#They chose each other to be the maid of honour at their weddings

[wheredidalltheusersgo]

I'm actually obsessed with the dynamic I gave Alejandro and Heather in The Aftershow AU They call at random times during the night to annoy the hell out of each other, they go out for dinner to talk shit.

Heather asked Alejandro to fake being her boyfriend for a family dinner because her parents wouldn't support her being a lesbian, but he absolutely blew it with his gnc swag, and they almost WISHED she was just dating a girl instead.

They go to yoga classes together, they dress each other up in silly outfits, they constantly snatch stuff from each other's wardrobe. "Alejandro, is that my fur coat?" "That depends, did you ever return my skinny jeans?"

They go golfing and almost crash a golf cart, Alejandro accidentally throws his club instead of hitting the Golf ball, Heather and Alejandro get bored and start throwing the balls at each other.

They go to the pool and spend 10 minutes tipping each other off this one floatie.

They throw slumber parties for just the two of them where they get drunk and cuddle.

Heather also gets free drinks at Alejandro's pub.

They are THE wlw/mlm solidarity

[sunlightmurdock]

When All Is Said and Done | Bradley Bradshaw x Reader (18+)

In which Maverick’s best man and his daughter come together to plan a wedding, then celebrate the success of their endeavours.

Warnings: smut, porn w very little plot, unprotected pinv (use protection pls), oral (f receiving), choking, drinking

“I do.”

“I do.”

“And do you, Penny Benjamin —“

“I do.” Your mother beams, smiling at the love of her life from across the alter. She has been waiting for this day for a long time. Pete was her first real love. They had met when she was wild and he was even wilder. They’ve been on and off for decades, but this time, they’re making it official.

You were a result of one of their on times, followed by some pretty bumpy offs through your childhood. They did their best to keep you out of the ugliest parts of it, you know that they’ve loved each other for as long as you’ve been alive.

But, not always like this. There was Stu, your Mom’s second husband, Amelia’s dad. He was there through most of your adolescence. Not to mention the countless women that Mav has introduced you to.

Your parents reconciled about a year ago. It’s been a whirlwind, you’ve never seen them this in love. So, when they announced two months ago that they were engaged and wanted to be married as soon as possible — you had known that the pressure was on.

This was your seven year old dreams coming true, it had to be perfect. Unsurprisingly, you were chosen to be maid of honour. More surprisingly, Maverick chose Bradley Bradshaw to be his best man.

As kids, you saw Bradley frequently. Whenever you would stay with your dad, he would drop you over at Aunt Carole’s house often. Bradley was a couple of years older, he wasn’t ever really that interested in playing with you but Carole adored having you around.

As teenagers, you barely saw him at all. He was always at sports, or in his room with friends, or out of the house. Then he and Maverick had had that huge argument. You hadn’t seen him since he was maybe seventeen.

Then he had come strolling back in to your life.

Taller than he was back then. Stronger. Broader. Tanned, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, a neatly groomed moustache on his face, calling himself Rooster now. At first, you had thought he had shown up in costume.

You were quickly corrected by him. That had been an embarrassing mistake to make.

Your parents lasted through a week of wedding planning before they were butting heads and arguing about different shades of green for the chair covers. Sitting at the kitchen counter, looking between the two of them disapprovingly, you had known that you would have to intervene.

“Just relax, Rooster and I will take care of everything.” You had breathed, stepping between the two of them.

“We will?” Bradley frowned.

“Yes, we will.” You had insisted.

The two months that had followed had been hard. Planning the wedding that your parents had wanted in two months had proven to be damn near impossible. You had to take time off work, stay up late. The majority of your early summer had been spent arguing with venues and coordinators to make sure that the wedding went off without a hitch.

Bradley had been busy with work. Unable to take time off like you could. Too busy to help with decorations and suit rentals, even though that was what you had allocated. Somehow not too busy to plan your father’s bachelor party.

Things had changed at the end of May. You had cornered him and told him that things had needed to change. He insists that you had threatened his life — you aren’t so convinced that you did, but either way, it had worked.

Now, in the middle of June, your parents lean together and kiss softly. The church, filled with your closest family and friends, cheers for them. You clap, grinning at your parents.

“I want to start off by thanking everyone who helped out, and worked hard to make today special for my beautiful wife and I,” Mav begins, smiling softly. He turns his head and looks at you and Bradley individually, “Especially our incredible daughter, and my best man over here, Bradley.”

You lean back in your seat and extend your champagne glass behind Penny and Maverick’s chairs, towards Bradley. He smiles softly and takes his, leaning around them to clink his glass against yours.

“We did it.” You mouth across to him.

“Told you we would.” He whispers back. You grin, bringing your glass back and taking a sip from it.

You sit there politely, listening to your father’s speech, feeling Bradley’s eyes on you every couple of minutes.

After Maverick has thanked everyone for their part in the wedding, the band takes over for a while to give your parents some time to talk to each other and to their guests. You get up to stretch your legs, Bradley heads over to his friends to greet them for the first time since the reception.

You walk out onto the patio, the buzz from the champagne and the breeze from the dropping temperature hits you all at once, but it’s a pleasant feeling. The stress from the past few months fades as you walk down the steps and into the garden. The decorations from today’s ceremony are still up. You look around at them, proud of yourself for the work you did.

You walk up to the front, taking a seat on the bench closest to the arch. You sit down and take a drink from your champagne glass.

The peace and quiet is nice, you sit with your sense of accomplishment and mild buzz, listening to the wind in the trees.

“Hiding already, Mitchell? — Mav’s not even rapping yet.” Bradley teases, calling back to the Eminem incident at your father’s fifty-eighth birthday party, as he follows along the same path towards you. You cringe at the memory, unable to stop yourself from letting out a soft groan.

“Oh, don’t,” You complain, letting out a dry laugh. You shake your head as he steps around and sits down next to you. “He was so wasted that night.”

“So were you, if I remember right.” Bradley comments, taking a sip of his beer, stretching his legs out in front of him. He’s handsome in his tux, especially under the twinkling lights strung above the garden. He turns his head to you, his expression a mixture of amusement and challenge.

“I was not!” You insist, shaking your head again as you sip at your champagne.

“So you dance like that when you’re sober, good to know.” Bradley comments, lips quirked up into a soft smirk. You scoff and drive your elbow into his ribs playfully. He laughs and shifts closer to you. He extends his arm along the back of the bench.

It’s not technically draped around your shoulder, but it’s also not not around your shoulder.

You turn your head to look at him. He bumps his beer bottle against your champagne flute gently, “You did good. Today was incredible.”

“We did.” You correct him, fully aware of how close you’re sitting. You’ve never noticed that he’s got soft brown freckles dotted along the bridge of his nose before today.

He shakes his head, lifting his hand from the back of the bench. His thumb strokes along your bare bicep and makes you shiver, “This was all you and we both know it. Your parents are so lucky to have you.”

“I can’t believe those words just left your mouth,” You scoff playfully, leaning your head back to look at the twinkling lights above both of you. There’s a soft breeze tonight, you can still hear the music playing inside. Bradley’s warmth radiates onto you. This is nice. “Aren’t you the one who called me a control freak a couple of months ago?”

Rooster smiles, caught.

“I didn’t think your Dad was going to snitch on me, in my defence.” Bradley replies, stroking his fingertips along your arm. “I don’t think that anymore, anyway. You’re just bossy.”

“I am not—“

He raises an eyebrow at you, challenging you to go ahead. You bite your cheeks to keep from smiling, staring him down. Rooster smirks. His eyes flicker between your eyes and your lips.

Oh. This is happening. He leans in, closing his eyes, tilting his head, pressing his lips to yours. You lean slightly into him, lips tenderly moving against his.

Rooster leans closer, resting his hand against your knee, trailing it along your skin. It slides along your thigh, trailing the slit in the side of your bridesmaid dress.

“Hey - woah, oh no - oh, ew!”

You pull apart sharply to look at your younger sister. Amelia raises her eyebrows as she looks between the two of you.

“Were you two…?”

“No!” You answer sharply, Rooster looks between her and you. “What do you want?”

“Can I use your ID to get a drink?”

“No.” You frown at her. She groans, rolling her eyes and walking away from the two of you. Bradley takes his hand away from your thigh and shifts back slightly.

He covers his mouth with his hand, brushing it over his jaw and sighing, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—“

You curl your fingers into the fabric of his shirt and pull him forwards again, pressing your lips to his. He nips at your bottom lip, the taste of champagne on your tongue as it slides against his.

He slides his hand up your back, curling it around the nape of your neck and pulling you closer against him. Your chest presses into his as he caresses his tongue into your mouth.

You pull apart abruptly again at the sound of footsteps behind you.

“Not here.” Rooster mumbles. You slip your hand into his, leaving your drinks on the bench as you pull him up and guide him back into the building. Trailing your fingers along the wall, you push open a random door on the right of the hallway.

It’s a small room, someone’s office maybe. A desk in the middle that’ll work just fine for what’s about to happen. You round on him as the door closes behind him. Rooster’s hands find your waist as yours drape around his shoulders.

His hands wrap around your waist and trail down to cup your ass, causing you to let out a small gasp. Rooster presses himself into you, walking you back until you bump into the desk. You tense up as he grabs your hips and drops you onto the desk.

This has been a long time coming. All those bickering arguments, late-night phone calls, all those hours you’ve spent planning today. Deep down, you had known this was coming.

Rooster lips his tongue into your mouth once again, grabbing your knees and parting them, moving to stand between your thighs. His fingertips trail up along your legs, as far as the slit in your dress will allow him. Not far enough.

This time, not skipping a beat, he hikes up your dress. Thick thumb swiping over your cleft, eliciting a soft purr from your lips. The honeyed sound has him growling softly in anticipation, pressing his mouth hard against yours, picking up his movements.

You reach forwards, tugging at his bow tie, loosening it in one movement. Your hands fumble with the buttons on his white shirt. Rooster presses himself against you, nipping at your bottom lip as you tug his shirt out from under his belt to finish unbuttoning it.

Rushing to get him out of it, he works with you, shrugging his suit jacket and his unbuttoned shirt at once. He tugs hard at your knees, almost making you slip off of the desk as you’re pulled to the edge of it.

“Holy shit.”

Leaving him in just his trousers, you take a moment to marvel at his bare chest — god, he’s so much hotter now than he was when you were kids. He pushes your dress up further around your waist, grabbing the back of your knee with one hand, cupping your throat with the other.

“So wha— god,” Rooster breathes out as you pepper a dozen kisses over the length of his neck. “What are you into?”

Your brows furrow slightly, grabbing onto his bicep for leverage as he pushes the thin strap of your dress of your shoulder, attaching his mouth to the skin.

It’s hard to think when he’s nipping at your skin like this. Your head lulls back, a soft moan slipping your lips.

“Uh — I — I’m pretty into reading, and s-stuff— um —“

“In bed, Mitchell — I meant what are you into in bed?” Bradley interrupts, pulling back and giving a soft shake of his head. You stare at him, letting a moment of silence fall between the two of you.

“Choke me.”

“Huh?”

You grab the back of his neck and pull him in again, humming softly as he relaxes into you. The kisses grow more passionate, there’s a certainty between the two of you about what’s going to happen here.

Braldey’s hand found its home back between your legs, pulling your panties to the side this time. You’re dripping for him already and he has barely touched you.

Circling his digits around your sensitive clit, you mewl quietly. Dipping into your wetness, he pushed the tip of his finger into you and lifts his head to look you in the eye. Your head just about spins, met with soft honey coloured eyes and parted lips.

Pushing deeper until his entire middle finger is in you, Bradley groans out. He works the digit into you, stretching you open more and more. Dripping onto his palm, you gasp for breath. Rooster eagerly presses another finger into you, making you whimper out softly.

He picks up the pace, kissing your lips as his fingers massage that spot inside of you that makes it hard for you to keep your eyes open. His other hand brushes the other strap of your dress off of your shoulder.

His attention quickly focuses on your exposed breasts, nipples peaked from the cold air. He groans softly.

You lean back on your palms, lips parted as his mouth works its way along your bare chest. Open-mouthed kisses, leaving a warm trail along your collarbones and down your chest.

You gasp as he curls his fingers especially deep into you.

“Fuck, Rooster — like that.”

He palms at your breast softly with his free hand, rolling your nipple between his index finger and thumb. It hardens further under his touch as his mouth attaches to the other, flicking his tongue softly over the sensitive bud.

“Oh my god…” You lean your head back, sliding your fingers into his neatly styled hair as the knot in your stomach grows tighter.

Rooster lowers himself to his knees, parting your knees further. You gasp as his teeth graze the inside of your thigh, fingers curling into his hair. He sucks softly at the tender skin, his mustache scratches softly, in the best way.

He pulls back for just a moment and hooks his fingers into the sides of your underwear, you lift your hips, he slides them down your legs, trailing their path with his mouth. He kisses your ankle tenderly and guides it over his shoulder.

Bradley shoves them into his pocket and nestles himself between your legs, glancing up at you. You look so beautiful, staring down at him so eager, but he doesn’t have time for heartfelt proclamations. He wastes no time in tasting you. Licking a stripe over your folds, he groans softly against your core.

You jolt at the feeling, watching him between your legs. He continues lapping at your core, thick fingers curling into you. You spread your legs wider for him — he grabs your thighs and guides them around his shoulders, pulling you impossibly closer.

He takes one hand away from your legs and palms himself over his dress pants, uncomfortably hard against the already tight fabric.

The wet muscle of his tongue dips inside of you, his nose brushing against your clit as he drags it slowly up again to the swollen nub. He traces the tip of his tongue around it before sucking hard then soft and letting go.

Your fingers curl tighter into his hair, panting out. Bradley groans against you, repeating the movements again and again until you’re crying out.

He grins against your skin at the shattered cry that slips your lips, sucking harder. You tug hard at his hair as his teeth gently scrape over it, your thighs squeezing around his ears. Rooster sucks at it softly again, fingertips digging into your thighs.

“What’s my name, baby?” He murmurs against your skin.

“Rooster, fuck!”

Bob and Fanboy stop walking at once, turning their heads to look at the door and then to look at each other. Mickey grins as he slips the joint between his lips, both of them shake their heads as they walk by the door.

They both laugh as they continue outside.

Your toes curl, heels pressing into his shoulders as he draws your orgasm from you. You cum, shuddering against his mouth. Rooster doesn’t ease up, lapping up your release, giving hums of approval as he guides you through the aftershocks.

He pulls away, raking his nails along your thighs. His eyes seem darker as he looks up at you this time. You push yourself upright, breathless. Rooster’s hands go for his belt as he stands up, tugging at the leather.

The sound you make is almost a growl. You pull him closer to you by his belt. He sighs contentedly as you pull it open, lips pressing hungrily to his throat. You leave his belt open, yanking down his zipper, pushing his boxers down just enough to expose him.

He rests one of his palms down on the desk, the other wrapping around the base of his cock. You both gasp softly as he pushes into you. You look up, met with pretty brown eyes. You whine softly.

“Oh fuck,” Rooster shivers, cupping your throat with his hand, pulling you in for a heavy kiss. You groan softly against him as he presses forwards until he’s buried into you completely. “Fuck. You feel so good.”

He rocks back, pulling almost all of the way out. Rooster rests his forehead to yours, lips parted as he looks down between the two of you, watching as he slides slowly back in. You whine through bitten lips, brows knitted in focus as your body stretches to accommodate him.

Forehead to forehead, your eyes meet for just a second. He curls his fingers tighter by just a fraction, guiding you in by your throat until his mouth is on yours. He nips softly at your bottom lip and uses the surprised gasp that follows as an opportunity to slip his tongue in against yours.

You moan softly against his lips, the sound catching in your throat as he squeezes at the sides of your neck and drives his hips forwards sharply.

“Ah - oh my god.” You whimper out, breathless, your eyes focused solely on him. He squeezes slightly tighter, setting a pace that has your head lulling back in pleasure.

“Look so fucking pretty, Mitchell.” He murmurs affectionately, lips brushing your earlobe as he fucks into you, constricting the airflow just enough to dizzy you without it hurting.

You smile at him, taking your bottom lip just slightly between your teeth. Rooster’s lips part. He takes in the sight of you, grinning devilishly at him, his hand around your throat as he fucks you.

“So pretty.” He breathes out unsteadily. He releases his hold, wetting his lips with his tongue as you gasp for air.

“Bradley - R-Rooster - fuck, fuck - that’s so good.” You whimper, grabbing onto his bicep for leverage, wrapping your legs around his waist.

He leans forwards and presses his lips to your hair, snapping his hips forward and making you cry out.

He goes right to setting a brutal pace, ruthless as he fucks into you. Just how you need it. You’re gasping, moaning out for him as he grunts in your ear.

“You gonna cum again for me, honey?” Bradley teases, punctuating his question with a hard snap of his hips that draws a pleasured shriek from your lips. You nod eagerly as his hand wraps around your throat once more.

A strangled moan slips your lips, your heel pressing into the small of his back. Rooster growls softly into the curve of your jaw, tugging at your hair as he pounds into you.

Your nail drag sharply down his back, leaving scorching red marks in their wake. Rooster’s hips stutter slightly at the feeling, he squeezes his fingers tight at the sides of your throat as he rams himself into you, hard. You cry out into his shoulder as your vision goes blisteringly white.

“Bradshaw? You in there?” Three heavy knocks rattle the door. Rooster takes his hand from your throat and clamps it over your mouth. Jake bangs at the door again.

“I’m gonna cum, fuck.” Bradley whispers. You squeak against his hand, the sensitivity making you tremble through the aftershocks of your second orgasm. You nod hurriedly, moaning against his palm.

You're vaguely aware of Rooster’s praises raining over you, telling you how good you feel — how good you’re doing for him, as you tremble under him. His hips stutter to a stop as he releases inside of you, pressing himself as close as he could possibly be.

He rocks his hips a little, riding out his high, groaning against the curve of your jaw.

“Bradshaw!” Jake pounds at the door again. “Maverick’s looking for you!”

Rooster blinks, looking down between your bodies and then back up at your face. You watch his adam’s apple bob in his throat.

“One second!” Bradley answers, curling his fingers around your hips. He rests his forehead against his shoulder, both of you whining just slightly as he pulls back and slips out of you.

“Oh my god.” You breathe, legs trembling. You push yourself up from the desk, hurrying the straps to your dress back up your shoulders to cover your chest.

“Rooster — you have a speech to give, man, you have to get out there!” Jake insists, knowing that Maverick is happy and smiling now but that things are likely to take a turn if the best man doesn’t show up soon.

“I’m-“ Rooster tucks himself back into his pants and rushes to buckle his belt. “I’m coming! — Just hold on.”

He looks to you and finds you smirking as you fix your hair. He’s not coming now, but he was a couple of seconds ago. Rooster grabs his shirt and jacket, slipping them on in one motion and fumbling to button up his shirt.

You turn around and look into the reflection of the candle holder, fixing up any smudged make up. You smooth your hair out once more, making sure there aren’t any indents from Rooster’s fingertips.

Rooster finishes buttoning his shirt and smooths out his hair, knowing it must be fucked up from how you were grabbing it when he was between your legs.

“I gotta go, I’ll - Just let me do this, I’ll come back-“

“Rooster, wait!”

He turns quickly.

“Rooster!” Jake calls again on the outside of the door, smacking his fist into it. Rooster’s eyes widen as you dip your hand into his pocket. You pull your underwear from it and hold it up.

“Oh, shit - sorry, honey. You look beautiful. I gotta go.” He leans in quickly and kisses your cheek. You step back, making sure Jake won’t spot you when the door opens.

Bradley opens it a fraction, slipping through the gap and slamming the door shut behind him.

Jake steps back and furrows his eyebrows, “Mav’s going to fucking kill you.”

“What? — Why? — I didn’t do anything.” Rooster rushes out, his cheeks flushed, eyes wide. All in all, looking fairly disheveled. He tucks his shirt into his pants.

“Because speeches started fifteen minutes ago and you were supposed to start. You’re going last now, but there’s only so long that Penny’s dad can stall for you, man — where’s your tie?” Jake frowns. Rooster looks down and realises his bow tie is still on the floor of the room he just exited. He shakes his head.

“Doesn’t matter. I have to pee, two seconds and I’ll be right there.”

“What? — I thought that was the bathroom, what were you? Oh. Oh, Bradshaw, you were not fucking one of the bridesmaids!”

“Shh!” Bradley hisses. He glares at Jake. “Go, stall for me, two seconds.”

Bradley rushes into the men’s room to clean up. You have the same plan. Jake’s handing Bradley the microphone when you step back into the room and cross to take your seat at the head table. Bradley’s on Mav’s left, you’re on Penny’s right.

“Where did you disappear to, honey?” Penny whispers as Bradley cracks jokes about Maverick’s wild, younger days.

You swallow, adjusting your dress slightly, lifting your head to look at Bradley. “Had to get some air.”

