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classyrbf · 2 months ago

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DO I LOOK LIKE HIM! — MEGUMI FUSHIGURO

SYNOPSIS...all his life it was just him and his mother, his father nowhere to be seen or found, vanished, a ghost. No one ever spoke a word of him, he didn’t even know his name. But deep down he begs for answers as his mother always said that he looked just like ‘him’

INFO...megumi fushiguro x mom!reader, toji x fem!reader, angst angst angst, megs is 17, absent father, family trauma, young love, arguing, talks of pregnancy, talks of killing/assassination, not proofread

OTHER...likes and reblogs are appreciated

based on: like him by tyler the creator

“Alright move closer into the photo—yep! Perfect!” Your mom held the camera up to her eye, slightly bending down. “Alright, three…two…one!” She snapped the photo, smiling as she looked at you and Toji.

It was Megumi’s first birthday, friends and family surrounding to celebrate. Endless gifts and food, music playing over the speakers. Small children ran around the yard, infectious laughter filling the air. The sun shined brightly, not a cloud in the sky. You were happy. Toji held Megumi tight in arm, looking down at the baby with a full head of jet black hair.

You and Toji had met in high school, falling for each other in an instant. You were captivated by his silent and mysterious presence and Toji was capture by your smile and the way your eyes shined in the light. But neither of you expected to end up with a baby boy just two years later after graduation. Not a single moment was regretted. You wouldn’t trade this for the world.

“Happy birthday, little man,” he scoffed, holding Megumi above his head. He babbled, giggling as he chewed on his chubby fingers, smiling at his father with love in his eyes.

“I can’t wait to frame this one. You guys look so cute.” Your mom pouted, walking back into the house to put the camera away.

A soft smile spread across your face, holding onto Toji’s arm. “Did you ever think you’d become a dad?” You suddenly asked, watching as your baby played with the fabric of his shirt.

Toji turned towards you, a confused look on his face. “No, but…I’m happy I did. You know I’d do anything for you two.” Toji pulled you in by your waist. “Did you ever think you’d become a mom?”

You shook your head, reaching a hand out to move hair out Megumi’s face. “It’s just weird. We were so young, you know? We still are. But, it feels right.” You rested your heard on his shoulder, letting out a small sigh. A small laugh erupted from your chest, “I carry him for nine months and he came out looking exactly like you.”

“What can I say? I got strong genes, baby.” He nudges you slightly, teasing.

“Oh, hush. I did all the work.” You roll your eyes at him.

“I’m only messing with you.” He plants a kiss on your forehead. “Go on, give mama a kiss, little man.” He holds Megumi towards you. As if on cue, he leans his head down and places his slobbery mouth on your forehead. “There you go! Good job!” He chuckles, smiling at his son. “I can’t wait until you’re older so I can teach you about all sorts of things.” Megumi grabs ahold of Toji’s finger in his small palm, squeezing it. “Gonna teach you all types of sports, how to fight so you can protect mommy. I bet you’ll be a good baseball player.” Megumi squeals at Toji. “Baseball? Yeah? Alright, baseball it is.” He kisses his cheek.

You stand there, admiring your two favorite boys. It’s like you see the future when you look at them. A happy life, a cozy home. Maybe even a sibling for Megumi. A ring on your finger, happily married. Thinking of the days when Megumi starts going to school and brings back all his little projects so you can put them in a box and keep them for the future. You already had so much planned at such a young age, but you were determined to fight for it. For him. For your son.

Megumi sits on the edge of his bed, deep in thought. The ceiling fan provides a low hum as it spins. He stares at the wilted paper in his hand, a handwritten note to him—one he’s never seen until now. His chest feels tight, tears welling in his eyes as he reads who it’s from over and over again.

—Your Dad

It feels like he can’t breathe, anger swirling through him. He thinks of all those times you dismissed his questions and conversations about his father—whoever his father was. And now, he was holding a note from him that was written fifteen years ago. A note of how sorry he is and nothing else. A man of few words. No explanation, nothing.

Growing up, Megumi learned from a young age that he looked just like ‘him’. His grandmother and grandfather always slipping up, staring at him like a ghost had just walked in the room. It only got worse as he grew older, starting growing into his features. You even began to stare at him, a look of sadness in your eyes. He never would say anything, always keeping his mouth shut like he didn’t notice. Not once, did you ever speak of his father. Hell, he didn’t even know his name or what he looked like, but from what he’s been told, he probably looks like an older version of him.

All those days, watching fathers bond with their sons, his friends dads coming to sports games, school events, he always felt like deep down something was missing. He felt different. Every Father’s Day, being tasked to make something special in school for their fathers, but how is a nine year old supposed to say he doesn’t have one? How is a thirteen year old supposed to participate in the father-son day at school when he doesn’t have one? How is a seventeen year old supposed to feel when he sees everyone posting their dads on social media, a heartfelt message written with each one, yet he doesn’t even have a photograph to remember him by?

Tears fall on the paper and the hurt that he held back is now manifesting. Why was so hard for you to say anything about him? Was he dead? Is that why it was so hard? Yet, there was no excuse. Whatever it was, he needed to know why he left. Why he was so sorry. It wasn’t until he heard the front door open, your calming voice calling out to him.

“Megs, I’m home!” You shut the door, placing your bag on the countertop.

The door to his bedroom swung open, fresh tears still on his cheeks, the wrinkled note gripped in his hand. He stomped towards you. “What is this?” His nostrils flared.

A crease between your brows formed, noticing the distressed look on his face before your eyes landed on what he was holding. You felt your heart drop, your mouth falling open to say something, anything, but nothing came out. “Meg—”

“What is this? Huh?! I found it in the back of your drawer! A note from my dad!” He slammed the paper down. “Who is he?! Why did he leave?!” He was screaming, his anger pouring out through his words. “You never talk about him! No one does!” He throws his hands up. “You kept…you fucking kept this from me! Fifteen years!” Hot tears spill from his eyes.

Your eyes widen, your lip quivering as you hold back tears. “I’m sorry.” Your voice breaks. “I’ve been wanting to tell you—”

“When? When, mom?! I don’t even know his fucking name! I don’t know what he looks like! There’s not a single picture in this house of him? Is he even alive?!” The look in his eyes makes you want to break down. You knew this day would come sooner or later, but you never expected it to turn out this way. The note. Of course it was the note. Almost like it was fate.

You inhaled deeply, licking your lips as tears fall. “I’m sorry, baby. I just…”

“Why can’t you tell me?” He speaks softly, voice wavering. “I see it in your face. Everyday when you look at me…you can see him. Who is my dad?” He clenches his jaw, letting out a shaky breath. “Why did he leave us? Why did he leave me?” He questions before fully breaking down into tears, sobbing.

“No,no,” you whisper, taking him in your arms. His tears soak through the fabric of your shirt, clinging onto you like his life depends on it. “It’s not your fault, baby? You hear me? It’s not his, not yours. It’s complicated.” As you stand there with him in your arms, flashbacks of that night Toji left flood your brain.

“Then where is he? Is he dead?” Megumi asks, raising his head to look at you. The question makes you freeze up, biting on your bottom lip so hard you’re sure to draw blood. “Is he dead, mom?” He stands up straight, wiping his tears.

“I…I don’t know,” you sniffle, shrugging your shoulders. You shake your head as you look at your son, feeling so ashamed and embarrassed. So hurt and disgusted. “He loved you so much, Megumi. I promise you.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? If he loved me, he wouldn’t have left!” He shouted in anger. “Who is he?! Just tell me!” He pleads through his cries.

“His name was Toji. Toji Fushiguro.” You stare at him. “Me and your father met young, back in high school. We had you two years after we graduated. We were so scared. Well, I was scared, but your father was ready. He was so excited,” you chuckle, remembering when you first told him you were pregnant. “He loved you, Megumi. And that’s the exact reason why he left,” you explain.

He shakes his head at you. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Your father did everything he could to provide for me and you. You were his everything. His little man. But, he got caught up with the wrong people trying to find ways to make quick money. He was young and desperate, we both were.” Your eyes flutter shut, letting out a sigh. “What your father did for money…you wouldn’t think he was a good man. He made enemies—”

“Mom, what are you saying?! I’m not a kid anymore! Just tell me—”

“He killed people, Megumi! Is that what you wanna hear! He fucking killed people just so he could put food on the table! Fuck!” You hurriedly stand to your feet, looking away from him.

“What…?” He nearly said in a whisper.

“I don’t want you to think he wasn’t a good man, Megs. I don’t want you think he hated you or me. He didn’t. But what he was doing put him and us in danger. He realized that and he left. He couldn’t put us in danger, especially you. That night he left he wrote you this.” You grabbed the note off the counter. “I begged him to stay, baby. I did. I tried. I tried everything.” Megumi sat on the edge of the couch, staring blankly ahead of his as he took all this information in. “He never stopped loving you, Megs. He never wanted to leave.”

He slowly turned to look at you, his chest heaving up and down. His eyes were red and glossy from crying. “Where’d he go?”

“I don’t know, baby. He never told me.” You shook your head. He sobbed softly, holding his head in his hands. You walked over, sitting beside him and pulled him into your arms. “Don’t hate him,” you whispered. “He’d be so proud of the man you became. Such a sweet, strong, and smart boy.”

“When did he leave?” Megumi asked.

“A week after your second birthday,” you spoke, biting at the skin on your lip. “He told me you were the best thing to ever happen to him.” You wipe away his tears as they continue to fall. “He’s not a bad guy, he’s just done bad things.”

Now knowing what happened to his father, Megumi felt like his whole world came crashing down. What his father did, who he was. How he came to be. And as much resentment as he holds, he can’t bring himself to hate him. In a way, he understands, but at the same time he doesn’t. He wonders how different things would be if he was here. What life would be Ike. “I’m sorry, mom,” he cried.

“Don’t be, baby. I’m sorry for keeping from you for so long. I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want you to think he was a bad man. I was scared.” You continue to hold him in your arms, consoling him.

“What does he look like?” He asks.

You smile, looking down at him. “You guys are damn near twins.”

Megumi chuckles a little, “I figured.”

“Wait there a moment.” He watches as slip into your bedroom, a few second passing by before you walk out with something in your hands. “Here.”

Megumi looks down, seeing the array of photos you hold on your hands and hesitates on taking them from you. You sit beside him as he grabs them and looks at the first one. “Is that him and you?” He asks, never taking his eyes off the photo.

“Back in high school.” It was one of the first few photos you and Toji ever took together. A picture at the homecoming dance, a plain look on his face while you had a wide smile on your face. “Your father barely ever smiled. But when you came around, he couldn’t stop.”

Megumi was struck. He really did look like him. From the hair, to the eyes, to the nose. Everything. He looked at the next photo. You were pregnant, Toji holding your belly while kissing your cheek. “You guys looked really happy,” he says.

“Of course we were. Me and your dad loved each other very much. I still love him.” Megumi looks over at you as you say those last words. You still hold so much hope and love in your heart and that tells him maybe he should let this resentment for his father go. Maybe it was time to move on.

“Was this my birthday?” He questions, looking at the family photo your mother took of you three that day. He could see a faint smile on his father’s face, looking at the way Toji held him so close in his arms.

“Your very first birthday. So many good memories. Despite the fact you threw up on your dad’s shirt,” you laughed.

“Really?!” Megumi smiles. You nod, still giggling. “Yikes, he must’ve been pissed.”

“At first he was mad, but then saw you started crying after and felt horrible. I remember his exact words, ‘Stop crying, little man. You can throw up on this shirt a thousand times if you want to.’ He could never stay mad at you.” You brush his cheek, watching his smile get wider and wider.

He finally gets to the last picture. One you took of Toji asleep with Megumi on his chest. “I took that picture after it took him three hours to get you to sleep. You didn’t want to sleep in your crib, kept crying and crying and finally your father just fell asleep with you on his chest.” You watch as he runs his thumb over the picture, observing it more than he did the other ones. “You can keep it if you want.”

“Really?” He glanced at you, a desperate look in his eye.

“Of course.” You kissed his cheek. “I have more we can look at later.”

Megumi nods. There’s a moment of silence as he sits and goes through the pictures again, almost like he’s reliving memories he had no recollection of. “So, you really don’t know if he’s alive or not?”

You shake your head. “Like I said, what your father did caused him to get caught up with the wrong people, making enemies out of anyone. He was never scared of them, of course. But he knew if they ever found out about you or me, it wouldn’t end well.,” you explained. “I wish I knew.”

“Is it weird that I miss him?” He turned towards you, confused. “How can I miss someone I don’t even remember?” His eyes became teary.

“Oh, Megs.” You wiped his tears. “It’s not weird at all, sweetheart. I’m sure he misses you too. A whole lot.” You give him a sad smile.

He sniffles, looking down at the pictures. It was like he finally felt this weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. After years of this gut wrenching feeling, he finally knows the truth. His father did love you. Love him. He no longer felt casted aside. And that feeling gave him hope that maybe he’s still out there, still alive.

#—☆classyrbf #jjk #jujustu kaisen #jjk x reader #jjk angst #toji x reader #toji angst #toji fushiguro x reader #toji fushiguro angst #toji fushiguro x reader angst #megumi fushiguro #megumi x reader #megumi angst #megumi fishiguro angst #jjk x reader angst #Spotify

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munsonsmixtapes · 4 months ago

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Make it Real

summary: your best friend Tyler finds your smutty books and offers to help make your fantasies a reality

cw: MDNI (18+) smut (p in v) choking, spanking

based on this request by @thespillingvoid

Tyler had somehow beat you to your apartment, which never happened on nights you worked. He knew you wouldn’t mind so he let himself in, knowing exactly where the key was hidden. The two of you were supposed to have a movie night and had gotten there first which never seemed to happen.

He had never been in your apartment alone, so he took the opportunity to snoop, knowing that you wouldn’t have cared if he went through your stuff.

He went to your desk in the kitchen and sat down at it, opening the middle drawer to see a small notebook along with a container filled with highlighters, pens, and markers. There were also some bookmarks and a stack of unopened packages of tabs.

Tyler grabbed the notebook and set it down on the desk before opening it to the first page to see a small photo of a book cover. Next to it were five stars and only three of them were colored in. So that was how you tracked what you read.

But he couldn’t help but notice a group of five peppers underneath the stars. Only two of them were colored in and he wondered what they signified. This seemed to be a whole new world he had entered since reading had never been his thing.

He made a beeline for your room, wanting to look at your bookshelf since you never seemed to let him any time he came over. What could you have been hiding? It couldn’t have been that bad, could it? After all, it was just a bunch of words on pages, right?

Tyler let his eyes scan over your many bookshelves, wanting to find the perfect one to read. They were all organized very neatly and he was not trying to ruin that in any way since he had helped you put them on once he had the shelves built.

He just wanted to know why you were hiding them from him even though he knew it was wrong.

His gaze fell on one that had a very intriguing title and he plucked it from the shelf and noticed that there were many tabs in it. He flipped to one of the pages and noticed that one of them had a highlighted paragraph. His eyes glanced over it and he felt his cheeks heat as he realized what he was reading. It was titled “Rev My Engine” so he didn’t know why he was surprised by what was inside.

“It seems that you need to be taught a lesson,” Sam told Eliana as he grabbed hold of her throat, giving it a gentle squeeze. His fingers were pumping in and out of her cunt, feeling it getting even wetter as his grip tightened. He had her right where he wanted her and she seemed to be into it considering how her eyes were glazed over.

“What the fuck?” He whispered to himself, confused, but simultaneously intrigued by what was on the page. That didn’t surprise him, but what did was that you, sweet, innocent- seeming you had been reading something so…filthy.

Tyler sat down on the edge of your bed and flipped back to the first page to see how the couple had gotten to that point. Even though he didn’t read much, he had to admit that his interest was piqued. He was so invested, in fact, that he hadn’t even heard you come in. It wasn’t until he heard you clear your throat that he remembered where he was.

“What are you doing?” You asked, setting your purse down by the door and Tyler felt his cheeks burn as he had been caught.

“I was just-“ he tried to come up with an excuse, but it was deemed useless as he was still holding the book.

“You were just what, Tyler?” You marched over to him to take the book from his hand, but he held it out of your grasp, a shit-eating grin on his lips.

“I haven’t finished it. You can have it back when I’m done, darlin’.” He then stood from the bed and moved to the door, racing out of it and into the hallway.

You followed, hot on his heels as you heard his laughs echoing down the hallway. He got to the living room and stood on the couch, holding it completely out of your reach even when you had climbed up with him.

“I had no idea you were into this kind of stuff, y/n,” he teased. “I mean, you’re so shy and innocent, but I should have guessed since it always seems to be the quiet ones.”

Your cheeks were now burning with embarrassment. You knew that Tyler was just teasing, but you still couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. People had always been weird about you reading that kind of content, but what they didn’t know was that you mostly sought it out because real men couldn’t seem to please you so you had to take matters into your own hands.

“I do have a question for you though,” he said, flipping through the pages. “Why read this, when you could have the real thing?”

You leaned close to him, reaching for the book, but you still couldn’t get to it. Your body was now pressed to his and if you could feel how hard he was, you didn’t say anything.

“Tyler, I’ve told you all about my sex life and I’m not really comfortable-”

“No-” he interrupted. “I mean, why not have the real thing…with me?” You froze in that moment, staring up at him with wide eyes, your mouth agape.

You let go of him, his question finally setting in. He wanted to sleep with you? Was this only because he had found your book or had he actually been wanting to sleep with you and this was the best way for him to bring it up?

“With you?” You asked and he nodded, hopping down from the couch before offering you his hand. You hesitantly took it and it was like electricity was shooting through you. You were now suddenly aware of how soft but rough his hand was.

“Yes,” he nodded, his green eyes boring into yours. “With me. If you want to. No pressure.”

You thought about it for a second, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth and Tyler watched you, finding himself wanting to be the one to bite down on it and he kissed you until you were both breathless.

“Okay,” you nodded. “Let’s do this.”

Without a word, Tyler grabbed you by the back of your neck, pressing his lips to yours. You were quick to respond, grabbing onto his shirt, pulling him even closer to you before wrapping your arms around his waist while his free hand went to the small of your back.

You and Tyler had never kissed before, but there was something about it that felt right, your lips slotting together like two puzzle pieces. His were soft and warm and you flicked your tongue across it, wanting to know if he tasted as good as he always smelled.

He tasted like a mixture of mint and tobacco and while normally you would have thought it was gross, this time, you couldn’t get enough, letting your tongue roam all over his mouth to taste as much of him as you could.

A moan fell from your lips at the feeling of his tongue scraping against yours and you could feel Tyler’s dick getting even harder against you. His hands moved down to the bottom of your shirt, slipping it off to reveal your bra. It was a black, lacy thing that left little up to the imagination.

“Oh, what is this?” he asked, his eyes going dark. “Were you wanting someone to see it?”

“I-I have a ton of them. I don’t wear them for anyone, I wear them for me. To make me feel good about myself.”

“That’s really admirable. It’s hot,” he said, His nose brushing along your jaw. “You’re hot.” He then buried his face into your neck, peppering the spot with kisses as you tilted your head to the side, letting your eyes close as his kisses got longer, his tongue swiping back and forth along your skin.

Tyler began to suck on the spot and you moaned again, your back arching into him. He could feel your heartbeat hammering and chuckled to himself that he of all people could make you feel that way.

His teeth slid along the spot and you let out a gasp before melting into him, letting his hand come up and support your head as he continued to work.

“I bet your fictional men can’t do this, can they?” He chuckled before diffusing the sting with his tongue.

“D-definitely not,” you replied, trying your best to not sound out of breath. “Tyler, I think I’m gonna-” your words were cut off by a loud moan falling from your lips, your back arching again.

“Wow, I haven’t even gotten inside you and you’re already coming for me?” He pressed a kiss to your lips. “That must be a new record. Now c’mon, let’s go somewhere more private, hm?”

You couldn’t even respond to him, your head feeling cloudy as your body went limp in his arms. Your legs were starting to feel weak and Tyler picked you up and carried you to your bed, setting you down on it gently.

You removed your jeans and underwear while Tyler did the same. You reached for a condom in the drawer of your bedside table, watching him roll it onto his massive cock before he climbed onto top of you.

“Feel free to be as loud as you want. Tell me what you like, what you don’t. And if you want to stop, let me know and we can. I want you to enjoy this. That’s my number one priority. This is about you.”

“About me?” You asked, feeling your eyes getting a little misty. You had only slept with one other person. It was your freshman year of college and all he had done was get inside you and pump a few times before he came then pulled out before he left. It seemed that he just cared about himself, leaving you to finish up the job.

Ever since then, you had been afraid to sleep with anyone else. But Tyler was different. You were confident that he could make you feel good, that he would be attentive and nothing but sweet the entire time.

“All you. What do you want me to do?” He asked, one of his hands cupping your cheeks.

“I want you inside me, please,” you asked, your voice soft. Tyler liked himself up with you and slowly inserted himself, watching your every move.

He began to thrust, starting slowly to warm you up. He usually liked it rough, but this time he was going to be soft and gentle because that was what you deserved. He knew all about your first time and was intending on giving you one that you deserved.

He watched you underneath him, his mind wandering to that passage he had read in your book. You read about choking, but did that mean that you were actually into it? Maybe he’d try it out later when you had gotten used to him.

You grabbed onto him as you bucked your hips into his as he grabbed onto your hips, his thrusts getting a little faster, just trying to match your energy.

“Faster,” you breathed. “Harder.”

He did as you asked and your moans were like music to his ears, especially when it was his name that fell from your lips. He never thought your friendship would get to this point, but now that it had, he could imagine being in a relationship with you. He wasn’t really that kind of guy, but for you? He could be. He would be anything you asked.

“Just like that,” you said, continuing to buck your hips against his.

“Yeah?” He asked, his thrusts becoming even harder and faster. “You like that?”

“So good,” you moaned, bucking your hips against his again and again with more force each time. He let out moans of his own and you felt yourself getting even more wet at the sounds. They were hot and breathy and were definitely going to live rent free in your head for the rest of your life.

“Doing so good, darlin’,” he cooed. “I think you deserve a treat.”

“What? Are you gonna choke me?” You asked, batting your lashes.

“Do you want me to choke you?”

“I do,” you nodded. “Please.”

His hand wrapped around your neck and squeezed, but not enough to actually do anything. He then began to pound into you as his grip on your neck tightened, more moans falling from your lips, your breathing becoming even more labored.

“Yeah? You like this, huh?” He asked and all you could do was nod.

“What else do you like? handcuffs?” You shook your head and Tyler let go, realizing that he was choking a bit too hard.

“I-I want to be spanked,” you replied once you could breathe again. Tyler took no time to flip you over so that you were on top of him.

He helped you lie flat on top of him as he leaned up to kiss you, his hands resting flat on your back, sliding down slowly until they reached your ass. He put a hand on each cheek and gave them a squeeze, catching you off guard, causing you to accidentally bite down on his bottom lip.

“Sorry,” you apologized with a sheepish smile.

“That’s okay,” he replied. “Just kiss it better, hm?” He pecked his bottom lip and he smiled up at you, his eyes darkening as his hands lifted from your ass, giving it a rough smack, causing you to let out a yelp.

“Again,” you commanded.

“Honey, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Well, I do. That’s the point, Ty.”

“Alright, but you asked for it, sweetheart.” He smacked your ass again and again as you buried your face into his neck as if elicited moan after moan from you.

You were crying into his shoulder, begging for more until the skin felt raw. Tyler honestly never would have guessed you would have been into any of that, but he was more than willing to match your freak, having no intention of shaming you for what you were into, just wanting to go with the flow.

Tyler flipped you over again gently then pulled out of you before cleaning the two of you up. He then helped you put on some pajamas and grabbed some of his own that he usually left there before he changed.

Once the both of you were dressed, you climbed into bed, Tyler pulling you to his chest like normal. Your arms wrapped around each other and he pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

“So same thing in the morning?” You asked, looking up at him with an adorable smile.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, darlin’,” he chuckled and the two of you drifted off to sleep, wrapped up in each other’s arms just like usual.

