#I still can’t believe Josh touched my hand and stared into my soul and waved at me

[stardustthread]

Happy birthday to the sun and moon 🌞🌒

[who-tf-stole-my-car-radio]

Vessel Part 3

You sat calmly in your bed staring at nothing. It had been a week since you last heard from Tyler and you felt like a complete idiot. He hadn’t texted or called. Did you do something wrong? Maybe his girlfriend found out. god this is exactly what you didn’t want to happen. You got your stupid hopes up and now he’ll probably never talk to you again. You wanted to ask your friend for Josh’s number so you could ask him about Tyler but you didn’t wanna seem like that. Your friend and Josh have been talking every day all day ever since the night they came over , he even took her to dinner one night. You felt sad, for no reason really. It’s not like he’s YOUR boyfriend , but you had hoped that maybe....ugh hopes. What a waste. “Hey...” your friends voice stumbles in the room with unsure reluctancy. You look up at her, she knew how you were feeling, her expression mirrored them. “How you holding up?” She asks stepping in your room. You shook your head “I just don’t know what to do..why hasn’t he talked to me?” You question, as if she’d be able to tell you, she knew just as much as you about the situation. Gently sitting next to you she thinks for a moment , then her face perks up “do you want me to ask Josh?” She offers. Yes. You did want her to ask Josh. You wanted to know what the fuck Tyler was doing and why he just disappeared like that. “No don’t bother Josh with my stupid problems” you respond curling your knees to your chest and resting your head between them. “It’s really okay, he’d be more than happy to help “ she insists. “No it’s really ok..if Tyler wants to talk to me he’ll talk to me” you say, unsure of your own words. You didn’t know if you were trying to convince her or yourself. She just sighed and you can feel her eyes burning a hole in the side of your head. “Well that party’s tonight , you can talk to him there...” she suggests. You look up at her , your face twisted with disbelief. “What? I’m not going to that stupid party. I hate parties, the ONLY reason I was gunna go was for him but he wont talk to me” you retort. Your friends face fell. “You should still go though, go see Josh and tell him I’m sorry I couldn’t be there” you add, knowing she , on the other hand, LOVED parties and would still want to go. “But we bought outfits...” she chimes quietly. Damn...you did buy a whole brand new outfit just for tonight, but oh well, you’ll find another time to wear it. You felt like such an idiot. Like really? You went out and bought an outfit? For a dude that has a girlfriend already and has ignored you for a week straight now??? DUMBASS. A tear falls down your cheek , you absolutely hated feeling this way. Your heart was broken. You knew this guy for a few days and he made you fall for him in the first twenty minutes you spoke to him....and now look at you. You should never have let your guard down. You were an ocean of frustration and sadness, each wave of emotion crashing over you violently. You were drowning. You sniffle and realize your friend has left the room. You thought nothing of it, she knew you liked to be alone when you’re crying. You looked at your phone it was almost 5pm so she probably went to go get ready for the party. Still no texts from Tyler. With a sigh you slid down in your bed and pulled your blanket over your face, tears spilled from your eyes until you fell asleep. A harsh gust of wind woke you up again, you looked out the window to see the blackness of night covering your town. Your first thought was your friend, you wondered if she was having a good time at the party. Your second thought was Tyler....you felt tears pricking at your eyes again so you quickly shook him from your mind and your thoughts drained from your head like water falling from your ears. Splashing to the floor and soaking into the carpet. You third thought was the window, you felt...watched? You got closer to the window and hesitantly looked down and sure enough someone was standing there. Looking at you. You quickly dialed back and closed the window. They definitely seen you. They were looking up at you before you even looked out the window. Okay don’t freak out don’t freak out don’t freak out. Then you heard footsteps climbing the stairs. Okay FREAK OUT FREAK OUT FREAK OUT. You jumped out of bed and reached desperately for the bat that lay under it. The cold metal of the bat touched your fingers and you grasped it tightly standing back to your feet. The steps drew closer and closer. You held the bat up and readied yourself for whatever was about to happen. Your breath steadied in your chest and you attempted to slow your heart rate. The door opened and the figure stood there. “Look don’t fuck with me okay? I’ve had a shit hole week and I’m not in the mood for this shit!” You yell holding the bat up. The figure laughs. “You do not frighten me (Y/N)” they speak, their voice swirls in your head clogging your ears with that familiar mixture of blood and melted chocolate. You know that pressure in your head that you feel when you’re swimming and you go underwater and the water gets in your ears? That’s how you felt. You lowered the bat, was this someone you knew? Was this a prank? They were wearing a mask so you couldn’t see their face. “Tyler if that’s you this isn’t funny” you say still on guard. “I am not Tyler.....thankfully” they speak, again their voice shakes the walls of your brain. “Put the bar down darling I won’t hurt you” they speak again. For some fucking psychotic reason you actually believed them. As if you were under their control you dropped the bat. “Not yet anyways” they say again, you can tell a sickening grimace was smeared on their face. “Who are you?” You ask taking a step back. “You will soon know my name Darling, the whole world will.” They say darkly. You hated this cryptic shit. “Well what do you want?” You ask again. “You are in the way of something I need to get done....” they say as they pace your room. “You make Tyler happy......his girlfriend does not.....So I need to get rid of you but I can not do that physically. You yourself have to be your own demise....that’s where I come in. Something wonderful is about to happen to Tyler..and he will do everything he can to be with you. I will be with you for a while (y/n) until my job is complete...I will always be with you. In your head.” They continue. Their voice is cold and freezes the air around you making you feel suffocated. “Why would you be in my head? Who are you?” You question again. “Not who am I.....WHAT am I” They correct before leaning closer to you. “I am every nightmare you never wanted to have....and I need to be in your head.. In your mind because let’s just say.......I care what you think.” They say, their arm reaches up and pulls the mask off their face and your heart stops at his resemblance to Tyler. He lets his head fall back as he pulls the mask off and his eyes glisten a deep crimson color in the light of the moon and you thought you saw a few fangs when he opened his mouth slightly to speak again. “Get used to me darling, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other “ he says getting closer to you. You were oddly attracted to him, was he making you feel that way? His eyes scan you “I love the look of fear” he whispers bringing his gaze back to yours. “I’m not afraid of you” you respond quickly. He grimaced “yes you are...” he says. You choose not to respond. “I am part of Tyler , I’m every bad part of Tyler ...I’m the part he chooses to ignore, the part he wants to destroy” he speaks coldly. “So you’re a demon?” You ask with confusion. You really weren’t afraid of him and you knew he knew that. He thinks for a moment “Demon is a very general term but I suppose it will suffice in order for you to understand. Call me whatever you want. Bottom line is , I’m your problem now...you can thank Tyler for that.” He says smiling. His face quickly twists into an angered frown. “You will die (y/n). I will kill you....talking to Tyler was the biggest mistake of your dwindling life” he spits with vengeance. You couldn’t understand why he hated you so much you hadn’t done anything to him or Tyler. He hated Tyler , so maybe the fact that you haven’t done anything to Tyler was exactly the problem. Then a thought came to your mind “how do I know you’re not Tyler with some red eye contacts and fake teeth?” You say crossing your arms. He cocks his head and smiles. The walls of your room started to crumble and shake the lights flickered and there was a loud roaring sound like you were inside a vacuum. He lifted both his arms and you began to float in the air a thick black smoke bellowed out of his mouth when he opened it and you literally could not breath. You grabbed at your throat desperate for air but there was nothing just the hellish black cloud that surrounded you. Then just as quickly as it started , he dropped his hands and it stopped, your body plummeted toward the floor but , to your surprise, he caught you before you were harmed. You wondered why. Then as if he could hear your thoughts he says “I need you alive” you look at him , deep in his burning eyes, trying to find an ounce of mercy any soul at all and there’s nothing but red oblivion. He sets you down gently , he was strong , like really really strong in more ways than one. The cloud of smoke was gone the walls were still the room was silent and just how it was before any of this happened. Tyler can’t do that....this isn’t Tyler. You thought to yourself. “No it certainly isn’t and yes I can hear you” he says with a smirk. “You can hear everything I think?” You ask feeling invaded and slightly ashamed of your attraction to him before. “Everything. No matter where you are no matter who you’re with or what you’re doing I will hear every last thought that goes through your pretty little head” he says with frightening confidence. He thinks I’m pretty? “Yes, but don’t get a big head about it” he says. “Okay can you stop that you’re freaking me out” you say trying to shake your thoughts from your head. He says nothing just looks at you. Just then there was a clang against your window, it sounded like a pebble. With hesitation you pulled your eyes from him and glanced out the window. Tyler. It was Tyler, he was standing outside waving for you to come down. You looked back at .... what’s his name? Then you hear his voice echo in your head “Blurryface” . You look back at Blurryface and he looks at you a smile crawls across his stoic face and with dark elegance he says “it’s showtime” before he disappears into a thick dark cloud and evaporates. You blink and look around making sure he’s gone, then you remember he said he’s never gone. Another rock hits your window and you remember Tyler downstairs. You grab a sweater and quickly make your way outside. The cold air blankets your skin and wind blows through the trees and you wonder if that’s Blurry letting you know he’s watching. Why wasn’t he saying anything ? “(Y/N).” Tyler says reaching for your hands , you pull away. His face saddens “I thought you were coming tonight “ he continues. “Yeah and I thought you were gunna text me” you retort , resentment burns on your tongue. Tyler exhales “I know I’m sorry I meant to reach out to you but....something came up and I was gone for a while “ he says, you notice he’s fighting a smile. “I broke up with her.” He says simply , you smile immediately. “Really?” You ask with excitement “really” he responds “and guess what else?” He continues , you say nothing “we got signed (y/n) ... a producer called Fueled by Ramen signed Josh and I! We’re going to be famous! “ he says beaming. You smile too “Wow Tyler that’s awesome I knew you could do it “ you reply genuinely happy for him. He really deserves all the success that would soon come his way and then you remember what Blurryface said, he said something great would happen to Tyler and it did..he also said he’d kill you. “What’s wrong?” Tyler asks grabbing for your hands again, this time you didn’t pull away. “Nothing it’s just..Tyler who’s Blurryface?” You ask quietly. Tyler’s face goes cold. “No” he chokes, you can see tears form in his eyes. “No....he can’t...he can’t take you from me..he can’t” Tyler mumbles pulling you into a hug. Obviously Tyler was well aware of who he was. “You hear that you MOTHER FUCKER!? YOU WONT TAKE HER I WONT LET YOU!” Tyler screams to the sky. You heard Blurryface laughing in your head. It slammed into the walls of your brain giving you a painful migraine. You grab your head and wince as he continues to laugh the world around you started to spin , everything looked as though it was melting around you. Your knees went weak and you fell to the ground , you could feel the wet grass dampen the back of your head and clothes Tyler screamed your name and ran to your side you looked at him , his image was blurry, everything was blurry. You looked past Tyler and seen Blurryface standing in silence. A wretchedly evil smile curls on his face before everything goes black.

