws closer. 

“art donaldson?” you say, standing just outside the open door of the locker room. 

“yeah” he calls back, as though he was expecting you, but not entirely welcoming the intrusion. the shower turns off, and the soft sound of his steps on the tiles echo. “well, come in,” he calls again. 

you step into the steam-filled space with your eyes directed down. “i understand you have physical therapy shortly, so i’ll try to keep this quick—,” you say, taken aback as you finally draw your eyes upward. he’s managed to pull on a pair of checkered boxers, fabric sticking to his still-damp body. 

you can’t imagine you look particularly composed, hair sticking to your face from the steam with a burning blush spread across your cheeks. you watch as art bites his cheek and awkwardly motions for you to sit on the bench across from him as he methodically changes the overgrip on his racket. 

“so,” you say, clearing your throat, “how did you first become interested in tennis?” he glances up from his task. “my parents needed someone to watch me, and my grandma was busy, so they stuck me in a local tennis camp. i doubt they realized that they were signing up for over a decade of tennis running my—and their—lives.”

you hum in agreement. “and what specific areas of your game are you hoping to improve on this season?” you follow up. his gaze becomes more intent—more focused. setting the racket to his side, art stands, before quickly realizing he’s still only boxer-clad. you stare at the opposite wall, hoping to save him the embarrassment, and you see him fumble to slip on shorts out of the corner of your eye. he clears his throat. “ – um – yeah, i’m trying to get faster on my feet. sorry, i—” he says, before you cut him off in protest. “no, no, i should have given you a moment to clean up after your match, it’s my fault,” you say, rising off of the bench awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. 

but with the lingering steam, and your downward gaze, your fumble to exit the locker room instead lands you into direct contact with his chest. “shit! sorry,” you exclaim, drawing your chin up. a wash of heat cascades from your head, nipples taut, despite the warmth of the room, as your body reacts to the sudden proximity. art is equally flushed, pink lips slightly parted and chest rocking as he concentrates on breathing deeply, trying to lower his racing heart. you can smell him, fresh with a hint of that post-game sweat, a droplet of water falling from a blonde curl. 

he brings a calloused hand to your hair, brushing it behind your shoulder, as if to ask permission. the slight nod and glaze of your tongue over your lips is enough for him to understand, his breath heavy against your face as your noses are close enough to touch. that final centimeter is finally closed, and it’s as though air rushes back into you while inhibition is tossed out. without thinking, your hair tangles into his mess of damp hair, and you feel his soft moan against your lips. you gasp as his hand grabs your ass, drawing you into contact with his erection (for how much of that interview was he hard?). 

“you—ah—you have physical th-therapy,” you say, breathless as he works his mouth down your jaw and neck. “just…five more minutes,” he says in between kisses, like a teenager wishing to sleep in, causing you to chuckle. bringing your left knee up, your hips are suddenly flush against his, and the new contact sends you both reeling, his cock twitching in his shorts. you tentatively rock, again, against his groin, and you both seem to realize that that hit the spot. pushing your back against a locker, art draws his groin against yours again, and again, his soft pants becoming near whimpers as your lips meet for a desperate, sloppy kiss. 

you’re lost in the rhythm the two of you have found, ignoring the rattle of the lockers with each thrust. fuck you’re embarrassingly close (that’s what a two month dry spell will do for you) but before you have to worry about coming too early, you hear his strangled voice in your ear. “ – f-fuck, s-sorry i’m close, was so pent up.” before you’re able to reply, your body has taken this as permission to let the orgasm wash over you at last. still reeling from your own orgasm, you feel the warm spread of art’s cum seep through the thin fabric of his shorts, as he continues to rut against you. 

bringing your arms up to hurriedly fix your now-tangled hair, you draw away from art. a fresh blush comes to your cheeks at the realization of how silly you feel, grinding like a pubescent teen. art seems tired, yes, but not embarrassed, slipping off his pants and boxers and replacing them with clean ones. before he’s got his wits back, you’re out the door, praying no one managed to overhear the encounter. to your dismay, patrick zweig, smug as ever, sits outside the locker room.

[leahsgf]

MEETING – leah williamson

leah williamson x child!reader

based on this request | bubba masterlist

love love love writing for this lil universe so please keep the requests coming

the first few weeks of your life were spent in complete bliss, leah happily soaking up every single moment between the two of you in your own little bubble - before she'd have to introduce you to the chaos that was the rest of the world.

despite the eagerness of those around her to meet you, she had strictly said no visitors until she was ready, bar her own mother, who had moved in temporarily as you both settled into this new life.

-

you had just hit three weeks old when leah had finally felt ready to allow a few more people into your space, having settled a little more into the swing of things and also not having the energy to turn offers down any longer.

it started off small - with her nearest and dearest, her dad, brother, grandma, and friends, of course including keira, and then gradually branched out to perhaps the most impatient of the lot, your rather large flock of aunties - also known as her teammates.

due to you being born mid season, the arsenal girls were going to be the first ones to meet you, much to the dismay of some of the lionesses especially georgia, keira obviously not helping the cause whatsoever by endlessly boasting about the fact she'd met you before any of them.

(leah would never tell a soul that keira was so nervous when she met you that she had barely held you, and instead timidly patted your head, and said it was 'nice to meet you' whilst shaking your tiny hand)

she had originally planned on hosting the weekly team night at her apartment and letting the girls all meet you there, but then went against it when she realised just how cramped her living room actually was when it held an entire very eager football team inside, alongside the fact that going out and getting some fresh air was something she desperately needed, and an escape from the newborn chaos that had taken over her home.

so, she had instead settled for arranging with jonas a day where there wasn't an awful lot of training to do and only the odd meeting or two, where she'd bring you into the training ground and introduce them to you there as a mini surprise.

-

after what had felt like a year of trying to get ready to leave the house, leah still adjusting to just how much stuff and preparation was needed for such a tiny little human, she finally pulled into the car park and got you both out, praising her parking job and getting you both there alive before having what felt like the battle of her life with the pram whilst getting it out.

kim, the only one of the girls who knew she was coming, and the unofficial mother figure of the team- met her outside, marvelling over you in an instant, before leading the way to the meeting room where the rest of the team were.

-

a collective gasp travelled across the meeting room as leah entered, with you bundled into her arms, the focus immediately off jonas’ attempted distraction ramble and all on you.

“is she seriously in an arsenal kit lee” alessia giggled, letting you clasp one of her fingers in your hand, as the rest of the team gathered around the pair of you in absolute awe.

“of course she is less! gotta teach her young haven’t i, my little gooner! especially when she’s got an uncle and grandad who are dead set on making her a spurs fan - so who wants a hold first?” the blonde replied, switching the conversation and ignoring the laughter and the teasing remarks about her passion for her club, instead letting them fight over who got to hold you first.

-

you had been pretty fussy in everyone’s arms apart from your mother’s, not being a huge fan of the unfamiliarity and all of the sudden movement when being passed around the room, until beth had insisted on viv holding you despite how nervous she had been, and your grizzles had settled almost instantly, and your frown which was the carbon copy of your mother’s faded.

“hi schatje, i’m your auntie viv, we love you so much already.” she murmured, stroking your cheeks ever so softly as you stared back up at her, still in the phase where you were fascinated by the world around you.

you beamed as she tickled your nose, your first official, non wind related smile that leah had been desperate to coax out of you for weeks now.

“looks like vivi is a natural! even baby williamson can sense that she’s a goat!” katie grinned, forever the leader of the ‘miedema fan club’, leaning on the dutch woman’s shoulder and poking her tongue out at you.

-

“welcome to the one of your forever homes my girl. you’re so so loved already.” leah whispered to you, cradling you and embracing the moment of peace she had after stepping away from the chaos in order to settle you down in your pram - allowing kyra and vic, who you’d undoubtedly overtake in maturity at some point, to take you on a walk around with steph’s supervision for your nap.

[inkdrinkerworld]

soft dom!remus x reader who lives with a. family member who's not so nice and always tries to embarrass her or make her feel bad about herself? my grandmas like this and i'm just so tired of it lol. obviously you do not have to write this if you don't feel comfy, i love you and ur writing !

that's so mean and i hope you can get out of there soon doll <3 hopefully this can bring you some comfort for a little bit.

You call Remus while you're just on the brink of tears.

"Hey dovey," he sounds so happy and upbeat you debate if you should tell him. At your silence, Remus speaks again. "Are you okay, dove?"

You sigh, all shaky and broken and Remus coos on the other end of the phone call.

"Not really." you mumble, picking at a scabbed mosquito bite on your thigh. If Remus were here, he'd take your hands in his and give your fingers a squeeze, but he isn't here and picking at the scab helps you to keep your breathing even.

"What happened, baby?" you can hear him shuffling. "Need me to come get you?"

"They're just being mean again, and no one does anything." you flop onto your bed, head hitting one of your stuffies and you grab onto it's leg.

"Every time I say anything I'm the bad guy. I can't" your breath shudders with the realisation of what you're going to say. You can't live here anymore. "I don't think I can stay here anymore."

Remus sighs harsh down the line, wanting desperately to be near you so he can pull you into his lap and tell you he'll make everything okay.

He settles for doing it over the phone while he starts his car. "Pack your bags baby," you frown.

"Everything?" you ask shakily and though you can't see, Remus smiles. Remus had said they only had one last chance, when you'd driven to his house in tears and shaking so hard he'd been worried that you were going to pass out.

"Everything, dove." You don't hesitate and start packing everything you own away into a suitcase.

You don't have much, just clothes, your prized stuffed toys, shoes [which are on your feet] and your books. Everything fits tidily into the suitcase and a carryon.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes, and you can stay with me." Remus says it like it's the easiest thing in the world- your moving in with him. Like it won't possibly cause more problems in this house, which it might, but he doesn't want you to factor in their feelings anymore.

"You deserve a home that's peaceful, not one filled with shouting and screaming and mean names, dovey." he says it so softly you can't help the way your breath hitches and the tears finally tumble down your cheeks.

"Yeah," you murmur, wiping at your tears and sighing. "I'll wait for you on the front step."

Remus really wishes he could be there now. He also knows why you want to wait on the front step, because then he doesn't have to come in and give everyone in the house a piece of his mind before whisking you away.

"Make sure you have an umbrella and your sweater, it's gonna start raining." you're already wearing his green one, with the yours and his initials stitched into the wrist cuff.

"Thanks Remmy," you sniffle and grabs your thighs and start hauling them to the door.

"No need for that dove, I'm ten minutes out. We can go to the store after, see if they have any of your favourite gummies. Forgot to stock up after this weekend."

You smile, you'd like nothing more. "I'll be waiting, Remmy."

[ultralightpoe]

Slim Pickens - Tyler Owens

Authors Note: Not me writing this smut on election day..... anyways enjoy! Cause I have no clue what happened to me.

Word Count: 5080

Warnings: SMUT, stranger tryna get laid and Tyler not having it.

Requests: OPEN

Main Masterlist ~ ~ Halloween 2024 Event

[Thank you for the gif @chrishemsworthsbitch ]

Enjoy!

“Guess I'll end this life alone

I am not dramatic

These are just the thoughts that pass right through me”

-

There was a simple saying that been passed down from generation to generation, and you knew it all too well. 

‘No use crying over spilt milk’. 

Your grandma used to say it whenever you had boy problems back in middle school and your mother took up the saying when you went on to middle school and in both of these stages in your life you hadn’t quite understood what they meant. 

Now, sitting cross legged on Tyler Owens hotel floor as he repeated those very words to you, you knew them all too well. And by the look of his smug smile in your direction as he got ready for the day you knew he knew his words struck a nerve. 

“Now don’t get cranky at me, sweetheart.” He warns, pointing at you as he kicks his boots closer to the bed so he can sit on the end of it to put them on. “I warned you he wouldn’t be worth it last night when you left.”

The ‘he’ in mention was some guy named Jake that you had matched with on Tinder last night, and who you had dumbly agreed to meet up with. It had been a long week of storm chasing and dealing with Tylers crappy music in the truck and you just wanted to relieve some pressure. 

“He quoted shakespeare.” You try to defend only for him to laugh at you. 

“You sleep with every guy that quotes shakespeare?”

“Guys who quote Shakespeare are hotter than guys who haven’t touched a book in their life!” You snap back. “And-”

“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” He interrupts, shoving his feet into the boots with a small look in your direction. But you were too focused on staring at the floor from exhaustion. 

“Mkay Yoda.” You sigh and his hands fly up in the air from lack of belief. 

“Seriously?”

“And I mean he was hot.” You continue, falling back to lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling as he finishes with the boots and moves to get his bag together. “Honestly he kind of reminded me of you. But then he had to talk. And he just kept ruining it.”

“How so?”

“He was all ‘You ever seen a jet, Sugar’? And can’t forget ‘There is almost nothing better than the high feeling of flying through the air….almost.’ And it was-” You finish off the sentence with a loud groan as you slap your forehead making him laugh. 

“Did he not know what you do for a living?”

“Oh, you mean chase storms and kill them? No. Why would he? That would involve him asking me a question.” You seethe before Tyler comes into view, standing over you with that smug smile you hated and loved so much. 

“Alright, come on Sugar. It’s time to go.”

“Tyler, I’m gonna die alone.” You groan, closing your eyes before covering your face. He is having none of it though, reaching down to grab at your forearms, hauling you up with an ease that makes your skin flush. His hands are warm on your skin and the way his thumbs circle your flesh has images of your nasty daydreams flashing through your mind. 

“Enough of that mopin’. We got storms to chase and I ain’t got time to tell you that you’re never gonna die alone.” 

“Cause you don’t believe it?”

“No, cause the chances of us dyin’ in a tornado together are far more likely.” He laughs, deep and throaty as he leans down to scoop you up by the waist, taking a second to slap at your back thigh before exiting the hotel. “Cate will also kill us if we’re late again.”

-

“All the douchebags in my phone

Play 'em like a slot machine

If they're winnin', I'm just losin'”

-

“Not to be that guy…” Tyler starts, his voice already filled with annoyance. “But is now the time to be checking your phone?”

His hands were tight on the wheel as the truck raced through the fields, efficiently tracking down the storm that had caught Cate’s eye. And while you normally took the passenger seat next to Tyler after fighting with Boone for it so that Cate could take her own ford with Javi, today she had taken the seat and you were in the back with Boone who was just as upset by losing his special spot next to Tyler. 

It had been a rough day, between realizing one of the cars were completely broken down in the hotel parking lot and Boone nearly breaking his pinkie while trying to fix it. Let’s just say the hood of the truck came down a little too fast. Not only that but you had gotten stuck in the bathroom of your room until Tyler had to come save you in your towel, treating you like you were plague victim number one ever since. 

But the best part of the day so far? The introduction to Scott loservains new team, conning poor victims one at a time. 

“Hey man, I’m tracking our filming.” Boone argues, already offended.

“I’m making sure Javi has the same stats as us.” Cate argues. 

“Not talking to either of you. I’m talking to little miss lovestruck in the back.” 

“Hey!” You snap, immediately closing your phone. “Mind your business Tyler.”

“You’re in my truck. My truck is my business and everyone in the truck is my business.” He snaps back, shrugging his shoulders. “And besides, the more you let those fools win the more you lose.”

“How do you even know I was texting a guy?” 

“Because Sugar, I know you.” He snaps, casting you a quick look from his spot at the wheel before turning back to the road. 

“I think if you focused less on me then you would be able to drive better.” 

“I think if you focused less on the boys in your phone you wouldn’t be bitchin’ and moanin’ at me all the time!” He snaps back making you gasp as Cate and Boone switch their attention back and forth between you both. 

“Should we be worried?” Cate blurts, landing her gaze on you with her eyebrows pinched together in worry. 

“Not unless Tyler can’t learn to mind his own damn business!” 

“I’ll mind my business when you stop makin’ it my business!” 

“FINE!”

“FINE!”

-

“A boy who's jacked and kind

Can't find his ass to save my life”

-

The bar that sat 3 blocks away from the current hotel the team was staying at could only be described as a dingy cowboy bar, and considering you were mad at a certain cowboy this was the perfect place.  Surrounded by dozens of cowboy hats, none of them belonging to ‘Mr. Can’t Mind His Own Business’. 

He currently stood at the other end of the bar, closer to the live band as the dance floor began to fill with line dancers. Even that far away he was still being a pain in your ass with the way he glared across the floor every time you looked over. 

“You two don’t fight a lot. This is weird for you.” Cate chuckles, spinning her bottle of beer on the counter sat in front of you both, hearing the glass ring on the wood of the counter. “It sends the entire vibe of the group off.”

“It’s his fault.” You huff, scratching at the label of your own bottle as you avoided looking in his direction again. “I honestly don’t know where his freakout came from.”

“You don’t?” 

“No!” You huff, slapping your hands on the counter. “We were fine yesterday, I told him about that date with the aviator-”

“Oh that Jake guy. He was kind of cute.”

“Thank you. Anyways-” You take a quick inhale of air before looking at her. “We were fine and then today he was fine when he came to help me out of the bathroom but the second the door to the bathroom opened he got pissy.”

“Do you know why?”

“No, I assumed he had been getting hounded by everyone all day. He must have been stressed.” 

“Hmm.” She hums out, taking a look around the bar as you sit and mope. “I’m sure you both will get over it soon enough.”

“Slim chance. I am gonna ignore him forever now.”  It’s obviously just you being over dramatic but you were angry and embarrassed that he would call you out like that in front of the group. “Besides, if he didn’t want me talking to him about all that boy stuff he should have just told me. I don't know where his boundaries lie unless he sets them.”

“Damn, that’s deep.” She nods before tilting her head. “They should have put you on the shirt.”

“That’s what I said.” 

“And yet they-”

“Excuse me for interrupting ladies…” A new voice joins the group, making you both turn to the figure. A tall man with bruises along his jaw and a scratch right above his eyebrow. A black cowboy hat paired with a black shirt.  A fine specimen if you could say so. “I just saw the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life and I had to come say hello.”

“Well would you be pickin’ here?” Cate smiles. 

“There is no wrong answer.” You hum out, tilting your head like a cat assessing prey. 

“Then can I say both?” 

“Oh, look at that. Even with a map leading to the answer he still managed to mess it up.” You snipe, giving Cate a knowing look as you both grab at your bottles of beer and move to make your exit. 

“Wait wait.” He reaches a hand in front of you to try and stop you from passing. “Not a great start. I know that. So let me just start over, yeah?”

“Oh… I didn’t realize I did do overs.” 

“Then what can I do to be granted one?”

“Is there a problem here?” Leave it to Tyler Owens to enter this scene, giving his best glare as he inserts himself between you both with his back to you so he can glare down the cowboy.

“There is no problem here.” The cowboy smirks, and you are shocked to see just how brave he was. Then it clicks, the bruises and the hat. This was a bull rider. “You got a problem, bud?”