#tyler owens #tyler owens x fem!reader #tyler owens x y/n #tyler owens smut #tyler owens x reader #tyler owens fluff #tyler owens x you #twisters

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youunravelme · 2 years ago

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the worst wing-woman

author's note: just like all my other fics, we are existing in an alternate plane where tito was never traded. also i've never worked for the nhl, so i have no idea how accurate being a photographer is but guess what. idgaf. also sorry for the amount of italics in this fic, i have no self control apparently. and shoutout to my new friend @dani746 for helping me with this monstrosity.

summary: you've been in love with mat barzal for as long as you can remember, so what do you do when he asks for your help to win over your friend?

pairing: mat barzal x islanders photographer!reader

warnings: cursing and low self esteem

despite working for the isles for two years now, you still got nervous walking into work.

you weren't a stranger to the team, some of them you knew quite well. anders and marty being two players you were friendly with (mainly due to the fact that you were somewhat friendly with their wives). but there was always one player who eluded you, who you'd only ever had professional interactions with.

mathew barzal.

and it shouldn't be surprising, you were a measly photographer whereas he was the star player of his team, the winner of the calder trophy, an nhl heartthrob. why should he pay attention to you?

media day was one of your favorite days, mainly because it was the closest you ever got to holding full conversations with him. not that the conversations went anything beyond "look right here" or "great job, mat."

you didn't even think he knew your name.

the longest conversation you had with him consisted of him asking to see the photos you took and patting you on your back when he liked what he saw before he went off to talk to tito.

"you having a good day?" you nearly jumped a foot in the air when your staring was cut off by anders walking up to you.

"yeah," you said when your heartbeat returned to normal. "just busy is all." you held your camera up as if that was enough of an explanation.

anders nodded. "any of the boys giving you a hard time?"

you shook your head rapidly. "nope, they've all been on their best behavior."

"even barzy and beauvillier?" at the mention of their names, the duo turned their heads and locked eyes with you and anders.

you wanted to dig a hole and die in it.

"what about us?" mat asked, sauntering over with his best friend right behind him.

"you haven't been giving her a hard time, have you?" anders crossed his arms. and if you weren't panicking at the closing distance between you and mat, you might've noticed the shared smirk between the three hockey players in front of you.

"us?" tito asked. "why would you think that? we've only ever been angels."

before anders could ask you to corroborate tito's story, your name was called. you awkwardly waved to the three men before walking over to another set of props, ready to photograph another hockey player.

"done embarrassing yourself?" your coworker tyler asked.

you lightly shoved his shoulder. "shut up."

"seriously, you're not his type," he added. "he's not gonna go for you."

tyler might as well have stabbed you in the gut with how much his words hurt you, but you put a smile on and nodded. "yeah, i know. i know."

and you did.

you knew.

but you'd be delusional for a little while longer if it meant going to work wouldn't suck every day.

later that night, you found yourself at a bar with a group of your friends. you didn't want to go originally, but when alexa said she needed to go out to get over her ex, you felt like you had no other choice.

which is how you found yourself sipping a soda water in a booth while your friends danced and took body shots.

your gaze wandered around the bar aimlessly before you checked your phone for the time.

you'd only been there for an hour.

it took all self restraint not to bang your head against the table.

"having fun?" your head snapped up at the familiar voice only to see anthony beauvillier standing at the edge of your booth with a self satisfied smirk.

"i--"

"i didn't take you as one to go out drinking on a weeknight," he said.

you slumped into your seat. "i'm not. my friend alexa wanted to go out because her boyfriend just dumped her and she wanted a distraction."

anthony took the seat opposite of you. "and that is...?" he gestured at your drink.

"soda water," you answered. "i'm the DD for tonight."

"oof," he groaned before taking a sip of his beer. "that's rough."

you shrugged. "it's not that bad, i'd rather my friends get home safe than get drunk and show up to work hungover."

anthony nodded in a way that you'd seen other men do, the type of nod that comes right before someone looks around for someone more interesting to talk to.

"but what about you?" you rushed out, nearly tripping over your own words.

tito smiled. "what about me?"

"why're you here?"

he shrugged. "mat wanted to come out and didn't want to go out alone, so here i am."

mat.

you wanted to vomit.

"oh," you mumbled. "mat's here?"

tito nodded and gestured with his bottle to the bar. "he's over there talking to some brunette."

you followed with your eyes and when you finally locked eyes on him, you wished you hadn't.

he was talking to alexa, smiling at her the way you wished he'd smile at you.

maybe you could leave the bar and get hit by a taxi on the way out, that would be less painful than seeing the man you're in love with flirt with your friend.

"you okay?" anthony asked, nudging your leg with his foot.

you turned your gaze back to him and attempted to give him your most convincing smile. "i'm great!" you said before throwing your soda water back and coughing when the carbonation burned.

anthony didn't say a word.

when you looked back at the bar, alexa was nowhere to be found while mat was fiddling with one of his wristbands. you looked around to find alexa, thinking maybe she was in the crowd dancing or perhaps she was in line for the bathroom.

but she popped up at your table, sweaty and smiling.

"you good?" she asked before fixing her eyes on anthony who was sipping on his beer. "who's this?"

"anthony. i know him from work." tito gave her a small wave before taking another sip of his beer.

"alexa," she smiled before her attention focused back on you. "i actually met one of your coworkers, mat right?"

you forced a smile and nodded. "the one and only. what did you think?" though, to be fair, you didn't really want to know her opinion on him. not when you thought the world of him.

alexa shrugged and tossed her perfect hair over her perfect shoulder and gave a perfect smile that was a healthy balance of nonchalant and mildly interested. "he was alright, he knows he's attractive which is rather unattractive if you ask me."

tito choked on his beer while you stared in awe.

of all the words you'd use to describe mat, "alright" was not even close to the top 25.

"something funny?" alexa asked.

"nope," tito supplied, shaking his head. "nothing at all."

alexa looked at him, unconvinced, but didn't let it bother her. "i'm gonna go dance, you coming?" she asked.

you shook your head. "not really my scene."

alexa nodded and pranced off to the dance floor where the rest of your friends were grinding on strangers to the tune of some 2000s pop song.

"she's a delight," tito said.

you sighed. "she's practically miss america." you were too busy staring at her having fun to notice another person walk up to your booth until he was standing right in front of you with a question posed on the tip of his lips.

mat.

your mouth went dry at the sight of him.

"you know her?" he gestured over his shoulder to where alexa was laughing with one of your friends.

you nodded.

"are you two close?"

you shrugged.

mat sighed. "are you capable of speaking?"

tito spoke up. "mat, you just bombarded her without a single hello, chill."

mat pinched the bridge of his nose. "sorry, i just--she rejected me and i don't know why."

"you're too attractive and you know it," you blurted out before you could stop yourself. you quickly slapped a hand over your mouth like that would stop any other bullshit that might come out.

mat tilted his head and leaned in. "huh?"

"her words, not mine," you said like it would absolve you of any guilt.

"what do you mean by being 'too attractive' and 'knowing it'? how does that even make sense?"

you shrugged for what felt like the twelfth time that night. "alexa's not really into guys who are obsessed with their appearances. she just got out of a relationship with a guy like that," you explained.

mat ran a hand down his face before placing both hands on his waist. "so what do you suggest i do?" he groaned.

"i--"

he snapped his fingers and looked at you for what felt like the first time. it sent a chill down your spine that you had a problem suppressing. "can you help me?"

your mouth dropped open. "huh?"

"you're friends, right? can you help me win her over?"

you could list about a thousand other things you'd rather do. you could think of five just off the top of your head.

but he looked so earnest and willing and how could anyone possibly resist him when he looked at you like that--

"of course!" you smiled.

of course?! yes would've sufficed but now you've got him thinking you'd enjoy this. which you most certainly wouldn't.

oh who were you kidding? all attention was good attention when it came to mat barzal and you'd give anything to keep him looking at you.

"thank you!" he smiled before clapping tito on the shoulder. "ready to head out?"

anthony nodded before addressing you. "i had a nice time. see you tomorrow?"

you smiled and nodded, giving them both a small wave as they walked away. the second they were out the door, you thumped your head against the table.

playing wing-woman for mathew barzal.

what the fuck was wrong with you?

how to be a wing-woman: a guide

usually when you went to work, you kept your head down and stayed out of the way. occasionally, you'd run into anders or marty, or maybe even tito, who would say their polite hellos, but for the most part you stayed out of the way during practices.

you were looking at the photos you just took when someone banged on the glass. a quick glance (that turned into a double take) let you figure out it was mat based on the 13 on his jersey and the fact that you could pick him out of a crowd anywhere.

he waved and smiled (and you might've died inside). "can i talk to you after practice?"

you nodded frantically before gaining a semblance of self respect and slowing down.

"great! meet you outside of the locker rooms!" he said before skating away.

"what was that about?" tyler asked. you turned, not even realizing he'd made his way towards you considering you thought he was on the other side of the arena.

"what? can't i talk to the players?"

tyler laughed. actually laughed. "considering barzal has never so much as looked at you, i'd say him approaching you during practice is pretty strange."

your shoulders sunk at the weight of the truth. "if you must know," you started. "he wants to date one of my friends, so i'm helping him out."

tyler laughed again and walked away without saying another word while you scrolled through the photos you took again until practice ended.

you headed towards the locker rooms only when the last player had been off the ice for ten minutes, you didn't want to chance waiting around too long looking like an idiot.

as you waited, you made a mental note of all the editing you'd have to do when you got back to your cubicle. you got a few good shots earlier, but they'd need some tweaking before you sent them to the social media team. in fact--

"hey, what're you doing here?" you glanced up and saw anders, hair wet from whatever brief shower he took.

you shrugged, not sure if it was your place to give away mat's intentions. "just waiting around."

"for?" he pushed.

"barzy needs her to play wing-woman," tito said from over anders' shoulders. "he wants to get with her friend, but her friend isn't interested."

anders threw his head back and laughed. "barzy not getting a girl? that's fucking hilarious."

tito smirked. "tell him what your friend said" he told you.

"she doesn't like that he knows he's attractive," you mumbled.

if it was even possible, anders laughed even louder. "un-fucking-believable."

"what's so funny?" mat walked up, running a hand through his damp hair.

you said "nothing" at the same time anders asked "you got rejected, barzy?"

mat's face dropped before looking at you and tito accusingly. anthony sighed and nudged his best friend. "chill out, barz. she didn't bring it up, i did."

mat's shoulders relaxed before he punched tito in the arm. "dick," he mumbled.

anders looked between the three of you and sighed. "i don't have time for this shit," he said. "i'll see you later." and he was off down the hallway.

"so what's the plan for today?" tito asked.

"you're not included," mat said. his gaze focused on you. "can i have your number?"

you blinked. "what?"

mat laughed a little and you could feel heat and shame running up your spine. he asked you one fucking question and you had to go act like a weirdo. "so i can text you? i think we should sit down and create a strategy."

you nodded and read off your number as he typed it into his phone. "great," he gave you his megawatt smile. "i'll text you."

"okay," you breathed out as he walked away without a thought.

tito kept standing there, smirking to himself. "you're so fucked," he said.

you nodded because there was nothing else to say.

step one: talk him up

you and mat got lunch two days later on a saturday when he didn't have a game. it was rather surreal, sitting across from him in public. the delusional part of you was begging you to imagine this as a date instead of a meeting to set your friend up with mat.

when did your life turn into something so pathetic?

"okay," he started. "tell me about your friend."

you would rather do anything else.

"she just got out of a long term relationship with this guy named jared. he was a bit self absorbed which is probably why she didn't like you knowing how hot you are." you paused as the words left your mouth, ready to set yourself on fire if he reacted. but he didn't, he only leaned in closer to listen. "she uh--she likes daffodils and goes to the farmer's market at union square every saturday."

"but what's she like?" he asked. "what's her personality?"

how would you say she's the trademarked cool girl? the girl every guy wanted, that mat was one man in a long list of men who tried and failed to win her over.

"she's sweet and affectionate," you started. "she pretty girly on the outside but knows her way around a car. she grew up with three older brothers so she knows a fair bit about sports, just not hockey, but if you wanted to talk stats about football or basketball, she's your girl. in college, she held the record for fastest shotgun in her sorority."

you racked your brain for more information about your friend, but it was difficult under pressure to sum up someone you'd known since freshman year of college.

"what else?" mat asked.

"she's a bit of a partier, but knows how to settle down and just chill. she's a really good friend, like last year i dated this guy who was cheating on me the entire duration of our relationship, which i should've known about because he said he had to go on business trips all the time but he worked as a barista, and she held me while i cried for three days straight and even threatened to fuck up his car."

mat stared at you without saying anything in a way that made you want to sink into a hole, never to be seen again. "you dated a barista and thought he needed to go on business trips?"

you blinked. "that's what you got from that? me dating a shitty barista?"

he shrugged. "i heard everything else, but that was definitely the funniest part. how long did you date him?"

"six months," you replied quickly. "but that's not the point! alexa is going to play hard to get because she doesn't want anything too serious right now."

"great! neither do i!"

"but she's not a one night stand kind of girl anymore. so if you want her, you have to prove to her you can be serious enough for a relationship but not serious enough that you get clingy and overbearing and propose within six months."

mat blinked at you. "how the hell does that make sense?"

"believe me, there's a balance."

he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "and you would know this how?"

"well i uh--" you sputtered. your nerves were only encouraged by his light chuckling. "all girls know these things! we don't want overly possessive boyfriends but we also want someone to care. it shouldn't be that hard to comprehend."

"it's not," he defended. "just a little...complicated, don't you think?"

"alexa's a complicated girl!"

he sighed and ran a hand down his face. "okay so how do i show her i mean business but that i'm not looking to settle down and get married?"

"i guess i could talk you up to her in passing conversation?"

"what would you tell her? we don't know each other very well."

"i know more than you think!"

"please, share with the class."

shit.

do you confess that in the two years you'd worked for the islanders that you watched him borderline obsessively?

"well, i know you're good with kids, if your interactions with young fans is anything to go by. you don't like dogs, which is a bit of a red flag in my book, but alexa shouldn't mind. you're a fantastic hockey player, and a great teammate."

"is that enough to convince her?"

you grimaced and shook your head. "she's a bit more personable. she one time broke up with a guy because he was rude to waitstaff. she would want to know how you treat non millionaires and authority figures. for instance, how much do you tip a server?"

"25%," he replied. "but why does that matter?"

"alexa used to be a server throughout college and couldn't stand people who she knew had money but would cheap out on the tip because she didn't greet them fast enough."

mat opened his mouth, presumably to ask another question, when his phone started ringing. "shit," he mumbled. "listen, i gotta go. it was nice talking to you, i'll be in touch." he pulled out a few twenty dollar bills and put them on the table before getting up and walking away.

you waited for the server to come back before paying the bill and told them to keep the change before you got up and walked home.

when you got back to your apartment, alexa was already standing at the door, waiting to be let in.

"finally," she said. "i was wondering when you were gonna come home."

"you could've texted me," you said while unlocking the door.

she followed you inside and shut the door behind her. "i could've, but your phone was on do not disturb for some reason, so i doubt my texts would've gone through in time. where were you anyway?"

"getting lunch with a friend from work," you replied.

alexa groaned as she all but collapsed onto your couch. "please tell me it's not tyler. i hate how he treats you."

you dropped your bag by the door and headed back to your room, but not before calling over your shoulder. "he's not that bad, he's like that to everyone!"

"doesn't make it any better!"

you changed into some comfortable clothing before joining alexa on your couch. "did you have fun the other night when we went out to the bar?"

alexa looked at you weirdly.

shit. you must not have been as subtle as you thought.

"i did," she said. "but what makes you ask."

you shrugged. "i know it's been rough with your breakup lately, but i saw you talking to mat and you looked happy."

alexa groaned and sunk into the couch. "i thought we talked about this already. he knows he's attractive, it's such a turn off. you should've seen the way he was talking, it was like he knew that if he gave me a look, i'd be going home with him."

"well he's really nice, i promise! you should see him with kids at the stadium--"

"you mean the kids who idolize him? yeah i bet he's real nice to them."

okay, switch strategies.

"he tips waitstaff really well!"

"with what he makes? he better." alexa sighed. "listen, i'd be more impressed if he could tell me anything about you, but seeing as you've worked there for two years and he couldn't tell me anything other than your name the other night says all i need to know about him. so can we talk about something else?"

you nodded, ignoring the jutting pain in your chest at her words. you knew well enough that mat knew nothing about you, why would he? but to hear it come from the mouth of someone else stung.

getting them together was gonna be harder than you originally thought.

step two: get them interacting

you were dreading the next time you saw mat for the first time in your life. you were in your cubicle editing photos from the game that night to be posted tomorrow to distract yourself from the inevitable conversation you'd have to have with him. tyler, unfortunately got the shot that was posted immediately to the islanders' instagram account to celebrate their win over the rangers and he had no problem letting you know it. and while it was annoying, it served as a great distraction from your other problem.

"maybe you'll get it next time," he sneered as he packed his bag. most days you hated the fact that you were cubicle neighbors, but neither of you were powerful enough to request moving spaces. and even if you could, you knew it would just make you look hard to work with.

"have a good night, tyler," you replied, not even wanting to give him any ammo to use against you.

the door shut behind him with a click, locking you into sweet sweet silence.

until a minute later when your phone went off with a text message.

mat barzal: where ru?

mat barzal: wanna go to a bar with me and tito and you can bring alexa?

you scoffed. "you can bring alexa," you mocked under your breath. "like that's not the sole reason for you asking me to go out tonight." you packed your bag up and shot a quick text to alexa, asking if she wanted to go out. she replied with an immediate yes, asking where to meet you, which prompted you to reach out to mat who sent you an address in response.

which is how you ended up on a sidewalk in front of an incredibly busy bar with alexa next to you.

"i've never been here," she remarked. "how'd you hear about it?"

"oh, a coworker mentioned it," you said in what was hopefully a nonchalant manner.

she looked at you a moment too long before grabbing your hand and pulling you inside. "you find us a place to sit and i'll grab our drinks!" she shouted over the music.

you quickly looked around for mat and tito, the former who'd texted you the second they arrived. you saw a head of dark hair and immediately knew it was mat. you hurried over, panting when you arrived from having to shove your way towards them.

"you made it!" anthony said. you looked at him and mat, eyes bouncing back and forth between them, when you realized your first problem.

they were sitting on opposite sides of the booth.

which meant you would have to sit with one of them, and alexa would have to sit with the other. if mat had it his way, he'd sit next to alexa, but you knew your friend wouldn't have that. she'd feel manipulated and uncomfortable.

"is there a problem?" tito asked.

you gestured to the booth. "alexa will want to sit by me. she's still not convinced about you, mat."

mat, to his credit, didn't look shocked or offended, he just shrugged and moved to tito's side. "this work?" he asked as you sat down.

you nodded.

"so what's the plan? how should i approach this?" he asked.

"keep the conversation on her, when she tries to turn it on you or about your career, focus on other people, applaud your teammates, your coaches, but whatever you do, don't talk about yourself too much. she already thinks you have a big ego."

"to be fair," tito started. "he does."

mat didn't even dignify that with a response. "so keep the conversation on her and others, got it."

alexa found you a moment later and didn't do a great job covering up her disinterest in sitting with mat and beau.

"i couldn't find anywhere to sit," you explained.

alexa didn't buy it if her eyes bouncing around the bar to find empty tables said anything. but she sat next to you anyway, placing your drink in front of you.

"you remember mat and anthony from the other night, right?" you asked.

she just hummed and took a sip of her drink.

"so, alexa," mat started. "what do you do for a living?"

she stared at him and sighed. "i'm a vet tech," she said, but offered no other information.

"she especially loves the cats," you added.

"cats are great!" mat said a little too enthusiastically.

alexa drained the rest of her glass and got up, leaving the three of you behind.

the second she was gone, beau broke into laughter, slapping his own chest. "that was fucking hilarious," he said.

"yeah yeah yeah, laugh it up," mat grumbled, swirling his cup around instead of making eye contact with anyone.

"i'm serious, i don't think i've ever seen you fail so quickly. it's kind of amazing."

mat focused his eyes on you. "what did i do wrong? i tried asking about her life and she seemed wholly uninterested."

you shrugged. "i don't know! maybe she feels cornered?"

tito took a sip of his beer. "i think you need to workshop this. clearly, neither of you thought this through."

you groaned and rested your head on the table.

this was already harder than you anticipated.

step three: reevaluate and regroup

you met mat in a booth of a coffee shop after you got off work. he was staring at his phone when you walked in, completely unaware that you even existed.

which wasn't abnormal considering you didn't even think he knew who you were a few months ago. but the second the barista called your order out, his head whipped up.

you could've sworn time stopped at that moment.

you made your way towards him and plopped down in the booth opposite of him.

"hi," you smiled. "what's up?"

"i don't know what to do, she doesn't seem interested in me." he groaned into his hands before running one of them through his hair.

god he was so attractive.

you snapped out of your reverie. "listen, you've got what it takes, we just need to reevaluate our strategy. i think the bar thing was a bad idea, she felt ambushed and it probably set us back a little, but i have an idea."

he leaned his forearms on the table. "let's hear it."

"practice dates," you said.

mat blinked once. twice. a third time before he spoke. "practice dates?"

"okay hear me out," you said, pulling a notepad out of the bag you brought. "i have a list of things that alexa likes to do and i was thinking, you and i can do them and work on conversations and how to approach her. so when the time comes, you don't feel out of your element."

"who said i feel out of my element?"

you stared at him. "you said last night 'cats are great!' and expected conversation to flow naturally."

"okay so not my best moment."

"not even close." you sighed. "listen, i wanna help you, and i feel like this is your best bet in winning her over."

mat ran a hand down his face. "okay fine. what's the first date?"

practice date one: pumpkin patch

to be quite frank, you were nervous when proposing the idea, scared that he wouldn't be willing to sit in a car with you for three hours just to get to the pumpkin patch. and maybe he would find it childish.

when in fact, he said nothing about the long car ride, he even offered to pick you up from your apartment, and laughed when you offered to pay for gas. when you finally arrived, you jumped out of mat's car like an excited child. mat stepped out like he knew he was the romantic lead in a movie, suave and collected.

you two could not be more opposite of each other.

it took everything in you to focus on the task at hand, and not fall deeper in love with him. but how could you not? when he looked so boyfriend in a coat and flannel and beanie and jeans that hugged his thighs just right--

you were getting ahead of yourself. you were doing this for mat and alexa, not your own selfish ambition.

"so what's the plan?" he asked after locking his car with the key fob.

you shrugged. "what would you do if you were here with alexa?" the words tasted bitter in your mouth. it was such a painful reminder, knowing that this wasn't real and was in service to hook him up with your friend.

mat looked around and shoved his hands in his pockets. "corn maze?" he pointed. you must've made a face because he spoke up again. "what?"

"alexa hates corn mazes."

he paused. "to the pumpkin patch then?" you nodded and followed his lead. "so how did you meet alexa?"

"she was my first roommate in college, we shared the smallest dorm in history."

"that sounds like an exaggeration."

"says the man who never went to college."

he laughed. "i don't need a college education to identify a hyperbole when i hear one."

you gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. "a hyperbole? what a word."

"laugh it up," he said. "but i'm not a complete idiot, you know."

"never said you were. i just haven't heard anyone use hyperbole in a sentence outside of my english lit classes."

"well, you should know i'm full of surprises."

the two of you approached the pumpkin patch and started weaving between families and the occasional rogue toddler. mat had to tug you out of the way a few times when you about stepped on a child because you were gazing at pumpkins.

"if you don't mind me asking," mat started. "why are you helping me? you don't owe me anything. i feel like i'm taking advantage of your kindness."

you shrugged. "you wouldn't be the first one."

"what's that supposed to mean?" you looked up from the pumpkin patch to see mat's brows furrowed together and his mouth twisted in a cute frown.

"well, i mean, i've been told i have a habit of being a doormat at times."

"who said that?" his tone had changed to a softer one.

"huh?" you asked.

"who called you a doormat?"

you shrugged again, that seemed to be your go to move around him. you squatted down to look at a particularly fat pumpkin, inspecting all sides of it before you responded. "i've heard it all my life, some have said it in meaner ways, others have been nicer about it."

"i'm sorry," he said.

you stood to your full height which was still much shorter than mat's. "why? it's not like it's not true."

"what if i helped you?"

it was your turn to frown. "help me? with what? ice skating?"

mat rolled his eyes. "no, with confidence. maybe even get you a date."

you guffawed, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "what?"

mat pulled you out of the way of yet another child and kept his hand on your elbow until you were clear of the pumpkin roots. and if your heart stopped for a few seconds, that was your business, no one else's. "you heard me. you're young, single, and attractive and you spend all your free time at the office or DDing for your friends. we can work on your confidence and get you out there."

"i don't know..." though your mind was still focused on the fact that he'd called you attractive.

"what about that other photographer guy? tony?"

you cackled. straight up burst into laughter. "tyler? that's fucking hilarious mat."

"what?" the two of you continued down the patch, occasionally gazing at the pumpkins, but mostly just talking. "you two are always talking."

talking or being insulted?

you shook your head. "enough about me, we're here for alexa."

mat nudged you with his elbow. "actually we're here for me to win alexa over."

you kicked a small stone with the toe of your shoe and said nothing. the tragedy of your own personal situation wasn't lost on you, neither was the idiocy of your plan. what were you thinking, spending your free time with mat? to win over your friend?

it was textbook self inflicted torture.

