#asks about cal are okay and welcome! just keep in mind bro is likely to be snippy

[badlydrawn-brostrider]

I’sint this like the number’th time you’ve had major drama over cal? I may just be misremembering but I could have sworn there was another really big story arc about him I didint pay attention to not too long ago.

[+ thanks for that hug a while back, I’m 80 percent sure it was you and not some other strider.]

/ / I'll answer this one OOC just in case anybody's confused lmao. My Bro has not really had any major Cal drama/arcs before this! He had the occasional mention (usually in the form of nightmares or flashbacks), but that was about it. My Bro didn't and still doesn't enjoy talking about his trauma (if he ignores it then it doesn't exist). The Cal arc after Christmas was the first big one I did and Cal's first major appearance!!

/ / BUT bdhs HAS had previous issues with Cal before, what you're thinking of is probably from @shitty-davesprite-daily who was possessed by Cal for awhile similarly to how Bro was!

/ / And no prob about the hug! Bro has hugged and will continue to hug many people haha🫶

[janeyseymour]

Secret Santa

My wonderful friend Ay had an idea to do a white elephant with this bunch? I don’t really understand white elephant, so I changed it a bit, and uh... this was born. I hope you enjoy!

Every year since being reincarnated, the queens did a secret santa gift exchange. This year, they added the entire diner crew. Fluff ensues.

Christmas was coming, and as usual, Jane was in the Christmas spirit as much as anybody else.

“Every year, we do a secret santa exchange between the queens and I know for a fact the others wouldn’t mind if you and your family joined in on the fun!” the queen explained to her waitress friend.

“It honestly might be better that way,” Aragon let out a laugh. “We all end up finding out who our secret santa is before we exchange gifts anyway.”

“We’d love to do that!”

“Sounds great! So, we normally draw names, well... tonight. And then, on Christmas Eve we usually exchange gifts. Although, I’m sure we could do another night if you would rather celebrate Christmas Eve with just Lulu and Jim. You’re more than welcome to hang out with us that day too though! And oh, Becky, Dawn and Ogie will surely be around too right? Maybe even Cal? We’d be more than happy to have you all. Although, again, it really wouldn’t be offensive to us if-”

“Jane, you’re rambling.”

“Oh, dammit. Sorry,” the silver queen apologized.

“There’s really nothing to apologize for. We’d love to celebrate Christmas Eve with you, and I’m sure everyone would love to participate in the secret santa exchange!”

The group of thirteen gathered at the diner one night, ready to pick names out of a hat.

“Okay, the rule is, if you pick yourself, you have to redraw. We don’t need another situation like last year,” Jane laughed, giving a pointed look at the fourth queen. The previous year, Anna had picked herself and bought herself a new car- one she crashed and totalled approximately a week later.

“Oh god, don’t remind me Seymour,” the red queen groaned in embarrassment.

“Who’s first?” When no one made a move, the blonde looked towards the youngest one there. “Well Lu?”

The girl in pigtails stuck her hand in the bowl with all of the names and picked. Thankfully, she was excelling in her reading and knew how to read each and every person’s name there. She opened it up, not letting anybody see who she had, and grinned.

“You didn’t get yourself, right love?”

“Nope! I got the perfect person!” Jane. She had gotten her Aunt Janey.

The group continued to pick until everyone had someone. Nobody had gotten themselves, and everybody had kept it a secret.

“So the other rule is it has to fit in a plastic bag from the diner. That way, when everyone brings their presents over, it isn’t given away who had who based on the bag everyone carries in. “And yes, we learned this from previous years.”

Cathy laughed, fondly remembering the time she had figured out who had who based on the bags they all carried in and who ended up with the gift bags before they had even started opening presents.

“And one final thing, keep the name of the person you have in your hand. That’s the tag we use so we can’t identify others by their writing.” Kat let out a laugh, remembering she knew in previous years who her secret santa was based on handwriting alone.

And so, there they were on Christmas Eve, having eaten more than they had on Thanksgiving and laughing more than they ever had.

“Lu, are you excited for Santa to come?” Anne bounced the little one in her lap.

“I am! I hope Santa brings you guys everything you want too!” The girl beamed, always thinking of others. “Can we start our secret santa present thingy so I can go to bed so Santa can come?”

“I think that’s a great idea miss Lu!” Jenna beamed at her daughter. It was becoming a hassle to get her daughter to go to bed these days, so her wanting to go to bed was a welcomed change.

“So, how do you guys run this thing?” Becky looked towards Jane for guidance.

“Well, we usually all sit on the floor in a circle,” Jane began and gestured for everyone to move before continuing. “And since we all put our bags under the tree, why don’t we just all pass the bags out? Lulu can start since she’s the youngest, and then whoever her secret santa is can go next and so on. Who wants to play Santa this year?”

“Me!” Lulu’s hand shot up, and she was out of the second queen’s lap in an instant.

The little one had passed out everyone’s presents, and

“Go ahead little Lu,” Anne beamed, hoping that her younger friend would like her gift.

The girl opened her present with no hesitation, her mouth agape once she saw what was in the bag: a new apron with all of the queens’ assigned colors in stripes with the addition of a purple stripe. “Woah! This is amazing! Thank you secret santa! I love it!”

“Who do you think gave you the gift?” Jim questioned.

“I don’t know, but whoever did, thank you!” Lulu exclaimed, already having put the apron on proudly.

“Hun, the point of the game is to guess who gave you the gift,” Becky told her gently.

“Oh!” the girl laughed, a bit confused but happy to go along with the game. “I think... Lina!”

“Wasn’t me mija,” the first queen shrugged. “Guess again?”

“Aunt Janey?”

“Good guess love, but it wasn’t me either. One more guess,” the silver queen laughed.

“Annie?”

“Bingo!” The green queen exclaimed. Lulu immediately launched herself at the woman with space buns.

“Oh my gosh Annie, thank you so much! I love it!”

“I’m glad you like it! I worked pretty hard on it!” Nobody but Jane knew the truth in that statement. The second queen had caved and asked- no. begged- Jane to teach her how to sew in order to make this present.

“I love it! It has all of your colors from the show! But, what’s this purple here for?”

“Well, I figured, you might like to have your own color!”

(Lulu would claim her favorite color was purple for the rest of her life.)

“Okay Annie, it's your turn to open your present!”

“Wheels for my heelies? Bro! This could be anyone!”

“Look a little closer,” Becky stifled a laugh.

“What? Wait, turtles? This could only be from Dawn!”

“You caught me,” the waitress with glasses blushed.

(The silly queen would always make sure to put these wheels in when Dawn was around.)

“A new turtle pin!” Dawn grinned and happily attached it to her shirt. “Thank you to uh,” the waitress glanced at it and remembered all of the queens’ respected colors. “Catherine!”

“I think it’s safe to say everyone here has earned the right to call me Catalina, or even Lina,” the first wife said genuinely.

“Thank you Lina.” Dawn smiled at the nickname.

(That pin became her second favorite- right under the turtle pin that Ogie gave her as a wedding present.)

“These are beautiful.” The golden queen admired the beautiful earrings that she had received.

“Any guesses?”

“Jane?”

“It wasn’t me, and I really don’t know who it’s from,” the blonde said earnestly.

“Cathy?”

“Not from me.”

“Jenna?” The head waitress shook her head no.

“What the-”

“It’s from me,” the usually gruff cook said shyly as he raised his hand quietly.

“Thank you Cal.” Catherine went about taking her Christmas earrings out and putting her new ones in. “They’re beautiful.”

“I hope you like them.”

