#at the airport so I’m putting him in situations in my head for entertainment. you understand.

[ssruis]

I know Riley park is probably in California (Disney land not Disney world) but in my heart I want to believe it’s in florida just because I think tsukasa tenma should be subjected to florida roaches

[sassyhobbits]

for one night standards would you write a scene where aelin cant be found in the castle maybe bc shes doing sth ridiculous with her daughter like a mother daughter photoshoot to surprise rowan with later but when rowan can't find her he gets all panicked and out of his mind bc he still has unresolved trauma from when she was kidnapped and its all angsty until he has both back in his arms but also gives rowan a chance to talk and work through his experience with aelin gone? (because lets face it he probably ignores his feelings about that as much as possible in order to not burden aelin further and because it was just too painful)

loved this idea!!! i also added the prompt “Because I know when I open my eyes this will all turn out to be a dream and I’ll lose you again“ Thank you to everyone who supported ONS!! i had such a fun time writing it and im always happy to come back to it. enjoy!!

~~~

Rowan Whitethorn was generally a patient man.

He knew how to wait his turn, to take his time. He was always one to raise a brow at those who seemed to be in a harried rush to everything. It seemed stressful, to say the least. He was perfectly content to sit back when needed.

Except for now.

He had made a trip back home to Doranelle to surprise Isolde for her graduation from her masters program. Aelin had wanted to come as well, but with the baby and the responsibilities she had back in Orynth, it just hadn’t worked out. Still, she sent her well-wishes to Isolde through a video chat, letting little Eliora babble into the camera and say hello as well.

Their daughter was just over six months now, already growing far too fast for Rowan’s liking. He treasured every moment he got to spend with his two favorite girls.

And although he was always happy to see his family back in Doranelle, it had been the longest he had been away since Eliora had been born. It made him highly impatient to return home.

His jet touched down in Terrasen in the early afternoon. It was summer, though the day was mild. The sky was a vivid blue, fat white clouds floating lethargically on the breeze. Absolutely beautiful.

Due to the time difference, he hadn’t been able to call Aelin before he had got on the plane. He tried to reach her as he slid into the dark sedan that would drive him from the airport to the palace, but all he got was her voicemail.

Maybe she was in the shower, or changing Eliora’s diaper. Maybe their daughter had a finicky night of sleeping and now the pair were trying to catch up on their slumber. It was fine. Or so Rowan told himself. He still hadn’t been able to stop the small clench of nerves at the pit of his stomach.

He scolded those foolish feelings. Of course his wife and daughter were safe. They were just waiting for him to return.

The drive was quick and easy and he was back at the palace before he knew it. His feet carried him towards the room he shared with Aelin, a small smile curling on his lips as he thought about having his wife and daughter in his arms once more. He missed the feeling of Aelin curled against him as they slept.

“Aelin?” he called, pushing into their room and nudging the door shut behind him. “I’m home.”

He was greeted by nothing but silence. No sound of running water in the bathroom to suggest a shower, so soft snores or shifting sheets meaning a nap. He strode into the bedroom, finding that the bed was already neatly made, not a thread out of place.

He dropped his bags by the dresser, noting that Aelin’s phone had been left there, face up. He picked it up, seeing that she still had the notification of a missed call from him and a few miscellaneous emails that hadn’t been checked.

“Aelin?” he said again, moving towards the nursery. He had gotten used to the sight of Aelin sitting in the rocking chair with Eliora, either when the babe was hungry or she just wanted to hold her daughter. Rowan had countless pictures on his phone of the two of them in that position. The sunlight streamed from the window and hit them just right in the mornings, making them look like a painting.

But the nursery was empty and the window was shut.

Those nerves reared their ugly heads once more. He had no reason to assume the worst, the palace was one of the safest places in the kingdom.

But… Aelin had once been snatched away from him on palace grounds. During their own wedding.

Rowan shook himself. No. That was the past. This was now.

Since his wife didn’t have her phone, he knew it would be fruitless to try and contact her that way. But, Rowan knew Aelin better than he knew himself.

He began a sweep of the palace, checking out her favorite haunts. The library was a bust, so was the gym. He had checked the kitchens to see if she had swooped in for a snack or something sweet, but she wasn’t there either. Rowan luckily ran into Aedion, asking the prince if he knew where Aelin was. But her cousin hadn’t seen her at all that morning.

With each failed attempt at finding them, Rowan’s fears steadily crept up. It wouldn’t be much longer before they had wrapped themselves around his throat and pulled him deep into their depths.

He took a long breath to center himself before striding out into the gardens. His heart started beating faster, not seeing any sign of her at first. Rowan’s fingers curled into tight fists as he stepped over fresh, green grass. Gods, where were they? If something had happened to them…

But before Rowan’s fears could conquer him, he heard a soft voice on the summer breeze. A familiar voice at that. Relief washed through him, heavenly and soothing, as he followed that melodic sound.

It was Aelin. It didn’t take him long to realize that she was reading one of Eliora’s favorite books to her. It was a silly tale, and it was made even more vivid when Aelin told it. She was an excellent story-teller. They didn’t know how much Eliora really understood, whether she just liked the brightly colored pictures or the faces her mother would make when she told it. Regardless, it always made the little princess smile.