"where'd you go?" mat nudged you again. "i lost you there for a second."

you bent down and picked up a smaller pumpkin. "what do you think about this one?"

"it looks fine. you're ignoring my question."

you juggled the pumpkin back and forth in your hands to determine if you liked it or not. "what question?" you looked up just in time to see mat roll his eyes, but he dropped the topic anyway.

the both of you walked over to the stall to pay for the pumpkin. you reached into your tote bag to grab your wallet, but mat was already holding out a five dollar bill to the vendor.

"you didn't have to--"

"do you wanna get some cider?"

you could've started drooling at the idea of drinking cider. "yes!"

mat chuckled and started walking towards the cider stand where a small family waited in front of you. "does alexa like cider?" he asked.

"what a random question."

"well you're not giving me anything to work with!"

you almost groaned. because he was right. you got caught up in the idea of hanging out with mat outside of work that you forgot the real reason both of you were there in the first place.

"she loves cider, especially when it's spiked. she also loves mulled wine." mat scrunched his face up. "not a fan?" you asked.

"warm wine? no thank you."

mat paid for the cider, going as far as having the cash ready before you could even order.

"you really don't have to keep buying things. i can pay!"

"oh this is all a bribe to get you to go through that corn maze with me."

your face dropped. "alexa doesn't like mazes."

"so i won't go with her next time, but you're here now and i wanna go."

you let him drag you along until you were in the thick of the maze. you let him guide the both of you through it like he knew what he was doing even though you were pretty sure you hit every possible dead end in the maze.

two little kids ran past giggling and smiling. "we found the end, mama!"

you almost laughed at the look of irritation on mat's face.

it took an obscene amount of time to get through the maze, and mat was in a much worse mood when it was all over.

needless to say, the ride home was quiet.

practice date 2: dinner at mat's

you weren't quite sure what mat was planning on making for dinner, but you were willing to bet the smell of smoke wasn't a part of the plan.

the scene when you walked into his apartment could only be described as chaotic. the smoke detector was going off and when you walked into the kitchen, mat was going between waving a towel under the detector and opening every window in his kitchen.

"you weren't supposed to be here yet!" he shouted over the noise before darting past you into the living room to open the windows in there.

you dropped your things on the counter and took over waving the towel under the smoke detector.

"what happened?" you asked.

"i suck at cooking!" he came back in the kitchen and took the towel from you. "i'm taller," he said like that was an explanation.

the beeping ceased and left the two of you in a hazy apartment. when you looked around the kitchen, you saw what had to be charred meat and veggies in a skillet.

"okay so when you cook dinner for alexa, don't. just hire a chef."

mat held up his phone. "or order pizza. you in?"

"do i get to financially contribute?"

he gestured to your belongings on the counter, one of which was a bottle of red wine. "you already did."

"you can't keep buying everything," you said. "it's not fair."

"why not? i'm the millionaire here, i'd look like a dick if i made you pay for anything. besides, when i date alexa, it's not like i'm gonna let my girlfriend pay."

girlfriend.

right.

that was the end goal for him.

you kept forgetting.

you cleared your throat and dusted your hands on your pants despite them being clean.

"you can go pick out a movie or something while i order the pizza?" mat suggested.

you had no choice but to nod and wander into his moderately decorated living room. it definitely still looked like a bachelor pad, but if a bachelor had enough money to hire someone to say he needed artwork, decorative pillows, and a couch that wasn't brown.

you were scrolling through netflix when mat came into the living room and plopped on the sectional beside you, shucking his shoes off. why he was wearing shoes in his own apartment was beyond you, but you weren't one to judge.

"you look nice," he commented, as if just noticing you for the first time that night.

you looked down at your own outfit. it was a pair of jeans and a nice blouse. "this?"

"are you wearing something else that i'm not seeing?" he teased.

before you could die of embarrassment, you switched subjects. "what do you want to watch? i haven't made a decision yet." you handed the remote to him, hating being the one to make the decisions.

he shifted on the couch so he was sitting up instead of lounging on the chaise and took the remote. "what's alexa's favorite movie?"

"birdbox."

mat did a double take. "she likes birdbox?"

you shrugged. "she's into suspense."

mat was about to select birdbox until he took one look on your face. you don't know what you looked like but it made him pause. "but are you?"

"why do you care what i like?"

"because you're here, alexa's not. i don't wanna make you watch something you'd hate." mat shifted on the couch. "why don't we work on those dating tips i talked to you about."

"oh i don't think--"

"why not?" he asked. "you're always so jittery whenever we talk about it."

oh.

was he referring to the other day after practice when he saw tyler tormenting you and mat misinterpreted that as flirty banter? mat had come up to you afterwards to give you pointers but you practically ran away.

"it's not that simple, mat."

"i think it is."

you threw your hands up. "well then, by all means you must be right."

"what's with the attitude?" he asked. "did i say something?"

it was a good question. one that shouldn't make you want to cry, but life felt overwhelming in all the worst ways. between tyler harassing you every second of every day and pretending like you weren't in love with mat so you could set him up with your friend, and taking photos for games and practices, you were exhausted.

"i'm not sober enough for this," you said before getting up and popping the cork on the wine bottle and drinking straight from it.

it was another thirty minutes before the pizza arrived and the both of you were well on your way to wine drunk, you more so than mat. who could blame you though? your life was a sad excuse for a single twenty-something and you were tired of thinking about it.

"truth is," mat started with a mouth full of pizza. "you just need to act like you're the best thing that's ever happened to this city. guys love confident women."

"and that's your biggest issue with alexa right now."

"wanna switch personalities?"

you laughed.

"what?" he asked. "what's so funny?"

"i'm trying to picture you without an ego and i don't think it's possible."

mat rolled his eyes but had a smile on his lips anyway. it shouldn't have made your heart pound the way it did, but you were weak for that man, you had been since day one.

so you switched courses.

"okay," you started. "how do i make get a guy to wanna date me?"

mats eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "you're serious?"

you nodded. "as a heart attack."

mat sat up on the couch and faced you. his eyes scanned your face like he was looking for something but couldn't find it. maybe he was looking for a reason to change the subject.

"alright," he said. "you gotta be confident, even if you don't feel like it. most guys don't mind a little insecurity, they find it kinda cute, but a guy who wants an insecure girl is a red flag."

"should i be taking notes or...?" you took a large sip of your wine and smiled when mat rolled his eyes again.

"secondly, you can't be hiding behind your camera all the time."

you guffawed. "i do not hide behind my camera!"

"oh give me a break, you totally do! you walk around like it's a safety blanket or something."

"because it is!"

"exactly my point! thirdly, chivalry isn't dead. if he's not doing basic things like opening doors, walking on the closest side to the street, and he's only talking about himself? run."

"what? he can't be a good person if he doesn't do those things?"

"if he can't do a basic kind gesture, he's not going to do larger ones. sorry. i don't make the rules."

you blinked. "but you kinda are making the rules for me, right now."

"you're such a smart ass, just like tito."

"is that a good or bad thing?"

mat shrugged and took another bite of pizza. "hard to say, i love tito most days."

love.

don't be an idiot and read into things.

"so," mat leaned back into the couch. "i gave you advice, it's my turn. how do i win over alexa?"

you thought back to the conversation you had with her a few weeks ago about mat. and one comment stuck out the most. "i think the biggest sin you committed was not knowing anything about me despite working together for two years," you admitted shyly.

mat's brows furrowed in that cute way they always did. "what do you mean?"

"she said she's not impressed by you being nice to kid fans or tipping waitstaff. she would be impressed if you knew anything about me because i'm not a hockey player."

mat recoiled as if physically struck by your words. "she thinks that low of you?"

"no she didn't mean to say you were--" you paused. "me? you think she has a low opinion of me?"

mat crossed his arms. "she just insinuated that you weren't important enough for me to know."

"no! that's not what she meant! she was saying that you think you're better than me."

"that's not even remotely true." and he said it so confidently, you almost believed him. "it's not, you know that right?"

you hesitated and you might as well have punched him in the gut.

mat said your name so softly like it was precious. like it was something special. "you have to know, i have never, not once, believed you were beneath me."

you gave him a small smile. "you don't need to explain yourself to me, mat."

he reached over and grabbed your hand, tugging on it lightly. "no. i need you to know, you are important to me."

your heart fluttered at his words, or maybe it was the fact that you were holding hands and you could feel the calluses rub against your own palm.

you could've stayed there forever.

"jesus fucking christ, why does it smell like something burned in here?" the front door opened and slammed sending you and mat sprawling apart like you hadn't been locked in a staring contest and holding hands. tito rounded the corner and crossed his arms, a smug expression on his face. "what do we have here?"

"nothing!" you squeaked out. "i was just leaving!"

"no you weren't," mat started, eyes wide with an emotion you couldn't place. "beau was just leaving."

you looked as confused as tito was. "what? no i'm not." you glanced back at mat who could not have looked more annoyed if he tried. "or i can...?"

"no!" you said. "i need to get going anyway. got work tomorrow, long day."

mat stood up when he realized there was no convincing you. "i can walk you out--"

"don't worry about it! i'm a big girl." you were leaving when you heard whisper shouting. you couldn't fully make out what they were saying, but before you shut the front door behind you, you could've sworn you heard them mention "liking her."

you did your best not to let the talking break your heart even more.

practice date 3: ice skating

you made mat pick out the last date but he hadn't told you what it was, just asked for your shoe size.

aside from that?

radio silence.

maybe you should've seen this coming. you'd talked to alexa a few days ago and she'd suggested that maybe you should put yourself out there more, find a date, find a boyfriend, find some happiness.

after practice, you found yourself scrolling through your camera roll in one of the seats in the arena when a pair of skates came into your peripheral. you looked up expecting to see a mop of black hair and hazel eyes.

but it was tito with a sheepish grin on his face.

"hey," he said.

you put your camera down and smiled. it was always good to see tito, with the exception of the other night. "hey, what can i do for you?"

anthony playfully rolled his eyes. "you don't live to serve us," he said. "i don't need anything, just wanted to say hi."

"hi!" you smiled even brighter.

"i was wondering, what're you doing friday night?"

you jaw dropped. and it must've been funny because tito threw his head back and laughed. "what?"

tito smiled at you and gestured towards you. "i was wondering if you'd want to get dinner with me on friday. i don't know what time you get off work, but i was thinking 6:30?"

you blinked. you blinked again. "are you serious?"

"why wouldn't i be? you're attractive, single, and i like your company. i think we'd have a fun time."

"okay," you smiled again. have you ever smiled this much in your life? you were unsure. "okay yeah, friday at 6:30 is perfect."

"great," tito grinned. "can i have your number?" you handed your phone over rather quickly, watching as he typed his number in and texted himself. "i'll see you," he said.

"bye tito!" you waved until he was out of sight. and even then, you continued to stare at the spot he was once occupying.

"what the hell was that about?"

you jumped about a foot in the air when tyler made his comment from over your shoulder. "jesus fucking christ, tyler." you placed a hand over your heart to feel how rapidly it was beating. "are you some sort of lurker?"

"what did beauvillier want with you?" he condescended.

"it's none of your business." you rolled your eyes when your phone buzzed.

mat barzal: come down to the locker room.

"who is that?" he asked, peering over your shoulder, but you stood up and started walking away.

the both of you headed down to the locker rooms, though you weren't really enjoying the company. tyler kept talking about your lackluster photography skills like the both of you didn't have the exact same job title.

you were rounding the corner when you saw mat leaning up against the wall, still in his hockey gear. tyler, being confronted with an audience, immediately departed. if you had to guess, he probably went back to his office to scheme how else to make your life miserable.

"hey," you said as you approached. "what's up?"

mat reached down and tossed a duffle bag at your feet. "open the bag," he directed.

you squatted and opened the zipper to see a pair of ice skates. you looked up at mat who looked pleased with himself. "what're these for?"

"you ever been ice skating?" he asked.

the short answer? no.

the long answer? once in second grade for a field trip.

"kinda?" you said instead.

mat laughed, like an actual laugh. there was a shiver that went down your spine at the very sound of it. "it's a yes or no question."

"i would say yes, but i was like eight."

"yeah, doesn't really count anymore. grab the bag, let's go." he walked off without a second thought, leaving you scrambling with the bag and rushing after him.

"what's the point of this?" you called after him.

"you told me to pick the last date, this is it!"

you stopped walking immediately. "mat, i don't know if this is a good idea..."

as if sensing your hesitation, mat turned around and walked back towards you. he rested his hands on your shoulders and squeezed lightly, ducking his head down towards yours. "i'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you, i promise. you have nothing to be afraid of."

"what if my boss sees? what if lou sees? i'm a lot more replaceable than you are."

mat scoffed. "first of all, you're not replaceable. second of all, it's gonna be fine. i'll take all the heat if we get in trouble, which we won't because it's not a big deal." he reached down and grabbed your hand that wasn't holding the duffle bag. "now c'mon."

he led you out to the bench where you sat down and placed your camera on the bench. "take your shoes off and put these socks on." he tossed a pair of socks at your head that you barely caught in time.

"but i'm already wearing socks," you said.

"these are longer, unless you want the boot to cut into your ankle."

safe to say, you put the socks on.

mat knelt in front of you to help put the skates on, tying them up so they were secure on your feet.

you wanted to swoon at the sight of him before you. thankfully, he stood up and helped you to your feet before you could start imagining anything preposterous.

like him proposing.

you watched as mat slid over the top of the bench railing and onto the ice. he turned around and looked at you expectantly.

"oh hell no," you said. "where's the door, i'll use the door."

he cackled as you walked and opened the door, but skated to you anyway to give you some assistance when stepping onto the ice.

"easy does it," he said, chuckling when your grip was practically crushing his fingers. "you're okay, i'm not gonna let you fall."

"it's not you i don't trust, it's me."

mat kept a grip on your hands and led you out to the center of the ice. on the way to the center, you slipped twice, a squeak leaving your lips. you quickly latched onto mat who only laughed at your death grip on his forearms.

"it's not funny," you whined. "i'm terrified."

"you're right, it's not funny. but it is cute." he removed your hands from his arms and skated away from you. "okay, now come to me."

he was easily twenty feet away.

you glanced down at the ice and then back at mat. you would've sat down if you knew how to without eating it. "mat, i'm telling you right now, that's not gonna happen."

"it's not that hard."

"you've been skating since you were a child. i have not." you attempted to take a step forward, but thought differently of it. "besides, how does this help you with alexa?"

"easy," he said. "if i can teach you to skate, i can teach anyone."

"so your idea of a romantic date is a girl busting her ass over and over for an hour?"

"not quite," he said, skating circles around you.

literally.

"you're being an ass,' you whined. "why did the one practice date you pick out have to do with hockey?"

"because it's what i love. and if a girl can't hang with it, our relationship is doomed to fail."

you rolled your eyes. "that's a bit dramatic. you can appreciate and love hockey without having to ice skate. thousands of fans do it all the time."

"but my girlfriend won't be just a fan, now will she?"

your heart sank at the idea of alexa and mat in a similar situation. alexa actually trying to skate and looking beautiful while doing so. you pictured them laughing as she slipped and mat catching her before she could fall.

"you okay? i lost you again." mat skated right up to you, leaving maybe a foot of space between the two of you.

"yeah," you breathed. "just thinking."

mat smirked and skated backwards. "uh oh. that can't be good. less thinking more skating. would it help if i pushed you?"

"no!" you shrieked. "it definitely wouldn't!"

but it was too late. mat was skating up behind you and placing his hands on your waist. "relax," he murmured. "i'm not gonna push you without a little guidance."

relax?

when his hands were on your waist and he was mumbling in your ear?

how the hell was anyone supposed to live, laugh, love in these conditions?

mat added a little pressure to your back. and suddenly you were moving. "that's it," he praised. "now just move your feet."

it was easier with mat's hands on you, the sensation forcing you to focus on the warmth of his palms than the fact that you were skating on sharp knives.

"see? this isn't so bad, right?"

it wasn't too terribly bad, truth be told it was just like roller skating, just ten times scarier.

"yeah," you said. "not too bad."

"so you're ready to go by yourself?" his hands starting slipping away, leaving a burning sensation in their wake.

"i--"

but he was already skating away. he stopped about twenty feet away and smiled. "skate to me."

"mat--" your voice shook at the idea. skating with him was one thing, skating to him was another.

"hey," he said quietly. "eyes on me, okay? i'm not gonna let you fall, if i think you're gonna fall, i'll catch you. i was the fastest skater in 2020, remember?"

you nodded. "just like roller skating," you mumbled.

"except better," mat added.

you took a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other, slowly but surely gliding towards him. you started picking up pace the closer you got to him.

"mat?"

"you're doing great!" he smiled.

"i don't know how to stop!"

mat laughed even as he caught you. his arms gripped your biceps and his smile was a mile wide. "you okay?" he asked.

you couldn't help but smile. "yeah," you breathed.

there was hardly any room between the two of you. your heart was beating wildly in your chest at the proximity, the rush of skating alone, who knew? you surely didn't.

you looked into his eyes and could've sworn his gaze dropped to your chin, but you were known for your hopeless romantic delusions, so maybe--

"hey!" whatever trance you were in ended when you saw a man in coveralls standing at the end of the rink. "time's up, i gotta clean the ice!"

"sorry!" mat called. "we'll get out of your way!" he gently took your hand in his and skated the both of you back to the benches.

mat helped you take off your skates and walked you back up the tunnel towards the locker rooms. the both of you stopped just outside of them, considering mat still had to shower and go home while you had the rest of the day to do your work.

"this was really fun," you said. "terrifying but fun."

"i'm glad you enjoyed it." his smile just about made you collapse into a puddle.

but you got a grip on reality and nodded. "well, i hope this helps with alexa, i'll try to talk to her in the next day or so, see where her head is."

mat's jaw clenched but he nodded. "i'll be seeing you."

"bye, mat."

you might as well have been on cloud nine by the time you got up to your office. you were in a different zone, focused on the way that mat's hands felt on your body, in your own hand. the feeling of euphoria wouldn't leave your body, you were sure of it. nothing could take that feeling away.

until you got to your desk and saw tyler.

who was sitting on your desk and using a paper clip to get the dirt out from under his nails.

"what were you and barzal doing?" tyler asked, moving off your desk, instead choosing to lean up against the cubicle.

you ignored him.

"i asked you a question," he said.

"i heard you, tyler. but i have work to do." you signed into your computer and plugged your camera in, ready to start uploading and editing photos from practice and the game yesterday.

“do you really think sleeping your way through the roster will help you get your pics chosen for the social media accounts?” he sneered.

you froze, your fingers hovered over the keyboard. "what?"

"i said--"

"don't repeat it." another voice joined in and when you turned around to see who came in, you were flabbergasted.

mat.

"barzal i--"

"where do you get off talking to her like that? talking to anyone like that?" he stepped into the room, chest puffed out.

in all of your time working for the isles, mat had never been much of a fighter, but he looked ready to pummel tyler if need be.

"mat, it's fine," you mumbled.

"no, it's not. is this how he normally talks to you?"

you said nothing.

that only seemed to make mat angrier. "you need to go to HR about this. this is workplace harassment. now apologize," he directed at tyler.

"for what? speaking the truth? is this how you think you can get ahead in life?" tyler said to you. "first beauvillier now barzal?"

you and mat both froze. in the corner of your eye you could see his jaw clench before he looked at you.

"can you do your work from home?" he asked.

you nodded. "i just have a shit ton of editing but i can do that on my laptop--"

"great. i'll take you home."

"but my boss-"

"if anyone has a problem with it, they can talk to me. let's go." mat was spinning on his heel and walking out of the room as quickly as he came in. you were unplugging your camera and logging off your computer, packing up your things, before sprinting after him.

"mat! mat, wait up!"

he stopped walking and looked at you, an unfamiliar expression in his eyes. "can you wait for me outside the locker room? i still have to shower and change."

you nodded. "why did you come upstairs anyway?"

"to give you the skates." you glanced down at his empty hands. "i forgot the bag, and by that point, i was too lazy to go down and get them without you."

the both of you continued your walk until you got to the locker room.

"i'll be a few minutes and then i'll take you home."

true to his word, mat was only gone for ten minutes before coming out freshly showered and ready to go home. neither of you spoke until he was pulling the car out of the parking garage.

"what did tyler mean when he mentioned tito?" mat asked after moments of silence. his fists were gripping the wheel tightly, though you didn't know why.

"tito asked me to dinner on friday."

mat's fists tightened their grip on the wheel and his jaw clenched so hard, you were afraid he was going to chip some teeth.

"oh." was all he said.

"something wrong? i just figured for once i wouldn't be hiding behind my camera like you said and i thought it would be fun, you know? we get along fine. why? do you think i shouldn't go?"

"no!" mat said quickly. "no, i just, it just caught me by surprise is all. i'm sure you'll have fun."

"and i can give you alexa's number if you want to ask her out! she's coming over tonight so i can talk you up now that i know more about you, make it seem more genuine."

"yeah," he choked out. "yeah, that would be great."

mat pulled up to your apartment a few minutes later and watched as you got out. "i meant what i said in your office," he said. "you need to tell HR about tyler's behavior."

"i will." you probably wouldn't. "thanks, mat."

he nodded as you shut the door and waited for you to go inside before driving off.

you walked up the stairs to your apartment and unlocked the door. as you shut the door behind you, you felt the weight of today bearing down.

tito asking you out.

the moments with mat.

the slut shaming comment from tyler.

when did your life get so dramatic?

step 4: get her to say yes

you had alexa over that night, armed with a million reasons why she should say yes to mat.

and the one reason why she should say no was locked deep in your chest. your happiness and affection for him shouldn't deter her.

besides, you would eventually get over your silly little crush, right?

right?

"so what's new in your world? i feel like you've been so busy lately. it's kind of strange," alexa said before shoveling a forkful of pasta in her mouth. it should've been disgusting, but she made it look graceful.

"oh you know, just working."

"is that why you were in the middle of nowhere a few weeks ago? work?"

"what?"

"i checked your location, you were on a farm. didn't realize the isles was doing photoshoots that far out of the city."

"oh they're not," you explained. "i was with mat, we were just hanging out."

alexa blinked. "since when do you and mat hang out?"

ouch.

but true.

you couldn't come out and say it could you? that the reason the two of you started interacting was because he wanted to date alexa?

no, you couldn't.

so you lied.

"oh, the social media team wanted me to get some information on mat, like a get to know you segment. they wanted something outside of work, so we were just hanging out so i could write this article on him."

a complete lie. you haven't had to write anything on anyone since your college journalism class. but alexa didn't know that. you never told her what you do all day for work. for all she knew, you could be running the tiktok account.

alexa raised an eyebrow. "and how did that go? was he talking about himself the entire time?"

"no!" you said. but then you paused, realizing that getting defensive would just look suspicious. "he told me a lot about how he doesn't like mulled wine and loves corn mazes despite being absolutely shitty at them. he loves his friends and hockey, obviously. he refuses to let anyone pay for anything while you're with him because he has money and likes to treat people. and he sticks up for the people that are important to him. and once you're in with him, you don't have to worry about your place in his life or how important you are because he will keep reminding you."

alexa stared at you. "are you sure you don't want to go out with him?"

you guffawed and hoped that it covered up your embarrassment. "what? no! he's clearly into you, and i think you should go for it."

"give me one good reason why."

"because he's kind, and nothing like your ex. he cares, legitimately cares about people and their lives." you sighed, not sure if you were convincing her. “it’s just one date, lex. if you don’t like him at least you got a free meal.”

alexa chewed her lip, letting you anguish in silence. "fine. you can give him my number and we'll set up a date. i trust you."

"fantastic!" you were already pulling your phone out. "he'll be so excited--"

"only if you can look me in the eye and tell me you don't have feelings for him."

you opened and closed your mouth. "i don't have feelings for him," you said with as much confidence as you could.

"honey..."

"no! i don't! if i had feelings for him, would i be going out to dinner with his best friend on friday?"

alexa didn't look fully convinced, but your date with tito was a welcomed distraction as she started rattling off questions about what you would wear and where he was taking you.

alexa left two hours later, meaning you could go to bed at a reasonable hour. as you laid in bed, you grabbed your phone and opened mat's contact, drafting a text to him.

here's alexa's number. managed to convince her you were worth a shot. xxx-xxx-xxxx.

you locked your phone and put it on do not disturb before you could see his response.

when you woke up the next morning, you saw mat had simply liked the message and left it at that.

by noon, alexa texted you that her date with mat was on saturday.

step 5: let the dates begin

friday came faster than you were anticipating. you kept your distance from mat, unable to look at him without thinking about how he was taking your friend out the very next day and that your interactions from that point on would probably be through alexa.

tyler kept his distance, must've been the threat of going to HR (that you still hadn't gone through with) that had him treating you like a human being with feelings.

as for tito, you probably should've been more excited for your date that night, but all you could focus on was how mat and alexa would fall in love and get married and have beautiful babies and grow old together.

and you would be the sucker who set them up because you could never tell mat no.

a slam against the boards startled you enough to look up from your camera to see tito standing there with a smile on his face.

