#also gonna be posting another one shot for my modern au probably like tomorrow or Tuesday

[fandom-blackhole]

Sinful Sunday!!!!

AN: Soooo sorry I've been MIA this week. I don't know whats gotten to me but motivation has been L O W this past week, but I should be back soon, I have some work stuff to finish. BUT, when I do come back, it will be with a nice one-shot (small hint, its for a certain merman featured in another set of sinful sunday thots) and then I'll get to the THOTs piled in my inbox....

Sinful Sunday Masterlist

Pairings: Ezra (Prospect) x Reader, Din Djarin x Reader x Paz Vizsla, Modern!Captain Rex x Reader

• So the idea is Ezra x reader + Zombie Apocalypse AU, but considering its me, it'll be more like a Last of Us AU, of sorts

Ezra (Prospect) x Reader

So I wouldn't say this is really a THOT, its more or less just a concept I wanted to share. If you guys like it let me know and I might make it into a short series....

• Cee would definitely be in this one, unlike my other Ezra series (Hayloft)

• I imagine Ezra to be a hunter, someone who purposely attacks people and steals their supplies, but he himself tries to avoid killing, though the rest of his small group does not

• Ezra meets Cee, when he is the one being used as bait and he's acting like he's injured while his team members wait to ambush Cee and her father

• A big fight breaks out and Cee’s father is killed along with two of the hunters and Cee is bound and taken to the hideout

• Ezra keeps trying to talk and negotiate with his group to let Cee go because she is just a girl, but he ends up being threatened and told to shut up

• So on his early morning watch, he packs a big bag and steals alot of the supplies, before going to Cee and taking off with her

• The two barely reach the city limits before the hunters catch up, and a fire fight ensues, which also draws in a small group of zombies/infected

• In the skirmish, Ezra and Cee management to fight off all zombie/infected and hunters, BUT Ezra does get a small bite on his arm

• Cee cuts it off for him right there, and they go build a small fire just enough to cauterize it, before moving so they don't attract more attention

• Where are they headed? Well, Ezra happens to know a sweet little peach(reader) who owns a bartering house a few towns over, a place that is neutral ground for everyone, and they own him a small favor

At this point you aren't even sure how you had gotten into this situation, but maker you wouldn't trade it for anything in the galaxy. The situation? You were currently sandwiched between two of the fiercest mandalorian warriors you knew. All you could feel, smell, or think about was them and how absolutely FULL you felt. You can't even think straight too overwhelmed with pleasure, your head too full of the whines and rambles of the man below you and the loud grunts and groans of the man on top of you.

Din Djarin x Reader x Paz Vizsla

First off thank you, @joculatrices for letting me talk about this THOT with you. I was pretty hesitant to post this one, but it has been haunting me for weeks, and while I don't think Paz nor Din would be into sharing all that much, the THOT of them both having their way with me, well it has me overheating.....

You held both Din Djarin and Paz Vizsla close to your heart, but you had never even imagined that you would be with them like this, blindfolded as they both filled you. You never imagined that you'd be here laying ontop of Din, with his twitching cock nestled deep inside your ass, as Paz held your legs as wide as possible and pounded into you pussy like there was no tomorrow. Paz reached down at some point and wrapped his thick fingers around your neck as Din bit into your shoulder trying to quiet himself just a little. It was almost too much feeling the slide of Paz’s thick cock in and out of you, and along the thin wall that separated him from Din's own cock. You were wetter than you had ever been in the past, and hearing each squelch-y thrust from Paz drove you crazy. You could feel yourself dripping down to where you were combined with Din, who was twitching and giving out breathy moans from the stimulation he was receiving with each rough thrust from Paz.

The pleasure was so good, and overwhelming and you didn't want it to end but you could feel yourself about to snap. Din was mumbling something you couldn't make out as he reached around and squeezes your breasts and started circling your nipples. That small added pleasure is all you needed to be launched over the edge into the abyss, and you came harder than you ever had before. You heard Din curse loudly as you tightened up around him and he gave a small thrust before groaning your name and cumming deep inside of you. It didn't take long for Paz to follow, as he gave you three earth shattering, hard thrusts while praising how good you been and then he buried himself as deep as possible and unloaded everything he had inside of you. And as you came back down after that orgasm you knew, you were never gonna be the same after this.

You swore angrily as you all but ran to your next class. Not only had your last professor kept the whole class from leaving because HE was late, but the campus was teeming with soldiers and military personnel using the university campus as a short cut to get to the base stationed next door. You were beyond frustrated, most of the men blocking your path had been rude and tried pulling rank on you when you all but ran passed them, and you had probably given a few too many middle fingers to the assholes, but you could find it in yourself to care.

Modern!Captain Rex x Reader

Ok so after all that FILTH, here is a cute little THOT of how you meet modern au Captain Rex.....

Then one of the grabbed your arm right as you were about to reach the building your class was in and you saw red. You couldn't even hear what he was saying, and you ripped your arm away from him, and in a loe voice, most certainly interrupting his rant, you said, "Do not touch me, or I will make sure you meet your maker sooner than you are supposed to."

You saw his jaw clench and his face turn into a snarl as he spit back, "Do you know who you are talking to?"

As he spoke he rose his finger sticking it in your face. The anger of knowing that you were late to class and your professor had most certainly closed and locked the classroom door at this point, and from the fact that the man infrastructure of you thought he could walk all over you boiled over. In a split second, as he was still shoving his finger in your face and raising his voice, you whipped your hand up, grabbed his finger tightly, and smashed it back until you heard a satisfying crackl. With a smirk, you made eye contact with the now shocked and angered man and said, "That is for making me late to class, would you like for me to continue or are you going to walk away?"

The man puffed up his chest and rose his other hand to slap you but, an arm shot out from behind you, and a deep voice rumbled out, "That is enough, Private Connors, get yourself back to the barracks, your free time has bee revoked and you are being put on bathroom duty for threatening a civilian. Your tooth brush better be ready when I get back to the barracks myself."

"Yes, Captain...."

As the man walked away dejected, the other man, whose deep and ordering voice went straight to your belly, came around and gave you a soft smile as he ran a hand through his buzzed, blond hair.

"I am sorry for the way the Private Connors treated you, and I think the broken finger you gave him wasn't even close to the punishment he deserves for that attitude," you blushed and looked down, before smiling up at the now shy Captain. He stuck his hand out saying, "Captain Rex of the 501st, if there is anyway I can make it up to you, please let me know."

Shaking his hand you introduced yourself and mumbled out, "Well since he made me late to class, my afternoon just freed up, so...um... if you aren't busy, there is this nice Cafe two or so blocks from here?"

[firemblem-fics]

Running With the Wolves [1]

preview | >>

-> Yuri Leclarc x Fem!Reader

-> Modern!Au | Gang!Au | Enemies to Lovers

-> Word Count: ~3.3k

-> Warnings: Violence, Blood, Cursing, Weapons

-> Summary: You were just a normal college student, trying to find her way in a new place. You didn’t mean to get caught up in the wrong crowd. You just wanted coffee, but now you’re running with the wolves.

-> A/N: SURPRISE I POSTED IT EARLY ! thanks to my lovely beta readers for helping me revise and edit this chapter to make it better! i’m still in a writing mental block but i think this is one step closer to getting out of it! so, please enjoy (again)! also, all characters are aged up (21+)! also y’all should reblog this so it gets out more 🥺

send me an ask if you’d like to be on the taglist!

"Fuck- She's losing too much blood, Boss, she's not gonna make it!"

"No, no. She's going to make it- I'll make sure of it. Stay alive!"

Your vision was dark and blurry- you couldn't quite see anything. You could only make out a few silhouettes hovering above you, each one rushing around and yelling frantically. You couldn't count how many were there. Your vision kept doubling and it was hard to discern one person from three. Focusing just caused things to get worse.

"Someone put pressure on the damn wound! She certainly won't make it if you all keep messing around."

It was only now that you noticed a sharp pain radiating from your chest, right below your ribs. You gasped loudly and coughed. It hurt worse than the throbbing that already coursed through your head. Your body burned.

Trying to look down, you saw a rag soaked in blood. Hands with bright nails pressed down on your wound to slow the flow, but it didn't seem to be helping. You started feeling dizzy and laid back again, clenching your eyes tight as nausea engulfed you.

"No, keep your eyes open, Y/N, dammit! Wake up!"

Slowly, the pain began fading, as did your view of the people above you and their voices. You could still barely hear the voice crying, sobbing out your name. Whoever they were, they were crushed.

"Wake up!"

Was that voice finally fading away too?

"Wake up!"

No- it was getting louder.

"Wake up!"

"Ellie, what the fuck do you want?" You groaned, rolling over on your bed.

Your roommate bounced on her knees, making your bed creak loudly. "What do you mean? It's like 10am, your class is at 11. Don’t talk to me with that tone of voice."

"Fuck me."

"Absolutely not, baby." Ellie smacked a pillow beside you and got up. "Get ready!" She went to her own room, leaving you to your own devices.

When you applied for an apartment roommate, Ellie was certainly not the one you were expecting. You would've preferred a chill, laid-back, person. Instead, Eleonora Yumizuru walked into your life (and apartment) and practically made herself at home. She didn't judge you from transferring so far away from your old home for your last year of college, claiming that "home roots don't mean shit when it comes to making it in the real world".

She had the right to say such a thing, having moved to Fodlan from another country in her youth. She was able to understand the occasional homesickness and help you cope as you adjusted to Fodlan life. She understood you like the back of her hand from the moment you met and you did the same for her.

Really, you had to let her move in. She’d probably have stayed even if you rejected her.

She was the complete opposite of what you were looking for- overconfident, stubborn, loud- but she grew on you and easily became your best friend. There was just something about the bubbly, blue-eyed, blonde-bobbed bitch that hooked you.

She had certainly hooked other people as well, but thank God her bedroom is on the other side of the apartment. Her social skills and magnetic personality worked for platonic friends and acquaintances as well. Ellie was constantly bringing over friends, allowing you to expand your own circle. She was heaven-sent for a newbie like you.

You sat up from your bed, yawning and stretching. Trudging to your bathroom, you rolled your eyes as the infamous Taylor Swift blared through Ellie's speakers, "Shake it Off" shaking the entire apartment. Nothing against T. Swift, but sometimes she was not the first thing you want to hear when you wake up. At least not at max volume. Ignoring the song switching to "You Belong With Me" -another banger from Swift herself, but really "Teardrops on My Guitar” was your favorite- you finished getting ready and lazed into Ellie's room.

"I've got class 'till late today." You sat on her bed. "Do you want me to pick up dinner? It’ll let me explore the area."

"Oh, please do. You need to get out more. But where?"

You shrugged. "There's really only like two good food places here. Golden Pizza and Blue Lion Buffet. Your choice."

Ellie thought for a moment. "I went to the buffet with my little friend Touma the other day... so pizza! I just can't choose a side in their little spat."

"Spat?" You tilted your head.

"Goodness, Y/N! I know you're a little new here, but you haven't even heard of the shit that goes on between those restaurant owners?"

Shaking your head, you stayed silent for her to continue.

"The owners of Blue Lion Buffet, Eagle's Freezery, and Golden Pizza are all huge rivals. I heard they were all close, but went their separate ways. All the owners' kids are our age, too. They go to Fodlan Uni, but I don't know who they are." She smiled. "I am an esteemed woman with an upcoming high status. Who would I be to take sides? I prefer to cater to them all."

You could only nod, hiding a smirk at Ellie’s infatuation of fame. A huge restaurant rivalry. How funny. "What about that little cafe on the corner? What's it called? Café des Loups?"

"They're pretty neutral, just some college dropouts trying to make some money. I think they’re gonna get involved eventually- every restaurant’s been dragged into their drama at least once."

You nodded, standing up and messing with your apartment keys. "I'll keep that in mind. Bye, Ellie!"

"Bye! I better see some pizza later!" She called as you made your way out of the apartment, now playing "I Knew You Were Trouble".

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

College was honestly a scam.

You sat in the classes for two hours at a time, for what? You were paying thousands of dollars to be talked at by old dusty men who made you fall asleep faster than trying to read their overpriced textbooks. You paid thousands to nap at a desk.

Unfortunately for you, though, your thousand dollar desk nap was interrupted by a tapping on the surface. You huffed and looked up, coming face to face with a pair of soft, orange eyes. They radiated kindness and just looking into them seemed to lift your mood immediately.

"Hey, you need to wake up for this part. The professor said there's gonna be a quiz on this section tomorrow."

You shot up, looking back at your professor. Blushing embarrassedly, you smiled at the boy. "Thank you..."

"Ferdinand." He drew his bottom lip in between his teeth, as if to conceal his smile, before giving up and returning yours just as brightly.

As you faced forward to Professor Hanneman, as you were pretty sure his name was- or was it Ham Man? You didn’t care enough to know- you were now struggling with two distractions. One, the weight of your eyelids as they threatened to pull you back into dreamland. Two, Ferdinand.

You kept glancing at him, taking in his complexion. He must have come to class late, since you didn't see him before. Or maybe he was on time- you did fall asleep quite early into the lecture.

You were eyeing his carefully sculpted jawline, dotted with subtle stubble that connected to sideburns and led up to clean, silky, orange hair. You wished to run your fingers through it-

"Y/N, this is the second time I've seen you not paying attention." You jumped nearly three feet in the air. "Next time, I'll have to ask you to leave my class since you are obviously taking it as a joke."

"I-I'm not joking! Sorry!" You stuttered, finally finding a reason to keep your attention on the lecture. You did look away once, just to glare at Ferdinand, who only winked and chuckled at your misfortune.

Class was eventually over and you sighed, finally loosening up from forcing yourself to pay attention. You packed your notebook and laptop and swung your backpack on, getting ready to leave the room before a voice called to you.