[gilbertandanne]

                                                      “Perfect”

A/N: Post-Infinite one shot, but I don’t think you have to read it to understand what’s going on in this one.  Definitely giving a shoutout to @gmwmeetsniall for asking about a post-Infinite one shot.  I never planned on doing it, but Ed decided to write the P E R F E C T song (haha, get it?). Fluff is not my strong suit, and I’m afraid it shows.  I hope you all like it anyway. <33

Song by: Ed Sheeran

Word count: 7,660

Pairing: Rucas

Rating: T

Lucas stood in front of the mirror in a desperate attempt to tie his tie.  Logically he knew that his reflection wouldn’t help the slight tremor of his hands, but at that moment, he was unable to think logically.  His hand shook a little more violently as he picked up the ends of the tie.  He wasn’t sure why he was reacting like this.  He wasn’t nervous at all and he wasn’t the least bit scared.  If anything, he felt more relaxed than he thought he would be—given the circumstances.

“About ten minutes,” Farkle said as he walked back into the dressing room.  He stood next to Zay as the two men watched Lucas fumble with the tie.  “How long as he been trying to tie it?”

“My guess is ten minutes,” Zay shrugged.  “It’s kind of entertaining.  You think he’s just about figured it out, but then one end falls and he has to start all over again.”

Lucas flipped the tie around for another moment before he growled in frustration.  Why was this happening?!

Farkle chuckled as he walked over to the Texan.  “You a little nervous,” he asked as he grabbed the tie.  He had never seen Lucas so flustered before.  It was quite a switch from the normally reserved veterinarian.

“No,” he huffed as Farkle slid the tie around his neck.  “How…how does she look,” he asked as a new wave of tranquility overcame him.  Just the mere thought of her seemed to put him at ease.  He looked down.  His hands still shook slightly, but not nearly as aggressively as they did a minute ago.  That was exactly the effect she had always had on him.  She calmed him, even if he were thousands of miles away.

Farkle smiled.  “You already know the answer to that.”  He finished the last loop.  “There.  Perfect.”

Lucas looked at himself in the mirror.  “I can’t believe it’s finally here,” he said as he examined his appearance.

“I don’t think any of us can,” Maya smiled from the doorway.

Lucas’s eyes snapped toward the blonde.  “Maya?  What are you doing in here?  Shouldn’t you be with—“

“The bride?”  She raised her eyebrows as she raised her right hand up.  In it, she held a folded piece of paper.  “As matron of honor, it’s my duty to make sure that the bride gets everything her heart desires today.”  She walked toward Lucas.  “She wanted me to give this to you.”

Lucas’s heart began to race as he stared at the paper.  “W-What is that?”

“How should I know?”  She handed the letter to Lucas.  “She tells me a lot of things, but I have no idea what’s in there.”

Lucas’s panicked eyes lifted back up to Maya’s.  “She’s not backing out, right?”

Maya glanced at the letter.  “Only one way to find out.”

Lucas turned away from his friends as he opened the note.  His heart leapt into his throat as his eyes slowly began to scan its contents.

‘Dear Lucas,

I wanted to do this in person.  I wanted to do it last night, but everything got so hectic at the rehearsal dinner, and then you spent the night at Maya and Josh’s.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to see you until the ceremony, but I have to tell you this before I see you:

I love you.

I know that seems ridiculous, because we’re about to get married, but over the last several days, I’ve been thinking about everything we’ve been through—the good, the bad, and the really bad.  Through it all, even when everyone else thought that there was no way we’d survive, even when I thought we wouldn’t, you believed.  You never gave up on us—even when I told you to, even when I begged you to.

When we, technically, weren’t dating in college…when we only talked when we met up…I knew how you felt.  Maybe not at the time, because I refused to see it, but looking back on it now, I knew that you loved me, and that you were trying to step back to give me what I thought I wanted.  I also know that you were there when I needed you.  I knew that if I needed someone to talk to, that you would be there.