(Catherine wore them to a press junket. Cal noticed and smiled to himself. He was glad she liked them enough to wear on a red carpet. When the gold queen was asked about the beautiful earrings, she was happy to tell the world a close friend named Cal gave them to her.)

“A new apron? And a new spatula?” Cal looked confused. In reality, this could be from anyone. “Jenna?” the brunette made a ‘no’ gesture. “Jim?”

“Nope.”

“Look a little closer at the spatula,” Cathy spoke up. “ Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers” was engraved into it.

“Shakespeare?” Cal looked a bit bewildered.

“It means that if a cook can’t bear to eat his own food, he isn’t a very good cook, and we all know you’re one of the best around,” Cathy explained, a tint of red shading her face. “And I’ve noticed that your apron is stapled to keep it together. Figured you might like a new one.”

“I- Thanks Cath.” The man smiled one of the most genuine smiles any of his coworkers had ever seen. Jenna would be sure to tell Cathy how much that present had meant to him, because the lord knew that Cal wasn’t very good at expressing his feelings.

(It didn’t go unnoticed that the spatula was used exactly once before it hung in a shadowbox that the cook would touch for good luck every time he walked into the diner for the rest of his time working.)

“Bookmarks? This could quite literally be from anyone,” the writer laughed. “Who do I have left to choose from?” She surveyed the room before noticing that a certain mother wouldn’t look her in the eye. “Jenna?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you know I needed new bookmarks?” She truly thought that only her fellow queens would pick up on the fact that she was using strange objects as bookmarks.

“I’ve seen the way you’ll use anything as a bookmark, but I’ve never seen you use a proper bookmark,” Jenna explained. “For crying out loud, I saw you use a soda can tab the other day.”

“I-” the sixth queen was truly stunned. And then, she got a closer look at the bookmarks. They were beautiful- all different shades of blue, but each had delicate details and accents with her fellow queens colors. “These are beautiful. Thank you.”

(She would go on to use these bookmarks for the rest of her days, alternating between the different bookmarks.)

“A new pie dish!” the baker exclaimed with glee. “Oh how wonderful! Thank you!”

“Who’s it from?” Jim questioned.

“It’s from-,” Jenna eyed up the pie dish for a long while before catching that on the side in small and crisp writing it read, “ all i wanna do is bake... all i do is sing... all i do is bake and sing” “-Thank you Kat.”

“You’re welcome,” the pink haired queen tried to say it casually. “Hope you like it.”

“I love it. And I love the reference to the musical.”

(Whenever she brought over pie to the queens from that day forward, she made sure to bake it in the pie dish that the fifth queen had gifted her.)

“A book on American history...?” Katherine grinned, knowing exactly who gave it to her. “Thank you Ogie.”

“I thought since you liked British history so much, you might like to read up on American history now that you live in the states,” Ogie offered. “If you don’t like it though, I can surely think of something else to get you.”

“That won’t be necessary. I love it. Thank you.”

(Kat would stay up late into the night reading about the fascinating history of the country she now resided in. Cathy would find her asleep the next morning with the book in her lap before leaving the room. She returned with the bookmark matched with her friend’s color and bookmark the page for her, but not before attaching a sticky note that read, “ I expect this to be returned to me when you wake up.” When Ogie was playing Paul Revere the next time, the fifth queen was in the front row watching her friend reenact her new favorite part of history.)

“Wow! This is beautiful! Almost an exact replica of the one the Paul Revere wears in my reenactments! Thank you!”

“Well, who do you think got it for you hun?” Dawn also admired the new coat her husband had just been given.

“I- I- I, Cleves?” he guessed. Surely, this was a rather expensive gift, and everyone knew that the red queen had money to spare.

“Nope, wasn’t me.”

“Becky?”

“You wish. I’m not going to encourage your-”

“That’s enough Becky. My daughter is in the room,” Jenna scolded her boisterous friend.

“She won’t encourage his what, Mama?” the little girl in the room stared up at her mother with wide eyes.

“Nothing to worry about hun. Just some adult stuff.” The baker hoped that would be enough. It seemed to work- the girl was back to asking Ogie who he thought gave him the coat.

“Jim?”

“I thought you might like to have it the next time you go on for Revere. That other guy’s coat is huge on you.”

“Thank you Jim!” The elf-man lunged to hug his friend.

“This tie is stunning Jane,” the lanky doctor said confidently.

“How’d you know it was me?” The silver queen was shocked. She didn’t think it was that obvious who she had. She certainly didn’t slip up and tell Jenna either.

“It’s silver.”

“Oh.” In all honesty, the blonde didn’t even realize she had bought a tie in the color that she had been assigned all those years ago. She was just drawn to it.

“Thank you.”

(Jim wore the tie to the second opening night for SiX on broadway many years later. Jane cried when she recognized the tie.)

“Aren’t you going to open your gift?” Cleves asked the third queen expectantly.

“Oh, I guess I just got so... wrapped up in watching everyone else open their gifts!” The punniest queen grinned.

“Just for that, you lose your turn. You go last,” Cleves retorted as she went to open her present.

“Well, I only know one woman who would buy me a designer athletic bag. Thank you Becky!” the red queen acknowledged the rowdy waitress.

“Yeah, yeah. Not a problem. I figured you might like to carry your things in it instead of that small little bag you have.”

“Thank you.”

(Anna of Cleves would use that bag until it ripped, and then she retired it so that she could keep it forever. Becky would be happy to buy her another bag when she needed it.)

“Cleves!” Becky gasped.

“What?”

“These shoes!”

“I’ve seen the shoes you guys wear while you’re waitressing. I read up on these shoes a lot. They’re supposedly really comfortable and they’re stunning. All leather.”

(Becky was more than happy to throw away the ratty pair of shoes she had been wearing since Jenna started working at Joe’s Diner all those years ago and replace them with the shoes Cleves had bought her. And when a new pair showed up at her house a few years later with a note that read: bitchin’ kicks! , well, Becky let out a full-on belly laugh.)

And that left Jane to open her present.

“Well, go on, open it hun,” Jenna encouraged her friend.

Jane was expecting some sort of artwork from the little girl who was no doubt her secret santa. What she wasn’t expecting was a handmade mug with the little girl’s thumbprints in the shape of a heart- under it reading “ Best Aunt”. At the sight of it, the blonde’s eyes welled with tears.

“Thank you Lulu,” she choked out.

“What is it?” Anne asked, curious as to what could elicit such a reaction from her costar.

“It’s a best aunt mug,” Jane whispered.

“Hey, I thought that was me! You little rascal!” both Anna and Becky exclaimed at the same time.

“D-do you like it Aunt Janey?” Lulu stood from her spot in her mother’s lap and resituated herself in the third queen’s, hugging her.

“I absolutely love it, and I love you. It’s perfect. Thank you so much honey.”

(Jane would never use another mug again, nor did she let anyone else in the house use it. It was her mug, and no one dared to touch it.)

After the gift exchange was over, the group settled in to watch a movie, more than happy to spend all of the time in the world together. The youngest member of the group hadn’t strayed from her surrogate aunt’s side, more than happy to snuggle into the warmth that the older woman radiated. It wasn’t long before she was snoring quietly in the arms of her favorite queen.

“You’re all more than welcome to stay the night if you want,” Catherine offered knowing how tired the bunch had become.

“As much as we’d love to,” Jim began before Jenna interrupted.

“It might be easier to have her just sleep here instead of trying to get her into the car and then into bed without her waking up.”

“That’s a fair point. But, all of the gifts are at our house babe.”