"you okay?" he asked over the sounds of his teammates on the ice.

you gave him what you hoped was a convincing smile and nodded. but he rolled his eyes.

"we'll talk later," he said before skating away. you smiled and waved at him before you made eye contact with mat who was clenching his jaw. at what? you weren't sure. you even turned around to see if tyler had entered the arena, but you were standing alone.

like you always were.

you were headed back to your desk to do some editing as practice let out, but your name was called before you could get away.

when you looked over your shoulder, you saw tito doing an awkward half jog half walk towards you with a tired grin on his face. "hey," he said. "how do you think practice went?"

you turned to face him fully. "you're asking me? a professional asking some photographer how practice went?"

tito rolled his eyes. "oh c'mon. you've seen our practices, by now you should be able to determine whether or not it was a good one."

"well, no one fought each other, so i guess that's a win."

tito shook his head. "nah, that's when the best practices happen. when everyone's pissed at each other."

you smiled. "shows what i know."

"i think you know more than you think. you've worked here for awhile now."

"i've just gotten better at motion capture photography and following the puck around the ice. doesn't mean i know shit about hockey."

"don't think we don't notice you getting riled up during games when calls are missed."

you tilted your head and furrowed your brows. "we?"

tito shrugged and laughed to himself. "mat usually points it out before i can." you must've made a face because he added more. "it's usually on the bench, he's focused on the game when he's playing."

the both of you turn your heads at the other players walking down the tunnel. when the both of you caught sight of mat, tito smiled.

"will you send me your address? so i can pick you up?"

your attention snapped back to tito. "yeah! of course!"

he nodded and started his walk towards the locker rooms right when mat walked up to you. "what was that about?" he asked.

you shrugged. "just going over details for tonight. he needs my address to pick me up."

mat clenched his jaw again and looked down the tunnel, nodding his head. "that's tonight?"

"yep. at 6:30."

he wouldn't meet your eyes. instead, he looked at your shoes, your camera, the hallway, his teammates, but would never look at your face.

"you and alexa go out tomorrow, right? where are you taking her?"

he ran a hand through his hair and nodded at anders as he passed by. "yeah, we're going out to this sushi place. did you ever talk to HR?"

"well no but--"

"do i need to talk to HR?"

"he really hasn't been that bad lately--"

"because i threatened to tell HR on his ass. he's gonna get comfortable and start insulting you again. it's just a matter of time."

you nodded, feeling a lump in your throat form at the idea of mat scolding you, in front of his teammates no less.

mat sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. "i'm not trying to fuss or tell you what to do, i just don't like seeing you treated like that."

"thanks, mat," you mumbled.

he still wouldn't meet your eyes, instead looking down the hallway to see most of his team in the locker room. "i gotta go, but um, good luck tonight. beau's a good guy."

with that he turned on his skates and walked away.

you felt every bit of pathetic as you watched him go.

that night, you settled on a pretty dress that wasn't too fancy, seeing as the only details tito had given you were that it was nicer than an olive garden but not a michelin star restaurant. you were strapping yourself into your heels when you heard a knock on the door.

your phone said it was only 6:15, but maybe tito was accounting for traffic. he never did specify when the reservation was.

"coming!" you called as you put your last heel on and made your way to the door. "i wasn't expecting you this early, you never told me when the reservation was--" your voice trailed off when you opened the door and saw who was standing on the other side.

mat.

he looked more disheveled than you'd ever seen him. it was clear he'd been running his hands through his hair repeatedly just by the strands sticking out every which way.

he still looked handsome.

"mat, what're you--"

"i think you're beautiful. and smart. and passionate about a lot of things. and i think anyone who tells you otherwise is an idiot, and i'd fight them if you'd let me." your eyes started welling up with tears. "i think you're perfect for me and if you'd let me take you out, i promise i'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you."

you blinked until the tears disappeared by sheer willpower, not willing to cry in front of him. "that's perfect," you said. "say that to lex and she'll be eating out of the palm of your hand."

you turned around to grab your bag and coat before you could see mat's face drop in confusion. by the time you turned back around, anthony was standing next to his best friend.

"you ready?" he asked, only glancing at mat out of the side of his eye.

you nodded and squeezed mat's arm as you passed; you couldn't help yourself. "get home safe, mat."

neither you or tito spoke until you got into his car. "what was that about?" he asked.

you shrugged. still not fully comprehending why mat showed up at your door in the first place. "he was telling me what he was gonna tell lex tomorrow, i think."

"really." he didn't sound convinced.

"why else would he show up?"

tito mumbled. "i can think of a few reasons."

after he parked the car, tito got out and opened the door for you while you were answering texts from alexa. he offered you a hand to get out that you took.

there were no sparks, no electric sensations going up your arm. just physical contact, just the warmth of his palm in yours.

he led you into the restaurant which was moderately fancy, like he said. the two of you were escorted back to a table in the corner, away from windows and therefore away from prying eyes.

like a gentleman, he pulled your chair out and helped you scooch up to the table.

"i can't remember if i told you this, but you look lovely," he said with a smile.

"thanks," you replied. "you look handsome." and you meant it. if you weren't in love with his best friend, in another life, you could see yourself falling for his blue eyes. and maybe you still could. mat was going on a date with your friend tomorrow so it was better that you just get over him already and--

"so how long have you been in love with mat?"

you choked on your own spit, and for a minute, tito looked apologetic. for his timing, you had to guess, not the question itself.

surely you heard him wrong.

"what?" you asked when you finally got your bearings.

"how long have you loved him?"

nope. you heard him correctly.

"i--"

he leaned forward, arms braced on the table. "you don't have to lie to me, i know. i've known for awhile."

"i--"

but the server came up and asked for drink orders. tito ordered a bottle of red for the table after asking for your thoughts.

you were still reeling from his question, safe to say you didn't have any thoughts.

"sorry," tito started. "i didn't mean to make you feel cornered, i just wanted to be honest."

"it doesn't look like you're the only who needs to be honest, it's me." you fiddled with the ends of your dress.

"why'd you do it? why'd you help set mat up with your friend?"

you shrugged. "i just wanted to see him happy. and i wanted alexa to find a good guy, i knew mat was one. they make sense together."

"even if it makes you unhappy."

"even if it makes me unhappy."

tito nodded, and looked at you like he could see something you couldn't. "let's forget about him for now and just enjoy dinner, eh?"

you gave him your best smile and nodded.

the rest of the night flew by. soon enough, tito was walking you up to your apartment and kissing your cheek before he left. you wished you felt butterflies, or something, but there was no special sensation. nothing to make you weak in the knees.

it was like a kiss from an old friend.

your phone buzzed with a text from alexa.

alexa: how'd your date go?

you typed out a quick response.

it was good. just got home.

you locked your phone and placed it on your nightstand before collapsing into bed. but your phone buzzed again. you thought about ignoring it, but if it was alexa, you didn't want her to think you were upset at her.

mat barzal: did you have fun?

you blinked before typing back.

yeah. tito's great.

not a second later, you got another text.

mat barzal: good. have a good night.

you fell back against your pillows and cursed at the ceiling.

step 6: let them fall in love

you woke up the next morning and stayed in bed until your bladder was about to burst. after the date with tito and the reminder that mat was going out with alexa tonight, it was all enough to put you back in bed as soon as you peed.

and you stayed there, flicking through netflix shows and wallowing in self pity. you usually weren't this pathetic, but the idea of alexa and mat getting cozy on their date that night was enough to warrant your sadness.

you'd pull yourself together by monday when you'd have to go back to work and see how happy she made him.

that's what you kept telling yourself, that at the very least, two of your friends would be happy.

by 7pm, you were sitting on the couch, waiting for takeout to arrive.

when a knock on the door signified your food arrived, you got up with your blanket burrito and walked to the door. you didn't even bother checking before yanking the door open and looking down at your doormat.

only to see a pair of shoes.

"what the hell," you mumbled. "i thought i said leave at the door...' your voice trailed off as your eyes lifted to meet a pair of hazel.

mat barzal.

he had your food in one hand while the other was in his pocket.

"mat?" you whispered. suddenly, you were throwing the blankets off your shoulders and behind you into your apartment where they'd be out of sight.

though it was then you realized you were in sweats and you hadn't done anything with your hair all day so you were probably better off with the blanket burrito instead.

"hi," he breathed. "here's your food." he handed it over, nodding when you murmured your thanks, and shoved his other hand through his hair.

you glanced at the time on the clock on your wall to make sure you weren't hallucinating. "why're you here, mat? shouldn't you be with alexa?"

"that's what i wanted to talk to you about, actually."

"oh no," you started panicking, your eyes widened. "did she not show up?" you turned back into your apartment and went to your phone, searching for texts from alexa to explain her absence. "i swear i thought she'd show. she told me she would and she's usually a woman of her word."

you turned around when your front door shut with mat standing in the middle of your living room, looking out of place and right at home somehow.

your phone was vacant of any text messages from alexa.

"no, she showed. i left early."

that caught your attention.

you set your food on the coffee table and turned around to face him.

"why did you leave early? was she rude? are you sick?"

mat shook his head. "no, i'm fine, she was fine. that's not why i'm here. i mean it is but that's--that's--i want, no i need to tell you something."

"tell me what?"

he rolled his eyes. "i'm getting to that." he started pacing your very small living room. you wondered if he knew how much space he took up in your apartment. you wondered if he cared how messy your place was. "i'm just gonna come right out and say it, and don't interrupt me this time." you nodded.

mat ran both hands through his hair for the twentieth time since he showed up. "when i said all those things last night, i wasn't talking about alexa. i was talking about you."

what.

but he continued.

"i'm not gonna pretend i've loved you this whole time, but i fell in love with you along the way. the way you kept analyzing every fucking pumpkin for the perfect one, or how you bring red wine to dinner unprompted because you can't not contribute to something, or the way you trusted me enough to take you on the ice and show you something i love, or how you laugh like no one has ever said something mean to you in your life even when i know that jackass tyler harasses you on the daily. you're kind to literally every person i've ever seen you interact with.

"but i hate the way you shrink yourself like you're afraid to take up space. i hate the way you act like alexa's better than you, like i couldn't fall in love with you when you're literally the most generous, kindest, passionate, and beautiful person i've ever met in my life. because i do love you. every fiber of my being loves you."

you blinked once. twice. and breathed.

"what?" you whispered as tears gathered in the corners of your eyes.

"i know you just went out with tito last night, and if you like him, if you love him, i get it. he's a great guy and you'd be great together. but i'm asking you to give me a chance, give us a chance. i've had fun with you the last few weeks and i cannot bear the thought of not calling you mine any longer." his chest was heaving as the words rushed out of his mouth.

you rounded the coffee table to get to him. as soon as you were in arms' reach, mat was pulling you to him. with your hips pressed together, your lips just a breath away, you spoke softly.

"please tell me this isn't a dream."

a small laugh escaped his lips and echoed over your own. "it's not a dream, baby. this is real. i love you so fucking much."

"i love you too, mat."

any words you had left to say were lost as he brought your mouths together.

you weren't sure how much time had passed before you separated from him with your hands pressed on his chest. mat tried to follow your lips, but you kept a firm hand on his sternum so you could speak.

"what about alexa?"

mat pulled back. "what about her?"

"you were on a date with her and just left her there?"

"i more than covered the tab if that's what you're afraid of--"

"what if she hates me?"

he laughed. like threw his head back and laughed before kissing you again. "baby, we were there for fifteen minutes and all i could talk about was you. she told me to come here and tell you the truth."

you smiled. "thank god for alexa."

"thank god for alexa."

mat led the two of you over to the couch where you immediately curled into him. he kissed the top of your head, seemingly addicted to having his lips on your body at all times. "you're fired, you know."

you would've pulled away had mat's grip allowed it. "what? fired from what?"

"the wing woman business. you're absolutely horrible at it."

"yeah, well i think it worked out pretty well."

he pressed his lips into your hair and mumbled. "yeah, i think so too."

#mat barzal #mat barzal imagine #mat barzal x reader #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #nhl blurb

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roseharpermaxwell · 9 months ago

Text

RWRB FirstPrince AU Recs - Part Three

I'm back with more! Dive into some recently-read AUs with me below.

pixel perfect by rizcriz. G, 1k. Alex is looking over the directions with barely contained glee, and Henry—Henry’s looking at Alex. He’s pushed into the wall of the Photo Booth when Alex suddenly leans forward and pulls his wallet out of his back pocket.

“We are so doing this,” Alex says excitedly.

The corner of Henry’s mouth twitches. “Oh?” He asks, watching Alex pull a ten dollar bill from his wallet. “And here I thought you’d only pulled us in here to make out a bit.”

Or, Alex and Henry are in love in a photo booth.

Total Eclipse by @myheartalivewrites. T, 1.2k. Alex is not sure what the fuck is happening here.

“And if you only hold me tight…”

A man—probably the most beautiful man he has ever seen—is up on stage in this karaoke bar, absolutely murdering Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart and he’s pretty sure the guy is crying and it’s one of the most horrifying things he’s ever seen and Alex cannot. Look. Away.

all we are is skin and bones by @indestructibleheart. T, 1.3k. Alex didn't plan to push Henry Fox into oncoming traffic.

it might be worth it for once by blueberriesandcream. G, 1.6k. quick little alternate scene. what if alex's protective streak had made an appearance when zahra found he and henry in their hotel room?

We've Got To Stop Meeting Like This by @everwitch-magiks. M, 1.9k. Alex books an Airbnb studio with a shared bathroom. The other studio is occupied by a man with lush pink lips and impressive personal hygiene — really, he’s super diligent about lathering and rinsing. Alex would know, seeing as the lock to the bathroom is seriously unreliable.

Or: the Airbnb romp you didn’t know you needed.

exclusive member deal by stutteringpeach. T, 2k.

Alex: "Let me take you on a date."

The date: Costco.

beyond measure by T, 2.1k. alex and henry host nora, june and pez for weekly fellow travelers watch parties.

tonight, they're watching the series finale. it comes crashing down on henry, and alex is there to catch him.

Couture of the Juicy Variety by ronans. G, 2.1k. It's Henry's birthday and his work crush has what some may call a wardrobe malfunction.

Adrift by TuppingLiberty. T, 2.2k. Alex works in the Texas Department of Justice as a research attorney. He's been low-key flirting with his downstairs neighbor Henry for the past few months. Unfortunately, he works himself sick and ends up at Henry's doorstep accidentally.

you all over me by @dumbpeachjuice. E, 2.3k. When Henry organises an evening of group sex, he never expects to meet a gorgeous man he wants to marry and have children with.

Or, a meet-cute at a sex club.

something more, something right by rizcriz. T, 2.7k. Alex blinks at him, seemingly entirely unimpressed. “So, you’re just going to pretend we’re not in love with each other?”

Let the flickering flame of your soul play all about me. by barthelme. E, 2.8k. Around them, there is the rustle of trees and the crisp whip of wind against nylon. An owl hooting. Faint whispers of campers still lingering around the dying campfire that Henry would like to block out entirely because, “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“I’m aware,” Alex says, but his mouth clearly says he doesn’t care.

Or, the one where Alex and Henry are camp counselors who lead overnight hikes and fuck around at night.

please report to HR by @smc-27. G, 3.2k. Alex frowns at his inbox.

The only reason he knows Henry’s name is that people keep calling him “hot HR Henry” as if there’s anyone else in this office named Henry. Alex hasn’t met the guy yet. He’s been avoiding it mostly out of pettiness.

Henry and the Charisma Vortex by ronans. NR, 3.7k. ‘How’s about I take you to a bookstore and treat you to a trashy romance novel to say sorry for interrupting your first date with the love of your life?’

‘I fear the longer I spend time with you, the longer I will be unable to live this spectacular failure down.’

He warms at the thought of spending more time with Henry. ‘Solid deduction, you are absolutely right.’ He takes a punt and grabs Henry’s free hand. ‘C’mon.’

Or, Alex is sat next to a tragic date and has the urge to intervene.

A Sin Better Than Heaven by @anchoredarchangel. E, 3.9k.

“Show me,” the king says, a demand. He sets the vial back down, careless to where it lands compared to where it originated. He leans back against the table, crosses his arms over his chest; chin raised, jaw set- a picture of regality. Henry’s heart is pounding in his chest, the unstable beat of too many horse hooves overlapping, like the canter through the woods that very afternoon before he was shoved from his saddle. For the first time, he considers the possibility that perhaps he had hit his head harder than he realized- against the ground or against the tree, because certainly his hope is misplaced; certainly he is not following this conversation as well as he presumed. “Show you what, Your Majesty?” The king only deigns to move a hand, untucking it from his elbow in order to wave it vaguely. “How your body responds to men.”

Or: A criminally loose reimagining of the tent scene from Mary & George, only Alex is a sexually confused king, and Henry's the one who has been sent to seduce him.

Don’t You Dare Look Away by @emmalostinwonderland. E, 3.9k. “Jesus, Fox, if you wanna fuck me so goddamn bad, you could just say so.”

Alex fully expects to be dropped to the floor, but Henry just tightens his grip on Alex’s waist. “You… you’re not serious.”

And really, what could go wrong? “Serious as a heart attack, baby.”

// Alex and Henry are paired up for a pro dance on DWTS one week, but they just can’t seem to get along… until something clicks.

a feeling like this (could it be bliss?) by rizcriz. E, 4k. There’s a blonde woman plastered to Alex’s front. Ten minutes ago, he’d been grinding up against a brunette man half a foot shorter than him. Ten minutes before that, he’d been laughing with a red head at the bar. And ten minutes before that?

Ten minutes before that, he’d had that megawatt smile directed at Henry, laughing at something June said. And then he’d wandered off to get them more drinks, and now he’s off, giving his attention to people who are, quite frankly, not good enough for him, and Henry? Henry’s — christ, okay, Henry’s jealous.

Henry’s fucking fuming.

Or, Henry wants his boyfriend back.

Another Door Opens by @14carrotghoul. T, 4.1k. Henry takes a long drink. “If it makes you feel any better, my dad's dead. He and my mum had the type of love straight from the storybooks and it got cut tragically short, so what is the point in finding something real if it's just going to hurt you?”

Alex bites back a smile and shakes his head. “How in the fuck was that supposed to make me feel better?”

He waves his hand awkwardly. “Oh, I just thought we were both sharing the trauma that impacted our romantic relationships.”

Henry and Alex first meet when Henry reveals their partners are cheating on them with each other.

north star by sharkfins. T, 4.9k. “God, you know, I could stare at you all day,” he says finally. “I want to get this tattooed on the inside of my eyelids.”

“Ugh, gross,” Henry says while scrunching up his nose. Even still, his cheeks flush.

“Seriously, Hen, you look pretty.” Alex runs his fingers through Henry’s hair and places another kiss on his forehead.

Henry bites back a slightly embarrassing excited noise and shoves his face into Alex’s neck and smiles into his skin. Hen. Alex calls him that all the time, but for some reason now it’s making something stir inside his chest.

“I can’t believe I get to call you mine,” he adds, running his hand down the back of Henry’s head and settles his arm around his shoulders again.

Henry moves impossibly closer to him and looks up to meet his eyes. “Pretty, huh?”

“Absolutely gorgeous.”

or: Henry experiments with gender <3

Best Practice in Sexual Favours by everwitch. E, 5.1k. They meet at a bar. Alex is young; fresh out of law school, sharp and charismatic and oh-so attractive. The sex is absolutely incredible, and Henry has no regrets. At least not until the morning after when he finds himself opposite Alex in a meeting — equipped with the painful knowledge that Alex’s boss thinks Alex’s only function in said meeting is to sit there and look all pretty. Somebody ought to call HR right about now.

Or: when sexual relationships mix with professional ones, Alex and Henry make the most of it.

We met in the Park by TuppingLiberty. E, 5.3k. Henry is absolutely obsessed with the runner he sees in the park every day at lunch.

cause you're classic, and i'm reckless by @firenati0n. T, 5.4k. “I've, actually, uh. I've never done this before.”

At this, Henry stops short, takes a second as his gaze moves up and to the left, trying to recall something. “I've seen your films. You most certainly have done intimate scenes.”

Alex clears his throat. He hopes his nerves aren't completely obvious, the slight waver in his voice about to give him away. “Yeah, well. Never with a man, so. Not at this scale, anyway.”

“Would it help to, er, practice?" Henry winces a little as he says it, which does not inspire confidence. But Alex is shocked nonetheless. What the fuck?

Diving In Dick-First by quill_and_ink. E, 5.5k. "So... we're doing an intimate piercing today?"

Alex promptly crawls under a rock to die.

Trying My Patience (Try Pink Carnations) by @cha-melodius. E, 5.6k. Unfortunately for him, the only things more beautiful than Alex himself are Alex’s cakes. He’s the most in-demand cake artist in the city, and as such he books a lot of weddings. Many of the very same weddings that simply must also have Fox Florals arrangements for their centrepieces. Weddings like, apparently, this one.

(Or, Henry the florist and Alex the cake artist are forced to collaborate last minute at a wedding job, make a mess, and learn some things about each other in the process.)

A thousand dreams that would awake me by @kiwiana-writes. E, 5.9k.

“It’s not about punishment.” Alex just nods; Henry had been very clear on the form that he wasn’t looking to be dominated or put in his place, so that won’t be new information. “And it’s not the pain as such.” He runs his fingers along the edge of the mug. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like to feel it, but I’m not looking for pain for the sake of pain. It’s more about… control, I think.” There’s a long silence. “Taking it?” Alex prompts finally. “Or giving it up?” “Does it sound ridiculous if I say both?”

Or, Henry visits a sex club to get spanked the way he's craving.

Want Me by @orchidscript. E, 6.1k. Henry had always been weak for a nice smile, but his was impossible to ignore.

Blame it on summer heat and a fresh flush in his cheeks. Blame it on sunset painting the outdoor bar sweltering, romantic colors. Blame it on two healthy glasses of albariño thrumming in his bloodstream, or the good music floating on the air.

Henry could blame it on anything liked if he thought long and hard about it, but that didn’t change much at the end. The core remained the same: he had been gone from the jump.

Henry and Alex hook up on a vacation in Spain. Henry falls a bit deeper.

i think about jumping (just to see you come running) by @coffeecatsme. T, 6.1k. Henry Fox likes to think he’s led a good life.

He’s been a good son to his parents, though his grandmother would probably disagree with him being a good grandson—although, if he’s honest with himself, he’d rather take that as a compliment. He’s used the family money for good, built a life for himself. He’s saved the sweetest beagle from a shelter and paid an arm and a leg bringing him to the States from England. He doesn’t think killing a few mosquitos in his lifetime and the select words he had for the homophobic part of his family should curse him for years of torture.

Alas, that’s the only explanation as to why the public library he’s worked for for years would move him to a branch right next to a goddamn fire station.

Or, 5 times Henry embarrasses himself in front of Alex and 1 time Alex embarrasses himself in front of Henry.

Five letter word for 'unobservant' by @clottedcreamfudge. E, 6.9k. And podfic by @thirdeye1234. “He's so annoying,” Alex says, the words spilling out of his mouth before he can stop them as he sits down at his desk opposite Nora. Nora – colleague, semi-sister-in-law, and unfortunately his best friend – is used to this by now, and continues eating a croissant over her keyboard in the manner of someone who has the only ergonomic, crumb-resistant keyboard in the office, and wants everyone to know it.

“Please,” she says, not even looking at him as she presumably whizzes through accounts or something, mouth full of buttery pastry. “Elucidate. I have no idea who you're talking about and there is no precedent for you interrupting my morning with those words at all.”

Alex scowls at her. “Wordle Guy.”

Cloudy With a Chance of Fuckery & Sunny With a Touch of Drama (Every Weather series)by @hillerskas. M, 6.9k. ‘Henry’s here with us for the weather.’ He pivots in his seat and grins over to the other corner of the studio. ‘Now, is it hot in here, or is it just you?’

Without missing a beat, Henry smiles cordially and gestures to the green screen behind him. ‘We’re actually in the middle of a cold snap.’

Or, an ode to Alex fucking with Henry live on air.

in this home series by riversdeep. T, 7.5k. At that, Alex looks him straight in the eye. “I'm sorry I fell in love with you years ago and never said a single thing about it.”

A self indulgent childhood best friends to lovers AU, exploring the transition from best friends to boyfriends

me and you and awkward silence by @kill8a. M, 7.5k. Alex has a bit of a predicament. The new librarian, Henry Fox, has proved to be a little too attractive to go un-noticed, and he might be harboring a bit of a crush.

make it five by @anincompletelist. M, 8k. “Fifty bucks says I can get that guy’s number.”