“Hm,” Penny hums, nodding her head softly. She smiles and pats your knee, “Amelia already told on you, sweetheart. Is that your lipstick on Bradley’s collar?”

You pick up the glass of champagne in front of you and take a long gulp.

…

[blueaetherr]

just a thought

pairing: mason mount x fem!reader [she/her]

warning(s): none

summary: the one where the maid and man of honour talk about the future prospects regarding their relationship

author's note: last one for while 'cause of exams (as if i don't already post irregularly :/), but anyways, enjoy!

Managing the wedding of your friends was definitely a task, especially if it's your first time and you are just one or two people. And as the maid and man of honour, Y/N and Mason had to come to learn that over the last few days.

There was more to learn than anticipated by the pair. It wasn't simply just being paired together as a bridesmaid or groomsman or being the right-hand person for the bride and groom; there was so much to those roles. It was providing emotional support the night before, making sure the wedding wouldn't collapse last minute, advising the bridesmaids and the groomsmen to always act accordingly, being the adults amongst the adults and probably much more.

And when you put all of that together, it was, of course, exhausting and challenging for two people, taking more than enough voice and strength and tolerance. Being the voice of reason for those solvable problems, being the spontaneous therapist moments before the wedding ceremony—they weren't for the weak, one needed strength beyond the physical one to manage well.

But it was okay. 'Cause when it was all said and done—the pre-wedding celebrations, the downtime the night before, the mini breakdowns and moments of doubt before the ceremony—there was the wedding ceremony, and it was wonderful. The bride, the husband, the family and friends and the culture embedded into every last detail of the event, from the decorations to the attires worn by everyone. When you get a result like that, there was no reason to allow any negativity to persevere during a happy moment.

As the day passed quickly, so did the wedding celebrations, from the ceremony and the pictures all the way to the reception that continued well into the night; when Mason and Y/N were finally able to find one another again.

Sitting by the private beach, it was a mellow environment they were given—a nice sight to witness, one easy to picture even with your eyes close. Comfortable with their place in the sand, appropriately loud music from the venue further up to the beach, waves kindly sliding over and under one another, the laughter of kids playing close by the shore accompanied by older siblings acting as babysitters and vibrant and solace everywhere you chose to look.

Mason knocked his knee against her own. "How have you been?"

Upon arriving at the wedding destination, the bridesmaids and the groomsmen were immediately split so they hadn't had much time together. Of course, Mason and Y/N had been seeing each other through the days, passing one another during wedding rehearsals or while passing on messages for the newly-wed couple when they weren't allowed to see each other. Other than that, their reasons for seeing one another wasn't actually rooted in seeing one another; either it was out of coincidence or for the purpose of the wedding.

Y/N swayed her head as she sat up, humming. "How was my day?" She had to say the question out loud to think. All of her thoughts were still fixed to be centred around the bride and her needs. She hadn't really had the time to focus on her own self, to process her own state of mind. "It was... it was really good."

"Is that so?" A smirk began to form across Mason's face. "I'm hearing you ladies went crazy with the bachelorette party, and a certain someone went even crazier. I didn't get any names but I'm gonna assume—

Y/N shoved Mason into the sand, causing him to let a laugh. "And that's how it's gonna stay: an assumption."

Mason took in a deep breath as he sat up, still letting out some of his laughter. "You don't have to hide it, love. I know you well," he picked up the bridal bouquet from the sand, the ever one his girlfriend had caught a little under an hour ago. "I mean, c'mon. We all saw. I even recorded it if you don't remember."

"And I had fun with it, Mason."

"And you had fun with it, of course," he kissed her cheek before offering the bridal bouquet, "that's all that matters."

Without hesitation, Y/N took the bouquet in her hands. She attempted to appear nonchalant about it, trying to observe the flowers in an unbothered manner. Though as soon as they were fully in her grasp, she couldn't help but smile shyly as she let her eyes admire the bundle of flowers, twirling them between her hands in delight and excitement.

And that—her happiness—quickly became Mason's happiness. Not only for the flowers' positive impact on Y/N's mood but also it got Mason wondering and thinking about various things surrounding, well, him and Y/N.

"Does it ever get you thinking about certain things..." Mason played with the sand, "being a maid of honour and all?"

"Thinking about what?" Though as soon as she lifted her eyes, she noticed his eyes on the flowers and then it all came to her. That thing we called marriage. "Oh... about that?"

"Yeah, I guess," Mason shrugged. He wished he could've introduced the conversation a little better. 'Cause it was far too awkward and strained for a topic that required mature adults to be handled with fluency.

"I don't know... Like what?" Y/N, like her partner, was lost in the conversation; lost in what she should say, lost in what about the topic would be discussed, lost in where the conversation would be going 'cause really, it could go in almost any direction.

"Anything. I guess just anything about us in the future," Mason rubbed his palms against his shorts as he inhaled a long breath. "I always wonder, like, if we do stay together and persevere, what will things for us be like? Where will we live? How will our relationship change for the better or worse? How many kids will we—"

Y/N quickly raised her hand, placing it on Mason's shoulder. "Woah, woah, woah, relax there," she said with widened eyes. Suddenly, she was more in tune with the conversation than the last few minutes. "Maybe we're thinking a bit too far into the future."

"Yeah, that was a bit sudden." Mason let himself think for a moment, his eyes wondering on the young kids passing by. "Let me ask a better question: what would you like our wedding to be like?"

"Our wedding? I mean I don't know." And yet all the words would eventually come to her so easily, without much thought. "Something small and nice... like enough for family and friends, but not enough that everyone everyone gotta be there. Maybe somewhere close to home, a cosy picturesque location, you know? Just a place where we could also spend our honeymoon in peace, adventure small towns and villages, and maybe some historical places," Y/N leaned back in her place a bit, "But yeah... that's just me."

"That's the whole point, Y/N. It's your wedding," Mason chuckled as he pulled his girlfriend close to him, "You're supposed to do and have whatever you want."

"I know," she exhaled, too joining with the laughter, one they both found restoring and soothing. It wasn't enough to counter all the stress from the past week, but enough to relax into the conversation just a bit more. "I just didn't anticipate this conversation tonight." Y/N really didn't. After managing the wedding of her friends over the last few weeks, she hadn't really had much time to stop and wonder about her relationship's future and outlook. She turned to Mason and wondered, "What about you? It wouldn't just be my wedding."

"I don't really have anything in mind to be honest. Besides, if it ever comes to it, you know, getting married 'n all—which we will—it doesn't matter what we have or where we are. Luxurious wedding, getting eloped—the part where you say I do is more than enough for me."

Surrounded by vibrant colours and a lovely, mellow environment, the couple turned to one another and found themselves smiling galore at each other, exchanging a lack of words as they observed one another, heads tilted in wonder. In those gazes—in their eyes—there was admiration and happiness and affection that were all genuine and bracing to experience together.

In truth, there was this admiration and happiness and affection because there was a lot of conviction in their words towards the other. And considering their minds for the last few days have been racing for their friends' relationship, it was refreshing to talk about their own. On a day when nothing seemed to be about them, it was nice to dedicate a small moment to themselves.

[lildashofheaven1]

‘Forever’

Joseph Quinn x female actress y/n

The big Dayyyy

“Y/n!! Y/n wake upp!” My bridesmaid yells as she launches herself on my bed.

“Im up im up” i responded.

I looked around the room to see all my bridesmaids stood around with the happiest grins on their faces.

Maya (my maid of honor) sat next to me on the hotel rooms bed.

“You excited?”

“Of course i am! Marrying the man of my dreams” i responded, finally waking up fully.

After having room service delivered we were all getting our hair and make up done, obviously me being the bride i was sat right in front of the large windows having my bridemaids around me bringing me champagne etc.

After we had gotten ready we all got dressed and sat together for a while until.

“Knock knockk” i heard said from the other side of my door.

I opened it to see jamie (my best friend) smiling at me.

“How are you feeling love?” He asked me

“Amazing! I cant wait to be Mrs Y/n Quinn” i grinned at him.

He looked at me, full glam and in a wedding dress

“You look lovely y/n, im so proud of you”

We sat around and chatted for a while until one of my bridesmaids made a dumb joke about him running last minute.

“Fuck off” i brushed it off.

“You have no clue how josephs been acting, omg look” jamie said as he got his phone out.

He started playing the video.

“Shes just so amazing isnt she though, like you can say it mate. She so beautiful, and kind and sweet and i cant believe i convinced her to marry me” joseph said as he stood in front of the mirror fixing his tie.

“Yeah she certainly is something mate” jamie responded sat on the bed in josephs hotel room

“I dont think we have to worry about him running” jamie giggled

“Right i best be off to calm down the groom”jamie added as he stood.

I gave him a hug before he left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stood at the entrance of the wedding, brushing down my dress, all my bridesmaids had been down already and all were waiting for me.

The instrumental of ‘Make you feel my love’ by Adele started playing as i stood at the end of the aisle.

I saw at the other end of the aisle, the love of my life stood with his eyes already watering which only got worse as he locked eyes with me.

I began walking down the aisle while linking arms with my father.

I was about four steps away from joseph to see him look into my eyes and whisper “i love you so much”

My eyes started watering, this is so sureal!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“And now joseph your vows to y/n” the preist smiles at him as he gets a piece of paper out of his pocket and take a deep breathe before saying.

“Y/n, i cant believe today is happening, it feels like yesterday jamie introduced us to each other and i knew from the second i met you… that you were the girl for me, i cant see my future in any way that hasnt got you in it, i am forever going to choose to share my happiness with you, every part of you i love, and i will always love. You are my every dream come true and i cant wait to cherish our lives together”

He looks up from his paper to suck in a breathe and look around, i reached to the pockets in my dress and pulled out a tissue and wiped his eyes gently before he continued.

“I am yours, forever and always and i am so honoured that you chose me to share your life with, because of you i am slowly but surely becoming the person i always dreamed of being. I will fight with you and for you, and i will forever be open to any challenges we may face as we will face them together”

He took a pause and giggled slightly before continuing.

“I promise to never watch an episode on netflix without you, no matter how much it tempts me.I promise to unclog the drains even though your the only one of us with long hair. I promise to make you a bacon sandwich whenever your hungover, additionally, i promise to not open the curtains, turn the light on or deliberately clatter when your hungover. I promise that if it ever comes down to choosing between you and the dog, ill let you down gently. I promise to always notice when you get a hair cut. I promise ill always let you try my food even though i told you to order your own. I promise to open jars for you and say that you loosened it for me and most of all i promise to love you, all of you for the rest of time”

Throughout this part i had been giggling along with the guests to how well he knows me and even though my eyes were flooding i still smiled up at him.

I took a deep breathe as i got the piece of paper out of the pocket of my dress.

“Joe, i cannot believe i am standing in front of the most beautiful, kind and understanding man and am about to say i do. Thank you for being there whenever i need you, thank you for being the person i can run to when i feel sad and in need of a shoulder to cry on. But most of all thank you for loving the parts of me that aren’t easy to love. I remember our first date, in a run down little pub in south london, and while i was sat there pretending i liked watching rugby and you brought me a drink over with that cheeky little grin of yours, i knew in that moment that you were the man i was going to spend the rest of my life with”

“Since we’ve been together Ive never felt unloved or unwanted and i never want that to change. I promise to love you and care for you until my dying breath, i vow to always stand beside you through thick and thin, to always hold your hand through every challenge we face and to support you in whatever you choose to do. For us, home isnt a place but a person and i think we’re both finally home”

I paused to wipe my eyes and look up above before carrying on

“I can only thank you for putting up with me because im a mess all the time and im so grateful to have you with me, when you met me i was a broken vase and you took the time to lovingly glue me back together, i love you so much joey, all of you, forever and always. I love you for all the reasons you dont love yourself and i can only hope to raise your self esteem so that you can see yourself the way i see you. My love for you will never falter and i cannot wait to take on the rest of our lives together, i love you joseph”

After our vows, both of us aswell as the majority of the guests were in floods of tears.

“Joseph Anthony Francis Quinn do you take y/n l/n to be your lawful wedded wife?” The priest says

“I do” joseph said while looking into my eyes

“And do you y/n m/n l/n take Joseph Anthony Francis Quinn to be your lawful wedded husband”

“I do” i said with a smile

“Then by the power vested in me i now pronounce you husband and wife, joseph you may now kiss your bride”

With that joseph held me close to him and kissed me, we kissed for around 20 seconds before breaking to look out at the cheering guests.

When we pulled away joseph whispered to my lips

“I cant wait to get you out of that dress later tonight”

I gasped and said

“Joseph we are in a church” we both giggled at his boyish charm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright Alright! Quieten down everyone its speech time!” Jamie stood from the long table we were on ( me and joe obvs, joes mum and dad and my parents, followed by Maya my maid of honore and jamie the best man)

“Now i did ask for a microphone however there wasnt one available so those in the back if the people in front of you arent laughing then that just reassures that your not missing out on much. So obviously i dont need to do a whole speech about how perfect these two are for each other, because just look at them, theyre like a pair of teenagers all over each other. I feel immense pride that i am the one who set these two up, y/n i remember working together on sweeney todd and i just knew we were going to be friends forever, and i am aware that sounds incredibly cheesey. And joe, my brother from another mother, like it or not your stuck with me for life. Your two are the ultimate power couple, and i am so happy for you both because your love is one to be envied” jamie got serious then looked down and laughed before saying

“Right enough from me, im gonna keep this speech like y/n short but funny, thank you everyone. To joseph and y/n!” Jamie toasted before raising his non alcoholic drink meaning everyone did the same.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joseph held his hand over mine and we slid the knife down to cut our beautiful wedding cake.

We had placed the slice on a plate and joseph grabbed a fork and got a bit of it and raised it to my mouth, i smiled up at him and ate the cake before smiling at him before saying

“Oh love its fucking gorgeous”

“And that is why i love you” he giggled before having some too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“And now Joseph and y/n will take to the floor for their first dance!” Jamie announced through the microphone at our after party.

Joseph stood up from his chair and held his hand out for me, which i gladly accepted.

We got to the dance floor as our song began playing

Heart beats fast

Colors and promises

How to be brave?

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?

But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

I have died every day waiting for you

Darling, don't be afraid

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

Time stands still

Beauty in all she is

I will be brave

I will not let anything take away

What's standing in front of me

Every breath, every hour has come to this

One step closer

I have died every day waiting for you

Darling, don't be afraid

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

One step closer

One step closer

I have died every day waiting for you

Darling, don't be afraid

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more.

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me.

I have loved you for a thousand years.

I'll love you for a thousand more

After our slow dance had ended everyone cheered and the next song played this one being

“Wonderwall”

To which everyone had joined us on the dance floor and we all jumped,sang and danced to the iconic song

“I love y/n” joseph said to me in my ear

“I love you more joseph” i said back

“Not possible” he responded with a smirk

[misstycloud]

Plz more Riddle fics!

How you met

You smooth out your dress in order to make yourself appear as presentable as possible. After all, this was no ordinary occasion; one of your best friends were getting married. With all the on and off breaks the couple have had, you honestly wasn’t sure if they’d make it. But it turns out you were wrong.

You recalled that night when you had just gotten out of the shower and suddenly got a call from your friend. It was a bit hard to hear what she was babbling about over all the estatic noises she made simultaneously.

Telling her to slow down was easier said than done, but eventually she was calm enough to reveal the news. Her boyfriend had proposed that night and she’s said yes! You congratulated on her engagement despite the little shadow of doubt concerning her new fiancée. He wasn’t a bad person per se, however, you found yourself sceptic to how happy their marriage would be.

Perhaps you were a bad friend for not saying anything, but you knew your friend wouldn’t losten to you even if you told her you thought he may not be the one and she was making a mistake. So instead of putting your friendship at unnecessary risk, you chose to keep quiet.

So here you stood at the entrance of the engagement party the couple decided to throw. It was a slightly uncomfortable experience for you since you didn’t really know any of the people attending except for your friend of course. While the two of you were as thick as thieves, she was also part of other friend groups, of which she’d invited.

Bracing yourself for the awkward exchanges of being presented as ‘X’s other friend’, you took a step forward and immediately X noticed you. She hurried to you and gave you a hug, “Oh my god, I’m so glad you could come!” She squealed.

“I’m glad to be here.” You said, smile gracing your features.

“Come, you need to say hi to ‘Y’, he’s just over there.” She dragged you along with her and pointed at a well-dressed man’s back. He stood, conversing with other guests. “Sweetie!”

He turned around to face you. “Yes?”

“Look, (y/n)’s here!”

Her fiancée looked at you and smiled, “Hi, glad to see you make it.” He put a hand on your shoulder.

Ignoring the itch to remove it you said, “happy to make an appearance.”

“So how have you been?” He asked.

“I’ve been fine, not much going on really except for work, you know.”

‘Y’ nodded. “I understand. Big things isn’t for everyone.”

You raised an eyebrow at this. What did he mean by that? That your quiet, uneventful life sucked or something? Like he had so much going on. You scoffed under your breath.

Noticing the tensioning aura, your friend breaks in, “anyway, I’m so excited for you to be my maid of honour!”

“Right, but I should thank you for letting me be something so important.”

“What do you mean? Of course I’d want you to have that role, you’ve always been there for me. That reminds me, you should meet the best man! After all, you two have the most important roles in the wedding- apart from the green and bride, that is.” She chuckled. “Speaking of that man, where is he?” ‘X’ gazed at her fiancée for answers.

“He was here a minute ago, don’t know where he might have run off to- wait- there he is. Hey, man, come over here for a sec!” He waved another man over to your small circle.

The first thing you noticed, was the auburn hair. He, too, was dressed in a fancier manner and had a considerably handsome face. Brown, kind eyes met yours and for some reason you felt a little shy all of a sudden.

“Ah, there he is! My best man.” ‘Y’ praised. “This is Riddle, the guy’s been my pal ever since I can remember. You don’t find a nicer man around.”

Riddle slapped his friends arm, “Knock it off, I’m not that fantastic. Don’t exaggerate.”

“Haha, sure.” He then introduced you. “This is (y/n), ‘X’s maid of honour. You’ll be seeing each other more often from now on, okay.”

Riddle beamed down at you, reaching his hand forward. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you (y/n). I’ve heard some things about you from ‘X’ - only goood things of course.”

He raised an eyebrow when you didn’t say or do anything.

It took a second for your brain to load, and when it finally did, you shook his hand with an embarrassed expression on your face. “Yeah, sure- sorry I kinda spaced out there, hehe.” You apologised for your behaviour. The auburn haired man only laughed slightly.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh, but you’re very cute.”

Redness overtook your features. Cute? You? Wait, he actually thought you were cute? While you flushed, you wondered how he said something like that is easily. If it were you, you’d malfunctioned before you even got a word out.

Seeing this happen before her, ‘X’ couldn’t hold her giggles. Everyone’s attention fell on her.

“Oh my god, I can totally hear the wedding bells already!”

With a flushed face you scoffed, “what’re you?-It’s your wedding this is about so don’t go make up weird stuff.”

“Ooooh, I can see you blushing~”

“No, I’m not.”

“You totally are!”

While ‘X’ continued to poke fun at you, and you trying to fight her off, her fiancée was amused at the scene; none of you saw the way the best man gazed at you.

It was a knowing look, one that said he had all the cards on his deck. People were used to see Riddle constantly wearing an expression displaying his happiness and eagerness to help others, so they would’ve been taken aback at the current unusual expression gracing his features.

You were mad at the assumptions your friend started making, especially in front of the guy himself. You wished you could just tell her to shut it but that would embarrass you further. Still, you had no idea how right she were at the time.

[jackles010378]

Guys I am so sorry, I seriously thought I posted this on Thursday 😶‍🌫️ I must of dreamt I did, anyways hope you enjoy it ❤️

(No warnings needed)

Happily Ever After part 1

(this story takes place immediately after I Can't Do This Anymore and will be in two parts)

Straight after Jensen proposed to you, you both had an eventful night. He wanted you to feel loved and wanted and boy did he make you feel just that!

The morning after you phoned your best friend Becca and told her the great news. You asked her to be your maid of honour to which she practically screamed yes down the phone to you.

3 months of planning, 3 months of nothing but looking at wedding venues and flower arrangements, dresses, tuxedos and caterers. You and Jensen didn't want to wait too long to get married so you chose the earliest date that the registrar could give you which was 4 months after he had proposed.

Sitting in your living room with Jensens mom Donna the one side and his sister the other. Gen had come over too. They were helping you put the wedding favours together. Jensen had offered to hire a wedding planner so you weren't overwhelmed with all the planning, he knew he wouldn't be able to help much because of the press tours he had to do, but you told him you wanted to do it because it would be more personal.

You got up of the couch and offered to get everyone a drink. Just as you were about to enter the kitchen your doorbell rang. Opening it up you felt arms wrap tightly around you nearly knocking you off your feet "Jesus Christ Becca, come in why don't you" you said through a laugh as your friend clung onto you. "What can I say I missed my friend". You hadn't seen Becca since you moved in with Jensen. You obviously messaged and video called each other, but it wasn't the same as how it used to be.