“Hey, it’s not a big deal if you guys stay, and it’s not a big deal if you don’t stay. We all know you’re all gonna end up here again in the morning anyway, so it’s totally up to you.” Anne waved a dismissive hand.

“We wouldn't want to impose,” Dawn muffled a yawn.

“We’ve got more than enough room between the living room and the basement, but it’s up to you,” Cathy mumbled, half asleep against Catherine.

“If you guys don’t mind,” Jenna smiled. The six queens all quickly reminded her that it was their idea. “Okay, so Santa’s presents are still at my house, so we’re gonna have to-”

“I’ll go with Jim and get it all together for you, don’t worry Jenna,” Ogie offered.

“I’ll go with them. They need a man to get this job done.” Cal stood and grabbed his coat, the other two men following suit.

“Alright girls, head to bed, Jenna and I can stay up for the boys.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Becky grumbled, picking herself up and heading towards the basement, pulling a half-asleep Dawn with her.

“Goodnight Janey,” the queens all stood and kissed the mother figure of the house on the cheek before retreating to their rooms.

“I better take Lu down-”

“You guys can stay in my room. I’m sure Annie won’t mind a bedmate for the night.”

“I can’t take your room from you.”

“You can. I insist. Lu isn’t going to sleep on one of the couches!”

“But it’s your room.”

“Okay, I do have that pullout in my room. I can sleep on there, and the three of you can have my bed.”

“I’m not taking your bed from you!”

“Well Lu surely isn’t sleeping on that pullout! Not the night before Santa’s coming!”

“Lu can stay with you then. Jim and I will take the couch.”

“But, you’re going to wake up sore.”

“So would you if you slept on it.”

“But you’re my guests.”

“We’re hardly guests at this point.”

“You don’t live here.”

“We might as well.”

“Just take my offer.”

“You’re sleeping in your own bed Seymour. Lu can stay with you, and Jim and I can take the pullout. That’s final,” the brunette turned on her mom voice.

“Damn Hunterson. No need to pull out the mom voice on me!”

“There is a need!”

“Okay, okay!” Jane laughed putting her hands up in mock surrender. “I suppose you win this round. Let’s get her to bed before the Santas arrive.”

The men arrived a while later, promising the two women who had stayed up that they could take care of setting out all the presents.

“Dawn and Becky are downstairs. There’s more than enough room for all of you to stay down there comfortably,” Jane informed them.

“Jane’s been kind enough to share her room with us for the night,” Jenna told her husband. “Lu’s gonna stay with her and we’re gonna stay on the pull-out. Hope that’s alright.”

Jim nodded before instructing the other men on where to put Lulu’s presents.

Although the two women had been told they were more than welcome to go to bed once Jim, Ogie, and Cal arrived back, they stayed and watched them diligently. Satisfied with the display that had the queens’ presents to each other (because of course they all got each other presents on top of their secret santa exchange) as well as the additional presents from the diner gang, everyone set out to bed.

Christmas Day had arrived, and at exactly 5:03 am, Jane Seymour was woken by a small child poking her cheek incessantly.

“Aunt Janey!” she whispered. “It’s Christmas. Do you think Santa came? Do you think Santa knowed I stayed here instead of at my own house?”

“Lu, it’s 5 in the morning. I don’t know if Santa came yet. Why don’t we give him a couple more hours to make sure he knows you’re here and not home?”

“This is like my home!” the little one whisper-shouted, melting the blonde’s heart.

“That’s so sweet of you to say hun. Why don’t we go back to sleep for a little bit though? It’s very early, and you know how your girls like their sleep.”

“Hmm,” Lulu thought this over for a second. “I guess you’re right. Good night Aunt Janey. Merry Christmas, and love you.”

“I love you too little Lu,” the blonde sighed as her surrogate niece snuggled into her side for a few more hours.

Opening presents was about as chaotic as anyone could guess in the house with thirteen people in it. After presents were done, Cal set out to make breakfast for everyone, muttering that if he couldn’t do that, what kind of cook would he be? It didn’t go unnoticed by the writer that he used his new spatula and apron as opposed to one of the spatulas in the queens’ house, the first and only time he ever used the kitchen tool.

“Hey Jenna?” Jane called from her place on the couch. The baker looked over at her friend inquisitively. “I have one more present for you.”

“What? You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Well, maybe it’s not for you, per se. It’s for the little one inside of you.” The third queen stood and walked towards the Christmas tree before almost magically producing one last present from under it.

Jenna opened the present with care and glanced at it before bursting into tears.

A simple onesie that said “ Heart of Gold, Green, Silver, Red, Pink, and Blue” .

“We thought it might be nice to give you for the new baby. We already love him or her so much.”

(When Olivia Pomatter arrived in the world, it was the first onesie the Hunterson-Pomatter duo put their new daughter in. Jane cried.)

[highfivecalum]

Dark In Your Heart {CEO!CH} 8

Previous Chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

◈◈◈

“Wait, so like, is there a lot of sexual tension between you guys?” Nikki asked Maddie as she shoved a mouthful of salad in her mouth. She, Stevie, Nikki, and Jess had decided to get a quick lunch since all of their lunch breaks just so happened to be in the same hour. So, there they were, in the middle of the city at a restaurant that claimed to have the best salads. “Since, you know, you two boned?”

“And kissed.” Maddie added in, having kept that small detail from her friends for the past few days. She had seen them and they all were texting in their group chat, but she chose to not disclose that information until she was ready.

“What?!” The three girls shouted in union and Maddie shushed them once she realized there were a few people staring at the group. Stevie, who was offended that Maddie hadn’t told her, since they were the closest of the four girls, smacked her arm repeatedly. “How did you not tell us that, Mads? That’s, like, crucial information to know!”

“Wait, when did he kiss you?” Jess wondered.

“Friday night at the bar. Well, not at the bar. He drove me home and kissed me outside of my building. And then-” Maddie laughed awkwardly, remembering her reaction to Calum showing up at her door out of the blue two days after. She knew her friends would get the wrong idea, but they were her best friends and she told them everything. “He showed up at my house to apologize.”

“That’s it? He went all the way to your apartment and all he did was apologize?” Stevie quirked an eyebrow, knowing that Maddie was leaving something else out. Stevie knew Maddie better than that and she knew when she was being coy.

“Okay, well, we may have smoked a joint and he may have stayed for a few hours to watch Breaking Bad with me. But that’s it. Nothing- nothing sexual happened. Not even close to it.” Maddie wished it had, though.

“Oh my God, Maddie!” Nikki squealed. “He totally likes you!”

“No.” Maddie deadpanned. “He doesn’t. He’s my boss and he was being polite and apologizing and he didn’t want to drive home while he was high. There’s nothing more to it, okay? Can we drop it?”

She hoped her friends would listen to her wishes and drop the conversation, maybe start talking about one of their lives, but alas, they didn’t listen to her. And as Maddie ate, she tried to ignore her three best friends who were concocting a plan to set the two of them up. It would never happen, though, Maddie knew.

◈◈◈

“Welcome to Hood Publishing!” Maddie smiled up at the woman in front of her, the woman she recognized as Calum’s sister from the picture that was on his desk. “How can I help you?”

“Hi! I’m Mali, Calum’s sister, is he here?”

“One second,” Maddie held up a finger and pressed the intercom button to page him. “Hi, Mr. Hood, um, your sister is here. Are you busy?”

“Not busy, Maddie. Send her in.”

“Thank you,” Mali smiled and quickly pulled Calum’s office doors open, not bothering to shut them behind her. She rushed over to his desk, leaning over and whisper-shouting, “Maddie? As in the Maddie you were telling me about?” Calum looked away from his sister, knowing that she would have something to say. “Calum! You didn’t tell me that she is your assistant!” Mali huffed as she sat down in one of the plush chairs.