You turned back. "Ferdinand?"

"I was simply wondering where your next class was. I can walk you to it, if you'd like." Said boy walked quickly towards you, holding himself with a nearly-perfect posture. You felt anxious- he was trying to make himself seem like a gentleman, but you still felt a little unnerved.

"Oh, um, sure! It's not for another fifteen minutes, but it is across campus."

Ferdinand's grin seemed to get larger, making his eyes crinkle at the edges. "How wonderful! That little café is down there and I've been meaning to check it out anyways. It works out perfectly."

"Uh, yeah." You laughed nervously. This was the first time a boy had taken interest in you- or was he really interested? Maybe he's just being nice-

"Also, before I forget. May I get your number? I'd like to talk to such a gorgeous woman like you a little more."

Oh, he was so interested. You had to make yourself breathe again as you handed him your phone to let him put his number in. He gave it back to you and you noticed a heart and a smiley face emoticon next to his contact name. Your heart fluttered at the sight of the emojis and you felt your cheeks heat up a bit. Ferdinand gave you a sweet smile before holding the door open for you, letting you lead the way to your next class.

On the way to the building, Ferdinand spent the time asking you questions and getting to know you better. He had scratched basically the entire surface of you, save for the secrets that new people shouldn't know, and the same could be said for you. Ferdinand was definitely a polished and refined man. He made quite the impression on you.

"What are you doing after classes?" You asked, hoping to invite him for pizza at your apartment.

"Ah, I've got work!" He smiled sheepishly. He definitely caught onto your hopes...

"Really? Where? Maybe after, you could stop by for some Golden Pizza-"

"Actually, I work at the Eagles Freezery." He was tense, suddenly. "So I really shouldn't. Rivalry and all of that, you know?"

You were a little confused, actually. "Why would that prevent you from hanging out for a bit? You didn't buy it, I did. Plus I thought the rivalry was only between the buffet and the pizza place?”

"It's- it's a loyalty thing. It’s between all three of us.”

"It's a restaurant. How loyal could you possibly be to a dumb little ice cream parlor-"

"It's more than that!" Ferdinand snapped his mouth closed, suddenly making himself quiet after his angry outburst. "Listen, I cannot and will not eat there, look at it, talk about it, or do literally anything about it. Please, just understand that."

"Uh, yeah." You nervously readjusted your backpack on your shoulder. "I- I should get to class now. I'll see you later, Ferdinand."

"Goodbye, I'll message you after work!" With that, he sent you a wink and a smile and turned, going about his own day with the most carefree pep in his step. As if nothing ever happened. You, on the other hand, could not have been more confused. Ferdinand seemed unpredictable when it came to his moods. He was comforting and kind, yet was so… upset when you insulted the parlor. It was a restaurant. Why did he get so worked up about it? Maybe Ellie was right about it being such a big deal.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

“I just ordered! Go, go, I’m starving!”

Not even five minutes after you got out of your last class, Ellie was calling to remind you about dinner. You were still slightly unnerved from your encounter with Ferdinand, but you agreed to pick it up and would never hear the end of it if you didn’t do something as simple as takeout.

Golden Pizza was only about two blocks away and you stayed on the phone with your roommate the entire time, only saying goodbye as you walked in the establishment. The restaurant was very nice, the honey yellow walls and the glow of the wood-fired oven making the ambience warm and welcoming. You didn’t wait long in the line, soon coming up to meet a boy about your age with a glimmering emerald gaze and a smile just as bright at the front counter.

“Hi!” The boy- Claude, according to his nametag- greeted, “How can I help you?”

“I’m just picking up an order for Eleonora Yumizuru.”

Claude nodded and typed a few things into a computer at the counter. “I know Ellie! She and I had Stats together before she dropped out to pursue her acting career. She’s certainly something.”

“Oh, definitely. I’m her roommate.” Speaking of the devil, your phone vibrated in your pocket. It was a message from her. “She actually just messaged me. Wants me to bring her a dumb little lemonade from that cafe.”

Claude laughed, “You can go and get it now, if you’d like. Your pizza will be a few more minutes. Ellie set the time for your pickup for later, so you’re actually ten minutes early.”

You thanked him and left, walking to the cafe. You took your time, observing the shops around you. Across the street from Golden Pizza stood the Blue Lion Buffet. You smiled to yourself- what a cliche to have rivals across from each other. Beside the pizza parlor was another food shop, the Eagles Freezery. You thought about Ferdinand- he said he was working today. Maybe you could drop by and- No. No, Y/N. Go get your lemonade and go.

A soft bell chimed as you opened the door. You saw four people in cafe uniforms, going about their day as you approached the register.

“Welcome to our humble abode!”

“Constance, that’s only used for a home.”

You shyly waved at the so-called Constance and the pink-haired girl who corrected her. Cafe des Loups- or Cafe of Wolves- was a quaint place, quiet and not crowded, kind of like an off-brand Starbucks. Dim lights adorned the high black ceiling, illuminating the shop just enough for a comforting ambience. There was a mural of a rainforest painted on the wall to the opposite of the counter with comfortable tables and lounging areas. If you could, you’d probably waste the day away lounging around. It was the perfect environment for an introvert like you.

At this shop, a large dark-haired man controlled the register instead of Claude. As you approached the register, you noticed that he wasn’t wearing a nametag, but you had a small urge to call him Bigfoot.

“Hey! What can I get ‘cha?”

You scoured the menu. “Just two pink lemonades is fine-”

“Oh! Good choice!” Constance interrupted you, coming to stand beside the man. “Yuri-bird over there makes the best sweet lemonades!”

You followed her gaze over to a man who was sitting on a stool, slouched down and leaning his head on his hand. He stretched and stood up. “Thank God, we haven’t had many customers all day. I was starting to think we lost our appeal.”

“Of course we have not!” Constance replied. She turned to you, but you couldn’t tell whether she was still talking to Yuri or you. Maybe it was neither. “Not when someone as handsome as Yuri is making the drinks and my attractive self is greeting the customers!”

“Hey! I’m just as much of a visual as the boss-man.” The taller man joined in after taking your money. “We’re all pretty nice looking. Especially this little lady ordering~”

You blushed a bit. “Oh, please, I’m nothing special-”

“Nothing special?” Constance laid her hand against her chest. “You’re wonderful! Almost on the same level as me. Isn’t that right, Yuri-birdie?”

Yuri looked up from making your drinks, his analytical eyes seemingly boring holes into you. You shuddered, feeling like he could tell your deepest and darkest secrets from just looking at you. He shrugged, going back to the lemonades.

“She’s alright, I suppose.”

“You suppose? Yuri, that’s rude-”

Hapi was midway through lecturing the purple-haired man when the door to the shop chimed open and a rather large group came in. Yuri looked up and suddenly stood alert, as did the other three workers. In the group, you saw a familiar head of orange hair and orange eyes met yours. Your face screwed up into confusion.

“Ferdinand?”

“Don’t say anything.” The leader of the group, a short, white-haired girl snarled. “Are you a new… worker here?”

“Wh- you just told me not to say anything.”

Slowly, Yuri and the other three came up beside you, standing slightly in front. Your heart nearly stopped- you were in the middle of something you definitely weren’t supposed to be in and your sass had gotten on their bad side already. The white-haired girl scrutinized the five of you, her lavender eyes piercing holes through whatever facade of confidence you had tried to put up. You could feel yourself literally wither under her gaze, even more than you did when Yuri looked at you.

“What do you want, Edelgard?” Yuri put his hands on his hip, one fiddling with something under his shirt.

“I want your loyalty.”

Yuri snorted. “You aren’t in charge.”

“I’m not? Hm. Tell that to my father after he stepped down. I’m the leader now- the emperor, if you will.” Edelgard sighed heavily. “I have no time for more conversation if you won’t comply. Hubert, deal with them.”

The terrifying man who you assumed was Hubert suddenly reached in his coat and pulled out a handgun, aiming it at the five of you. Yuri quickly retaliated and pulled one of his own, throwing it at Constance before grabbing your wrist and running to the back. A loud gunshot rang through the air as you and Yuri continued to run. You both dodged around coffee shop equipment and he dragged you through a labyrinth that they considered the back of the store.

As you were running, Yuri pulled you to a sharp right turn and your arm scraped against a metal machine in your way. You hissed in pain and looked down at it, seeing a large wound going down your shoulder to your elbow. It was starting to bleed rather quickly, but you had no time to worry about it. You’d have time to tend to it if you survived.

“What’s happening?”

“No time to explain. Quick, hide!”

Yuri pushed you against the wall in between two larger cabinets and stood in front, grabbing yet another gun from his other hip. He cocked it, listening for the ruckus of the fight in the main room to make its way towards your location. You were shaking like a leaf, grabbing tightly onto your wounded arm and smearing blood all over your fingers and your clothes. You breathed heavily, trying to calm yourself at least a little- was this why Ferdinand had been so defensive over the Eagles Freezery? What kind of restaurant rivalry would constitute attempted murder? And wasn’t this cafe uninvolved anyways? You didn't have time to ponder any more questions as a loud crash echoed through the room. Yuri lifted his gun and began to speak lowly, not taking his eyes off of the door.

“When I say run, go out the back door and get in the black car back there. Don’t go home- one of them will find you.”

A gunshot rang through the air and Constance, Balthus, and Hapi burst through the doors, running towards you all. Yuri turned to you as the three of them caught up to him, pulling out their own weapons again as Edelgard began yelling.

“Run!”

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taglist: @fairyblue-alchemist @emperor-pizza @flavoredmilktea @fe3h-random-writing-and-stuff @mifuyuyu @blviddyd @laurexlance @atomicchocolatecookie @mapesandoval @local-goth-lilz

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[soobiniebaby]

Angels & Devils Part VI : Slow Down

Tomorrow x Together Fanfiction

~ p a r t s : main post || prologue || part 1 || part 2 || part 3 || part 4 || part 5 || part 6 || part 7 || part 8 || part 9 || part 10 || part 11 || part 12 || part 13 || part 14 || part 15 || part 16 || part 17 ~ p a i r i n g : love triangle involving choi soobin and choi yeonjun ~ g e n r e : high school au | some social media au | some fluff & angst | childhood friends | love triangle ~ l a n g u a g e : English ~ w a r n i n g : contains swearing, alcohol, kissing (?) and may contain mature themes (angst, etc.) ~ a / n : This will be my first fanfic (go easy on me pls) and i’m just writing this as I go along, so bear with me juseyo The setting (place/country) of the story is up to the reader’s interpretation ~ s u m m a r y : What should she choose? Han Baby: the new girl with a troubled past MO Academy: her new high school Choi Soobin: student council president, member of the Ecosave club, volunteer at the Humane Treatment of Animals, member of the Honor Society, a vocalist in the Jazzed club, the school’s all around golden boy Choi Yeonjun: leader of the Dance club, star of the Jazzed club, the school’s it boy with a bad rep 5 best friends, 1 new girl, 1 childhood friendship, 1 epic love triangle? What will this school year bring?

B’s night was starting to turn hazy as she tried to lose herself in the madness of the party.

After her dare had finished, the people at the circle had already moved on from the game and started mixing in with the rest of the party. B was dragged away by the girls to play beer pong with some of their friends, while Yeonjun was dragged away by the boys to start a dance battle in the middle of the patio. Once their 7 minutes were over, the 2 of them never got another second alone again.

And Yeonjun’s question was left hanging in the air, occupying all the space in B’s head, which she tried to drown away with alcohol.

As drunk as she was, she just couldn’t get Yeonjun out of her mind. It was like his words were swimming laps through her alcohol-filled brain. Finally, she took out her phone and started texting, knowing that she’d probably end up regretting it the next day.

The rest of the night started to feel like a blur. She had played 3 rounds of beer pong, someone had suggested that every time someone mentioned school they would have to take a shot, Kai had pulled her away from the girls and dragged her with him to the dance floor by the pool even though they were both way too drunk to do much other than jump and sway their bodies and hold onto each other for support. At one point, she remembers Soobin walking out into the backyard with a big cake as Taehyun and Beomgyu stayed by his side, holding water guns and randomly spraying cold water into the crowd as they made their way to where B and Kai were standing, everyone starting to sing one big chorus of Happy Birthday.

As the 3 boys with the cake and water guns reach Kai and B, the crowd sings one more time until Kai finally blows the candles out, which is then followed by cheers from around 200 drunk teenagers. Just as the cheers start to die down, Kai surprises everyone by grabbing a fistful of cake and flinging it in a random direction, as it ended up landing directly on Beomgyu’s shirt.

Beomgyu looks down at his ruined shirt and back up at the birthday boy, who was too busy laughing his ass off to notice that Beomgyu was holding the water gun in his direction as he let it spray.

Kai’s laughs start to turn into horrified screams as he gets sprayed with cold water. He grabs B by the shoulders and attempts to shield his body with hers, even though he was more than a whole foot taller than her. With Beomgyu targeting Kai’s chest and B being much shorter than the intended target, the water ended up spraying her right in the face.

She sputters in shock, unable to dodge due to Kai’s tight grip on her shoulders. Beomgyu puts the gun down as he realizes that he just sprayed her face. He looks at her, horrified, as he says “Oh god, I’m so sorry B! I was supposed to just spray Hyuka cause he flung cake at me.”

She wipes the water from her face before giving him a suspiciously sweet smile. “It’s all good, Gyu.” she says, as she takes a small step forward, closer to Soobin and the cake in his hands.

“Really?” Beomgyu asks, looking nervous.

B’s smile widens as she reaches a hand towards the cake. “No.” she says, as out of seemingly nowhere, she flings a piece of cake in Beomgyu’s direction. However, in her drunken state, she misses and ends up hitting Soobin squarely in the face.