“Oh yeah I have-”

“LET’S DANCE!” You interrupt, sending a glare to Tyler before pulling the bullrider to the floor as Tyler rolls his eyes. 

Before you can make it too far his hand reaches out to grab your elbow with a knowing look, and even when he is mad he still holds your arm with a gentle ease and traces the skin with his thumb. “This isn’t a good idea.” 

“Well that’s interesting…. Cause it’s MY business!” You scoff, pushing his arm back and moving to the dance floor with the stranger. 

-

“Oh, it's slim pickings

If I can't have the one I love

I guess it's you that I'll be kissin'”

-

It was only fair, since there weren’t many options of men you would just lower your standards and have fun with this idiot for the night. 

He had two left feet, and was pressed against you the entire time but not in a hot way, more so a sweaty mess kinda way. And you would have abandoned him already but every time you looked for an escape you saw Tyler and his glare, there was too much at stake here. You could never admit Tyler was right. In YOUR business. 

So you ignored him and turned back to the stranger, just in time for this waste of space to press his lips to yours. It was awkward, the way your noses pressed together and how hard he smashed his lips to yours. There was no rhythm, no preparation or molding together. It was just his lips devouring your face as you tried to lean back. But the further you tried to get away the more he leaned with you. 

When he pulls back he keeps his hands on you with a sharp smile. “Wanna go back to your place?”

There wasn’t many options, and the one option you truly wanted would never happen let alone the fact that you were fighting with him so you would make do with what you had. “Sure, let’s go.”

-

“Just to get my fixings

Since the good ones are deceased or taken

I'll just keep on moanin' and bitchin'”

-

Telling Cate that you were heading out with him was easy, she made you promise to update her that you were okay, which was easy to do.  You managed to avoid any conversation about Tyler in his truck, which was hard because Mr. Bull Rider was dead set on asking about him. 

“What was that guy with white hats problem?” He asked, and you changed the conversation to the music he was playing. Then he tried the “You guys ever date or somethin’?” 

That one was harder to change since your throat got clogged up thinking of the answer. It’s not like you never wanted to date Tyler, in fact he was all you dreamed of. But it wasn’t meant to happen. Tyler wasn’t yours. 

So you simply started giving him directions to the motel like he hadn’t asked. And by the time you made it to the destination you had hoped that the conversation had passed as you unlocked the door. 

“This is it. Home sweet home….. For a little.” You smile, allowing him to look around while you take your shoes off. 

“So you live in a motel?” 

“When it’s tornado season, yes. We travel around but when he find a specific spot we try to stay.”

“You follow tornadoes?”

“Yes, and we chase them. And if there is destruction we try to help out the communities.” You explain, picking up the tornado shirt with Tylers face on it so you can show him then debate it at the last second you drop it down. “It’s fun.”

“I’ll bet.” He nods before allowing himself to sit on your bed. “We doing this?”

“Oh. Straight to the business.” You mumble, a little shocked as he begins unbuttoning the black top. 

“Sorry, did you want to talk or something?” 

“Well no- I just-” You couldn’t tell if you were thankful that the door opened in that second or absolutely furious as Tyler appeared with that fake innocent smile. 

“Hey Sugar,” He starts, letting himself in fully and shutting the door. “I just wanted to come make sure that bathroom door was all taken care of for ya’.” 

“Tyler, is now the time?”

“Oh, please. It’ll only take a minute.” He chuckles, walking past you both to get to the door. “Wouldn’t want you getting stuck in there again.”

“Tyler, what on eart-”

“Hey man, we were kinda in the middle of something here.” Stranger boy snaps out, scooting so he was right on the edge of the bed, his face pinched between confusion and anger. 

“Hey, safety first.” Tyler laughs, the sound fake and bitter as he leans down to check the hinges of the door while you just blink in shock. “Ah I see the problem here.”

“Tyler.” You hiss. 

“Just give me a moment.” He murmurs, working on the hinge of the door while you glare. “Just a minute……”

“Dude.” Stranger boy sighs and you are wound between shock, anger and embarrassment. 

“I can’t believe this is happening,.”

“There she is. Good as new.” Tyler smiles, standing to swing the door. “Look at that. Bet you’re glad I did it.”

“Tyler. Out.” You snap, moving forward to grab parts of his shirt to drag him out the door and slam it on him. “Now where were we?”

But it’s no use, since the door reopens with Tyler giving yet another innocent look. “Oh, sorry to interrupt. I forgot my screwdriver here.” 

“Tyler, grab it and then leave. And leave the key.” The fact that you were even in this moment was so bizarre. 

“Actually, I think I’m gonna get going… but let me write my information for when you get rid of dumbass barbie over here.” Stranger cowboy mutter, grabbing the pad of paper from the desk and writing his stuff down before moving forward to attempt to kiss you but Tyler is there, patting him on the back aggressively with a slight shove. 

“Sorry to see you go bud.” He smiles, a tense and angry smile before throwing an arm around your shoulder. “But we’ll be fine here.”

And you watch the bullrider leave, the door shutting before you whirl on him. 

-

“Jesus, what's a girl to do?

This boy doesn't even know

The difference between "there," "their" and "they are".”

-

“I can murder you.” You seethe, shoving his arm off of you and taking a couple steps away from him. “Matter of fact, what’s stopping me from doing so?”

“I just figured you might want help with the door-”

“Enough with the bullshit Tyler Owens!” You yell, whirling on him with your hands on your hips and a heavy glare. “What on earth were you thinking? After your fit today and that scene I’m starting to think you have lost your damn mind!”

“Hang on now-”

“And what on earth-” You take a moment to snatch up the pillow from the motel bed to swing it at him. “WOULD MAKE YOU INTERUPT-”

“HE WAS TERRIBLE!”

“IT DOESN’T MATTER!” You yell. “Look around for a second Owens! There aren’t many options. The ones that are worth it are already taken, the one that I want would never go for me. I don’t have many options!”

“AND WHEN AM I GONNA BE AN OPTION?!” He yells out, grabbing your wrists before you can hit him with the pillow again. “When do I get the chance to prove myself?”

“Oh stop.” You snap, moving to walk away. “Don’t mess with me about this.”

“Why would I be messing with you? Is it so hard to believe that I want you?” He follows, making sure to keep a hand on you. “Time and time again you rant to me about these men, how they suck and you hate them. And I keep waiting for you to notice me, to give me a chance. Cate tells me that you might just be nervous, or that our time will come but Sugar I don’t think I can survive this much longer.”

“What do you mean?” Your tone is gentle and you’ve given up walking away, choosing to turn to him and allow him a chance to talk. Your heart was thumping through your chest and you were struggling to catch your breath. 

“Sweetheart, from the moment I met you I’ve been stuck. Comin’ in with all that attitude like you owned the world, which if you ask me you do, and you didn’t hesitate to put me in my place.” He continues, moving closer to set his hands on your hips. “And I just kept begging the winds to give me a chance. To give me a single shot with you.”

“Then why wouldn’t you say anything?”

“Why would you give me a chance?” He laughs, pulling you in. “But I need one now. I’m begging you for a chance here.”

And though no words are spoken you both know the answer, especially when you pull him in with your hands on the back of his neck to attach your lips to his. And unlike the kiss in the bar this one felt perfect. 

There was awkwardness. He tilted his head perfectly, pulling you chest to chest as his hat covers both your heads while his lips melt against yours. He takes his time learning the kiss, his hands rubbing up and down your back as you deepen the kiss some more. This is what was meant to be and you both knew it at that moment. 

There is no objection when you begin unbuttoning his flannel, one at a time, never breaking the kiss as you push it off his shoulders and allowing it to fall to the floor before he reaches a hand up to throw the hat closer to the nightstand. He doesn’t waste time after he hears the thump of it landing to reach and lift his undershirt off, throwing it somewhere else as he makes eye contact. 

“Please tell me I ain’t dreamin’ right now.” He whispers out as you begin to undo your own shirt to slip off before leaning up. 

“I can’t tell.” You whisper back, leaning on your tiptoes to attach your lips once more, his arms wrapping around you to undo the back of your bra. 

Normally when a man removes the bra it is thrown away and he doesn’t focus too much on any of it, but Tyler? He kisses around your jaw as he undoes the buckle of it before his kisses move down your neck while he drags the bra down until he can drop it, allowing his hands to roam. The feel of his hands sends shivers throughout you and yet they keep you warm as you try to back him to the bed. 

“You sure?”

“Never been more sure.” You whisper back, undoing his belt as he kicks off his boots. “I want you.”

“I’ve been waiting to hear those words from you.” He grunts out, pulling you closer before falling back onto the bed and dragging you with him. 

-

“Yet he's naked in my room

Missin' all the things he's missin'

God knows that he isn't livin' large”

-

It doesn’t take long for you both to strip, slowly and gently, until you are both bare. He doesn’t waste time kissing you gently before guiding you up the bed until you’re leaning on the pillow you hadn’t dragged away, kissing along jaw as you sigh out in relief. 

He takes his time kissing down your neck, nipping a bit to pull out a breathy moan from your lips before moving further down to kiss and suck at your breasts. He grunts out at the way you wiggle, a breathy giggle passing your lips until a moan passes them the moment his tongue circles one of your nipples. The sound draws his eyes to yours and that sweet lovestruck look falls into one of ferocity, the heated light within them as your lower stomach tightening and your hands rushing to get some contact. 

Once your hands find purchase he abandons your breasts, leaving them cold to the air, as he makes his way further down. Every kiss is followed by a lick, every nip is given a bushel of kisses to make up for it. He works your body until he makes it to your thighs, spreading them open for him to view, sending a shiver across your body. 

“Tyler, please.” You gasp out, that tight feeling in your stomach begging for relief as your thighs beg to shut, but he is having none of it. Keeping them forced open so that he may give your inner thighs the same treatment he had given the rest of your body. 

He gives up his torture with a growl before diving straight in to lick right between your folds. He keeps his hands around your hips to keep you pinned to him when your back arches as you moan out loud. He devours you, licking and sucking over and over with grunts and growls to match your moans. 

He doesn’t relent until your moan hits near scream and your hands grip at the pillow, dragging it to your face to bite into as you reach your peak, entire body shuddering as you moan out. 

He continues until you come down, pulling away to give you the smuggest smile you had ever seen from him, your entire body ablaze as you sit up to reach for him. 

The other kisses were sweet and gentle, this one was two animals claiming each other. And he let you take charge, your speed and your lead. Tasting your own juices as you dragged him back down to lay over you. 

-

“A boy who's nice that breathes

I swear he's nowhere to be seen”

-

He’s quick to flip you both over so that he’s beneath you and you are on top, a wave of panic filling you. 

“Tyler….I’ve never-” You begin, hands landing on his chest as he gazes up at you with the softest eyes you have ever seen from him. 

“If you don’t want to then that’s fine, Sweetheart.” He mutters, reaching over to grab where his hat landed and bringing it to set on your head. “But you might just need a little confidence.” 

And he was right, with the way he was looking at you and the way the hat felt, suddenly you believed you could rule the world. So you lifted yourself a bit, keeping the gaze as you reached down to line yourself up to him, and with a loud moan you sunk yourself down. 

-

“It's slim pickings

If I can't have the one I love

I guess it's you that I'll be kissin'”

-

His grunts were easily replaced by moans as you sunk down, his hands digging into your hips, letting you take a moment to adjust before guiding your hips slowly. You tilt your hips with each guide, struggling to catch the proper rhythm and getting pleasure nonetheless. 

A moan escapes you as he guides you down at the same time he thrusts up and it’s like something clicks as you begin to find your own rhythm. Using your hands on his chest to keep yourself stable as you begin to speed up your movements. 

Tyler gives in, enjoying your new pace, thrusting up into every bounce. Grunting and growling as his nails dig into your hips and he closes his eyes to enjoy the pleasure while you lean down to nip at his chest which makes him groan. “Darlin’...”

And that makes something inside of you burn, a feral moan passing your lips as you speed up, nails digging into his chest before he sits up to kiss you, helping you bounce on his cock with ease. 

“Y-you’re…” He groans. “Fuckin’ perfect.”

His arms wrap around you, and he readjusts so that he was on his knees to thrust into you, pulling you down to meet him. The sound of skin slapping is alluring and your thighs clench to cage him in as you lose your breath and shut your eyes. 

“Tyler.” You whine, nails digging into his back as something in you begins coiling, tighter and tighter until he bites down between your neck and shoulder and it all falls in an instant. All you can see is white as you bite down on your own lip, holding him tight to you as the waves of pleasure subside. 

He continues to thrust before falling under the same spell that had you, keeping his forehead pressed into your collarbone as he spills his cum into you. 

You both fall into the cushion of the bed, shuddering as he pulls out before closing your eyes to catch your breath from that experience. And when he wraps his arms around you it’s far too easy to fall asleep from his warmth surrounding you like a blanket of it’s own.

-

“Just to get my fixings

Since the good ones are deceased or taken

I'll just keep on moanin' and bitchin'”

-

It’s the feeling of him moving that wakes you a couple hours later, when the bed dips as he stands, making you blink in the dark to see what he is doing. Apart of you panics that he might be leaving, and this was just going to be a one night stand until he pulls on his boxers and turns back to come lift you. 

“Why are we awake?” You croak, already feeling cranky at the fact that you had been woken up. 

“I figured you’d want to shower, and this is when I normally do.”

“You shower at 4am?” You scoff, clinging to him as he sets you down so your feet touch the cold bathroom floor. 

“Yeah. I figured out that no one else showers at this time-”

“Because it’s crazy.”

“Well since no one else showers at this time the water is always at its best pressure and warmth.” He explains, reaching in to turn it on. “Then I can get another hour or so of sleep.”

“Oddly genius.” You giggle, laughing when he shucks the boxers off as a pretend strip tease before hauling you into the shower with him. 

-

“Moanin' and bitchin'”

-

He takes his time washing your body, lathering the soap over your body with gentle hands as his eyes traced over you over and over again like he was trying to memorize every inch of you. 

He let you do the same, the only words spoken never went above a whisper so you didn’t break the bubble and shampooed eachother before shutting the water off and using the towel. 

When he swings the door open he makes sure to raise his eyebrows, a look of pride covering his face that makes you scoff. 

“You cannot be serious.”

“I wonder what hot scoundrel fixed that for you…”

“Hmmm. I wish I knew.” You tease, “I might have rewarded him.”

A small growl leaves his lips as he scoops you up and hauls you to the bed once more. 

-

“Since the good ones call their exes wasted

And since the Lord forgot my gay awakenin'

Then I'll just be here in the kitchen

Servin' up some moanin' and bitchin'”

-

You sit on the motel floor as Tyler works around you to get ready for the day, listening to you bitch and moan as he struggles to put his boots on. 

“I’m so sore.” You whine, falling flat on the floor to stare at the ceiling. “Yeah? At least you never have to worry about dying alone.”

“No,” You huff out a laugh. “Now I just have to worry about you killing me.” 

“Never.” He smiles, coming to haul you off the floor just to throw you over his shoulder and head for the door.

-

[madhatterbri]

Daddy | D.P.

Summary: I was wondering if i could request a reader calling Damian Daddy during Thanksgiving dinner or while handing out presents to everyone on Christmas? 18+.

Author's Note: Starts with smut to kind of set the "omg how embarrassing would it be if you said that in front of your dad," mood. Also, I wanted to write smut. 😂🤣

Happy Monday Night RAW, babes. ❤️

Requested by: @eringobragh420

Damian Priest Masterlist

WWE Masterlist

Taglist: @theworldofotps @smallestsnarkestgirl @mrsarcherofinfamy @terrortwinunicorn @brideofinfamy @miss-kuki-nz @hotwheels1108 @new-zealand-chic @magicalbuttertarts @keytothewardy

As always, requests are open! Please let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist. ❤️

Y/N's knees were bent close to the side of the bed. Hands gripped the sheets below her. Her face laid against a pillow. Eyes partially rolled back in ecstasy.

Damian thrusted inside of her. His fingers wrapped around her waist. The tips of two of his fingers played with her clit. He cursed as she tightened around him.

"You quiet tonight," the New York accent noticed.

She blushed darkly. They were staying at a hotel for a few days. Thanksgiving was the next day, and they had plans to see her family. Y/N didn't want to wake up the neighbors.

"That simply won't do. I want them to know who makes you feel this good,"

"Y-you do," she stammered weakly.

"I need more than that," he told her flatly.

Damian pulled out much to her dismay. He arched her back. When he thrusted back in, he went deeper. His fingers toyed with her bundle of nerves. "Who makes you feel like this?"

"Damian," she moaned louder.

Still not content with her answer, he pulled back just enough so that only the head of his dick was inside of her. Damian thrusted forward roughly. The bed under them scraped loudly against the floor.

Y/N clenched around him. "Daddy!"

"That's my good girl,"

When they finished, Damian took care of her. He slid under the covers with her and kissed her temple. She laid her head on his chest. His heartbeat started to cause her to fall asleep.

A chuckle of his caused her to stir a little. "Make sure not to say that at the dinner table tomorrow. That would be something. How embarrassing,"

She hummed in agreement and fell asleep.

🦃

Y/N's parents loved Damian. He was a good man who was madly in love with their daughter. What wasn't there to like? They invited him to Thanksgiving dinner when they first met him months ago.

After saying grace at the table, they decided to dig in. Her nieces and nephews sat around Damian at the table. They wanted to ask him all the questions about working as a wrestler.

"Alright, guys, enough. Let Damian eat, and then he will answer all your questions," Y/N told them. The kids complained but obliged to her request. Damian whispered a 'thank you' to her.

"Of course. Can you please pass the mashed potatoes, Daddy? Those are my favorite,"

The chatter at the table stopped. Utensils clicked against the dishes. Damian was motionless at Y/N's slip up. The bowl of mashed potatoes rested in his hands. She didn't seem to notice her own mistake.

"Oh, thanks, babe," she smiled. "These are my grandma's recipes. The absolute best mashed potatoes you will ever have,"

Y/N finally noticed the family staring at her in shock.

"Damn sis," one of her siblings laughed. "I didn't know you were like that now,"

"What do you mean?" Y/N asked.

Before anyone could answer, her youngest niece beat them to the punch. "Mommy, I thought that Grandpa was her daddy. Is that man her daddy now?"

The table erupted in laughter. Y/N and Damian blushed.

"I guess at certain times they are," Y/N's brother answered. The table laughed again. Even her father chuckled some as he cut the slice of turkey on his plate.

Damian and Y/N looked at each other with a blush. They knew they were going to hear this story for the rest of the lives.

[masonmontz]

hellooo everyone :) so i tried to write something different and this one is supposed to be funny, it's embarrassing and i had fun writing it, i hope you guys enjoy it

REMEMBER: english is not my first language

funny word count: 1,1k

✦‎۟    ࣭   ⊹

You woke up excited on your birthday, excited for the dinner Mason promised you would have at a new restaurant, but you had new plans before dinner.