Hearing the noise Gen came to investigate "y/n, you okay" you let go of your friend and introduced her to Gen "wow, Gen Padalecki, I'm a big fan of yours and Jared, I mean you guys are great" you bumped your friends shoulder to stop her making a fool of herself. Gen hugged Becca and you went to grab the drinks.

You introduced Becca to Jensen's mom and sister and showed her what you were doing. You were all sitting in the living room now putting the favours together talking about the wedding and how much was left to do. Jensen had spoken to Danneel about having the wedding at the brewery. To your surprise she was okay with it, even said she would help decorate. You got on with Danneel which you didn't think would ever happen but when she had spoken to you after you nearly left him, you two became good friends, she had settled some insecurities that you had by telling you her's when she was with him.

You made it clear to Jensen that you only wanted a small wedding, nothing too over the top. Just close friends and family. That part saddened you, your father was no longer with you and your mom was too ill to travel. You had spoken to him about how only a handful of your family members were going to be able to make it so you just wanted something simple. Jensen had told you as long as you were there he didn't need anyone else, just you.

Finishing up the last of the favours you heard the door open then close, Jensen was home after 2 months of non-stop press tours. You bounced out of your seat to meet him half way. He didn't hear you sneaking up behind him as he shook his coat off and put his suitcase by the door. As he turned around you snaked your arms around his waist and hugged him tight "woah easy sweetheart, anyone would think you missed me" you looked up at him and kissed him deeply. Jensen started to get a bit handsy so you had to stop him "your mom and sister are here" you said between kisses "Gen and Becca too". He sighed and let go of you but not before giving you one last peck on the lips.

"Does this mean your free to help out now with the wedding prep son" Donna asked Jensen after he had said hello to everyone and gave them all a hug. He sat down by you wrapping his arm around your waist, tugging you a little closer to him. "Yeah ma, I'm free for the next couple months now to be exact, oh, well apart from that one con me and Jared have got in a couple of weeks" he kissed your temple squeezing you slightly. "Gen, can you make sure he didn't forget anything this time" Jensen pleaded with her which made you all laugh.

After saying goodbye to everyone including Becca who insisted on staying in a hotel so you and Jensen could be alone, you both let out a heavy sigh. He wrapped you up in a tight hug and to your surprise picked you bridal style "Jay, what are you doing" you asked through laughter. "I'm taking my fiance to bed, if she doesn't mind. I haven't seen for over 2 months so we have a lot of catching up to do" you let out a tiny squeal as Jensen went running up the stairs to your master bedroom.

The next morning you woke up to the sounds of soft snores. You felt a heavy weight across your abdomen which you welcomed. As if he knew you were awake Jensen stirred, pulling you closer to him and kissing you softly. "Good morning future Mrs Ackles" that brought a smile to your lips and you kissed him back, "good morning my soon to be husband". You both lay there for a while, glad to be in each other's arms.

"Y/n, I wanna ask you something and feel free to say no, but...." "Why don't I like the sound of this Jay?" You perched up resting your chin on his chest " oh no, it's nothing bad, I just wanna know, well, I would love it if you would come to the con with me. You don't have to go out on stage or anything and Gen is gonna be there with the kids so I'm sure she'll.........." You placed a finger on his lips as a way to shush him before you pecked them "I would love nothing more than to go to the con with you". Jensen's smile grew and he rolled on top of you kissing you hard. He knew how much guts it took for you to do this and well it would be a nice break from all the wedding planning.

Con weekend, you had never experienced anything like it! Jensen had made sure you were kept out of the limelight. But that didn't stop his fans asking questions about you or the wedding at the first panel. You thought it was cute how he blushed when he spoke about you as you watched on the screen in the green room, Gen had been amazing too. You helped her look after the kids while the boys did their thing.

You both were watching the main panel when you heard one fan ask Jensen if they'd ever get the chance to see you on stage, he looked at Jared and cleared his throat "as much as I would love to share y/n with y'all, she's extremely shy, she's not great with big crowds but she's working on it so, hopefully at a future con maybe" the girl thanked Jensen and went back to her seat. You stood up and told Gen you needed to stretch your legs, but what you did surprised even you.

You found yourself behind the black curtain you saw Jensen and Jared appear out of. Just as you were about to walk away Rob came up behind you " hey y/n, you okay, you need something" you looked at Rob and told him to tell the crowd there was a special guest waiting. He smiled at you and walked out on stage. At this point Jared and Jensen were winding the panel down getting ready for the last question as Rob started to talk " now guys I just bumped into someone backstage who said she'd love to come and meet y'all" Jensen and Jared looked confused at Rob, wondering what was going on "guys give a nice big cheer for Y/N L/N". The crowd started to go wild as Jensen swung round to see you walk from behind the curtain. Sure you were nervous as hell, but you needed to do this, not just for yourself but for Jensen too. It didn't take long until Jensen was right by you hugging you tight as the crowd let out a collective 'aww' at the same time.

Leaving the stage with Jensen you couldn't help the smile that was on your face, you actually just did something you never thought you'd ever be able to do. As soon as you got in the green room Gen hugged you tight "I knew you could do it girl, your stronger than you think" she released you as you felt another pair of arms hug you from behind "I am so unbelievably proud of you baby, what you just did took guts, you were great out there" you turned in his arms and hugged him back "it was more fun than I thought it would be, you guys have got some great fans" you pulled back enough so you could give him a kiss, to which you heard Shep and Tom say in union "eww gross".

It was now a week till the wedding, everything was booked and paid for, Danneel was still insisting on decorating the brewery so you gave in and gave her the go ahead.

You were making breakfast for you and Jensen before you had to leave to pick up your dress, the maid of honours dress and the 3 bridesmaid dresses you had made for JJ, Arrow and Odette. Jensen was going to pick up his suit, Jared's, Zeppelin's, Toms and Shep's. You were happy that the kids liked you, it made things a lot easier. As you were flipping the bacon, it felt as if your stomach was doing somersaults. Jensen came into the kitchen as you threw the spatula on the side and darted to the bathroom. After the sickness subsided you made your way back to the kitchen where Jensen looked concerned "you okay sweetheart?, you don't look so good" he felt your head but you weren't burning up " I must've caught a bug or something, I'll be fine" Jensen looked at you again and phoned Becca and asked if she could pick up the dresses for you, which she said she would.

While Jensen was out picking up the suits and now Becca was picking up the dresses for you, you couldn't help but feel nauseous again. You tried to recall what you had eaten or who you had been around that would make you sick like this. Then a thought hit you, but no, you couldn't be, could you? You did the math in your head and as realisation hit you, you grabbed your car keys heading for the nearest pharmacy, your mind was racing.......

Is she or isn't she 🤰🏼🤫🤔we shall see!

Thanks for reading guys , hopefully it won't be too long of a wait for part 2 🥰

TAGLIST: @k-slla @cevansbaby-dove @kaleldobrev @janineb86 @deans-daydream @alternativeprincess94 @tmb510

[writefightandflightclub]

Santi saying “Right there, huh? That’s the spot?”🥵😢

Thank Me Later: Santiago “Pope” Garcia x fem!reader

Rating: EXPLICIT. 18+ ONLY. Do not read further or engage unless you are over 18. ⚠️

Summary: your friend knew exactly what she was doing seating you next to this guy called “Pope” at her wedding. He’s ever so clearly trouble. However, given you’re in the mood to be trouble right back, you can’t stay mad at your friend for long.

Genre: smutty!

Warnings: finger-banging, mainly. Alcohol consumption. Restroom at a wedding deviance. Reader has a brother - but no descriptions.

GIF: by @uomo-accattivante (pls tell me if you’d like me to remove this!)

Author’s note: this is a rather quick one, written in snippets over my work breaks. Honestly, I’ve been getting too in my head about writing (or at least posting) any smut lately, so I hope you enjoy this! (Anon, I hope I did this glorious prompt justice! Thanks for sending it to me! 🧡)

You quaff some more of the table fizz, despite the fact you succumb to a grimace of distaste every time you take a sip. It’s so vile you swear it’s an outright act of evil that your friend - the bride - chose this concoction for her special day.

“Not hitting the spot, huh?”

You blink at the handsome man seated to your left, cursing your friend all over again for this seating arrangement. Now that -and you’re counting- is the second direct act of evil committed by her today. Oh, she for sure knew exactly what she was doing when she seated you next to him.

He - Pope, his name is - looks so good in his midnight blue suit that you could believe that he was created for the sole purpose of attending weddings and copping-off with the sexy maid of honour. (That’s you.)

Your friend could even have saved herself a few bucks and plated you up as dessert, you think, since you’ve already turned to jelly under his attentions.

“No it is not. It’s disgusting. It’s practically an act of outright warfare.” His delicious lips twitch around a smile as you continue to rant on the injustice of it all, and -damn him- he continues to listen attentively.

It’s true, that despite your best efforts to ignore him - and his blatant aura of trouble - you’d each relegated the bores seated to your respective left and right to the No Talking Zone. And, in fact, you and he may as well have been seated at a table for two, given you’ve spent the whole three course meal getting to know each other better. Getting, also, to dream up a new position you’d enjoy him taking you in with every passing moment. As you dream up yet another, deliciously sordid images multiplying in your head, a blanketing heat flushes your skin. And, in your attempts to cool off you forget, taking another swig of your damned “drink”, resulting in you grimacing all over again. “But then - she never did have any taste. Look at that complete douche she’s married.”

He looks at your mouth. His gaze briefly dips to your cleavage. His corded throat bobs with warm, roughly hewn laughter. “Isn’t that douche your brother?”

“Uh huh.” That was your friend’s original sin.

Pope eyes you with amusement as you drain your glass, suddenly feeling like you need the courage just to survive him looking directly at you like that.

His flirting -not that you’re complaining- is becoming increasingly brazen. He’s a confident one, this dude. He knows he’s pretty. And, his flirting combined with your gradually depleting better judgement, is a dangerous combination. Almost as dangerous a concoction as this god awful fucking wine.

You skim back over the interaction so far, attempting to consolidate your position. You suddenly think - with horror - back to the moment he’d commented good-naturedly on your evident disdain for the entire institution of marriage. You’d blurted out “Marriage? I’d be grateful just to get laid, honestly. Let’s start there.”

You recall how his gaze had become positively pornographic - his smirk devilish - when he’d responded to your assertion. “Okay. I can definitely work with that.”

He brushes your forearm with his fingers, and his touch crackles along your skin like a lit fuse. It snaps you back to the present moment, your desire urgent and running out of line.

“Well,” he purrs next, continuing his advances. Leaning closer toward you and sending a pleasant shiver shimmying down your spine as his warm breath contacts the shell of your ear. As his fingers skim sensually down your bare arm. “Since the drink’s not working out? I bet I could hit the spot for you.” Pope draws back ever so slightly, allowing you to see the flash of wanton desire sparking in his lust-blown umber eyes.

Christ. He smells good. Smells an awful lot like cologne you’ll be reluctant to shower from your skin later tonight. Smells like someone you’re very much about to fuck in some cramped wedding venue bathroom.

You blink at him wordlessly for a moment as his hand slides on to your thigh, a swallow sinking down your neck. The warmth of him bleeds through your thin, silky dress, his palm easily slipping further up and up without resistance - from you or the fabric. Your mouth drops open with a breathy, eager sigh, and you hate your friend juuuust a little more for getting you into this terrible mess.

“What do you think?” he intones, his voice thick and packed like crushed velvet. “Wanna find some place a little more quiet?”

“You’re s-serious.” Your voice is full of telltale tremors already, and he’s barely even touched you.

“Oh yeah.” He looks so very pleased with himself already. Doesn’t he? “You’re the most miserable bridesmaid I’ve ever met. Wanna see if I can turn things around for you.” He plays it straight, but you can’t help but note the more gentle, more sincere dose of mirth dancing in his molten eyes - and so, you finally crack your first smile of the entire dinner service. Entirely at his expense.

After all. He might be trouble, but why on earth has he got it in his head that you’re a good idea? “I take it you like a challenge then?” You’re hardly known for your sunny disposition. You’re notoriously hard to please.

Unphased, however, Pope takes your hand in his and, in a gentlemanly fashion, politely raises you to standing. He leans close once again, winding his arm around your middle. “Hermosa.” The sound is abrasive and delicious, almost like rough fingers grazing your skin. It makes you tingle everywhere. “Maybe I just know what’s good for you.”

Well that’s an assertion you’d like to see him back up, and so, you hook your arm in his and pace out - to find somewhere a little more… quiet.

Your friend -traitor- sees you leave arm in arm with him, causing her face to shine with an absurd level of directional glee, her eyebrows reaching towards her hairline first in shock, then pumping suggestively.

Oh, she knew exactly what she was doing alright.

She clearly knows your every weakness, as well as the fact this man is the embodiment of every single one of them. A silver-haired, brown-eyed fox, packaged in a sexy, tailored suit? You were done for the moment you sat down, weren’t you?

Even so, despite your friend’s evident glee at your imminent hook-up, you scowl, shooting her the middle finger as you pass the top table. “Don’t even.”

Hey. You can thank her later; if - and only if- this guy lives up to his own hype.

***

That’s how it happened.

That’s how you had found yourself here like this, pushed up against the tight restroom wall, your right leg hitched up and hooked over Pope’s hip. His corresponding forearm slid along the length of your thigh and his palm curling underneath your ass cheek to support your position.

It’s his other hand though, which has you in all sorts of trouble. It’s his other hand which is sunk knuckle-deep inside you, curling into every sweet spot and dragging delicious, deep, electrifying friction over your walls.

Your arms brace over his shoulders to keep you upright, the leg supporting your weight growing increasingly shaky. Your fingers skim over the soft but crisp cotton of Pope’s shirt, his suit jacket now hung neatly on the peg of the bolted rest room door, and his right-arm shirt sleeve rolled up to his elbow, the veins and muscles in his tan forearm popping as he works himself into you - first with one thick finger, then two.

“Pope,” you protest weakly as he ravages you beyond expectation or comprehension. “There are gonna be after dinner photos. I’m gonna look… fucked.”

“Mmm. Better make it worth it then, huh?” He kisses along your jaw where your head is tipped back against the wall in ecstasy, his stubble leaving a pleasant burning scrape in its wake. His rich, layered scent rubbing off onto your skin.

His mouth latches eagerly over yours and he tongues you with relish, a gruff moan blooming from his throat into the cave of you. He seems to be enjoying you. Enjoying the way his fingers are making you wet enough that he can hear that obscene squelch sound with every pump of his hand. You drink his sounds down, moaning right back into him, your palms slipping down his shirted, shapely chest in almost complete surrender. His impossible jaw working his lips against yours with vigour.

“You gonna get there?” he enquires gently. “Feel good?”

You have no doubt that you’re going to gush all over his practised hand within moments, but you don’t want to give it up quite so easy - if you can help it. “You expect me to be able to cum in this horrible, pokey bathroom?”

“Look at me,” he grits, his deep, dark, brown eyes latched on to yours. He practically growls. Nips your bottom lip in between his teeth until you lightly yowl in protest. “That’s exactly what I expect.” He looks you directly in the eye as his fingers stretch you open, his thumb meticulously nudging and massaging your clit in time with his languid, rhythmic strokes.

It’s good.

God, it’s good.

But now you’re getting too in your head.

What if someone knocks? Hears? What if Auntie Edna need the restroom and- “I can’t!” you protest breathily - in frustration- even as you writhe yourself on his hand, bucking into every long, thick, curling stoke he delivers you, his fingers precise and consistent.

“Fuck. Princesa. Do you ever stop complaining?”

“No.”

And with that, he thrusts a third finger into you, adding a far more insistent pressure against your giving, welcoming walls.

“Mmmmpppphhh,” you muffle then into the junction of his neck, your head falling forward as you give in and succumb to all the sensations he’s bestowing upon you. You bask solely in the steadily building and electric pleasure sparking out from your core. Reaching out to cling to every extremity.

You moan into his neck, huffing hot, grateful breaths against his skin. Licking over each crevice and contour of his throat with the flat of your tongue and press of your lips. Tasting the buzz of his cologne on your tongue.

“Pope,” you plead, though you know not yet quite what you are begging for. You are confident enough now that he will know just what to give you.

Luckily, indeed, Pope truly does seem to know what’s good for you, what you need, and the precise pads of his fingers and the drag of his clumsy knuckles hit a spot inside you which sends white hot sensations blooming out from your middle. The sudden, warm expansion of this pleasure compresses everything else in you, punching an abrupt, abortive moan from your lungs, which dies on your opened lips.

“There you go,” Pope purrs, even more pleased with himself now, his voice all smug honey flecked with grit. Reading you keenly, his fingers repeat their motion, moulding to you just how you need. “Right there, huh? That’s the spot.”

Your eyes roll back in your head as he hits exactly where you want him, rubbing over your swollen arousal; but still, for some reason, you refuse to give him the satisfaction - even if your breathy, undone voice gives it away for free. “Sure. If you say so.”

He grins, still cock-sure of himself, and he bucks the sizeable, straining mass beneath his suit pants zipper up against your thigh for good measure too. You almost clench around his hand from the thought of that -what else he has to offer- alone. Could almost get off just from his big dick energy, which alone feels like it could penetrate you deep enough to count. “Don’t know why you’re fighting it, hermosa. Told you I know what’s good for you.”

He kisses you then; your mouth, your jaw, your neck, your shoulder. The sound is percussive and sweet and slick and in time with the wet, messy noises between your legs, your arousal now dripping down his fingers and pooling in his broad palm, inching down and over his hand.

He groans in disbelief at the feel of you -perhaps at the thought of burying himself in you for some relief of his own- and he hitches your leg a little higher on his hip, hooking your knee over the meat of his pert, ample ass. He braces his sturdy legs slightly, and it marginally adjusts the angle at which he can fuck his fingers up into you.

The slight adjustment is pure bliss, and God. You don’t want him to ever stop touching you like this.

“If you don’t want it, Princesa…” he slowly drags his fingers from your heat, withdrawing this heaven from you only to tease, and in desperation you clamp your hand down on to his veined, sturdy forearm, keeping him in place.

“No! No,” you protest, voice barely above a whisper but no less robust with conviction as you writhe your core on him. “Don’t stop. Right there. Please.”

With a smug, lopsided smirk Pope redoubles his efforts, surging back into your heat, scissoring his fingers slightly to increase the swell and pressure of him inside you. A moan unspools itself from deep within your chest and you bite down on your lip to quell it, your breathing ragged. Mingling with Pope’s own panting - his torn, shredded breaths. Satisfied now, however, that he’s very much about to prove his point, Pope continues where he left off, his fingers delving into you and squeezing your sweet nectar out from around them, filling you up with his girth.

“Uh huh,” you whine and he must feel you tighten around him. Must know how close you are.

“Show me,” he encourages, his voice the stiff rod to your molten core, the only thing keeping you upright; and barely. “Show me how good it feels.”Indeed, you slide all silken - down the wall, down his hand, and it pushes him even deeper.

“Yes.” Your eyes flutter closed. Screw shut. Your moans become unfettered. You let yourself go. “Like that. God. Pope.”

He maintains his pace and his pressure; thank goodness. He does not race you towards an end, but he does guides you there with a gentle, supple hand. And, when his voice comes next, it is to deliver a delicate red ribbon of a phrase, the words unravelling into the shell of your ear and snaking straight down into the depths of you. “Gonna look so good when you cum for me, aren’t you, Princesa? Gonna cum so hard on my fingers?”

You do.

You do.

You implode with pleasure, clamping down around his hand in slow, deep waves, undulating on him until you drag every last vestige of pleasure that you can from out of his touch. You cling on to him for dear life, and he practically has to keep you pinned to the wall with his body to keep you from waning. Wilting.

You drink him in as you convulse, his dark eyes locked on yours, lust-hooded and encouraging. Full of safety. You drink in the sound of him. The moans of his satisfaction at seeing you come apart for him. The mingled scents of cologne and sex and laundry powder - the smell of that crisp white fucking shirt adorning his hot body.

He holds you, making you feel safe and sure as you come down in his arms, still throbbing pleasantly between your legs. Your mouth stays slack with disbelief as he slips his fingers out of your heat, bringing his fingers up to his lips and tasting you with relish as he shoves his own fingers over his supple pink tongue.

“Well done, cariño,” he praises gently before kissing you, slipping the taste of your own juices into your mouth as he tongues you, and the unexpected tenderness of it causes your eyes to brim with emotion. Emotion which you are quick to blink away - hastily, before it can be detected.

You’re sated. Plenty sated. But you already feel to the depths of you that you are not done with this man. You want to taste him too. Satisfy him. Have him take you. Learn him. Hold him.

“D-do you want…?”