He stands there completely still, eyes shut and lips pursed, as Kai starts to screech with laughter and Beomgyu attempts not to laugh, with Taehyun just watching everything unfold amusedly.

Now it’s B’s turn to look horrified as she steps towards Soobin and stands on her tiptoes, trying to wipe the cake and frosting from his face. “Soobin! Oh my god, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that at all. That was supposed to be for Gyu.”

“It’s okay.” He tries and fails to say due to the heavy amount of cake on his face, as she continues to wipe bits of it off his face, being careful not to get any frosting on his shirt or his hair. She cups his face in her hands and uses her thumbs to gently wipe the frosting away from his eyes.

Once he opens his eyes, he’s surprised to see how close she was standing to him. She was standing on the tips of her toes so that the top of her head would reach his nose instead of below his shoulders. She had her neck outstretched as she was looking up at him, her face full of concern, her palms on his cheeks and her thumbs resting on his cheekbones. When she sees his eyes open, her frown instantly lifts into a smile, and as her smile widens, Soobin could feel his heart rate quicken and his face go red. If it was out of embarrassment, drunkenness or something else, he wasn’t quite sure yet.

“Yay, there you are! Sorry again, for flinging cake in your face.” B says, standing back on her heels and retracting her hands from his warm face.

“Uh, it’s fine. Don’t even mention it.” Soobin says, struggling to put together coherent thoughts.

There’s a beat of silence as the insanity dies down before Taehyun decides to surprise everyone by grabbing a fistful of cake, shouting “Hyuka, catch!” and flinging it in Kai’s direction. Kai screams and manages to swat the piece of cake away with his arm, only for it to land on top of B’s head.

B could feel her face heat up as she turns around, a low rumble coming from her throat, and she faces Kai with a deranged look on her face. Kai gulps, recognizing the rare look. It was her look of death, which he hadn’t seen in over 13 years.

“Hue. Ning. Kai.” she says quietly, annunciating every syllable. Kai smiles sheepishly and attempts to apologize, but then B lets out a playful roar as she tackles him, and they both fall into the swimming pool.

The crowd erupts in cheers and laughter again as B attempts to wrestle Kai in the pool, which she fails to do so since they end up falling into the part of the pool that was 6 feet deep. She ended up clinging on to her tall best friend like a cat trying to claw its way up a tree.

“Tyun, why did you fling cake at Hyuka?” Beomgyu asks as everyone watches the 2 childhood friends struggle in the pool. “I mean don’t get me wrong I loved that you did it, it was awesome, but why?”

Taehyun shrugs as he says. “Guess I just wanted to be part of the fun. It was worth it. Too bad Yeonjun had to leave early, he would’ve loved it too.”

“Yeah, too bad.” Soobin says, the remaining frosting on his face was starting to feel uncomfortably sticky. “I think I’m gonna wash this frosting off and get changed. You guys good?”

Taehyun nods. “Yeah, I’ll stay here, watch the party die down. People are already starting to leave, so it shouldn’t be long now.”

Beomgyu puts an arm around Taehyun’s shoulders. “Same here. There wasn’t much frosting on the piece of cake that Hyuka hit me with, so I think my shirt will survive.” he says, as he looks down at his barely soiled shirt.

Soobin nods and hands the cake over to Taehyun before turning around to make his way into the house. Before he gets too far, he feels a soaked pair of arms wrap themselves around his torso from behind and start to rub his stomach, so now not only did he have sticky cake on his face, but also a wet shirt and a violated stomach.

“Soobinie, help me.” Kai says from behind him. Soobin turns around and sees Kai pouting and B following him, both soaked from their squabble in the pool.

He laughs at the sight of them, soaked and shivering, before saying “Alright, follow me.” and the 3 of them make their way into the house.

•°•

“Wow Soobin, your house is amazing!” B says, as the 2 of them follow Soobin into his huge house, through the backdoor into the kitchen, to the foyer, up the grand staircase, and through endless doors and hallways. “And you live here alone?”

Soobin nods. “Yep, no family members. I keep insisting that the help occupy some of the guest rooms up here instead of hiding out in the maid’s quarters, but they don’t seem to think it’s a good idea.”

“Well it does seem pretty lonely, having to live up here all by yourself.” B remarks, eyes wandering the halls. The house had a very modern feel to it and was very minimalistic.

“Don’t worry Soobinie, Hueningkai will come visit you everyday from now on!” Kai slurs, his arms still around Soobin’s torso. The older boy was practically dragging the birthday boy through the house.

Soobin laughs. “No need for that Hueningie.” he says, mimicking him. “Hosting this party was pretty fun, it’s nice to see other people around here.”

They stop when they reach a door at the end of the hallway. Soobin props the drunk boy against his body as he turns the doorknob. “Here we are. Uh, please take off your shoes and put leave them by the door if you can.”

Soobin leads them into the room, calling out “Alexa, turn lights on dim to 50%” as dim light fills the room, kicking off his shoes and putting them on the shoe rack right by the bedroom door before dumping Kai into a bean bag on the floor close to his entertainment system, which included a TV, some big speakers, and loads of videogames and gaming consoles.

“Wow, your room is huge. If I lived here, I’d probably never get bored.” B says, kicking off her black sneakers before twirling around the room as she looks around in amazement.

“I said it gets lonely, but I wouldn’t say it gets boring.” Soobin says as he wanders into his bathroom in search of towels. “And are you sure that’s a good idea? Won’t you feel dizzy?” he remarks as he walks back into the bedroom, watching her twirl around.

“I can’t help it!” B exclaims, putting her arms out as she continues to twirl around. “I feel so light and buzzy and—”

“Drenched and freezing cold?” he interrupts, holding out a towel towards her.

She twirls towards him then, attempting to grab the towel from his hand as she does so, but instead she loses her balance and ends up collapsing on a bean bag next to the one Kai was currently passed out on, the towel she attempted to grab landed on top of her, covering the whole upper half of her body.

“B! Are you okay?” Soobin calls out, rushing to her side and tossing the 2 towels on their passed out friend before kneeling by B’s side.

B waves an arm in the air above her in an attempt to get the towel off, but instead she ends up whacking Soobin up his chin, which he responds to with an “Ouchie, B what—”

Upon realizing that she had accidentally troubled Soobin for the second time that night, B sits straight up, not realizing just how close Soobin was as the top of her head ends up colliding with the bottom of his chin.

“Ouch! B what are you—?” he exclaims again, eyes squeeze shut as he tries to endure the pain, his hand rubbing his chin.

B’s eyes widen as she realizes that she hurt him yet again. “Soobin! Oh my god, I am so so so sorry! I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve apologized to you tonight, but I just can’t help it, I’m sorry. I’m not usually this clumsy, I think I’m just really drunk, I—” B starts to ramble on in panic, sitting up and attempting to comfort him, cupping his face in her hands for the second time that night as she tilts his chin up, trying to assess for any damage.

Soobin, surprised by her sudden close proximity, couldn’t help but sit there frozen, trying to will himself to say something, anything, instead of just staring at her and feeling the warmth of her hands on his face as she focused solely on his chin.

“Oh gosh, I think that’ll form a small bruise. I should go down to get some ice.” B says, pulling her hands away. As she starts to stand up, Soobin snaps out of it and immediately stands up, saying “I’ve got ice in the mini fridge right by my bed. I’ll get it.” and off he went to the other side of the room, where the bed and the entrance to the bathroom were.

“You have a mini fridge by your bed? Wow, that’s actually a genius idea.” B remarks as Soobin returns to her side with a few ice cubes wrapped in a face towel.

“It’s probably my favorite thing about this room.” he agrees. “By the way, I’m fine. No need to apologize, it doesn’t even hurt that much.”

B raises a brow as she grabs the ice from his hands and hold it up to his chin, which he tries not to noticeably wince to.

“Seriously, I’m fine. I’ve got this.” he insists, trying to take the ice from her hand but he ends up just cupping her hand in his, suddenly highly aware of just how small her hands were compared to his.

B pulls her hand away from the ice pack reluctantly. “Alright, if you say so. I’m still sorry though.”

Soobin laughs softly. “Wow, you’re stubborn, you know that?”

“I am very aware of that fact, yes. It’s how I get what I want.” she says, shrugging. She grabs the towel that caused the soon-to-be bruise on Soobin’s cheek and starts rubbing it against her face and hair. “Thanks for this, by the way. This is a very nice towel. Very soft, very warm, very absorbent. 10/10, would highly recommend.”

Soobin laughs out loud. “You’re so weird! And you’re welcome. You want to change out of your wet clothes, by the way? I can lend you a shirt if you want, or I think my sister still left some of her clothes in her room if you’d prefer that.”

B shakes her head violently. “No need for that, you’ve already done so much and I’ve already caused you so much trouble tonight. You just sit right there.”

“Are you sure? I can at least lend you a jacket to help stop you from shivering?” he offers, full of concern.

She sighs, knowing it would probably be a good idea. “Alright, I’ll give it back to you ASAP.”

He nods and stands up, once again walking over to the other side of the bedroom, rummaging through his wardrobe before returning to her side. He offers her his plain gray hoodie with single black stripes along the arms, which she gratefully accepts.

She finishes rubbing the towel against her wet clothes, drying her arms, legs and feet before putting on his hoodie, which smelled strongly of baby powder and vanilla. Soobin’s scent. B grabs another towel and kneels over her best friend then, who was passed out cold.

“Wow, I’ve never seen Ningning this drunk before. I wonder if he’ll remember any of this tomorrow.” she says, as she begins to rub the towel against his hair.

“I don’t think I have, either. We usually only drink when we’re celebrating something, and we only throw big parties for birthdays and other special occasions. It’s the first time we let him get this wasted, though.” Soobin says.

Just then, Soobin hears his phone ringing. He fishes it out of his pocket and checks the caller ID.

“It’s Yeonjun.” he says, pleasantly surprised. He smiles as he answers the call. “Hey, Yeonjun. What’s up?”

B turns away as Soobin talks to Yeonjun on the phone, focusing on Kai and rubbing the towel on his wet clothes. Just then, her hands freeze in place as she remembers the onslaught of drunk texts she sent out earlier that night. She quickly crawls to her purse, which was on the bean bag she fell into, and checks her phone in horror, re-reading the messages she sent.

“B’s here with me, right now.” Soobin says, which immediately catches B’s attention. She looks up at Soobin then, wondering what the 2 boys were talking about.

“Yeah, she and Hyuka had a little fun in the pool. I really wish you could’ve stayed, you missed so much.” Soobin says fondly. “I bet if you had stayed, you would have ended up with cake in your face too.”

“I said I was sorry about that.” B says quietly, pouting at Soobin, which causes him to laugh. He covers the bottom of his phone with his hand as he tells her “And I forgive you.” before uncovering his phone and saying “Yeah, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow during clean up.”

“Clean up?” B mouths at him.

Soobin covers his phone again as he explains, “Yeah, the guys all agreed to come over tomorrow at 10 AM to help with cleaning up, though most of them will probably be too hung over to really help out. You wanna come? It’ll just be us 5, plus you if you wanna.”

B nods. “Sure thing, I’ll try to be here as early as possible.”

Soobin smiles before turning his attention back to his phone. “Oh, B says she wants to come over for clean up tomorrow.”

B focuses on Kai again, knowing it was pointless to try to dry his clothes. His pullover and jeans were too thick and heavy to dry with just a towel. Instead, she tries shove the towel under his pullover and wraps it around his torso so that the cold water wouldn’t be touching his back or chest.

“You wanna talk to her? Sure, hang on.” Soobin says, reaching his phone out to B. “Yeonjun wants to say hi.”

She smiles as she takes the phone, and Soobin takes B’s spot in front of Kai. “Hi, Yeonjun.”

“Hey Baby, how are you feeling? Are you still drunk?” he asks.

B’s face begins to heat up, knowing he was referring to the drunk texts she sent earlier. “Yeah, no, I’m fine now. A quick dip in the pool sobered me up a bit.” she says sheepishly. “Sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean to.”

She hears him chuckle through the phone. “No way, they say drunk thoughts produce honest words, or something like that. So, you think I’m cute?”

She felt like her face was burning up now, and prays that Soobin wouldn’t notice. She quickly looks over at him and sees that he’s managed to get Kai out of his wet pullover and into a dry shirt, and he had a pair of clean blue jeans by his side ready to be worn. He was in the process of trying to pull off the younger boy’s pants when his eyes meet hers, and there’s a beat of silence as they realize how awkward the sight of Soobin taking Kai’s jeans off was.

“It’s not what it looks like! I’m just getting him into warm clothes!” Soobin says defensively as B turns away, giggling.

“What’s so funny?” Yeonjun asks.

“Oh nothing, Soobin’s just trying to get Ningning into some dry clothes.” she says.

“Ah, I can imagine how that would be funny.” he says, chuckling. “By the way, how will you get home?”

“Oh, I was thinking I could call for a cab with Taehyun or something since we live in the same building.” B says.

“That’s good, where’s Tyun right now?”

“Uh, I think we left him with Gyu before we came inside? I’ll text him in a bit, I should probably head home soon anyway.” B replies.

“Alright alright, I’ll check in with Tyun and Gyu as well. Goodnight, Baby.” Yeonjun says.

“Night, Yeonjun.” she responds, before handing the phone back to Soobin, who had successfully gotten Kai changed into dry clothes.

As Soobin takes the phone, B crawls back to Kai’s side, running her fingers through his hair to check if his hair was already dry. She pulls out her phone and sends Taehyun a text.

She frowns, staring at the screen, as she notices that the boys’ contact names and photos had been changed.

“What the heck? Who did this with to my phone?” she wonders out loud.

“Oh, Hyuka messed with your contacts and spammed your camera roll with random pictures while you were in the shed with Yeonjun.” Soobin answers, his phone in his hand as his call with Yeonjun finishes.