Mason had training during the day and you agreed on a time that you would go to his house, so around four thirty in the afternoon you were at the mall looking for something to give Mason, even though it was your birthday.

You already knew what you wanted when you walked into a lingerie store, you chose a very sexy red lingerie, the fabric had lace and was transparent, you could see everything through the fabric.

Mason would go crazy when he looked at you. 

You've left the store with the lingerie on, just the loose dress on top, and you also bought a robe of the same color and transparent to wear on top. That was the plan, you would surprise Mason with sexy lingerie and then you would go out to celebrate your birthday together.

You arrived at Mason's house and while you were in the car you took off your dress to put your robe on top, leaving your clothes on the floor of the car. You also put on black high heels, which looked very sexy and Mason loved when you wore them. 

You couldn't wait to see his reaction when he saw you.

You grabbed Mason's house keys and texted him to let him know you had arrived. You ran to the door so no one on the street could look at you too much, after all, you were wearing see-through lingerie.

You opened the door to his house smiling, and when you turned on the living room light-

“SURPRI…”

There were at least twenty people in Mason's room, and you could see all of their smiles fade, just like yours, when they looked at what you were wearing.

You couldn't breathe anymore when your eyes saw Debbie and Tony, or your mother and father staring at you in terror. There were so many shocked faces, you couldn't count how many.

Mason was the most shocked of all, and he had a shocked expression as he held the birthday cake.

You would rather die right now.

“What the fuck?” you said to yourself as you slid down the door to the floor. Anything would be better right now, a lightning bolt to the head, passing out, going back two minutes and forgetting about this crazy idea of ​​surprising Mason with new lingerie.

“What the hell, Y/n?” that was your dad, incredulous that his daughter would be capable of doing something so naughty.

“I can’t breathe” you muttered, and now some people were starting to hold back their laughter because of the situation. Mason was still standing there staring at you. 

Your mom, dad, Debbie, Tony, Lewis, Jaz and the girls, your siblings, your nephews, some of your friends, and some of Mason's teammates who had become your friends. Your grandma and grandpa were sitting on the couch.

Lewis had his phone turned around and you have no doubt that Stacey, back in Australia, had seen the scene. 

“Someone kill me now” You groaned and put your head on your knees, wanting to crawl into a hole and disappear, never to face any of them again. Ever again.

How would you live from that day on? The most shameful day of your life. The day you ruined your reputation.

Your father would tell everyone that you are not his daughter, and your mother would die of shame forever if she found out that her daughter loves to wear lingerie for her boyfriend.

“Y/n… why- why are you using this?” Mason asked, still holding the cake that was now starting to fall out of his hand. You could see when your sister walked up to Mason and took the cake from his hands, and half of their faces were still shocked.

“Why is everyone here?” you retorted, feeling your face hot and probably as red as a tomato.

“That's the whole point of a surprise party” your mother spoke and you swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. 

You heard a loud laugh and were surprised to see your nanna laughing, and then you started to hear other laughs, realizing that everyone was having fun because of your embarrassment.

It's a real horror movie, and it doesn't even need death.

“Remember when the same thing happened to me?” she asked her grandfather between laughs, and he laughed in agreement. “It was the worst day of my life.”

Your grandmother was crying with laughter and you took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself as you thought about what to do. Mason walked up to you and you could see the panic on his face.

“Why did you wear that? It's four thirty in the afternoon.”

“Well, I didn't know you were throwing a party for me at four-thirty in the afternoon.”

“That's why we call it a surprise party.”

“I'm moving to Alaska tomorrow.”

“Come, you need to change your clothes” Mason pulled you in and held you against him. You were so nervous you could barely walk because your legs were shaking so much that Mason held you all the way to the bedroom.

Luckily you had some clothes at his house, and you didn't say anything as you put on a pink dress, nothing immodest.

You were ready to go downstairs when Mason started laughing, and he laughed so hard that he had to lie down on the bed, holding his stomach because of the laughter.

It's not funny at all.

Mason had tears streaming down his face from how hard he was laughing, and when you realized what had happened, you couldn't help but burst out laughing, then another, and then you were sitting on the floor laughing with Mason.

“Never again” you tried to speak between the laughs. “I will never wear lingerie for you again.”

“You had to see your face” Mason shouted, shaking with laughter. 

“Well, I saw all of your faces and now I have no family left.”

“Stacey was on the call.”

Mason could barely breathe, and it was great that you guys turned such an embarrassing moment into something funny, but it would take a lot for you to be able to face your in-laws and parents again.

“This is the worst day of my life, Mason.”

“Oh shut up, I've never laughed so much in my life.”

“It's good that you're having fun, from today on I'll only wear pants and jackets.”

“No ma'am, you will wear that lingerie tonight.”

“I'm going to throw myself into the river with this lingerie.”

“You need to get down now.”

Mason helped you up while still laughing, and you took a deep breath before opening the bedroom door and hearing people talking in the living room.

Everyone has to face the walk of shame at some point.

[poppadom0912]

Excuses

Warnings: Mentions of fainting, diabetes, canon-typical injuries

Summary: You suffer the consequences just because your teacher thought you were making excuses.

A/N: First fic of 2024!!! I had plans that I was going to post weekly in the new year just like last year but things went downhill. This january and february has had its very good but also really bad moments and even writing this was a struggle. I've found myself in a weird place of wanting to write but struggling and all of a sudden not being able to balance my schoolwork and writing. So I took a lil step back to solely focus on my work but looking at everything now, my fic updates will be much less frequent but hopefully just as or if not, more fun to read.

I feel bad for not saying or posting anything since the new year but I'm here now and hopefully will be more alive. I've got lots planned for you beautiful people, several series and way too many fics in my drafts that I cannot wait for you all to read. This wasn't as long or as juicy as I intended but my brain completely failed me so I hope this is good enough. I initially wanted to post this at the beginning of March but I finished the final editing today so here you go!!

Final note before we start, I have general knowledge about diabetes but that's all from my grandma. I have no idea if it's the same for teenagers so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Happy reading!!

Your biology teacher had been on maternity for three weeks now and you were seriously contemplating life.

Because of the crappy rules surrounding maternity leave, when your teacher refused to return before her three months ended, your school had a supply teacher fill in for her till she came back.

Since day one, you knew you hated her.

It was mid lesson and you knew as soon as you started feeling sluggish that your sugar levels were dropping. Your thoughts were only confirmed when your Dexcom receiver let you know of your decreasing glucose.

This wasn't a usual occurrence. Will and Jay always made sure you had eaten enough and you had the means to maintain the needed glucose levels so that nothing happened.

Alas, you were up late revising and you were stressing about keeping up your good grades. Jay was rushing you out the door because he needed to go to a scene he'd just been called to and Will was out walking Kol and hadn't seen you leave.

In conclusion, it'd been a hot minute since you last ate something.

The school were well aware of your diabetes. It was one of the very important things your brothers stressed them about when you first started.

Most students knew about it actually, having seen your Dexcom and not understanding since a diabetic child apparently wasn't common according to them.

So, when you randomly pulled out a snack from your bag mid class, no one questioned it and instead would make sure you were okay. There'd never been a problem before in school and everyone wanted it to stay that way.

However, this new teacher, Mrs Byrne was apparently completely unaware of your medical condition.

"Y/N. You know the rules about eating in class." She said strictly, pulling away all the attention from the board onto you.

She stopped you in the middle of opening the packet of fruit gummies. You frowned, looking at her confused along with your classmates.

"I have diabetes." You said bluntly, continuing to open the packet. "I don't eat this and I'll pass out."

Mrs Byrne only rolled her eyes, smiling at you condescendingly. "I've heard that excuse hundreds of times, give those to me."

You scoffed at the audacity, refusing to hand over what was yours.

It was when she started walking towards your desk with a pep in her step that the entire class got involved. Their raised voices overlapped, some angrier than others over what was happening.

However, you too were Stubborn alike to your brothers so you kept as firm of a grip of the packet. You turned a blind eye to the anger fuelled cover teacher. You continued to smile as she spewed threats of all sorts.

Due to your frustration and annoyance over the teacher who wanted to take your gummies away, you didn't notice how everything started change; how hard it was to move your eyes and lips, your limbs getting heavier and you thoughts slowly getting muddled up.

Lost in a daze, you were no longer able to fight back when she pulled harder, successfully snatching the small packet out of your hands. It was now that the class got furious, your friends were already up and at your side but now they were verbally attacking the teacher.

Fed up with her petty behaviour, you were going to get up and go to the nurses office who would take care of you but getting out your seat was harder said than done.

With one of your friends help, you weren't too sure who was helping you from your hazy sight that cleared when you blinked too many times.

You were wobbly on your feet, taking slow and hesitant steps towards the front of the classroom but before you could leave, you felt your legs give out and everything went black.

*****

It turned out that supposed crime scene that he was imminently needed at was nothing but a prank by a bunch of college boys resulting in a grumpy Hank putting them in cuffs and having them fined for a very reasonable reason.

That's how the rest of the unit found themselves finishing up paperwork, catching up about life in general as they debated what they were getting for lunch.

Jay was smugly sitting back, eyes flickering between Kevin and Adam who were bickering over something trivial when his phone rung, catching everyone's attention.

They were all so bored and normally when one of their phones went off during work hours, it meant something came up and they were needed.

In interest, everyone turned their heads towards Jay and waited for him to tell them they got a crime scene.

Picking up his phone, Jay's brows furrowed at the number, confused as to why your school was calling him in the middle of the day. They'd only call him if two things happened: You'd gotten in trouble or you got hurt.

"Hello. Is this Y/N Halsteads brother Jay?" A voice he couldn't recognised asked, most likely some lady from the main office.

"Yeah, that's me." Jay confirmed, sitting up in preparation for whatever he was going to be told.

"So sorry to interrupt you sir but Y/N collapsed in class." The lady said with guilt laced in her words. "Your other brother didn't pick up the phone. We called to let you know we had to call the paramedics and they've taken her to Chicago Med."

"Uh yeah." Jay said, collecting his jacket and keys. "Yes, thank you."

Not waiting for a reply, Jay hung up and quickly knocked on Hank's office door frame.

"Sarge, I gotta get Y/N-"

"Go get her. We're done here."

*****

Wanting to pull his hair out, Will rubbed his eyes in frustration, glaring at his patients scans that only confused him further. He was tired and was coming to half way through his twenty four hour shift.

"Dr Halstead- Uh, Dr Rhodes in T4." Maggie stumbled, looking down at her brick and making sure she read it correctly.

"What's wrong?" Will asked, confused as to why Maggie changed her mind which she usually never did.

"It's Y/N."

Now fully awake, Will followed Connor towards the ambulance bay where you were being rolled in. You were groggily sitting up on the stretcher, you hair a mess and a few scratches around your face and hands from when you fell.

"Sylvie, what happened?" Will asked the blonde paramedic while looking you over. He desperately wanted to check you over himself but let Connor do his thing. He really did not need Ms Goodwin on his case today.

"Teachers didn't tell us much but her classmates said she collapsed after not being able to eat." Sylvie relayed the minimal information she knew, shrugging her shoulders when the two doctors looked at her weirdly. "No one would tell us anything more."

"Y/N, it's Connor. Can you hear me kid?" Connor said while pulling out his penlight. He was like another brother to you, his concern just as high. "Can you tell me what happened?"

You groaned, mumbling nonsense with your eyes screwed closed. Your words were mostly unintelligible but Will understood them mere seconds later.

Fixing the problem you complained about, Will turned down the lights and let Connor continue fussing over you.

It didn't take long to find out the cause of your collapse, Will sighing at the news when he read the numbers from your tests.

"I thought she was always on top of her sugar levels." Connor said, closing the room door so you could sleep in peace.

And what he said was completely true but they weren't aware of why you couldn't today specifically of all days.

"She is." Will said, rubbing a hand down his face in frustration. "Maybe her dexcom malfunctioned or something."

Connor hummed, agreeing with his friend.

"Hmm, maybe."

*****

Arriving at Med, Will gave Jay a detailed rundown of everything he new about your medical state but also the events pre your hospital arrival.

Getting a good look at you, holding your hand in his and kissing you on your forehead, Jay was more than happy to leave you in your oldest brothers safe hands while he got to the bottom of this entire ordeal.

He noticed Sylvie was still at Med, Foster mentioning they were running low on a few supplies so they needed some stocking up. Jay took this opportunity to interview the two paramedics and try to get further understanding on this situation that wasn't making much sense to him.

Arriving at your school, Jay had some thoughts in mind but they weren't very concrete and his confidence wasn't as strong as he'd like it to be.

Walking into the school, Jay immediately noticed an entire class sitting and standing around in the corridor waiting in front of the principals office.

One of the girls who had been sitting in a chair had caught sight of Jay, her eyes widening before she smiled, gently nudging the girl next to her and pointing in his direction. The girls reaction was the exact same.

This created a sort of domino effect as the boy next to her noticed Jay and everyone was telling the other of his sudden arrival. The once silent corridor was now beginning to fill with murmurs and whispers, all their eyes glued onto his figure that moved down the corridor, their shocked faces quickly changing into smiles and smirks.

It seems that Jay had a reputation of sorts.

"Why are you making so much noise? What did I just say about talking-"

The principal cut himself off from his scolding when he suddenly noticed Jay's presence, his face blanching as all the pieces clicked into place.

"Detective Halstead! What a surprise, we weren't expecting to see you so soon-"

This time Jay cut him off, not too bothered about his lack manners. "My brothers with Y/N at the hospital so I thought there was no other perfect time."

The principal remained silent.

"Now, why don't you explain to me why my sister fainted under your watch?"

The students behind Jay couldn't help but snicker knowingly.

[moonstruckme]

Hii i recently discovered your account and i am devouring all your marauder works! They bring me so much comfort and just ahh i love the way you write! I really like emt!marauders and i was wondering if you maybe wanted to do a fic with them and a reader who has health anxiety?? And maybe she gets sick or something and they help her calm her thoughts and fears and just take care of her?? Only if this is something you would want to write ofc :) have a lovely day!! 💗

Thank you lovely <3

cw: health anxiety

modern au

emt!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 1.2k words

“Here you go, m’love.” James sits between you and Remus, holding your tea towards you with the handle out. “Careful, it’s hot.” 

You grab it quickly. “Jamie!” You suck in a thoughtless breath, setting off your cough. “Don’t—don’t burn yourself!”

You set the tea down before you spill it, James patting between your shoulder blades while you cover your mouth with a tissue. 

“Easy,” he says. “I wasn’t holding it for long, don’t hack up a lung on my account.” 

Remus doesn’t disagree, but he takes the offending hand and kisses James’ fingertips lightly. 

You take a breath as the fit settles, picking up your tea with a quiet thanks and continuing to read on your phone. 

“What’re you looking at so frownily?” Sirius asks, tilting his head where he’s sprawled out on the armchair. 

“Just reading,” you murmur, but he casts a suspicious look to the other two on the couch. James leans over, peering at your screen. 

He laughs. “Sweetheart, you know this stuff will only stress you out,” he says, leaning his shoulder into yours amicably. “You’ve gotta trust us, we’d be able to tell if it was anything serious.” 

“WebMD?” Sirius asks. 

“Healthline,” Remus replies, craning his neck to see behind James. 

“I know,” you ignore the other two, replying to James, “but I was talking to my grandma today and she—” Sirius groans, letting his head loll back against the cushion. “—she said this is exactly what it was like when she had pneumonia.” 

Remus looks at you evenly. “How old is your grandmother?” 

You take a sip of tea, hiding behind the rim of your mug. “Eighty-six.” 

He gives you a weary half-smile. “Pneumonia is a lot more common in older adults, dove. And your cough doesn’t sound like pneumonia anyway.” 

“But how do you know?” you ask anxiously. Remus’ features tighten a bit in sympathy. “I just don’t want to have it and have no idea, and then it gets worse and worse and worse.” 

James takes your hand in his. “That makes sense, angel, but—”

“And then while I was looking, stuff was also coming up for whooping cough, which sounds horrific—”

“You don’t have whooping cough,” Remus says. 

“But what if I do?” Your voice scratches a bit, and you try to breathe more shallowly to avoid a fit. “Because if that’s what it is, then it’s super contagious and you guys shouldn’t even be around me. And you can start throwing up and—”

Your cough catches up with you. You cover your mouth, eyes watering. Remus and Sirius both wince, James’ hand finding your back again. It’s nice, when you’re sick and miserable like this, to be around people who are so accustomed to it. Who will reach for you instead of cringing away. 

“It’s okay,” James murmurs, palm big and heavy between your shoulder blades. “You’re fine, sweetheart, just take a minute.” 

When it ebbs, he passes you your tea silently. The honey in it coats your throat, the warmth soothing the ache in your chest. 

“I just don’t want it to be more serious than we think,” you say weakly. “There’s a lot of things it could be that are worse than just a cold.” 

“Baby,” Sirius says firmly. “Look at me.” 

You lower your mug, finding your scariest boyfriend considering you with his usual intensity. He tilts his head to the side, brushing a piece of dark hair behind his ear. 

“Did you have your jabs when you were little?” 

You feel your brow pucker worriedly. “I think so.” 

His tone gentles a bit. “Then you can’t have whooping cough, darling. We all get vaccinated for it when we’re small.” 

You don’t want to argue with him, but your eyes flit back to your phone. “Actually, it says we can still get it even if we’ve been vaccinated.” 

“But not nearly as bad,” James says, squeezing your shoulder lightly. “You’re right, it could seem like a regular cold in that case, but it really wouldn’t turn into anything worse than that. None of the vomiting or anything like that.” 

You swallow, nodding. “Okay. Okay, that makes sense.”

“We know there’s a lot of things a cold could turn into,” Remus says. “Trust me, dove, we know. The reason we’re not worried is because we also know exactly what those would look like if they did turn up, and we could get you to the hospital at the first sign of something serious. Also, the serious things are less common than you might think.” 

“Yeah, there’s a reason it’s called the common cold,” Sirius jokes, shooting you a wink. 

You smile back, partly for his sake and partly for yours. Remus fixes you with a soft, open look. 

“I promise to tell you if we notice anything,” he says, slowly, making sure you hear the weight of every word. “Do you want to talk about pneumonia?” 

You nibble your lip, unsure. 

“If you’re still worried about it, we should talk about it,” James says. “We don’t want you to just be stressed out and silent, angel.” 

You blow out a careful breath. “Okay. I’m coughing up dark mucus and have a fever, which seems like pneumonia. How do we know it’s not?” 

“Pneumonia could have mucus or no mucus,” James tells you, as though reciting from a textbook. “And as for your fever…” He takes your face between his hands, pressing his lips firmly to your forehead. “My gauge tells me it’s still not that severe.” 