“Yeah, I know. I  strategically left that piece of information out.”

“She’s so pretty, Cal!” Mali gushed, looking over her shoulder to look at Maddie who was doodling on a piece of paper and nodding her head along to the soft music that was playing throughout the office. “Like, gorgeous!”

Calum looked up once again, pulling his lower lip into his mouth as he watched Maddie talk and laugh with one of his employees, her white teeth on display from her wide smile and he found himself, without even noticing it, smiling at the sight of her. Mali wasn’t wrong; Maddie was a sight to be seen, and Calum was glad he got to see her everyday. Even if all he could do was look.

“Oh my, God,” Mali squealed, covering her mouth with her fingers as she watched her smitten brother admire his off limits assistant. “You like her!”

“Mali.”’Calum warned his overly excited sister. “Don’t start. Please.”

Mali completely ignored her brother and his pleasing eyes and continued talking, mostly rambling to herself. “Wait, I thought you said you were seeing her? You make a point to, like, never do anything with your employees. What’s different about her?”

“First of all,” Calum held up a finger. “I never said I was seeing her. Second of all,” he held up another finger. “I met her before I knew she was going to be my assistant. And third of all,” another finger. “I don’t know. She’s just- she’s different.”

“This is so great.” She had only seen her brother smitten over women a handful of times, so it was a rare occurrence for him to talk highly about a girl. Mali once again, repeating herself, squealed and gasped. “You like her, Cal! Your face tells it all.”

“Okay, shut up,” Calum rubbed his eyes with the balls of his hands and blew a raspberry. He couldn’t tell Mali that she was wrong about him liking Maddie, because then he would be lying, and Calum wasn’t a liar. Especially not to his sister. And even if he did lie, Mali would have seen right through him. “Why are you really here?”

He didn’t want to talk about his feelings for Maddie because then that would make them real. He knew how he felt, he knew it was more than just physical attraction, and that scared him. He didn’t do feelings or relationships, especially not with his employees, so liking Maddie caused problems. Problems that he didn’t want to face.

“Right, right.” Mali unzipped her wallet and held up a ten dollar bill.

“What’s that?”

“I’m paying you back for brunch a few days ago.”

“No, you’re not.” Calum threw the bill back at her and she pouted.

“Cal! You never let me pay you back.”

“Yeah, because I don’t need you to. Keep your money, Mali.” Calum shooed her away and Mali scoffed. She didn’t take offense to it, knowing how Calum was and that he was a busy man since he ran the company and all and didn’t have all the time in the world to argue over something as petty as money, so she got up and smirked at him deviously.

“Fine. I’ll just go talk to your assistant instead.”

“Mali!” Calum whisper-yelled. “Do not do that. She’s working.”

Mali turned around, seeing Maddie leaning back in the white leather chair, one leg crossed over the other, filing her nails. It was just after lunchtime, which meant she had already finished everything she had to do, so Calum didn’t mind that she was relaxing. She did a lot for him and when it came to Maddie, he wasn’t as big of a hard ass as he was to his other employees.

“Hm, she looks really busy, Cal. I think I’ll go busy her and talk about you.”

“Mali-Koa, I swear to God-“

“I’m kidding, jeez!” Mali threw her hands up in surrender and giggled loudly. “Calm down and stop being so tense all of the time. I’m going back to the hotel. See you later, lover boy!” Mali sauntered towards Maddie’s desk, holding out the ten dollar bill to her.

“Um,” Maddie drew her eyebrows together and exhaled a laugh at Calum’s pretty older sister. “What’s this?”

“Give this to my brother and make sure he takes it. He never accepts my money anymore. Since he’s rich,” Mali’s voice raised at the last sentence and Maddie laughed quietly.

Taking the bill from Mali, Maddie nodded her head and smiled. “Will do, Ms. Hood.”

“Oh, please,” Mali waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Call me Mali.” She extended her hand for Maddie to shake and she did so happily, happy that Mali wasn’t stand offish like she expected her to be since that’s how Calum acted when he first met Maddie. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too, Mali.”

“Well, I’m off now!” Mali announced to her and Calum. “Bye baby bro! Bye Maddie.”

Maddie laughed and shook her head, making sure the ten dollar bill was in a secure place on her desk, not wanting to bother Calum with that just yet, as she got back to what she was doing.

◈◈◈

Calum bit his lip as he watched through his open office doors Maddie putting her coat on and clicking off the little light on her desk. She turned around, sending a quick text before telling Calum she was heading out for the night, but before she could speak, Calum did first. “Maddie,” Her head snapped up from her voice at the sound of his demanding and gruff voice. “Can you come here?”

“Am I in trouble?” Maddie asked just a sheepish smile, finally giving him the ten dollar bill that he rolled his eyes at, but accepted nonetheless.

“No, Maddie. You’re not in trouble.” Calum gestured to the chair she was standing next to. “Sit.”

“Okay.” Maddie mumbled nervously and sat down.

“So, every year there’s this banquet thing that, essentially, is to appreciate the publishing companies in New York, California, and Chicago, and it’s mandatory for me, but,” Calum ran his hand over the scruff on his jaw that certainly did not go unnoticed by Maddie, and leaned back in his chair. “I also am expected to bring my assistant.”

“Oh?” Maddie’s eyes widened.

“It’s just a few hours out of town and we would be taking a company car.” Calum further explained. “But, you don’t have to go, it’s not mandatory for you, but it would make me and the company look better if you did come with me.”

“Okay…” Maddie wasn’t sure where this was going.

“But, like I said, it’s not mandatory for you, so if you don’t feel comfortable with traveling and staying at a hotel out of town with me, I understand.”

“I’m confused.” Maddie admitted with an embarrassed laugh.“Why, uh, why wouldn’t I feel comfortable?”

“Well, you know, given everything that’s happened between us, I don’t expect you to be jumping at the chance.”

“Ca- Mr. Hood,” Maddie kept slipping up, almost accidentally calling him Calum and not Mr. Hood. She was going to have to stop that before a co-worker heard her call him by his first name when he made everybody else call him Mr. Hood. She knew the other employees would get the wrong idea. “That was a month ago. And we’ve talked about it, so I’m,” Maddie struggled to find the right words. “I don’t mind going. If it’s better for you and for the company- I’m there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Maddie smiled to reassure him and he puffed out a breath of air, feeling the tension and unease leave his body at her words and her smile.

“Okay. Great.

“So, uh, when is this thing?”

“We’ll work a half day and leave Friday afternoon, around eleven, then leave early Sunday morning” Calum told her and she nodded her head in understanding. “But, you should get going before the sun goes all the way down, so we’ll talk more about it tomorrow. Get home safe, Madeline.”

“Yes, sir.”

Maddie flashed him one of her award winning smiles and walked out of his office, her heels clicking against the floor and her ass, looking perfect in her dress, swaying. Calum put his hand up to his face, biting his knuckles, and closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure how the trip would end.