“You know, I was starting to feel a bit guilty about tackling him into the pool, but I have 0 regrets now.” B says, hitting Kai’s arm playfully, which was met with no reaction. “Wow, he’s really out cold. How will he get home?”

“Ah, he can sleep here. Anyone who’s too drunk and can’t make it home on their own is welcome to sleep over, though most people usually end up sober by the end of the night or catch a ride with sober friends.” Soobin explains. “It’s how house parties around here usually work.”

B nods. “I see I see. Well, I’ve texted Tyun and he says he’s good to go. I’ll just call for a cab and we’ll be on our way.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you guys home? Or I could ask one of my family’s drivers to take you, since I don’t trust myself enough to drive with alcohol in my system.” Soobin offers.

B shakes her head. “No, I couldn’t. I don’t want to put you through any more trouble than I already have tonight.”

“I insist. You and Tyun are 2 of my closest friends, so I wouldn’t mind at all. I’ll just let the driver know and he’ll be ready to drop you off. I have to stay here and watch over everyone.” Soobin insists.

Sensing that Soobin wouldn’t let her off the hook, she finally agrees. “Alright, thanks, Soobin. You’re the best.” she says, smiling at him gratefully.

He smiles back at her warmly. “No problem.”

•°•

B wakes up in bed the next day due to the sound of her phone being spammed with text messages. She rolls over in bed is instantly hit with a wave of dizziness.

She groans as she reaches for the glass of water she prepared in advance on her night stand, taking small sips of it until her mouth didn’t feel like it was lined with chalk anymore.

She puts the glass down and grabs the bottle of Gatorade she left in advance as well, trying to drink as much of it as she could, hoping that the electrolytes from the energy drink would replenish her body’s needs.

Finally, she grabs her phone and checks her messages only to see that it was from the boys.

Soobin smiles to himself as he puts his phone down and stares down at the 2 boys passed out on his bedroom floor. He had gotten used to taking care of his friends whenever they’ve had a little too much to drink, but he knew that having them pass out in the bean bags on his bedroom floor was the easiest part. Once they’d wake up with inevitable hangovers, he knew that it would be harder for him to nurse them back to sobriety. He was hoping that there would be no vomit this time, though at least he could ask for help from his household staff if any vomit would be present.

With the rest of the group on the way to his house, Soobin figured it was time to face the horror of dealing with the 2 hungover boys. He kneels down and says, as loudly and brightly as possible “Huningie! Beomie! Rise and shine!” while putting one hand on each boy’s thighs and shaking them as furiously and as violently as he could.

The 2 boys instantly start to groan dramatically, Hueningkai burying his face in Beomgyu’s chest and the latter covering his ears with his hands.

Soobin repeats the procedure until Beomgyu finally snaps, randomly kicking his legs in the direction of the noise and sitting up, eyes squeezed shut as they adjusted to the light flooding into Soobin’s bedroom.

“Jesus fucking hell, Choi. Why are you torturing me?” Beomgyu says, his voice cracking as dryness burns his throat, his head throbbing from dehydration.

Soobin smiles widely at him, glad to get a reaction out of him. “Good morning to you too, Choi.” He hands Beomgyu a bottle of Gatorade, which the boy accepts as he desperately downs it all. “B and the boys are on their way here for clean up, so you and Hyuka have to get up soon.” he says.

Beomgyu wipes his mouth as he finishes the last of the Gatorade, blinking his eyes until the room stopped spinning. “Ah yeah, clean up. Almost forgot about that.” he says, his voice still hoarse. “I didn’t know B was coming, though. I thought we were gonna practice for our Club Recruitment performance?”

Soobin’s mouth drops open a bit as he realizes that he completely forgot about their final rehearsal. They were set to perform a special number that Monday for club recruitment day, and they had agreed to have their final rehearsals on Saturday afternoon, which was today.

“Oh wow, now that I forgot about.” Soobin admits. “I was actually the one who invited B to join us for clean up, I completely forgot that we would be rehearsing this afternoon.”

Beomgyu shrugs. “She can watch us practice, I wouldn’t mind, and I’m pretty sure the other guys wouldn’t really mind either. We’re having rehearsals here anyway, so she can just hang around if she wants to.”

Soobin nods. “Yeah, I guess. I didn’t get to tell her that we’d be rehearsing later though. I hope she won’t mind.” he says, suddenly overthinking the whole thing.

“I’m sure she won’t, don’t sweat it.” Beomgyu says, noticing how worried Soobin looked. “Actually, why are you sweating it? You seem really worried.”

“I’m not sweating it.” Soobin says defensively. “I just—I’m used to performing on stage in front of faceless audience members. I’m not used to performing with someone watching right there in the room?”

“Soobin, are you…shy?” Beomgyu asks.

Soobin starts to feel his face heat up. “Kind of, I guess? When we rehearse for performances, it’s always just us and the other club members. I guess the thought of 1 person watching from such a close proximity just makes me feel different.”

“Aw, it’s okay Binnie. You always look great when you perform, and I’m sure B’s not the kind who would judge or criticize.” Beomgyu says comfortingly. “I don’t get why you’re getting all shy anyway, it’s just B.”

“Yeah, it’s just B.” Soobin says to himself. Why was he getting so worked up over it?

“My head’s pounding like crazy, jeez.” Beomgyu says suddenly, groaning as he grabs his head. “What time is it?”

Soobin looks at the clock on his desk as he answers “It’s 10:03.”

Beomgyu chuckles. “Ah yeah, we were supposed to meet up at 10AM. Shit, I didn’t mean to get so drunk, I was trying to avoid a hangover. Please tell me that there will be breakfast waiting for us downstairs.”

“Breakfast? Always. The sooner we get Hyuka up and running, the sooner we can eat. C’mon, help me.” Soobin pleads, which Beomgyu gamely accepts.

The 2 boys kneel over on each side of their unconscious friend, looking at each other as they prepare to wake him up.

“On the count of 3.” Soobin says, and Beomgyu nods. “1…2…3!”

The 2 boys put both of their hands on Hueningkai’s arms and legs, as they shout “Rise and shine, Hueningkai!” and violently shake him awake.

Hueningkai shoots up screaming in panic, then slowly lies back down, while groaning and holding his head, as the 2 boys roar with laughter.

“I hate you.” Hueningkai groans, his palms squeezing into his temples.

“We love you too!” the 2 boys respond cheerfully.

•°•

“Is it just me, or does Soobin’s house look a little different in the daytime?” B asks Taehyun as they step out of the cab and walk up to the front door of Soobin’s house.

“What do you mean?” Taehyun asks, before ringing the doorbell.

“I guess it looks less like a spoiled rich kid’s party mansion and just more…cold?”

Taehyun raises a brow at B, confused. “Cold?”

“Not cold like in a bad way.” B says, trying to explain express her thoughts. “More like, it looks like the house of a lonely bachelor or something.”

Taehyun looks up at the house again and says “Yeah, I guess I see what you mean.” just as the front doors open in front of them and they’re greeted by Soobin himself.

“Tyun! B! You’re here!” Soobin says cheerfully, looking nothing like the lonely bachelor one would picture living in the house. “Come in, everyone else is already here.” he says, letting them in and closing the door behind them. They follow him down the hallway until they reach the dining room.

Beomgyu, Yeonjun, and Kai were all seated at the round table, which looked like it could fit at least 12 people, and was full of an extravagant breakfast menu that looked like they could be props for a tea party scene in a movie about royals. The dining room had glass doors and windows that overlooked the entire side garden of the house, where B and Kai had passed through the night before to get to the backyard.

Beomgyu looked much better than he did in the picture Soobin had sent to the group earlier, almost like he wasn’t hungover, as he was stuffing his face with food. Yeonjun was sitting back in his seat, his phone on the table, as he sipped out of a teacup. Kai, however, was wearing a pair of sunglasses and had his face resting on his hands, his elbows up on the table and food untouched.

“Good morning, everyone! Wow this food looks amazing!” B says in awe as she and Taehyun take their seats between Kai and Soobin.

“Baba? Is that you?” Kai croaks, his voice still hoarse.

“Yup, the one and only. How you feeling, Ninging? Did the birthday boy party too hardy last night?” B asks teasingly.

Kai groans, covering his ears with his hands. “Ugh, shut up. Your voice sounds like it’s searing into my brain.”

“Well good morning to you, too.” B says, leaning over to ruffle his hair teasingly.

“Gyu, you’re looking better. How are you feeling?” Taehyun asks as he begins to fill his plate with food.

“I’m feeling good. The hangover wasn’t too bad, I think it would’ve been a lot worse if you hadn’t made me chug all that water before you dumped me in Soobin’s room last night.” Beomgyu says, recalling how Taehyun practically drowned him with drinking water before he passed out.

Taehyun laughs pleasantly. “That’s good to hear. It was for your own good, you know.”

“Yeah, I honestly thought you were trying to kill me last night, but now I know you were just trying to save me. Thanks, Tyunnie.” Beomgyu says in a teasingly cute way.

“Don’t mention it.” Taehyun says, laughing again.

“Too bad I had to leave early last night, sounds like the party really began right after I left.” Yeonjun remarks.

“It was pretty fun, but there were good moments while you were still there too!” Soobin says, taking his seat between Yeonjun and Taehyun. “Remember, you gave me that lap dance? I thought I was gonna burst from embarrassment.” he recalls, cringing at the memory.

“Shut up, you know you liked it, Soob. You’re welcome, by the way.” Yeonjun says teasingly, watching as Soobin’s face started to turn red again.

“Let’s not forget those 7 minutes between you and B, I’m sure that was fun.” Beomgyu remarks, looking back and forth between the 2 of them. “What did you guys do for 7 minutes?” he asks curiously.

“Uh-huh, we agreed that whatever happened in the shed stays in the shed.” B says, sticking her tongue out at Beomgyu. She was hoping that everything that had happened in the shed would be locked away forever, and that she wouldn’t have to face Yeonjun alone again.

“You’re the one who said that, and technically I never agreed to it.” Yeonjun says slyly, with a cheeky grin on his face.

B’s mouth hangs open in an O, and Kai seemingly reanimates back to life as he sits straight up, whips his sunglasses off, and exclaims “What did you do to my best friend?!” looking at Yeonjun suspiciously.

“No no, nothing like that, get your mind out of the gutter, Hyuka.” Yeonjun says, putting his hands up in front of him defensively. “We just talked, it was all innocent, I swear.”

“Yeah, don’t worry Ningning it was nothing like that at all!” B says as well, flustered that Kai would think like that. “We just talked. Really.”

Kai remains suspicious, looking at the 2 back and forth. “Alright, what did you talk about then? Is there anything I should know about?”

“No! Nothing at all. We just talked like the 2 friends that we are. Plus, we had an agreement that nothing would leave the 4 walls of that shed.” B says, her face starting to flush red. She looks at Yeonjun pleadingly, hoping that he would help her out.

Yeonjun nods. “Yup. Just talked. Like the 2 friends that we are. Nothing will leave the 4 walls of that shed.” he said, repeating what she said.

Kai glares at the 2 of them for a bit longer before finally letting it go. “Alright, let’s say I believe you. But if there’s something I should know about that you’re not telling me, I better not hear it from someone else.” he says pointedly at his best friend.

“Yes, I promise.” B says, crossing her fingers under the table. Technically speaking, there really wasn’t anything to tell him yet. Yeonjun had asked her out, she never got to respond, and the question would forever be locked away in the shed, never to be spoken of beyond those 4 walls. It wasn’t like she was dating anyone or anything, so there wasn’t anything that Kai needed to know about.

They move on from the topic then, their discussions ranging from the amount of clean up they had to do to do the rehearsals they would have that afternoon.

“Oh, I didn’t know you guys were performing this Monday! Are you all members of the Jazzed club?” B says excitedly.

Taehyun nods. “Yeah, I think we were all drawn to it from the start. The club mostly focuses on music, such as singing, writing, producing, playing instruments, and even performing which sometimes requires some dancing. But to make the Club Recruitment showcase more interesting, we decided to incorporate a little bit of rap to our performance as well, which is a bit of a challenge.”

“Oh my gosh, I could hardly imagine the 5 of you singing and dancing together, but rapping? That is definitely something I’d wanna see.” she says, getting more excited by the minute. “Can I watch you guys rehearse? Please, pretty please?” she asks, giving puppy dog eyes at everyone around the table.

They all look at Soobin to see his response, and he just nods cheerfully. “Yeah sure, why not? We’ll be starting rehearsals at 1PM, just here in one of the rooms. You’re welcome to stay if you want to.”

B grins, giddy with excitement. “Yay, thank you so much! I can’t wait to see what you guys have put together. I’m sure everyone will love it.”

As everyone finishes up with their brunch, their empty dishes being taken away one by one, B excuses herself from the table to go to the bathroom.

“The nearest bathroom is down the hall, the first door on the right.” Soobin says, directing her.

She quickly makes her way to the bathroom then, trying to be as quick and clean as she could. As she finishes and closes the door behind her, she’s surprised to see someone waiting outside.

“Yeonjun, jeez! You scared me.” B says, feeling her heartrate pick up.

“Why would you be scared?” Yeonjun asks, chuckling. “C’mon, come with me for a moment. I just wanted to show you something.” he says, grabbing her hand and pulling her with him.

B let him pull her, praying that he couldn’t feel her pulse racing through her wrist.

He leads her down the hall, passing by the doors of the dining hall and straight to the kitchen, which led to the backyard.

“Where are we going?” she asks him, shielding her eyes with one hand as the sunlight poured down on them out by the pool.

“I think I left something in the shed last night, I was hoping you could help me with it.” he simply says, leading the way to the shed.

He opens the door and steps inside, pulling her in with him. The heavy door closes behind them, and they find themselves in the dim light of the shed once again. She notes that while last night it was pitch black, this time there was at least a little bit of light, just enough so that B could make out the outline of everything in the shed.