You angle your hips towards the substantial bulge at his crotch, and yet his gaze is sincere and gentle all over again. Hosting something deeper than an urgent, consuming hunger.

Gingerly, he hooks your chin with his (oh so talented) forefinger. Flashes you a lopsided smile. “Hermosa. You can thank me later.” He nods over and down - out of the small, square window which peeks out on to the lawn one level below. “I think you’re already late enough for the after dinner photos.”

“Oh shit!”

Pope’s mouth bends with amusement as you scramble to fix yourself up. He unspools some toilet roll and hands it to you so you can clean yourself up, swiping your juices away from between your thighs. He moves ever so seamlessly and calmly around you as you smooth your rumpled dress and hurriedly unsmudge your make-up. And, for his part, he washes up his hands and calmly slips his pristine suit jacket back onto his pleasing form, instantly looking as though nothing at all went down.

You meanwhile, are a dead giveaway. “Uggghhhhhh. Who the fuck has photos after dinner, anyway?” you gripe, and a laugh bobs in Pope’s throat.

“There you go again. Always complaining.”

“Oh shut up,” you snip, already far too fondly. Then, you grab him by the lapels, dragging this delicious man on to your lips. “All that matters, is that I’m going to be very grateful later.”

Your hungry kiss, as well as the clear suggestion in your eyes, leaves Pope stupefied for just a moment. Long enough for you to dash out towards the lawn, at least. Scrambling to take your place.

You are the last out of the wedding party to arrive at the designated spot, but you manage to slot in next to the bride just in time for the photographer to capture you in all your post-orgasm glory.

Of course, as you sidle up to her, though, your friend raises an all too knowing eyebrow. “What took you so long?”

You’d be mad with her blatant scheming, but, given the result, you can’t help the broad grin which erupts over your face. You bump her hip with yours. “Bitch,” you chide, and she emits a wicked chuckle.

“Hussy,” she bites around a mirthful smile. “So. Tell me everything. How did you enjoy your seating arrangement?”

You re-pose as the photographer directs the party, subtly shifting position. “Hmm. Yeah,” you respond mysteriously, knowing it will drive her wild not to have the full story. “Almost enough to make up for the shit wine.”

“That good, huh?”

You erupt into giggles again, this time chaotic enough that you are reprimanded by the photographer. “I love you, bitch,” you whisper to the glowing bride.

“Love you too.”

And, meanwhile, entirely unbeknownst to you, Pope looks on, pleased to see you smiling. He’d even like to think he played a small part in turning that around.

You look beautiful, he thinks. And God. He can’t wait for you to repay the favour.

[icegirl03]

Wedding vows | Iceman x reader

This was requested by the lovely @deanscroissant 🩷

Warnings: crying, slight mentions of death.

Fluff,slight angst.

••••••♡♡♡•••••••♡♡♡••••••••♡♡♡•••••

Charlie is the flower girl,while Carole was the maid of honour. Slider is the best man and Maverick,well he's just existing.

This was a navy wedding,so every pilot was wearing their service dress whites. Highly decorated pilots,commanders, and admirals were invited.

"Everyone stand up for the bride"

Everyone was up and faced to the beginning of the altar,as you entered,beautiful white dress,flower bouquet on your hands,and a long veil dragging behind you. Everyone cooed in awe,but all you could look at was Tom,waiting for you at the end of the altar.

Little Bradley was in a tux following behind you. He was the ring holder.

You arrive at the altar,only to be met with Tom's watery eyes. You knew he was the emotional one,behind the cold image he had created in the navy, the Tom you knew was a whole other person.

You two have been through a lot,you met him when he was at his lowest,and you two became inseparable.

The ceremony began.

Minister: (Addressing guests)

"Marriage is a venerated institution, and one deserving of deep reverence. Today we observe the union of Tom and Y/n in holy matrimony, a commitment they have chosen to undertake with all the sincerity that it warrants."

You two look at each others eyes while the minister speaks.

Minister: "Tom and Y/n, I invite you to express your sacred vows to one another. Please face each other as you declare these vows before God and in the presence of your family and friends."

"Tom, you may start."

Tom had written his vows,he opened the small book with shaky hands and started reading.

"To the love of my life. I've been to many weddings. When I see other people get married I could only think about marrying you,when I heard people read their vows,I could only think about reading my vows."

His voice was trembling,hands were shaky,and his eyes were in the verge of tears. The guests were looking around at each other,surprised.

"I love how you chose me,despite my work and knowing how dangerous it was,and how I could not be here any day. I love you because you chose me,just the way I am, you chose me together with the navy. I have my flaws and you found me when I wasn't at my best."

He was now actually crying,tears running down his face, and Slider patting his back.

"We have been through many hardships together,and I feel the luckiest man to marry you. I can't wait to wake up next to you,and come home to you for the rest of my life. I will always get upset when I leave you when I get deployed,and I will always have your picture on my cockpit. I promise to cherish you,to always give you affection,to make you happy,to celebrate you and celebrate with you,and most importantly, to be your best friend. Because you are my best friend,my better half. You complete me."

Everyone applauded,while you wiped his tears away.

It was your turn to say your vows.

"My dear Tom," he gave you a smile.

"You have always been there for me,you have never abandoned me. I remember the first time we met,I had no idea I would end up with the amazing person that you are. I promise to always welcome you with a smile and open arms,when things become too much. I promise to take care of you when you're sick,I promise to love you even when we're old and tired from raising our 4 kids.."

The guest chuckled

"...you are my saviour,my hero,the best man I know, and you have made me the happiest woman on earth with your love. You're one of a kind,and I promise to cherish you until death do us apart."

The guests applauded

Minister: "It is now time to exchange the rings. The circle formed by each ring is a symbol of your love and eternal commitment to each other. May these rings remind you always of these sacred promises you've made to each other today in the company of your family and friends."

Little Bradley approached with the box that had the rings,earning coos from the guests.

You two exchange your rings with shaking hands.

Minister:" By the power vested in me, by the state of Military Americas and by the Universal Life Church, I pronounce you, Tom and Y/n as Husband and Wife, lawfully wedded before God."

Minister: "Tom, you may now kiss the bride"

Tom approached you and cupped your face and kissed you deeply. He turned and dipped you,earning some "woo's" and cheering from the guests.

Minister: Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honor that I officially present to you Mr. and Mrs. Kazansky !!

The moment you were pronounced husband and wife two military planes flew above you.

•••

The after party had started, and you started greeting the guests as newlyweds. After greeting all the important admirals and commanders, the two of you move to Maverick, Slider and Goose.

"Now now we never knew how emotional Tom could get, I mean I never expected him to cry so much" Maverick joked.

Tom held your waist and smiled "Mother Goose shut him up before I do,he won't like that"

••••♡♡♡•••••♡♡♡•••••♡♡♡•••••••

I hope you like this! Request are open!

I LOVE comments so feel free to show your feedback! Much appreciated!

[fundielicious-simblr]

(Valentina's POV)

And they're married! Celeste and Reid were joined in holy matrimony on a bright winter's day and we couldn't be happier for them! The Lord blessed us with wonderful weather that meant we could do pictures outside in the fresh snow. Seeing Celeste in her dress was simply wonderful, her bridal glow brought us all to tears while we got ready.

Their love story has once again shown us that when the Lord puts a story together, no one can stop it! At the start of this year they didn't know each other, and here we are closing out the year at their wedding! Like the rest of us, they chose not to kiss before their wedding day so it was even more special to watch them have their first kiss to christen their union as man and wife!

Celeste had Macie and I as her matron and maid of honour then had Madelynn, Kristyn, Sabrina, and Tessa as bridesmaids. It was such a blessing to be able to take part in my little sister's wedding, especially with her being the last sister to get married. Even though I was the first to move away, it was nice having all my sisters home whenever I'd come to visit, but as they've gotten married, moved away, and had kids of their own, it's been harder having to arrange when and where to meet each other. Lester was the ring bearer, Aria was the junior bridesmaid, with Charity and Kayla being flower girls. It's so great having all the family together again to be able to celebrate love.

Our parents have admittedly been struggling with Celeste getting married, she's the last daughter to get married and has been our mother's right hand since I left home 10 years ago, with her doing more and more the older she got and the other sisters moved away. My mother's prayers have been answered in whole and in part, with Celeste getting married she's gotten all of her daughters married (answered prayer), and she's got 7 out of 10 kids married. With Zachary courting Kelsey, there will hopefully be wedding bells in the new year making the last two left are the twins (Conner & Jarrett) who still have a ways to go.

(AN: Trying to get this group picture almost finished my last nerve 😂 My macbook cant decide if it's a vehicle of creativity or a weapon formed against me. The next large group pictures will be harvestfest, if necessary, depends on how the plot goes between now and then)

We got a wonderful family picture to commemorate the new member of the family, it's been such a blessing to see how our family has grown over the years, and by this time next year there will be 5 new grandchildren (maybe even more)!

[mings-cafe]

BANANA CAKE!

bold = favourites

name = person it’s directed to

small text = extra dialogue

1. “I didn’t go! I couldn’t do it! I love you too much to leave, so I gave my ticket to someone else and ran back!”

“That was your dream though…”

“No, I got it all wrong, you are.”

2. “For he is the sun and I am the moon. He makes me shine but I’ll never be able to be close to him, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.”

“We’re destined to stay millions and millions of miles away from each other and all we can do is stand and watch, I have to stand and watch him hurt himself to help others. Is it worth it?”

3. “No, not when you hurt me… you ripped my heart out of my chest and crushed it right in front of me…”

4. “And that was that. There’s no extra chapters or missing dialogue. I was 20 pages of his amazing story. We met, we fell in love, he left. That’s it.”

5. “Everything fell apart the day to chose her over me. We decided we would be in this together. We’re looking after someone else’s kid for christ sake, but you still left every night to be with her.”

“We were never like that, name.”

“You’re the one that made the promise that we would look after her together, couple or not we would be her parents because we found her!”

6. “Because that’s what villains do, I have sacrificed the world to see you for one last time.”

7. “Sometimes I think, what if our story ended differently? What if I wasn’t a side character? Then what?”

8. “You, my love, are everything I could have asked for and more. You’re an angel to me, a demon, quiet literally.”

9. “No, you don’t but that’s ok. I can live with all the pain knowing you’re happy.”

10. “I’m so happy you got it but I wish you stayed. I wish I was enough to make you stay.”

11. “You shouldn’t be acting like him being in love is inconvenient for you, especially when all he’s ever done is put you first…”

“It’s not that it’s inconvenient for me! It’s inconvenient for you, my love…”

12. “Oh honey, it’s ok if I get hurt. As long as you’re ok, I’m ok. I’m perfectly healthy as long as you’re smiling and laughing.”

13. “No! I think you’re being a terrible friend! You’re trying to set me up with him again when I clearly don’t want to be with him! Are you my best friend or his?!”

“I was just looking out for yo-”

“No you weren’t! The whole week you’ve put me in situations I’ve clearly been uncomfortable in but because the two of you want us to be together again it’s apparently fine!”

“Look, we didn’t mean to-”

“But you did! Cancelling my Uber so he would have to come and pick me up! Cancelling my hotel room so I have to share with him! Getting me drunk, when you know I don’t drink, so you could hear me say one positive thing about him when you know I hate him! I’m done! Screw your wedding, find a new maid of honour! I hate the pair of you.”

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

sneaky

Summary: Your best friend is getting married. And Frank, her father, can’t keep his hands off of you for the entire day.

Pairing: Frank Castle x fem. Reader

Wordcount: 2.8k

Rating: E

Warnings: age gap (legal), established (secret) relationship, jealousy, sneaking around, smut (unprotected sex), Public sex, fluff

Masterlist

You smiled when you felt lips on your shoulder, looking at Frank in the mirror you were standing in front. 

He was wearing the suit you had helped him buy. Dark dress pants, crisp white dress shirt, still unbuttoned. No tie.

“You look beautiful,” he hummed, kissing your shoulder again as you put the finishing touches to your make up. 

You were late. 

Very very late. 

Which was completely Frank’s fault.

Well… Maybe you shouldn’t have spent last night here and slept in your bed for a change. Not that you did sleep very often in it.

It was your best friend's wedding day. 

Frank’s daughter's wedding day. 

You and Lana had known each other since kindergarten. Four year old Lana had punched Jeremy Clark into his nose because he had taken your colouring book from you and made you cry. 

It was that day that you saw Frank, back then it was Mr. Castle to you, for the first time. 

You remember being scared of him at first. He was tall and his voice was deep and loud and you had hidden behind your mothers legs when he introduced himself. 

You definitely weren’t scared of him anymore. 

When Lana had gone to college and you had to move out of your parents place because they were getting a divorce and had sold the house Frank had offered you to move into Lana’s room while you searched for something on your own. 

Your mom had moved to another state for a new job and your father had moved to another country, leaving you with the choice of where to go.

You would be lying if you were saying you did not have a crush on Frank Castle growing up. 

You spent more summers in his house than at your own, even more so after Frank got divorced and Lana chose to stay with him. 

Both you and Frank hadn’t seen it coming. 

That you would fall in love with each other. 

He was everything you could have ever dreamed of. So much so that you both decided after almost two years of sneaking around it was time to tell people.

But first you had to make it though your best friend's wedding. 

She had met Kevin in college, fallen head over heels for him. Even Frank, much to his disappointment, couldn’t find anything wrong with the guy which is why he couldn’t even say no when he asked for his baby daughter's hand. 

Now Lana was 22 and about to be married. 

And Frank was happy, he really was. But he had told you that it was hard to think of his daughter as married. 

“Will you come home with me tonight?” he asked and looked at you. 

“I live at your place, baby,” you smiled. 

“Not all the time. You left me to go to college. Everyone leaves me,” he whined dramatically and you rolled your eyes before you got up from your chair and crossed your arms behind his neck, smiling softly up at him. 

“Not gonna leave you ever, Frank Castle,” you vowed and he gave you a shy smile before he crossed the distance and kissed you softly. 

You sighed against his lips, your fingers playing with his hair. 

“I gotta go,” you mumbled against his lips. 

“I know,” he kissed your nose. 

“Can’t wait to strip you out of this dress tonight,” he whispered against your ear, giving you a slap on your ass, as you groaned. 

“You’re the worst, Castle,” you pouted and he pecked your lips again. 

“But you love me anyway.”

As the maid of honour you were standing next to your best friend when she married the love of her life. You were in tears, holding on to her flower bouquet as they vowed to love each other forever. 

You glanced at Franke, sitting in the front row next to his ex wife as he looked torn between happy and sad. 

He gave you a small smile which you returned before you looked away again. 

Weddings were not something you ever thought about. 

You never saw yourself getting married. Of course you were still pretty young. 23 years younger than the man you were in love with. 

Would Frank want to get married?

That would make you…. Your best friend's stepmother. You grinned to yourself just when applause erupted around you, your best friend now officially married. 

You gave her the flower bouquet back, before they kissed again and then made their way down the aisle. You looked after them before you stepped forward, your hand resting on Alex’, the best man, elbow as you followed them shortly after. 

“You know what they say about maid of honour and best men, huh?” he whispered against your ear and you looked displeased at him. 

“Really? You’re going with that?” you asked with a raised eyebrow after you parted from him. You caught Frank coming down the aisle, giving you a questioning look.

“Lana told me you were single. Thought I’ll shoot my shot,” Alex shrugged. 

“Well. I’m not single, so consider your shot blocked,” you smiled before you walked towards Frank. 

“You okay, honeybee?” he asked when no one was close and you nodded. 

“Lana apparently wanted to set me up with the best man,” you sighed. 

You were walking side by side up the hill, the wedding ceremony had been close to the lake of the hotel Lana had chosen as the location. 

Frank looked at you and you fought the urge to let your head fall against his shoulder, and your hand taking his. You were tired of hiding this. 

Of course you ran the risk of losing your best friend once you came clear but you had the feeling that she would be okay with it in the end. 

“That’s… nice of her,” Frank said and you looked up at him suspicious. His nostrils were flared and he was moving his jaw. You couldn’t help but smile. 

“Are you jealous, Mr. Castle?” you asked sweetly and heard him breathe in deeply. He looked around before he pulled you towards a line of trees, away from the crowd, taking your hand when you were out of view and pushing you against one. 

“I don’t like other people touching what’s mine,” he hummed, his nose brushing against your cheek before he kissed you. You pulled him closer, your hands in his hair as he pushed his tongue into your mouth, one of his hands pushing your skirt up until his big hand was squeezing your ass. 

“I’m not jealous,” he hummed in between kisses. “I came inside of you four hours ago, I’m pretty damn sure you’re mine,” he sucked on your bottom lip as you moaned quietly. 

“Why does you saying stuff like that make me so fucking horny?” you giggled against his lips and he let his head fall against your forehead. 

“You’re always horny,” he smirked and you rolled your eyes. 

“Not horny enough to let you fuck me against this tree out in the open before the reception of your daughters wedding,” you said and he sighed. You smiled, your hand running down to rest on his chest.

“Maybe after the reception?” he asked and you punched against his chest making him laugh. 

“Just the Father of the bride and the bride now,” the photographer said and you stepped away, stopped from leaving by your best friend holding you back. 

“I want a couple of the three of us. We basically spent our whole life together in my Dad’s house,” Lana grinned and you smiled at her. Frank approached you, his sunglasses resting on his nose, a big smile on his face. 

“Get in the middle Dad and take those glasses off,” Lana instructed and Frank did you, wrapping his arm around her first and then around you, looking down at you with a soft smile you mirrored before you looked towards the camera. 

It must have only been a split second but neither of you knew then that it was enough for the photographer to shoot a picture that would end up framed on his bedside table.

You knew Frank was an attractive man. 

But you were unused to seeing him all cleaned up and in a suit.

It was doing things to you and more than once he caught you looking at him, giving you a knowing look before you looked away again. 

It was after dinner, the sun already setting that Frank found you again, pulling you back outside and leading you back down towards the treeline from earlier. He squeezed your hand, walking farther until you almost couldn’t hear the noise of the many guests of the wedding. 

You were about to ask where he was taking you when he pulled you against him so he could kiss you. 

Smiling against his lips you crossed your arms behind his neck, letting him walk you backwards until your back was leaning against a big tree. 

“Can’t wait until we’re back home,” he mumbled, his fingers finding your panties under your dress, pulling them down your legs. He pulled them into his pocket before his hand was cupping your cunt, finding your soaked. 

“Honeybee I wanted to give you my fingers, but I don’t think you need them, huh?” he grinned, kissing you again. You shook your head. 

“Just fuck me baby. Please I need you,” you whimpered and he chuckled. 

“Already begging for me. My honeybee,” you helped him with his belt, pulling at the zipper of his pants until you wrapped your hand around his cock and he groaned. 

“Turn around,” he said and you let go of him, turning around, resting your hands against the tree. He pushed your dress up, taking a step closer, his hands on your hips and his cock rubbing against your pussy. 

He groaned. 

“Always so fucking wet for me,” he praised an you bit your lip, one of his hands leaving your hips. You looked over your shoulder, seeing him spit down on his cock, pumping it a couple times until he lined himself up and slowly entered you. You sighed, letting your head fall down.

No matter how often he fucked you, it was always a stretch. 

A delicous fucking pleasurable stretch you were addicted to.

You both moaned quietly when his whole length was inside of you. 

“Frank please. We gotta be quick, people will notice…. Fuck,” he thrusted hard. Just once and you felt all air leave your lungs. 

“Can you keep quiet for me?” he asked, beginning to fuck into you from behind, both hands groping your hips.

“Baby…” you whimpered, and he slapped your ass, making you cry out. 

His hands left your hips and he pushed you closer against the tree, one of his hands over your still covered tits, his other hand coming down beneath yours on the tree.

He thrusted faster, harder, your head falling back against his shoulder as you tried to keep yourself from moaning too loud, definitely failing as his hand wrapped over your mouth. 

“Want you to scream my name when you cum on my cock,” he snarled against your ear, kissing your temple before he picked up the pace. You felt his other hand run down your body, until his fingers rubbed over your clit. 

“You gotta cum honeybee. I’m so fucking close…” he put two of his fingers inside your mouth and you sucked them, moaning around them. 

You had trouble keeping yourself upwards, your orgasm quickly approaching. 

“Cum. Now,” he hissed against your ear, slapping your clit once, twice…. And you came with a cry the third time, your arms against the tree shaking as he fucked you through it. 

“Yes… Fuck yes. Just like that. Squeezing my fucking cock… Shit…” he groaned and you felt him pulse inside of you as he came, pumping you full of his cum. 

You took deep breaths, trying to get back to this planet as he kissed your shoulder. You turned around, finding his lips in a soft kiss. 

“Come one, we gotta dance,” he said and you rolled your eyes with a small laugh. 

“How do you expect me to walk after you fucked me like that?”

Slowly. 

Was the answer to that. You walked slowly back up the tree line, his hand in yours until you were too close to the party. 