◈◈◈

a/n: okay so i know that was uhhh kinda boring and short but ,,,, the next part with make up for it promise heeheheh

Taglist: @novacanecalum @roselukes @kinglyhood @cantbehandled-ever @hereforlukescruff @astroashtonio @monsteramongmikey @gosh-im-short @emma070900 @youmaycallmemrshemmings @cosmocalum @cakesunflower @asht0ns-world @singt0mecalum @lockthisheartinchains @cheyenne-in-wonderland @babyurart @blahehblah @inlovehoodx @softboycal @hopelessxcynic @ashtoniwir @calumsmermaid @curly-cal @callllumhood @rexorangecouny @kurtsflowergirl @cocktail-calum @lukewarmwoda @meganmisc @neonweeknds @kenopsia-falcon @blue-sunset-oreo-lover @foolishcal @ayee-style @itsmeempar @outofmylimitcal @mariellelovescupcakes-blog @post-traumatic-mess @damselindistressanu @tapolesarebabyturtles @noswagswag @scarapoison @sugarcoatedcalum @notsooperfect @trustmeimawhalebiologist @klb967 @littlebear1353 @cal-king @manicpanicbaby @colormekaykay @geeksareunique @nostalgia-luke @badguycal @all-i-want-is2b-loved-by-you @cuddlemecalx @mpadge33 @bitchinbabylon @wilsondanvers @it-was-a-lie

[calpalirwin]

According to Plan

A/N: Let’s see what our boy Ash has been up to both leading up to meeting Madison and immediately after.

And away, and away we go!

~~~

Chapter 2

Ashton

~~~

“Okay, ready for another go, Ash? Ash? Ashton!” Luke slapped me on the shoulder, pulling me away from my thoughts.

“Huh? What?” I asked, shaking my head to clear it.

“He was asking if you were ready to play soccer again,” Sierra, his girlfriend, told me. She didn’t even bother to look up from her phone. We all knew she was bored out of her mind. But Sierra was a trooper of a girlfriend. She’d stay with us while we kicked the soccer ball around all night if she had to, provided Crystal and Riley stayed with her. And Riley would stay to be around her boyfriend Calum, and Crystal would stay because Riley and Sierra were staying. Something Claire had never been bothered to do, I thought angrily before shaking away the thought.

“You okay, man? You look like you’re a million miles away,” Calum said, standing up and brushing the grass off his shorts.

“Just thinking,” I said offhandedly. I’d been thinking a lot this summer.

“About Claire?” he pressed, already annoyed about what my answer would be.

“And other things,” I defended.

“Ugh,” Riley, sighed, rolling her eyes. “You’ve been going on about Claire all summer, Ash. She was awful to you. We know it. You know. She knows it. This whole damn school knows it! Move on.”

“She’s right, y’know,” Calum said, sitting back down. “I know she’s the first girlfriend you’ve ever had and whatnot. But she was terrible to you. And you were great to her. She doesn’t deserve you.”

“I know.” It had been the same conversation all summer since I finally broke up with Claire. 

~~~

I’d had a crush on the girl since I was old enough to like girls. I’d finally asked her out when we were freshmen. We dated steadily for a few months. Then hell rained down. I caught her cheating on me with Ben Anderson. I screamed at her that we were done. She cried, saying it wasn’t her fault. I never had time for her. I was always at soccer practice. We could make it work, if I just put her first. In the end, I apologized for making her feel alone and vowed to spend more time with her.

Then, a few months later, I caught her again with Ben Anderson. This time, I was suffocating her with the attention. She needed space to breathe. Again, I apologized and we got back together.

That was the cycle. We would date, she would cheat on me, I’d scream, she’d cry that it was my fault, I’d take the blame, and we’d go back to dating. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Junior year was when I finally gave up. My friends stood by my side each time. But, as Prom rolled around, they all helped me come to my senses. “You’re really going to ask her?” Luke asked over a videogaming session

“Yeah,” I told him like it was obvious. “She is my girlfriend, y’know?”

“Why though? She’s just going to cheat on you again,” Calum put in, offhandedly.

I hit pause on the game. “What did you say?”

Riley quickly stepped in. “Cal!” she scolded. “Ash, he didn’t mean it like that. You know that.”

“No, Ry. I’m done with his shit,” he said, setting his controller down and locking eyes with me. “We’ve been listening to it for 2 and a half years now. Claire’s a bitch, bro! A bitch! B-I-T-C-H, BITCH!”

I set my own controller down and stood over him. “What. Did. You Say?!”

Not intimated, Calum stood up. “I called her a bitch,” he whispered, inches from my face.

I shoved him, hard. He fell backwards onto the couch.

Calum, without missing a beat, flung himself off the couch and tackled me to the ground. “Break up with her! You’re too good for her!”

“No! Don’t ever call her a bitch!” I told him, pinning him to the ground.

“She is a bitch!” he said as he flipped us, so he was pinning me on the ground.

“Stop!” Luke yelled at us as we wrestled each other on the ground. He pulled Calum off of me. “Knock it off!” Luke told us, as he pushed Calum towards the couch.

I sat up and we made to lunge at each other again, but Luke shot us both a look that stopped us in our tracks. “Ash. You know we care about you, right?” Luke started, his voice soft.

“Yeah. ‘Course I do.”

“Good. Because this is going to be hard to hear. But, Cal’s right. You need to hear it. Claire has been manipulating you. Everything she does is to make it seem like you’re the bad guy. You’re the shitty boyfriend, and that justifies her cheating. It’s not true and you know it.”

“Yeah, man,” Calum spoke up, slightly out of breath. “You do everything she asks and she still twists it so it’s your fault when she cheats. And I’m sick of watching you fall for it every single time, dude. You’re smarter than that.”

I let their words sink in. “You still didn’t have to call her a bitch…” I eventually said.

“Hey, if it walks like a bitch, and talks like a bitch… it’s a bitch. Sorry, man.”

“I gotta break up with her, don’t I?”

“Yes. And for good this time,” everyone else said.

So I did. I pulled Claire aside the next day and broke up with her. I told her I couldn’t do the back and forth anymore. That it wasn’t fair to either of us. She yelled and called me every name in the book. I took it and walked off. And then, with fake tears she yelled after me the words that have haunted me all summer: “Do you really want to spend your last year of high school single?”

My friends had spent the rest of the school year and all of summer talking me down off the ledge every time it got to be too much. No, I didn’t want to be single my senior year of high school. There was going to be so much to experience and having a girlfriend would only make them more enjoyable. I definitely didn’t want to spend the year being a fifth wheel with Crystal. Not that we didn’t get along, we just didn’t like each other that way. But I wanted someone for myself. But, I was more than certain that I no longer wanted that person to be Claire. The problem was that in a small town finding available girls was hard to come by.

~~~

“I have moved on,” I told them. “So, I want a girlfriend. Sue me.”

“Ash, enjoy being single while you can. With school starting soon, the girls are going to be all over you,” Sierra commented offhandedly.

“Why?”

“Are you serious? You’re easily one of the more attractive guys at our school. You’re a jock, a smart jock, too. And you don’t let any of that go to your head. You’re still one of the sweetest people around,” Crystal told me.

“Then where were all these girls when I broke up with Claire every other month?”

“You really think Claire was going to let anyone of those girls go near you? Any time a girl showed an interest in you while you were broken up, she’d snap at them, and then go running back to you,” Riley scoffed.

“I get it, she was a bitch… But, how does that explain this summer? I haven’t heard from Claire, and no girls.”

“That’s been because of us,” Luke admitted, looking a little guilty. “And before you start, we were doing it to protect you.”

“Thanks, but can you both stop protecting me now? Provided my next girlfriend isn’t also a psycho?”

“Deal,” they all agreed.

“Alright,” I said, standing up and dusting myself off. “Ready for another…” my voice trailed as I noticed two figures walking towards us. The soccer field had been empty all summer minus us. Our classmates preferred the beach, and we had been careful to avoid anyone from school for obvious reasons. My friends were great company and all, but potentially being around different faces sounded refreshing. “Hey,” I hollered at them before jogging over. Everyone else followed close behind. 