Most guys would have been happy with the deal we had, but you never were.  I know you’ve said that before, but when I think back to those days, I see it so clearly.  I’m not sure how I missed it.  Maybe I was so far in denial of my own feelings that I failed to see yours most of the time.

I was so selfish back then.  I was so scared.  I thought that I was doing the right thing, when in reality, it almost cost me the best thing in my life.

I don’t deserve you.  I don’t deserve the happiness you bring to my world everyday.  Waking up next to you is the best way to start my day and falling asleep in your arms is the gateway to nothing but happy dreams of our future.

That future is here now.

Today, we’re going to stand in front of everyone we love and commit ourselves to one another for the rest of our lives.

Before we do that, I want to tell you that I think it’s unfair that you got to propose twice.  I know we said the first one doesn’t count, but it does.  I don’t want to erase our history.  I know that there is no way I could ever top the second one, so let me just tell you this:

With every fiber of my being, with every beat of my heart, I will love you.  I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, and I will love you even after my last breath.  You are my past.  You are my present.  You are my future. You’re my best friend.  You’re everything to me, Lucas.  You’re the one I want to walk through life with.  So, today, on the most perfect of days, will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?

If so, I’ll see you at the end of the aisle.

Love Always, Riley’

Lucas slowly folded up the note as he slid it into his pocket.  He took another moment to compose himself before he turned back to his friends.  He knew that if Maya saw the tears that had pooled in his eyes, she would never let him forget it.  He cleared his throat as he finally turned around.

“Feeling better,” Zay asked.

He nodded.  “I’ve waited a really long time for today.”

“We all have,” Maya smiled.  “Ready boys?  I think Huckleberry has waited long enough.”

The note burned in his pocket as he stood at the end of the aisle.  He watched as his parents and Riley’s mom were escorted to their seats.  As the music faded, he glanced at the men who stood beside him.  He wasn’t sure if this day would have even happened were it not for them.  Josh, Zay, and Farkle were truly some of the best friends he could ever hope to have.  He was so thankful that they were there.

His palms began to sweat as the bridesmaids began to walk down the aisle.  The first was Meredith, a girl who went to school with Riley.  Next was the wife of one of his best friends—Isadora Smackle-Minkus.  She winked at Lucas as soon as she reached the end of the aisle.  He shook his head as he smiled.  Some things would never change.  He looked back at Farkle who only chuckled.  Lucas turned his head back toward the aisle as Maya reached the small group.  He noticed that tears brimmed in the blonde’s eyes.

As the bridal march began, his eyes slowly wandered toward the double doors at the back of the library.  He held his breath as two of the ushers slowly opened the only barrier that separated him from being able to see her.  As the doors creaked open, the smile on his face steadily grew.  When her eyes met his, everything around him seemed to stop.  

//I found a love for me Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead//

If he lived to be a thousand, he knew he would never forget a single detail of the exact moment he saw her in that gown.  He sucked in a breath as she, escorted by her father, began to slowly walk towards him.

She was a vision in a white strapless gown.  Her normally long brown hair was pinned up with a few small flowers peppered in.  He was fairly certain his heart stopped beating when she smiled at him.  He knew that he didn’t deserve the goddess who slowly floated toward him.  Her dress billowed behind her, which created an even more ethereal effect.

All of this must be a dream.  This couldn’t possibly be real.  What had he done in a past life to deserve the amount of happiness he currently felt?  He prayed that this wasn’t a dream.  He prayed that this was his reality—that the woman who had tears glistening in her soulful brown eyes was about to become his wife.

He swallowed as she finally reached him.  When her father let go of her arm in order for her to take his, Lucas bit his bottom lip to hold back the tears he knew he would shed.  When she touched his arm, he knew that this was no dream.  This was real.  After years of dreaming about it, after years of torturing himself with a future he knew he would never have, here they were.

//Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me//

The ceremony flew by in a flash.  Before he knew it, it was time for them to recite their vows to one another.

“Lucas,” Riley began as two tears slipped from her eyes, “When I sat down to write out my vows for you, I realized that this was going to be one of the most important things I would ever write.”  She paused as another tear slid down her cheek.  “We’ve been through so much.  From the day we met, I knew that you would be someone important to me.  We became friends first, and then, when I was ready…we became more.”  She cleared her throat.  “When I wrote that down, I realized that you’ve done that for me throughout our whole relationship.  You waited for me.  You were patient with me.  No matter what I did, how I reacted, you still loved me.  You still wanted to be with me.  I…I know I can’t take back the time we lost, but I can guarantee you that there will never be another day where you have to wonder how I feel, because I’ll tell you every chance I get that I love you.  I love you, Lucas…no matter what life has in store for us.  Good or bad, it doesn’t matter.  I know we can make it through anything.  I promise that no matter what, I’ll love you til my dying day…and even beyond that.”

When Lucas noticed the tears steadily streaming down her cheeks, he lost every intention of trying to make it through the ceremony without crying.  As the first tear fell from his right eye, he looked down at their joined hands.  “Riley, I’m not sure where to begin.  We met the day after I moved to New York.  You…literally…landed in my lap.”  He smiled as he looked back up at her.  “You helped this angry kid from Texas adjust to life in the big city.  You became my home.  You became the peace that I had been trying to find.  We’ve had ups and downs, and there have been times where it felt like everyone else had moved on, but I knew it wasn’t the end for us.  I knew it because I knew that we’d be here one day.  You are the only one for me, Riley.  No matter what happens next, no matter where we end up, it’ll be home because you’re there beside me.  I know that every day will be the best day because you’ll be there to share it with me.  My heart is yours.  It’s been yours since day one.  It’ll be yours long after we’re both gone.  You’re a part of me…the best part.  I love you—yesterday, today, tomorrow, and,” he swallowed as a few more tears cascaded down his cheeks, “forever.”

After he slid the ring on her finger, he looked up into her tear filled eyes.  As soon as the preacher announced that they were husband and wife, they grinned at one another.  Lucas cupped her face in his hands before his lips found hers in a tender kiss that held the promise of a beautiful future filled with nothing but love.

//'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love Not knowing what it was I will not give you up this time//

“Is it better,” Riley asked Maya as the blonde tried to fix her best friend’s makeup after the ceremony.

“Yeah, almost there,” Maya answered as she wiped away the last of the runny mascara.  She reached for the tube as she reapplied it.  “I knew we should have gone for the waterproof.  I knew you both were going to lose it.”

“Ok, I seem to remember you practically wailing when you married Josh,” Lucas defended as Smackle straightened his tie.

“I did not wail,” she protested.

Lucas turned to Josh.  “Tell the truth.”

Josh cringed.  “Lucas, first rule of marriage—never take the opposite side of your wife.”

“Thanks honey,” Maya smiled.  “Ok, Riles.  Now, we can take pictures and get to the party.”

“How do you want to do this,” Farkle asked the couple.

“I was thinking that the photographer can do all the group stuff, and then go to the reception while…while Maya helps us take some couple pictures.”

Maya frowned.  “Me?”

“Yeah,” she smiled as she reached for her hand.  “No one can capture us better.”  She glanced around the room.  “Besides…it’s the library.  It only feels right to have you do it.”

“I married such a brilliant woman,” Lucas smiled as he closed the space between him and Riley.  He wrapped his arms around her waist.  “Hey, Mrs. Friar.”