Your heart ached and you could see in his face that he wasn’t liking it either, but it was only a little while. You decided to tell everyone after Lana’s honeymoon. 

Ready for all consequences. 

You were sitting at a table, an almost empty glass of champagne in front of you when he sat down next to you. 

“Really Frank? Another piece of cake?” you laughed and he pushed it towards you.

“Gotta make sure you’re fed for what I’m planning with you later.”

“Oh?” you raised an eyebrow. He just winked at you. You shook your head with a laugh before you began to eat. 

“You have the other cake?” you asked, he nodded. 

“Want a taste?” he asked. 

“Kinda, yeah,” you said, your fork already reaching over the table but he was holding his up for you to take. 

“Open your mouth,” he said and you took a look around. You were still around a lot of people but everybody seemed to be occupied. 

“Please,” he said and you smiled before you parted your lips and let him push the fork with the cake inside your mouth. You closed your lips, humming as the flavour exploded in your mouth. 

“Good. That was pretty good,” you nodded and saw Frank sucking his bottom lip in as he looked at you, before he took a deep breath and shook his head. 

You giggled, reaching for his hand under the table. 

“I love you,” you whispered and he gave you one of those soft smiles you loved so much.

“I love you too.”

“Oh my god,” Lana huffed a laugh, now sitting beside you. 

“What?” you asked, following her line of sight, seeing Frank on the dance floor. You chuckled. 

He was really getting in there, his body moving as he danced with his ex wife. 

“He looks happy. Happier,” Lana said and you smiled at her. 

“Yeah. I think he does.”

“You do know I would never set you up with Alex, right?” she said and you looked at her confused.

“You wouldn’t?” you asked. She shook her head. 

“Just wanted to see Dad’s reaction. And I was not let down,” she grinned and you looked at her with big eyes, a nervous flutter in your belly. 

“You know?” you asked and she nodded. 

“Wasn’t sure for a while but I saw you two kissing on the BBQ for your birthday last year?”

“Last year?” you asked, now completely flabbergasted and she giggled. 

“Yeah. And you both look happy.”

“We wanted to tell you. After…”

But Lana just shook herhead, taking your hand. 

“I understand why you didn’t. I wouldn’t know how to tell you I was in love with your father too,” she teased and you laughed. 

You looked at Frank who was now dancing with one of the bridesmaids. 

“Go and dance with him. I know you want to,” Lana said, squeezing your hand before she left to go to the dancefloor too, going to her husband. 

You watched them dance for a moment, before you got up and walked over to find Frank. 

“Mind if I cut in?” you asked the woman he was dancing with and she frowned before she shrugged and walked away. 

“You really wanna dance with this old man?” Frank asked, his hands wrapping around yours as he made you twirl. You laughed, one of your hands resting on his shoulder after he twirled your back against him. 

He looked down at you, his eyes searching yours when you didn’t move. 

“Lana knows about us,” you whispered and his eyebrows raised.

“She’s known since my birthday last year,” you chuckled.

“Seriously?”

You nodded. You caught Lana’s eyes over his shoulder and he turned his head, looking at his daughter, who winked at him. 

“Good,” he said and you frowned.

“Good?”

“Yeah. So now I can do this,” he hummed before he kissed you. 

[akaranali]

Your wedding day with Elysia

Fem reader

Tw: bad grammar

• you managed to score Elysia and managed to marry her? You are one lucky women

• Elysia chose’s the the venue and decorated in her liking, Definitely a lot of pink but not much pink

• You two would definitely do the holding hands before it thing. She would kiss you so many times before you two leave to get ready

• Eden is definitely her maid of honour and the one who gets help her get ready.

“Ellie stand still if you keep moving you’re gonna be late to your own wedding”

“I know Eden it’s just I can’t wait to see my dear Y/n”

• For you, your maid of honour is probably Apoina and the one to help you get ready as well.

“You’re surprising calm Y/n”

“I’m not, I’m trying not cry so I won’t ruin the makeup”

• After the both of are done, all the bridesmaids are finish getting, The guest are all sat down it’s time for the grandest moment of your life

•You walk down the aisle first. You wear a beautiful white wedding dress with some pink rose.

•Then comes Grieso the flower girl Elyisa choose. Pink rose petals of course

•Then comes in your bride, The love of your life, Your Elysia. Her song coming down is “So this is love” and the one walking her down is Vill V it would’ve been Kevin but the ice thing. Holding a bouquet of pink rose

•You cry so hard seeing her walk down the aisle. She’s coming down the aisle to marry you

• When she makes it to you, you have resist the urge to kiss her right there and then

• the marriage officiant that’s what it call I think is Su hands down. He memorise all the words.

“Elysia do you take Y/n to be your wife for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death?”

“I do”

“Y/n do you take Elysia-“

“I do”

“At least let me finish, I Su with the power invest to me, now pronounce you wife and wife”

• You’ve never went in kiss so fast in your life. Everything other you and Elysia didn’t matter at that point it was just you and her.

•You two would have to force apart for you two to stop kissing

•After all that the guest went to the dinging room to eat there fill and dance

•You would definitely be talking with Kevin and Dr. Mei in the banquet. Drinking champagne and all

• After a half of hour of party it was time for you and Elysia to cute the cake, Of course the cake top piece was custom made to look like each other

•You never knew that cutting a cake would make you this happy

“Y/n dear you’re smiling”

“How could I not be?”

•The cake was amazing. You saw how happy every one look eating it. You could even seen a smile under a Kalpas mask, or something like a smile

• Though after you were all done eating Vill V started dancing. She got must of the other guest to.

“You’re not going to dance?”

“Of course not, I’m waiting for my first dance with my beautiful wife Elysia”

“If that’s the case”

• You saw Eden walking to where the DJ was. The DJ look at her like that have some sort of signal and lower the music and giving Eden the mic

“Thank you every one. Now can I have your attention please? Thank you. This one is for our newly wedded couple first dance”

• You’re suddenly pulled by Elysia to the dance floor. She put her hands around your waist and hold your hand and you do the same

•You hear Eden start singing. But you’re more focus on the beauty in front of you.

“I love you so much Elysia”

“I love you more my dearest Y/n”

[jassackles]

An Actress life - Chapter 1

A/N: please excuse this bc I wrote this story like two years ago, so it might be different to the works I write now lol sksksks maybe you still enjoy it. 

PS: this was my first fan fiction ever!!!

Chapter one 

word count: 1,252 words

It is the last day on set of the tv show you have played in for 7 years. You're a bit sad about that, that it has ended. But you're also happy, because the last 3 years weren't that easy. The crew sucked sometimes and the most members of the cast didn't understand any jokes, they were serious about everything all the time. You didn't enjoy going to work, you always thought being an actress would be rather cool, it is, but at this set you haven't felt like that. This tv show has showed you the negative aspects of being an actress. On the other hand you are thankful for this time, because of this show you met your best friend Gen.

 You know her since the show has started that means for seven years and you are thankful that you are allowed to call her your best friend. She is so adorable and you love her. And because of you she is married to Jared Padalecki, why because of you? Because in 2009 you filmed 'Friday the 13th' with him, although you were in your show you managed doing both. So that you and Jared worked together,  got along very well and hung around a lot, you introduced the two with each other. One day you took Gen to a bar, where Jared and other people from the crew and cast were. They also got along quickly and went on dates but maybe you weren't the single reason why they've married. 

Gen got a small part in Supernatural where Jared has a main part as Sam Winchester. You remember like it was yesterday when they have called her, in this moment you were sitting in a tiny coffee shop, talking about everything and then she got this call. She screamed so loudly, everyone was looking at you like you two would be crazy.  But yeah that's how they met first, because of you. When they married you were her maid of honour, you felt honoured, since you two didn't know each other rather long when she chose you. Their wedding was a dream, everything seemed perfect. She looked amazing, indescribable more than words can say.

 Okay, enough story telling of your best friend's life. Your love life isn't that exciting right now you are single for two years, because your ex boyfriend has cheated on you when you were shooting for your tv show. That has happened 1 year after Gen and Jared's wedding. You two were 6 months in a relationship, so it was not that hard, like the relationship you had before. Enough of your past life. Right now you are in your hometown Austin to visit your parents, you haven't seen them for weeks even months. Your mum told you to visit her and your stepfather, because some of your family from Poland is there and you have missed them a lot.

 You knock at the door and your mum opens it, full of happiness to see you, you breath out of relief, because you thought she would be really angry with you. You go through the door to say hello to the rest of your family. You all sit down to the table where the food is already waiting for all of you. Polish food. You love it. You eat one bite and you feel like you are in heaven, because it tastes so good. Then you suddenly get a call from your manager Edward Swensen. "Sorry guys excuse me for a minute." 

Your mum looks annoyed at you, what you totally understand. You go to the kitchen and pick up. "Hey Y/N/N, sorry for interrupting your family time, but I have an amazing job offer for you." "What job, Ed?" "Eric Kripke called this morning, the producer of Supernatural." "Ed I know, who Eric Kripke is. Just keep going." "Okay, okay. They want you as a main part." Silence. You know, your ex-boyfriend Jensen has also a main part in this show. 

"Wow. That's amazing, what kind of role?" "A love interest of Dean." You think Oh shit, how are you going to survive this? Just be professional. "When do I have to answer?" "Right now, Y/N/N."  "Well, I'm not quite sure about that." "Y/N Y/L/N are you kidding? This is a big opportunity." "It's not that, I would take it if my ex-boyfriend wouldn't be Dean." "Oh shit, I totally forgot about that." "But I'm looking forward and I'll take it." "So sorry to tell you this, but the meeting will be tomorrow. In Vancouver." "Seriously?" "Yeah, I'm so sorry." 

You are so annoyed, you just have arrived and tomorrow you gonna leave for, you don't know how long. "When will the flight be?" "10 am. I'll send you the ticket via email." "Thank you." "See you tomorrow then, Y/N." "Bye, Ed." You feel like you have to tell your bestie, so you call Gen but she doesn't pick up. You can understand, she is busy with Tom and her second pregnancy. You already have forgotten about Jensen that he plays Dean. 

You have to leave in less than 16 hours. "Y/N/N what's going on?" Your cousin asks. "I have a new job, for which I have to leave at 8am because my flight will be at 10am tomorrow. " Your mum is looking angry at you. "I am happy for you but you have just arrived." Your sister says. "I know, I am so so-" Your mum interrupts you "Are you kidding me?" She asks angrily but then her anger turns to happiness. She comes to you and hugs you. "I am so proud of you, Y/N/N." She whispers into your ear. 

Tears come to your eyes, because you are so thankful for your family, that they always support you. "Thank you guys, but I have to call Gen again. And if she doesn't pick up, I will visit her." "Sure, greet her from us." "Of course." You go to the living and try to call her again but she doesn't pick up again, so you decide to go to her house. 

15 minutes later, you arrive at her house and ring the door bell. A few seconds later she opens the door in amazement. "Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you are with your family today." She hugs you and gestures you to come in. "I thought that too. I was calling you, but you didn't pick up. Then I decided to come over." "I don't even know where my phone is." She says laughing. "It's fine, I know you're busy. I have some amazing news." You say in excitement. 

You sit down on their couch. "Start, I wanna know." "I'm gonna have a main part in Supernatural." "Wow. That's amazing, we have to tell Jared." "Jared." She yells. Jared comes to the living room, you two hug each other. 

"Y/N/N, what are you doing here?" He asks with a smile. "Let me introduce you to your new colleague." Gen says proud and points at you. 

"No way!" He says happily.

————

Read next part here! :)

[noceurous]

𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨��𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

summary: the priest was scaring you, but you knew he was just a man with secrets and a dark side.

warnings: smut, oral, spanking, semi-public sex, degrading kink, a bit biblical reference, softdark!priest!bucky, everything is with a concent, 18+ (minors dni)

a/n: i still can’t stop thinking about priest!bucky, and i’d love to get some feedbacks

You felt so small against the large stained glasses, which were almost reaching to the ceiling. A typical neo-Gothic Church, you felt like all the figures on the glasses had their eyes on you. Watching your every move; judging.

“Is this your first time in a church?” You heard his voice, as you turned to him, your eyes meeting his.

He looked cool, for a priest but the way he looked at you, and how he made you feel with his words made you feel exposed.

His tone wasn’t sarcastic, just curious as he watched you look at the windows like hypnotised. “Just first time in a fancy one like this.” You answered him, eyes looking around to find your friend standing at the end of the aisle.

She was talking with her fiancé Jim, he couldn’t make it so you jumped in, taking his place as the lovely maid of honour.

“You liked the windows, I suppose.” He said, smiling at you, the sun was at the perfect angle, giving the focus on the windows, it was poetic, no surprise why your friend chose this church for her wedding.

“More like terrified, but sure that works too.” You answered him as you giggled at your joke. Him smiling at you in return.

He turned towards your friend. “I hope you two are working on your vows. There is not much time until the wedding.” You tried hard to not laugh at that. You knew how this was, your friend would write something cliche, long, and boring and you would have to rephrase the whole thing, end up writing her vow.

“Yes, Father.” She answered.

“I’d like to have a personal meetings with the best man and the maid of honour.” You looked at your friend with horrified eyes; you had no idea about this. Before you could make an excuse you saw the look on your her face, looking stressed since her fiancé wasn’t there.

Her fiancé was a useless man. You were arguing with him every chance you two could get, and you were getting sick with the excuses he was giving to her. Such as this one, and you knew didn’t even bother to schedule his so called important meeting to another day. So you came along, not to leave her alone, and you would try to do your best before she could have a break down.

“Uhm, Father I can have my meeting today, and if you’re not busy, and the best man can have his meeting with you some other time. If it’s okay with you too.”

“Sure. let’s go to my office, you can get her back after the meeting.” He joked as he guided you to the office.

You felt like you were back in high school, at principles office. “So how do want to start?” He asked as he sat on his chair.

“What is the purpose of this meeting?” You asked.

“Just to get to know you better.” He said as he took out some papers in front of him and a pen.

“Oh, you don’t want to know me. I’m not much of a saint, I should better not mess the picture of me in your hea—“ You mumbled as you got up, heading to the door.

“If you don’t sit, your friends will have to find another priest. I’m taking this very seriously.”

“Fine.” You said as you sat down, fixing the hem of your dress. “What would you like to know about me?” You said, even your best fit for a church was like four inches above the knee.

“You can tell me about the basics, job, family, whatever you want to talk about.” He suggested; already taking some notes.

“My parents are divorced. I’m currently in between jobs, went to same school as my friend.”

“I’m sorry to hear about the divorce.” He said as he raised his head, joining his hands in front of him. You just chuckled at his state, the same saying people whose parents are together say when they hear about yours.

“They weren’t good for each other. I’m glad they did something that made them happy.” You explained. “I know divorce is something you don’t approve.”

“I’m not fund of it of course, but living in a house full of stress and hatred isn’t good for the soul either. Also for the kid, I’m just assuming you were a kid.”

“I was five. Had no idea until I was ten, since my dad wasn’t living with us even before that. The memories I’ve are blurry.” You answered.

“Did the divorce affect your thoughts about marriage? You and the groom don’t get along. I also know you came to church because he didn’t want to.” He asked as he continued taking notes again, this was worse than being in the principle’s office, this felt like you were sitting with a doctor, like a psychologist.

“This is important for my friend, so it’s important for me. If she says she wants to get married than she has my full support.” He smiled at your answer, getting comfortable in his chair.

On the contrast, you were getting more uncomfortable with his questions and with his gaze on you.You saw his eyes sometimes lowered, checking your exposed legs. You gulped as you could feel yourself get wetter, when he licked his lips before he spoke again. “When was the last time you attended church?”

“My grandfather’s funeral. Before you ask, it was when I was eight.” He smiled at you, nodding as he wrote something on his the papers in front of him.

“I’d like you to have a confession, before the wedding. It seems like one would be useful, the day and time is totally up to you, but I’d be glad to see you as soon as possible.”

“Do you think I have something to confess?” You raised an eyebrow as he shook his head, smiling at your reaction.

“Don’t we all? There is always something to confess.”

“Is that all?”

“Yeah, I believe I’ve all the information I need. See you soon.”