Popping the bubble of cinnamon-flavored gum Alex had just blown, he glances up from his phone to look at where Nora’s pointing. Just over the soles of his shoes, crossed at the ankles and propped on the flaking black wood of the shop’s front desk, there’s a man with broad shoulders lingering by the far wall. Alex hadn’t even heard the guy come in.

“Nora. He’s literally looking at one of the biggest dildos I’ve ever seen,” he deadpans quietly.

alex works at a sex toy shop. it's usually a pretty easy job — if he could just stop daydreaming about the blonde guy that keeps coming in to buy literally all of alex's favorite sex toys.

pour some sugar on me by @sunnysideprince. M, 8.2k. Alex makes not-so-safe-for-work baking videos on Instagram for a living, and Henry, unsurprisingly, goes through a crisis because of it.

An Amateur’s Guide to Professional Gift-Giving by anincompletelist (soldouthaz). T, 8.9k. Alex, a former-law-student-taking-some-time-off turned professional part-time gift giver, is tasked with finding a gift for the most high profile client he's ever worked with, both in and out of the world of law.

It turns out finding the perfect gift for the Prince of Wales might be easier than he'd anticipated.

secret admirer by rizcriz. T, 9.5k. Today, though, he’s watching in delight as a massive bouquet of roses makes its way through the office, the delivery guy carefully weaving between cubicles as he heads for Nora’s desk. Last week, Nora had revealed to the office one of his embarrassing college hook up stories that involved a thong and sitting cold and shivering in a police station while he waited to be picked up. Today—today he’s sicking Nadine and Alberta on Nora as payback.

His gaze flicks over to Nora where she’s sitting at her desk oblivious to her incoming doom, and then back to the delivery guy. Anticipation, hot and excited, bundles up in Alex’s gut as he clears the final turn of cubicles, and just as Alex is about to grin, wicked and delighted at Nora, the delivery guy makes another turns and comes to a stop at the completely wrong desk.

And then he sets the flowers down and leaves.

or, an accidental flower delivery.

my little dove by dearestalez. M, 9.8k.

“Kinda cliché,” Alex says, looking up at the mural.

“It’s Bea’s favourite piece,” Henry says.

Alex looks at him, “that makes sense.”

They travel through a plethora of shops. Henry picks up a hat, Alex holds a jumper to his chest and twirls until Henry is giggling into his fingers.

“Why do they never have my size?” Alex laments, holding a nice pair of shoes that don’t come in seven and a half. Only seven or eight. Henry doesn’t mean to laugh, he didn’t really think that was something he did. Laugh at people’s expense. But he isn’t doing that. Alex is pouting over a pair of shoes, with wide brown eyes and slumped shoulders, and Henry is laughing at the absurdity of it all.

He never thought that the man across the building cradling a beer to his chest was the type to pout and whine when a shop didn’t carry his size. He never thought he’d find that out. He never thought that stranger from that bar would turn into someone he knows.

“You’re a dick,” Alex says, but he’s grinning and Henry is weak.

i want to mark my skin (it is paper thin) by @violetbaudelaire-quagmire. M, 10k.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subj: Tattoo Reference

Attached: 1 file (orionsketch.jpg)

Hello,

Attached you’ll find a line art drawing of the constellation Orion. The shoulder blade is the intended location.

Best,

H.J. Fox

OR: It's a Tattoo Shop AU!

i dream of our odyssey by violetbaudelairequagmire. E, 10k. Alex rests his elbows on the counter of the small cafe attached to Bankston’s Books, enjoying the quiet period in between the morning stay-at-home-mom-crying-toddler storytime crowd and the rush of college students that appear in the afternoon. It’s only a couple hours, but it’s nice to have that time with just a few black coffees in between the rush of “pumpkin spice latte and a cakepop” and “quad shot espressos and keep them coming” that dominate the busy periods at the bookstore. He’s not complaining though- he loves this job. He gets a discount on books, no one cares how much coffee he drinks in a shift, and, in the last couple of weeks, he’s had a great view of the new guy quietly shelving books.

A Tapestry of Intimacy Unfolded by hqwhna. M, 10k. It's a case of textbook serendipity when Senator Alex Claremont-Diaz and Dr. Henry Fox first meet at a fundraiser in D.C. Now, Alex just has to think of an excuse to see him again...

no drug like me by stutteringpeach. E, 10k. “I’d like to pay for your schooling,” Henry says casually. “Move you into a better apartment. You’ll get an allowance, of course, but that will be for you to do with what you will. Your expenses will be covered outside of that.”

Alex blinks. He’s drunk off expensive wine and Henry’s attention. His brain isn’t functioning. “What?”

Henry’s expression hasn’t changed. “Do you need me to repeat myself?”

XOXO Gossip Girl by alyaasca. T, 11k. Diazes love gossiping. And Henry, well, he wants to be a part of Alex's family. Thanks to his therapist, he has a number of breathing exercises up his sleeve, and also a dream. Watch him take his rightful place by learning the art of family gossip.

i don't know how not to by smc_27. M, 11k. “Here’s what we’re gonna do,” he tells Martha in their next meeting, which takes place two hours outside of London at her parents’ ‘cottage’. To think they talk of her family as commoners when they have this much money is fucking insane. It just goes to illustrate how out of touch the whole monarchy machine is.

“Tea?” she offers, and he nods just to be polite. A literal, honest to god butler comes over to pour for him. “Carry on.”

“You’re gonna disappear,” he tells her, and her whole face lights up. Her shoulders relax. She looks straight at him. He can hear the kids playing with their grandmother in the next room.

“Tell me more.”

Or, Alex is Martha's divorce attorney

cut by @havanasroses. E, 12k.

Holy fucking eyelashes. He’s all tan skin and bright eyes and charming smile— everything that makes Henry weak in the knees. Pretty brown eyes dart between the lineup and his clipboard, trying to put two and two together, but all Henry can focus on are those arms. Those hands. That arse. “Can I call you up, handsome?” Henry almost blacks out.

or, the five times alex and henry shoot a video together as (not so) strangers, and the one time they do as a couple.

into temptation by stutteringpeach. E, 13k. When Henry wakes, there’s an ache in his arse and a wet patch on the sheets.

He tries to imagine how it happened. Whether he was on his side or his front already, whether he had to be rolled over. Whether they took their time or couldn’t wait, so turned on by the sight of him lying there.

It shouldn’t turn him on this much—the not knowing. But that was the point.

You've Been My Muse for a Long Time by @affectionatelyrs. E, 13k. There aren’t many instances in which Henry would claim he exhibits a colorful vocabulary. In fact, he could likely list them on one hand: when wretched people say the most bigoted things, when the local grocer has run out of their Jaffa Cake stock in the minuscule international aisle, when he gets bored and resorts to writing homoerotic poetry in his moleskin journal with a fountain pen like some lovelorn literary scholar from the eighteenth century.

And now, when he’s assigned to a gig he doesn’t want to be at. As in, he would rather publish said poetry to the unrelenting, merciless masses of the internet than be at this gig.

“You must be bloody fucking kidding me.”

Or, When Rolling Stone names Alex Claremont-Diaz as the number one rising star to look out for, Henry is tasked with the sole responsibility of photographing him for their cover shot. Which, truly, wouldn’t be an issue—it’s an incredible opportunity—except Henry doesn’t trust that miscreant to be within ten feet of him ever since The Incident™

Star-Crossed by schmulte. T, 17k. Alex is a principal ballerino with a hatred for Henry Fox. What happens when they're paired up and forced to dance together as star-crossed lovers? Will their partnership crash and burn, or will they cross uncharted territory and make ballet history?

Not An Act by quill_and_ink. E, 20k. It was bound to happen at some point. Alex and Henry had both started modeling within three months of each other and they'd both become known for dramatic, high fashion shoots, editorials, and runways, so it had just been a matter of time before they would be hired to work together. He could have handled it if they'd just been on the same set at the same time without actually having to shoot together, but no - the premise of the campaign is sensuality, intimacy. He has to pretend to be in love with Henry.

getting good now by Standinginmoonlight. M, 20k. Alex sighs and balls his hands up into fists, digging them into his eye sockets until he sees stars, and then he’s speaking without his brain giving his mouth permission.

“I can’t believe I’m going to marry someone British.”

Or: the Love is Blind AU that no-one asked for.

we should get married by smc_27. E, 25k. He’d spent most of the week sitting on the floor with his laptop open on the table, typing away about absolute nonsense in between sessions and phone calls with immigration and a lawyer trying to see if it’s possible there’s any way in the world he can stay in America while this gets sorted. The good news is this doesn’t bar him from trying again and just returning when it all gets sorted. Not that that will be easy, but still. It’s a possibility.

He makes the absolutely foolish mistake, after pouring his second drink, of googling ‘marriage visa’ as if that will be the answer to any or all of his problems. Allows himself a brief, excruciating moment to imagine he has someone to marry and make that a reality.

But then…he does, does he not?

OR, a greencard marriage AU

Clean Slate by smc_27. E, 25k. “Henry.” Pez comes over, puts both hands on Henry’s cheeks and looks him dead in the eye. “You are not a sad man who’s gotten dumped. You’re in the prime of your life, and I quite desperately need you to act like it.”

“The prime of my life,” Henry scoffs, more incredulous than questioning. “I’ve just gotten out of a 15 year relationship, endured a divorce, am suffering an almost impressive case of writer’s block, and your hands are like bloody icicles.” Pez grins, doesn’t take his hands away. “Explain to me how this is my prime. Please.”

Pez tilts his head, and sounds entirely serious when he says, “Literally anything can happen from here.”

In Accord by @absoluteaudacitywrites. E, 27k. Pursuant to the establishment of an ongoing relationship between The Crown and the Office of the President of the United States, the representatives of the The Queen and Her interests are authorised to establish a contract of marriage between His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Alexander Claremont-Diaz.

Claremont 2008 by @happinessofthepursuit. M, 28k. What if Ellen Claremont had gotten elected in 2008 instead of Obama? An alternate timeline story of FirstPrince.

2009 at Buckingham Palace for tea. A sleepover after a quinceañera in 2010. The 2012 London Olympics. A 2014 Model UN Conference. A funeral in 2015. College and another campaign trail.

And the texts, facetimes, and chain emails in between.

By All Means, Rome by @iboatedhere. T, 29k. During a goodwill tour of Europe, Prince Henry rebels against his tedious schedule and disappears into the heart of Rome, seeking reprieve from a life of relentless royal obligations...

Alex Claremont-Diaz, an American journalist living in Rome with a British Monarchy-sized chip on his shoulder, stumbles upon a young man…

Each man keeps a secret to benefit themselves, not thinking how it would affect the other until love gets in the way.

seven fallen angels in atonemеnt by riversdeep. E, 31k. Bea takes the diary from him and snaps it shut. "Well, love, that's because I'm meeting Alex. We'll be at the studio in an hour, so if you're coming with, you should probably wear some nicer trousers."

Henry looks down at his shorts. He thinks they belonged to Pez at one point since they have the words juicy written over the arse in fancy script. "That," He says, "Is completely beside the point."

She shrugs, "Alright. If you want to see the man you've crushed on for two years in those shorts, be my guest."

Well. That only covers part of the problem. The part where Alex infuriates him, that he has to put in an unreasonable amount of effort not to drop things around him because of how beautiful he is. That he is, admittedly, a little bit in love with him.

Or, Alex is a singer collaborating with Bea and Henry is dragged along for the ride, much to his reluctant delight.

would you be my love, my love? (would you be mine?) by ohprongs. M, 32k. When Henry Fox’s fourth series as a professional dancer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing rolls around, he’s got a good feeling. He knows what he’s doing — he’s a two-time semi-finalist — and this year he wants to win. That is, until he’s knocked off-kilter by two revelations: they’re allowing same gender contestant/pro pairings for the first time in the show’s history, and Alex Claremont-Díaz is joining as the newest pro dancer.

He is, to put it mildly, absolutely screwed.

(aka, the pro dancers rivals-to-friends-to-lovers au that no one asked for)

Baby (Let Me Put On a Show) by SatinBirds. E, 37k. It’s been five months, and still Alex is never completely prepared for Henry’s performances. Private or otherwise.

Or,

Henry is a night dancer, and he’s everything Alex wants.

Platinum Record series by @cricketnationrise. E, 39k. Email: [email protected]

Channel Name: AustinBoy

Age Restricted?: 18+

Chat enabled?: Yes

Subscriptions: Monthly

Tiers: 2

Tier 1:

> Name: Standard

> Description: Access to chat room, 1 weekly video

Tier 2:

> Name: Bonus

> Description: Access to chat room, 1 weekly video, 1 weekly livestream

Or, a Camboy!Alex AU

A Cloud on Fire Makes its Own Rain by foux_dogue. M, 40k. Henry ends his relationship with Alex in Texas at twenty-one years old.

At forty, Alex's heartbreak is just another relic from the past that he left behind. He's made a name for himself, steadily dismantling the system that never truly welcomed him from the foxhole of a critically-acclaimed late night news show. He's not living his happily-ever-after, maybe, but he's doing work that matters, and he's content with what he's got.

At forty-one, Henry finally decides to abdicate. There's only one person who he trusts to break the story.

February, I'm In Love by IBoatedHere. E, 40k. February themed FirstPrince Prompts

(you got me) cursing the daylight by @waterloolovers. E, 40k.

But if you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms

And if you like having secret little rendezvous

If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn't do

Then baby, I'm perfect

Baby, I'm perfect for you

“ALEX CLAREMONT-DIAZ TAKES ON EUROPE!

America’s darling, ACD, is setting off on his first international tour of Europe and The UK next month. His first stop is in London at the sold out O2 arena.”

Alex is a singer. Henry is a podcast host. They should know that secret relationships don’t usually pan out, but they’re willing to give it a try.

What could possibly go wrong?

(Strangers to friends to besties to lovers)

It's Nice to Have a Friend by mainstreamelectricalparade. T, 59k. Two boys meet on a beach, build a sand castle, write letters, and fall in love.

Someday We'll Know If Love Can Move a Mountain by @three-drink-amy. E, 60k. The emails were never leaked, but the Queen has forced Alex and Henry apart. Alex believes they're biding their time until they can be together for real. One day at work, he's forced to confront how wrong he is when Henry's engagement is announced. With both of them miserable and neither wanting the wedding to happen, they grapple with how or if they could even stop it. Or even if they should.

False Dichotomy by chamel. E, 61k. One of the world’s largest retailers is opening a store on his street. A bookstore. He looks down at the article in his hand again and catches sight of a phrase: “We hope that people will see this as more than a bookstore, and hope to foster a sense of community.” As if Henry Fox-Mountchristen has any concept of what community means.

Alex very narrowly does not break something.

(When global mega-retailer Mountchristen opens a new location—led by the infuriatingly attractive and insufferable Henry Fox-Mountchristen—near his LGBTQ-focused bookshop in Soho, Alex's comfortable life is turned upsided down. Luckily, he has one of his best friends to turn to: a guy he met online and knows only as H. Meanwhile, Henry is battling against his family to make a positive difference in the world and falling further in love with a man he's never met. But... what if they changed that?

(make me) misbehave by @onward--upward. E, 65k. Alex Claremont-Diaz has done it again. The Texas-born singer-songwriter released his fourth studio album second skin Thursday at midnight. Full of Claremont-Diaz’s signature lyricism, critics are praising the album for the cohesive image it paints. second skin is the result of a young writer at the top of his game, and every lyric depicts for the listener a picture of a sun-drenched secret romance. Fans are clamoring to be the first to uncover the mystery girl at the center of it all, although Claremont-Diaz remains tight-lipped on the subject…

Or: Alex Claremont-Diaz is a singer-songwriter rising up in the music industry. Henry Fox is the shining star of an acting empire.

This is a love story.

All our Sweetest Hours Fly Fastest by @ahistoricdistraction. T, 69k. It has been three years since they were outted and Henry and Alex have finally settled into a groove that works well for them, except for the fact that it feels like they're always having to steal time together. Queen Mary constantly coming up with excuses to get Henry out of public events with Alex isn't helping, and Alex is done with it. After a long conference in Tokyo that Henry couldn't attend, Alex's flight home being delayed is the last straw and he calls Henry to say they need to figure out a better way to do this, to which Henry agrees. But fate has other ideas. Alex's flight goes missing somewhere over the Pacific, no trace of it to be found, leaving Henry and Alex's family struggling to not lose hope while unable to do anything.

Such a Burden, This Flame on My Chest by allmylovesatonce. E, 76k. Alex Claremont-Diaz is relocating back to Austin to join his dad's firehouse. His days as a firefighter in Washington D.C. ended badly, but no one knows that, or knows why. And he plans to keep that close to his chest. He has to shove it back down if he wants to seem like a normal person, if he wants to do the job, if he wants to get along with his new crew, and most of all, if he wants to get to know the hot British firefighter on the squad.

No one can know what really happened.

It takes a lot to know a man by dazedandconfused. E, 86k. Alex is doing good. Life is good. Work is good. There's just one tiny problem. He can't get out of his head enough to enjoy sex. Nora has a solution in the form of a not-quite-sex-club called Sweet Encounters where he meets Henry, an attentive dom who shows him the joys of BDSM and sex with a man.

Alex gets a new problem when he starts falling for the man, and it turns out Henry might know more about the case Alex is working on than he lets on.

And then it all stacks up from there.

Heavy Weighs the Crown series by @dwell-the-brave. M, 88k. “I’ll be back by Thursday,” Philip promises, giving Martha a hand up the jet’s steps. She gives them a brief wave from the top of the stairs before disappearing.

“Make sure you don’t ski off a cliff!” Bea calls after him as he follows his wife into the jet. He waves a hand dismissively at her and then withdraws into the darkness of the cabin.

That’s the last thing any of them say to him.

Philip dies, and Henry becomes heir.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue by anincompletelist. E, 116k. When June gets engaged, Alex, her brother, and Henry, her best friend, are asked to be the official Guys Of Honor. There’s a month to plan the whole thing, which would be near impossible anyway, only made worse by the fact that being around each other the last several years has only ever led to petty fights and useless competition. Unfortunately, as the two most important men in her life - aside from her fiancé - they don’t really have much of a choice.

Alex has a lot of feelings about this. As it turns out, Henry does too.

Trust Your Heart If The Seas Catch Fire by Light_of_Bane. E, 171k.

Alex had a plan.

And then his life got thrown upside down after finding out President Claremont is his mother.

Now his plan is shot to hell and he's stuck navigating a world he never expected to be in - one of privilege and the spotlight and a family that's far cry from the abusive one he had grown up with. How's he supposed to do this?

And why is Prince Henry so much prettier in person?

This was not the plan.

I only tag an author once per post, but I'm still figuring out firstprince author handles. If you see one I may not know or find a broken link, please give me a heads up!

RWRB FirstPrince AU Recs Part One

RWRB FirstPrince AU Recs Part Two

Master List of RWRB FirstPrince Recs

Master List of Recommendations

#firstprince #rwrb fic recs #rwrb #alex x henry #red white & royal blue

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mikaelsonstanaccount · 2 months ago

Text

Klonnie Mischief Movie Night

Before anyone roasts me I would like to mention that I have never seen a horror movie before and this is loosely based off of Monster House.

“C'mon Bonnie it’s not that scary.” Caroline teased as Elena, Tyler, Matt, and Bonnie stood outside the abandoned Mikaelson residence. “Caroline we aren’t kids anymore. I mean, we are about to graduate from college for heaven's sake!” Bonnie exclaimed as she crossed her arms. She knew she should probably just get on the road and head back to her apartment in Maryland, but she couldn’t leave her friends. Caroline pouted and stomped her foot like a child, looking at Bonnie. “I mean, we will be in there together.” Elena smiled, trying to remain hopeful. Something about the house rubbed Bonnie the wrong way and no matter what she did, she couldn’t shake it.

“Fine, I’ll go. Just so we all are clear, I will be the final girl.” Bonnie sighed as she walked inside with her two friends. The trio lost a bet to Matt and since they lost, this was the punishment. Bonnie walked inside behind Elena, clutching the flashlight in her hand. The door suddenly slammed and the three of them screamed. Not thinking, they all ran off, terrified of the slam. Bonnie seemed to be lost, looking around for some source of light. She sighed and found a nearby bathroom and wet her palm. She quickly put a flame in her hand, thankful that she learned early on to manage her pyrokinesis.

She sighed as she walked around, looking for a sign of her friends. She called their names out timidly, listening for any sign of life. She heard a high-pitch scream, followed by silence and her fear kicked up a notch. “Caroline I swear to God if you are fucking with me I am fucking you up when I see you!” She called out, trying to swallow her scream. She continued down the hall before tripping over what felt like a log. She groaned as her body hit the ground before she looked down and saw blonde hair. She froze and tried to gather herself to turn around and look. She blinked a few times before looking at the face and seeing Caroline. She felt like she was going to puke as she tried to tell herself it was a prank. “C’mon Caroline enough is enough, get up.” She cried, looking down at the body.

She saw two oval-like holes in her neck and blood dripping below her. She began crying, still shaking her friend to wake up. “She’s not waking up love.” A British voice called out as she looked around. It sounded so close but so far away. “Caroline stop playing with me please.” She cried as a hand walked over and held hers. She looked up in fear as she saw a pair of black eyes and yellow irises. Swallowing her scream, she took off running, trying to find somewhere else to hide or to escape. She heard laughing in the background, like the person was taunting her. She tripped again, groaning as she tumbled hard. She looked down and noticed Tyler lying there and she froze.

Bonnie didn’t know what to do but it was clear her friends were now dead. The final girl thing was only meant to be a joke, but now it’s coming true. “You’re all alone with me, scaredy cat.” The same voice called out as it approached her. She looked up and now saw blue eyes as the stranger looked at her. She blinked a few times before realizing that she recognized the face. It was Niklaus Mikaelson, the man in all the photos. “Yes yes love, it’s me.�� He chuckled, squatting down to look at Bonnie. He hummed as he held her chin and looked at her. He gently moved her face around to get a good look at her in the moonlight. “You are very beautiful my love but there is something about you. I can feel it, even just by holding your chin.” Klaus smiled as Bonnie thought. She realized that he knew she was a witch.

“Don’t worry pretty girl, I don’t want to harm you, I just want to taste you. You, my love, will be spared. I could never kill such a beautiful creature.” Klaus smiled before his eyes turned black. He suddenly pulled her close and sank his fangs into her neck. Bonnie let out a gasp, but for some reason couldn’t scream. The bite hurt at first but then it was replaced with a layer of pleasure. She didn’t know if it was his doing or hers but she knew that she wasn’t thinking straight. She blinked a few times before realizing she needed to escape. She held her hand out, summoning the nearby vase to her hand. Thankfully it was clear so she could see the water in the vase that was more than likely used to hold flowers.

She dipped her hand in the vase and then set it on fire. “Burn in hell.” She said angrily before gripping the hand that was on top of her hips. Suddenly he pulled away from the bite but only chuckled. “Fire won’t kill me love” Klaus whispered in her ear as the pair slowly were engulfed in flames. The two were fireproof but for vastly different reasons. Bonnie was able to use her magic to make herself a human match essentially but he was a mystery to her. “Flames can’t kill an original.” He whispered in her ear as they both stood there, two matches burning. Bonnie felt another bite on her neck and this time she let out a moan. Between the flames and his touch, something about this gave her a new high she’d never experienced. Almost like an addiction.

She soon felt her eyes getting heavy, realizing that he was taking a lot. She began to panic as she dismissed the flames, both of them now skin to skin. “Relax my love, I told you, I can’t harm such an innocent creature.” Klaus whispered before he bit his wrist and pressed it to her mouth. Bonnie began to drink from him, almost immediately getting used to the metallic flavor. It was strange for her and she worried that he somehow turned her into a vampire. She’d seen Twilight before and knew how fast humans became vampires. “Easy love, I would have to kill you to turn you. I will make sure that you make it home safely. Rest.” He whispered in her ear as she felt her eyes getting heavier. Soon she ended up passing out, her body limp in his hold.

When she woke up the next morning everything set in. She panicked as she tried to think of what to do. She grabbed her phone and immediately searched for a news report on the house. She saw Caroline’s name go across her screen and she teared up. “Bonnie? Oh my gosh, that goodness you’re okay. I had a horrible dream you and Elena were killed by some psychopath but then I woke up and saw Elena here but you weren’t and I panicked. I’m sorry to call you so early but I just wanted to hear your voice.” Caroline cried on the other end as Bonnie let out a sigh of relief. “I’m okay Care. I had a dream like yours so it’s good to hear your voice too.” Bonnie sniffled as the two girls began to calm down. Soon after Bonnie got a text from Tyler and Matt, checking on her. Bonnie was willing to dismiss everything as a bad dream until she noticed the bite marks on her neck. She tried to concentrate on Caroline talking and trying to soothe herself but her brain couldn’t stop staring at the bite marks.