B starts to look around the shed, her eyes struggling to adjust from the searing brightness to the dim light. “Alright, so what did you leave here? What are we looking for? Is it a wallet? A ring?” she asks as she looks at the ground, trying to spot what he might have left behind.

“We’re not here to look for anything.” Yeonjun begins slowly. B looks at him, confused.

“So what is it? You said you left something here last night, right?” she asks.

“I left a question, and I was hoping you could help me with the answer.” Yeonjun reveals, looking at her intently. “You said last night that whatever happens in this shed stays in this shed, so here we are, back in the said shed.”

She could hear her heart pounding through her ears as she forces herself to meet his gaze. She couldn’t escape it now, especially since they were in the shed. Even though she already knew what he was going to say, she asks “Alright, so what’s the question?”

He smiles at her then, amused. He knew that she knew what he was talking about.

“Baby, will you go out with me?”

She holds her breath, knowing she wouldn’t be able to avoid this forever. Technically, she had the whole night to think about what she would answer, but now that the moment was actually here again, her thoughts were scrambled.

She counts her breaths, 1 2 3, before exhaling and giving him her answer.

“No.”

[smolbeandrabbles]

DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love - Captain Emmett Dutton x Reader (Australia) Modern!AU

@mandy23b - I really wanted to surprise you with this one 💜💙

Author’s Note: SO. Basically, this is a combination of two things. THIS POST and the Modern!Dutton vibes it gives off, and Amanda’s tags on “Starlight” (Which also inspired the song, dontcha know?) *Note: Outfit based loosely on above pictures. Trust you, Amanda😉  .  Disclaimer: Lyrics / Characters not mine, as usual. Idea was a discussion with @3134045126​ so I’ma give her credit here too! ... And the song, as previous, is all Ms.Mandy23b 

Premise: Harbouring a crush on a superior officer is the last thing you’re worried about when he’s as sweet as Emmett Dutton is. If you can get him out this evening, who knows what else you can do...  Words: 2483 Warnings: Drinking / AU

__________ So we back in the club With our bodies rockin' from side to side Thank God the week is done... No control of my body Ain't I seen you before? I think I remember those eyes, Keep downing drinks like there's No tomorrow there's just right Now, now, now, now, now, now Hands up, when the music drops Put your hands on my body Swear I seen you before I think I remember those eyes 'Cause baby tonight, D-J got us fallin' in love again Yeah, baby tonight, D-J got us fallin' in love again So dance, dance, Like it's the last, Last night of your life, life Gonna get you right Cause baby tonight, D-J got us fallin' in love again ---  All it was meant to be was a night out with your girls at the karaoke bar. Sure that bar also gave everyone a break from horrendous (increasingly drunk) singing, because it also had a dance floor, but you weren’t here for that. Whether you would end up on it or not... was another matter... Being with your girls was only one of two reasons you were out here. Because you were hoping to catch the eye of someone else. You could tell just by looking at him that he wasn’t usually the type to come to something like this. But it’d been a couple of months since the far beyond cute Captain Dutton had caught your eye across the mess hall, and whilst passing him today you’d inquired as to if he was coming out tonight; “Oh I-” “I just know a lot of the barracks are going, so I thought you might...” “No it’s, just that I- it’s not really my scene...” “Oh... not even for one night?” Your look did your pleading for you, and he gave a soft sigh and a smile “Okay, one night... now go on, before your drill sergeant catches you.” “Yes, Sir!” You responded with a grin, back straight - before you jogged off to your next drill exercise. You were a tough girl by all accounts and had got into the army through no small feat. Your aim to always add a little feminine charm, and beat all the boys while you were at it. You’d already outpaced a few of them on both running, and obstacle drills - and stood at the end, arms folded behind your back with a little smirk; “What, too hard for you guys?” Sometimes that landed you a little in trouble, but, you mostly stuck to the rules. You did know what was good for you, sort of. And the Captain... He could definitely be good for you.  Emmett Dutton was the quiet type. And if he wasn’t where he was, and at the rank he was at, you would almost say he was the shy type. Maybe he was, maybe he was just good at this. He seemed to make friends with all his peers and you figured, once you started crushing on him, that it wouldn’t be too hard to make friends with him yourself.  Of course, your own friends figured out pretty easily (because you kept staring at him whenever he was in the same room... even when you were supposed to be listening to someone else brief you) that you had a crush. And the teasing became relentless. Luckily it hadn’t spread around the entire barracks yet but, every time you saw Emmett pass by and you gave each other a smile they would sigh dreamily, pretend to swoon and say “Oh captain! My Captain!”. Which only led to them getting punched in the arm - but it wouldn’t be long until people caught on. Especially since you’d started keeping Emmett up to date with your schedule, and he would come around if he had free time to watch you. You had figured out by now that it happened often enough for it to be more than just ‘passing by’ as you often heard him announce to the officer in charge that day. Which only made the girls wiggle their eyebrows and nudge you. “Shut up!” you hissed, “He’s clearly here for—!”  Except, when you’d finished up, he might also decide to catch you and say something akin to ‘great work’. And you had to listen to your friends try to hold their laughter and screeching in whilst still being respectful of his title. Of course, once he was out of ear shot you couldn’t help but laugh with them laughing at you. Emmett was going to get you in all kinds of trouble, and to be honest, you didn’t mind the prospect all that much.  ***  So half your night tonight had been incredibly fun - singing along to every song in the three of you’s repertoire. With the singing becoming screaming and both it, and the song choices, becoming increasingly cheesy & bad as the night progressed and you consumed a little more alcohol. In the end, half of the words were lost to giggling. To the point where, inevitably, they shut down the entire thing for the night and the DJ began pumping out hit after hit. Leaving you all to huddle onto a bench table and chat away. But it must have been at least an hour and he still hadn’t turned up yet... and you weren’t about to sit here and wallow in self-pity (even though you were).  But then in he walked. Looking about as shy and hesitant as you expected. And also better perhaps than you had even seen him in uniform. His shades were tucked into the front of his shirt, even though it was late evening. You wondered if he had managed to take some of the day off since you’d invited him out, then. As today even you had found time to lay on the grass and bask in the sun’s warm rays. It had been a good one by all accounts. It was about to get even better. You hoped. Emmett was wearing a black shirt over white, sleeves rolled up to give further effect to that contrast, dark jeans that looked almost stone washed, and black lace ups - you thought that was likely about as casual as he got. And yet you were almost surprised, with his hair still near perfect, that he looked that casual. Your mood instantly picked up, suddenly alert, you leant forward with a smile. He’d come, you’d asked him to come and he had! He looked around for a moment and to your annoyance, spotted his friends first. “...Ahhh—!!” Both your friends suddenly leant on you as they also noticed him. “If it isn’t your Captain!!” “Shut up!!” You pushed them to no avail but kept your eyes on him, still smiling. He smiled too, and then he laughed.  And your heart fluttered softly; damn this crush... damn him for making you feel this way, and want to fall so deeply into this. Emmett ordered his drink with his friends, still laughing with them - before he turned to admire the rest of the bar. And as his eyes scanned around you realised that he was looking for someone. And then he saw you, and the smile he gave was unlike one you had ever seen from him. He offered a wave “Hi!” “Hey-!” You mouthed back; knowing you were smiling in a similar fashion. “You’re blushing.” You turned back to your girls, both of them staring at you bluntly “What-!?” “Blushing—!” The problem was you knew you were, and now they had mentioned it you could feel your face heating up, but you swivelled back to the bar intent on ignoring their jibes at you... By this time he was sipping beer smoothly, and edging away from his friends. They were pushing his arm and laughing as much at him as your friends were at you. You noticed that he laughed back, and held his hands up like it was hardly his fault. Emmett took a few steps away, then laughed and turned back as they all began cat-calling to him. “Shut up!” You saw him say before he turned back to them and got a little animated as they all started laughing again. From over here you couldn’t hear them but you could imagine the banter. If Emmett was even half as proper in his down time as he was dressed in uniform, then this was likely to cause quite the stir with people who weren’t his friends. So he walked, all the way across the bar, to you. “Hey...” His voice was just as soft as his demeanour “Emmett...” it almost felt strange to call him by his first name, but, he wasn’t the captain when he wasn’t in uniform. “You came.” “Well...” he gave a gentle shrug, “You asked me to, didn’t you? Would you... like a drink?” “I...” you indicated to your own “Think I’ve maybe had... a few too many...” “Oh...” he looked a little disappointed, and took another sip of his own, “...Well then...” he held his hand out “... Dance with me.” “Wh-!?” You probably couldn’t have sounded more surprised as your friends stared at each other in disbelief. “Well, the music is up, if you don’t want another drink and you invited me here, I believe that I should at least offer you a dance...” You took a deep breath, hardly daring to believe this was real, and took his hand; “...And I will accept your dance, Captain...”  As he pulled you from your seat, both yours and his friends whistled - ear piercing enough to cut through the music and have you both laughing; “You must forgive my friends...!” Emmett took your other hand in his as he smiled, “But, um, things like this are a rare occurrence for me...” You giggled, “Maybe I should change that.” A slight blush crossed his cheeks as he bit his lip through his smile; “I - haha - wouldn’t be adverse to that...” You gave a sweet smile, and accompanying wink; “Me either.” “Be careful, you haven’t seen me dance yet!” You both laughed at that; “Oh, Y/N, you must forgive me my lateness... There were a few things I needed to attend to back at barracks, and I was waylaid a little longer than I ought to have been...” You shook your head, “I... I’m just glad you’re here... and I understand...!” It was his job after all, and you knew Emmett would have put anything he had to do for his men first. You gave a grin, “Don’t worry! You didn’t miss much!! Just karaoke!” He laughed, “Oh goodness! How could I?!” You returned a cheeky wink; “Exactly! It was the best bit!” “Well, hopefully you dance as well as you sing.” “Oh no!” You laughed harder “Then you’d be in trouble Emmett!” “Why!?” His smile was still sweet, “Because you would show me up?” “The complete opposite Captain I assure you!” He raised an eyebrow, “Nonsense!” The beat to the next song started and he grinned, “Time to put your money where your dance moves are!!” You had to raise an eyebrow yourself at that, because this man did not appear to you to be a dancer. But, here you were – in civvies – on a dancefloor in a tiny bar having the time of your life.  He took your hands and led you, through jam after jam, after jam. Sometimes he was your dance partner, and sometimes it was nothing short of a dance off. But then the DJ decided to turn it up a notch, and you noticed even his friends and yours, who had been watching you all night, clamour to get out on the floor with you. Emmett and yourself paused, looking around, you recognised the hit another club classic from 2010; “Is this DJ got us falling in love?!” “…That’s subtly ironic…” He mused, with a gentle chuckle. And his eyes fell back to you – your face read curious, even though you picked up on his meaning right away. But the smile on your face transformed into a grin; “…Only… subtly…” And so both of you sang along to every word – and became the literal embodiment of the phrase dance like no one is watching, even though you were both aware,that everyone in this little bar – even those also dancing – were watching you. He moved with you like you’d been doing this for more than just a few hours – but maybe you’d both somehow been able to commit each other’s movements to memory. You weren’t sure you’d enjoyed yourself this much in ages. Hands up, no cares or worries. Only him. Only each other. And this music. *** Top that! You would have said, as everyone stayed on the floor for the next few songs. But you knew it wouldn’t happen. You were having fun out here and although you realised the night was going to end, and likely soon, it was the last thing you wanted to happen. You were both seeing things in each other you’d never seen before. And tomorrow it would be back to formalities and calling him Captain – standing that little bit straighter when he walked by, and keeping everything as respectful as was commanded. No – apparently the evening could be topped. Because the DJ decided to end the night not on another incredible classic that would keep everyone out here. But a ridiculous slow dance. To which the majority of people groaned and evacuated the dancefloor – there were couples here though, that stayed – and friends that decided they hardly cared the type of song, they were determined to be the last ones out on the floor. You thought Emmett would be as likely to pull away too; but he didn’t. Instead he kept a firm grasp on your hand, and as you turned to leave, drew you to him. “No, no… Y/N? You’d leave me at the last song?” “This song?” “…Yes, this song!” “But… Captain I…” “…Emmett.” He held you closer as he corrected you, hand in yours to begin an faultless sway, you guessed this did seem like more of his kind of music, “…You need not be so formal with me.” “In a few minutes that’s exactly what I will have to be.” “Why?” “Because that’s who you are…” “But to you I don’t have to be. Not outside…” Your lips parted as your eyes flicked between his, “Subtly ironic…” “Mmm Hmm…” Emmett was serious. He was talking about dating. He was talking about real relationships. You & him. Not just a crush… “MM hmmm…” You looked away from his gently blue eyes, biting your lip, and could feel the blush raising on your cheeks instead. The song finished and he stepped away from you with a gentle bow. “Thank you.” “For dancing with you?” Your returned his bow with a beautiful beaming smile “…No, Emmett, thank you for coming...!” “It was nothing…” “To me, it was everything…” you let your hand slip from his, but the smile remained. “We should do this again.” “Yes…” He ran a hand through his hair; “And more than once.” “You asking me on a date?” He laughed, bashfully, “I think so…” “Multiple dates!?” you clarified. That laugh turned to a grin, aimed more at the floor than you; “…Yes. I guess…” You nodded in acceptance; “I suppose I should say I can’t wait to see you on the dance floor again?” You got to hear that gorgeous laugh from him again; “...My sentiments exactly!”

---

@dennismitchell @happyskywhale @wltz-bby #MendoTagSquad. 

[shookethbrooketh]

Church Boy - Chapter 6

Dan smiled triumphantly as they walked to the ice cream shop. He and Phil were bickering like an old, married couple, and they’d literally only known each other for three days. It was wild; really, wild was probably the best word to describe the last three days of Dan’s life. Pure wildness.