“Goodbye Father.” You said as you quickly left his office.

~~~

You couldn’t believe yourself as you found yourself in the wooden cabin of the confessional.

“Hello?” His low voice break the silence, and you tried to hold your chuckle. “Are you with me?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry I must’ve blacked out.” You mumbled as you cleared your throat. It had been three days since you last saw him, and two days before the wedding.

“’s fine.”

“I should start I guess... Bless me father for I’ve sinned, it’s my first confession.”

“Oh, since it’s your first, we can start with something easy. What’s going on your mind my child?”

You smiled at how he called you, shaking your head, even though you knew he couldn’t see you. “I don’t know where to start actually, I thought of different things to say to you on my way but I couldn’t choose where to start.”

He didn’t say anything, waiting for you to continue.“I guess I can tell you something though, there is this man, he frightens me.”

“Is he someone close to you?” He sounded worried.

“No, not much.”

“How does he scare you?”

“The way he looks at me; it’s like looks directly into my soul. He says that wants to know me, but I believe that he wants something more than that.”

“So his actions scare you? The way he acts around you?” He asked to clarify.

You gulped, closing your eyes before speaking. “No, I’m scared because I want him.” You answered. “I want him to do whatever he wants to do with me.”

He felt jealousy was running through his veins. “What do you think he wants to do with you?”

“I believe he wants to use me.” You chuckled. “He wants to have his way with me, he wants to fuck me. I know that I compel him.”

“How are you so sure?”

“A woman can tell. I’m the white rabbit, to his dark wolf. I’m a total sin, and he is a saint. I’m afraid I want him to want me.”

“Can you elaborate on that?”

“Do you want me to?”

“I want you to tell me what do you want him to do with you.” His voice was low, feeling blood run through his cock, he understood that you were talking about him.

“I want him to fuck me, till I can’t stand.” You said smiling. “I want him to touch my forbidden places and see how wet he makes me by a simple look.” You could hear his groan, smirking to yourself. “I know I’m forbidden to him, but I also know we only need one sparkle to set this whole place on fire.” He was going to choke on his spit when he heard your words. Feeling his cock getting hard.

“So what should I do Father?” You asked innocently. You knew he understood your little game, hoping that you didn’t put your friend in danger.

“Step out of the confessional.” He said under his breath.

You did as he said, feeling uncomfortable because you knew he would see you. You were looking down, teeth between your lip.

He followed you seconds later which felt like centuries. “You are very brave don’t you? Thinking you’re the forbidden fruit, even though you are just a snake.” He said, degrading you.

“I’m sorry Father.” You said as you raised your head. Flames were leaving his eyes, breathing through his nose as he grabbed you by your chin.

“Oh, you’ll be sorry. I’ll make sure of it.” He said through his greeting teeth.

In the blink of an eye, you found yourself back in his office; but it was different even though he was behind his desk, you were sitting on it.

His hands were on your exposed thighs, slowly caressing the skin, the strap of your dress was down, showing him your laced bra. His fingertips played with the hem of it, it was only an inch away from showing him your matching thong. Your legs were seperated, he was looking at you right in the eye.

He leaned close to you, to do the only thing when he first saw you. Kissing you. It was not his first time, nor it will be his last, but he felt like a naïve kid as he pressed his lips to your. He smiled at the cherry taste of your lips. You opened your mouth to the kiss, his cold tongue dancing around yours.

You broke the kiss as his hands got dangerously close to your core. “I thought that you wanted me?” He spoke, his voice was calm and low.

“I—I do.” You answered, a soft nod. He took a deep breath through his nose as he pressed fingertips to your wet core, smiling at the feeling of the lace.

“So wet.” You hummed as he dipped his finger in, playing with your folds. He was slow. You whimpered as he got close to your hole and then up again. You bit your lip, trying to be quiet.

“Don’t be so shy now. You told me you wanted this and I’m giving it to you.” He pulled your lip free, you were lost in his eyes when suddenly he pushed his finger inside of you, making your back arch.

“Father!” You said, hand holding onto the edge of the dark wooden table. He chuckled at your state.

“So gentle...” He whispered to your ear as he curled his finger. He held you by the back of your neck. “I’m using just one finger, are you that desperate?” He asked as he added the second one, fucking you with his fingers, his pace was slow like he was mocking you. His fingers were stretching you, he was so deep, but somehow it wasn’t enough.

He leaned towards you, but didn’t kiss you. His other fingers found the zipper of your dress, tugging it down. The dress flooded off your body like it was water, pooling around your waist. Upper half of your body was exposed, he planted soft kisses around your chest.

“Take of your bra.” He said, after taking off your dress. His fingers left you, your walls clenching around nothing. He wiped his finger on your exposed chest, it was glistening with your juices. He smirked at the sight in front of him, leaning down to lick the swell of your breasts as his hands took off your underwear.

“Look at you, a sinner all spread out for a priest.” He smirked as he turned you around, making you bend over his table. Your warm cheek was pressed on the cold table as one of his hand stayed on your neck, making you stayed still, as his other hand caressed your butt.

He spanked your soft flesh, making it jiggle with his hard smack. “Count.” He commanded as he landed another smack.

“One.” You said.

His loud smacks were echoing in the room, making you feel dazed out but you never missed your count. You could feel yourself drip down between your thighs, knew he was enjoying this.

“T-ten.” You said, breath itched as the last smack was on your pussy, not on your butt.

“That’s a good girl.” He said, seeing how you got wet as his fingers separated your folds, brushing his ringed finger between them.

You shivered with a whimper, “I think it’s time to make your wish come true.” You heard the sound of belt, and felt him rubbing his hard cock between your folds.

“Can you feel what you’ve done to me? My filthy little girl.” He said as he shoved himself in one move, making you moan at the pain he caused you.

His hand grasped your hair, pulling it as he fucked you through his desk. “The dresses you chose, the boldness of your words are enough to drive a man insane.” You moaned at his confession as he kept on fucking you.

He was fast and rough, not caring one bit about your comfort. “Those things you’ve said at the confessional. I knew you wanted me from the start.” He whispered to your ear.

His lips found the back of your shoulders, he slowly left a kiss, his cold lips burnt your skin. “Yes father. I wanted you to have me from the first time.” You answered him, couldn’t stop sounding like a needy girl.

“Such a dumb girl, drooling over a God’s man. You like this don’t you, getting fucked by a priest.” His words stung you but you couldn’t help to keep your moans to yourself. Why this was feeling better than it should?

“Answer!” He said as he pulled you by your hair, your back hitting his naked chest. You looked at his face, there he was, the monster you unleashed.

“Yes Father! I love the way you fuck me! It feels so good.” He laughed at your answer as his other hand went to your jaw, grasping it hardly.

“Open your mouth.” He said and you obeyed him. He spit in your mouth, closing it with his hands again. “Now be a good girl for once and swallow it.” You did as you said, feeling your walls clench around him.

You loved how he was manhandling you. He was fucking you so good to be true, your legs already gave out from carrying you. A tear from pleasure slowly fell down your cheek.

He heard all your cries and moans, but never showed you any mercy after all you were just a sinner who needs to be taught a lesson.

Your walls were clenching around him as you felt the familiar tightness forming. “Father, I’m going to cum!” You confessed feeling guilty.

“Cum for me, my sinner. I want to feel you cum all around me.” He said as he pulled your hair again, his hand going for your breasts as he pinched your nipples as he rode your orgasm.

He turned you around, now you were facing him. He took his cock in hand, it was really big and you could see his veins. He palmed himself in his hand, it was already leaking precum. His other hand pushed you down by your shoulder, making you sit on your knees.

“Open your mouth.” He said as he guided the tip inside your mouth. You obeyed him without a blink, trying to take as much as you could.

He was just like you imagined him to be, thick and heavy. You twirled your tip around his head, licking him clean.

“My filthy girl is so desperate for her priest’s cock.” He groaned at the warmness of tongue around him. You slowly started bobbing your head, taking in as much as you could.

This was too filthy even for your but you loved it. His cross necklace dangling on his chest, the only thing he was wearing right then.

He held you by holding your cheeks. He started fucking your face, his cross shining with the yellow lights of the room. “You feel so good, I’m going to give you what you want.” He moaned, his chest raised up and down quickly before he emptied himself down your throat. He held you, making sure that you swallowed all of it.

You were almost going to choke on his cum, if he didn’t set you free. You even coughed after you swallowed all of him.

His smile was back when he saw your state, your mascara ruined, lips swollen, on top of that you had a dinner with your friend in an hour.

How could you explain to her all of that?

Would you even try to?

He held out his hand, you were hesitant to take it, but he helped you get dressed. “I hope you learned your lesson.” He said as he zipped your dress back.

“But again, if you keep having those dirty thoughts, you knew where to find me.” He said as he kissed your cheek.

“I’ll see you at the wedding.” He said, as he got back on his chair, like nothing happened. “Until then...” He said, his smile was back. You hated that smile.

You nodded as you closed the door behind you.

—

a/n: please give me some feedbacks too (reblogs/comments)

[hockeywhy]

caught in the middle (1); m. barzal

SYNOPSIS: For the sake of your friend’s wedding with Tito, you and Mat agree to maintain the facade of still being the happy couple everyone sees you as. But the act comes with its consequences, one more taxing than the other. WARNINGS: language. WORD COUNT: 11.2k A/N: I am so excited for this because it contains some of the tropes I enjoy seeing in fics, and I was dying to also put out some new content as opposed to only reposting my old writing. I wish I wrote this when I was still decent at doing the thing, but I hope that this is still an enjoyable read that makes you look forward to the next part! Title is based off Alexander 23′s Caught in the Middle which is such a good song and I really recommend. Sections in italics represent flashbacks. 

PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4

“We’re getting married!” 

You gasped, bringing both hands to cover the lower half of your face as your jaw dropped at the announcement. It shouldn’t be so surprising – you would’ve bet even your most prized possession that this was bound to happen at some point eventually – but knowing this was actually now a sure thing sent a thrill through you. It didn’t take long for the shock to wear off and in place of it, your expression mirrored that of your best friend’s: the wide grin, the bright eyes and of course, the giggles of sheer excitement as soon as the news sunk in. Elise was glowing and next to her, Tito embodied the idea of what the world’s proudest man would look like. 

“Oh my god!” you gasped, and Elise burst into laughter, not hesitating to jump out of her seat at the same time you did so that the two of you could embrace. Among your squeals and giggles, you could faintly make out the sound of hands being clapped, then caught sight of Mat and Tito hugging. Over Elise’s shoulder and over Tito’s, you and Mat exchanged smiles and you couldn’t help the chuckle that left your mouth as soon as he winked at you. “Congratulations!” you said as soon as you broke apart, though the two of you still held hands. Immediately, your gaze fell down to her hand where a ring now rested, and you couldn’t help but wonder how you hadn’t taken notice of it earlier. “Just—when? How? Where? Who else knows?” 

“We don’t have a date or venue set yet, but we wanted you and Mat to be the first to know,” Elise informed you as soon as you took your seats again.

“We have a favour to ask from both of you,” Tito supplied. As soon as he said it, you felt Mat’s hand wrap around your own and the two of you exchanged a brief look during which he squeezed your hand gently, before diverting your attentions back to the soon-to-be newlyweds. 

Newlyweds. The immensity of the word sent a discrete shiver down your spine. 

“I can’t imagine asking this of anyone else: I want you to be my best man,” Tito directed at Mat.

“You shouldn’t even think of asking this of anyone else,” Mat responded immediately, and the two shook hands on it. You couldn’t help but think that if they weren’t as comfortable as they were now, they’d probably hug again, do their typical pats on the back or fist bump as they usually did, but Elise’s head now rested on Tito’s shoulder and Mat’s hand was so warm, so firm atop your own. 

“Be my maid of honour, please?” Elise asked. “I can’t think of anyone more suitable than you and Mat as best man and maid of honour. We’ll return the favour of course,” she added playfully. 

“I’ll hold you to that,” you warned without hesitating because after all, you had no reason to – and you knew Mat would agree with you. 

Although the two of you hadn’t touched on the subject yet, there was an unvoiced knowledge shared between you that eventually, this would also be you. Eventually, Mat would ask you and your heart would grow and your soul would warm, and you would say yes. Yes, yes, yes. 

As you all settled down to hear a replay of how Tito popped the question and Elise accepted the ring, Mat’s thumb began caressing the back of your hand. Though the gesture wasn’t a novelty, you couldn’t help but take notice of the way your heart fluttered each time he seemed to linger more on your ring finger. It wasn’t difficult to imagine a ring wrapped around it but neither of you were in a rush: you simply waited for the right time to take your relationship to a point in which it would become a forever thing, fully confident it wasn’t a question of ‘if’ but rather, ‘when’.

*

This was anything but the right time. 

You frown as you cast a glance down at the phone resting on your lap, eyes narrowing a little at the name which brought the display to life for the second time in the space of less than a minute. You click the side button twice, silencing the vibrations of it and from your side, your colleague leans in to whisper to you. 

“You can take it if it’s urgent. I’ll fill you in afterwards.”

“Thanks,” you whisper back. “I think it can wait until the meeting wraps up though.” 

Luke gives you a well, if you’re sure look as he leaned back in his chair and you flash him a grateful smile. 

Still, it is difficult for you to settle comfortably in your seat again and much to your chagrin, you find yourself crossing and uncrossing your legs as if the call had sent some sort of signal to your entire body kickstarting jitteriness you can honestly do without. Not long after you find some comfort and energy to draw yourself back to the present, your phone buzzes again – only once this time, indicating a message. 

I’m waiting for you in the lobby.

Fuck, you curse inwardly, locking the phone in frustration. As quietly as you can, you gather your notebook and work tablet then lean in towards Luke who met you halfway. “Have to run but let me know if I miss anything important.”

“At the current rate, I wouldn’t count much on it but will do anyway,” he states as quietly as he can and the two of you exchange sly, conspiratorial smiles before you excuse yourself quickly and very quietly while making a swift exit. 

Internally, a string of curses follow without a break in between, and you have to physically bite down on your lip out of sheer fear one might unconsciously slip out. If anyone would be in your shoes, though, they wouldn’t blame you for it. You are the type of person to stick closely to any plans and agreements made, so the fact that he just chose to turn up so unexpectedly doesn’t sit right with you. Not anymore, that is. Besides, you had both agreed to do this after your workday ended as opposed to midday and definitely not in this place. Now, you have to brace yourself for coping with a foul mood on top of whatever else the rest of the day would throw at you. 

“You’ve got a visitor,” Rachel announces quietly in a sing-song voice from behind the reception desk as you approach. She doesn’t bother masking the giddiness in her tone and you struggle to work up as genuine of a smile as you can when she nods her head towards the waiting area.

“Thanks, Rach.”

“Bet he must be so happy your redeployment to the Baltimore offices was cut short so quickly,” she coos. 

“Sure is. We’re still on for tonight?” you ask quickly in an attempt to drive attention away from the subject before she can try to lead into it too far for your own comfort at the moment. 

Rachel’s smile falters a little, her expression somewhat quizzical. “Don’t you want to postpone so you could spend some time with him? You only just got back yesterday, after all.” 

You swallow uncomfortably before shrugging. “We’ve got plenty of time to do that. So tonight, okay? I’ll catch you later.” 

“Your call. See you then, Y/N!”

You only had just a split second to brace yourself for what is ahead of you, so you draw in a breath then slowly exhale it as discreetly as you can while cutting your way across the lobby. Since agreeing to this meeting, you prepared yourself as best as you could, imagining every single scenario and devising the appropriate plan for it: from the way you presented yourself to what you said, you had a mental plan for everything including a few backups just in case. The only thing you hadn’t factored in, apparently, was how little was under your control and you hated that. Each step you take made you feel less and less prepared for what is ahead, and the thought rattles you. If you were swift enough on your feet, you could just about make a quick turn and dip into the hallway leading to the visitor restrooms. All you need is just a few more seconds. A little alone time for you to run over your lines in your head. 

Except—

Mat looks up at the same time you take a step sideways, ready to bolt towards temporary safety. His eyebrows rise a little as if surprised by the sight of you, but you refuse to appear outwardly deflated by the turn of events. Instead, you square your shoulders, tip your head back a little and arch an eyebrow. You can do this. You note he is dressed casually, and his hair is pushed back underneath a black cap. 

Unless there was a change in schedule, Thursdays were scrimmage days. 

Your jaw clenches ever so slightly as you recall that with so much ease. Then again, you basically built up a collection of information that was practically helpful or useful to exactly no one over the course of the past few years. It’ll probably take just as much or maybe more to replace that with something different, so you try cutting yourself some slack whenever you are willing to.

“I thought we agreed on five thirty,” you state coolly, pitching your voice at just the right tone to also express surprise.

Mat pushes up from the armchair, returning whatever magazine he’d picked up back on the nearby glass table. “Sorry, I tried calling earlier this morning to ask if we can reschedule but it went straight to voicemail.” 

Oh. You mentally curse yourself for not charging your phone as soon as you made it home from the airport the previous night or bothering to check the voicemail message you’d been notified of once it did begin charging earlier this morning at your desk.

“They rescheduled the viewing of the new arena for this evening, and I was in the area, so I thought I’ll drop by just in case,” Mat continues, throwing a cursory glance around the place though to you, it seemed more like a way of having a break from the eye contact. You don’t complain; you welcome that. 

You open your mouth, ready to berate his poor timing but even you could admit you carry some fault here too. Only a little. You bite down lightly on the tip of your tongue, before nodding towards the seats though you didn’t wait for Mat; you sit, deciding he could make up his own mind if he wanted to follow or not. 

“How was Baltimore?” he asks after a few moments of awkward silence while settling in the same armchair he previously occupied. 

“Mat,” you say, hoping it comes across as more of a warning than a plea. You can’t deal with small talk and a part of you thinks that’d make the entire deal even more difficult to go through with. He presses his lips together into a thin line and you take that as your sign to continue. “Elise told me she’d like us to be at the venue a day in advance of the rehearsal dinner if we can. I’ve already arranged my leave for that, so it’s not a problem for me. I’m planning on making my way there sometime tomorrow afternoon.” 

“We can go together then. I can pick you up after work.” 

“There’s no need—”

“Y/N.” The sharpness of his tone catches you off guard and you can swear Mat was equally surprised by that, though only for the briefest of moments. He slides forward a little in the seat almost as if he is more than ready to leave but Mat has  never been one to back down so easily and you doubt any of that changed during the course of the past three months or so. “You were the one who insisted we go through with this and I’m trying. I really am, but you’re not giving me anything to work with. So please. Let’s just put everything to the side, do what we need to do and then it’s done.” 

Done. Like it is a task, like it is something you needed to cross off a to-do list, scrunch it up then trash it.  

The finality of the word is so heavy that it feels as if it had managed to knock out all the air in your lungs. You and Mat were running headfirst towards a fork in the road, and deep down you knew that was truly it. If until now the two of you have been dancing around each other, playing pretend as if you were kids living in a world of fantasy, you know that eventually, you have to let light shine on the truth: whatever lay ahead, you and Mat could no longer walk the same paths. It is just a matter of admitting it not only to yourselves, but also to the people you were lying to. 

Lying for, you prefer. 

Defeated, you slump in your own seat a little, legs crossing and fingers tapping lightly against the back of your notebook. “Be at my place by two. I’ll have everything that I need ready the night before so we won’t need to wait around.” A pause, and then, “how’s Tito?” 

Mat lifts a shoulder in a casual shrug. “Excited. Nervous. It’s the only thing he talks about in the locker, outside of it, on ice and off ice. How’s Elise?” 

“Same deal with her. I never knew there were so many shades of blue before, but I’ve been proven wrong before.”

A pause follows that could easily be attributed to the group of people rushing into the building and allowing noise from the street outside to filter in while the doors were kept open, but you can tell there is more to it than that if you are to go by the shift in Mat’s expression. His expression changes and you find you can’t quite read into it or guess what could be going on through his head. You try not to focus much on the little voice inside your mind that was bothered by it but find it takes a considerable amount of effort to do so. Force of habit, you conclude. 

“You don’t say,” Mat finally responds. There is a hint of accusation in his tone. Or regret. Maybe both.

Your lips press together firmly, a light frown forming on your face but chose to let that slide. Not only is the lobby of your workplace the least suitable place to have an argument about the two of you, but you find that even those short moments of seeing Mat face to face months after you called it quits appears to take a toll on you. You feel tired, worn out and willing to be the first one to back down for once. 

It is cruel irony that a big red neon EXIT sign is visible from the corner of your eye.

You release a quiet, long sigh then stand up from the seat. “Well, I guess we’re done here? I do have another meeting to prepare for, so…” You trail off, already backing away a few steps.

Mat opens his mouth as if ready to say something else but promptly presses his lips together, deciding against it. He gives a swift nod of his head then stands up. It’s then you notice the two Styrofoam cups in front of him and the neon EXIT sign imprinted in your mind starts flashing temptingly at you. Mat is a step ahead. He holds out one of the cups towards you and you are ready to tell him off for it, but he cut in.

“Thought I wouldn’t drop by empty handed.” When you don’t make a move to accept it, his eyes briefly peek behind you. “Rachel’s all eyes this way, by the way,” he informs you and a brief glance over your shoulder confirms Mat hasn’t been lying.

As soon as you turn to look towards the reception desk, Rachel grins, waves quickly at you then turns back to her computer screen. Begrudgingly, you accept the cup of coffee and force a tight smile. 

“See you soon,” you say by way of greeting and didn’t wait to hear a response from Mat. 

It isn’t until you scan your pass to cross the security barriers and make a turn out of sight that you take a sip from the drink and almost immediately wish you didn’t. It’s your order to a T. The two of you even brought a coffee machine that would let you replicate it on days when you didn’t feel like leaving the comforts of your apartment, especially days when Mat didn’t need to get up early for practices or scrimmages or evening games. It stayed with Mat when you left and the memory left a bitter taste in your mouth, despite the gentle sweetness of the beverage. 

Without thinking twice, you throw the cup in the nearest trash can. 

*

As soon as your order is set on the table, you ignore the basket of fries and reach straight for your glass to take a long sip from the straw, letting out a content sigh as soon as you felt satiated enough.

“Long day,” you state in response to Rachel’s raised eyebrows but she seems to accept that by raising her own glass. You clink yours against hers, take a smaller sip then set it back down on the table. “What time do you think you’ll make it over to the hotel?” 

“Well, I was thinking of trying to get there by midday on the day of the rehearsal dinner but it’s starting to look more like late afternoon. I’m…” She trails off, and you can just about pick up on her hesitation and the way her gaze shifts over to the side momentarily as if avoiding something or considering whether to continue that. You move in your seat, peeling your back away from the plush backrest to lean in a little closer.