You grin at his antics, ducking your head when he goes for more so that he’s forced to confine his affections to your hair. He makes a gleeful sound of protest, grabbing you around the middle to get you closer. 

“Don’t knock her tea,” Remus warns.

“I can run you through the checklist we sometimes use before testing for pneumonia,” Sirius offers. You nod, and he launches in. “Do you have shortness of breath?” You think, then shake your head. “Chest pain? Sweating or shaking? Fatigue—well, fatigue is a yes, right? Don’t worry, doll, that’s a symptom of everything—Chills? Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea?”

Your mouth puckers in distaste at the last few, but you shake your head to all of them and Sirius spreads his hands magnanimously. “There we go,” he says. “If you were in an ambulance right now, we’d be telling you not to waste time on getting pneumonia tests done.”

“Plus, your cough doesn’t sound like it,” Remus adds, somewhat smugly. 

“Okay,” you relent. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry.” James sweeps a thumb over your ribs, stamping a kiss on your temple. “You can’t help worrying about these things. We just wish the internet didn’t give you so much material, you know?” His eyebrows go up a bit in the middle and he strokes your side again, more gently this time. “You should be allowed to focus on getting better, sweetheart. All this anxiety doesn’t make for great rest.” 

You let yourself sink into his side, cradling your mug in your hands. “I just don’t want to badger you guys with questions all day.” 

“We don’t mind,” Remus promises you. 

“And I’d like to think we have a bit more experience under our belts than healthline,” Sirius scoffs. The teasing look he sends you lets you know his derision isn’t for you. “Anyway, what does healthline say you’re supposed to do if you have pneumonia?” 

You scroll down a bit. “See a medical professional.” 

“Well, lucky you.”

[loveyhoons]

SAY YOU WON’T LET GO ᯓᡣ𐭩 | p.js

pairing: park jongseong x f!reader

genre: non-idol au! new guy in the city jay!

synopsis: you did not expect to fall for your little brother’s new guitar teacher nor did you expect him to show up in your class as a new student either

featuring: all of enha! (maknae line aged down to 12 for purpose of story!!) , ningning & karina from aespa, julie from kiss of life, taehyun & beomgyu from txt

word count: 9.8k words

warnings: mild cussing, kissing

author’s note: hewo everyone!! i wrote this in celebration of jay’s birthday and wanted to write a fluff one shot! he sang say you won’t let go during the oakland stop and WAHH he did so good :’) i thought it was a good idea to include this song into the story

for the setting, i was thinking of this story taking place in new york, but you can imagine it to be any state in the east coast honestly!! this oneshot spans out so there is a few time jumps here and there but it's not too much ~

happy reading <33

You walked into the music store with your 12-year-old brother Jungwon, hearing a song playing faintly in the background. You said a quick good morning to the lady at the front as she was ringing up a customer buying reeds for his clarinet.

As you carried Jungwon’s guitar case, he ecstatically looked at the guitar picks, waiting for his guitar lessons to start. You sat in the seats by the entrance, waiting for time to pass by, debating if you should get a pastry in the nearby bakery. 

It was the last Friday before school would start again. Jungwon chose his guitar lessons to be early in the morning during the summer, dragging you along with him. 

With your parents both at work and your grandma visiting your home country for the entire summer, you were asked to bring Jungwon to his guitar lessons.

As much as you hated waking up early, you always went because of your little crush on his guitar teacher Heeseung Lee. 

Heeseung went to your high school and was a year above you. You never made advances per se but always loved sparking up a conversation with him whenever the lesson would finish for the day. You remember the day you met him during your freshman orientation and you immediately were stunned by how friendly he was to you and your group. 

With the years passing by, you would just give him a wave or a how are you during passing period. It made your heart flutter even if it was just the smallest interaction. 

You admired him because he was sweet and kind- exactly what you looked for in a guy. You were miserable to find out he was going out of state for university, trying your best always to drop off Jungwon, just to be able to talk to him. 

Looking at the time at the clock, it was 9:58 AM meaning Jungwon’s lessons should start soon. You nudged Jungwon, telling him to go towards the hallway on the left to one of the practice rooms. 

The two of you walked towards the hallway and you handed him his guitar case as he walked into the practice room. You peeked in, surprised to find no one there. Heeseung was usually early, it was weird for him not to be. 

“Oh hey, sorry, I’m here.” You turned around to find an unfamiliar guy standing beside you. With his jet-black hair, tan skin, and catlike smirk, you gulp a little. As much as you were loyal to your little crush on Heeseung, you had to admit to yourself he was a bit too cute. 

The guy looked towards you as you raised your eyebrow. “Oh, is Heeseung not here today?” 

“Oh, he left already for uni.”

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you, my last lesson with him was last week…” You glanced towards Jungwon who started to whistle, slowly taking his guitar out of his case. 

Feeling like you were about to combust any moment, you calmed yourself down and let out a little smile. “Oh.” 

“I’m Jay by the way,” The guy extended his hand. “I’ll be Jungwon’s new guitar teacher.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Y/N, Jungwon’s sister.” You shook his hand.

“We’ll get to it then. Nice meeting you.” Jay smiled. 

You nodded your head as you waved bye to Jungwon, walking towards the outside of the music shop. You went straight to the bakery, wanting to eat your own heart out. 

You were heartbroken, to say the least, but you started to think to yourself that maybe it was truly the end of your little infatuation with Heeseung. 

“I am going to kill him, why did he not tell me?” You screamed into your pillow, in disbelief of what happened in the morning. 

After Jungwon’s lesson, you dropped him off at his friend Sunoo’s house. You were scolding him, annoyed that he did not tell you Heeseung was leaving. In his defense, Heeseung should have told you- which was a good point. You tried to think back if you zoned back in your past conversations if you missed him mentioning him leaving this week. He did not post anything about leaving on his Instagram either so you were gobsmacked. 

But then again, he already left, what can you do? 

You immediately called your best friend Ningning to tell her of your little encounter with Jay. She came running-literally running as soon as you got home, telling her to spill all the details of what happened. 

Ningning sat in your chair by your desk, eating a bag of potato chips. She looked towards you and shrugged. “Hey, but you admitted Won’s new teacher is cute.”

“That is not the point!” You sighed as you put down the pillow. “Heeseung left!”

“Girl, you did not say anything to him while he was still at school.” Ningning sighed. “I know he’s cute and all but maybe this is good for you.”

“I know Ning, but ugh.” 

“Hey, we start our last year this Monday. Come on, be excited. I know you’ll forget about him.”

“You just want to hear more about Won’s new teacher, don’t you?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Ningning giggled.

You sat in your Statistics class, yawning. It was only the first class of the day and you already wanted to go home. With your teacher reading the class syllabus out loud and the material shown on the projector, you slouched in your seat a little, ready to drift off into a nap.

A knock came from the door as you peered towards it. Your classmate opened the door as a familiar face walked through. You sat up in your chair a little, baffled by who was standing right in front of the classroom.

Jay?

“Listen up class, we have a new student transferring in from-”

“Seattle.”

“This is Jay Park and starting today he will be going here. Give him a warm welcome.”

The students all looked towards him giving him a polite hello. You can already see a few girls in your class, gawking in awe over Jay, fawning over his looks.

 As you realized there was an empty seat next to you, you blinked your eyes rapidly as he took a seat. You can already hear some girls whispering, looking at the both of you. 

“So we meet again Y/N.” Jay smiled as he took off his bag.

“Hello to you too Jay.” You replied, turning your head slowly back to the front of the classroom.

The ironic part of everything was that Jay had a lot of classes with you. Despite both of your electives being different, you had most of your classes together such as Statistics, Literature, Anatomy, and Government. And he sat next to you for each class.

As you set your belongings down, you waited for Ningning and your other friend Julie in the cafeteria. You parted ways with Jay after Government as he had Culinary and you had Yearbook. You were still in shock, your friend Taehyun asked you if you were okay in class, staring at the blank canvas that was on the computer screen.

“There you are!” Ningning smiled as she took a seat. Next to her, Julie took a seat too, putting her stuff down. “Hey Y/N!” 

“Hey…funny story.” You let out a dry laugh. “Guess who’s a new student in our grade.”

“No way,” Ningning replied.

“Is this the guy you were telling me about this morning?” Julie asked as you nodded your head. “My luck is so good guys, I swear.”

“My manifestations worked.” Ningning put her hands together as she smiled. “This year is about to get more interesting.”

You rolled your eyes as you took a sip from your water bottle. “Okay, you can stop it now.”

“Let me guess? You had a lot of classes with him too.” Julie asked as Ningning and her looked at you intently.

“Yes. But that’s beside the point, I already got some girls staring at me like a hawk. I just wanted peace this year.” You complained.

“First Heeseung now Jay, you can’t catch a break.” Ningning cooed.

“And I’ll see him again later to drop off Won.” You glanced up to find Jay already in the line with your other classmate Jake. 

You looked down at your food, feeling like you saw stars. Why was he everywhere?

It has been a week since Jay transferred to your school. You still were warming up to him, a bit quiet whenever you guys would sit next to each other in class. You guys did not talk about much. Your conversations usually consisted of classwork homework or any projects that would be due soon. 

You already had some girls in your classes who asked how you knew each other and if he had a girlfriend. You specified he was Jungwon’s music teacher and that’s how you knew each other. 

It was annoying to the point where you’d be in a bad mood whenever you were in class or just out and about ready to leave due to how many questions would be asked in a day.

Either you were still sad over Heeseung or just baffled he left. You felt bad because you did not mean to treat Jay like that, you just weren’t good at adapting to changes so quickly. 

As Jungwon unzipped his guitar case, you said a quick goodbye. Jay walked into the hallway as he waved. 

“Hey Y/N.” Jay smiled as you waved back. “Nice to see you again.”

Jay then crossed his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. “Jungwon told me you’re not used to me teaching him yet.” 

You looked to him in confusion then back to Jungwon who started to whistle. He then put his guitar down and walked out of the practice room. “Uh, I need to use the bathroom.” 

As he walked away you looked back to Jay in confusion. “What did my brother tell you?” 

“Well, he said that you had a little crush on Heeseung- don’t get mad at him though I swear I won’t say anything.” Jay chuckled a little as he rubbed his neck.

“Oh uh-oh-” You were too stunned to reply.

You didn’t know how to react. You were annoyed that Jungwon just exposed your little crush but also felt a bit bad because Jay seemed a bit more pressured than he should have been. 

“Don’t worry though I’ll prove that I’m a good teacher too,” Jay replied. “After all I’ve been playing guitar since I was small.” 

The both of you let out a small smile, not saying a word. You felt terrible. You did not realize your little actions made it seem like you hated Jay when honestly you did not know him to even act like that. 

“Jay, I’m so sorry, I hope my brother didn't make it seem like I hate you. I know you’re capable of teaching him.” 

“No, you’re good I get it.” Jay then stood from the doorframe and smiled. “I hope in these next few weeks, you’ll maybe change your mind on some things.” 

You muttered a little “huh” in confusion as Jungwon came back. He waved bye to you as Jay did the same.

What was that supposed to mean? 

For the next couple of weeks, your routine consisted of dropping off Jungwon at his guitar lessons after school and taking photos for the yearbook after the football games. You were exhausted, to say the least, wishing you could go back to sleep. You were glad your grandma picked up Jungwon from his guitar lessons so you could just stay after school for most of the week. 

Jay and you started to become acquaintances, talking here and there. You both would eventually work on classwork together and walk to your classes during the passing period. 

You were happy you gained a new friend- somewhat. You did feel sorry for that small misunderstanding but was glad it was resolved. 

You learned that Jay was a big baseball fan, loved all different kinds of music, and was an only child. You also learned he loved anime and could speak a few basic sentences of Japanese- you were impressed, to say the least.

You also found out that the owner of the music shop was his uncle and that’s how he became a part-time guitar teacher. With Heeseung being away, his uncle offered him the position, asking him if he could step in. 

You also learned that he moved here in hopes of scouting for places he could go to university in the future. With his mom still a bit worried he’ll be a bit too far from home, he thought the best option would be to stay with his Mom’s brother and his family in another state. 

Having some free time in the Yearbook, you decided to visit Jay in Culinary and take some photos of the class. Snapping photos of the variety of baked goods the students cooked, you could smell the aroma of cookies that lay in the back of the room. 

The assignment of today’s class was to bake a fresh batch of baked goods to start the semester. 

You walked by each of the tables, delighted by all the different goods. 

As you walked towards Jay, he was slicing the banana bread he made as he blew carefully on his fingers as it was still hot. He put the knife down as he glanced towards you, waving. “Y/N, try the banana bread.” 

You waved, setting the camera down. “Wow, someone’s a chef.” 

“Get a piece,” Jay said as he walked over towards the sink.

You said a quick thank you, taking a bite. You glanced back up at Jay and nodded your head. “Geez, this is good.”

“Thank you, thank you I try.” Jay smiled as he walked back towards you. “You know, you can get another slice before you leave.” 

“No, isn’t this for a grade?” You raised your eyebrow, unsure. 

“I made two, the other one is over there by the oven still.” Jay pointed towards the oven as you smiled. “You’re too kind.”

You got a paper towel put the sliced banana bread on it and smiled. “Thank you again.” 

You and Jay talked for a little as you headed back quickly to your classroom, seeing that class would end soon. 

When you got back, you set your banana bread down on the desk, packing your camera in its bag.

“Oo, that looks good who made that?” Taehyun asked as he stood by your desk.

“Jay did, here get a small piece.” You said as he ripped a piece off.

“Okay, you were not kidding this is good.” Taehyun nods his head. “Aren’t you lucky you have a friend who can make snacks for you during the day?” 

You smiled as you put on your backpack. “Mhm, I’m grateful he even shares it with me.” 

“You know Jay asks about you?” Jungwon said as he ate his chocolate ice cream.

The two of you sat on a bench in the park, enjoying the ice cream you just bought from the corner convenience store. 

It was a Saturday afternoon and you and Jungwon had nothing to do in the house so the two of you decided to just talk for a stroll in the park. The weather was nice today and you both were in the mood to have a sweet treat and just sit for a while. 

“Is that a good or bad thing?” You asked as Jungwon shrugged. “I don’t know, I think he may have a crush on you.”

“Are you not learning anything with him? Do I need to switch out your teacher?” You replied, trying to change the subject.

“I’m just saying! Plus Jay is a really good teacher, don’t switch him out.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “I’m just joking.”

“No but really, he asks me about your favorite songs, what you like to do. He asked me if you played any instruments if you played any sports…” 

“Oh.” You just continued eating your ice cream, hoping Jungwon did not see your cheeks turn a shade of red.

“I don’t know but I find it very cute. Can’t wait to tell Mom you’re getting a boyfriend soon.”

“Won, just eat your ice cream or no one is dropping you off to lessons after school on Monday!” 

It was homecoming week and you were running all over campus to get photos of the decorations. After dropping Jungwon to his lessons, you would go back to school and start snapping photos, occasionally helping your grade plan to decorate your section. 

With Friday approaching so quickly, you were relieved; ready to sleep the day after. You were happy your friends in Yearbook would cover the dance, as you decided not to go. You were not really into going to events, you just wanted to stay home and rest.

You were currently in the hallway where most of the seniors’ and juniors’ lockers were, decorating the ceiling with some long confetti pieces and streamers. The ladder was a bit unsteady so you decorated a bit slowly, trying not to make too much movement.

Jay was with you as he also decorated the left side of the hallway. With your other friends not involved with the Homecoming preparations, they all already left to go home. He was glad that the other guitar teacher was able to step in for him today- he wanted to help you out. 

You glanced towards him as he helped Taehyun straighten out the banner at the end of the hall. You felt your cheeks burn a little, thinking about your little talk with Jungwon. Was it possible that he may have had a small crush on you? You just met a few months ago- how did he fall so quickly if so? 

As Jay turned his head in your direction, you looked away as you put the last streamer up on the ceiling with some protective tape. As you were about to take a step down, you felt the ladder wobble, you tried to stay balanced but your foot stumbled a bit off the top step.

Jay ran to you as quickly as he could with Taehyun after him. He then caught you right in his arms right before you fell on the floor. 

“Y/N, are you okay?” Jay asked in a panic. He held you in his arms as you hiccuped a little. You nodded, covering your mouth. You had your arms wrapped around him, and the two of you stayed in the same position for a few more seconds. 

You could see Taehyun trying hard not to giggle as he looked away, pretending not to see anything.

Jay put you down gently as you scratched your head a little, embarrassed.

“Thanks for catching me, erm, do you mind helping me put the ladder away?” You asked Jay as he nodded his head.

“You sure you don’t need to see the nurse or anything?” Jay asked.

You nodded your head giving a thumbs up. “I’ll be okay.” 

The awkward silence between the both of you ensued when you walked towards the storage room.

Jungwon’s friends tagged along with you and Jungwon to his guitar lessons. They wanted to go to the arcade after he was done and agreed to wait with you outside the store. You decided to go with them too, as you had nothing to do after class. It was the one day you were free and only had homework to do in the evening- it felt like a relief.

As soon as Jungwon called you to tell you he was done, you and his friends Sunoo and Ni-Ki went to pick him up.

The three of you walked into the music store and towards the hallway to wait for Jungwon. As he walked out of the hallway, Jay walked behind him as he waved towards you.

“Jay, this is Sunoo and Ni-Ki, my best friends.” Jungwon smiled cheekily as the two boys waved to Jay.

“Nice to meet you two. Where you all heading?” Jay asked.

“We’re going to the arcade across the street,” Sunoo replied.

“You should come! Y/N is all alone.” Jungwon offered as you glanced at him in confusion.

Jay looked towards you as he shook his head. “Oh no guys-”

“There’s a plushie I’ve been wanting.” You blurted out loud as the boys looked at you. “You want to help me win it?” 

Jay’s eyes lit up a little as he looked at the time. “You know what the person after Jungwon canceled, I can come.” 

The boys cheered as he went back to get his bag and lock the practice room. He went to tell his uncle in the back he would be back later and met you guys outside. 

Jungwon nudged your arm a little as he smirked.

Oh how sneaky your little brother was. 

You and Jay were in front of the crane machine looking at the Pompompurin plushies that were scattered inside. You sighed a little in frustration- you’ve been wanting it for a month already. 

Knowing how the arcade changes its stock frequently, you were determined to win it this time.

“A month?” Jay asked as you nodded your head. “My luck is not good.”

Jungwon peeked behind the other crane machine as Sunoo and Niki did the same.

“Your sister is blushing red like a tomato.” Sunoo giggled. Ni-Ki shook his head. “Jay is worse, he seems nervous like he can’t win it."

“Shh guys, let’s see if he’s successful,” Jungwon told his friends, looking back towards you and Jay.