As I got closer I got a better look at the two newcomers. A boy and a girl about our age, who looked to be siblings, even twins. They both had the same blonde hair, the boy’s cut short with a fringe falling across his forehead, the girl’s held back in a ponytail. The boy was closer to my own height while the girl only came up to the boy’s shoulders. Both were dressed in athletic wear and were of a slender build, but the boy had a broader look, while the girl looked more delicate. The girl’s green eyes flashed brilliantly, a camera hanging around her neck. “Came to play a little soccer?” I asked looking at the boy’s soccer ball he held under his arm. “Uh, yeah,” the boy spoke for them. “I didn’t think anyone would be around.” “Yeah, this place is pretty empty for now. School doesn’t start until Monday,” I told him. “I’m Ashton Irwin, by the way. This is Luke Hemmings, his girlfriend, Sierra Deaton, Calum Hood, and his girlfriend Riley Henderson, and Crystal Leigh,” I added as an introduction.

“I’m Mike Clifford. This is my sister, Madison,” Mike introduced, shaking our hands. I moved to shake the girl’s hand, but she made no movement, her eyes moving to look at the ground.

“Uh, sorry,” he said when his sister just stood there. He waved his hand in front of her face and gave her a thumbs up, while raising his eyebrows. She nodded, then, taking her brother’s cue, shook our hands. My heart started racing at her touch, gentle and welcoming.

“You can join us if you want. Plenty of space. Besides, playing against these two gets a little dull,” I said after introductions had been made.

Luke gave me a shove, “Fuck off. We’ve been playing soccer together since we were kids. We know what the other is going to do. Kinda defeats the purpose of playing, y’know?”

“That’s cuz you both suck,” Calum laughed.

Mike chuckled a little. “I know what you mean. Uh, sure. I could use the practice. That okay, Mads?” he asked his sister.

She nodded at her brother.

“We can keep you company,” Riley offered. “The boys are starting to bore me anyway.”

Calum scoffed, “Woman, I am offended!” He laughed again.

“Oh, hush!” Riley told him, “I’ve spent all summer watching the three of you play soccer.”

Madison shook her head, declining Riley’s offer, before turning to her brother. She held up her camera and gestured around.

He nodded. Then, as an afterthought “Keep your phone on you so I can find you later, okay?”

She nodded before walking off.

“Is she okay?” I asked, very curious about the quiet pretty girl with the gentle hands.

Mike shrugged. “She’s not overly fond of social situations.”

I wondered what he meant by that. I wasn’t a big talker myself, but I still enjoyed other people’s company. “We didn’t mean to scare her off. She’s more than welcome. Do you mind?” I apologized rapidly watching her walk further away.

“Hey, if you can bring her back, more power to ya, man,” he shrugged again. I ran off after her. I hadn’t meant to make her feel uncomfortable. I didn’t like making people feel that way. If she wanted to stay, she was just as welcome as anybody else. I tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She jumped. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” I apologized.

She waved her hand dismissively. Then, she made an okay symbol with her hand.

It took a moment for my brain to piece things together- the silence, the hand gestures, the “not fond of social situations” bit. “Oh! Can you hear me?” I asked, fully aware of how stupid I sounded asking a potentially deaf person if she could hear me or not.

She shook her head, but pointed at my lips.

“Oh, I can sign if that helps,” I said, signing as I spoke.

Her eyes lit up, You sign?!

“I took a year in 8th grade. I can understand it better than I can do it myself” I signed against while speaking out loud, my fingers clumsy with lack of practice.

That’s okay, I can read lips.

“Cool,” I nodded, still feeling a little dumb. “Cool camera,” I said, pointing out my camera she had around her neck, trying to change the subject to something other than her deafness. “You like photography?”

She nodded, then pointed at me and raised her eyebrows in a questioning way.

“I like looking at them, sure. But taking pictures myself isn’t really my thing. I’m better at cars and soccer.”

I could tell you liked soccer.

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “You could’ve stayed if you wanted, you know.”

I wanted to leave.

“Oh…”

Did I hurt your feelings?

“No. I was worried that we had upset you, actually.” I wanted to spend time with her. She was intriguing in a way that was totally new to me. And I didn’t want to scare her off.

Social situations make me uncomfortable. I like being alone.

“Oh. Well, you can come back with me if you want. You don’t have to talk to us if you don’t want. Just being there is fine enough.”

As long as you all know I’m not actually ignoring you guys.

“Yeah. Like I said, being there is fine enough with me.” And I meant it. I genuinely just wanted her company, even if it was silent. I just wanted her near me. She was like nothing I’d ever encountered before.

She shrugged and started walking back to the field.

“Holy shit… you actually brought her back…” Mike whistled as we came back and sat down with them.

She smiled and patted her brother on her shoulder.

“Does he know?” he asked her.

She rolled her eyes at him.

“Well? You wanna fill us all in?” he asked, half-annoyed at her apparent sarcasm.

“Fill us in on what?” Luke asked.

Mike looked at Madison who gestured for him to say whatever it was he was going to say.

“Sorry,” he told us. “I don’t like to tell people if she hasn’t told them herself. Her business if people know or not. Anyway, Mads is deaf. Like profoundly, so even hearing aids can’t help. She has to sign or read lips.” he rattled off as if he’s explained the same thing a million times. Which, he probably has.

We all nodded. Then, Riley spoke up, “We should learn sign language, then! Can you teach us?”

Madison laughed silently. If you want.

“Can you speak? Or is it… prelinguistic, right?” Calum asked, struggling for the right words. His mom was a therapist so he liked using the proper terms to not offend people.

She smiled at him, probably amazed he knew the right terms. I can talk. I just prefer not to, Makes me tired. She signed while Mike translated for her.

“She lost her hearing at 10,” Mike explained further. “Well, that’s when it became a huge issue.”

“And hearing aids don’t work?” Crystal asked.

She shook her head. Too much damage.

“What happened?” I asked, my interest momentarily overriding the thought that my question was rude. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that…”

She smiled softly. It’s okay. I had these tumors that pressed down on my auditory nerves on both ears. Got them removed but the damage was already done.

“Wow… that sounds like scary shit.”

 She shrugged.

“So, where are you guys from?” Sierra asked. “I mean, you’re new right?”

“Yeah, we’re from California,” Mike said.

“Ooo, Hollywood!” Crystal marveled.

Mike shook his head and laughed, “Not really, but I guess, yeah.”

“How are you liking North Carolina?” Luke asked.

“Uh… well, we’ve been here... an hour? Seems okay so far. What do you think, Mads?”

She nodded, It’s nice.

“So, are you guys going to be seniors this year?” I asked, taking everything about Madison in slowly. I didn’t want to forget a single detail. I wanted to know anything and everything I could about her.

“Yeah, you guys too?” Mike asked.

“Yeah. Stressing about college at all?” The most stressful thought on any seventeen year old’s mind during their senior year of high school.

He shrugged. “A little. I really want to get into Duke or Syracuse. I can study psychology anywhere. But playing soccer for the best schools in the nation? That’s the dream.”

“I’m applying for Duke, too,” I told him. “I really want to run my own car shop, but my dad’s dead set on me going to college. I figure if I can play soccer on one of the best college teams I’ll be able to hack it out for a business degree.”

“Same. I want to work with kids like Mads. And I know I need to go to school to do it. But, it’s not really my thing. What about you, guys?”

They all rattled off their plans: Luke and Sierra were going to college to become working professionals; Calum was going to be a famous soccer player, while Riley would become his agent/wife; and Crystal was going to cosmetology school.

“What about you, Madison? You going to college?” I asked.