Bonnie began to look at her entire body before realizing that she was in a henley. No man in her family owned a henley so clearly this was a stranger’s shirt. She headed out to the kitchen and she froze as she saw the vase from last night with fresh roses in it. She ended her call with Caroline before walking over to the vase and reading the letter that was below it.

“Last night was perfect my love. We burned like flames in an open field, fueling one another to continue on. I hope I can experience more of your fiery passion as well as your taste. Your blood is my new favorite addiction and I hope to have another bite soon” ~Niklaus

She read as she froze. It wasn’t some dream. What happened last night was real and the passion she felt was real too. She saw his number on the back of the card and thought about whether to call or not.

#klonnie #klaus mikaelson #bonnie bennett #bonnie x klaus #tvd #the vampire diaries #klonniemischief

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z0mbiekisses · 3 months ago

Note

I can’t remember if I’ve requested anything so here I am!! Helloooooo 👋

I’d love a fic where it’s josh x reader and he notices she kinda changes her personality around her friends and confronts her about it at home. She breaks down explaining that she doesn’t really know who she is as a singular person and he offers to help her figure it out. They try lots of different hobbies (including making music ft Tyler hehe) and she feels a lot better. Lots of angst pleaseeeeee

Thank you bestie 🙌��

HAII BFFF!!! TYSMM FOR REQUESTING!! i LOVE LOVE this idea, this reminds me of a character arc ive seen in a show, so i was excited to write this!!

i’m so sorry for my inactivity 😣 life has been hectic as of late, but writing helps me escape for a bit<3. i hope yall enjoy this!

IM A MIRRORBALL !

me and josh have been going out for a few months now. i can confidently say he’s one of my favorite people ever. he holds the door open for me, he makes sure to always call if he’s not around. which is where because his favorite place to be is right beside me. josh always tells me i’m beautiful, everyday. he’ll dance around with me no matter where we’re at. there’s so many things about him i just adore. and there’s so many things about our relationship that brings me happiness. but one of the most important things is i felt like i could be myself around him. well.. mostly. i’m not too sure who i am sometimes. but josh always makes me feel safe. we’re getting ready to meet up with some of my friends to this farmer’s market. honestly, i wasn’t as i should be. i couldn’t exactly figure out why. but i pushed my feelings to the side and put on a cute outfit.

everything started off great, seeing my friends was always nice. and they all loved josh. one of the stands were selling cocktails. i didn’t like drinking, not to say i never do. but i tried to stay away from it most of the time. but my friends all got one, and i didn’t want to look like the odd one out, so i got one as well. despite it being strawberry, and me not liking strawberries. this earned an eyebrow raise from josh. i found myself trying to mimic their poses when we took pictures. i normally give a silly thumbs up or a peace sign while having a big grin. these photos i kicked my leg up and did everything to hide my smile. i didn’t want to look stupid next to my friends.

“come on y/n smile!” josh spoke from in front of us, holding the phone. all i did was a small little grin. there became a point during our endeavors where josh & i didn’t really speak to each other. i didn’t bother to say anything though, i’m sure it wasn’t a big deal. i was focused on my friends.

“y/n didn’t you hear sarah cheated on her boyfriend with her ex?!” my friend alana looked over to me. i didn’t like gossiping. especially about people i didn’t know. you never know people’s situations or what they’re going through. it’s something i always tried to stay away from. it was a quality josh appreciated about me. but in this situation, i suppose it was okay.

“what?! her ex of all people?” i gasped dramatically which made alana laugh.

“yes her ex nathan who posted that embarrassing video of her drunk dancing on a kitchen island.” my other friend emma chimed in. the three of us were walking next to each other while josh walked behind us. i didn’t even realize he was left out.

“did you ever see it y/n?”

“no i haven’t actually.” and with that emma pulled out her phone and showed poor sarah drunk out of her mind. sloppily dancing on the kitchen island while everyone had their phones out. until she slipped and spilt her drink all over herself. i felt awful, she clearly wasn’t in her right mind. that was actually the same night she found out her grandma was sick in the hospital with cancer. i could’ve stuck up for her, i should’ve. yet i found myself laughing along with them. nodding my head along to their insults. shortly after we all parted ways. the car ride home with josh was unusually quiet.

“josh are you okay?” all josh did was shrug and turn up the radio. i nervously fidgeted with my rings, which i left in the center console when we got to the farmers market because i didn’t want my friends to think they were ugly. when we got to josh’s place he finally spoke to me,

“what happened today?”

“what do you mean?”

“you were acting different y/n.” i raised my eyebrow. trying to play dumb, though i knew deep down what josh was getting at.

“i was just hanging with my friends-“ i tried to defend myself. but josh wasn’t buying it.

“which included making fun of sarah?” josh brought up. i looked away from him trying to figure out what to say.

“i wasn’t making fun of her, they were talking about i was just making conversation.” i protested.

“you could’ve stuck up for her, you know what happened that day y/n.” josh’s eyes weren’t filled with anger or anything. he just seemed.. disappointed. i didn’t know what to say.

“it wasn’t just today y/n, everytime we hang out with your friends it’s like you’re a totally different person.” i felt my hands began to shake. my heart was slowing beginning to move faster and faster.

“it’s because i don’t even know who i am!” i shouted. josh frowned. he walked over to me and held my shaking hands in attempt to calm me down.

“that’s not true y/n.” i cut josh off,

“it is. all i do is pretend with everyone in my life!” i pulled my hands away from josh. my self sabotaging mechanisms coming out. i couldn’t let him help me because i felt like i didn’t deserve it. i don’t deserve it.

“i act a certain way with everyone so i can fit in. so they can’t hate me.” at this point tears were falling down my cheeks and my voice was hoarse. josh’s eyes were watery. i could tell he wanted to help me. but for some reason i wasn’t making this easy.

“y/n you’re so perfect the way you are. i love you for who you are.”

“that’s impossible because i don’t know even who i am.” there was a moment of silence. you could hear a hair pin drop. yet my head was screaming. i couldn’t stand there any longer, i hauled out the door. slamming it behind me. the one person who actually had some of idea who i am i just shut out. i didn’t understand why i always did this? it never made anything better. i’ve lost so many people because of this. once they get close, i do everything i can to keep them out. ruining my own life everytime. it was always my fault.

that night josh & i didn’t sleep much. without each other knowing, we both looked at our phones. wanting to call or text one another. but we didn’t. too scared of what the possible outcome would be. i sat on my couch mindlessly watching some reality tv show. desperate to block out the mess in my head. until i heard a knock on the door, i opened it to see josh standing there, his eyes were tired and sympathetic. he pulled me into his arms. his warm embrace reminding me why i’ve been getting out of bed each morning. desperately trying to hold on to that safe feeling he brings me. i quietly mumbled a “sorry” in his chest while i sobbed. honestly, i didn’t think he’d show up. it was easy for me to shut people out because most people never tried to fight it. not even bothering to look back. i don’t blame though, sometimes i didn’t feel good enough to second guess. so the fact josh was here, it meant EVERYTHING to me. he held me on the couch. playing with my hair & rubbing my back until i could gain my composure. how’d i get so lucky i didn’t even know.

“i’m so sorry..”

“it’s okay baby we all get a little lost sometimes.” i looked up at him. josh smiled softly. he pushed back a strand of hair behind my ear.

“you know what’s really helped me figure out who i am is drumming.” i furrowed my eyebrows. josh wasn’t cocky by any means. but he was pretty sure of himself. and to think drumming was the solution kind of blew my mind.

“really?”

“yeah! maybe we can find something you enjoy doing, it won’t hurt to try.” i nodded listening to josh.

“you mean it?” i frowned and josh kissed my forehead mumbling a “mhm.” and that started our endeavors. who know hobbie hunting was so hard. i was a bit of perfectionist, so when i wasn’t immediately good at something i’d get discouraged. it was hard trying all these things while i still felt the same. i tried crocheting but it was a bit too complicated. me & josh would make jewelry but, everytime i dropped the string and the beads everywhere i wanted to slam my head on the table. josh took me to play basketball with him, but i was never too good at sports. and the heat made me MISERABLE. maybe josh was wrong, maybe i was too set in my ways to change. josh decided to bring me over to tyler’s studio. i loved hanging out with them while they worked on different projects. just watching them work was an amazing sight to see, they’re both so talented. this time around though i was more quiet. josh had went to grab some water when tyler approached me.

“you okay y/n? i don’t usually see you this quiet.” i let out a deep breath.

“yeah just going through some things.. midlife crisis stuff.” tyler chuckled lightly.

“that sucks you’re not even 40 yet.” i smiled at him. tyler always knew how to cheer people up, he was also very empathetic. i don’t open up easily, but with tyler it’s almost natural. and he actually understands, it doesn’t feel forced or complicated.

“do you sing by chance?” i shrugged my shoulders,

“a little. i used to do open mics when i was a teenager. back when i was more ambitious and talented..” i felt bad. i didn’t want to be a mood killer. but i felt like there was this constant rain cloud over my head, and i couldn’t stop it.

“i think you’re very talented y/n.” i rolled my eyes. i figured tyler was just trying to be nice.

“i actually asked josh if you could come today. i’ve heard you sing in the car before, you have a really great voice. i was wondering if you could do some back up vocals for us?” tyler asked softly. i couldn’t believe it. i’ve always liked singing, but i didn’t think i had much potential. and who was i to tell tyler no. so i walked in the recording booth, and put on my headphones. i could see in the corner of my eye tyler and josh smiling. not only that, i was actually happy. i forgot how much i actually enjoyed singing. all of those feelings i had in high school came back to me. when i walked out of the booth, josh hugged me.

“you guys are evil.” i chuckled pulling away to look at him.

“y/n you killed it! thank you again.” tyler smiled. i nodded my head,

“of course, thank you guys for being there for me.” i had not only found my spark again. but i’ve found people who knew me for me. i didn’t have to act a certain way to please them or try to fit in. they loved me for me.

#josh dun #twenty one pilots #tyler joseph #joshua dun #josh dun fanfiction #josh dun x reader #tyler joseph fanfiction #josh dun oneshot #josh dun fanfic #josh dun imagine #tøpfanfic #taylor swift

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violetswritingg · 5 months ago

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Thunderstruck

Tyler Owens x OFC!

Description: When cowgirl meets cowboy after a year of no-contact and chaos ensues during storm season!

Rating: M (Mentions of blood and death in Tornadoes and storms alike, angst and loss of loved ones, car accidents, Tornado aftermath, and injury to characters, slight age gap (5 years))

Want to read the other chapters?

Click here

May, 2010

Oklahoma

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and they would be right. And twelve year old Riley St. James was anything if not her father's daughter. She had grown up watching him chase storms, had been in front of the camera for a little more than some of it. The older chasers out there remember her as Rocket. Always causing chaos whenever her dad brought her around, getting under people's feet and just always wanting to be in on the action.

Not much has changed as she got older, if anything, it only got worse. She had been in front of the camera yes but she had been limited to watching from home with her grandma in bed, her Aunt tucked beside her on the couch, holding her hand and both holding their breath to see if Nathan would make it back to them in one piece. Even though most people would find that stressful the St. James family was anything but normal.

"Riley Josephine Thornton-St. James! Get back in this vehicle right now!" Her dad's voice barely carried out the open window of the Warlock, affectionately nicknamed the St. James mobile by the fans. The 'truck' was more of a tank. 3 inches of steel layered on the outside, a lowering capability on the suspension, a steel skirt around the bottom to keep out air flow and x-wing doors, three-foot-long spikes set up to pierce into the ground to anchor them in should a tornado get to close, or they want to get in the eye of it. Not to mention the double paned, double layered three-inch think Plexi-glass windows.

A street legal tank. In other words.

Riley's grin was bright, even though her baby hair was plastered to her face, despite her effort this morning to make sure it was all braided back when they had left the house, clothes soaked, but she had never been happier.

"One sec!" Riley was never one to be too far from her camera in moments like this. The expensive machinery wrapped protectively in its own little rain poncho and was snapping photos as fast as it could.

The storm they had been tracking since this morning had been playing with them all morning, looking like it was going to touch down and then not, moving on and doing it again. They had been trying to intercept but missing every time, it was shifting its travel and wind speed and making it hard to keep up. She saw something though, and her smile got even bigger, "Dad! Look!"

"What are you seeing Riley?!" Her dad, Nathanial St. James, called, leaning as far in her direction as he dared while in control of the car.

"It's gonna touch down! Go go go!" Her free hand slapped the top of the Warlock, clear Plexi-glass under her palm, layered with steel armor and providing the best views of a storm from the safety of inside and flying debris.

"You heard her." Nathan chuckled and shook his head, pressing on the gas and making the next right. On a muddier dirt road now, trying to get in the path of the storm. It didn't take long, Riley started to climb back in reluctantly knowing her dad wouldn't let her stay out there much longer, she was already pushing it as is. But then she noticed the spin of the clouds.

"It's trying dad! Look at the rotation!"

"I see it Nugget! I see it!" They both watched as the storm spun and spun, both holding their breath as the dark clouds descended little by little. Until-

"And we have tornado Gensis!" She screamed and Nathan whooped as it touched down, roaring to life and taking off. Running from them. Riley once again having her camera in her face and snapping away.

"Alrighty! We have a chance here to complete our objective for today here folks and that is getting those telemetry probes into this tornado here and getting a deeper picture of what it's like in the inner vortex of a tornado. We only have a couple sets of this kind of data and with each new set we expand our understanding of these kinds of storms, and when we understand them, we can start trying to figure out how to stop them or disrupt them."

"Why do you have to make everything so boring?!" Riley laughed like a madwoman, only looking away from her view finder for a second to roll her eyes at her dad through the Plexi-glass roof. The older man narrowing his eyes.

"Watch it." Riley just grinned and stuck her tongue out. "Real mature. We could go home ya know?"

"No, we can't. Besides, like you would just leave a chase right after one touches down in front of you." His daughter knew him too well. He chuckled and shook his head. "Are you seeing this dad! It stopped! Slow down!"

Nathan had seen it a second after his daughter, glancing at the video recorder set up beside him, attached to the panel beside the windshield and aimed inside the cabin of the Warlock. People like to see what was happening inside the vehicle too. He knew it was capturing every second and grinned before looking back at the tornado.

"It seems we are witnessing a tornado stand still here folks, what a time to be alive! And what better time than Rocket's first chase! Just a note that this kind of behavior isn't normal for the majority of tornados. It's only been witnessed once before by a friend of mine in last year." Nathan beamed as he started to take his foot off the accelerator. Doing as his daughter asked. Knowing another camera was catching it directly from the view out of the front windshield at the same time. Allowing him to focus on this moment.

The lens caught the proud look bubbling in the father's eyes as he watched his daughter laugh in the rain. Her camera abandoned around her neck as she stuck an arm out, the other securing her inside the car. Her head tilted back as she let out a happy scream. Her mind stuck on how the cold droplets stung her cheeks and made her feel like she had been struck by lightning. Her smile is wide as the sky, feeling the wind pulling at her clothes. Strands of hair getting pulled loose, but she couldn't care less. Skin sticky with humidity that dripped in fat drop along with the rain and small hail pieces that had just started to drop down and sting her skin with every strike.

"It's still not moving. Why is it not moving? It's not going to dissipate, is it?" She yelled over the wind, coming back to the moment. Looking down into the Warlock as much as she could. Her dad's eyes were on the tornado, though, his grin had faded and something settled poorly in Riley's stomach. "No, that's not right, the rotation is still going and – oh shit." She saw the vertices along the storm and her stomach sank. Vertices, to Riley's best understanding, were the streaks of little tornados you see when it's a strong tornado. And she could tell the wind had picked up.

Something dark moved in the corner of her eye and she screamed, dodging something, it was too fast to tell what. But she had a feeling that was a lot closer than her brain was letting her process at this moment, and she could feel the shift in the air.

"Inside. Now!" Riley immediately had her ass in her seat. Harness and seatbelt on and the double layered windows locked up in their storm position. "Good girl, hold on." Her dad reversed.

"No, no, no! Dad the storm is moving north!" Riley pointed to the obvious direction of the tornado, her voice approaching a shrill cry.

"The team already reported it, NWS has it and warning have been issued. We have to get out of here. It's starting to pick up speed." His voice was no-nonsense. Anyone of his team members would nod and follow the orders but not Riley. Because why would his daughter ever listen to him?

"No, we don't! We're still miles out," Throwing her arm to the front, chilled fingers pointing at the distance as if her dad couldn't tell for himself just fine, but she didn't care, she had a point to prove, "Besides, it's still going slow enough right now that we can catch up, get in its path, anchor, launch the probes, and get the data. But only if we go right now! There is nothing in its way, no towns, no nothing. It's the perfect tornado and you know it." She started to rummage around in the back, finding what she was looking for and wrapping a blanket around her.

"Riley." His tone was a warning, too bad his daughter took after him.

"Dad please. I'm not scared." Riley pleaded, "The car will protect us. That's what it's here for yeah?" Looking at him with her big blue eyes was enough to kill him, the father simply crumpling. He had taught her well; she knew what to do. He had to trust her.

"If it gets to be too much, you tell me, we turn around. Got it?" He checked in, needing her to know they would still turn around if she needed them too. No arguments, just fleeing the storm he's usually driving into.

"Got it." Riley nodded, her grin stupidly bright, practically vibrating, "Now North."

"You're gonna kill me one of these days kid." Her dad chuckles and shakes his head. Looking to the video recorder, "You heard her guys. Missions still on." He grabs his walkie and gets in contact with the other half of the team coming up around the back of the storm system. Getting a check-in of all systems go.

"Okay, here we go." Riley muttered after a couple more turns and a shift in direction they had managed to catch up. The swirling streams of air were dark and ominous and Riley shifted in her seat, Nathan noticing, Riley grabbed the tablet from the glove box, it wasn't huge, but it was new and she could see the doppler and radar readings on it. She looked to her dad, seeing what was happening and feeling her chest twist in anxiety, but she didn't show it. She trusted the Warlock, she trusted her dad. they would be okay.

"It's not an EF1 anymore dad." Riley informed, looking to the man with a worried downturn to her young eyebrows.

"I know, trust me I know." Nathan grit, white knuckling the steering wheel, his foot still on the gas. "Hold on!" He called as he sped up.

"It's right there dad!" The mam came to a screeching halt, pulling to the shoulder.

"Warlock lowered, Deploy spikes." Nathan spoke into his walkie, Riley reached to the center console and hit the button that did so. The sound of the hydraulics lost in the cacophony of wind and rain. "Rocket loaded," Nathan muttered into the walkie again, his finger hovering the launch button watching the roof, waiting. Riley watched him in awe, looking up at the tornado, wishing she could understand what was happening fully, but she still had a lot to learn.

The Warlock withholds and Riley is shaking. Her head felt like it was about the explode and the roar of the wind was all she could hear along with her dad screaming that the probes were launched and him telling her to hold on. The wind started to pick up more and the car groaned.

"Dad!" Riley's hands were white knuckling over her harness straps.

"It's okay! Just breathe baby girl. Just breathe! You're doing amazing!"

The car started to get pulled and tilt, Riley screamed as they were rolled down the side of the country road, landing upside down in an irrigation ditch as the tornado continued to push them around in the field. The heavy chassis is the only thing keeping them on the ground at this point. Nathan wanted to curse everything. What happened to the light EF1?!

"Hold on! We're caught in the back draft!" Riley grimaced as they were pulled back in reverse and then spit forward. She could feel the weight of the Warlock shifting and so did her dad. Nathan thrown an arm across his daughter's shoulder's to hold her steady as the Warlock was picked up. The tail end of it lifting up first. When they were fully in the air they didn't stick around long in the tornado. Getting tossed after about 10 seconds inside.

All Riley could see was grey, and dark. Debris flying all around them, her pupils blown as her adrenaline spiked and her palms began to sweat. Her throat closed up and she gripped onto her father's arm for dear life. It was over in the blink of an eye, but it felt like an eternity. And next thing she knew she was weightless before feeling the violent jolt. A crash. And then they were rolling. An involuntary scream left her throat and her dad held onto her tighter.

They rolled until, but by some stroke of luck, they rolled right back onto their tires. The tornado moving away from them now, but instead of demanding to follow it Riley was silent. Her chest fluttering with every sharp breath. Blue eyes wide, pupils blown wider as she shook in her seat.

"Riley? Baby? Look at me, are you hurt? Any blood. Hey, hey!" Nathan's matching irises searched his daughter's face as he questioned her. He was a little shook from that, he can't imagine what she's feeling. It was his raised voice and his hands on her face forcing her eyes to meet his that broke her out of her frozen state. Nathan's eyebrows scrunched heavily in the middle of his forehead, his every pore bleeding worry, fear, for his kid. Normal parent things. He could never tell what she was going to do and she did what she always does, send him for a loop, as she started laughing. Throwing her head forward against her dad's chest. Loud cackles leaving her as the adrenaline hits heavy and leaves her system fast now that they weren't in danger and her shoulders shake. Her dad grins a little but is still trying to find any injuries.

"I'm okay dad, I'm okay." She breathed, letting him push back some of her now dried hair, now much frizzier than before but that was the last of her worries, "I promise. But holy shit!"

Nathan was going to scold her but the water in her eyes cut off his harsh tone in his throat, tears were falling down her face as she kept laughing. And his eyes softened, petting her hair gently.

"I'm right here. We're okay. Just breathe for me, okay? Can you do that?" Nathan knew better than most what adrenaline can do to an adult body, but for kids as young as Riley it was something completely different. "Follow me." He mimicked a breathing technique he had learned early on to help him cope with this himself. He still did it after rough chases, or a close call. It helped ground him.

"Did we get the data?" she breathed out and her dad grinned. Grabbing his daughter's chin lightly and moving her head to annoy her. handing her the tablet with his other hand.

"I don't know, why don't you check?" Her dad smiles down at her softly, still keyed up for adrenaline and fighting off his own shakes.

Now that he knew Riley was okay, he got out of the car, leaving her to have fun analyzing, she didn't fully understand all the numbers yet and that was to be expected, she was 12. But she liked to watch them roll in, it meant they had accomplished something.

"Baby," her dad whispered as he opened the driver door up, motioning for Riley to come to him, holding a hand out. She scrambled over the center console and all it's switches and buttons. Her dad laughing at the excitement in her eyes. "There's something I think you'll want to see. Grab the camera."

When she had the camera in her hands and was on her feet in front of him, looking up at him like he hung the stars in the sky, he smiled softly down at his daughter. Brushing some of her hair down before placing his hand on the back of her shoulder and leading her out in the muddy field. Her boots squishing in it with every step. She followed where her dad was pointing and her breath was stolen from her lungs. The hail in the storm causing a bright blue glow among the shelf clouds feeding into the storm. It reminded her of a clear blue lake, perfect.

"Yeah, it is. You knew what you were talking about huh?" Her dad chuckled as Riley startled, not knowing she had said it out loud. Throwing his arm around his daughter's shoulders and pulling her into a brief side hug after she pulled her camera from her face. Both of them enjoying the moment, Riley's smile soft but content, her temple against his shoulder as she leaned into her dad. "If you feel it?" He whispered into her hair

"Chase it!" Riley chirped and giggled, Nathan following suit until they were both hunched over and gasping. Clinging onto another to keep upright.

It was perfect. It was.

Until it wasn't.

#tyler owens #twisters #twisters movie #twisters fanfic #Tyler x ofc #tyler owens fanfiction #Tyler Owens fanfic #angst #hurt/comfort #cowboy #glen powell #hot brisket summer #aint no love in oklahoma #trauma #trauma recovery #forgiveness #tornadoes #love

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wh0iskyra0 · 5 months ago

Text

Maybe Cupid won’t miss…?

Tyler the creator

A/n- This is half based on the song Sarah some parts are from the song besides that that’s it really 😜 have fun reading

Warning(s)- murders, kidnappings, mentions of gore, smut at the end. If I missed anything let me know.

(Choso’s pov)

“Today, there was reported to be three counts of murder, the victim’s were found hands zip tied together an-” I cut the TV off before she could finish, this town was always exposed to some type of crime every other week. This is the fifth one this week. “Choso, we got another.” I heard one of my colleagues say as he walked in, he handed the case file to me “You look terrible Choso, don’t you think you should go ahead home I can finish it from her if you want?” He said with concern in his voice. He was right. I was tired but this was all I could think about at home, shopping, even at the gym.