As Jay put a token into the coin slot, the circus music started to play from the machine as the crane started to let loose from its spot. Jay cracked his knuckles as he moved the crane around, focused.

You smiled to yourself, seeing how focused Jay was. He never seemed so determined in his life to get something and you appreciated he was doing it all for you. As he set the crane on top of the Pompompurin plushies that were laid down towards the right of the front side, he took in a deep breath. He looked from the side as you held your breath a little, hoping it would work out.

Jay then pressed the button, hoping it would pick up the plushie. As the crane went down and scooped the plushie, it dropped as soon as it reached the top. 

You heard Jay said “shit” as you shook your head, reassuring him it was okay. Jay shook his head, stretching his neck. “No, I will win it.”

Jungwon giggled from behind as he, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki were too invested. They decided to go towards you guys and see if Jay was successful this time.

“Moral support!” Sunoo cheered.

Jay’s face started to get pale; he did not want to embarrass himself even more right now. He put another token into the coin slot and took in a deep breath. He aimed for the same Pompompurin, asking the boys to go on the side and see if the angle was okay. 

The Pompompurin was dropped closer towards the exit- he hoped this time around it would work out.

As soon as he angled the crane, the boys looked at the side and gave him a thumbs up, telling him it was okay to press the button. 

The 5 of you looked towards the stuffed animal in hopes it would work. As soon as the crane got it, it stayed intact and was then dropped towards the exit. You all cheered and screamed in excitement, not caring if anyone was looking.

“Jay, holy shit, thank you!!” You squealed. 

You got a bit too excited and hugged Jay as he hugged you back. Not realizing the two of you were so close to each other, you both then let go as he rubbed his neck.

“No problem. I’m glad you got it.” Jay replied, trying not to bring attention to his flustered cheeks. 

Jungwon bent down to get your Pompompurin plushie and held it up. “He is finally going to a new home.”

“Jay, you need to help me get my Charmander plushie please!” Ni-Ki said as Jay nodded his head. “Oh yes, where is it?”

As he and Sunoo led Jay towards the other crane machine, Jungwon handed you the plushie.

“He’s a keeper!” Jungwon smiled as he walked quickly towards the others.

“What did you say?” You asked, rolling your eyes.

You then looked back towards your plushie, feeling too happy. You then felt your heart race a little as you held the plushie to your chest.

Why did your heart race as soon as you and Jay let go after your hug? 

With the month of November rolling around the corner, it meant that it was the annual talent show. Your school always had a talent show right before the Winter season, showcasing different grades and their variety of skills. 

Jay told you he and his friends Jake and Sunghoon signed up with him- as a dare from their classmates in their band class. You never heard Jay sing- from what Jungwon said, he had a nice voice. He did not want to give you any spoilers, saying that you would enjoy watching them sing. 

You told Ms.Ling, the Yearbook teacher, that you wanted to volunteer to take photos for the event and take over the page since it was still empty. So here you are now, getting ready and setting up all the cameras making sure the angle looked nice.

“What made you want to join the page for the talent show?” Taehyun asked as he walked up to you, holding his camera.

“Nothing, I just wanted to watch that’s all.” 

“Mhm, okay. Anyway, I saw the list, and seems like Jay and his friends are the 5th group to go.”

Taehyun scurried away as his friend Beomgyu was calling him from the front of the stage. You rolled your eyes, sitting down by the camera on the long tripod. 

People slowly started to walk in as the show would start soon. You had your camera in your hands, sitting back, waiting for time to pass. 

As it then was already 7 pm the front doors to the theaters closed and the lights started to dim. Your other friend Karina who was also in charge of the page took a seat next to you.

“Go ahead and take pictures from the side, I’ll help the school news team record.”

“You sure?” You ask as Karina nods her head, giving a thumbs up.

You then stood off saying Excuse me to the family on the left of you, walking towards the middle aisle.

The host of the evening which was Beomgyu stood in the center with the drama teacher welcoming the audience. You turned on your camera and started to adjust the brightness, ready to take photos. 

The first group was just introduced as you walked closer to the stage, taking photos as Taehyun did the same on the other side. You snapped a few from different angles, making sure the photos came out just right.

So far, the groups that performed were a dance team, another performed magic tricks, and another impersonated famous people. The group after was two people who juggled pins which you were very impressed by. 

Then it was time for Jay and his friends to come up. 

As soon as Beomgyu said their names, the three walked up and pulled up wooden stools in the middle. Beomgyu helped put a mic stand in front of Jay’s stool as Jake and Sunghoon held their own mics. 

Jay had his guitar with him and he smiled as soon as he spotted you in the aisle. You looked back, smiling, a bit excited to hear what they were about to sing.

As the trio introduced themselves, Jay then strummed his guitar, a familiar tune starting to play. The whole audience started to gasp, immediately whispering to themselves. 

You realized it was the song Say You Won’t Let Go.

As Jay sang the first part of the song, you started to snap photos- as in click the button as many times as you can. Seeing you already took a handful, you put your camera down to enjoy the performance.

Little cheers started to erupt as Jake took the chorus and Sunghoon took the part after. You started to cheer a little as Jay sang the second chorus, and the audience started to sing along. 

After the boys finished, everyone cheered as you clapped. As Jay caught your eye you gave him two thumbs up as he laughed a little, smiling. “Someone’s a fangirl.” You then looked next to you as Taehyun also cheered. You just laughed it off, letting Taehyun have it this time. 

“So what did you think?” 

You and Jay sat at the corner convenience store, drinking milk tea together. After the show ended, he introduced you to Jake and Sunghoon. As you knew of Jake already from your Algebra 2 class from last year and Sunghoon from PE in freshman year, this was the first time you had a conversation with them. They were nice people and you were glad Jay was taken in by them when he first arrived. 

The two figured Jay wanted alone time with you so they parted ways as soon as you guys got your drinks from the milk tea shop. 

“You’re so good at singing?? I was really surprised.” You replied as you took a bite of your pastry. 

“You didn’t think I would sound good?” Jay joked as you rolled your eyes. “Don’t get too cocky there Mr.”

“Thank you though for actually going, I thought you didn’t plan on going.” Jay smiled. 

As you looked up at him, you felt your heart race faster- just like it did when you guys first hugged at the arcade. It was a strange feeling for you because not once did your heart ever beat like this for anyone else, heck it never beat like this when you had a crush on Heeseung either.

“It’s no problem. Think of it as a thank you for being such a great friend and also a good teacher to Won.” 

“You are too sweet Y/N.” Jay took a sip of his milk tea as you poked to his cheeks. “Did I make you blush?” 

“No!” Jay choked out a little. 

“Aw, I made you blush.” You giggled as Jay shook his head. “You’re seeing things.” 

Maybe you are starting to believe that Jay did have a little crush on you. 

Jay still did not know his way around city- more like he just never got the chance to. With his uncle busy at the shop and his aunt still at home, taking care of his little cousins, he only knew the route to and from the school and the area around it.

You felt bad he never got to explore the area and decided to spend the entire day going to your favorite places. You thought it would be nice to unwind with Jay for the day- considering you both never went out on your before. 

You put on your sneakers, looking at the mirror on the top of the shoe cabinet.

As soon as you saw a notification pop up from your phone and saw Jay’s message, you opened the front door.

You said a quick bye to your grandma who was currently watching a game show on the TV. 

You walked outside, closed the front door, and saw Jay standing in front of your house. The both of you unknowingly color-coordinated today, both wearing dark blue and black jeans. 

“Good afternoon,” Jay said as you smiled,waving back. “You ready to go?”

“Yup, let’s go. I’m excited to see what you have planned.” 

The two of you walked then towards the bus stop by your house, waiting for the next bus to arrive. As soon as it came you both paid your fares and went to the middle as you took the window seat. 

You rode a bit further down to the other side of the city. The two of you talked for a little, him asking you what building was what and which parts of the city you go to often. 

You both then got off a few minutes after and stood in front of a beach walk. 

“Oh wow, it’s pretty over here,” Jay said in awe. 

“We can get some ice cream floats then walk on the beach. How does that sound?” You asked as he nodded his head. “You are in charge today, I’m just following you around.” 

The two of you then walked towards the small shops by the beach walk and went straight into the ice cream parlor. 

After enjoying large chocolate floats, the both of you walked on the beach as the breeze softly caressed both of your guys’ faces. You both decided to sit for a little and wait for the sunset. 

“Ah, thank you for showing me your favorite part of the city today, I enjoyed it.” Jay thanked you.

You smiled in relief. “I’m glad. I didn’t know if you would like it or not.” 

“I’m guessing you come here quite often?” 

“Yup. I used to come here often with my parents.” 

“What happened?” Jay asked as he leaned back a little.

“Well they just get busy that’s all. We don’t have time to go out anymore because they both work long-hour shifts. That’s how I figured out bus routes to certain places so I can take Won and me out whenever I have some free time.”

“You’re a really good sister, I hope you know that,” Jay replied. “I don’t have any siblings but I can tell that you care for Won a lot.” 

“Thanks, Jay, I try, I do.” You sighed. 

The two of you then looked at each other. You felt your cheeks burn a little as he sat a little closer next to you. You gulp as the sky slowly starts to turn a darker shade of pink. 

As the sun slowly started to set, Jay leaned in closer and he turned his neck a little, leaving a kiss on your lips. You did not pull away as you both stayed in the same position for a few more seconds. 

You both then sat aback, as a little smile left your lips. You tried not to show your smile, looking at your feet dig into the sand. 

Jay was your first kiss,

And you felt like you were floating on a cloud, glad it was him who took it. 

Ever since you shared a kiss with Jay, the two of you did everything together. It was to the point he and his friends also joined you guys at lunch in the cafeteria and even took the same bus going home. 

The two of you would subtly brush your hands against each other while walking, sometimes he’d intertwine them and sometimes he’d draw circles in your palms.

Your friends already got the hint something was going on between the both of you; they just let things be, waiting for you guys to admit to whatever was going on. 

You sat in the library with Ningning, Julie, Jay, and his friends. You guys sat at the large table, looking at your laptops reading each other’s college application essays. 

It honestly did not cross your mind about applying to college so soon. You decided just to stay locally as Ningning and Julie wanted to go out of state. You were too attached to stay home and did not know whether you wanted to leave just yet- also because you did not want to leave Jungwon yet either.

“Where did you plan to go?” You asked Jay as he closed a tab on his laptop. He sighed and shook his head. “Honestly I don’t know yet. I was thinking of just staying here.” The others smiled to themselves as Ningning and Julie held a giggle to themselves.

“Oh, you’re considering on staying here too?” 

“Yeah, why are you?”

“Mhm.” You nodded your head. “My parents are always busy with work, Grandma is getting old. I feel like Won will have no one, as much as he drives me off the walls, I don’t want him to be alone.” 

Jay nodded his head. “Makes sense.” 

“I’ll still apply though to other schools, it’ll be a second option if anything.” 

“Tell me which schools, maybe we can go to the same ones,” Jay replied as you nodded your head, showing him your possible schools. 

What you didn’t know was that Jay wanted to originally go to where Sunghoon and Jake were planning on going to- which was a school in Los Angeles. He planned to apply soon too but as soon as he heard you wanted to stay, he wanted to stay too.

He thought he was going insane when he made a choice so quickly but in fact, he probably fell in too deep when it came to you. He already had the change of scenery he wanted and he liked it here with you. He did not mind if he kept working at the music store and did not mind either if he had to stay with his uncle and his family still. He felt like it was just right to stay here. 

“That leaves the two of you to stay here, won’t you guys miss us.” Julie sighed as you shook your head. “Think of it this way, wherever you guys go, it gives us a reason to visit.”

“Fair enough,” Sunghoon replied as he and Jake switched their laptops.

You and Jay looked at each other’s essays, pointing out some grammar mistakes and poking fun at the little typing errors. 

You walked into the music shop to pick up Jungwon’s guitar. He and Jay inspected his guitar last week and figured it needed some quick repairs as some screws were loose. With Jungwon out on a volunteer trip for school, you decided just to pick it up for him.

It was the weekend after Thanksgiving and things were still calming down. You and your friends all submitted your college applications the week before, feeling a relief of calmness wash over all of you. 

You decided to apply to 3 schools as Jay applied to 4. He also applied to a school back in Seattle just in case things didn't work out here. 

You secretly hoped you both would be accepted to the nearby university which was 10 minutes away. Since everyone else was leaving, it would be nice just to have one person by your side-especially if it was Jay.

Now it was just a waiting game for the results. 

“Hi, I’m here to pick up-Heeseung?” 

As the boy turned around, he waved and smiled. “Hi Y/N, long time no see.”

“You’re back?” You replied in confusion.

“Oh no, I’m just visiting. I go back this Monday. I figured I’d say hi to Mr. Kim before I go back.” 

“And you’re working here for the day?” You asked, setting down your phone on the table.

“One of the workers called in sick and he asked if I could help out. I had nothing to do anyways.”  

Jay then walked out of the practice room, waving bye to his student. As he walked out towards the front, he saw you and Heeseung talking. With his guitar in one hand, he turned his head a little, realizing that it was the guy Jungwon was talking about.

He remembered his uncle saying that one of the old workers would take a shift for the day but did not expect it to be Heeseung. 

Jay saw your doe eyes and how they lit up a little. He saw you smile intently as you asked Heeseung how he was doing and how university was for him. He held on to his guitar, thinking if he should interrupt but just walked back to the hallway towards the back room, feeling a bit unamused. 

“Can you believe he joined their rugby team and is also part of the music department’s main singers for their events?” You said as you moved a few Christmas decorations to the living room. 

Jungwon tuned you out a little as he focused on putting the Christmas tree together. 

As your parents and your Grandma were out currently buying more Christmas decorations, you and Jungwon decided just to prepare the tree and put the stockings by the fireplace before they came back.

Setting down the last box, you sighed. “Won, did you hear anything of what I was saying?” 

“I mean I did for the first half,” Jungwon replied as he put the plastic pieces on the stand of the tree. “But then I didn’t hear anything you said for the second half.”

“I just wanted to let you know how Heeseung was doing.” 

“Mhm, about Jay, did you see him? He was working today.” 

“Oh really? I texted him and he said he wasn’t there.”

“Interesting,” Jungwon mumbled as he tried the put the middle of the tree together. 

“Why? I don’t like Heeseung like that anymore, it felt nice. It was like catching up with an old friend.” 

When you saw Heeseung again, you felt a wave of nostalgia hit you. You felt like a lot of things changed since he left and you felt like your little crush on him disappeared. It was cause your heart is now with someone else. 

And that someone is Jay.

“So are you openly admitting to me that you like Jay now?’ Jungwon’s eyes lit up. He waited patiently for an answer from you as you then threw a pillow at him from the couch. “I am not admitting to anything.”

“You’re boring.” Jungwon huffed as he then went back to fixing the tree. 

You smiled to yourself, humming the beginning of the song Jay sang at the talent show. 

“Yeah guys, it’s bad, I don’t know.” Jay sighed as he kicked the ball into the net. 

He and the boys were at the park playing soccer. He called the boys as soon as he got a call from his mom in Seattle, saying that his grandpa had fallen ill and was rushed to the hospital. He and his uncle were thinking of making a trip back to Seattle after Christmas to visit.

“We just hope everything will be okay man.” Jake sighed. “Have you told Y/N?” 

“Not yet. I sorta told her I could not hang out yesterday after I saw her talk to Heeseung, I feel like an idiot being a bit jealous right now.” 

Jay took a seat in the middle of the field with the soccer ball and rolled it in between his arms. Sunghoon and Jake also took a seat next to him, grabbing their water bottles.

“You’re acting like you guys did not just kiss a week or two ago,” Sunghoon said. “We see the way she looks at you.” 

“Yeah, she gets all smiley and giggly with you. There is no way she likes Heeseung like she used to.” Jake agreed.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m just a bit skeptical about how things will end.” 

“Enjoy for now then man, you got some time before Christmas,” Jake said as Sunghoon nodded his head. “You have some time, maybe you can finally tell her how you feel.” 

“I mean, I want to but-”

“But what?” Sunghoon asked.

“What if I don’t come back you know?”

“You are acting like you can’t visit or whatnot!” Jake sighs. “Come on, we’ll support you no matter what happens, I bet that’s the same for Y/N too.” 

“I’ll think of something…” Jay muttered. He wanted to make sure to spend a bit of time with you before he leaves. He was quite unsure whether his mom wanted him back home sooner than thought; he wanted everything to be perfect when it came to you. 

Jay sat nervously in the practice room. He asked Jungwon and his friends to help decorate the practice room the night before. With his uncle’s permission, they decorated the practice room in fairy lights and plated your favorite cookies and desserts from the bakery across the street. 

He had his guitar in his hands a bit nervous, shaking his head. He sang in front of a large crowd before heck, he’s done it so many times back at home for school events. Why was he so nervous with you just being his only audience? 

Jungwon told him that you’ve played the song he sang at the talent show around the house and in the car. He told Jay that it was your favorite song at the moment and it’s been like that for weeks already. 

Jay thought serenading you with the song would be a good idea. He asked his friends and your friends for their opinions and they all thought it was a sweet idea. And so everyone helped him with the past week's plan while Jungwon and his friends helped him decorate the practice room.

You thought Jungwon had lessons so you just dropped him off after class as per usual. You could not help but look at Jungwon on the bus as he was all smiles and giggles. You just figured he and his friends had a lot of fun in class beforehand.

As you got off the bus, the two of you went straight to the music shop. Mr.Kim was at the front desk and greeted you both. 

You both went straight to the practice room as the door was closed. Jungwon took his guitar case from you and smiled. “I think you should be the one to go in.” 

“Huh, what?” You replied in question.

“Thank me later.” Jungwon walked away towards Mr.Kim as you looked to him in confusion. 

You opened the door as you saw Jay sitting right in the middle of the room. He was sat on the wooden stool and had his guitar in his hands. You gasped a little, closing the door behind you. “J-jay?”

“Y/N,um I wanted to do something special for you,” Jay said a bit nervously. “I hope you like the song I’m about to sing.”

Jay started to strum his guitar and you instantly covered your mouth in shock. It was the song he sang at the talent show.

You felt tears well up in your eyes, a bit overwhelmed. No one has ever serenaded a song to you or ever done something special like this before. It felt like you were in your little romance movie and you were the main character. You were lost for words and could not believe it. 

Jay really did all of this for you. 

As soon as Jay finished singing, he looked up towards you and put his guitar down. He stood up and pouted. “Why are you crying? You didn’t like it?” He wiped the tears off your face, shocked by your reaction. 

You shook your head. “No, no. I’m just- no one has ever done this for me, thank you.” 

“I know it’s obvious but Y/N I like you a lot.” Jay took in a deep breath as he then held both of your hands in his. “Remember the first week I was here? I said I hope you change your mind on some things?”