Mike laughed, “Mads is going to have her pick of the lot. She’ll be fine.”

“Yeah? Brainiac huh?” Luke asked. His mom was a teacher, so he was our resident Math Whiz, with Calum being able to give him a close run in anything else non-math related.

“Mads, tell them about your classes,” Mike encouraged.

She smacked him on the shoulder, shaking her head.

“Oh, come on. No one’s gonna make fun of you,” he coaxed.

She eyed him suspiciously before taking a breath. “Freshman year I took Honors English, AP Biology, Honors Algebra, Photo 1, French 1, and P.E. I finished P.E. over the summer because it was boring. Sophomore year I took Honors English, AP Chem, AP World History, Honors Pre-Cal, Photo 2 and French 2. Last year I took AP English, AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP U.S. History, Photo 3 and French 3. This year I have AP English, AP Government and Economics, AP Statistics, AP Psychology, and AP French. Then I’m taking Photo 4 to build my portfolio for Yale.” Her words were slow and clumsy, unlike her fingers which moved with ease and grace.

We all stared at her, stunned. We were all stunned by how many honors and AP classes she’d taken and was going to take this year; and I was also stunned by her voice. It was small and delicate, and despite the slowness there was an underlying confidence to what she had to say. Like she wanted her words to matter. “Damn… you’re going to skip like straight to your junior year of college with all of that,” I said.

She shrugged. “Yale’s competitive. I want to take their visual arts program for a Bachelor’s, while minoring in business. Go on to get a Master’s in photography. Run my own photography business.” Again, the words were slow and strong.

“Damn…” I said again. Girl was impressive. “That’s really impressive. That’s not stressful for you, though? All those classes and tests?”

She shook her head.

“Then you can help me,” I told her, “I’m taking the same classes. Well, most of them. I have soccer instead of Photo.”

This school doesn’t have a tutoring center? She was back to signing and Mike was back to translating.

I laughed, “No, I don’t need tutoring. I get straight A’s.” School may not be my thing, but that didn’t mean I was bad at it.

Then why do you need help?

“Mads,” Mike interjected. “I think he’s offering to study with you.”

Why?

“I don’t know. Why does any boy want to study with a girl?”

He wants to kiss me?!

“I don’t know! And I’m not translating that.”

She waved her hands in frustration at her brother.

“No,” he told her. “Talk to him. I’m not… It’s awkward, okay?”

She sighed in frustration. Then, she pulled out her phone and typed rapidly. 

Do you actually mean studying? Or ‘studying’?

I turned bright red. “What? Uh… regular studying… Why, what did you think I meant?”

When Mike ‘studies’ he means kissing. She signed, pocketing her phone.

“Sometimes I actually studied,” Mike defended. “I just also happened to make out with them, too. An added benefit.”

“Just regular studying,” I told her. Although, now that the idea was there, I definitely wouldn’t mind kissing her.

You won’t kiss me?

“Not unless you want me to,” I responded.

She thought about it. No, I wouldn’t be any good at it.

“You’ve never kissed anyone?” Riley asked her.

No.

“Why?”

People like to avoid the deaf girl. Or make fun of her.

“So, you haven’t even had any friends?” Crystal asked, extremely appalled. Being one of the sweetest people in the world, Crystal could never imagine people not having friends.

Not since the tumors. Kinda freaked everyone out.

“Well, you got us now. 6 friends, right here. I’ll work on the boy thing with you.”

Boy thing?

“Do you want a boyfriend?”

I don’t know… There’s a significant communication barrier.

“You just need a boy who understands, and trust me, the not talking thing might be an advantage.” I knew Crystal was going in the direction of setting us up, and I wasn’t going to stop her. It got rid of the awkwardness of me needing to admit that I was interested in Madison myself. I’d happily play the part of willing volunteer to Crystal’s matchmaking.

Eh, boyfriend sounds like it may be too much.

“Okay, maybe not a boyfriend. Start smaller. Go on a date with a boy. See how you like that.”

Madison’s face scrunched up as she thought. I’ve never been on a date… she finally admitted.

“Would you like to go on a date?” Crystal pressed.

With who?

“Me,” I blurted out without thinking. So much for playing it cool, Irwin, I thought to myself.

[minishawmd]

Friends Or More? (Miniminter)

Requested?: Yes

Warnings?: Smut

Pairing: Simon and Reader

This was a collab I did with @minisideminter. It was absolutely lovely to collab with you. Love to do it again.

_________________________________________________

Simon’s POV

“Welcome guys to a new video and I’m here with Simon” Cal(Freezy) I stood smiling at the camera waving “Hi guys” “Okay and today we are doing the challenge of looking through our phones” “Really is that what it’s really called” I questioned He rubbed the side of his head “Well yeah probably not but I can’t remember the name” “Tour not very prepared for this then are you?” I laughed loudly “Shh not the point” he mumbled under his breath “Anyway let’s get on with the video” “So basically we have 10 minutes to go through each other’s phones and we have to answer any questions the other ask” Carrying with the explanation my mind started to drifted: Why on earth I had agreed to this I couldn’t exactly remember, I don’t even like him that much but hey I’m here now may as well do it, who knows what I’ll find out anyways! “Anyway, so Simon you ready?” “Yes who’s going first?”

He hummed to himself before continuing “how about we do rock paper scissors but we go on shoot” “Sure like always” “Okay; rock, paper, scissors shoot” My hand became paper as his became scissors “Okay nah I’m looking through yours first” “Haha okay fine” my voice cracked as it came out nervous “Why did that just happen you worried Simon?” “I don’t know, I actually don’t” I tried to protect myself as I unlocked my phone giving it to him “I mean it’s not like your talking to anyone anyways” “Okay nah fam chill, stop with the lonely jokes already”

*skips 10 minutes*

“Okay so we didn’t find to much just that remind me to never go out with you drinking because I don’t want to walk through a building that isn’t even built yet with the fact that you were only like a block away from home!” I just sat there laughing remember what happened the time tobi found us. “Okay so that’s the end of the ….” he continued “Nah nah nah mate it’s your turn, don’t you think your just gonna get away with it like that” I interrupted ready to find out his secrets that were stashed on his phone. “Shit well I tried” he paused before giving me his Time passed and I didn’t find much until I came across a text with one my close friends, Y/N I looked in horror as what I had seen was shocking in ways I wished I never had read it.

Cal looked at me waiting for me to say something as he didn’t know what I had stumbled across “What the fuck is this” he grabbed the phone off me and had a look for himself “Oh shit, erm look I’ll explain but not on camera” “No now, I want to know why you have been sexting with y/n and the picture and… Just what?! But place bleep her name out when you edit this I don’t want people to know who she is ” My voice came out angrily as I gritted my teeth together “Okay yeah sure” he looked terrified “okay guys we are going to end things there bye” We shut off all the camera’s and I stood there tapping my foot. “so….” “Long story short we had a little fling… Well not a fling a ‘friends with benefit’ month Where we just fucked when and wherever needed” using air quotations he shrugged “And the photo” “I dunno ask her that” I thought for a moment not knowing why I was angry, after I calmed myself down I asked “ how… how was it?” coming out as a whisper. “What? so your asking for the details now after you almost ripped my head off?” I laughed out loud “sure” however I was still nervous so I shuffled about on the spot He grabbed my arm and took me to sit down immediately, like how girls do. “Mate she’s peng as fuck and oh god can she move and do some amazing stuff like….” “Okay nope that’s where I’m cutting you off. I don’t need to know every detail” “Okay but no she…wow boy just thinking about her is makes me hard” “This is wierd to say but yeah I know what you mean like she is peng and you have no idea how long I have wanted her or someone like that” I gave in, letting my feelings I had for her go. “Bro then go for it, you need to experience her first hand go get some” “Nah we can’t keep talking about y/n like this she is more than that” “Fine then make her want you or just go balls deep what’s the worst that could happen?” “Maybe lose the friendship we have?” “Or it could turn into something better” he nudged my side. “Whatever” I stood up and headed towards the door “Where you going?” “None of your damn business” I slammed the door hard walking out. “Have fun don’t be too rough with her” Callum shouted after me. On the car drive home my mind was elsewhere thinking about Y/N with anger, confusion and disbelief: How did I not know this before? For the length of time we have been friends for? Why didn’t she tell me? I’m actually pretty jealous of him. How dare he touch her In that way if anything it should be me. The car ride took a lot longer than it should have done. From the information I’ve just received, I was nervous for her to come around. How should I act? Normally? Can I? Will it be easy? Only time will tell.