“No, I’m fine, I can do half of it then head home.” I said looking through the file I heard a hum from him before he walked out, I took the pictures from the case and pinned them up on the board seeing them used to make me sick but now they don’t have an effect on me anymore. Some things I noticed about the case were that they were all gutted. The only thing left was their heart and a Cupid's arrow with words next to where the heart was located saying “Cupid missed with this one” but it wasn’t hand written it looked as if it was printed. I stood back a little and looked at all the case photos. “This person has to be one sick bastard to do something like this.” I said before grabbing my coat and heading out.

My car was in the shop so I had to take the bus, not that I minded it, I got on this and sat towards the back of the bus. The bus ride was nice and quiet, the bus had come to a stop and I had noticed my neighbor [Name] had got on, she was always the quiet type when she first moved in but her brother on the other hand was different, he was very outgoing and made friends with everyone on the block. He was the first to knock on my door when they moved in next door.

[3 years ago]

(Names POV)

Me and my brother have just moved here from Florida, we had just got the last three boxes in before this boy was already telling me what I was going to do “So I think the kills should be done by you this time, I’ve been doing them since we moved to Florida.” He said to me, handing me some of the boxes for the kitchen, I grabbed the box and looked at him “Actually dumbass I did the killing not you, your ass brought them here. Get it right.” I explained to him, he rolled his eyes at me before putting something’s up in the cabinets “Can we at least have some type of communication with neighbors this time?” He asked me while putting the box in the corner. I looked at him. Last time we didn’t talk to neighbors they suspected us but we had “just” moved there so we were put off the table.

My brother was smiling as we made it to our first neighbors house, he ran up to the door and knocked three times before at a tall male with long black hair and black eyes with dark circles under them. “Hello, we just moved in next door and wanted to meet all of the neighbors. Your neighborhood looks very beautiful and well maintained.” He said to the male, I waved and looked around. “My name is Jordan and this is [Name], my sister, she's a little shy.” He said, smiling softly, the male smiled and waved at us before telling us his name ‘Choso’ was his name…

Once we got home from talking to the majority of the neighborhood I went to look him up, he’s a police officer. I cussed quietly under my breath, Jordan had gone out about three hours ago to get our first victim. I went to the basement with the box of tools and other things. After a while of waiting I heard the door open and closing before I heard Jordan call out for me. “I made sure no one was with her, and nobody was around when I took her.” He said hold the unconscious girl and headed to the basement “But she gave me a very hard time. Fucking kicked me in my leg, she also got away.” He said while we sat her on the cold floor.

He was about to touch her before I spoke up “Gloves. You already fucked up that part when you got her.”I said to him, I grabbed some things to clean her with so no fingerprints couldn’t be found, I heard my brother say sorry before walking to get some gloves. I zip tied her arms just in time because she was starting to wake up. She looked around in a panic and tried to scream but she couldn’t because she had duct tape over her mouth “Good morning beautiful.” I said with a smile to her she looked at me with tears in her eyes, my brother came back with some snacks “Really dude.” I said to him, he looked at me before placing them down on a nearby table he then walked over to me and the girl, “She’s pretty.” He said rubbing her hair softly, I looked at him then rolled my eyes. I walked over to the box of things “I think we should go easy on her,” He said to me “also did you make sure this place had a high enough crime rate, before we did this?” He said as I turned around.

“Yea and I found out that there’s a killer who uses zip ties, then he guts his victims but leaves their heart, and if he likes them he’ll put ‘Cupid didn’t miss’ and if he didn’t like them he’ll put ‘Cupid missed with this one’. So we just have to do that.” I said to him “Oh he also uses these handmade Cupid arrows, I made some while you were out.” I said to him.

After we killed her we took her body to a isolated place in town and placed the arrow in her heart, we got and cleaned up before heading to bed. The next morning was as normal as normal “Good job with the cutting.” I said while pouring myself a glass of orange juice, he looked at me and smiled before turning on the TV. The news was talking about the possibility of aliens actually being on Earth before the switch to a different topic “Well that was quick.” Jordan said eating his spoonful of lucky Charms “This morning police were called to investigate a murder that happened, they say that it might be the same person that had killed 10 people in the same way, but they don’t have any evidence or information about the person, when they do we will let you all know.” The news reporter said before Jordan changed the channel to SpongeBob.

I told Jordan that I’ll be back in about an hour before I walked out. I saw Choso working in his front yard. He looked up at me and waved “Good morning [Name]” he said to me. I waved at him before getting in my car.

[Present day]

(Choso’s pov)

I walked out to my house to check the mailbox before I heard some yelling coming from [Name] and her brothers house, I knew it was none of my business but her brother was a bigger man, I walked over and knocked on the door waiting for a response the opened it was Jordan “Is everything okay?” I said looking at him, he was going to speak before I heard [Name] speak up “No, it’s not okay.” She said standing beside him “Look it’s not my fault she was loud, and that you can’t get any.” He said, folding his arms across his chest. So it was that type of problem.

“So I’ll just take this as a sibling type of problem.” I said with a laugh.

Jordan looked at her before looking back at me “yea it is, but if you have a solution to her problem then this would be solved so fast.” He said smirking, I didn’t understand at first “JORDAN!” I heard [Name] yell before pinching him and walking away, I blushed a little and cleared my throat, Jordan looked at me and laughed “I’m just kidding man, unless?” He said looking at me with a smirk. She is a very attractive woman. “How about tonight?” I said to him with a smile, he looked surprised “well shit, my sisters got a date.” He said it loud enough for her. I chuckled before saying goodbye to the male and headed home.

Putting off a case that I started four years ago won’t be so hard. I walked to my basement and looked at the girl that’s been missing for two months now. “I don’t need you anymore, I got what I wanted now.” I said to the girl she smiled and began to cry “Oh. You think I’ll let you go?” I said with a laugh “,just for you to tell someone?” I said walking over to grab a knife, I then turned to look at the woman who was crying hysterically now.

Before I picked up [Named] I dumped the girls body somewhere isolated, after I was done I cleaned my hands and headed to her house.

[Names pov]

“No killing while I’m out.” I said while fixing my make up a little bit. I heard my brother say okay in a dead tone “Jordan I’m being serious.” I said putting my earring in before grabbing my bag. “Okay, okay jezz, I won’t.” He said, grabbing his bowl of ice cream and heading to the living room, I heard a knock at the door. I went to open it. “Hey.” He said with a smile, he handed me a bundle of flowers “Oh why thank you, these are so pretty!” I said taking them and placing them on the counter “Don’t stay out too long you two.” Jordan said while watching TV. I rolled my eyes and stepped outside while closing the door behind me. “You look…beautiful.” He said while grabbing my hand, I smiled “And you look handsome.” I said to him.

We made it to the restaurant, it was very beautiful. I was happy that he took me out, I haven’t been out in a while. We talked for a couple of minutes, I noticed he was very fidgety “You nervous?” I asked him, he looked at me with a smile “Y-yea just a little.” He said while grabbing his glass and taking a sip, I smiled. The waitress came out with our food a minute later, as we were eating we talked about a lot of things to get to know each other more. “So you never wanted to be a police officer?” I asked him, chuckling a little bit “Yep, I wanted to work with my dad.” He said before taking a bite of his food “Wow.” I said, taking a sip of my drink “So, you and your brother.” He said, looking at me.

“Mhm, what about us?” I said a little hesitant “You two don’t look alike, for being twins.” He said while intertwining his fingers, I looked at him for a moment before speaking “We’re fraternal twins.” I said smiling at him, he hummed in response before he continued eating. After we ate dinner we made our way back home, “I had a great time tonight.” I said standing in front of him, noticing he was a little bit taller than me, “I had a great time too.” He said getting closer, he leaned towards me and gave me a kiss before I could react he asked me if I wanted to come in I said sure and headed with him inside. “You’re home is reall-“I know you killed them.” He interrupted me. I stood there in shock “I- what do you mean, I wouldn’t do that.” I said starting to feel my breathing get heavy.

He walked closer to me, trapping me between him and the door “Stop lying I know you did, want me to tell you how?” He said getting closer to my face, I looked at him for a moment, lost in thought thinking of all my procedures and precautions or anything that I had forgotten to do “You forgot to write the words on her…like I do.” He said closer to my ear, still in shock I looked at him “W-what you mean like you do.?” I said, he kissed me and put his hands on my waist. “Before you moved here, I was the one killing.” He said moving towards my neck, I moaned at the action “You and your brother are really good at what you do. Being little copycats?” He said looking back at me “What fun do you get from doing this? Does it make you feel good? Bad?” He said, gripping my waist tighter “I-I don’t know, we just wanted to.” I said looking at him he smiled.

“You know why I did it?” He said picking me up, I yelped at the action. He carried me to his room and laid me down before getting on top of me. “I did it for you, the last girl I liked. I did the same thing but she rejected me. So I killed her and stopped but when you came I fell back into that mindset that I need you so I took girls that looked like you.” He kissed my neck again, though this situation was nothing to be happy about. I still smiled at the words that left his mouth. “I was thinking about taking you and putting you in my basement. Cause I didn’t think you would like me.” He said moving lower, before he continued he looked at as if he was asking could he keep going I nodded, he pushed up my dress and took it off throwing it somewhere in his room.

He kissed from my collarbone to my chest, I sat up to take off my bra for him “You're so beautiful.” He said to me while kissing around my nipple while playing. I moan and put my hands in his hair to push him closer. I felt him moaning against my nipple before he turned his attention to the other one. “I’m so happy I get to touch you.” He said with a whiny voice, he felt his hand move closer to my underwear, he started lightly rubbing circles on my clit. “Did you wear these for me?” He said softly while kissing in between my boobs. I moaned as he started moving his fingers faster, he continued kissing lower and lower until he got to the top of my underwear, he stopped his movements to take them off “You gone let me eat you out?” He asked as he kissed my inner thighs. I nodded, then rubbed his head, he kissed my inner thigh before kissing my clit, I moaned and gripped his hair a little tighter.

He lightly bit down on my clit before he started licking my hole then moving back up, he them licked my lips before he tongue fucked me, he brought his thumb up to my clit and lightly rubbed it “Your so sweet.” He said before putting his index finger inside of me I moaned and pushed his mouth deeper in to me, he put his middle finger inside and started moving his fingers and tongue faster “I-I’m so close, don’t stop please!” I said arching my back and grabbing his head. He moaned into me as I came on his face, “Good job baby.” He said while still fingering me, I tried to push his hand away “I think you can do one more for me, right?” He said rubbing his fingers against my sweet spot, I moaned as I felt myself reaching my peak. “I know baby you're so close.” He said to me as I reached my orgasm. “Look at that baby, you squirted.” He said with a smile before coming up to kiss me, I could taste myself on his lips.

“Was that your first time?” He said while picking me up to take me to the bathroom, once we made it there he placed me in the tub and turned on the water ��Do you want to go back home or you wanna stay?” He said while checking the temperature he looked at me “I can stay here.” I said to him, “What’s wrong baby, something wrong?” He said turning the water off, I looked up at him “I didn’t- well we didn’t do anything.” I said looking up at him as he rubbed my body with soap. “Baby, your pleasure is my pleasure. I promise I had just as much pleasure as you.” He said kissing my forehead, I smiled at him.

Cupid didn’t miss time…

#x reader #jjk x reader #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x you #jjk modern au #poc reader #choso x reader #jjk choso #choso smut #song inspired #jujutsu kaisen choso #choso x you #choso x y/n #choso kamo #x poc reader #jjk smut #jjk fanfic #SoundCloud

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a-smol-cosplayer · 2 years ago

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I talk a lot about my Tyler and enid being besties agenda and I made a short post about it awhile ago but I wanna flesh it out more bc I love them and this is my account so no one can stop me mwahaha.

Anyways Idk how it would actually work but either wyler, or wenclair with him coming back with a redemption arch or poly Wednesday with both Tyler and enid as significant others and them as queer platonic. Or all three. idm how it happens im just here for it.

Hcs

He lets enid paint his nails. Sometimes its all different colours to match hers (and she talks billions of instagram photos of them) sometimes with itty bitty little designs but usually some sort of light blue colour. He gets complemented by the old ladies that come in to the weathervane when he hands them their coffee and he secretly loves to show off his nails. (Once when going to the raven she painted them black to match wednesday) ((she secretly liked that they where matching))

This man hears all the gossip from his job. Being a barista at the only coffee shop in town?? Dude gets all the tea. So basically him and enid (and thing) will have gossip sessions where he tells her all the things he has overheard whilst working. (Enids readers and shocked at the jump in range and accuracy of gossip that goes up on her blog)

Tyler goes to her for fashion advice all the time. He lets her dress him up for special events like the harvest festival ect and will always go shopping with her just to hold all her clothes. (When asked the difference between two slightly differing shades of pink jumper he just blindly closes his eyes and picks one) (Enid realises and once picked up two of the same item and forced him to choose which was better - both she and Thing found his panic as he desperately tried to figure out the difference hilarious)

They bond over how much wednesday manages to get them in sticky situations. ((Like in the gates mansion where they shared ‘tf?!?’ Looks the whole time)) Tyler once remarked that mysteries literally seem to follow them wherever they go as all three of them climbed through some sewerage tunnel looking for clues, wednesday was no impressed. They spend hours in a day talking about the weirdest things they love about her ‘once she let me braid her hair after she got out the shower - I have never felt love till now’ ‘oh really well she let me pick her WHOLE OUTFIT for the harvest festival and then let me post the pictures of us in matching fits. Im pretty sure she loves me more’

Tyler has tailored some specific sweet drink for enid that he makes every time she walks in the door with her friends. Its piled high with whip cream and marshmallows and he calls it the ‘enid special’. No one else is allowed to order it. (Wednesday once accidentally took a sip whilst she wasn’t paying attention and threatend to cut her tounge out of her mouth because of how sweet it was.) Enid loves it and its on her story all the time with Tylers @ down at the bottom

Speaking of social media enid freaked when she saw tylers bare instrgram page. They spent all evening redoing it. He has three posts, the first one was an old photo of him and his mum he posted on her birthday, one is of him and enid with their matching nails and him and Eugene out at the hives with the caption ‘first week at nevermore going better than expected’ and the third one is a photo of him and wednesday enid took whilst waiting in line for the dunk tank captioned ‘the only murder this year was the way wednesday killed it at the carnival’ - the second photo on that post is him and enid with the pile of stuffed animals that wednesday has won for them bc she knows they both love them. He has one highlight thats just a ☕️ and its all his attempts and late art and baking goods for the weathervane.

Once helped enid dye her two toned hair and ended up with blue tips in his own hair for a few months bc he couldn’t say no to her. Thing ruthless made fun of him for it and His only response was the fact that Thing had never said no to enid either so maybe they where both as pathetic as each other. He actually ended up really liking it and keeping it in for a while (wednesday liked it too, to the surprise of both Tyler and enid but she swore she would shave their hair off in their sleep if they told anyone. ((They never did)))

Enid helps keep the crazy in. Him and wednesday escalate each others fires which is good when needed but sometimes he wants to feel normal - like he did before Thornhill manipulated and groomed him into being a ruthless monster with blood on his hands. And so when the flashbacks and nightmares get too bad enid will sometimes find him curled up at the end of her bed half covered in plushies. When he gets ansty she will pull him along to show him the newest draft of her blog or drag him into helping prepare Ophelia Hall for the next poe cup (she has sworn him to secrecy but he wasn’t planning on participating anyways, not being super big into the whole school spirit thing) until his hands stop shaking and his eyes loose the haunted look

Once he has learned how to control hyde him and enid in her wolf form will go running and playing on full moon. The hyde is still slightly weary of wolf!enid which both enid and Tyler take slight enjoyment in. one time whilst they where out wednesday started playing her cello on the balcony and hyde!Tyler got so distracted that he ran straight into a tree. Enid and Wednesday never let him live it down. They chase rabbits and make a competition of who can catch the most and instead of waking up cold and alone after transforming back Tyler wakes up warm and covered with a soft blanket on the floor of the girls dorms (he sleeps mostly in enids stuffed toy mountain after full moons and has scared Yoko, Ajax, Xavier and Kent many times when they come into the room) ((its also a convenient place to hide him when the new dorm monitor comes around to tell them to turn their lights off))

They would definitely brainstorm dates together. Whoever u ship (wyler or wenclair) doesn’t matter. For wyler enid would help him set up another creepyish highly wednesday focused date with the sole bribe of him telling her all about it later. for wenclair he would help her plan dates that wednesday would like and recommend places in Jericho to go bc he has lived there his whole life. Either way they do have a whole whiteboard that is full of date ideas (his whiteboard marker is blue and hers is pink - Thing gets green) wednesday fully knows they collaborate but bc it doesn’t end up on enid blog and she’s soft for them she lets it slide.

They also hang out on enids side of the room when wednesday is writing. Sometimes they get banished to the balcony for laughing to hard but its totally worth it.

Enid makes Tyler get high things for her as well as carry heavy things. She also rides on his shoulders/back everywhere. Yells “CHARGEEEE” and everything just like a toddler. Wednesday has a photo of them like this and has it as the background of her Home Screen but no one knows

Speaking of phones, Wednesdays Lock Screen is a stupid photo that Tyler and enid took and set as as a joke. U know one of those ones where its taken from below and both their heads are swished into the frame peering up at u? She refuses to change it claiming ‘she doesn’t know how too and will not let any of you imbeciles touch my phone’ but they both know she secretly likes it - wednesday would never let ‘not knowing how to do something’ stop her from removing it if she really wanted to

Enid put eyeliner on Tyler once and he loved it. He lets her do it all the time now - not overtly crazy she just tight lines his eyes and smokes out his bottom lash line. He has never felt more pretty before - and he got loads of compliments at work. When wednesday first saw it she just stopped and stared for 20 seconds before glaring at him marching out onto the balcony so he counts it as a win.

Tyler gets along with morticia and enid gets along with Gomez really well. Obviously Wednesdays parents love both of them and immediately took them in but you can find Tyler and morticia talking about the latest book they have read over tea and gomez loves showing enid all of his striped suits, as well as teaching her how to fight with just her claws. Pugsley loves both of them more than life itself and lets enid paint his nails and plays non torture catch with Tyler whenever they are home on break.

He lets enid sit with him while he bakes. Its sort of a stress reviler and she will usually sit on the counter tops as he bakes cakes or muffins or pastries for the weathervane to sell. She gets to pick the music and they both dance around the kitchen whilst its cooks. She definitely licks the spoon and he always gives her a ‘quality control taster’ before he puts them out to get the enid stamp of approval. ((Once for his birthday she got him a t-shirt that said ‘enid stamp of approval’ he definitely did not cry over the fact that she and him 1. had an inside joke and 2. she actually forgave him and approves of him as a person. He wears it with pride) ((wednesday steals it to sleep in sometimes and they both think its adorable when they catch her wearing it))

So this got way out of hand but yeah!! I will probably continue this at some point but this is it so far. Let me know if I have converted u bc Tyler needs more friends/love and support in his life and I feel like enid would be the one to first befriend him at nevermore bc she knows she could kick his ass if he tried anything :)

#and he never would tho #bc he is a sweetheart and I love him #but yeah!!#wednesday addams #tyler galpin #enid sinclair #wyler #wenclair #I dont know how to tag this #ummm #tyler x wednesday #wednesday x enid #they are besties ur honour I swear #wednesday netflix

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justjarminsports · 3 months ago

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49ers, Purdy hold on to double digit lead, move past Seahawks.

Photo Credit: Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images

By: Benjarmin Munguia

Date: October 11, 2024

The 49ers had another double-digit lead at the half, but they controlled the 2nd half this time.

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks 36-24 in a much-needed road win. After their last two losses to the Rams and the Cardinals, the 49ers were up by 10 points at the half but lost both games. The 49ers needed this win.

The 49ers took a 16-3 lead at the half. They controlled the first half and had the ball with 18 minutes left.

In the 3rd quarter, the Seahawks stormed back after the 49ers tight end George Kittle scored a touchdown, giving the 49ers a 23-3 lead; the Seahawks answered back with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Seahawks kick returner Laviska Shenault.

Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker scored on a 1-yard touchdown after Tyler Lockett caught a 37-yard pass from Geno Smith, putting the Seahawks behind the 49ers 23-17.

After that, in the 4th quarter, Geno Smith completed a pass to 49ers linebacker Renardo Green; this completion was an interception, and was Geno Smith's 2 interception of the night; this turnover set up another George Kittle touchdown, extending the 49ers lead 29-17

The Seahawks answered back, with Tyler Lockett hauling in a one-yard score to trim the lead to 29-24. However, it wasn't enough, as 499ers running back Issac Guerendo ran for a 76-yard carry, putting them at the Seahawks' 4-yard line. Kyle Juszcyk scored a 4-yard run, icing a 36-24 victory.

NFL leading rusher and 49ers running back Jordan Mason had a shoulder injury, which left him on the sidelines in the second half. He did come back in the second half for one play but remained on the sideline.

Geno Smith went 30-of-52 for 312 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions as Seattle entered its three-game skid.

Brock Purdy had a different game, going for 18-of-28 for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns, as the 49ers got to .500, being 3-3

The injury with Jordan Mason is unclear at this time.

The 49ers look to extend their winning streak as they head home to host the Kansas City Chiefs, while the Seahawks look to end their 3-game losing streak, heading south to face the explosive Atlanta Falcons.

#nfl football #nfl #seattle seahawks #san fransisco 49ers #thursday night football

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gretavanfunk · 5 months ago

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Fighting Fire (Series)

Chapter Three

Word Count: 5,789

Summary: Stevie and Sam never seemed to be what people refer to as "two peas in a pod" growing up. He got under her skin more times than she could count and Sam was desperate to be on a level playing field as his older brother and Stevie's best friend, Jake. One summer, Sam is forced to face his demons and in turn, Stevie is too.

Warnings: none really other than heated arguing /:

This story is written and edited by me and it is my baby so I hope some people out there can enjoy it as much as I enjoy creating it! If there are typos, bear with me lol

Chapter Three Playlist for the vibes!

Today was the last day that the twins would be in town. Everyone gathered around the table, having breakfast together: Jake, Josh, Sam, Ronnie, Kelly, Karen, and Stevie. Stevie was trying so hard to take photos in her mind of this breakfast to hold onto when she would be forced back into her reality of living alone and catching glimpses of her friends on the internet. When everyone was done and just sitting around, talking, Josh and Ronnie got up to start helping with the clean up and Stevie felt the tension rising in her body.

The more she dragged the day along, the more she could relish in the unity of her friends. She didn't want to start their adventure yet, because it would be over before she knew it. She sighed, taking long glances at each of them and Jake gave her a quizzing smirk.

"What's up, Steve?" he asked and she smiled sheepishly at him, resting her chin on her palm.

"I'm just savoring this," Stevie admitted and Sam rolled his eyes, pretending to gag. She pouted at him, kicking his shin under the table and he glared at her.

"You're one of the sappiest people I've ever met," Sam laughed, "And that's saying something when I'm related to Josh."

Karen scoffed and shook her head, "You're pretty sappy too, Sam."

Stevie raised her eyebrows at Karen and started laughing, "Damn, even your mom is calling you on your bullshit."

Sam shook his head, looking dramatically off into the distance but managing to smile anyway. Stevie smiled too, feeling pretty confident that getting him out of his room for movies last night boosted his mood a bit. As much as she was dreading saying goodbye to Jake, she was at least a little thankful that Sam would be around. Just as long as his attitude didn't completely kill her summer. She wasn't sure if she could deal with her grief and Sam's dramatics on top of that too.

Josh walked over when he was finished with the dishes and rested a hand on Stevie's shoulder, "Alright gang! Are you ready? We gotta get out there before the trails get too hot!"

Stevie took a deep breath and smiled up at him, "Alright, let's get the show on the road."

Today, the group of them were aiming to do all of the fun things they used to do together growing up, starting with hiking, a picnic afterwards maybe, and seeing where the rest of the day took them. She didn't really care what they did together though. She was just scared that the day would come and go too quickly and tomorrow was going to be too hard to handle. After she says her goodbyes to the twins, she had to work one more shift before her vacation time started. On top of that, Ronnie wasn't scheduled to work tomorrow and was also going on a vacation of her own with Tyler. So, she really would be alone until it was Project Lake House time, and even then, that wasn't really something she was looking forward to either.

The group of them gathered their stuff for their day and said their goodbyes to Karen and Kelly. Stevie had talked to each of them briefly this morning about the lake house trip, mentioning the plan she had with the twins about helping take Sam's mind off of everything. Thankfully, they were both on board, but had their reservations about it. Karen was adamant about Stevie contacting her at any time for anything at all, worried that she was taking too much of this on herself.

"I'm not too worried about it, honestly," Stevie told her, "It kind of works out perfectly for me because without the help, I'd never go back to face the lake house."

Karen had given her a hug at that point and Kelly chimed in too, "Well, don't be afraid to put his ass to work."