“You’re…” you trail off, voice peaking just a little into a question in an attempt to prompt her to continue.

Rachel takes a deep breath in, shoulders visibly drooping and when she looked back at you, she did so with a look that could only reflect…shame? Embarrassment? 

“Luke and I are sort of thinking of coming along together.” At the sight of your widened eyes, she quickly adds, “just as friends! We’re still working out through a few things and we’re taking it slow. As in, much, much slower than the first time around.”

“No way! That’s… Rach, that’s so good. I’m happy for you both, seriously.” 

You find that you truly believed that, though it wasn’t a surprise to you. You had introduced Rachel to Luke while she visited you in Baltimore and at the time, he worked with you there also. Initially, you didn’t think much of it - you simply invited her to come along to a few after work drinks and the two kicked it off easily that night. Very easily apparently, because as the night started coming to an end, Rachel prompted you to go ahead without her. Ready to say you weren’t going to leave her own her own, you shortly found out exactly why: you watched with plenty of amusement and fascination as she and Luke climbed into a taxi together and whizzed off to his place, undoubtedly. That was pretty much their start and continuation. Her visits to Baltimore were more frequent and though you were seeing her often enough, it definitely wasn’t as much as Luke saw of her. And you were fine with that. They fit almost perfectly and it only took a few more meetings for them to label themselves as a couple. 

Things began crumbling as soon as Luke had moved to the New York office just a few weeks before your own return. While he seemed fine with the idea of Rachel working in the same place, that wasn’t also her take on things.

“It’s weird,” she told you through the phone. “It just… It’s so weird. I’d be seeing him at my place or his and in the office? No thanks. That’s way too much for me, you know?” 

It made sense, of course, and though you rooted for them, you didn’t want to push her into something she wasn’t comfortable with. Yet, there was a tremble to her voice, a sort of uncertainty that made you think otherwise. It wasn’t that Rachel didn’t have any feelings for him - maybe she was simply shocked to see him walk through those glass doors one morning to pick up his brand new ID and claim what would soon become his permanent desk across from yours. 

“Thanks,” she tells you, pulling you back into the present. “But like I said, slow and easy does it. We’ve been talking more and that makes a huge difference.” 

“For sure. If communication isn’t the backbone of a relationship, I don’t know what is,” you agree and wasn’t that ironic? You’re hardly in the position of giving any relationship advice at all or saying what is good for one and what isn’t. Not anymore. Not when your own had fallen apart. 

Rachel grins. “You’d know. You and Mat have been together for… how long now?” 

You should’ve seen it coming a mile away. You swallow uncomfortably, take another sip of your drink and take a few fries just to buy yourself a little more time. “Maybe four years? Don’t really keep track of that anymore,” you said as casually as you could muster, lifting your shoulders in a shrug. 

“I think I’d stop doing that eventually too at the rate you two are going. Honestly, I would’ve bet anything you would’ve been the first to tie the knot. Actually, thinking about it,” she says, clicking her fingers in recollection, “Elise said the same thing to me the other day when we caught up on the phone. She went—“

You don’t really register her words. There is a low ringing in your ears and an uncomfortable draft sweeps in the locale as the entrance door somewhere behind you is being kept open, no doubt a large group making their way in; it sends shivers down your body, but really, you are pretty sure you can’t only attribute them to a brief gust of wind. After all, your sweater is keeping you sufficiently cosy and warm. In front of you, Rachel continues praising your relationship with Mat, talking about how anyone took a look at you both and would say, whatever they have going, I want it too and you are trying so, so hard to block out as much as you can of it. You can stop her, of course; distract her with whatever random topic and you know she’d go with it but your jaw is locked in place, teeth clenched uncomfortably. You blame that and the way your nails dig into the palms of your hands on the sting behind your eyes and the sudden heaviness weighting down on your chest. 

It isn’t so much the pain of your relationship ending that was rendering you in a state of daze, but the shame of what you and Mat agreed to do: pretend the two of you were still the happy couple Elise, Tito and everyone else thought of you as just to not spoil whatever luck they thought you’d be passing on to them by being their main witnesses. And then, once the event passes and they would return to New York from the honeymoon you and Mat would soon gift to them on their wedding day, you’d tell them the truth. Or part of it anyway. Definitely no mentions that the two of you were childish enough to play pretend; just a simple, clean break timed just perfectly with your request to be permanently redeployed elsewhere. Preferably, as far from New York City as possible so that you no longer have to walk the streets you once both did or yearn to once again visit that perfect pie place the two of you once dubbed your own.

“We’re not together anymore.”

The words stumble out of your mouth in a desperate now or never manner. Despite the anxiousness that came with the act, you find relief in it also. It feels freeing to be able to admit the truth to someone that isn’t only yourself though perhaps you should’ve thought of this more carefully: the idea of now needing to come fully clean to Rachel is somewhat daunting, mostly because of what she might say in response to the front you and Mat are trying to uphold. But for the first time in what feels like too long, you no longer feel like a fraud; like a person lying to everyone around them.

“Wait.” Rachel frowns, and it was obvious she doesn’t quite know what to do with that information or how to best process it. Her head tilts a little, palm idly rubbing against the side of her neck so you take the initiative to come across as unbothered by this as possible by leaning into the seat, legs crossing as you fiddled with the drink’s straw. “What? I’m confused. Didn’t Mat just drop by earlier? You two seemed okay. He was…fine when he came in. We didn’t talk much, sure, but he was all smiley and just…normal.” 

You laugh quietly and shortly. “It’s been a while now. Maybe two or three weeks before I left for Baltimore, I think. It’d be pretty worrying if he was still hung up about it. After all, we both agreed on it. And this,” you add, a little more disheartened and embarrassed. “This…thing we’re doing. We promised Tito and Elise we’ll be there for them on their big day and we will. But they had this… I guess, idea of us being an ideal couple. Whatever that is,” you continue more quietly and with a roll of your eyes. “He wanted to tell Tito, but I didn’t want to spoil Elise’s day, you know? So he agreed. Took some convincing because it feels so… Gosh, it sounds so stupid, doesn’t it? Pretending we’re still together just to spread some fake cheer around.” 

“Oh, honey…” Rachel whispers and you read the sympathy in her voice. Not that she makes it particularly difficult to take note of. “But… I thought everything was okay. Actually, way more than okay. Perfect, even. What…uh—“ She trailed off awkwardly, but you could easily fill in that gap.

What happened?

You bring the beverage to your mouth, this time drinking from the glass directly as opposed to using the straw. The mixer stings your throat this time around but the small ice cube you take into your mouth numbs it away pretty quickly. Slowly, you chew it to small pieces and speak only when you finish it.

“I thought long and hard about this the first few weeks after we called it quits,” you admit. “We always talked about what bothered us or if there was something on our mind, but at one point we just… We stopped wanting to compromise. When I was put forward for Baltimore, it was going to be a permanent thing. Mat was happy, sure, but I could tell he wasn’t being entirely honest with me, you know? When I called him out on it, he asked me well what about us? And I said we’d be fine. Baltimore isn’t a different continent. It’s not even a different timezone. He could come over when he had free time and if he didn’t, I’d always spend weekends in New York anyway. It’s Baltimore, Rach. Not fucking San Francisco or whatever. Eventually, he told me exactly what was on his mind: he couldn’t do long distance. Not even for a short period of time while I figured out if Baltimore is really what I wanted. Isn’t it a bit hypocritical, though?” You question, but it’s clear Rachel feels a bit awkward about giving her take on it right now, so you make it easier for her by responding to your own question. “I felt lonely too when he was on the road. I was worried he’d find someone different, someone much better while away. He never gave me a reason to doubt him, but a small part of me still thought what if. This happened right before he was on the road again, actually. We didn’t call, barely even texted those weeks and then when he returned, we decided it’d be best to break up. Didn’t take us a long discussion to get to that conclusion because at that point, it just… I don’t know. It felt like we didn’t have much to say to each other.”

Rachel presses her lips together, the frown still on her face and hesitantly, she asks, “who said it first?”

“I did,” you respond without hesitating. “He wanted a break while we work it all out but come on, Rach, a break? Look me in the eyes and tell me people really believe in breaks and they come back to each other as if nothing happened.” 

“I mean…” she trails off, pointing at herself by way of explanation. “Look at me and Luke, I guess.”

You shake your head. “Nope. Not the same thing, trust me. This was for the best, Rach. It’s much neater to call it quits. That way, neither of us will feel obliged to hold back if life puts something different ahead of us.” You pause for a moment, teeth biting into your lower lip. “They said they’ll always have me back there if I decide on it, so who knows. Once I wrap up the project their called me back for, I might just take them up on it. Not quite a promotion, but it’ll be a good sidestep and maybe a change of scenery is what I need.”

“And do you think it’s good? What the two of you are doing right now?” Rachel questions, not at all deterred by your weak attempt at trying to divert conversation to a more work related topic. “And I don’t mean it just for Elise and Tito’s wedding, but for you and Mat generally speaking. I mean… the two of you have been together for a pretty long time. Doesn’t it… Isn’t it odd?” 

“It’s not normal, that’s for sure,” you confirm. “But it’d be weirder for everyone if we were to tell them we’re no longer together given we’ve been asked to do what we need to do. Rach, promise me this stays between us, okay? Promise. I know how it sounds, I know how it’ll look but trust me on this, okay?” 

She fixes you with a sceptical stare, a look that holds yet more questions than certainty but eventually, she nods her head and relief washes over you at the gesture. “I’m sorry it happened, Y/N,” she offers, voice warm and sympathetic as she places a hand on the table palm up. “And I’m sorry you went through it alone.”

You smile softly and reach for it, returning the squeeze she gives you. There is comfort in the gesture, comfort in her words and you find yourself rooting for it, so grateful to have received it. “The worst part is over, but thank you, Rachel. “It means a lot.”

“Feel like carpooling with Luke and I?”

“I’m good,” you assure as you both relax back into your seats. “Elise wants us there the day before the rehearsal. I guess just to have some familiar faces around that aren’t just wedding planners, so Mat and I agreed to go together tomorrow. Promise I won’t lose my shit if our song plays on the radio,” you add jokingly and find yourself laughing along with Rachel. 

“What song’s that?” 

Too many, you think, although one in particular stands out to you. “Brett Young’s In Case You Didn’t Know.”

*

A tray containing an assortment of dishes is set on the table and shortly after, an ice cold pitch of sangria accompanies that. Eager to cool down, you reach for one of the empty glasses to pour yourself a drink but Mat’s quicker. He takes them both, filling your glass first before his own. You laugh to yourself and Mat grins at that, briefly looking towards you as he fills his glass. You’re about to take a sip, eager to both quench your thirst and cool down but Mat takes the initiative of initiating a toast by raising his glass a little, elbow resting on the table. 

“What’re we toasting for tonight?” You ask, imitating his pose by leaning forward a little. “To our first holiday together? To how perfect the weather’s been so far? To how I mastered paddle boarding way before you did?” 

Mat laughs, lowering his head as he did so but when he looked back up at you, he clinked his glass against yours and held it there. “To all of that. To one of the many, many holidays we’ll have together. To this moment right here, to us, to you.” He pauses and the strobe lights of the bar switch from dark blue to hot pink, and the way Mat stares at you in this moment makes your heart race inexplicably. “To how much I love you.” 

He takes your breath away. Draws it right out of your lungs and you feel heady. It’s the first summer with Mat, the first  I love you from him and it suddenly feels as if this bar is too small for the both of you. You love him, and he loves you too and the only thing you could imagine doing is jumping in his arms but there’s a table between you and sangria topped wine glasses in your hands, and he’s wearing a pristine white shirt that looks incredible against his tanned skinned and there’s a lot of people around (the majority significantly older than both your age and Mat’s combined) so you simply grin and carefully lean forward more, pressing a kiss to his mouth. 

“I love you,” you murmur against his lips and even if your voice is low compared to the loud, cheesy country music blasting through hidden stereos, you know Mat catches on to that. 

“I love you,” he says right back and before you pull away, he bumps his nose against yours gently, making you giggle.

You both take a sip of your drinks and you smack your lips together, content with the turn of the night. 

You and Mat had been dating for a few months, but this was the first time the two of you will spend back to back nights and days together without needing to rush somewhere. Of course, a part of you was anxious about it - while it was easy to spend a few hours together now and then, maybe even the odd night together, it was entirely different being together pretty much all the time. There were habits and quirks you each had that might get in the way, but your worries were soon put to rest. You and Mat had wonderful chemistry together, easily able to spend your time together but also still enjoy each other’s company while doing separate activities. You didn’t want to rush into things and you made no move to do so, but it was ever so easy to imagine what living with Mat would be like. And sure, you were well aware of the fact that it wouldn’t always be sunshine and rainbows; the two of you would eventually transition out of this honeymoon-type period of your relationship, but something told you life would Mat would never bore you. It’d never make you wish for anything different. 

“Give me a second,” Mat says and before you could ask him what he meant, he’s out of his seat and you follow him across the bar, a little confused. 

He makes his way past the bar, past the pool tables and stops in front of what is undoubtedly a jukebox. Curious, you arch an eyebrow and watch as he fiddles with finding the right amount of change before inserting the coins in the slot. It takes him a while before he finds whatever song it is he wants and it takes enough time for him to make it back to your table before the jukebox and sound system registers the request. You don’t recognise the first few notes at all, much less the accompanying guitar strings but you don’t have time to search your memory for a title. 

Mat stops by your side, holding a hand out to you. “Dance with me.” It’s more statement than question and under any circumstances, you may have felt a little awkward about doing this, but it’s the heat of the moment and your giddiness that pushes you to your feet, hand in Mat’s. 

The two of you are beaten to an emptier area in the establishment by two other much older couples that were closer to it anyway, and you find that gives you a bit more of a boost also. Mat pulls you to him, wrapping one arm around your waist while holding on to your free hand while you hold on to his shoulder with the other. Your fingers lightly clench and unclench the soft material of his shirt, lowering your head a little and you smile against the back of your hand. It’s so painfully cheesy and there’s nowhere near enough other people dancing along to the song but you love it much more than you thought you ever would. 

“Know what I’d invest all my money into?” He asks you suddenly.

You pull back a little, still swaying along with the song. “Cryptocurrency seems like a safe bet right now.” 

Mat laughs, that big hearty laugh of his that makes your smile wider and when it passes, he presses a chaste kiss on your forehead. “Well, I’m glad one of us has a good head on their shoulders, but no.” He shakes his head, then laughs again, shorter and quieter as if recalling your response. “A time machine. I want to stop time right here and right now so that we can be as we are for a little while longer.”

“Cheesy,” you joke, despite the warmth coursing across your entire body and the jelly-like feeling forming in your knees. “But perfectly understandable.”

“Eventually, we wouldn’t need it, but it’d be nice to have one for tonight.”

“Eventually? How so?” You question, then narrow your eyes a little, the gesture playful. “You plan on getting bored of me and breaking up?” 

“What!” He exclaims and pulls you in just that much closer. He lets go of your hand only so he could bring his to your chin, tipping your head back a little. “Never,” kiss, “say that,” kiss, “again.” The final kiss you share with him is a little longer and you take the liberty of bringing your hand to his chest, palm pressing against it to feel the thump of his heart against his ribcage momentarily. Then, slowly, you graze the tips of your nails along his exposed collarbone and peck his lips once more before pulling away. It’s then that the song’s name and artist comes to your mind, almost as an afterthought. From hidden speakers, Brett Young declares I couldn’t live life without you and Mat gives you a pointed stare. “Damn, he said it before I could.” 

“It’s the thought that counts,” you assure him. “Either way, I think I prefer hearing it from you, Barzal.” 

“I’m pretty sure I couldn’t live without you,” he recites and wraps his arms around you, pulling you into a hug. He sways you both in a more exaggerated manner that makes you cling to him more out of habit than necessity. You’ve known you’d trust Mat with anything, but each day, he seems to do something that makes that thought solidify more and more in your mind. The comfort and safety that brings wraps around you like a warm blanket.

Be it the hot weather, the somewhat stifling interior of the bar, the sips of sangria on an empty stomach, the euphoria of the moment or all things combined, you nod quickly. And from somewhere in the depths of your mind, the very bottom of your heart, you respond with, “I can get used to this day after day. So don’t let me go, baby.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he whispers, tone full of care and love and warmth. He gives you his promise without hesitation and you know it’s bound to stick.

*

Your phone buzzes once. 

I’m downstairs. Need help with your bags?

You push up from the comfort of your couch and make one last round of your apartment to make sure you had everything you definitely needed from where it was placed. 

I’m good. Will be down in a minute, you text back but don’t pocket your phone right away. Instead, you stare at the screen for a little while longer, half tempted to scroll through the thread of messages. They’d provide a stark timeline of when things started going wrong and you would probably be able to see exactly how things changed between the two of you from the moment you suggested a mere break wouldn’t do it. But doing that would be like breaking a streak you had going for sufficient time to earn a pat on your back. The journey of getting to a point where you were sufficiently okay with being in Mat’s presence without any other company was a long one and the last thing you needed was to recall how it once was. 

You and Mat started out as friends after Elise introduced the two of you just a short while before he started his professional career with the Islanders. She talked about how the two of them met in school and how great of a guy he was; real down to earth, funny and incredibly ambitious - traits she also assigned to you, and therefore thought the two of you would get along great. She wasn’t wrong about it. You knew a little about hockey, going to games every now and then mostly whenever Elise dragged you along but you found that Mat made the game more enjoyable. He explained it to you in a manner that didn’t make you feel belittled or as if it should be something you already knew of, and didn’t mind explaining some things more than once. On the other hand, you introduced him to your own hobbies and the little world you created for yourself in a city as big and busy as New York. You showed him the more lowkey but homely establishments, including your favourite pizza place that - unbeknown to you at the time - would become yours and his, and even took him to a few student bars where you regularly beat him at pool while he showed off at darts. Occasionally, it felt weird to watch him unwind in such…normal places and ways while on other days, he shone on ice and was easily one of the best rookies emerging from one of the country’s most well known sports leagues. Yet despite that, you found that athlete Mat wasn’t all that different from Mat the person.

He never put a front and his genuine manner was refreshing to you, particularly during a time when you were still a college student and a good portion of the guys around were textbook frat boys. Being around Mat was comfortable and safe. You didn’t feel the need to speak a certain way or be a different person, and retrospectively, the way you felt towards him developed almost organically. You felt yourself gravitating towards him and were pleasantly surprised by the moments when he’d seek you out first. A day off here and a day off there until eventually, you found yourself spending much of your free time with him and vice-versa. 

Falling in love with Mat was easy. Being without Mat was difficult. But, thankfully, not impossible apparently. 

Convinced you packed everything you needed, made your way out with a duffle bag on your shoulder and a suitcase at your heels. 

True to his word, Mat was parked in front of your place and as soon as you pushed open the building’s door, he looked up from his phone and made his way over to you. The last thing you needed was to make the journey any more awkward or difficult for the both of you, so you didn’t argue when he took the bags from you to stow them away in the trunk. 

“Are you going across the country?” You ask, peeking into the trunk while he plays Tetris with the bags. 

“What?” He questions, evidently distracted by the task at hand but straightens up when you delicately place a hand on his arm, pushing him to the side a little. 

“You’d think you’re going across the country for like, two or three weeks rather than a couple of days,” you repeat. “Maybe put that smaller bag sideways? That might let the bigger suitcase fit.” 

He follows your guidance and sure enough, that does the trick: the suitcases fit perfectly in the trunk and you grin to yourself, triumphant. 

Mat steps back, closing the trunk and brushes his hands together. “Thanks,” he says and you nod, heading towards your seat in the front. He follows you inside just as you click in your seatbelt. “I don’t think it’ll take us more than two or three hours to get there if traffic’s as good as it was when I checked it a little while earlier. Got everything?” 

“Everything important that is. Everything else, I’ll just worry about and pull my hair out when we get there,” you tell him and you can’t help feeling proud for being able to keep conversation light and as normal as you can. 

After all, you’ve known life before Mat and you’re rediscovering it after him too. 

Mat laughs ever so quiet, and from the corner of your eye, you catch him brushing his hand across his mouth though he’s a few seconds too slow in trying to mask his smile. 

“I think I’ll need to fill up soon, but let me know if there’s anywhere else you want to stop along the way,” he tells you while pulling out of the parking spot. 

You nod even if he probably might not see it and take the liberty to scroll through radio stations. Mat doesn��t seem to be against it, so you continue switching to them until, a little frustrating that nothing seems to work for you, you connect your phone to the car and play one of your playlists. A mix of upbeat pop and an assortment of viral tracks fill in the silence for a while, and the act of singing along in your head takes your mind away from how it almost feels as if you’re sitting on needles. It takes a conscious effort on your behalf to remind yourself to loosen your shoulders and stop fiddling too much with your hands, and you’re glad Mat seems to be plenty preoccupied with driving. Once upon a time, he would’ve immediately picked up on even the most mild of your discomforts and tried to do anything he could to alleviate them. You don’t know how much, if at all, Mat changed during the time you spent apart but you want to think that you no longer wear your heart on your sleeve as much and your emotions are much more guarded, especially in his presence. 

Apparently, though, there’s only so much he can take with silence filled in by music because once he’s off busier streets, he leans in his seat more comfortably and you can tell he very briefly turns his head towards you. “Think they’ll like their wedding gift?” 

You direct your gaze away from the flashing scenery outside to Mat. “Absolutely. Who wouldn’t like it? Trust me when I say Bali’s been a place Elise always wanted to visit and I can’t think of a better time than now,” you assure him.

“If they don’t, it’s on you,” he says and it takes you a beat longer to realise he’s just joking so you huff out a laugh, relaxing back in the seat. 

“If they don’t, they can give one of the tickets to me and I’ll happily go there.” You cast a glare out at the scenery ahead, eyes narrowing upwards towards the overcast sky. “I don’t think summer will ever come at this rate. I’m starting to hate it here.”

“Doubt Baltimore was any better,” Mat points out.

“Hardly,” you sigh. “Maybe I’ll ask them to send me to Miami instead. That’d be much better.” 

Mat clears his throat quickly, shifting a little. “So, are you planning on going back to Baltimore or... Why are you back?” You catch sight of the frown forming on his face, and he quickly shakes his head as if trying to rid the hint of accusation from his voice. “That sounded wrong, sorry. But just genuinely curious. I thought a permanent move was on the table?”