She grinned.  “Hey Dr. Friar.”

“You ok?”

She pressed her lips to his.  “Never been better.”

//But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own And in your eyes, you're holding mine//

“Ok, Riles.  We have about twenty minutes.  What did you have in mind?”

Riley smiled as she walked over to a book bag Farkle brought in for her. She pulled out a farily large book and wandered back to her husband and best friend.  “Candids.  I don’t want to pose.  I want this to feel real.”  She showed the book to Lucas.

“Tales of Human Interaction,” he read before he looked up at her.

“Too cheesy?”

He shook his head.  “Just the perfect amount.”

“As long as you too don’t consummate anything on the table, then I’m ok with whatever you want to do.”  Maya smiled as she reached for her camera.  She wasn’t as good with photography as she was with art, but she was comfortable behind the camera.  Riley and she had taken a few photography classes when they attended NYU, so she at least knew the mechanics of the art form.

Riley sat the book down on the table as Lucas took a seat in front of it.  Maya snapped a few pictures of them re-reading the pages of the book that brought them together nearly a decade and a half ago.  After Lucas read one particular line, he looked up at Riley.  Maya took a picture at that exact moment.  She didn’t need to look at it again to know that would easily be one of the best pictures of the day.  It encompassed everything about them that she loved.  Their connection had always been strong.  She had never seen either of them as happy as they did in that moment, and that meant everything to her.

//Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favourite song//

Lucas thought for sure that his smile couldn’t get any bigger, but when the DJ announced the newly crowned husband and wife as they entered the reception, he was fairly certain the whole room could see every single tooth in his mouth.  He couldn’t wipe the grin from his face, even if he tried.  

He was grateful that most of the guests had already eaten by the time they arrived.  He couldn’t sit still if he tried to, and he didn’t have an appetite.  All he wanted was to be by her side.  All he wanted to do was to engrain every second of this day into his memory.

“Would it be weird if we stepped out for a moment while everyone finished eating,” she whispered to him.  “I’m not hungry at all, but I’d really love a moment alone with you.”

He leaned in to whisper in her ear.  “I was thinking the exact same thing.”  He offered his hand to her.  She smiled as she took it.

//When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight//

He thought about going back to the part of the library where they took the pictures, but he knew that would be the first place they would look for them.  He knew they couldn’t be long, but he desperately wanted a few minutes with her.

“The girls’ dressing room,” she told him as they walked down the end of the hallway.

Neither said a word until Riley closed the door behind him.  She quickly spun the lock.  “They may know we’re in here, but at least they can’t just barge in.”  She turned around.  “Hey.”

He smiled as he reached for her.  “Hey.”

“This is all I want,” she murmured as he wrapped his arms around her.  She closed her eyes as she simply breathed in this moment with him.

“Well,” he smirked, “Maybe not all.”

She smiled.  “Enough for now,” she amended.  They stood like that for a long moment before she pulled back from him.  “This actually happened, right? We’re married?”

He nodded.  “Too late to back out now,” he teased.

“I would never,” she said as she started to play with his tie.  “Riley Friar,” she mused.

“Sounds perfect to me,” he responded.  “Riley Friar.  I could say that a thousand times and never get tired of it.”

“That’s good, because that’s my name now.”  She wrapped her arms around his neck.  “I love you, Lucas.”

“Say it again,” he smiled.

“I love you.”  She looked into his eyes.  “Thank you for not giving up on me…even when I told you to.”

“I couldn’t,” he answered simply.  “I meant what I said earlier.  You’re a part of me…the best part.  You taught me how to have hope…to believe in something…to fight.”

“You’ll never have to fight alone.”  She pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss.  “We’ve been planning this thing for about a year now.  Now that it’s finally here and almost over, what happens next?”

He smiled.  “I was thinking that maybe we can stay at Farkle’s for awhile longer…until you finish school.  That’ll give me some time to set up my practice, get established.”

“Then?”

“Whatever you want,” he smiled.  “Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do.  I only want to be where you are.”

“You stole my answer,” she smiled.  “Maybe in a few years we can find a place outside of the city.  I wouldn’t mind having a yard, a little space.”  She paused.  “Maybe…maybe a few kids.”

He grinned as he reached for her left hand.  He brought it up to his lips as they began to gently sway back and forth.  They couldn’t hear any music, but that didn’t matter to him.  He looked down at her wedding band.  “Kids, huh?”

She smiled.  “Think about it.  A little boy running around.  Wild, free, with a heart as big as his father’s.”

“A heart like this mother’s you mean.  You taught me how to love, Riley.  If I have a big heart, it’s because of you.”  He paused as his eyes lifted back to hers.  “Everything good in me is because of you.”

//Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share her home//

“You need to give yourself more credit,” she told him.  “You carried us…for four years…you are the reason why we are standing here right now.  You are the reason why we have a future to begin with.  I wish I had your strength.  I wish I had the hope you have.”  She paused.  “You once told me that I had lost my ability to believe in us, but I think it was bigger than that.  I lost myself.  The only time I felt…even remotely like myself was when I was around you.”  She took a deep breath.  “And that scared me, Lucas.  It scared me to know that even after trying to push you away…after trying to convince myself that it was the best thing for both of us…that I still wanted to be with you…that I still loved you.  I needed some connection to you.  I think that’s why I suggested the friends with benefit thing.  I thought it would be easier to control my emotions if I could have that connection with you without…without telling you how I felt.”

“And I was so desperate to keep that connection that I agreed to it.”  He rested his forehead against hers as they swayed to the music.  “It doesn’t matter how we got here, Riley.  It only matters that we’re here.  We’re together.  We’re married.”

//I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets To carry love, to carry children of our own//

He knew when they got back to the reception that they would be pulled in opposite directions for most of the evening.  It was ok.  He knew that everyone there wanted to offer their support and congratulations and he wanted to thank every single person for coming and being a part of their day.

He just hated that he couldn’t stay near her.  It all felt so raw, so fresh.  He was afraid that if his eyes left her for a second, that she would disappear or he would wake up in his old dorm room in Texas.

As he spoke with the guests, he couldn’t help but to watch her as she spoke with members of her family.  When she smiled, he smiled.  When she laughed, he lightly chuckled.  It was as if her emotions were his emotions.  She had completely hypnotized him.  

When her eyes met his across the room, he fell in love with her all over again.

//We are still kids, but we're so in love Fighting against all odds I know we'll be alright this time//

When the DJ announced that it was time for their first dance as husband and wife, Lucas felt his heart skip a beat.  Husband and wife.  They made it.  Riley had accepted his proposal nearly two years ago, so he had plenty of time to get used to the idea of it, but for the last two years, he often wondered if it was all a dream.  Even after he moved in with her a year ago, he often wondered if he would wake up one morning and realize that he had actually tumbled into the worst version of hell he could ever imagine.

But that didn’t happen.  Every morning, he woke up next to the only woman he had ever loved.  Every night, he held her close as they were both whisked away to a dream world that could never be as beautiful as the life they shared together.

Admittedly, he wasn’t looking forward to everyone watching him dance with her.  Dancing had never been his strongest area, but if it gave him a few minutes with her, if it made her smile, then he was more than willing to do it.

As soon as he held her hand in his, he relaxed.  As he wrapped his arm around her waist, it felt like he was home.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you all night,” she said as he looked into his eyes.