Description: Phil’s lived in the same town and gone to the same church his entire life. But when his pastor leaves, a new one comes in, with his teenage son Dan in tow. He’s broken; real broken. And he thinks Phil’s just another church boy that’s going to hate him just as much as everyone else he’s ever met, but maybe he’s just going to be the one that can fix all his broken parts.

Genre: AU, High School, Strangers to Lovers

Chapter Warnings: Swearing

Fic Warnings (Not Final!): Heavy Speak of Religion, Heavy Homophobia, Swearing, Discussion of Sex, Fighting with Family

Chapter Word Count: 1.4k Total Word Count: 11.7k

Read it on Ao3! Read it on Wattpad! Fic Masterlist

Dan was sweating profusely as he walked alongside Phil to his car. It wasn’t a very hot day; he was just a ferocious mix of excited and nervous about going to town with Phil. He was entering a whole new world, and Phil had been there his whole life. It was a bit intimidating, to say the least, but he was thrilled to spend some time with Phil outside of school. 

“Where are we going first?” Dan asked as they got in the car, excitement evident in his voice.

“I was thinking the cafe. All the kids who walked from school will be there in ten minutes, so we gotta go early. Then we can head to the other side of town, where pretty much everything else is.” 

“Hell yeah.” Dan watched in awe as they left the school and turned in the opposite direction of both their houses. He suddenly realized he’d never even been down this road before, and it was a main road. He had so much more of the town to see that he was sure he couldn’t even begin to see it all in one afternoon. He had no clue such a small town would have so much to offer; it was like an undiscovered gem.

Dan was taken aback as he entered the cafe; the entire room was decorated with modern aesthetic, and there were a few pastries in a case at the counter. There was a spiral staircase in the corner leading up to a loft that Dan already knew he wanted to sit in; this would obviously be a place he’d spend a lot of afternoons. “This is awesome.” 

“Hell yeah it is.” Phil walked up to the counter and fired off an order as if he knew the place like the back of his hand. Hell, he probably did. Dan’s eyes widened as he tried to take in the menu to make an order himself. “Double shot espresso, please.” 

“Espresshoe,” Phil said.

“Shut the fuck up!” Dan snorted, bursting out laughing. They waited a moment for their coffees, then Dan lead the way up the stairs. “I love this way too much.” 

“I knew you would! It’s so you.” 

“What do you mean, it’s so me? You’ve known me for like three days.” 

Phil smiled at him. “I just know.” After a moment’s worth of awkward silence, Phil piped back up. “Should we start on our project?” 

“Oh, yeah, the real reason we’re here,” Dan said with a laugh. They sat and worked on their project for a while as they sipped on their coffee. After about an hour of work and another round of coffee, they finally finished. 

“See, that wasn’t too hard, was it?” asked Phil. 

“Says the one who hasn’t had three shots of espresso in the last hour.” 

Phil gritted his teeth. “We’ll see how that one goes.” He wasn’t wrong about that one. Dan didn’t feel too hot after all that coffee; he just felt so overexcited that he could run in circles, and he hated running. He would have to run himself to sleep or else he’d never sleep again. 

Dan was literally shaking on the car ride over to the other side of town, and he fully regretted the coffee preventing him from fully taking in his surroundings. Dan was thankful for the short ride to end so he could get out of the car and start moving his feet. “Come on Phil, keep up!” he shouted from halfway across the one parking lot in the entire town. 

“Maybe you should slow down!” Phil shouted back, body only halfway out of the car. 

Dan ran back and started lapping Phil, physically running around him in circles. At least something was compensating for his complete lack of sleep the previous night. “Come on, Phil! You gotta pick up the pace, or else I’m gonna leave you behind!” 

Phil laughed, showing his bright, white teeth. Dan smiled, unable to help but notice how adorable his laugh was. “You don’t know where you’re going without me, you spork!” 

“Oh yeah, that’s true...” Dan said, slowing to a walk beside Phil. “In that case, where to first?” 

“I was going to take you to get ice cream, but something tells me giving you sugar is a terrible idea.” 

“Ice cream? Can we go, pleeeeeeeaseeeee?” Dan found himself pressed up against Phil without realizing it, puppy dog face on point. He suddenly realized what he was doing and jumped back. 

Phil sighed, rolling his eyes and grinning at him. “Fine, but it’s your fault if you feel bad later.” 

“Works for me.” Dan smiled triumphantly as they walked to the ice cream shop. He and Phil were bickering like an old, married couple, and they’d literally only known each other for three days. It was wild; really, wild was probably the best word to describe the last three days of Dan’s life. Pure wildness. 

They reached the ice cream shop and Phil ordered a rainbow ice cream cone. Dan decided to order a simple, single-scoop chocolate. Even caffeine-high, he had a little bit of self control. 

Phil led him outside and down to the small park right beside the shop. there was an amphitheater for performances and a small, enclosed pavilion where there were a few kids sitting. They looked as if they hadn’t been inside in days, but they weren’t unclean or scary to Dan at all. They just seemed at peace with nature. 

“Townies,” Phil whispered to Dan. “You used to live in a city, right?” Dan nodded. “Our version of bums, but they really do have homes, and they’re much nicer.” Dan nodded again to verify the value of the information.  

Phil walked down to the amphitheater and sat down on the bench built into it; apparently they could just sit wherever they wanted. Dan chose the wall.

“This is a really nice little place. Feels like home.” 

“Sure is. The Chinese restaurant is over there; that’s about the only other hangout here. There’s also a locally owned pizza place above it, and on the other side of town there’s a few gas stations, a McDonalds, a Subway, and a Pizza Hut, but that’s about all we’ve got. There’s also cute, little shops all over the place, but that’s a story for another day.”

“I live for that day. I have no clue what kind of paraphernalia you can buy here, but I want all of it. I still haven’t bothered to unpack my stuff yet, and I want the entire vibe of this town in my room.”

“It really does have a nice vibe, doesn’t it?” Phil said, staring off into the distance. He looked really aesthetic with that gaze, almost as if he could be on the front of a magazine. Dan felt blessed to be in his presence. 

“Sure does.” 

They gazed at the unappreciated beauty of the place for a moment while finishing off their ice cream before Phil leaned forward, clapping his hands together. “Ready to go?”

“Sure,” Dan said, getting up, even though he really wasn’t ready to go. Dan had never felt as much positive energy as he did in the town, and he wished he could stay forever. He sighed; he’d have over a year to take it in at least. 

The entire ride home all Dan could think about was how much he wished he could spend every afternoon in town with Phil. He was sure it would eventually get old, but he wanted to milk every moment he could out of it before it did. It was a happy place yet to be discovered, and he wanted so badly to reach out and take it. 

“See you tomorrow!” Phil said excitedly as they rolled up to Dan’s house. 

“Tomorrow,” Dan said with an insincere smile. He was having post-concert depression, but without the concert. Post-hangout depression. He grabbed his bag and started the walk up to his house, watching Phil’s car roll away. That sight in and of itself made him even sadder. He told himself he’d see Phil again in the morning, but for some reason that wasn’t enough. He had a whole, perfect life waiting for him out there, but he was stuck with his family, and he could feel the caffeine crash coming on. It was going to be a rough night. 

[oldvillagecrone]

OH, TO BE ALONE WITH YOU (PT. 1)

Pairing: Stenbrough with minor Reddie on the side

Word Count: 3,986

Prompt: Stan Uris moves to Derry, Maine following the death of his father and gets a job babysitting a little boy named Georgie who just so happens to have a very attractive older brother. (Modern High School AU)

Warnings: Mention of death, depression (not a major theme), anti-Semitism, struggles with faith

Link to part two: https://jamespottev.tumblr.com/post/166443144647/how-would-you-feel-if-i-told-you-i-love-you

__________

Sometimes, Stanley Uris didn’t know what was up and what was down. Sometimes, it felt like the world was moving but he was stuck in the same position, day after day. And it sucked. His mother thought that a new start would be good for them, that it would help them move on.

Stan wanted to scream. He wanted to call bullshit on her logic. It wasn’t that he didn’t mind moving. He wasn’t exactly popular back at his old high school in Bangor ( once upon a time, his father had asked him if it was because of them being Jewish – but it wasn’t an anti-Semitic thing, aside from the occasional, always unfunny, holocaust joke, it was more so the depression thing and the OCD thing and the gay thing that drove people away ) so it wasn’t like he was going to be all that missed. Even his Jewish friends didn’t seem like they were gonna miss him that much. And it bothered Stan how little he cared about it.

But after his dad died, everything just seemed so… pointless. His father, a man who had never smoked a day in his life, ended up dying of lung cancer. It made Stan furious. At the world. At God. At everything. After watching his father shrivel up into a shell of what he had once been, Stan’s already complicated relationship with religion had turned sour. It infuriated him that his father could be dying and still praising that almighty presence above. Stan wasn’t even sure if he believed anymore.

“Stanley,” his mother’s voice called. “Come on, you’re going to be late!”

Gulping, Stan gave himself a once over and straightened the collar of his shirt before grabbing his backpack. As he left his room and shut the door, he found himself cringing. So, he went back, turned the bedroom light on and then off before shutting his door. Stan repeated that three more times before he was satisfied. It made him feel sick, wrong.

“I think you should start going back to therapy,” his mother told him on the ride to school.

“Mom—”

“No arguments, Stanley,” she said, her voice sharp like the cracking of a whip. “I know you, I know my son. You’re not okay, sweetheart. All I want is for you to be happy. I don’t want to send you off to college in two years with you…”

She trailed off and sighed. Stan could tell that if she hadn’t been driving she would’ve pressed a small kiss to the top of his forehead and hugged him tightly. Stan licked his lips and closed his eyes. He hated how unhappy his mother was. He despised that part of it was caused by him.

“I’ll see you tonight, yeah?” Andrea Uris said, looking at her pale, skinny son.

“Yeah,” Stan agreed, nodding.

“We can talk about you getting that job. How’s that sound?”

Stan smiled at that. Since his freshman year of high school, he had been begging for a job. He liked the idea of working – the responsibility, the experience, the money that he could save up to buy all the books he’d ever want to read. Stan just really wanted a job. He wanted something to do with his life.

And he also needed to start saving up for college. His father had been a Rabbi and his mother was a kindergarten teacher, so it wasn’t like there was a lot of money in either of those professions. If he didn’t want to leave college with an obscene amount of debt, Stan would have to save money while working his ass off for good grade.

“Hi, I’m Stan Uris,” Stan said in a quiet voice to the lady sitting at the receptionist desk.

“Oh, the new boy!” the receptionist said in a too-loud, too-cheerful voice.

Stan winced a little and smiled.

“Here’s your schedule, and your student guide will be down any minute to take you around!”

The receptionist had an odd accent that Stan wasn’t very fond of, and when she snapped her gum he thought his head might explode.

A minute later, a very clean cut looking black boy with broad shoulders, short hair, and a wide smile walked into the office.

“Hey, you must be Stan,” he said, walking straight over to Stan and offering his hand to shake. “I’m Mike.”

“Hi,” Stan said, shaking Mike’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

As it turned out, Stan and Mike had all the same classes which was why Mike was chosen to give Stan the school tour. Within five minutes, Stan had decided that he liked Mike a lot. Mike was soft spoken, intelligent, and kind. He might have looked like all the football players at Stan’s old school that gave him hell for being gay, but Mike was nothing like that.

So, maybe Derry wouldn’t be that bad.

At lunch, Mike led Stan past the table filled with boys wearing the same kind of jacket as Mike and towards a different table in the corner of the room. At that table sat a very pretty girl with freckles spattered across every bit of visible skin and short cropped red hair. Beside her was a broad boy with dark blonde hair and a shy smile. Another boy sat across from them, lanky and thinly muscled with thick glasses and rather gorgeous dark hair. His arm was slung around the shoulders of a shorter boy with neatly combed chocolate curls. It was a ragtag bunch, but as they greeted Mike with wide smiles Stan could tell that they all loved each other a lot.

“Hey guys,” Mike said, sitting down and gesturing at the empty chair for Stan. “This is Stan, he’s new. Stan, this is Bev, Ben, Eddie, and Richie— where’s Bill?”

“Out sick,” Richie, the boy with glasses, snorted, ducking his face into the crook of Eddie’s neck.

Richie’s body convulsed with laughter Stan didn’t really understand. He stayed silent and began unpacking his lunch.

“What did you do to him?” Mike sighed, looking towards Bev.

“Hey, he agreed to drink with us,” Bev said defensively.

“They’re ridiculous,” Mike murmured to Stan, drawing a small smile from the new boy. “Don’t hold them against me?”

__

“So, I found a job for you,” Andrea told Stan that night after setting out dinner.

“Yeah?” Stan asked.

He held his breath for a moment, unsure if he was willing to trust his mother’s judgement on this.

“Yes. A woman named Sharon at my work was saying how she needs a babysitter for her son Georgie on Thursdays and Fridays,” Andrea said, stabbing her fork into her salad.

“Babysitting?” Stan asked, trying his best to hide his annoyance. “Mom. I don’t want to babysit.”

“It’s fifteen dollars an hour, Stanley,” Andrea said. “Sharon said it would be for at least five hours each night, so that’s at least a hundred and fifty dollars every week.”

Stan quickly did the math. If he kept fifty dollars every week for himself ( though, he didn’t have friends or much of a social life so why would he really need fifty dollars a week to do things? Well, Mike and his friends had been welcoming enough… maybe he’d finally have some friends… ) he could put away a hundred bucks each week. If he kept that consistent for two years ( and who knew what this kid’s parents would need over school breaks and the summer ) Stan could have a significant amount of money saved when he needed to get to college.