“Gosh, how do you remember that?” You laughed a little, biting your lip. You tried to hold in more of the tears that streamed down your face.

“I liked you the first time I met you. The more I got to know you and the more I got to be around you, my heart started to save a spot just for you. I know we have a long way to go but I want to be with you.”

“It’s so funny how I despised you at first for no reason.” You let out a small chuckle. “But now, I really want you to stay in my life Jay. I really do.” 

“Can I be your boyfriend Y/N?” Jay asked.

“Yes, yes you can.” You smiled. “100 times yes.”

You swooped in and kissed Jay. He puts his hands on your cheeks and you can feel the tears subside. You did not want to let him go. He was all yours. 

You sat with Jay on the bus, on the way to the mall. Your friend group wanted to go watch a movie and get some milk tea before finals next week. 

“Y/N, I need to tell you something,” Jay spoke up.

“Mhm, what is it?” You asked.

“Well, you know how my Grandpa isn’t doing well? My mom wants my uncle and I to fly for a few weeks to go visit right after our break starts.” 

“Oh wow Jay, don’t even worry, you need to go.” You replied.

“She’s been talking with my dad about me coming back…” 

“Like permanently?” You asked. 

“I don’t know to be honest.” Jay sighed. He took your hand in his as he looked to you with a weary smile. “I don’t want to just leave you guys.”

“There is always FaceTime and we can always visit each other if you do need to stay.” 

You wanted Jay to focus on his time with his family. They needed him more than ever now and plus with him here, he could not give them his full support. He needed to be there. 

“Thank you for being so understanding Y/N,” Jay said as he kissed your forehead.

“We’ll get through this.” You smiled as he put his arm around you. You got your earbud as you put one in your ear and the other in his. “Here, let me show you my favorite song right now.” 

It has been around a month since you last saw Jay. He was currently in Seattle with his uncle to visit his Grandpa. You remember him putting his head on your shoulder, stressed about everything a day before he left. You reassured him that everything will be okay and that his Grandpa will recover soon. 

You spent Christmas and New Year at your Dad’s side of the family in New Jersey and stayed there for the entire winter break. You and your friends all facetimed during New Year's, staying up just for Jay to reach New Year's at his place. 

Jay did not come back in time for school to start. He was gone for the first and second week, telling you and your friends that his parents wanted more time with him before he came back. You admit you were a bit scared he would end up staying there. You did not want to say anything and just kept your thoughts and feelings to yourself. You just wish you had more time to do things as a couple if worse did come to worse. 

It was a Tuesday afternoon and the snow started to fall outside. You heard your classmates rush to the window in awe, happy that the snow finally fell after so long. You look as the snow starts to cover the trees and bushes and the parking lot having white specks on the pavement. 

With nothing to do in your free period, you just sat in the library, catching up on some schoolwork and some preparations for college. Ningning joined you as she had nothing to do in her free period either. 

You decided not to tell Jay yet that you got accepted to all the universities you applied to and got into the one in the city. It was a perfect distance from home to school and you could just take the bus still. He did not mention anything yet to you about his applications so you waited until he’d come back.

“Wow, the snow finally came,” Ningning muttered as the two of you looked towards the large window pane by the side entrance. “It seems heavier than usual.”

“We can finally have a snowball fight with the others.” You smiled. “I need to show Jay.” 

“He’s missing out that’s for sure,” Ningning replied as she looked back down to her work.

“I’m just relieved his grandpa is doing much better, Jay told me he can finally get some sleep.”

Jay’s grandpa made a recovery as soon as he and his uncle arrived. He assumed that his grandpa just missed him and what not. You were relieved knowing that his grandpa was doing better than before.

“Me too, that means he can come back to you.” Ningning cheered as she let out a cheeky smile.

“Yea, yea.” You smiled. 

You admit you did miss Jay but knew he needed time with his family. He was appreciative of how understanding you were and felt bad you could not celebrate your first month together physically. He even bought a small cake for both of you and blew it on FaceTime as a celebration. 

“Oh yea, don’t forget, we need to reply to the admissions offices to our chosen schools by the start of February.” 

“Mhm, I’ll get that done soon.” You replied, going back to work on your essay.

“You decided on where you want to go?” 

“Yeah, I think I’m going to stick to our local university.” 

“I’ll miss you Y/N, we really been together for so long.” Ningning pouted. 

“Don’t worry I will try to visit often and you need to give me a campus tour. We got a deal?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” 

You plop yourself on your bed, grabbing your phone from the top of your desk drawer. After helping your grandma load the dishwasher, you and Jungwon went up to your bedrooms to do some homework. You both were full from the delicious dinner your grandma made and could feel a nap coming in. 

 As Jungwon decided to stop lessons until Jay would get back, you were able to go home earlier and just work on homework. You both spent more time with your grandma, watching her favorite game shows. You and your friends would sometimes tag along with Jungwon and his friends to the arcade. Jake and Sunghoon were helping everyone get the stuffed animals they wanted you, Ningning, and Julie just sat back down, watching it all unfold. 

You glance towards the Pompompurin Jay won for you on the top of your pillows. You smiled to yourself, thinking of him. 

Jay has not texted since late last night. You wondered if everything was okay and decided to check on him. He usually was a fast replier too so you were curious if he was just busy with his family. 

As you were about to text him, his Caller ID appears on your phone screen.

“Jay!” 

“Y/N, I am super sorry, I got busy.” Jay said on the other line. You can hear him panting a little like he was out of breath.

“Are you okay, you seem like you ran a marathon?” You asked as you sat up.

“Look out your window.” 

“What?” 

You stood up from your bed and walked towards the window by your desk. You saw Jay on the side of the street, waving towards you. 

He was here. He was right in front of your window. 

“Oh my god-” 

“Surprise!” Jay said as he waved, jumping. 

“Stay right there, don’t move.” 

You ended the call, immediately getting your winter coat. You ran down the stairs, grabbing your boots, telling your Grandma you’d be back in a few minutes. You opened the front door and ran down the porch as Jay appeared right in front of you. You ran to him and into his arms as he held you tightly. You kissed him out of excitement and pulled away, holding his face in your hands. “You’re not a figment of my imagination right?”

“No, I’m here.” Jay chuckled. “I missed you so much.”

“You’re here for good or you’re heading once we graduate?” You ask. 

“Well… I wanted to tell you but I wanted to tell you in person.” Jay held you close. “I got into the university you wanted to go to. Well, more like we wanted to get into.” 

“Jay, wait, you too?” You smiled. “Me too.”

“I told my Mom I wanted to stay and go to school here. I told her I didn’t want to leave you plus it was the change of scenery I needed away from home.” 

“We are doing this?” You asked as he nodded his head. “I’m not letting you go that easily Y/N.” 

You hugged Jay again, smiling.

You had your fair share of crushes and infatuations, but never did it lead to anything. Jay proved to you that you do deserve someone who loves you just as much as you loved them. He showed through his actions that he cared deeply for you and that he wanted to stay with you even if things were a bit rough at the start. With the snow starting to fall again, the both of you looked up and back at each other. He came right in time to experience the first day of snow with you. 

“Come in, it’s freezing out here. I think my Grandma would like to meet you.” You smiled. “Lead the way,” Jay replied as you held his hand. 

You both walked back to the inside of your house as Jungwon stood on the front porch. Not knowing if he stood there the entire time, you looked at him as he clapped his hands, calling out to Jay. He waved to Jay and immediately hugged him. 

“Y/N move over, I missed my guitar teacher.” Jungwon joked as you laughed, letting him and Jay have their little reunion.

You then welcome Jay into your house as he meets your Grandma who instantly smiles upon seeing him remove his shoes. She greets him, telling him to take a seat. Jungwon stands next to him, immediately bringing over a baby photo of you from the top of the fireplace. 

You closed the front door, removing your shoes. You looked towards the sight in front of you, smiling. Jay looked back at you, holding your baby photo, gawking over how adorable you were.

“Y/N, come here, I’m going to make you guys some hot chocolate.” Your grandma motions to you as she walks into the kitchen.

You nodded your head, removing your coat, and walking over to the living room. You sat next to Jay as he started to go on and on about your missing two front teeth in your baby photo.

You giggled to yourself as Jungwon brought more photos over to him. 

Oh, how thankful you were for dropping Jungwon off to guitar lessons that one summer day back in August. 

© loveyhoons , 2024

landing page | masterlist

[all-alone-he-turns-to-stone]

Call Me biles

Stiles Stilinski Masterlist Summary: Being Coach’s daughter isn’t that bad. Of course, you're in the lacrosse team, which makes him proud and happy. But falling for the worst player (after Greenberg), going out with him in secret, and lying to your dad… That's bad. But the worst is… Ever since you started dating him, you've been calling him Biles and no one told you you were wrong. Word Count: 2080 Pairing: Stiles x F!Reader A/n: I was feeling the absolute worse today so decided to write the absolute cutest story I could to cheer me up. Teen Wolf, it's been a while! Hope y'all enjoy! Sorry for any mistake! (I wrote this with 3 hours of sleep)

“Faster! My grandma could beat you with her eyes closed, and she’s dead! You suck Greenberg! That’s good sweetie, keep going!”

Obviously, Coach was after everyone. It was understandable, Beacon Hills hadn't won a game in forever, it was almost depressing to be on this team. Other schools made fun of you when they crushed you during games. 

And Coach wasn’t only screaming at the student in his team, but at everyone in the class currently running on the field.

But obviously, when Coach spoke to you, he didn't treat you the same way as the others. His tone changed, a proud smile appeared on his face, and he began to encourage you instead of denigrating you.

Obviously. Since Coach was your dad.

You finished your lap, out of breath, and leaned over to put your hands on your knees. In the distance, you could hear your dad's voice return to its usual tone as other insults replaced the encouragement he only offered to you. 

“Is that everyone?” You looked up to see the last person finally finishing their lap and collapsing in front of your dad, face red and covered in sweat. A small laugh escaped your vigilance with a smile that you quickly hid when you saw you had Coach's attention on you. “Pathetic,” he finished as he headed towards the school, announcing that class was over.

You watched him out of the corner of your eye, and, once certain that he was out of range, headed towards the poor wretch collapsed on the ground.

“Biles!” you laughed, helping him up. “You really need to improve your cardio, or we’ll get crushed at the next game!”

Once on his feet, you met his gaze and it was your turn to lose your breath as you inevitably lost yourself in the beauty of his amber eyes.

“You’re dad will crush me before,” he grimaced as he started walking towards the school alongside you. It was the first class of the day, and you knew the rest of the day would be long, especially with Lacrosse practice scheduled for the evening. “You’re lucky he’s not always on your back, you know?”

You shook your head, understanding what he meant. “He wants what’s best for me. I asked to join the team, he didn’t force me nor did he agreed I join because I was his daughter. He made me go through the tryouts like everyone else and I got no special treatments or favoritism. He just… Made a promise to my mom before she passed away, to never be the cause of my tears. He’s a great dad. Well, except when it comes to dating boys…”

Biles shook his head and sighed as he opened the door to let you enter the school first. “What about the other guys? Aren’t they mad about Coach’s daughter being on the team?”

At his question, a grimace of suffering stretched your face and you stopped walking. Biles mimicked your movement and turned to you, one eyebrow raised.

“Let’s say he made it veeeeerryyyy clear to the ones that complained. And the few ones that started rumors…” You shivered at the thought. “You don’t wanna know.”

“I don’t wanna know,” an expression of terror was now on his face. “Alright, I’ll hit the shower, see you at lunch,” Biles quickly scanned his surroundings to make sure the coast was clear and leaned down to place his lips on yours. They were soft and warm and even though it wasn't the first kiss you had shared, the butterflies still woke up in your stomach.

“See you later,” you watched him leave, a stupid smile plastered on your face.

Gosh, you loved that boy.

-

Later the same day, it was Lacrosse practice.

Even though you had spent time with Biles during the day, you were very excited to see him again to play the sport that bonded you two together at the beginning. And then, hiding from your father all day, always looking behind your shoulder to make sure no one was following you, spending dinner breaks in Biles' jeep to make sure no other teacher saw you together at the cafeteria…

It was grueling.

Sometimes, you wish you had the courage to just tell your dad. After all, even though he appeared rather withdrawn, he always supported you in your decisions and encouraged you to pursue your dreams. But a boy in your life?

You feared his reaction.

“Hey, Stiles!” 

The unfamiliar name, albeit with a familiar connotation, caught your attention and you turned your head towards the source. Practice had already started, but as usual, your boyfriend was on the bench while you were on the field. The person who had just spoken was also on the team, number 11 and friend of Biles, who, true to form, arrived late.

Biles jumped to his feet as if he had springs in his shoes and rushed towards Scott to whisper something frantically. You raised an eyebrow, not really understanding the reason for the secrets exchanged between the two boys, and continued playing without worrying anymore about what was happening.

-

Stiles Pov

“Hey, Stiles!”

Nervousness coursed through his veins as if he had just received a violent electric shock. The current reached his feet, and immediately he was standing up and rushing towards Scott, his stress-fueled speed almost on par with the werewolves.

“Biles. My name is Biles. Call me Biles!” Stiles quickly whispered, his hands going all over the place as if he was trying to fly away. 

Scott froze, his mouth half open, and his gaze left his friend and rested on the source of all this stress. The girl in question had stopped playing to look at them, but quickly returned to the game, shrugging one shoulder. “You know, you should tell her.”

“Are you crazy?!” Stiles' voice rose an octave, which caught Coach's attention. A quick wave of his hand to apologize, and Stiles continued the conversation in a low voice. “She’s Coach’s kid, and I love her so much, man, if she thinks my name is Biles, my name is Biles. Hell, I’m ready to change it on my birth certificate.”

Scott looked at his friend with wide eyes. “You love her that much?”

Stiles sighed, his head turning to look behind him where the girl of his dreams had just caught the ball and scored a point. Pleased with herself, her gaze immediately went to her dad who applauded her, then to him, Stiles - well, Biles, who looked at her with eyes full of affection. “You have no idea.”

--

“Stilinski! On the field! Greenberg, out of my sight!”

Hearing his name, Stiles was already standing, helmet on his head and lacrosse stick in his hands. Since he arrived, he was ready to play and radiated energy. Finally on the field, he ran towards the person he wanted to see the most and stopped next to her, smiling under his helmet. 

“Hey there.”

“Hey,” she replied, her smile just as big.

A loud whistle startled them both, but it was the calling of their names that made them break out in a cold sweat. Sweats of horror. Sweats…

Of terror.

“Stilinski! Finstock! Stop flirting and go go go!!” Coach yelled in their direction. 

Stiles shared a frightened look with his girlfriend, the fear of being found out strong in their veins. “Do you think he knows?”

“We were careful,” Y/n whispered as she ran to the other side of the field to start the practice match again. “But I can ask him after practice,” she offered, but seeing the fear in Stiles’ eyes, she felt compelled to specify “subtly, obviously.”

“Your dad scares me,” he added, getting into position.

“I know,” Y/n replied with a sigh. “I know.”

-

Your pov

The practice match was over. Although usually, playing Lacrosse managed to cure all of your daily life stresses and struggles, this time, even the sport that you knew and loved couldn’t stop the tornado of thoughts that invaded your mind.

Did your father find out about your relationship with Biles or not???

If so, you had to do everything to protect him, otherwise you were afraid for his life.

But first of all, you had to ask your father, subtly, if he had any doubts about the nature of your relationship with the number 24.

“Good job tonight Y/n! Dad’s proud of you!” 

You had just returned to the stands when Coach walked to you, a friendly pat of encouragement on the back. Usually, you would have been really delighted -your father's compliments were as precious as a treasure lost for hundreds of years- but stress prevented all good feelings from existing. For the last hour, you've been reciting what you were going to say, how to ask him, how to bring up the subject without seeming suspicious, how-

“I was thinking, hotdogs for dinner. You down?” Your father asked, cutting off all your concentration and courage to ask him. 

“Sure, uhm, dad, I uh… I wanted to-” 

“Why don’t you invite your boyfriend too?” 

You froze. Literally, your whole body turned to marble and you were stuck in the last position you had been in, mouth open, one hand outstretched towards him. Coach was putting away your equipment in your bag, completely unaware of what he just did by asking that simple question.

“Uh?”

“I think it’s time Stilinski acts like a man and steps up for his girl,” your father continued, glancing at you. Then, straightening up, he raised his voice and added: “STILINSKI! COME OVER HERE.”

Like a good soldier, Biles rushed towards Coach and you, leaving everything he was doing behind.

He was missing a shoe.

“Yes, Coach, I’m here, Stilinski, that’s me, reporting, present, right here.” With both hands on his hips, Biles looked at you, then at your father, then back at you, asking a thousand and one silent questions with his facial expressions.

“Hot dogs. You like em?” 

“Yes, sir, love them, enjoy them, delicious, delicate food, truly amazing,” Biles nodded, sweat rolling down his forehead, definitely not from the practice match that had ended 15 minutes ago already.

“Alright. You are eating dinner with us tonight. I think it’s time you stop hiding, you two, gosh,” the coach rolled his eyes and threw his arms in the air, exasperated. For your part, you were still frozen. Your father started to walk away with your sport bag under his arm but suddenly he stopped to turn towards you. “And Stiles?”

“Yes, sir, yes, that’s me, yes?” Your boyfriend responded automatically, his body straightening to form a perfectly vertical straight line.

“You should stop parking in front of my car. I have eyes. Be there for 7!”

With these words, your father disappeared into the school parking lot, where he would wait for you to go back home. But for now...

“Holy shit I’m dead, right?” 

“Wait, your name is STILES? Not Biles???” You exclaimed, turning towards him.

“Is that really what you remember from the conversation?!” 

“You’re not denying it!!”

“I’m gonna die tonight!” 

“You’re gonna be fine, Stiles!” You couldn't believe it. Not only your dad knew about your relationship, but you had completely shamed yourself by not even knowing your boyfriend's real name. “I’ve been calling you the wrong name all this time…” 

You hid your face in your hands. 

“Hey hey…” Warmth settles on your hands, and slowly, Stiles freed your face and gently lift your chin to look into your eyes. “I’m sorry for not telling you. But I kind of… liked it, you calling me Biles. It was our thing…” Stiles smiled, and damn, that smile was magical. You just couldn’t feel bad having someone so perfect near you. 

“I feel stupid,” you furrowed your brows, your expression pouty.

“If it can make you feel better,” Stiles continued, putting an arm around your shoulders to start walking towards the parking lot with you. “I’ll be dead after tonight, probably,” he added with a laugh. “And also, my real name is not Stiles.”

You stopped walking to look at him. “Really.”

“Yeah. But I’ll only tell you if I survive tonight’s dinner.”

“Alright,” you laughed as you continued walking with him, obvious relief being felt in your heart. It was so nice not to have to hide. “I think I can help with that, Biles. But…” You glanced down.