“I feel the exact same way,” he answered as they began to move across the dance floor.

“Promise me something,” she nearly whispered.

“Anything.”

“Promise me that, at the end of the day, we’ll always be as happy as we are right now.  No matter what comes next.  Even if we get into a horrible argument over something ridiculous like whose turn it is to do the dishes…promise me that you’ll love me as much as you do right now.”

He paused as he stared into her eyes.  “I can’t,” he finally told her.  When her eyebrows pulled together in confusion, he smiled.  “From the day we met, my feelings for you have only grown.  I don’t think getting married is going to suddenly place a ceiling on that.”  He smiled.  “What I can promise you is this: I will love you more and more everyday.  I know that the joy I feel right now is only going to grow over time.  I’m going to be happier tomorrow than I am today, and happier still the day after that.”  He gently squeezed her hip.  “And in fifty years, when we’re celebrating our golden anniversary, I can guarantee you—with our family around us—that there was never a day when I loved you less, where I was any less happy than the day before.”  

//Darling, just hold my hand Be my girl, I'll be your man I see my future in your eyes//

“You are the most important thing in the world to me,” he continued.  “I know that the happiness I feel right now is only the beginning.”  He placed a gentle kiss to her lips before he rested his forehead against hers.  “I love you, Riley Matthews.”

“Friar,” she gently corrected as she smiled.  “I’m Riley Friar now.”

He chuckled.  “Say it again.  Tell me this isn’t a dream.”

She smiled.  “My name, sweet husband of mine, is Riley Friar…and this is no dream.”  She rested her head on his shoulder as they continued their dance.  “No dream could ever be this perfect.”

Lucas noticed a flash at that moment.  He looked up and noticed Maya on the upper level, camera in hand.  He didn’t have to see the picture to know that it would be the best one taken from the day.  

//Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song//

All too quickly, their dance was over.  They spent the next several songs dancing with various family members and friends.  Once again, they were pulled to opposite sides of the room.  It wasn’t until Farkle and Zay gathered everyone around for the toasts that they were able to stand beside one another.

Lucas placed his arm around Riley’s waist as the DJ handed Maya the microphone.  “This going to be bad, isn’t it?”

Riley grinned.  “She’s been writing this for two years…that I know of.  This is her one chance to publicly air out everything.”  She looked up at him.  “Yeah.  It’s going to be bad.”

“Hey everyone,” the blonde began as she looked across the crowd.  “I’ve been working on this speech for…awhile now…but honestly…I don’t think I’m going to use it.”  She stuffed the piece of paper back into the pocket of her dress.  “Most of you know how the bride and groom met, but for those of you who don’t…when we were younger, Riley and I used to ride the subway to school.  Well, on one particular day, we magically reached the age where Riley’s parents finally agreed to let us ride the it by ourselves.”  She smiled as she looked at Cory and Topanga.  “So, I guess we have you to thank for this story,” she chuckled.  “Anyway, Riley and I get on the subway, and she goes off on one of her tangents about becoming more like me…because…who wouldn’t want to be like me,” she laughed.  “Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed this guy who had been periodically looking at us.  So, I decided to approach him.”  She paused.  “I honestly don’t even remember what was actually said, but what I do remember is walking back to Riley, and telling her that if she wanted to be like me, then she needed to not think about what she was doing.  I pulled her hand away from the pole just as the subway stopped.  Now, if you know Riley, you know that she isn’t the most graceful person in the world, so she went flying backward.  If you don’t know the story, you probably think I’m the worst friend on the planet right about now, but something…something inside of me told me that this perfect stranger would catch her.”  She paused as she looked at Lucas.  “He did.  And that’s how Riley and Lucas began.”  

She turned back to the crowd.  “I know everyone here has their own stories about Riley, Lucas, and them as a couple.  We’ve all been fortunate enough to know these two, and to be a witness to their incredible journey.  At one point, no one thought they would ever be in the same room again, let alone get married, but…here we are.”  She turned to the couple.  “You’re perfect for one another.  I’ve known it for a very long time…even after the break up.  You make each other better by just being around one another.  I think that’s what love really is.  I-I don’t feel the need to wish you both happiness and love in your life ahead, because every single person here knows that’s a given.”  She smiled.  “What I am going to wish for you is a life that you both have earned.  You took the long road to get here, and now that you are here, I want nothing but the best for you.”  She smiled.  “Huckleberry, I know you’re going to take good care of her.  I wouldn’t have let her go if I had an ounce of doubt.”  She swallowed.  “And Riles?  I can’t wait for our future children to become best friends and experience the world the way we did.  I love you both.  Congratulations.”

The crowd lifted their glasses as they toasted the couple.  Riley wiped her eyes as Maya walked down the stage and over to them.  “I love you,” the brunette told the blonde as she hugged her.

“Love you too, Riles,” Maya responded as she pulled back.  She turned to Lucas.  “You’re the only person in the world I trust to take care of her…because I think you love her almost as much as I do.”

He wanted to correct her, to insist that he loved her more, but it was an argument that no one would ever win.  Instead, he hugged Maya and assured her that he would.

It was the easiest promise he ever would make.  

//When I saw you in that dress, looking so beautiful I don't deserve this, darling, you look perfect tonight//

“How are we ever going to top that one,” Zay asked Farkle, who stood next to him on the stage.  He looked down at the microphone in front of him.  “Damn Maya,” he said as he brought the device to his mouth, “Thanks for hitting that home run.”

Riley crossed her arms over her chest as she reached for Lucas’s hands who were wrapped around her waist.  “I think this is the one we need to worry about,” she whispered.

Lucas kissed the top of her head.  “We probably have it coming.”  He paused.  “We did fool around on Zay’s bed that one time.”

“Oh God,” she groaned as she turned back to the stage.

“I think it’s safe to say that between Maya and us, we’ve spent a good chunk of our lives wrapped up in the story that is Riley and Lucas,” Farkle smiled.  “We’ve waited for this day for just as long as they have…maybe even longer.”

“They’re both very stubborn people,” Zay added.  “The two most stubborn people I’ve ever met.  They’re also incredibly self-sacrificial…which makes for a lethal combination.”

Farkle chuckled.  “Yeah, we’ve had to save them from themselves how many times now?”

“So many times that they should name their children after us.”

“Farkle Isaiah Friar?”  Farkle cringed.  “That poor child.”

“What about Isaiah Farkle Friar?”  Zay winced.  “Ok.  Ok, you two are off the hook on that one.”  He paused as the crowd laughed.  “Anyway…these two people, who we all love…nearly destroyed every shred of happiness they ever had all in the name of trying to protect one another.”  He paused.  “That’s…incredibly stupid…but, it’s also incredibly beautiful if you really think about it.  They were willing to give up what made them the happiest in order to make the other person happy.”

“They just failed to recognize the fact that what made the other person the happiest was simply being together.”

Zay nodded.  “You know, I’ve got to hand it to Maya for trying to push them back together at that party a few years ago…you know…after they led us all to believe they hadn’t seen or even talked to one another in four years.”

“Here we go,” Lucas groaned loud enough so only Riley heard it.  

“But little did we know that Lucas and Riley had seen one another since then…on multiple occasions.”

“I knew we should have made my cousin the best man,” Lucas told his wife.

Riley turned her head to look at Lucas.  “And I thought we had to worry about Maya.”