Y/N POV

I have been over at the sidemen house for about two hours now. I originally came over to hang out with Simon, but ever since I got here he has been acting very strange. For example, normally when I arrive here he is the first one to greet me. He always hugs me until I have to practically beg him for air, or until one of the other guys comes and pulls him off of me. Not this time though. The hug he gave me today, was short. Almost like he didn’t want to give me one. This was so out of character for him, so I eventually decided to ask Josh if he knew what was going on. In which he responded by telling me that he was just filming a video with Cal. Supposedly the one where you get to look through each other phones, or something, which can only mean that Si must have seen the past fling the two of us had. Since that conversation I now have a better idea of what is going on, I’m going to use that to my advantage. So the past hour, Simon and I have been just sitting around in his room. Having casual conversation, mainly trying to figure what we wanted to do. The both of us had suggested many things, but no matter what one of us always rejects what the other wants to do. “Okay, I can not take this anymore.” I say now standing up from where I was lying down on his bed “We have to do something.” “Like what Y/N? We have suggested everything there is to do.” “Not swimming, and that’s something that I would love to do.” “How can we go swimming if you don’t have your swimsuit with you?” “Si, did you forget that I keep one here for occasions like this?” I then proceed to head over to his closest and pull of my swimsuit that I always leave here. Holding it up so he can see it. “See? I’m gonna go change and I’ll meet you at the pool.” We have now been down at the pool for about half an hour, and its like Simon doesn’t want to be around me. Which I can’t be having any of that. So I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. “Si, please come over here. I want to play a game.” I say resting my head on my hands, which are on the side of the pool “What game?” “The one we used to play all the time as kids.” He looks at me with raised eyebrows, as if to ask me what game that was. “Oh you know. The one where one of us had to close our eyes and try and find the other one.” “Y/N, do you mean Marco Polo?” I shake my head “No, well kinda. Just the person trying not to be caught cant make a sound with their mouth. Don’t you remember it?” “Yeah I remember it.” “So will you play it?” He sighs and stands up, taking his shirt off “I guess.” He then proceeds to jump into the pool. “Who goes first.” “You try and find me first.”

He nods and closes his eyes, giving me ten seconds to get. Away from him before he starts. All in all it took him about three minutes to find me. Trust me when I say this. It was much easier to get away from him when we were little. He didn’t have as of long arms and legs as he does now. When it was my turn to find him, it took me almost ten minutes to find him. I swear to god that he actually got out of the pool at one point. I can feel the water moving around me so I know he is near me, but I just can’t seem to find him. “Simon, I know that you are around here.” I say moving my arms around He doesn’t make a sound, but I can feel the water moving around me. It almost feels like he is moving towards me. Next thing I know, I feel his lips are against my own. At first, I am shocked, but I begin to relax into it and move my lips with his. Just as soon as the kiss began, it ends. Him pulling away and looking at me. Almost like he was waiting for me to be mad or something, “I’m sorry, I just…” He trails off “I’m sorry.” I don’t answer him, I just move closer to him, pressing my lips to his again. With that he gently pushes me back, so that my back is leaning up against the edge of the pool. His hands travel down to my upper thighs, bringing them up so they are wrapped around his waist. It was only then that I could feel his prominence against me.

I push myself down against him, trying to create some kind of friction between us. Causing him lets a moan slip past his lips onto mine. One of my hand, travels down his chest, stopping just at the hem of his swimsuit. Silently teasing him as our lips still move in sync. Just as I am about to move my hand inside, he pulls back from the kiss and grabs my wrist, “Not here.” He whispers “Your room?” He nods, unwrapping my legs from him and pulls me out of the pool. Once we get up the stairs, he picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist again. Bringing me into his room and laying me down on his bed. He presses a quick kiss to my lips, before he moves down so he is face level with my vagina. Looking up at me, silently asking for my permission. In which I give him a slight nod. He then placed a small kiss over my clothed clit, causing me to gasp, before he loops his fingers in the bottoms of my swimsuit. He looks up at me and makes eye contact as he pulls them down. He then moves up and places a kiss on my clit, before he brings his fingers. Rubbing them in a circle, causing me to let out a loud moan. He then moves them down and pushes them into me, moving them at a fast pace. He then moves his head down and connects his lips to my clit again. My hands move down and tangle in his hair, pushing him further into me. “Simon.” I moan out, feeling myself get close “Let go baby girl.” He mumbles, drawing figure eights on my clit with his tongue.

His name slips past my lips again as I feel myself come undone. Once I finally regain myself, I run my hands down his chest, going to move them inside of his shorts. But he stops me. “As much as I would love for you to do that,” he starts “I need to be inside of you.” With that he reaches over to his bedside table and grabs a condom. Rolling it onto himself, he climbs on top of me. Grabbing himself in his hand, he guides himself so he is slowly pushing into me. I didn’t realize how big he actually was until he was almost fully inside of me. As he begins to move, my back arches up into him. He moves at a teasingly slow pace. Taking one of my hands in his, bringing them both up and resting them beside my head. His thrusts gradually get faster and sharper. Causing moans and whimpers to slip past both my lips and his. This triggers my orgasm. My back arches up into his chest. Soon after I feel him cum into the condom. With that he collapses on top of me, both of us out of breath. After a few moments of silence he rolls off of me. “Holy Hell.” He mumbles “What?” I ask breathless, looking over at him “How have we not done that sooner?” I laugh softly “You never initiated it.” “Wait what?” “You never showed an interest in doing this or anything with me.” He sits up “Are you saying that you have wanted to do this before?” I nod “Yep.” He falls back down on the bed and mumbles something. “Repeat that?” I ask turning my body to face him “Why didn’t I know this sooner. I’ve been in love with you for so long.” “You love me?” He nods, sitting up and looking at me “I have for a long time. Just never though. You would re cooperate the feelings.” I smile at him, before leaning over and connecting our lips together. The kiss only lasts for a few seconds before I pull away from him, whispering “Si, I love you too.” His eyes open wide before he smiles and connects our lips back together, climbing on top of me again. I push him off of me before it could go any further. “Not again, big boy.” He falls beside me and chuckles “Is this a bad time to ask you on a date?” I look over at him “Go for it.” “Y/N, will you go on a date with me.” “One more question.” I raise my eyebrows at him “Will you make us official and be my girlfriend.” “No dinner or a date yet?” “I’ll give you dinner and a date after.” “If that’s gonna happen. Then yes I will.” I say smiling “I will make it official.” He smiles and gives me a sweet, short kiss. Once he pulls away, he lays down on the bed, pulling me down, wrapping his arms around me. I guess you could say that this is the never ending start of Simon and Y/N.