Suddenly, babysitting didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

“So, when do I start?” Stan asked.

Andrea beamed at her son.

“I have her number written down. You can call her after dinner and ask.”

__

As it turned out, Sharon Denbrough needed Stan to start ASAP. And tomorrow was Friday, meaning that Stan would be babysitting ten-year-old Georgie from 5:00 to 11:00.

When Stan shuffled into school, head down, he went straight to his locker. The girl to his left and her friends shot him a weird look, though Stan wasn’t all that sure why. He wasn’t that weird looking.

“Stan!” Mike’s voice boomed cheerfully.

Stan looked up and smiled at the approaching boy. Mike was walking with Ben and a boy Stan didn’t meet yesterday. But, boy, did he wish he had. The stranger was tall ( probably a little over six-feet, which definitely didn’t make Stan a little weak in the knees — no siree! ) and had light brown hair combed and styled very neatly. And his eyes—they were the bluest blue Stan had ever seen.

“Hi Mike, Ben,” Stan said in his typical quiet fashion, quickly glancing at the other boy before shifting his eyes down to the textbook in his arms.

“Stan, this is Bill. He was sick yesterday,” Ben said. “Richie mentioned you and Bill was anxious to meet the new kid on the block.”

Both Bill and Mike snorted quietly as Ben’s mouth lifted into a small smirk. Stan didn’t get the joke.

“It’s nice to meet you, Stan,” Bill said.

His words were slow and deliberate, and Stan really liked that.

“You too, Bill,” Stan replied, hoping that he wasn’t blushing.

If he was, no one said anything.

At lunch time, Richie clapped Stan on the shoulder and loudly proclaimed that his algebra teacher was a homophobic piece of shit.

“Why is he homophobic, Rich?” Bev asked, smirking at the boy.

“He told me I would never accomplish anything in life and is making me serve detention on Monday! This is gay oppression!” Richie exclaimed, flabbergasted.

Stan chuckled quietly.

“So, Stan, do you want to see Kingsman with us tonight?”

Stan’s heart bloomed within his chest, filling him with a warmness he had never felt before. He sighed, silently cursing his need for a job.

“I can’t,” Stan said, scratching behind his ear. “I have to babysit tonight.”

The rest of the group shut up about the movies after that. Stan realized that they were doing it for him—so he wouldn’t feel bad about missing out. The thought made him smile.

As a matter of fact, he was still smiling about it as he walked to Georgie Denbrough’s house.

“You must be Stan,” a tall, handsome man said with a warm smile as he opened the door. “It’s nice to meet you, son. I’m Zack Denbrough, Georgie’s dad.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well, sir,” Stan said politely, shaking his hand.

“Georgie!” Zack yelled up the stairs. “Come down, please!”

Seconds later, a small boy was sprinting down the stairs with a manic smile on his face, laughing as a tall, slightly muscled, shirtless boy ( Georgie’s brother, Stan assumed ) chased after him. Stan froze when he saw that the boy was Bill from school.

“Georgie, g-give me my sh-shirt!” Bill yelled.

Georgie was laughing still, loudly. The laughter was echoing around the house. Georgie and Bill sprinted past Stan without sparing him a second glance. A moment later, there was a loud scream followed by laughter as Bill, while laughing, called Georgie a twerp.

“My sons are rather… hyperactive,” Zack told Stan with an apologetic glance. “Once Bill leaves, Georgie will calm down, though. The two rile each other up.”

Stan swallowed thickly and nodded. His throat felt very dry, and his hands were beginning to itch. Slowly and deliberately, he dragged his blunt nails up and down the material of jeans that covered the outside of his thighs.

“Georgie, come meet your babysitter,” Zack said, walking out of the entrance hall and into the kitchen. “And, Bill, for God’s sake, put on a shirt.”

After a second’s deliberation when Stan seriously considered booking it out of the Denbrough house, he made his way into the kitchen. He caught Bill’s eyes and gulped.

“Stan! Hey!” Bill exclaimed happily, pulling a black t-shirt over his head. “When you said you had to babysit, I didn’t realize you’d be babysitting Georgie. I thought you had a younger brother or sister.”

“No,” Stan said, shaking his head and trying to remember not to stare at Bill. “I’m an only child.”

“Ooh, I wish,” Bill chuckled, sticking his tongue out at Georgie who reciprocated the motion.

Stan laughed dryly.

It wasn’t long before Zack and Sharon left for their date night, letting Stan know that they left forty dollars on the counter for him to order food and that he was welcome to keep the change. Bill was still there when his parents left.

While Georgie was showering, Stan took his opportunity to talk to Bill.

“So, uh, why aren’t you babysitting your brother?” Stan asked.

‘Really, Stan?’ he thought to himself. ‘What a stupid fucking question.’

Bill’s face went a little pink and he began to rub the back of his neck.

“Yeah, I’m not really allowed to do that anymore,” Bill said, his words paired with an awkward laugh. “Last time I babysat Georgie, it was pouring r-ruh-rain and I let him go outside, and he ended up getting wicked sick. My p—parents were really angry with me.”

Stan hadn’t noticed Bill’s stutter earlier. He didn’t say anything about it, though. Instead, he merely smiled a little.

“Well, if I’m ever babysitting Georgie and it rains, I’ll make sure not to let him go out.”

Bill threw his head back and laughed loudly. As his laughter died down, he bumped his shoulder softly against Stan’s and bit down on his lip. Yet again, Stan was gulping because of Bill Denbrough.

“I should get going,” Bill said, a look of regret crossing over his face. He stood up and patted Stan on the shoulder, but his hand lingered for a moment. “I’ll catch you later, Stan. I’ll probably be home before my parents.”

Georgie was a cute kid, and very sweet. He made a lot of meme jokes, which he told Stan he had learned from Richie. One time this past summer, Georgie told Stan, he ran into Bill’s room and dabbed with two fidget spinners in his hands. When Bill found out that Richie had been the one to tell Georgie to do it, Bill didn’t speak to Richie for a day and blocked him on all forms of social media.

At 9:00, Stan had to put Georgie to bed. After that, he had two hours to spare before he got to leave. And considering he was in someone else’s home, he had no idea what to do. So, he just grabbed a book from his bag and sat down in their living room to read.

Bill came home at 9:30, and when he saw Stan curled up on his couch reading a book on birds ( of all things ), he couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“What?” Stan asked, a little defensively.

“Nothing,” Bill assured him, sitting down next to him on the couch. “It’s just— well, a book on birds?”

“I happen to like birds,” Stan said, eyes narrowed. “They’re interesting.”

“Yeah? How so?” Bill asked, genuinely curious.

And so, for the next hour and a half, Stan talked to Bill about all different kinds of birds and the best places in Maine to go bird watching. And Bill seemed really interested too, he was asking questions and just looked completely earnest. By the time Sharon and Zack came back home, Stan hadn’t even realized that it was 11:00.

“I noticed you didn’t drive here,” Bill said, sneaking up on Stan as he put his coat and shoes on. “D-do you want me to drive you h-h-home?”

Stan almost protested, but he was feeling selfish. He wanted to spend more time with Bill, even if it was only for a ten-minute car ride.

“Thanks, Bill,” Stan murmured once Bill pulled into his driveway. “I’ll see you Monday.”

“Wait,” Bill exclaimed, grabbing Stan’s wrist. “Give me your number.”

Bill wiggled his phone in front of Stan’s face, blue eyes wide. Stan thought his face was going to split in two from how big his smile was. Eagerly ( maybe a little too eagerly, but Stan didn’t know much about this kind of thing ), Stan punched his number into Bill’s phone. If he was a more confident kid, he might have put some kind of witty, suggestive emoji next to his contact name… but Stan wasn’t like that.

“So, who’s the boy?” Andrea asked with a coy smirk on her face, watching as her blushing son stumbled his way backwards into the house, waving goodbye to the boy who was sitting in his car.

“There— there’s no boy. What are you talking about?” Stan blustered.

Andrea rolled her eyes.

“Stan, I’m your mother. You’re supposed to tell me these things.”

Stan sighed and relented, rolling his eyes.

“His name’s Bill,” Stan said.

“Do you like him?”

“I met him this morning, Mom!”

“Okay. So, what?”

Stan groaned, rubbing his eyes.

“He’s Georgie’s older brother and offered to drive me home because I don’t have a car. That’s all.”

Andrea hummed suspiciously, but didn’t press Stan further.

__

“My brother thinks you’re hot.”

Georgie’s statement was so bluntly presented that Stan choked on the slice of pizza he was eating.

“I heard him talking with Bev and Mike about it the other day,” Georgie added, grinning at Stan.

“Oh,” Stan said in a high, uneven voice. “That’s nice.”

“Do you think he’s hot?”

Stan’s face was burning.

“Georgie—”

“What?” Georgie asked, putting on his best angel face.

“I’m not talking about your brother with you,” Stan snorted. “And you’re ten, which is just— no.”

“I’m gonna be eleven next month,” Georgie whined.

Stan wasn’t amused.

“Eat your pizza, Georgie.”

__

“Do you think he’s hot yet?”

“Georgie, you need to go to bed!” Stan exclaimed, trying his best not to laugh at Georgie’s persistence.

All night, he had been pestering Stan about his thoughts on Bill. Like, yeah, Stan thought Bill was hot. But he wasn’t about to tell Georgie that. If he said anything, Georgie would definitely repeat it back to Bill ( Stan wasn’t ignorant to Georgie’s hero-worship of his brother ) and then Bill would think Stan was weird. Though, Georgie did say that Bill thought he was hot.

“Did he really say— agh! Never mind! Go to bed!”

Stan seriously considered throwing himself in front of a bus then and there. Was he seriously just about to ask a ten-year old about that? UGH!

Georgie laughed.

Bill arrived home not long after that, grinning. Georgie shut his mouth about Stan finding Bill hot.

__

Three weeks after Georgie asked Stan if he thought Bill was hot, Stan had the weekend off. Bill’s parents were going away for a few nights for their anniversary and Georgie was going to stay with Sharon’s sister in the next town over. That meant Bill had the house to himself.

If Bill was a different kid, he would’ve been instantly sending out invites to a party. But Bill was Bill, and he wasn’t like that. Instead, he invited Stan over for a movie night.

Andrea drove Stan over to Bill’s house and quickly lectured Stan on practicing safe sex. Stan wanted to die.

“Mom! Holy, crap!” Stan exclaimed, his face beet red. “It’s not— we’re not— no! Anyways, the rest of our friends are gonna be there!”

The rest of their friends ( ‘The Losers Club’ they were often referred to by a senior named Henry Bowers and his gang of asshole friends, but Stan didn’t pay them much attention ) were, in fact, not there.

“I didn’t realize it would be just us,” Stan muttered, glancing around Bill’s dark house.

“Oh,” Bill said, rubbing his neck. “I didn’t— are you upset?”

“No,” Stan said, smiling. “I just thought— you know what? It’s not important.”

Bill smiled that breathtaking smile of his and Stan found himself wishing for a puff of Eddie’s inhaler.

“Richie was saying I should throw a party this weekend,” Bill snorted. “And Bev was saying we should utilize my empty house and my father’s never ending liquor supply and get drunk.”

Stan didn’t think that sounded too awful. Well, the getting drunk part at least… so long it was only their group of seven. He wouldn’t want other people around. Just the seven of them… ‘the lucky seven’ had Mike called them a couple weeks ago. The thought made Stan smile a bit.

“Would getting drunk be that bad?” Stan asked Bill, a smile on his face.

“Not if it was just the two of us,” Bill replied easily in his slow deliberate voice.

The voice that made Stan’s knees go weak and stomach tie in knots.

Not if it was just the two of us… Stan flushed a deep red.

“So, I ordered us pizza,” Bill said, gesturing to a box on the table. “Normally I go with pepperoni or barbeque chicken, but I know it’s not kosher for Jewish people to eat pig or meat and cheese — that’s the right word, right? Kosher?”

Stan had barely thought about his faith in months. It had seemed so insignificant, so unreal for him after his dad died. And when it came to eating kosher— well, that had been the way he lived his life for the past sixteen years so he never even really thought about it. But Bill had thought about it.

Stan suddenly felt the urge to kiss Bill, but he had enough will power to stop himself.

“Is regular cheese fine?”

Bill was being so casual, acting as if nothing was wrong. Well, not that anything was wrong… but he had just made a significant impact on Stan and was acting as if nothing had happened.

“Cheese is perfect,” Stan said softly.

Bill beamed and Stan felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest.

Stan really wanted to kiss Bill. But he didn’t.

After they ate their pizza, Bill suggested they watch something. And by something, Stan knew that Bill meant Game of Thrones. Bill was a die-hard Thrones fan and nearly had an aneurism when he found out that Stan didn’t watch it. Last week, he finally convinced Stan to start watching it. Stan was already on season three.

Bill sat down next to Stan, but in an unnecessarily close way. Stan sat curled against the arm of the couch and Bill sat right down beside him. There was only a small inch or so of space between them. Stan said nothing because he didn’t want Bill to move away.

“You know, I feel bad for Theon,” Stan confessed.

Bill didn’t say anything.

“I mean, I understand why he did what he did. He just wanted his father’s approval. I don’t agree with his actions, but I understand the motive. You know? And, wow, he really does not deserve… that.”

“You’re cute.”

Stan’s eyes went wide, and so did Bill’s. From how red Bill’s face was, Stan could tell he most definitely did not mean to say that out loud.

“Thanks,” Stan found himself saying. “You too.”

And then he kissed Bill. Holy shit. He was kissing Bill. And Bill was kissing him back.

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Even for a first kiss, it was pretty awesome. Stan had no idea what he was doing with his mouth, but Bill seemed to have some experience so he took charge. His right hand went around the back of Stan’s neck, while the other propped himself up against the arm of the couch that Stan’s back was pressed against.