She smiled at the memory, tugging her duffle bag over her shoulder and following the rest of them to Josh's Jeep. This time, Ronnie sat up front with Josh and Stevie was stuck in the middle between Jake and Sam. Once in the car, Ronnie took it upon herself to be the DJ and she turned back to look at Stevie with a mischievous smile.

"Hey, Josh," Ronnie said, "Have you ever listened to Chappell Roan?"

Stevie started laughing at her and Josh smiled and shook his head, "Can't say I have. Who's that?"

"You'll love her," Stevie said, "Ronnie and I have talked about this."

Ronnie put on "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" and she and Stevie immediately started bopping to the beat.

Ronnie turned to Josh suddenly, "You know what they say."

Stevie leaned forward and poked her head in between Ronnie and Josh, "Never waste a Friday night on a first date!"

Josh started giggling and Ronnie continued, "But there I was, in my heels with my hair straight."

Stevie leaned back and looked at Jake, "And sooo I took him to this bar," she jutted at Sam with her thumb and Jake looked at her amusedly, "This man wouldn't dance."

She looked at Sam who rolled his eyes and sighed, making her laugh.

Ronnie continued by dramatically reaching her hand over her forehead, "He didn't ask a single question."

Together in unison Ronnie and Stevie both peered over at Josh, "and he was wearing these fugly jeans."

Josh laughed nervously and Sam shook his head and muttered under his breath, "Oh my god."

Stevie looked at him with a smile, "It doesn't matter though. He doesn't have what it takes to be with a girl like me."

Sam tried to look unamused but the corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile and he looked away from her out of the window. The music continued and the girls danced annoyingly.

Stevie turned to Jake and continued to recite the words, "Not overdramatic, I know what I want!"

Jake started laughing too and then she grabbed Sam's arm, recapturing his attention. He looked at her hesitantly with raised eyebrows and she sang, "We're leaving the planet."

Then he stuck her pointer finger out and poked him in the nose on each of the next words, "You can't come."

Sam grimaced and glared at her but as she and Ronnie continued to sing very dramatically and loud to the music, he chuckled to himself at their ridiculousness. She kept singing loudly and constantly bumped into Jake and Sam, just adding on to the layers of their awkward annoyance and when the song was over, Sam sighed, "Thank god. Turn that shit off!"

Ronnie glared at him through the rearview and stuck her tongue out, "You can listen to whatever you want on your own time, Sam. Consider this education!"

She put on "Hot To Go" next and Josh snaped his fingers, "Wait, didn't this play at the club the other night?"

Ronnie nodded, "Yes! Because it's iconic!"

Josh smiled and nodded, "Pretty iconic, Ronnie."

They ended up listening to Chappell Roan the rest of the way to the hiking trail and when Josh parked in the dirt parking lot, Sam pretty much fell out of the car.

"Finally! I could feel my brain rotting," he quipped and Stevie rolled her eyes, kicking her legs out of his door, "Oh, grow up!"

"Personally, I really enjoyed Guilty Pleasure," Josh admitted and Stevie laughed. Ronnie unbuckled her seatbelt and nodded, "We knew you would."

Once out of the car, Stevie hung around the back of the jeep and dug around in her back pack for her sunscreen as everyone gathered their hiking supplies. She flipped the bottle open and squeezed a good amount out on her hand before handing it to Jake.

"Here," she said, "You always forget."

He scoffed and gave her a nod, "Thanks, mom."

She stuck her tongue out at him but started lathering her legs in it, raising her eyebrows when Jake still hadn't even opened the bottle. He huffed and set his bag down, "Okay, okay! Jeez woman!"

Stevie smiled and shook her head, moving to her arms, "Your face always gets burnt and you always complain about it!"

Jake imitated her words in a mocking tone but he pushed his sunglasses up into his hair and started applying the sunscreen to his face anyway.

When she finished her own face, she noticed Sam standing a bit away, kicking the rocks in the dirt and she called him, causing him to look up.

"What?" he snapped and she grabbed the sunscreen bottle off of the bumper of the Jeep, "Will you help me get my back?"

Sam made a face and looked at Jake, "Why don't you ask him?"

"He's busy protecting his own skin," Stevie said flatly and rolled her eyes, "Will you just get over yourself and help me? Then you can put some on yourself too cause I know you haven't!"

Sam sauntered his way to her, grabbing the bottle aggressively, "Actually, I take great care of my skin, thank you very much."

As he stood toe-to-toe with her, it was then that she noticed how much he actually towered over her and she studied the sunglasses that rest on his face. She bit her tongue but mentally noted how impractical they were for hiking, as they weren't that shady at all and were more like yellow-tinted reading glasses. Those couldn't possibly protect his eyes that much. The frames were big too, making his face look sort of bug-like. His eyes flicked up at her and he wore a weird expression when she realized he was responding to the smile that she wasn't aware she was wearing and she shook her head, dropping her expression.

He squirted the sunscreen in his hand and motioned with it for her to turn around, "I have to reapply in exactly thirty-eight minutes."

"Oh right," Stevie said sarcastically, "My apologies, queen."

Sam's hands met the skin on her shoulders and she jumped at the contact, making him chuckle, "You were expecting me to touch you," he teased and she rolled her eyes, "I still can't see what you're doing, jerk."

His words could be so sharp and quick-witted, but his hands were gentle, rubbing large circles over her shoulders and even dipping underneath the straps of her tank top to make sure she wouldn't get burned along the hem. When he was done, he blew on her back, causing little goosebumps to creep over her arms, but then wiped the excess sunscreen on her tank top and she groaned, "Sam! What the heck!"

"Hey," he laughed, "You wanted my help! You're welcome!"

He handed the bottle to her and turned on his foot, walking away from the Jeep and closer to the start of the trail. She shook her head, cursing under her breath and tucking the bottle into her bag when Jake came over, swinging his arm around her after her backpack was securely on her back. They started walking to the trail together and he leaned over closer to her, "You guys are going to have so much fun this summer!"

Jake's voice dripped with sarcastic enthusiasm and Stevie sighed, "God, help me."

He laughed and they followed Josh and Ronnie onto the trail, Sam waiting for everyone to go ahead, probably so he could sulk in the back. Josh was leading the pack, Ronnie behind him and Jake and Stevie stayed side by side, linking arms, holding hands or wrapped over one another's shoulders. Stevie would periodically check behind her to see Sam. He was following at quite a distance, head down and watching his shoes. Sometimes she would see him taking pictures of the sights on his film camera and when they finally got up to where Josh wanted to take in the view, she realized he wasn't behind them anymore.

"Wow," Josh sighed, "Look at that!" They all peered out over the cliff they were standing on and watched the tiny town below them, small enough for everything to look like a community for ants. Ronnie pulled out her phone and took a selfie with the four of them and after she snapped the photo, Stevie looked around.

"Where's Sam?"

Jake looked around too and shrugged, "He probably stopped to take a picture of something."

Josh looked around them frantically and nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure when we walk the trail back, we'll run into him!"

And the four of them only took a few more pictures before they did just that, walking back and making sure to look around some more in case they spotted him. After the group got back to the Jeep and nobody saw him, Stevie groaned, annoyed that they once again, were stuck and waiting on Sam.

"Seriously," she complained, "We've hiked this same trail how many times?"

Jake laughed and patted her back, "Don't worry, Stevie. He'll be back soon! He can't go anywhere without the Jeep."

The four of them stood around the parking lot awkwardly for a few minutes before Josh went ahead and opened up the back door to the Jeep, reaching in the cooler for one of the sandwiches they had brought.

"I'm starving," he explained, "And who knows how long Sam is gonna be."

Stevie rolled her eyes, annoyance filling her once again and Jake smiled at her, finding it amusing how quickly she could start stewing in anger.

They all leaned up against the back of the Jeep, chatting and eating sandwiches while they waited for Sam to come back. However, after about an hour, he still hasn't returned.

"Do you think he got lost?" Josh asked, a hint of worry in his voice and Stevie shook his head, "We used to do this like almost every week when we were younger! I would be very shocked if he couldn't figure out his way back."

"Yeah," Josh nodded and then he scratched his head, "It's just been a while."

Jake sighed and turned to his brother, "Do you think we should go look for him again?"

Josh smiled a small smile and nodded, "Maybe."

Stevie groaned and pushed herself off of the Jeep, tugging her back pack back on, "Let's go."

Jake laughed, bumping her with his hip, "Don't get too upset, Stevie! We're still spending time together."

Stevie looked at him and smiled, "You're right!"

She grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking, "If I beat you to the trail sign, you have to give me a piggy back ride back!"

Jake narrowed his eyes at her and got into a racing position, "You're on!"

She copied his stance beside him and counted them down, "Three, Two, One..."

Her feet started moving before she said go and Jake yelled after her, trying to catch up, "Hey! Cheater!"

Her laughter only got louder the closer Jake got to her and for a second, she could feel his fingers brush her skin, but she pushed herself to run faster, squealing a bit and reaching out for the trail post. Once she got to it, she clung to it tightly and only beat Jake by a sliver of a second.

"HAHA!" she shouted, "I win!"

Jake doubled over beside her, resting his hands on his knees and catching his breath, "I-" he gasped, "let you win."

She sighed, trying to catch her own breath and started laughing, "Mmhmm."

Once he collected himself, he glared at her, "Everyone knows you start a race on go! Not on one!"

She hooked her arm around his and they started back on the trail together, "Not if you want to win, Jake."

He rolled his eyes and pushed her with his body slightly and the two friends set off on a search for Sam. When they all met a fork on the path, they decided to split up and Josh and Ronnie went one way while Jake and Stevie went the other.

She started stewing again when the sun started to go down and she huffed, "I am going to kill him."

Jake chuckled, "Relax, it's okay!"

"No," she shook her head, "You won't have to worry about Sam getting into any trouble this summer because he is a dead man! This is our last full day together and he has ruined it."

"We can still have fun," Jake said, "We can make smore's tonight, if you want!"

She looked at him with a blank stare, "Of course I want."

He laughed at her and she smiled, shrugging, "I don't know. I've just missed you so much and I guess I just didn't realize it until you came back. It feels like I've barely even had any time with you."

Jake sighed, "I know, I'm sorry. But I'll come back! We can come back for the fourth and have a whole lake house moment if that'd be okay with you!"

Stevie squeezed Jake's arm and smiled, "Yeah! That'd be great! Except that's almost a full two months from now!"

"Hey," Jake's voiced hushed, "I didn't say I wouldn't come back before then. Sam is just super pissed at me. I know I need to give him some space, but if he comes back to Nashville, I can't give him space and be confident that he won't get into trouble."

Stevie sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I get it. I just don't feel like myself when you're gone."

Jake slipped his arm out from her arm and swung it over her shoulders, squeezing her tightly, "This is like your coming of age summer!"

"You've been through a lot this year," Jake continued, "and now you've got this whole project ahead of you! You can make the lake house your own and really get started on your next chapter."

Stevie took a deep breath and she nodded at his words, "Yeah, it's just kind of hard to change anything. That would require me to let go first."

"Then let go," Jake whispered, "I know I'm not always the most available person to you, but I am always going to come back."

Stevie felt her tears prick at her eyes and she took a sharp breath in through her nose. Jake rubbed his hand against her shoulder and sighed, "I'm never going to leave you behind, Stevie."

She stopped walking abruptly and wrapped her arms around him tightly, "I love you."

He laughed, taken aback by her hug but he wrapped his arms around her too and rested his head on her head, "I love you too!"

They kept walking and after meeting multiple dead ends with no sight of Sam, they decided to head back to the parking lot before it got too dark. When they got back to the fork in the trail, Josh and Ronnie met up with them again.

"Couldn't find him?" Josh asked them and Jake shook his head.

"Us either," he sighed and they all made their way to the car.

Jake stopped abruptly and grabbed Stevie, turning his back to her, "Piggy back ride?"

"Oh!" she laughed, "I almost forgot!"

Jake crouched down and Stevie jumped on his back, laughing as he lunged forward and struggled to get up.

"Onward trusty steed!" she shouted and Jake chuckled, hooking his arms around her legs and working towards the parking lot.

When they finally approached the parking lot, the Jeep stood there alone under the light of dusk and sure enough, Sam stood with his back pressed up against the door. Jake and Stevie were speaking loudly in dramatic British accents and laughing at each other, causing Sam to look up and frown at the sight of them.

He pushed himself up off of the Jeep and threw his hands in the air, "Where the hell were you guys?"

Stevie's smile fell when she saw him and she tapped Jake's shoulder who let her legs loose and she hopped off of his back. She started storming over to Sam and growled, "Where were we? Where the hell were you? We were looking for you, idiot!"

Sam scoffed at her and Jake tried to call her name but she kept going, "Everyone knows not to go off the trail by yourself when you're in a group!"

Sam smirked down at her and crossed his arms over his chest, "Bor-ing! That's not very adventurous is it?"

Stevie groaned, "God, why are you such an insufferable prick, Sam?"

"If you were really that smart, one of you would've stayed here in case I came back," Sam quipped and Stevie took a deep breath in, "Fuck you! You're the most self absorbed person ever and it's exhausting!"

"Will you fucking calm down? I just went a different way, Jesus Christ!" Sam argued back and Stevie clenched her jaw, staring daggers into him, "No! I will not calm down! Your brothers are leaving in the morning and you completely ruined my last day with them! Everything is always about you, Sam! For once can you just not be fucking selfish?"

"Stevie," Jake grabbed her shoulder and she shrugged him off, "No Jake, I'm fucking tired of it! You knew how much I wanted this day to be perfect and you completely blew it off!"

"Stevie, relax!" Sam shouted, "Did it ever cross your mind that I didn't want to be apart of your fucking date with Jake? That I simply don't care about any of this send off bullshit?"

"Then why did you come?" Stevie's voice got louder and without any thought, Sam fought back, "Because you fucking forced me to! You literally latched onto me and wouldn't let me bail on movie night and then this morning, you came into my room shouting like a fucking drill sergeant lunatic!"

"Sam, come on," Jake said sheepishly and Sam glared at him, "No! I don't fucking care! In case you haven't noticed Stevie, my brothers are trying to get as far away from me as possible and honestly, I'm not going to stop them! They're both fucking pains in my asses and looks like you're a third runner up!"

Stevie shook her head, "Fucking grow up, Sam! This pity party bullshit is getting old."

Sam scoffed and shook his head, stepping back from her and smiling, "You have no idea what you're fucking talking about."

"Maybe I don't," Stevie shrugged, "Because you refuse to actually do anything about it and you're making everyone else miserable in the process!"

Sam's smile remained but his eyes grew dark and he barked back, "Why don't you just go to Nashville with them? Oh wait, you can't be so far up Jake's ass with his girlfriend around."

"Shut the fuck up, Sam," Stevie lunged at him and shoved him back, causing Jake to step in and grab her, "Woah, Stevie, stop!"

However, the physical threat didn't stop Sam from pouring salt on the wound, "Or maybe it's because you'll never get out of this shit town, Stevie. Maybe it's because everyone you love is always leaving you behind, don't you think the common denominator in all of that is, uh, you?"

Josh placed his hand firmly on Sam's chest and grit his teeth, "Enough."

"Go to hell," Stevie's voice was quiet, trying not to be consumed by the hurt she was feeling. Jake pulled her into a hug but Sam needed to get the last word in.

"See you there, bitch," he muttered and Josh yanked on his shirt, "Sam! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Josh opened the passenger door quickly and shoved Sam into the seat and Sam yanked Josh's hand off of him and pushed him back, "Stop!"

He sat in the seat, aggressively adjusting himself and Josh slammed the door on him, shaking his head and muttering under his breath as he walked over to the driver's door and got in. Jake switched seats with Stevie, settling in the middle and holding onto her once their seatbelts were on. Ronnie sat beside him and everyone remained silent the rest of the drive back.

Maybe Stevie kind of lost her cool and shouldn't have even bothered fighting with Sam, but now the sun was sinking and it was getting dark and that just meant that she was closer and closer to being without her best friend and stuck with her worst nightmare. Sam was right in saying that she didn't know what she was talking about, but this outburst also stemmed from years of him constantly bitching and moaning and turning everything sour all the time.

Once they got back, Sam stormed out the car and into the house. Stevie and Ronnie helped Josh and Jake unload everything and bring it back inside. Sam was leashing up Rosie and took her out for a walk and nobody said a word to him, fearful of what he might do if they tried. Stevie couldn't care less. If he wanted to be a drama queen, then fine! She was done trying. Maybe he wouldn't want to help her with the lake house anymore and she honestly didn't care. She would just get her shifts back at work and keeping putting it off, no sweat on her back.

Once they cleaned up all of their stuff, Jake clapped his hands together and turned to her, "S'mores?"

She wore a small smile and nodded, "Yeah, what the hell? Let's do it!"

"Wooo," Jake shook his fist in the air and Stevie let out a laugh. She was exhausted from the day, but she wasn't about to let it all go to shit. Even if Sam wanted to skip out and lock himself away forever, this was not about him. This was about Jake. And Josh. And how much she was going to miss them.

Jake grabbed the graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate and Stevie went into the garage and found the skewers. They approached Josh and Ronnie in the living room and shook the stuff at them.

"Anyone down for some s'mores?" Jake asked and Ronnie shook her head, "Campfire smoke? No thanks! I have to pack for my trip anyway! But, before I do, can I talk to you, Stevie?"

Stevie nodded, handing the skewers to Jake and following Ronnie to her room.

"Hey," Ronnie sighed, "I just wanted to debrief about that fight."

Stevie rubbed her face with her hands and nodded, "Yeah, I kind of overreacted."

"Sam went too far," Ronnie sighed again, "I just don't want you to feel like this lake house thing is something you have to do for him."

"I know," Stevie said, "It's something I have to do, but he's just going to be there. And I mean, is he even going to be there? He was pretty angry at me."

"He didn't mean any of that," Ronnie said, "He just always has to feel like he's winning."

"Whatever," Stevie sighed, "I don't even care anymore. I shouldn't have exploded on him. Obviously fighting with him only makes him worse."

"I mean," Ronnie hissed, "At least there's somebody willing to call his ass out. He needs that."

Stevie shook her head and laughed, "Sam needs some fucking therapy, that's what he needs."

Ronnie laughed too and nodded, "True. Just don't let him chew you up and spit you out this summer, okay?"

Stevie nodded, "You know me, Ron. I'm not going to take his shit. I will make him clean though."

Ronnie smiled and pulled Stevie into a hug, "Okay, go be a weirdo with the twins! Enjoy your last night with them!"

Stevie hugged her back and nodded, "Good luck with the packing!"

"Only one travel day away from sipping margaritas on a beach in Miami!" Ronnie celebrated and Stevie laughed, leaving Ronnie to it and joining the twins outside.

Jake already had the fire going and she smiled at the sight of them sitting there, shooting the shit. If she stared at them long enough, she could almost picture their high school selves.

"Stevie!" Josh exclaimed, "Welcome to the party!"

Stevie sighed and she took a seat in between them, "Now, this is what I'm talking about!"

Jake laughed and handed her a skewer with a marshmallow already fastened to it and she smiled, "Why thank you, kind sir."

"Are you doing okay?" Josh asked her and she looked at him, confused for a second, "I'm fine, why?"

"Sam said some really horrible things to you," Josh said and Stevie scoffed, "Yeah, well Sam is miserable and I was stupid to think that arguing with him was even a productive use of my time."

"Still," Josh studied his marshmallow in over the flames, "It was uncalled for."

"I'm fine, thanks," Stevie took a deep breath, "But enough about Sam. He's really cramping my style."

"God," Jake laughed, "Cramping your style? Who are you, grandma?"

"Give me a break, Jake," Stevie laughed loudly, "Don't forget you used to wear thrifted women's blouses all the damn time. Remember your roots."

The three of them erupted into laughter together and Stevie could feel all of the stress about the day's events roll right off of her shoulders. She felt light and free. It was never like this anymore, just the three of them. She might of been in her head too much about the time she had with Jake and Josh, but that's because it was precious to her. And time she got with them was getting to be more rare as the years passed.

She had to savor the moments because she had no other choice. Sam didn't get it. He didn't understand what being so far away from them was like for her. He had no idea what her life was like when they weren't around. Maybe this summer would do him some good after all. Maybe being in her shoes for once would actually help him get the stick out of his ass. She wasn't sure, but she could hope.

She hung out with the twins late into the night. The three of them sat around, talking and eating s'mores almost like nothing that happened earlier today ever even occurred. Almost like they had never packed up and moved away in the first place. But when the fire burned out and Josh yawned, stretching aggressively, Stevie came to her senses. This was it. The end of their time. She almost felt her sadness, but her joy outweighed it.

"I think I better hit the hay," Josh admitted, "Got a long drive tomorrow."

Stevie sighed and she nodded, "Okay, okay. I guess I have to accept it now."

Josh looked at her with saddened eyes, "We'll be back, Steve. We always come back."

Her heart swelled at his words, remembering what Jake had told her on the hike too and she stood up, gesturing Josh in for a hug.

He basically crushed her in his arms and she laughed, "I love you, Joshua!"

"I love you more, Stephanie!" Josh proclaimed and Stevie pinched his side, "Hey! No Stephanie!"

"Oh," Josh giggled, "My apologies, Stevie Wonder!"

"That's better," she rested her head on his shoulder and he kissed her forehead, "Goodnight."

They pulled apart and Josh grabbed all of the s'mores stuff, taking it all back into the house with him. Stevie turned to Jake now, who hesitantly stood up too. He stretched and reached his hand out for Stevie to take, "Come on, Steve. We can build a fort in my room for old time's sake."

Stevie laughed, thinking about the stupid fort building contests they would have as kids and she took his hand, skipping excitedly beside him, "Woooo! I don't think we'll ever be able to beat the one we made after the eight grade dance! That one stretched out onto the hallway and connected with Ronnie's fort!"

"I know," Jake chuckled, "I still can't believe mom disqualified us for teaming up with Ronnie."

They both laughed at the memory and made their way into the house, tip toeing down the hallway to try and not wake anyone up. Once they got to Jake's room, Stevie let go of his hand and excused herself to the bathroom.

Just as she went to reach for the handle, the door swung open and Sam walked into her, wrapped in a towel and dripping wet from the shower.

"Oh," Sam said, "Sorry. Didn't realize you'd be right against the door."

"Sorry," Stevie said, "Didn't realize you were in the shower."

She moved out of his way, but Sam didn't move and she looked at him strangely, "Uh, hello? Kinda need to piss, dude."

"I'm sorry," Sam said quietly, "Like I'm actually sorry. I said some things to you that I didn't mean. I was just reacting without thinking and-" he stopped talking, flustered that he was rambling, "I'm sorry."

Stevie sighed and closed her eyes but she nodded, "I'm sorry too. I completely overreacted and I said some pretty hurtful things too."

She opened her eyes and Sam was looking at the ground, "So, can I still come to the lake house with you?"

His voice was so quiet and it was kind of rewarding to see Sam act like a dog with its tail between its legs. She took a deep breath and managed a smile, "Yes, you can still come. I wouldn't be going without you, anyway."

He looked up at her and smiled a nervous smirk, "Thanks, Stevie."

She nodded and Sam finally walked away, freeing up the bathroom for her. She'd be lying if she said that the apologies didn't make her feel at least a little relieved. She didn't want to have to address it tomorrow when her brain would be utter mush from all of the emotions she was so desperately trying to shove deep down inside.

When she was washing her hands, there was a knock on the bathroom door and she opened to find Sam again, this time in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"Sorry," he said, "I left my phone in here."

She turned to the counter and saw it laying there, so she grabbed it and handed it to him, "Here."

Sam took the phone out of her hands slowly and carefully, looking at her face the whole time. Stevie furrowed her eyebrows together, confused as to why he was suddenly being so gentle.

"Thanks," Sam said but he still lingered there instead of just turning on his heel and storming off like he usually would. Right before she was about to ask him what his deal was, Jake popped his head into the hallway, "Stevie! Hurry up! I can't finish this fort without some help!"

Sam turned and looked at Jake, then back at her, this time with a more familiar expression of annoyance plastered on his face.

"You guys are building a fort?" he scoffed, "What are you, nine?"

"You're never too old for a good fort building slumber party," Stevie said, a smirk resting on her face. She quipped back at him, but not in a malicious way and she had hoped he realized that. But he narrowed his eyes at her and wore a smirk of his own, "Oh so now you're sleeping together? You're really not helping your obsession case here, Stephanie."

Her smile fell and she shook her head, pushing pass Sam and glaring at him, "You're vile."

"Mhmm," Sam hummed and he put his phone in his pocket and wandered down the hall to his room, shutting the door quickly. She shut Jake's door too and switched her focus to finishing the fort with him, trying to ignore the constant nag of rage that simmered in the pit of her stomach.

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