“They hid it…from everyone,” Farkle told the group.  “We all thought that they couldn’t stand the sight of one another anymore, when the truth was…that they loved each other so much that it physically hurt them to be in the same room with a bunch of prying eyes around.  I once asked Lucas why they felt the need to sneak around…and his answer made all the sense in the world.  He told me that he only really felt like himself when he was with her.  He was afraid that if everyone knew, that it would be like middle school all over again…that they would have to figure out all of the answers immediately, and he knew that she wasn’t ready for that.”  He glanced at Lucas.  “You have always put her first…even when it meant breaking your own heart over and over again.  You were willing to be whatever she needed you to be.”  

Farkle looked around the room as he took a moment to compose his thoughts.  “Sometimes at weddings, I’ll hear people whispering and wondering how long the marriage will last or if the couple actually loves one another.  It’s pretty disgusting, actually, because you’re supposed to be there to celebrate the love between two people, not to bet on the duration of the relationship.  I can honestly say, that in all my conversations tonight, no one has even hinted of this marriage not lasting…and it’s because we know this couple.  We’ve celebrated their highs and cried with them during their lows.  The love they share for one another is so deep that you can feel it whenever you’re around them.  When Isadora and I were in high school, we often pondered the concept of love.  She and I were, and still are, people of science and love seemed to be this abstract concept that couldn’t possibly be measured or defined.  One day, we all sat around Riley’s mom’s bakery, and…that’s when we saw it.”  He paused.  “We were kids then—fifteen years old—and love was such a foreign concept to all of us, but we saw the hope they had for one another, for their relationship, and it blew us away.  Even with the knowledge that it could end one day, they still gave their hearts to one another.”  He turned to the couple.  “You showed us what love was.  You opened that door for us, and there is nothing I could ever do to properly thank you guys.  I know your life together is going to be amazing.  Thank you for making me part of the story.”

“When I first moved here, I thought Lucas and I could just pick back up where we left off in Texas.”  Zay smiled.  “You see, he and I used to get into trouble sometimes.  Well, I would get into trouble and he would always bail me out.  When I got here, I noticed that he had changed.  He seemed to have a more level head on his shoulders.  He seemed happier.  He wasn’t the angry kid who used to run back to Texas every weekend he could.  This guy now called New York his home.  It didn’t take me long to figure out who had changed my best friend.”  He smiled at Riley.  “Maya is right.  Love should make you better, and these two are the best versions on themselves when they’re together.  I could get into the details of their reconciliation and how we all found out about their little side relationship,” he smirked at the couple, “and I do owe them a little payback for something, but if there is one thing these two have taught me…it’s that there is a proper time and place for everything.”

Riley and Lucas laughed.

“Before I moved here, I thought no one in the world could be like Lucas.  The guy would do anything for his friends…even getting kicked out of school for a year just to protect his loud mouth best friend.”  He looked at the crowd.  “But then I met Riley.  She’s…unreal.  She would take a bullet for anyone in this room without hesitation.  She would, and has, given up everything she wanted in order to make someone else happy.  She tried to hide from her feelings for Lucas—not only once, but twice—because she thought it was the best decision for everyone.  That’s who Riley is.  She’d sacrifice her happiness in order to see everyone else find joy.”  He looked at the bride.  “I’m here to tell you, today, that you can’t do that anymore.  Your happiness is linked to his…and that happiness is tied to every single person in this room.  You’ve spent your whole life making sure that those around you are happy.  Now, let me speak for everyone when I say that you being happy is what makes us happy.  So be happy, Riley.  Be a little selfish.”  He turned to Lucas.  “And I don’t even have to ask you to make sure she’s happy, because I know you do nothing without thinking about her first.”  He raised his glass.  “I love you both.  You’ve set an impossible standard, but I hope to find that kind of love one day.”

//Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song//

Before they knew it, the night was over.  The magical day they had waited nearly a lifetime for was done, but they knew the real fairytale was about to begin—the ‘happily ever after’ part.  

They hugged all of their loved ones as they made their way to the limousine that would take them to their hotel for the evening.  In the morning, they would be well on their way to their honeymoon destination, Paris of all places.  When he initially questioned her about the choice, she assured him that it was time to make new memories.  She wanted to go back to the city that had once destroyed them and replace every bittersweet second with nothing but sweet, loving memories.

As soon as the driver shut the door, Lucas leaned close to her.  He cupped her cheeks in his hands as he placed his lips against hers.  “I love you.”  He knew he had already said it about a hundred times that day, but he couldn’t help it.  The only emotion he was capable of at that moment was love—love for her.

“I love you,” she smiled against his lips.  “Now, the real fun begins.”

He smirked as he pulled away from her.  He glanced around the space.  “You have a thing for limos, don’t you?”

She playfully swatted at his arm.  “Not at all what I meant,” she smiled despite the blush that crept up on her cheeks.  She was well aware of the fact that he was referring to the last limo ride they shared.  “Besides, it’s not going to take 45 minutes to get to the hotel.  More like 15.”

“Well, Mrs. Friar, my only plans for the evening consist of showing you over and over again just how happy you make me.”  His lips slowly descended to her neck.

Riley took a shaky breath.  “We have an early flight tomorrow.”

“We can sleep on the plane,” he answered as he planted kisses along the column of her neck.

“This is so not fair,” she breathed as his hands slid across her bare back.

“You know last time we were in a limo, we played by your rules.”

“And you didn’t complain,” she smiled.

“This time, let’s play by mine.”

She raised an eyebrow.  “Dr. Friar.  We have about twelve minutes until we reach the hotel.  What do you propose?”

He lifted his head as his gaze caught hers.  “That I get to spend the next 11 minutes and 30 seconds kissing every inch of you that isn’t covered up by that gown, and when we get to the room, you let me spend the next several hours getting properly acquainted with the new Mrs. Friar.”

“Sounds perfect,” she practically purred as her lips brushed against his.

//I have faith in what I see Now I know I have met an angel in person And she looks perfect//

As soon as Lucas got out of the limo, he offered his hand to his bride to help her get out.  He looped her arm through his as they walked through the lobby.  After checking into their room, they were escorted to the top floor.  Lucas tipped the bellboy as soon as they reached the door.  The bellboy assured him that all of their luggage was already in the room and that everything had been set up to his specifications.

Riley furrowed her eyebrows at the comment, but said nothing as the bellboy left.  Lucas inserted the key into the door.  Riley tried to take a step forward, but he stopped her.  “I know it’s not our apartment, but tradition is tradition,” he smiled before he scooped her up in his arms.  “I’ve been waiting a very long time to do this, Mrs. Friar,” he smiled as he carried her over the threshold.

Riley smiled at him before the soft glow of the room diverted her attention.  “Lucas,” she breathed when she saw the lit candles and flowers throughout the entire suite.

“I thought rose petals would be too cheesy,” he said as he slowly lowered her to the ground, “but I wanted the room filled with all of your favorite flowers.”

“They’re beautiful,” she smiled.  “And the candles?”

“I needed to have a little bit of cheese,” he chuckled.  “I wanted to set a relaxing mood.”

She raised an eyebrow at him.  “Relaxing?  I thought that we were—“

“We have all the time in the world,” he smiled.  “Right now, I want to make sure that after all the planning and after the craziness of the day, that you could relax for awhile.  There is a bubble bath waiting for you in the bathroom.”

She smiled.  “Really?”

He nodded.

She began to play with his tie.  “Are you going to be joining me?”