“It was. Still is, but they needed me back here to wrap up a project. It was a pretty bad move on their behalf to send me there before we had that wrapped up nice and neat, bow and all, but I guess…” You trail off, shrugging a shoulder. “Guess we’ll see what’s next after that. They do want me back there, though. It just depends how long it takes for things here to fall into place.” 

“Fair enough.” Another pause, another moment for him to press his lips together in silent deliberation. He did that often, and you wonder if that remains a habit still. “Was it a promotion? I forgot, sorry.” 

“All good,” you assure, brushing off the apology. “Not a promotion per se, but a sidestep with just a slightly bigger paycheck. The office there is a bit smaller than the New York one so maybe there’s a higher chance of getting promoted sooner, but I don’t want to jump the gun on that yet. How did things work out for you guys this season?” 

The Islanders had a good season, making the playoffs but fell just short of making the semi-finals, you knew that. After all, you hadn’t removed the Islanders game and news alerts from your phone and you put that on your laziness. You wouldn’t shy away from admitting to him you still followed the team’s progression, but you preferred not to. 

“Could’ve been better but there’s lots to learn from it,” Mat tells you and there’s a trace of excitement and determination in his voice. “Next season will be even better, I guarantee.” 

It’s a staple Mat response, one he always gave if he felt a game didn’t end in their favour or he didn’t do as much as he thought he should have. Sometimes, it took him some time to accept it. Usually, it came to him after pushing himself in training, after going that extra step in the gym, after re-watching highlights or coach videos and always - always, you’d assure him that it takes a team to move forward, not a single person. Always, he’d kiss you and tell you he loves you and always, you’d spend those moments wrapped up in each other’s arms, more often than not with Mat’s head resting against your chest and your leg slung around his hip. 

“Plenty of time to lift that cup, Barzal,” you assure him. “Sure, the sooner the better but there’s always a right time for everything.”

“I hope so,” he agrees pensively, and lingers on that thought. 

You let him to it, directing your attention back to the view outside and only now and then picking up your phone either to switch songs or browse through a few applications. A part of you feels almost obliged to try and push for conversation but you avoid doing so. The last thing you need is to make it painfully awkward for the two of you and you figure Mat could always do that himself if he feels like it. So, you let your mind wander to better things - to the upcoming rehearsal and the wedding itself, to how good Elise will look and how Tito will be so proud to watch her walk the aisle towards him. You imagine their reaction to the gift you and Mat contributed towards and smiled to yourself, knowing it was a perfect pick for them both. 

You don’t think about telling Elise you and Mat had lied to them. You don’t think about passing this hurdle - the final one before you two will become strangers to one another. You don’t think about how the next time you might both see each other again, you’ll both have such different lives that for a brief moment, the surprise of it will knock the air out of your lungs before you remember: that’s him without me, and this is me without him. And you won’t be the first or the last people to break up, but a part of you is certain what the two of you had was unique and could’ve been grand. So much grander.

You become more alert to your surroundings when he starts slowing the car and you notice you’re pulling up into a gas station. As much as space allows you, you stretch out a little and Mat stops right by one of the pumps.

“Want something for the road?” You ask him, unplugging your phone and taking your card from your bag. 

“Hold on, I’ll come with you,” Mat tells you and it doesn’t take long for the refill to happen before you both walk into the station’s store, beelining for the snack aisles even if you have only two hours or so until you reach your destination. 

“Oh gosh, those are going to be a nightmare to clean up if you spill any in the car,” you groan quietly as he browses through the variety of Nerds flavours. 

“But they’re so good though,” he shoots back and flashes a smile that is nothing short of sly when he picks up two boxes instead of one. 

“Yeah, until the flavour runs out literally two seconds after you put them in your mouth. I mean, enjoy that but I’m different,” you boast and pick up a bag of sour candy. 

“You just like obliterating your taste buds.” 

He’s not wrong. Sour candy and spicy foods are your guilty pleasures, and have been for the longest time. You don’t try to look into how easily he recalls that because, you tell yourself, there’s nothing to look into. It’s a mere fact that anyone who knows you would easily recite. 

“You’re wrong and you know it, but admitting that is difficult so it’s fine, Barzal. No hard feelings,” you throw back, snickering as you head over to the fridges for a bottle of cold water. Instinctively, you grab another for him and instinctively, he takes your candy and the water to pay for them but you still tag along with him in the queue. 

“No shot. I like some spice but to the point where I literally can’t taste anything else? Hey, remember that one time when you made something… Can’t remember what it was but it was so…” He purses his lips and you laugh because yes, yes you remember it so clearly. 

“So good you ended up crying over it?” You offer. 

“More like, I wasn’t crying but it was so fucking spicy, Y/N, holy.” 

“You survived though, didn’t you?”

“I only did because there isn’t a thing you do I don’t like,” he says and then, seems to catch himself but a second too late. “Didn’t like,” he corrects quietly but the damage is done. 

You swallow uncomfortably, directing your gaze away from him but don’t hesitate to nod towards the outside. “I’ll head over to the car. I’ll text Elise to tell her we’re close.” 

“Y/N—“ 

But you’re already taking steps towards the exit and out of ear shot, making a beeline for the car. Your heart thumps rapidly and uncomfortable in your chest and find that pressing a palm to your left side doesn’t make it any better. You know it’s an innocent mistake and there are some habits that die hard, but the way he phrased it triggered your fight or flight instinct instantaneously and despite yourself, you leaned towards the latter. You enter the car and take the time to compose yourself as much as you could. The last thing you need is to have a conversation with Mat about this because you didn’t want to have it - it shouldn’t happen for the sake of avoiding making the situation even more uncomfortable. It was an innocent slip up, no doubt, and you should’ve braced yourself to speak of Mat in present tense as opposed to past tense in the presence of others but it comes to you harder than imagined. 

It’s odd how you both once knew so much about each other, everything even, and now the two of you are reduced to dancing around all that and making conscious efforts to keep your conversations as short and banal as possible. 

You try and busy yourself with formulating a message to Ellie, one that’s long enough to try and make you seem as busy as possible by the time Mat returns to the car, but every line you wrote, every mini paragraph going into dull details about the trip and where you guys currently are seemed like an overthrow. So, you delete that also and simply text her an OTW just as Mat sets the sweets on the centre console and the bottles in the cup holders. 

He doesn’t start the engine immediately and your mood quickly switches to frustration. Sure, you hadn’t handled it in the best way possible but trying to have a conversation about it wouldn’t make it any better. Or at least, it’s just something you didn’t want to have to think about for the remainder of the journey. 

But he does just that, because that is what Mat always did: he talked with you.

“I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable,” he begins, “I didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did. It’s force of habit more than anything else.”

“It’s whatever, Mat, so just move past it. I did, simple as that,” you tell him neutrally. 

There’s something in that response he must have not liked because you pick up on his small huff and shortly after, the car starts and you’re both on the road again. This time, with silence between you and an atmosphere so heavy it makes you wish you weren’t speeding down an Interstate just so you could open the window and let some of the air in.

-

The hotel the wedding will be held at lies in front of you, sprawling and secluded and perfect for an event like this. Tito is already at the entrance and when he spots Mat’s car, he waves quickly while Mat quickly flashes the headlights before pulling into an available parking spot.

“There they are!” Tito says by way of greeting and you walk right into his outstretched arms, hugging him. “Can’t believe so much time passed since we last saw each other. What is it, two months? Three?” 

“Three,” you confirm once you pull away so that Mat could hug him also. “It’s good to see you too. Where’s Elise?” 

“She wanted to check on some small details and said she’ll meet up with you guys in a bit. So here I am, the welcoming committee,” Tito explained and when he and Mat stepped apart, he reached out to give you another short hug which you accepted. “So how was Baltimore? Don’t suppose you liked it all that much if you’re back so soon. This guy was happy about it,” Tito adds, nodding his head towards Mat who was already busy emptying the trunk. 

You press your lips together, displaying a small smile. “Baltimore wasn’t too bad but they missed me here, apparently. Can’t complete a damn thing without my two cents so here I am for now.”

Tito frowns, but the expression is very brief. “For now? We’ll need to talk more about that later so Barzy doesn’t mope around as much as he did back then.”

You throw a quick glance towards Mat but he’s looking away towards whatever interesting spot on the ground he found, pointedly ignoring you. “I’ll have a word with him about it later,” you tell Tito lightly and together, the three of you make your way inside, towards the reception. 

“I think Elise is in the room at the end of the corridor if you want to say hi,” Tito informs you and you jump at the opportunity. 

You follow the corridor, making a right turn and continuing along the dimly lit hallway leading to what the signs informed you to be Conference Room 1. The door is slightly ajar and you begin picking up on the buzz of activity coming from within and soon enough, you’re face to face with a spacey room boasting an array of flowers and various arrangements tastefully decorating tables and drooping down from the ceiling. No doubt, the effect will be lovely during the night when colourful neon lights can be turned on. You spot Elise easily: she’s in the midst of the room with what is undoubtedly the scrapbook of ideas she’d been carefully putting together since Tito asked her to marry him. Outwardly, she’s all smiles and laughter but you can imagine the amount of effort and planning putting all of this together and working with planners takes. 

When she spots you, she squeals in excitement, sets her book down and dashes across the room to engulf you in a hug, making you stumble a few steps back. 

You burst into laughter and wrap your arms around her, squeezing her with just enough force to try and communicate how much you missed her but not so that it was uncomfortable. 

“I missed you! You’re here!” She exclaims, stepping back to look at you in disbelief then hugging you again. “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy you’re here! Where’s Mat? Is he here too?”

“Of course he is,” you assure her with a laugh. “I missed you too.” You throw a curious glance towards the room over her shoulder, nodding your head towards it. “How’s it going? Need me to take over for a bit?” 

“Maybe later. Definitely later. Come on.” She wraps an arm around yours and leads the way out of the room, undoubtedly back to the reception area where you left Mat and Tito. “Please tell me Baltimore is off the table. FaceTime is fine, sure, but it’s not great, you know? I need the real deal next to me. Besides, I’m not sure if you heard, but Mat wasn’t Mat without you.”

“So I heard, but forget about us!” You said in a desperate attempt to try and steer attention away from the subject. “Tell me about how everything’s going. Are you still nervous about it? Because trust me, Elise - you have absolutely nothing to be nervous of. What I’ve heard of so far and what I’ve seen will make it the absolute best day, surely.”

“Of course I’m nervous,” she tells you and to demonstrate, she holds her free hand in front of you and sure enough, there’s just a slight tremble to it. “Please lend me some of those nerves of steel of yours, Y/N, I’d do anything to have even a small percentage of them right now.”

“Pft, as if. Those are all show, trust me.” 

“I’ll take even that. Oh, Mat!” She greets as soon as the two of you reach the reception area and Elise spots Mat.

Much like you and Tito, they hug and when she steps back, she immediately stands next to Tito who doesn’t hesitate to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. They exchange a quick kiss and you smile at the happiness and bliss they’re clearly surrounded by. 

It’s the slight pressure on your lower back that makes you jolt a little on the spot and it’s then you realise Mat had gently placed his hand there to encourage you a little closer. It takes effort on your behalf to follow his guidance but you move towards him, though you wish you could physically wince at how undoubtedly stiff the two of you must look. Or hopefully, not greatly so because neither Tito nor Elise comment on it or shoot you any funny looks as the four of you engage in brief conversation, mainly surrounding the trip here and any other guests they expect to receive today. 

You don’t hang around much, though. Elise’s phone begins buzzing incessantly and she’s whisked away by the message received, but not before she fixes you with a pointed stare and demands the two of you have drinks later in the evening. Tito follows her also, even if he informs you and Mat that he feels as if he’s running around in the right places only because of Elise and the wedding planners, but you encourage him on by joking he could maybe turn a few candles on the tables this way or that for some extra oomph. 

“I can’t imagine how she does it,” you admit to Mat once the elevator doors slide shut soundlessly and the car begins moving upwards to your floor.

“Pretty sure it’s not that big of a deal to her, given what all this is leading to,” Mat tells you and you detect a hint of detachment in his voice. 

You don’t welcome it, of course you don’t, but you choose to not point that out to him. The last thing you want is an argument to break out the relatively okay mood the two of you have managed to hold, recent events that could be erased from memory aside. Instead, you simply stand back quietly, eyes glued on the red digital numbers aside until they come to a halt on the ninth floor where the elevator stops and you’re both left in a silent, dimly lit hallway. 

Mat has the key to the apartment Elise told you the two of you would be in and just before tapping in, he hands you your own copy of it. Up until this very moment, you hadn’t thought very much of the overnight arrangements. You were pretty sure you meant to ask Elise a bit more about them at some point but both your attention and hers were pulled in different directions and here you were, stepping into your place for the next couple of nights, Mat trailing a little behind you. 

You stop, arms folding across your chest and you feel Mat stop somewhere close behind you, looking into one room.

“I didn’t think this through,” you state neutrally. 

Ahead of you lay only one bed. 

[spine-buster]

Structures ft. Jacob Markstrom | Act 3, Scene 1

CONTENT WARNINGS:

This fic will deal with mental health issues, including (manic) depression, thoughts of self-harm, thoughts of worthlessness, and issues regarding struggles to conceive.

A/N: We begin the last Act of this story with another flashback...to Jacob and Geneviève's wedding! I'm sorry that I couldn't post last week, but as this story comes to an end, there will be regular posting!

June 18th, 2017 (flashback)

There was supposed to be a family ring – a family heirloom from Geneviève’s great-aunt who became a duchess in the aristocracy of England and was proposed to with a Ascher-cut diamond – but Geneviève didn’t want it. She knew her family didn’t approve of what she did and how she loved Jacob, and she knew that if she took it, it would almost be like the ring was cursed. More so, she didn’t want to fight. She knew that every time her family saw that ring on her finger, knowing it represented a union with Jacob and that she didn’t inherit a Bamford family diamond instead, they would hold resentment. Resentment was a silent killer, and Geneviève felt more alive than anything when she was with Jacob. So she didn’t want it placed on finger meant to represent everlasting love.

Instead, Jacob proposed with an emerald cut. She said yes, naturally. She knew the moment she met him, as did he.

Jacob had ever only loved three things in life: his family, hockey, and Geneviève Monette. That was the order they appeared in his life but it wasn’t the ranking. If it were mathematical, they would each take up 33.3% of his heart; on most days, the remaining 0.01% went to Geneviève. He’d never met a woman like her, and he knew he’d never meet a woman like her ever again. She was unique in every sense of the word: head strong, hardworking, ambitious, and whip-smart. Too smart for her own good sometimes, and definitely too smart for everybody around her. Whenever she spoke, she had everyone in the palm of her hand; whenever she wrote, nobody ever looked away from the page. She was a force in and of herself, and he wouldn’t want to marry anyone else. He loved her with everything he had.

Despite her world being shaken and turned upside-down a year ago by meeting him, their love only grew. And despite her friends abandoning her, smearing the both of them in the press, and Geneviève suffering at their cruelty with her mental breakdown, the one constant was their love for each other. He loved her through it all, and though it was hard to show some days – most days – when she was at her lowest points, she loved him too, through everything, and the fact remained that nothing could take that love away from them. Nothing could come between what they felt for one another, or the strength of their love – nothing.

So they decided to get married on the day they met, one year later.

It was something small, of course. In Stockholm – not Oxford or Paris or the steps of Wellesley College. Stockholm. They’d get married and take pictures in Stockholm City Hall before having a small reception at 7A. Geneviève would have her dress designed or she’d pick something up off the rack – she wasn’t too fussed about design, she just wanted to be fashionable. Jacob promised to get measured for a new suit. He chose Elias Lindholm to be his best man, and it was only natural that Margaret was Geneviève’s maid of honour.

Geneviève had never been a girl who grew up thinking about her wedding. It wasn’t important to her like it was to other girls or women. And that wasn’t to shame them at all – it was simply just that she hadn’t been planning out her dress or flowers or linens since she was a little girl. During her days at her exclusive boarding school in Paris, while the other girls on her floor dreamed of scooping up the well-to-do boys from their brother school and marrying into their families, Geneviève worked on her application to Wellesley College. When she was at Wellesley, watching girls dropping out of getting one of the best educations in the world to get married, or following through with their degree only to get their MRS so Alice Torquay, Wellesley graduate would look good and proper in the New York Times wedding announcements page, she was writing her valedictorian speech and being profiled in national magazines. When she was at Oxford and watched as girls interacted with boys in pubs only to Google their names on their phones while they were alone in the washrooms to see if he was a Lord or Viscount or Duke, she just happened upon Daniel. There wasn’t anything wrong with what those girls did, nothing at all – especially since it would bring them such easy lives of leisure and wealth in the long run – but Geneviève wanted her work to speak for her rather than a man. She wanted her work to define her rather than a man or his last name. She never wanted to be attached to something or someone that dulled her, though it took her a while to see it for Daniel. They’d had endless discussions about her taking his last name once they were married, especially since it was so well-known and ‘prestigious’, whatever that meant. Jacob didn’t even blink twice when she said she wanted to hyphenate.

Love wasn’t complicated for Jacob: he knew he loved Geneviève. There were times when he thought he was the only one in the world that did, save for maybe Margaret. Loving without conditions came hard to many people, but it was easy for Jacob with Geneviève. He couldn’t say the same about other people in her life. When she broke up with Daniel, it was obvious that the group of people she once called her close friends didn’t love her – they led a smear campaign against her instead, hellbent on making her life a living hell because of her choice to be with him. When he would overhear bits and pieces of the phone calls she’d have with Maxim and he was smart enough to fill in what Maxim was saying on the other side judging by what she was saying, he realized her older brother was cut from the same cloth as her former friends. When he found her crying to herself one day, fumbling with her phone between her hands before she shared, “Um, I just got off the phone with my parents. They—they’re busy, so um, they’re not going to be able—they’re not gonna be able to make it to the wedding,” he couldn’t believe there was a kind of parent that would say that to their child. He knew they were angry, but it was unfathomable to think they wouldn’t attend their only daughter’s marriage.

But despite everything, it all led to today: Geneviève walking towards him, alone, in a cross-neck silk-satin dress, holding a blue flag and bluebell bouquet, the biggest smile on her face.

He was the luckiest man alive.

***

With the champagne poured, the cake sliced, and the dancing had, Jacob and Geneviève were back in their hotel room. They barely bothered to take off their clothes.

Geneviève’s wedding dress was bunched at her hips as she was pinned against the door, Jacob eventually picking her up in his arms and carrying her a few steps to the chest of drawers, pushing off a mess of perfumes and colognes and other knickknacks before setting her down. Geneviève snaked her arms around his midsection, pulling his white dress shirt out of his pants before trying to unbutton his pants.

“This dress is so sexy on you,” Jacob said in between hot kisses, hooking his index fingers around the band of her underwear before pulling them down her legs.

Geneviève smiled mischievously. “I knew you’d like it,” she said, biting her bottom lip.

“You’re always sexy to me,” he continued, finally pulling her underwear off her legs and tossing them across the room. “You’re the sexiest woman in the world.”

Geneviève leaned forward, giving him a quick kiss before pulling away slightly and looking him in the eye. “I want you to fuck me,” she whispered seductively, knowing it would set him off like he usually did. “I want you to fuck me like you’ve never fucked me before. Fuck me in my wedding dress.”

Jacob kissed her hungrily, biting down on her bottom lip as she continued to work on the button of his pants, finally getting it unfastened. She pushed his underwear down and placed her hand around his already hard cock, pumping him until he pulled her off the chest of drawers and onto her feet. Before she could realize what was going on, he turned her around, her back to his chest. Almost immediately, a smirk appeared on her face.

“Hmmm, you like that don’t you,” Jacob hummed near her ear, smiling just like her.

“You know I do,” the excitement was evident in her voice as he placed kisses on her neck. She could feel one of his hands leave her hips as he grabbed himself to enter her, so she grabbed the satin of her dress, keeping it up, and felt him slide into her.

Jacob always felt incredible. It didn’t matter how many times they had sex, fucked, or made love; it didn’t matter how slow or fast it was; it didn’t matter how many times they went in one night – and she could only assume they’d go many rounds on their wedding night – whenever Jacob entered her, it felt perfect. Like he was made for her. She felt complete in every sense, because Jacob was her soulmate. “Fuck me,” she breathed out, feeling the hand that had guided him into her now reaching around to rub at her clit. She tried to reach back and grab his hair, but he pushed her down, bending her over the console as he began pounding into her. “Oh fuck, Jacob. Harder. Harder.”

“Feels good, baby?”

“Feels so fucking good,” she moaned out. “Keep fucking me like that. Keep fucking me.”

The noises that were escaping the both of them were hot, loud, sexy, and the sound of the chest of drawers banging up against the wall was the cherry on top. When Jacob came inside of her, her whole body shook at the feeling. He bent down so his chest was against her back, placing light kisses across her shoulder blades and up her neck. “I love you so much,” he whispered, smiling, “Mrs. Geneviève Monette-Markstrom.”

She smiled back too. “You indulge me.”

“You should be indulged.”

“You’re too good to me.”

“You’re too good to me.”

She giggled, craning her neck back so she could give him a kiss. “Jacob?” she asked, making sure her tone was sickeningly sweet. “Fuck me again. On the bed. I want you to fuck a baby into me.”

***

“I keep thinking about the day we first met,” Geneviève whispered as she felt Jacob’s long fingers curl inside of her soaking pussy. They were facing each other with her leg draped over his hip, looking into each other’s eyes. This was round six? Seven? She couldn’t keep track. She’d lost count of her orgasms a long time ago too, since all Jacob did in between rounds while he recovered was stick his fingers in her pussy, or attach his mouth to her pussy, all while she writhed in pleasure and called out his name time and time again.

“Oh yeah?” Jacob asked asked before kissing her gently. “What about it?”

“Just how I knew,” she said simply, bringing a hand up to caress his face. “How I knew that I loved you, that I was going to marry you, that you’re my soulmate.”

Jacob understood. He had been thinking about it all day too – how from the moment he saw her, he knew he was going to marry her. It was love at first sight in every sense of the word. “I didn’t think it was possible to love you more than I did that today, but today proved me wrong,” he said.

Geneviève smiled, biting her bottom lip as she could feel him curl his fingers again. “Me too. I’m going to love you forever.”