“Hm?”

“You’re missing a shoe.”

“Oh, I know.”

-

Forever taglist: @nitnat6245 @eevvvaa​​ @wickedinspirations​@fictional-affairs @awkward-and-indecisive​​ @peachyaliien @katbratsupernaturalwhore

[kellysue]

The Suit-Making Metaphor

[Written in January, 2024] The cold eventually got bad enough that the Grandma, the kids and I fled to a hotel while Matt stayed at the house with the dogs. We were fortunate to be able to that of course, and sharing a room in a nice warm hotel was not suffering by any stretch of the imagination. Even so, it was stressful. We brought ipads, paints, books and needlework to keep the kids entertained and alleviate some anxiety, but time also had to be made for school work—especially as they would be going back to class just in time for finals. We made lists of their classes, what they had to study, what we could help with and what questions would need to be put to their teachers.

Henry’s 16 now (!!) and instead of an exam, his Humanities final was a personal essay. We chatted a bit about his writing process, what he liked about what he had done so far and what was frustrating for him. Though he had a terrific topic, he’d written and rewritten his opening paragraph several times and wasn’t making any real progress.

Been there, buddy.

As we talked, I stumbled on a metaphor that I found helpful, and so I’m going to try and share with you roughly what I said to him, and perhaps some of you will find it helpful too.

I get it, I do. It’s exactly my inclination as well. But writing like this-- where you try to perfect everything as you go, effectively writing the third draft before you finish the first--it’s like trying to make a suit from the top to the bottom. You can’t make a suit like that. You can’t start with the collar and get that perfected and then move to the shoulder. You can’t topstitch the upper part of the button placket before the bottom even exists. And even if you could figure how to do it that way, your suit isn't going to fit. Because that’s just not the best way to make a suit. Finishing the thing from top to bottom is not the best way to write, either. You start by choosing your fabric—your topic. What material are you going to craft the suit from? What’s the subject of the essay? You want to write about your relationship to various monsters. That’s terrific! That’s like a nice wool; there’s heft there—memories and feelings and personal details that resonate as truths; it should make a rich and interesting suit. Now, instead of cutting out the collar immediately, let’s choose a pattern. We need a pattern to help us cut the wool into the proper shapes. The pattern is the very basic structure of your essay. How might you organize your thoughts and feelings about monsters? The order isn’t as important as the categories. For the suit jacket, we’ll need right front, left front, sleeves, collar, lining etc. For the essay, what monsters do you want to write about? King Kong, the Rancor, the Minotaur and Bernard the Bull. Perfect. Cutting the pattern pieces out is equivalent to gathering your thoughts on each monster. Write freely about each one, taking the time to remember in as much detail as possible where you first encountered each monster, how old you were, etc. Go through each of your senses to help you recall the moment. What did you see? Smell? Taste? Feel? Who was with you? How did you feel in your body? How did you feel in your heart? Include everything that jumps out at you, you can always edit it down later. In our metaphor, this step is not just cutting out the pieces but also taking the time to transfer the pattern marks. You might not need them all, but you're sure to make a finer suit if you have them all available. Once you have the pieces, the next step is to see how they fit together. Read through each monster and look for connections. Is there an order that suggests itself? Rearrange and then edit and expand to highlight those connections. The first pass of this is basting stitches—loose connections just to test the fit—once you’re happy with the shape you can go ahead and lay in seams. Here is where our parallels start to fall apart: For the suit, you’ll want to do all the finishing touches—the handstitching, buttons, pressing, etc.—and then try it on and style it. But in writing your essay, these steps are reversed—styling is crafting the last paragraph, bringing the piece to a close. Your essay doesn’t have to wrap up neatly, in fact, you don’t want it to be too matchy-matchy. Just as an outfit’s style is improved by personal idiosyncrasies, a piece of writing is enriched by the author's capacity to engage with complexity and ambiguity. With the styling done--when you really know what it is you're trying to say--now you can go back with needle and thread and do that hand-stitching: tighten the prose where you can, polish rhythms, word choice, grammar and voice. With the whole of the thing in front of you, you now have what you need to do the kind of “third draft” finishing work that was impossible to begin with.

This might be the very definition of beating a metaphor to death, but I surprised myself with it. It was as revelatory for me as it was for Henry--probably more so.

And with that, I need to get back to those now-422 emails.

Cheers,

Kelly Sue

PS New creator-owned book coming out late fall this year--first launch in a decade or so, I think? I do need to figure out this whole newsletter/blog conundrum sooner rather than later. Advice and opinions welcome.

[sceletaflores]

•｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ wip wednesday!

thanks for the tag @guiltyasdave <3

wip #1 • SINK IN MY WITH YOUR DOG TEETH!

there's something off with logan...

this is the feral!logan fic that won the last poll i posted. i'm almost done with it, literally all i need to do is finish up the smut but it's been kicking my ass every single time i try and sit down to actually finish it :))) which is so great and fun for me :)))

The energy in the room crackles like a storm about to break, and you feel it in your bones, in the way your skin prickles under his gaze. "I was only gone for an hour," you say, your voice measured, careful. "You were still asleep when I left, I didn’t want to wake you."  You chance a glance over your shoulder, and the sight of him steals the air from your lungs. Logan hasn’t moved an inch from his perch on the edge of the bed, but the sheer force of his presence keeps you rooted in place, heart hammering in your chest. “Hmm, that’s real sweet, baby,” he drawls, sitting up straighter now, leaning forward. The motion makes him seem larger somehow, shoulders broad and imposing in the dim light. His tongue drags slowly across his bottom lip, and the way his gaze rakes over you feels like a physical touch, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. Your fingers still in the drawer, fabric slipping from your grasp as your pulse pounds in your ears. You can’t bring yourself to look away from him, caught in the snare of his sharp, predatory focus. You turn slowly, arms falling to hang limply at your sides. "I wasn't gone long." Logan tilts his head, a low, amused sound rumbling in his chest as he rises to his feet with a fluid, deliberate ease that makes your stomach flip. “Didn’t feel that way to me, darlin’.” His voice is a low, gravelly purr, sending a shiver down your spine. “Felt like forever.” His eyes never leave yours as he crosses the room, the green completely swallowed by the dark black of his pupils as they seep into the color like oil spilling out over the surface of a lake. You’ve never seen him like this before, so hungry. "Logan," you say slowly, back pressed tightly against your dresser. "You're really starting to freak me out."  Logan hums idly, head cocked to the side as he watches you. "I can hear your heartbeat."  His tone is calmer now, but there’s still a dangerous edge to it, like a knife pressed just lightly enough against the skin not to break it. Your pulse races, heat simmering in your stomach despite the slight edge of fear clawing its way through your chest. He stops in front of you, close enough that his scent invades your senses strong enough to make your knees feel like they’re about to buckle beneath you. “There’s nothin’ to be scared of baby,” he mutters quietly, thick arms coming up to cage you against the dresser. 

wip #2 • ALL THAT GLITTERS...

a billionaire walks into your job, and then into your apartment…

omg...a bruce wayne fic? yeah i don't know either...i just got way too into the dc universe by accident and had one (1) single idea that i thought fit his character too well to not write it. will i actually ever post this? i don't know. am i having fun with it anyway? yes, maybe a little too much fun. don't read into it i'm just throwing this at the wall because it's plagued my mind for days.

You snort, shaking your head as you walk down the hall, but you can't help the way your mind starts wandering. Maybe Rachel is right, was that your big moment? The story you'd pass down to your grandchildren once you got old enough that your filter had gone? "Yes, it's true, grandma had one crazy night with the Bruce Wayne." You shake your head, dispelling all thoughts of what might have happened had you not spent the whole lunch nervously poking at a way too overpriced plate of pasta and shoving your own foot in your mouth. Bruce—Mr. Wayne—clearly felt some kind of pity towards you that day. He was known for his charitableness, helping you score that holiday bonus and taking you out was just that—charity. You had to admit it was good press, a good headline to splash across the magazines he frequented. You could see it so clearly in your mind. BILLIONAIRE PLAYBOY BRUCE WAYNE CHARMS BUMBLING SALES GIRL WITH LUXURY LUNCH! HEART OF GOLD, OR JUST ANOTHER PR STUNT? You sigh, the memory of his perfectly polite smile gnawing at you. He didn’t look uncomfortable, though. If anything, he seemed...amused. Not in the cruel, condescending way you feared, but in the same way someone might look at a puppy struggling to climb a too-tall staircase. Endearing, maybe, but ultimately a fleeting novelty. It wasn’t like the Bruce—Mr. Wayne—was secretly harboring some deep, hidden interest in you. He’d paid for lunch, helped you out with a well-placed favor, and probably forgot about you the moment he left the restaurant. A man like him doesn't chase after someone like you. He chases after pretty trust fund babies, A-list actresses, supermodels. Not women working commission at Harrow & Bloom that live in broken down apartment complexes where there's only one elevator that's been out of order since you moved in. And honestly? That was fine. Better, even. You didn't need that kind of stress in your life, the stress of being thrown off the deep end and into the public eye all because you were photographed on your solemn walk of shame out of Wayne Manor. You were over it. Completely over it. That's what you tell yourself as your wrench the door open with a little more force than necessary and— And Bruce Wayne is on the other side, standing in the hallway of your shitty apartment complex in a perfectly pressed suit looking extremely out of place. Bruce Wayne is on the other side of your door. The door that you slam right back shut directly in his face just as he opens his mouth to speak. What the fuck?

kisses!

i know it's not wednesday anymore...but i'll tag some beloved mutuals anyway! sorry if you've been tagged already <3

no pressure tags! @ebodebo @artemis-b-writes @elflutter @eupheme @javier-pena @raeinyourdreams @moonlight-prose @silverskyeline @superhoeva

[malfunctioningspray]

When You Are Sick pt.1

(Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan, Satan)

Just wanted to write some fluff for each of the brothers. hope you enjoy!

Trigger Warning: mention of puking, fainting, overworking, etc

If any triggers have not been listed but are found, please let me know so I can correct the warning. I apologize for the inconvenience beforehand.

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

Lucifer

Despite his usual awareness of his surrounding, due to the fact he throws themself at work, he would be one of the last of the brothers to realize you were sick.

it wasn't only until he left his study to check up on you that he noticed how paled you looked.

immediately puts you to bed if you are wondering the house

will order one of his brothers to make some soup to make you feel better, not wanting to leave your side.

whispers words of love to you

will refrain of giving you kisses to avoid getting sick himself (man still had a shit ton of work to do)

Lucifer instead, kisses his pointer and middle finger and place it over your lips after you drift off to sleep.

"It's okay my love, I'll take care of you..."

Mammon

With how cling he his, Mammon noticed immediately when you started feeling bad.

it started off slow, coughing, sniffling

would get concerned really quick, and you are not even that sick yet.

usually, due to his concern, you wouldn't even get too bad. instead getting better instantly and going about your week

but sometimes not even a loving bf demon's care can combat the unique illness you can get in the demon realm

when you do get really sick, mammon wouldn't care about his own health, sticking to you and giving you many kisses

unlike Lucifer, mammon would feel the need to take care of you personally, rejecting any help from his brothers.

though he wouldn't like to, he would leave your side for small amounts of time to prepare you soup and medicine

and by soup, I mean he'll just reheat canned soup

"What would you do without the Great Mammon? Don't worry, I got you"

Leviathan

let's be honest, this man is probably the one who gets sick the most among his brothers.

he becomes kind of like a grandma, where he'll pull out weird home remedies that strangely does work wonders

he doesn't bat an eye when it comes to your puking or snot. Will stand there and hold your hair back (if you have long hair) or will help clean up if you couldn't make it to the toilet.

and this isn't to say he isn't panicking; no man is stressing.

whenever he does try to help, he does run the chance of dropping bowls of soup or being too loud and disturbing your sleep.

if he was sick before you, he'll blame himself, refusing to go into your room in fear that he'll make you feel even worse.

though if you were sick and then he got sick, he's moving you into his room

constantly attached to you, sharing food, the both of you are under the covers nice and warm and playing games day and night.

he won't admit it, since it sounds so bad out loud, but he loves being sick with you

"it'll pass over soon mc, I'll stay by your side."

Satan

I feel Satan would be the kind to romanticize being sick

bringing you flowers, rubbing your feet, reading you books as you drift to sleep

when he takes care of you, he's the only one to take care of you

can't handle the stress and anger he gets from his brothers meddling

he looks up different recipes that'll help you feel better, especially if you're from a different culture, he'll find that's culture equivalent to chicken noodle soup.

he wouldn't feel the need to stay by your side like some of his brothers, but he does make the same effort to check up on you

he mostly appears when you are asleep, not to be creepy, but to ensure you are surviving through the night

out of his brothers, I feel he worries too much about you since you are human, he reads so much about humans that he'll end up the rabbit hole

with the stories he's read, he has the idea that sleeping while sick is the deadliest thing for a human to do since they can just pass in their sleep

He'll definitely drag you to the doctors if you don't get better within a day, thinking its smallpox or Ebola

"How about a story to help drift off to sleep?"

[faefictions]

Snow in Indiana

Eddie Munson x Reader

5.7k words

Eddie has spent the past decade thinking about the pen pal he lost touch with, but fate has a funny way of bringing people back together when they need it most

Warnings: family death (unedited bc it is 3am and I have been working on this for hours)

“Dear Eddie, 

Does it Snow in Indiana?” 

He had read the beginning of the note hundreds of times by now. He had memorized how each individual letter had been written and slightly smudged. He knew the entire contents of the letter by heart, but that never stopped him from coming back to it from time to time. 

“My grandma hasn’t told me much about Hawkins, just that it’s just like home. Except it’s on the other side of the country. Grandma likes the snow, so I hope you say yes.” 

Something about the innocent nature of your writing calmed him down when things got rough. He had received the note in the middle of August at the beginning of 6th grade. Your grandmother had just moved across the country, and she just so happened to be the Librarian at Eddie’s new middle school. She had told both of you that the other could use a friend, even if you were thousands of miles apart. She also insisted that being pen pals would improve both of your lackluster reading and writing skills. She meant well. 

“Can I tell you the truth? I didn’t want to write you a letter when grandma called and told me I should. My teachers say I’m not good at writing anyway. But Grandma also said maybe you and I could be friends. And I think I would like that.” 

Some of your words had been crossed out with pen, either from misspellings or second thoughts on phrasing. Eddie had stared at the paper for so long that he even knew what was underneath those scribbles. 

When the snow started coming down each winter, it was hard for him to not want to keep the letter on him at all times. The opening line of your first letter to him always floated into his head with the first snowflakes. 

He had written you back to assure you that it does snow in Indiana, that he too had troubles with pleasing his teachers with his school work, and of course, that he too would like to be friends. 

That was over 10 years ago now. He had never met you, never heard your voice, never learned what you looked like (besides the poorly drawn picture you had included for him one time) but you had been a part of him for his middle school years. 

The letters started slowing down in the 8th grade. You had told him you were nervous for high school, that you’d heard that kids were meaner there. The last letter he had sent you was in the summer before both of your freshman years. He hated that he couldn’t remember what he had said, what his last words to you were. All he knew was that he wished you luck for your first day. 

Then the letters stopped completely. After months of checking mailboxes impatiently, he got the hint and gave up. 

At the age of 24, he wishes he sent another letter. He wishes he got some closure on why you stopped writing. He had always wondered if it had been something he had said, or maybe you had just found new friends in high school and decided you didn’t need him anymore. 

He was embarrassed to admit that it was his first heartbreak. So he refused to admit it even happened to anyone he knew now. 

He tucked the old letter in his pocket as another patron entered the diner. He had picked up a second job as the night cook in hopes of saving up enough to to move out of the trailer with Wayne. It had been months of helping Wayne with bills now, and he was just barely starting to see the hard work pay off in his savings account. 

He peeked out the pass through window to get a glimpse of the first customer they’d had in the last hour and a half. The snow had been coming down hard, and it was preventing the already few people who would be coming in to the diner at this hour from showing up. He wasn’t surprised to see the young woman, somewhere around his age, follow the waitress quickly to the booth in the corner and sit down. He was, however, surprised to see no new car in the small lot outside. He hadn’t seen headlights arrive or depart to drop her off. The snow that has accumulated on her hair, even thought it has been covered with a hood, was making him think she had walked a distance to get here. If the counter hadn’t been blocking his view, he would have seen the bottom of her pants completely soaked through from the snow piled outside to confirm his suspicion. 

“Can you start on a stack of pancakes, Ed?”

He nodded at the waitress, Judy, who wasn’t usually one to whisper like she was now. She rushed off to the phone in the back office, which did nothing but pique the interest in Eddie’s under stimulated brain. 

Curiosity got the best of him, so he made his way out of the kitchen quickly, grabbed a mug from the counter and the full coffee pot, and made his way over the girl in the corner. 

You had been staring out the window, and Eddie recognized the look as he approached. You were doing your best to hold yourself together. He was used to this kind of customer at this time of night. People who really needed the company, who had nowhere else to go, often found their way here after midnight. But there was something different about you, and it wasn’t just that he had never seen you around town. No matter how hurt he could tell you were inside, you did your best to keep up a facade when you saw him approaching. 

“Coffee?” he offered, less poised than he had intended.

“Please,” you smiled up at him as he set down the mug and poured. He allowed himself to take you in, and that’s when he saw the snow still caked on to your sneakers, and the damp cloth stretching from the hem above your ankle nearly up to your knees. There was snow yet to melt from head to toe, and you were trying your best not to shake from the cold. 

“You walk here?” He tried to make light conversation as he chuckled, but you weren’t as chipper. 

“My car broke down about a mile up the road. Walking was my only option,” You tried to keep the smile on your face, but Eddie saw the look, almost like a shunned child. As if you were embarrassed by what you had done, preparing for the lecture or consequence coming your way. 

Before he could say anything, Judy returned from the back office. 

“Tow truck won’t be running ’til morning, darlin’. But I left a message telling them you’d call first thing,” Judy gave you a halfhearted smile, before turning to Eddie, “Where’s that stack I told you to start on?” 

“Right, sorry,” he quickly excused himself back to the kitchen, but did his best to listen for the conversation you were having on the other side of the room. 

“Where are you staying tonight? I can try to get you a ride there.” 

“My grandma’s house, well it used to be I guess. I think it’s just a few more miles into town, I’m not a hundred percent sure though, I’ve never been out here.” 

“Used to be your grandma’s house?”

“Yeah, she, uhm… passed away not long ago. Hard to own something six feet under,” you tried to joke, but failed to make either of you laugh, “Funeral service is next week, I came early to pack up her things. Guess I chose the wrong day to drive in though.” 

“I’d say. Well let me see what I can do, do you have the address?” 