He took a deep breath.  “There is nothing I want more, but right now, I want you to relax, and I can guarantee that not much relaxing would happen if we both got in.”  He smiled.  “Besides, room service should be up soon, and at least one of us should be clothed to answer the door.”

“Room service?”

“Neither of us ate at the wedding, and I’m sure once you’ve had a few minutes to unwind, you’ll find your appetite.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck.  He always found a new way to surprise her with his thoughtfulness.  She definitely felt like the luckiest woman in the world.  “I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve so much more,” he said as he kissed her. After a moment, he forced himself to pull away from her.  “We’ve rushed through so much of our time together…but not anymore.  Now, we have all the time in the world.”  He took a deep breath as he memorized the image of her in that wedding dress.  He knew that between Maya and the photographer, that they had a million pictures to remember the day, but the soft glow of the candlelight made Riley appear positively heavenly.  She was his saving grace.  She was the reason he was the man he was today.  She was everything.

And he was going to spend every day for the rest of his life making sure she knew just how loved she was.

//I don't deserve this You look perfect tonight//

[heytheregreeneyes]

Soul Speaker

Chapter 6

Summary: Starting at his shoulder, you very lightly trace your fingertips down his bicep, to the inside of his elbow, down the underside of his forearm and down to his wrist. Your fingertips feel that tingling sensation the whole way. “Is that what you mean?” you ask, looking up at his face. He is staring wide-eyed at his arm in disbelief. “Yes! What is that? That buzzing, tingling feeling? It’s like, uh, it’s like what tv static would feel like, I guess. And warm.”

This is it. This is the moment he decides you’re a complete nut job and sends you away.

“Ok, so my grandma used to tell us all the time when we were little that there are certain people whose souls know each other. She used to say that those people can be soulmates, or have soul bonds, which are just people that you somehow knew in a past life like siblings, spouses, lovers, even friends or best friends from before. She said that when two souls recognize each other, they reach out, desperately trying to communicate to each other”

Pairing: Josh Dun x Reader

Type: fluff

Chapters: 8/8

Word Count: 21,928

Warnings: none

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |

Chapter 7 | Chapter 8

Chapter Preview:

You reach up and place your hand on his cheek. He leans into it, placing his hand over yours, humming as turns and places a kiss to your palm. He glances back at you and suddenly he’s surging forward.

“God,” he says quickly, pulling you flush up against him again, capturing your lips once more. “I can’t take it anymore, the pull is too much.  

Chapter 6

There’s a moment of silence as the track ends before starting back up again. You’ve had the same song, the one he sent in his first snap, Sigur Ros - Untitled 1, on repeat for hours now. The music just washes over you and touches your soul, allowing you to wallow in your feelings. You miss him. You miss him so much. You have a constant ache in your heart that no matter what you do, you cannot fill or ignore.

You have taken to just spending your days locked away in your room. You’ve given up trying to distract yourself with various things. Concentration is not a luxury you are afforded now. Your favorite tv shows go ignored, you can’t remember the plot anyway. You frequently zone out from conversations, and your roommate has to repeat himself on several occasions. Sometimes you get out of bed. Sometimes you actually shower. Sometimes you remember to eat.

You lie there, staring at nothing and completely indifferent to the fact that the sun has started its descent into the hills. It’s beginning to be a less than an appropriate level of dark in your room. It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.

You would roll over and just sleep, but your dreams are filled with images of him. His bright hair. His dark, chocolate eyes that squint when he laughs. His perfect, rounded teeth. His tight hugs. His warmth. You are surrounded by everything JoshJoshJosh, and it just makes you ache even more, waking up to a wet pillow, endless sorrow, and the feeling of being punched in the gut.

The sudden light on the display of your phone is incredibly bright on your eyes, stinging them and causing you to squint. You quickly shield your eyes, grimacing at the phone as if it has somehow insulted you. It takes several seconds before you realize that it’s actually ringing.

Your stomach bottoms out. It’s Josh.

“Hello?” you say, trying to clear your throat and sound normal.

“God, it’s so good to hear your voice,” he sighs into the phone.

Your heart leaps. You can feel it beating rapidly behind your chest and your stomach gives another flip. Your soul recognizes that voice and is trying desperately to reach it. It yearns and will do anything to be close to it again.

“I know, it’s good to hear you too.” You take a breath and drop your voice to a whisper, “I’ve missed you so much, Josh.”

“That’s... that’s actually why I’m calling. Umm, we have a small break, an-and I was wondering if you’d be able to come out and visit me?”

“Visit you? You mean, like, out in LA? When? For how long?”

“Yeah. Well, today was our first day of break, actually, and we have about 5 more days.” You hear him shuffle around as he switches the phone to his other ear. “I just... I’d really like to see you, and I...”

All at once it’s like the dense smog around you has been lifted and you can suddenly breathe better. You feel lighter somehow. “Dude, yes! I can totally do that! Hang on, let me look up some info on plane tickets,” you say quickly, swinging your legs to the side of your bed to go fetch your laptop.

“Well, I, umm... actually, can you be at the airport in an hour? I sort of already bought you a ticket.” The line is silent as he waits for your reply. You can tell that he’s probably holding his breath, half of his bottom lip pulled under his teeth.

You start sputtering before you can finally spit out, “WHAT?! JOSH! How did… how did you know I was even going to say yes? Or that I was going to let you buy my ticket?”

“I, umm, I didn’t. I kind of just had it all pulled up and ready to go on my laptop. Then I called to see if you would be able to make it, and as soon as you agreed, I-I sort of... bought the ticket.” You can hear the smirk in his voice.

You take a breath to say something back, but he continues, “Can your roommate take you to the airport? Do you need an Uber?”

“Josh,” you sigh heavily into the phone, “I can get to the airport. And as much as I want to talk to you, I’d rather see you, so I need to let you go so I can pack.” You can barely hold in your excitement. You have butterflies again and you can’t stop smiling when you continue, “So, I’ll see you in about five hours?”

He makes a noise on the other end of the line. Omg, did he just squeal?

It’s a sudden snapchat battle while you pack. You send him a snap of every step along the way. You send one of your empty suitcase, then one of you just dumping a pile of clothes into it, followed by one that is stationary on the suitcase, but records as things drop rapidly into your suitcase as you throw your makeup bag, hair brush, toothbrush, hairspray, and other bathroom stuff into it from across the room. You have your roommate to thank for help with that one.

***

‘Omg, omg, this is it. This is IT!’ You think to yourself as the plane taxis up to the tunnel. This is the moment you’ve been craving since you two had to part in St. Louis, the moment that’s had you shaking with excited jitters since you hung up the phone with him earlier tonight. All you have to do is stand up, throw your backpack on, walk thru the tunnel, and then you’ll finally, FINALLY be together again.

The plane comes to a jolting stop and, with shaking hands, you immediately unbuckle your seat belt, standing to retrieve your backpack from the overhead bin. The wait while they open the plane doors and line up the jetway is excruciating, but once the passengers start moving and you step off the plane, you are full on running through the jetway and through the entrance to the boarding area.

You stop where you are, looking left and then looking right for his recognizable hair. Your heart is racing and your stomach is doing flips. Your whole body is trembling and you raise a shaking hand to your forehead, still glancing around for him. It’s noisy and there are people EVERYWHERE. You see people speed walking, pulling rolling suitcases that make a click-clack, click-clack noise behind them as they go. You see people embracing their loved ones as they deplane. You see more people standing over at the baggage carousel waiting for their luggage. You see…

Josh.