Stan was in paradise, his hands wrapped around Bill and digging into Bill’s soft hair.

When Bill pulled away, they were both panting, gasping for air. Bill’s eyes were peering into Stan’s, and both boys smiled before Stan pulled Bill’s face down, crushing his lips to Bill’s once more.

____________________

[dvddggs]

To the Four of Us (Part Nineteen)

premise: modern AU chronicling the squad as they make their way through college and deal with general life things.

soundtrack song: The End of All Things - Panic! At The Disco

full soundtrack: x

words: 2,640

warnings: STRONG trigger warning for abuse!!! PLEASE keep that in mind before you read. I italicized it so if this applies to you, you are still safe to read this as long as you skip the italics (it is written in first person so it’s also distinguishable by that.) BE SAFE YOUNG ONES I LOVE YOU ALL<3

a/n: UR GONNA ALL HATE ME LOOL

all chapters: x

tags: @heythereitsloey @anitheunicorn @newyorkyoucanbeanew @lafbagxette @justafangirlwithanavy @iamgrayfox @ordinaryornate @schuylerjoon @angelica-peggy-eliza @trashyperson101 @crazydragon15 @but-if-you-had-to-choose @geespilots @marvelous-hamilfan @5p00kygh05t @panda-powers @and-maria @lafeyettegunsandships @schokoobananaa @allthegoodurlshavebeentaken @aphboi @hell-yes-puns-and-ships @aham-threw-his-shot-away @hesitantcat @nonstopspook @hamrevolution @passmethegoddamnball

dedication: @hamilton-trash-1, @danimeow, @hamiltonshippingmachine, and @victorieschild for liking literally EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY POSTS ((if ur wondering if i notice,, I do)) lol idek if you guys read this but !!! thank you :)

“So who is John anyways?” Charles asked eagerly after ten minutes straight of dead silence.

He, Alexander, and Aaron were half an hour into their impromptu road trip to rescue John from the train station across the state. Charles was growing restless already, which was annoying Alexander and Aaron, although they silently admitted that it was probably their fault for completely ignoring him.

“The guy he’s fucking,” Aaron said, pointing his thumb in Alexander’s direction with a chuckle.

“The guy I’m fucking,” Alexander confirmed, although there was no humour in his voice. He had not taken his tense eyes off of the road since they’d left, and he was only speaking when spoken to.

He had been clenching his teeth together, even tighter than they were bound, which he hadn’t realized until he spoke.

“Ouch,” he muttered, relaxing his jaw and rubbing it with his free hand. “Did John text again?”

Aaron shook his head no. Leaning towards the steering wheel, Alexander tensed up again and took a deep breath, wishing more than anything that he could have been with John at that moment. Just thinking about his boyfriend alone, scared, and heartbroken on the train was enough to make him feel nauseous to the point of dizziness.

“How long have you been—dating—him?” Charles prompted. “I mean, I feel like if you talk about it you’ll feel better, you know? How did you meet?”

They both ignored him.

“Seriously though, you okay, Lex?” Aaron asked quietly. “We’re gonna get there, okay? We’re gonna get you to him.”

Charles piped up from the backseat.

“How long till we get there, by the way? Just wondering…because tomorrow morning my friends and I are going out and I want to make sure I get enough sleep because I’m not sure how long we’re going to be out for, y’know?”

Aaron rolled his eyes and Alexander felt an extremely irrational bout of rage fire up inside of him.

“Charles fucking Lee, no offence, but I’m going to need you to stop asking stupid fucking questions right fucking now. I frankly don’t give a shit how long it takes to get there, and I don’t give a shit that you care. So please, for the love of god, do us all a favour and shut the fuck up for the next two and a half hours! Go to sleep, play on your phone, or sit there and stare at the back of my head, I don’t give a shit! Just let me think for ten seconds. I don’t need to hear about you and your friends! Got it!?”

Charles recoiled into the backseat of the car, eyes wide and staring at the floor. From the rearview mirror, Alexander could tell that his face was bright red. He felt a bit badly for snapping at his not-cousin, but he truthfully couldn’t bring himself to care too much—his mind was otherwise occupied.

“Wow, harsh,” Aaron said under his breath as Charles stuffed his earbuds into his ears. “But called for.”

Aaron left Alexander pretty much to his thoughts after that, except for reading out the odd text from John, to which Alexander verbally responded.

After awhile, Charles pulled out an earbud and leaned forward.

“Alex,” he began. “Are you sure you don’t wanna talk about it?”

Alexander’s eyes widened in anger as he stared at the road, willing himself not to say anything hurtful.

“Charles,” Aaron piped up, knowing full well that Alexander was about to explode. “He’s going to pummel you.”

And that’s how the road trip was going.

John leaned his forehead against the cool glass window of the bumping train and took a deep breath. He was thinking about the events of the day, which had surely been the longest day of his life.

He closed his eyes and was instantly lost inside his head.

I’m late. Fuck, he’s going to kill me. Why do I keep screwing up like this? I’m frantic as I run down my street, chased by one of my friends.

“John!” he calls. “Slow down!”

“My dad is going to be so mad,” I say, panting.

“It’s your sixteenth birthday; he won’t mind you being a little late!”

My friend, however, doesn’t know that I’d promised to spend the night watching baseball with my father. He had told me that it was the one day per year he wants to hang out with me, which is true. He isn’t asking for too much. And yet I still fuck it up. He doesn’t deserve this.

I stop suddenly, hands on my knees and my stomach erupting with nauseous butterflies. I feel so, so guilty.

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” I say, turning to sprint the rest of the way home.

“Well happy birthday, I guess,” I hear my friend call.

I don’t turn back.

When I burst into the house, the sound of the television makes me freeze. The game is already on. Bottom of the second. I had missed almost two entire innings. I am so selfish.

“Hi, Dad,” I say slowly, hoping that he is not too angry.

“Happy birthday, John,” he says. I sigh in relief at the greeting. His voice is calculated, careful, but after all I haven’t missed too much of the game. I go into the kitchen and grab a beer for my father before joining him on the couch.

“Why don’t you have one, kid?” he says, handing the bottle back to me. “Happy birthday.”

I smile and twist the cap off, taking a long sip of the bitter liquid. I try not to spit it out. It’s not pleasant, but I don’t want to be rude.

“That’s all I need,” I say, smiling, and hand the drink back to my father. “Sorry I’m late.”

Dad tells me that it’s alright and ruffles my hair. I groan, but I am giggling and we cheer as we watch our team score the first run of the game.

“It’s funny,” my father says slowly. I raise an eyebrow. “I was going to take you to this game tonight…bought the tickets and everything.”

The colour drains from my face. His eyes harden, reflecting the baseball game in the irises.

“You should have told—”

“I WANTED IT TO BE A SURPRISE, JOHN.”

I whimper, recoiling into the couch. I am afraid, guilt-ridden, helpless. I should have been home earlier. 

I ruined my birthday.

I ruined his day.

“I don’t mind watching it on TV.” I try to make my father feel better.

He shakes his head without looking at me. He pulls something out of his pocket, rips it in half, and throws the pieces at me. I pick them up.

The tickets.

Dad takes another sip of his beer and turns back to the game, putting the empty bottle on the table beside him.

“Dad—” I say, blinking back tears. I feel so guilty. It is all my fault.

“Shut UP, John. Just watch the game.” I nod and a sniffle escapes my nose before I can stop it. “Are you crying?”

I quickly shake my head, trying to wipe my eyes from which tears are now freely falling.

Dad stands up. He towers over me.

“I SAID, John, it’s FINE. Don’t be a pussy.”

I gulp and it is involuntary but I whimper and before I know it my cheek is stinging burning hot and Dad’s hand is stretched out and it makes me cry harder so he snatches my upper arm and pulls me so that I am standing up. My arm hurts, it hurts, my cheek hurts and I almost cry out in pain but I stop myself before I do because I know that this is my own fault. My sniffles earn me another quick smack on the other cheek but I brave up and take it like a man because that’s what Dad wants. It stings and I flinch but I do not cry because I am a man and I am my father’s son. I am strong.

“Are you done?” he asks coldly. I have made him really mad.

I nod, wiping what I hope are the last of the tears from my face.

“There, there, John. There we go…it’s alright,” Dad says. He rubs my cheek where I can still feel the sting of his hand and I rub my arm where I can still feel the pressure of his strong fingers. 

This is what we do. This is how we bond. We get through things together. Now he is feeling better and so I am feeling better.

He sits back down on the couch just in time for the commercials to end.

The score is 1-0.

I get Dad another beer.

John was bumped out of the trance he’d fallen into by the drink cart smashing against his knee.

“FUCK,” he screamed in pain, ignoring the angry parents who glared at him for swearing.

“I am so sorry, sir!” said the man pushing the drink cart. “So, so sorry.”

John grumblingly pulled his knee back into his seat and shrugged, eyes watering still visibly shaken from his flashback episode. Relatively, his knee did not hurt. Not compared to his brain and his heart and everything else that had been figuratively injured that day.

When James and John had gone to the hospital to see their father, they were greeted in front of the closed door of his room by two police officers filling out a report. John’s stomach sank when he entered the room as he noticed that his father had been handcuffed to the hospital bed.

Just down the hall, John watched a doctor tell a family that their daughter had been hit by a car and that, despite their best efforts, they were unable to save her. John and James sat on the floor in the corridor and listened to the horrific screams of the absolute pain of loss, and knew that it was their father’s fault. They didn’t react. They couldn’t react. John knew that if he reacted to the pain that tore through his body in waves and threatened to rip him apart that he would never recover.

He stood up and paced the hallway, ignoring his father. He hadn’t said a word to him since they’d gotten there. He went to the cafeteria and got a coffee, enjoying the burn it left on his tongue. It distracted him from the pain in his mind. When he returned to their corridor, James still hadn’t moved. He was staring expressionlessly at the gurney across from which he sat.

“James,” John said in a hoarse whisper.

James shook his head.

“James.”

They looked at each other. James motioned for John to sit back down beside him. When he did, he put his arm around John’s smaller shoulders, pulling his face into his neck. As soon as John felt his brother’s hair tickle his face, he started crying. He was hysterical, panting and whimpering, snot dripping from his nose. Tears fell silently from James’ eyes as well as he held his brother.

They stayed like that until John was too tired and dehydrated to cry anymore. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but they’d been checked on by a nurse twice so it must have been quite awhile.  

Finally, when John couldn’t sit still anymore he stood up.

“I’ll be back,” he announced in a weak voice. James nodded without looking at him.

That was when John took the bus home, packed what little clothing he’d brought in a bag, and left the house. On his way out the door, he snatched his father’s wallet and stuffed it in his pocket. He went back to the bus stop and rode around the city until they stopped at the train station.

In a trance, John walked up to the kiosk and stared at the lady.

“Where ya going?” she asked him, smiling. John tried to smile back, but it didn’t work.

“Uhh…I’m not sure.”

The lady raised an eyebrow and leaned forward in her booth. “Are you alone? Are you okay?”

“Yeah—uh—I’m fine. I—when’s the next train to Virginia leave?”

“An hour from now.”

“Any tickets left?” John asked. He had no idea what he was doing but he hadn’t stopped long enough to think about it.

“Yes.”



“I’ll take one.”

He pulled out his father’s wallet and swiped his credit card. Before he knew it, he was on a train.

James: Where did you go? And how long till you get back?

John: a while.

John was brought back to reality by the speakers throughout the train announcing their arrival at Norfolk station. Taking a deep breath, he got to his feet, hiked his backpack onto his shoulder, and took his suitcase out of the luggage compartment as the train rolled to a stop.

As John got in line to walk towards the exit, he realized he was shaking all over. He had no idea what to expect. Did Lex come by himself? It was almost two o’clock in the morning—surely someone was with him. But who? His father? Would he be mad at John?

The more John thought, the more he realized what a rash and stupid this decision this was—he had no money, no plan, and nobody except Alexander even knew that he’d left town, let alone his state.

He begun to panic as he stepped off the train, enveloped in the sudden darkness that meant he was underground. John’s breathing was coming in quick, short bursts as he began to see black spots pop in front of his eyes. He was bleakly unaware of his surroundings as he walked, unsure of which direction he was going. He vaguely noticed that it was colder here and that he shouldn’t have been wearing shorts. The goosebumps that stretched and tightened his skin made John feel like he was suffocating and he grew dizzy as he found a spot to sit down, sliding against the cool brick wall until the backs of his legs hit the hard, concrete ground. John put his head between his knees and told himself to breathe. No matter what, he needed to breathe. Just breathe, John, damn it. All he needed was to breathe and the rest would come, right? After a while, this had to—

“John.”

And, oh great, now he was hearing voices. He hadn’t had a panic attack in years, but he could feel this one quickly approaching and was unsure he’d be able to stop it. Just breathe, John. Just—fucking—br—

“JOHN!”

At this, John snapped his head up, ignoring the dizzy spell the quick action brought on. He recognized the voice that time; it hadn’t just been in his head.

Once the crowds of people cleared, John could see Alexander walking quickly towards him, concern plastered on his face probably because he was wondering why the hell John was sitting on the ground.

As soon as John saw him, all of his anxiety seemed to melt away. Somehow, miraculously, everything that he had done made sense.

“Oh, Lex,” he murmured, standing up and closing the gap between them. As soon as he reached Alexander’s outstretched arms, which pulled him into a tight hug, John broke down in a renewed round of sobbing. He was so exhausted and had waited so long, and it had been such a long day and it could finally end.

“Shh,” Alex whispered, laying his cheek on the top of John’s head. “It’s okay now, John…everything is going to work out, okay? You’re safe now.”

“I l-love you,” John spluttered hysterically.

“I love you, John,” Alex replied. His voice was steady. He was his rock. “Come on, let’s get you home.”