“Yeah, it’s right…” you trailed off as you checked your pocket, slowly coming to realize that you had left the torn piece of paper with the address written on it on your passenger seat, right on top of the map you were struggling to follow in the heavy snow. “Guess I left it in the car.” 

Just as the realization was threatening to break you, Eddie came and set a fresh stack of 3 pancakes in front of you. 

“You eat up, it’s on the house. And let me know if you remember any of that address,” Judy smiled at you and walked into the back before you could refuse the free pancakes.

Eddie watched you for the next hour through the pass through window. No other customers came in, so he didn’t exactly have anything better to do. It was nearing 4 am, the end of Eddie’s shift. He had cleaned his station in the kitchen faster than he ever had and made his way out to your table to check on your before he left. 

“Any luck with that address?”

“Don’t think I’d remember it with a gun to my head. I might as well walk back and grab it.” 

“Not a chance. My shift is over in a few minutes. Why don’t I drive you back to your car, you can grab it, and I can get you there.”

“I couldn’t possibly-“

“No need to be polite. You’ve had a rough enough night, let’s just get you home.”

You didn’t correct his phrasing. This was the furthest you had ever been from home, and you were sure as hell feeling that in this strange diner with barely a concept of where you were. The snow falling outside only exacerbated your feeling of being out of place. 

Eddie rushed to the back to grab his belongings and wish Judy a good night, letting her know he was going to get you out of there, before he made his way back out to you. You had brought the hood of your sweatshirt back up, and were staring out at the snow silently. He approached cautiously and gently spoke, “Let’s get out of here,” before guiding you through the door. 

“I’m Eddie, by the way. Sorry I didn’t properly introduce myself earlier.” 

You paused at his name, but he was too busy trying to find his van through the wall of snow to notice. 

“I’m y/n, thanks again for helping. You and Judy are both angels.” 

He smiled at your name for a moment, but kicked the idea from his mind. 

Both of you thought of the letters you had sent all those years ago, unaware that the person climbing into the same car as you was in fact the person you were reminiscing on. 

Eddie shook the snow out of his hair like a wet dog before starting the van. 

“Left out of the lot?” 

“Yeah,” you smiled. 

“You know, I’ve helped fix up a few cars in my day. I could take a look under the hood for you when we get there if you’d like.”

“You’re already helping enough, thank you though.”

“I really don’t mind. Can’t hurt just to take a look.” 

The glance and smile he shot you made your stomach do flips. In the low light of the passing, sparse streetlights, he looked incredibly handsome. Your mind wandered back to what you thought your Eddie looked like back in middle school. You had sent him a drawing of yourself, mostly as a joke since your drawing skills as a 12 year old weren’t amazing, but you were also trying to send him the message that you desperately wanted to know him better. Of course, when your grandmother had insisted you become pen pals with a strange boy, you weren’t too happy about the idea, but as time went on, the sound of a friend sounded too nice. You hadn’t had many of them in elementary school, and it concerned your family. But as your friendship with Eddie grew with each letter, you found yourself hoping for something, anything, more. Now, as an adult, you blame your adolescent brain for the silly crush. But that didn’t stop you from thinking about him from time to time, still wondering what he might be doing in that moment, or if he is happy. But most of all, you wondered if he missed you as much as you missed him. 

“You doing alright over there?” he asked you over the quiet metal playing over the speakers. He was playing it at about 1% of the volume he usually listened at, in an attempt to not scare you off just yet. 

“Yeah, just a long night,” you smiled back at him. He nearly assured you that you could be real with him, that he could tell that something more was bothering you, but he worried that would be coming on too strong. And before he could find a way to say it without sounding creepy, you pointed out your car on the side of the road with a sigh. 

It had only been a couple hours since you had left it, but it was nearly buried in the snow. 

“That’s a little more difficult to check out,” He chuckled as he pulled to the side of the road, lighting up your car with his headlights. 

“It’s fine, I’ll just go grab the address and we can get going,” you tried not to sigh as you opened the passenger door. 

“Wait a second,” Eddie reached for your hand before you could make it out of the car, “I’m fine with taking a look, and I can grab the address too. No need for you to get cold again.” 

“I already walked a mile in the snow earlier, I don't think a minute out there will kill me.”

“All the more reason for you to stay in here if you ask me.”

“Fine, but skip looking under the hood. I can call the tow truck when I wake up, it should be fine until then. Even if you could fix it with nothing, I don’t think I should be driving any more today.”

“Long trip?”

“Since 8 am. I really just want to get to sleep.”

“Deal,” he smiled again before stretching his hand out to you, “Keys?”

You reluctantly let him have the keys to go grab the paper, but not before trying to assure him you were capable of grabbing it yourself. You watched him as he rushed as fast as he could through the near foot of snow, grabbed the address, and rushed back to the van. 

“You didn’t lock it,” you stated, nervous to not to sound nagging. 

“I know, do you have a bag or something I can grab for you?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be, where is it?”

“It’s in the back seat on the passenger side. It’s a small black suitcase.”

“You got it, here, take this,” he handed you the torn paper with your grandmother’s previous address written on it in a handwriting that would have been familiar to him, had he glanced down at it. 

He ran back to grab your suitcase, and made sure to double check that the doors had locked after he shut them before he rushed back to the van. He threw your suitcase in the backseat before jumping back into the drivers seat. 

“I don’t know how you lasted a mile in that, I’m already freezing,” he complained, but his smile still refused to leave his face. 

“I’m sorry,” you tried yet again to apologize. 

“Don’t be,” he paused to look you in the eye to assure you that he wasn’t upset in the slightest, “Now let’s see that address. Hopefully I actually know where it is.”

You handed him the paper, and even in the low light, you couldn’t miss the way his face fell, even for a millisecond. He hadn’t seemed to stop smiling all night, but the second he saw the paper, it faltered for just a moment. 

“Everything ok?” 

He looked up at you, and you could tell he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. 

“Yeah, uhm, this is on the other side of town though. It’s a bit of a drive, is that ok?”

“I’d rather drive a little further than stay in my car tonight. So yeah, it’s fine,” you giggled, relieved that he didn’t seem angry or annoyed with you like you thought. 

But he had seen the handwriting. He would know it anywhere, yet he still wouldn’t let himself get caught up in the coincidences. You were just a girl with similar handwriting, and the same name. You weren’t his y/n. He could never be so lucky. 

“So, what brings you to town?” he asked after a moment of driving. 

“It isn’t the happiest story, and I don’t want to be a bummer.” 

“I’m nosey, and that does nothing to curb my interest,” he joked. He just needed to prod, he needed to know if he was being crazy. 

“My grandma passed… about a week ago now. Her funeral is next week, but someone needed to clean up her house for the service, and no one else wanted to make the drive out.” 

“Do you have any other family in the area to help out?”

“No, she only had 2 sons. My dad and my uncle, and they’re both back west. She moved here, like, 12 years ago now I think. Maybe 13.” 

Just another coincidence. He’s not this lucky. 

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

You looked at him out of the corner of your eyes. You hadn’t heard that yet. Just stressed adults complaining about how traveling in the winter was too much of a hassle. Hearing those words, from a near stranger no less, was enough to make you tear up. And Eddie could hear that in your voice when you thanked him, but he chose not to comment on it. 

“So,” you began after a moment of awkward silence, “How long have you lived in Hawkins?”

“My whole life.”

“Do you like it here?”

“Uh… It has its moments,” he tried his best to hide his discontent with the town. If it weren’t for his uncle, his band, and his small group of friends, he would have ran for the hills by now. He was too attached to them to run… and also lacking the funds to do so. 

“That good huh?” you laughed. 

“Hate to sound like an ass, but there are definitely plenty of cons that outweigh the pros for me half the time. But that’s not everyone’s experience.”

“Grandma seemed to like it, but she also liked it back home, and it’s no cake walk back there.” 

You almost spat the end of your sentence, and although it wasn’t spoken explicitly, Eddie understood. 

“Sorry, I don’t mean to keep bringing the conversation down. It’s just been a really long week.”

“I believe it,” He paused, “So how long are you going to be staying in town then?”

“I have no idea. Rumor is Grandma left me the house. And even if she did…. I’m sorry, I’ve been awake for almost 24 hours now, and driving for over 15 of them. I know you really don’t need to hear any of this.” 

You started to make your body as small as possible, hyper aware of how loudly you had been speaking, and how riled up you were getting. Your father would have hated to see it. But not Eddie. 

“No, keep going. Like I said, I’m nosey, and it sounds like you could use someone to talk to about this.” 

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” he agreed nonchalantly, unaware how much it meant to you. 

“My grandma and I were really close before she moved. She didn’t get along with either of her sons, but she was the world to me as a kid. And my dad put up no effort to even reach out to her in the past decade, but he expects all of her stuff to be left to him, and my uncle wants the same. But my mom told me that one of them had reason to believe that she left it all to me. I don’t even know where they heard it, and don’t get me wrong, I’m not ungrateful, I promise. I just don’t know what to do about the two grown men that she apparently left out of the will if that’s true, and how mad they’re going to be at me.” 

“They wouldn’t be mad at you.” 

“You don’t know my dad,” you scoffed. You knew damn well that the man wasn’t afraid of throwing a tantrum, especially if it came to money. And he wouldn’t care if you were the one getting hurt in the process. 

“What would they have to be mad at you for though? For your Grandma loving you enough to leave you something to start your life on? How is that your fault?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s my fault, they just care that they get their share. If it’s left to me, I might as well just divvy it up before they say anything.”

“But that’s not what you want, is it?”

“I just don’t want to have any issue with them.” 

“I’m sorry, that’s not fair to you.” 

“You really need to stop being so nice, you’re going to make me cry,” you chuckled, genuinely fighting back the tears as you spoke. 

“Sorry,” he chuckled back. He took a subject before continuing. “Have you seen the house? Like have you ever visited?”

“No, actually. Who knows, maybe it’s a real fixer upper and I’d be better off passing it on to my uncle,” you giggled, and that put the smile back on Eddie’s face. 

“If I didn’t mess up the address, it should just be in this next neighborhood.”

You kept saying that all you wanted was to get some rest after your long day, but now that you were talking to Eddie, you didn’t want the drive to end. The disappointment hit you like a rock as he pulled into the driveway of your grandmothers old house, but the feeling quickly turned to something else as you looked out the window to see the beautiful 2 story house with large trees on either side. 

“So much for the fixer upper theory,” Eddie said with a whistle, but you were speechless. This was much more than you had been anticipating, much nicer than you had spent your younger years picturing every time you missed your grandma. 

“You ok?” he asked after a moment of silence. 

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was just taking it in,” you chuckled nervously, still staring at the house. 

“Why don’t we get you inside?” He said, reaching in the back for your suitcase. You put a hand gently on his arm to stop him, and he looked up to see your nearly empty stare, still on the building in front of you. 

“Can you give me just a minute? I’m sorry, I know it’s late.” 

“No, it’s fine… Are you ok?”

“Yeah…Yeah, It just,” you trailed off for a moment, “I hadn’t seen her in years. Had no idea what her house looked like, or what she looked like anymore. I got letters, I got calls, but… Part of all this didn’t feel as real. Going in there, that’s real.” 

“Want me to come in with you?”

“No, that’s fine. I just need a second.” 

“Have you ever lost anyone before?”

You didn’t answer, just shook your head as you moved your eyes from the house to him. 

“Let me walk you in. You shouldn’t be alone for that.” 

You looked back at the house for a moment, took a deep breath, and nodded your head. 

Eddie carried your suitcase through the front door, and you both kicked off your shoes before stepping on the carpet. You took a deep breath before reaching for the light switch. Eddie sensed your hesitation as your fingers hovered. He took the opportunity to grab the fingers of your other hand. It gave you enough courage to turn on the light in the entry way. 

The furniture was mostly unfamiliar. You could see a few pieces in the living room that you had remembered from your childhood, and the sense of nostalgia calmed you. Eddie let you walk ahead of him, letting go of your hand as you ventured further into the room. Slowly but surely, you made your way to a wall on the other side of the room. It was covered in pictures, new and old, of your grandma with family and friends. You recognized yourself in plenty of them, but the newer ones were the ones that you couldn’t stop looking at. She looked so much older that you had remembered, but still had the youthful glow to her that you had attributed to her mischievousness. No matter how old she got, how wrinkled her face grew, or how gray her had and gotten, you still recognized her. Part of your heart began to ache for not knowing her as she was before she passed. It had been so long. 

You felt Eddie approach you from behind, and you expect him to say something nice, or encouraging. But he didn’t. He was surprisingly quiet. You turned to make sure he was alright, but he didn’t seem fine. He was staring at one of the photos on the wall, and he looked like he was about to be sick.

“Are you ok, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Uh, yeah,” he replied, still white as a sheet as he tore his eyes from the photo to look at you. He barely shot you a half smile before looking back up at the pictures. You took a step back to stand next to him. 

“I just remembered that she worked at the middle school when she moved here. Did you know her?”

“Yeah.”

“…Did you like her?” you tried asking after waiting for him to say anything more. 

“Yeah, she introduced me to my best friend.”

“Me too,” you smiled at the memory of your old pen pal. 

“Someone back home?”

“No, actually. I probably shouldn’t refer to him as that still. We haven’t spoken in… years actually.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, finally peeling his eyes away from the photos on the wall. 

He should have said more, but he didn’t know what else to say. This was her. He was in shock. The girl he had spent the last decade wondering about had wandered into his diner. His thoughts were moving a mile a minute, he felt like he could physically hear them, and it was hard to focus on anything you had possibly said. But luckily, you weren’t saying much. 

He followed you like a ghost as you explored the first floor of the house. You were happy you had arrived before anyone else. You had the chance to see the house how she had left it, how she had lived in it. It gave you a sense of closure you weren’t going to get otherwise, it felt as if you were getting a sense of knowing her once again. You were caught up in it until you saw a clock on the wall, reading nearly 5 am. Realization hit you that you were keeping Eddie, and a sense of guilt washed over you. You turned to find him, with a bit of color returned to his face. 

“It’s really late, I’m sorry I’ve kept you. You can go home if you’d like. I’m sure you want to get some rest too after your shift.” 

He took a second, before asking, “Are you sure you’ll be alright?” And you hesitated before nodding. 

“Honestly, the roads are pretty bad out there. I could stay on the couch, help you figure out your car in the morning. How does that sound?”

He way have been a complete stranger just hours ago, but you really did feel like you could trust him. So you smiled and nodded. 

“I’ll go find some blankets for you,” you smiled before disappearing up the stairs. Eddie didn’t expect you to come back for a while. You were bound to find your grandmothers bedroom and need to look around for a while. He made his way back to the living room while he waited. He stared at the wall again, but not in shock this time. Now that he knew was 24 year old you looked like, he desperately want to see what 12 year old you looked like. He found a picture near the middle of the wall, of a young girl smiling at the camera. It was the only photo on the wall without your grandmother in it. She had your eyes, had your smile, but most importantly, she actually looked like the drawing he had received all those years ago. You weren’t as bad of an artist as you’d thought. Eddie tried not to grow emotional staring at the photo. He only tore his eyes away from the picture of younger you when he heard you making your way back down the stairs.

Before you could reach Eddie, you paused by the window next to the back door, blankets in hand. The snow coated the back yard, reflecting the light from the back porch into the sky. You began to tear up, just as Eddie approached to take the blankets from you. He saw one of the first tears fall down your cheek, and quickly, but gently put an arm around you. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just… Is this what it looks like every winter?” you asked, looking up at him with misty eyes. 

“For parts of it, yeah. Why?”

“Grandma loved the snow,” was all you could reply before looking back out at the yard. 

He contemplated it for a second, fought himself on whether or not this was the right moment to say it, but he couldn’t help himself. 

“I told you she’d like it here” 

A moment passed as you processed what he had said. You gasped quietly, quickly turning your head to face him. He looked nervous, as if he had just handed his heart to you on a platter, waiting to see if you would reject it. 

“Eddie?” you asked cautiously, and you both knew what the question really was. 

“Yeah,” he nodded, still nervous and unable to read what you were thinking. 

“You stopped writing,” was all you could get out before another tear dropped. 

“What?”

“Y-you stopped writing,” you repeated, beginning to choke on your breathes as you spoke. 

He nearly panicked as he tried to reply. 

“Y/n, w-what do you mean? I only stopped writing when you stopped replying.”

“Oh my god, it’s really you,” you couldn’t stop looking at him, another tear dropping down your cheek. Your exhaustion was exaggerating your emotions, but you may have felt the same regardless. You had waited 12 years for this moment. 

“Yeah. Why don’t we go sit down,” he smiled at you, before herding you towards the couch. 

“Y/n,” he spoke softly as he crouch in front of you, one hand resting on each of your knees as you sat on the couch, “What do you mean I stopped writing?”

“I sent you a letter, you never replied.”

“That’s impossible, I waiting for months to hear back from you. There’s no way I missed a letter from you.”

“No, I sent one, and I waited, but you never replied. You broke my heart Eds,” you quietly began to sob, filled with too many mixed emotions. 

Eddie quickly sat next to you on the couch and pulled you to his chest to comfort you the best he could, but he was still confused. He had checked his own mailbox, his neighbors mailboxes, other houses in town with the same street number as his trailer. This didn’t add up. He quietly shushed you as he thought. 

“What did the last letter say?” he asked as you began to calm down just slightly. He had half the collection of your letters memorized, but especially the first and last. He would know if he had read it if you described it. 

“It was before Freshman year, I told you how scared I was that all the kids were going to be mean. I was so afraid that I was going to get singled out for still having no friends, and I waited for months to hear back from you. But you never wrote back. You were my only friend, and you stopped writing.”

“No, sweetheart, I would never,” he sighed as his heart dropped. He got that letter, he replied to it. Which meant that she never got his last letter. Neither of them had stopped writing on purpose, they had both assumed the other had given up. But he had sent out one last letter that was unaccounted for.

“Sweetheart, can you look at me,” he gently guided you to look up at him, “I promise you, I wrote back. I don’t know what happened to it, but I never would have stopped writing like that. I thought you had just ignored my last letter.”

“You wrote,” you said quietly, and Eddie couldn’t tell if it was a question, or if you were trying to reassure yourself. 

“I did, I promise,” he whispered as he swept a tear off your cheek with his thumb. 

And though you still needed to know what happened to his letter, and you had had one of the longest days of your life, nothing mattered more to you in that moment than leaning in, slowly. You took a second, pausing right before reaching his lips so he could pull away if he wanted, but he didn’t. It was a quick kiss, but it was gentle and sweet. Eddie didn’t try to pull you in for another, but he didn’t want to part as you pulled away. 

It took him a second to open his eyes again, but when he did, he was smiling just as big as you. 

“You ok?” he asked for what must have been the hundredth time that night. But unlike every other time you had answered, this time you told him the truth. 

“I am now.”

(may or may not be already trying to figure out a part 2 for this, depending on if people like it <3 )

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