Suddenly you’re rooted to the spot, unable to move. Your mind is screaming at you to run to him, but your body just won’t cooperate. He stands on his tiptoes, stretching his body and leaning from side to side, trying to look over the crowd to find you. He looks back down and shuffles over, mumbling an apology and moving out of the way for a lady and her stroller. When he looks back up, his eyes instantly snap to yours.

Suddenly it’s like everything is muffled and time slows down. You don’t hear the crowds of people talking or the sounds of luggage. You don’t see the hundreds of bodies that surround you in a sea of people. All you see is him and he is looking right back at you.

You just stand there, staring at his perfect face, not believing that this moment is finally real when he waves and smiles that eye-crinkling, tooth-showing, million-watt smile, complete with his tongue slightly poking out, and that’s it. That’s the thing that breaks the spell as you are suddenly surging forward, quickly walking toward him, ready to embrace him and never let him go.

You’re only about six steps away when suddenly two girls are bounding up to him and you hear, “Oh my god, are you Josh Dun?!” He looks at them and then back at you, shooting you a quick apologetic look before turning to them and answering. The talk for several seconds and you hear lots of squealing, followed by him slinging an arm around them to pose for a selfie. You just hang back and watch, grinning at the scene before you the whole time. That used to be you.

He thanks them and turns back to you, giving you a sheepish look but still smiling. You slowly walk up to him, stopping just in front of him. You realize now that you are in a very public place and probably shouldn’t show any form of public affection, those girls just proving that you never know who may be watching.

You look up at him and into those beautiful, deep brown eyes.

“Hi,” you breathe out.

“Hi.”

Neither of you moves and you continue to stare at each other, your eyes conveying everything that words and actions cannot. Your arms hang at your sides when suddenly his fingertips graze yours, and the static electricity starts buzzing fiercely. You hear him gasp, looking to you with wide eyes. Your whole body is jolting, screaming at you once again to make contact, but you simply can’t in this place.

With a great show of willpower, you take a step back, taking a deep breath as you go. “We should… we should get my luggage,” you blurt out, still sort of dazed.

“Yeah. Let's get out of here,” he says with a smile, leading you over to the baggage carousel.

***

The drive to his house is mostly quiet if you don’t count all the times the two of you would look over at each other and immediately burst into a fit of giggles. Neither of you can believe you are finally together again, and the sheer amount of giddiness you feel has you both spilling over with laughter.

He grabs your suitcase from the trunk and leads you up to the front door. He punches in a security code and opens the door, letting you walk in first. He flicks on the lights and you are met with the foyer and living room area of Josh’s house.

You hear him shut the door and you lean down and set your backpack on the floor, your eyes wandering over what you can see of the house all the while.

“Wow, Josh, it’s beautiful.”

“Yes, you are,” he quips. He turns to you, quickly closing the distance between you. He places his hand on your cheek and leans down, finally pulling you into a kiss. Your body ignites into a storm of tingling and buzzing static. It’s like a fire has been lit in your veins and you can feel it run the length of your body, down to your extremities and back up before settling in your stomach. You hear Josh whimper, and the amount of heat radiating off his body is immense. Your hands come up and scratch lightly up the length of his arms.

He groans and pulls away, taking a small step back, but leaving his hands at your waist. He inhales and says breathlessly, “I’ve been waiting to do that since you got off the plane. I’ve missed you so much.”

“God, Josh, you don’t know how much I missed you,” you reply, taking him by the back of the neck and pull him back to you. You kiss him again, this time pulling him tightly to you, desperate to feel him, desperate for his touch. He is happy to give it to you and you feel him start to melt as the kisses get more heated. He makes a noise in the back of his throat and pulls away, again taking a small step back, but leaning his forehead down to yours, his eyes still closed. If he doesn’t keep a small bit of distance between you, he might not be able to control himself for long.

“Let’s, umm... let’s get you settled in, and then we can talk, okay?” He’s panting and you are sure you’re in no better shape as you agree.

***

He leads you up the stairs to his bedroom, pointing out other rooms as you pass them. You reach his room at the end of the hallway, and he walks in, placing your suitcase on top of the dresser.

“Well, this is it,” he says, arms out and turning in a circle. You smile back at him and look around, taking in your surroundings. “I haven’t been here much lately, obviously, so I don’t have many clothes stored here at the moment. This side of the dresser is actually empty if you wanna use it for your stuff.” He pulls out a couple drawers to show their emptiness.

“Yeah, okay. That’ll be perfect,” you say and walk over, unzipping your suitcase and begin to unpack. You pull out all your bathroom stuff, setting it on top of the dresser next to the suitcase to take to the bathroom later, and then start pulling out your clothes, placing them into the top drawer.

Suddenly you feel strong arms wrap around your waist from behind and you are enveloped in warm warm warm as he presses into your back, giving you a hug from behind and hooking his chin over your shoulder. He hums in contentment as you look down, seeing the kitty bracelet and smiling to yourself before placing your arms over his. You allow yourself a satisfied sigh as you lean your head back onto his shoulder, just feeling his warmth and the soothing buzzing that’s spreading over your body.

“Josh,” you whisper, “I missed you.”

He doesn’t say anything, just turns his head and places a kiss just under your ear. The buzzing amps up when he kisses you there and it causes you to gasp. He must feel it too because you hear him gasp as well before he is back, kissing you on the curve of your neck and shoulder. You feel teeth there next, and you groan before feeling him kiss the spot again.

Suddenly he spins you around, hands holding tight to your waist. He leans down, kissing your lips, firmly. “Mmm,” he moans before deepening the kiss, pulling your bottom lip through his teeth when he pulls away, “missed you so much.”

You look up at him and he looks so far gone already, eyes lidded, pupils blown, and drunk off the feeling of the buzzing and staticky tingles. You reach up and place your hand on his cheek. He leans into it, placing his hand over yours, humming as turns and places a kiss to your palm. He glances back at you and suddenly he’s surging forward.

“God,” he says quickly, pulling you flush up against him again, capturing your lips once more. “I can’t take it anymore, the pull is too much. Please, I need you.”

You know what he means because you feel it yourself as well. It’s not just a sexual need, it’s an emotional need. A need to be close. A need to be connected. A need to be together.

He leans in again and starts mouthing at your neck, trailing open mouthed kisses from one side to the other. You tilt your head over, giving him more access.

“Joosshhh.” God, he feels so good. You feel the pressure on your hips increase as he starts walking you backwards to the bed. “Josh. Jo-osh!” It’s so very hard to talk when his mouth is doing… that. “If we do this, this is only going to strengthen the bond even more. In fact, it’ll almost complete it.” You feel your legs hit the side of the bed and you collapse down, sitting on the edge. He continues to push you with his upper body, capturing you in a kiss as you scoot back, letting him push you to a lying position.

He pulls back, hovering over you as he says, “I don’t care. I want this. I want you,” he lays his body down on top of yours. The weight is delicious. You moan at the feeling when he continues, “I want all of you.” He lifts his hand and uses his fingernails to brush your hair back off your forehead. Your eyes roll back.

“Mind.”

*kiss*

“Body.”

*kiss*

“And soul.” He leans down to kiss you deeper this time, but he rolls his hips down at the same time, giving you tingles in places that send your blood rushing, and that’s it. You give in.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |

Chapter 7 | Chapter 8

Notes:

x-posted on my Ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/users/EncOREO/works