Rowan rounded a hedge, a warmth spreading through his chest at the sight before him.

Aelin had spread out a large quilt under the shade of a willow. Some of Eliora’s toys were scattered about, but currently, the toddler sat in her mother’s lap, wide-eyes glued on the book before her.

Rowan couldn’t help but think Aelin looked stunning today. Her golden hair was left loose, swaying on the breeze, the summer sun bringing a healthy flush to her cheeks. She wore a silky, pale blue wrap-dress, bare feet tucked beneath her as she read. Eliora looked mighty charming too in a bright pink dress with a matching bow.

Rowan strolled towards them, Aelin’s eyes jumping towards him as she noticed his presence. A huge smile broke out on her stunning face.

“You’re home!” she greeted, putting the book she had been reading aloud down. Eliora, no longer entertained by her mother’s storytelling, crawled over the quilt to grab one of her brightly colored toys. “I thought you were going to call me when you landed?”

“I did, Fireheart,” Rowan said. He lowered herself behind Aelin on the blanket, his wife situated between his legs, before wrapping his arms tightly around her and tugging her back into his chest securely. “You left your phone in our room.”

Rowan placed a lingering kiss on Aelin's shoulder, breathing in her scent deeply. She was safe, in his arms, Eliora happy as can be, sticking her toys in her mouth. Everything was fine.

Aelin turned in his arms slightly, brows knitted slightly. Rowan knew she could see right through him.

“What is it, Ro?”

“It’s nothing, love.”

Aelin narrowed her eyes at him, as if to say, Don’t you lie to me, Buzzard.

Rowan heaved a sigh, reaching out and brushing some of Aelin’s silky hair behind her ear. “It’s just… you didn’t answer me when I called, and I couldn’t find you and Eliora when I got back. I just couldn’t help but think…” His hand drifted until it rested on Aelin’s abdomen, right over the scar she bore from fighting her way to freedom. He saw understanding on his wife’s face.

“We’re here, Rowan. We’re safe.” She placed a gentle hand on Rowan’s cheek, bringing his gaze towards her.

“I know,” Rowan whispered, jaw clenched. “But sometimes, I just worry that when I open my eyes, this will all turn out to be a dream. And I’ll lose you all over again.”

Aelin took his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “This is real, Rowan. We both fought for this life, for each other. And nothing, nothing, is going to take it away. Ever.”

Rowan saw the determination blazing in Aelin’s eyes. She was right, of course. This was their life now, they had built their happiness bit by bit, even when so much seemed to want to go wrong. But Aelin and Eliora… they were everything to him. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to banish his fears entirely, but he would treasure every moment he spent with them.

Rowan leaned in, kissing Aelin softly before murmuring against her lips, “I missed you.”

She smiled, kissing him again. “I missed you too, Ro.”

They indulged in a few more slow, sweet kisses before loud babbling sounded, tiny hands twisting into Rowan’s trouser. He looked down, finding Eliora’s wide eyes looking up at him, flashing a gummy smile.

Aelin laughed. “It looks like someone else missed you, too.”

Rowan grinned, reaching out and picking up his daughter. He held her up high, making her release the sweetest little laughs, little legs kicking in delight. He kissed Eliora all over her little face before tucking her in one arm, throwing the other around Aelin. Immense love and devotion flowed through him, holding his two girls close.

No wonder why he had been so impatient to get home.

[demon-slayage]

The first time you and Cove Holden get into an argument is when you’re in college

-femme reader

-high affectionate Cove, long term dating

-post step 3

-some mild angst but mostly fluff

-hi I haven’t written anything in years and this just popped out at me. Sorry it can get a little specific I based the sorority stuff on some of my own experiences so it does come from a femme perspective as well as my own experiences in the game w a high affectionate sporty Cove.

-hope you enjoy!

————————-

You opted to go to a university on the opposite side of the state. You generally didn’t come home to visit all that often just because your schedules didn’t always line up that way but you and Cove made it work. He knew this would happen and you tried to make a point of visiting at least once a month. However, you had joined a sorority because you wanted to make more friends. You could tell your longtime boyfriend was a little wary since your high school and friend group was never into partying like Greek life was known for.

Once you made it into the sorority in late fall you were finally able to attend one of these said ragers that Cove was worried about. You partook in some underage drinking and sent your boyfriend a couple of Snapchats of you hanging out with some sisters who he’s seen before as well as some unknown frat brothers. He simply told you to be safe, have a good time, and call him if you needed him. Knowing full well he’d drop everything to come get you if needed. Even though your drive/flight was hours away. You told him you loved him and not to worry.

But knowing Cove thats all he did over the weekend. Then the week after you had to deal with midterms so you were even busier and had less time to chat with your boyfriend as you were busy studying in the library with your friends and sisters. But regardless of that fall break was coming up and you had planned your visit to see Cove after midterms.

You made sure to text Cove to tell him you weren’t going to be as available but you knew he’d be a little sad but understanding knowing how clingy he was. However being in this situation you didn’t have time to focus on that.

Friday rolled around and you’d opted to fly home instead of taking the 5 hour drive. You’d planned it to be a surprise getting there earlier instead of the usual time. You had your moms pick you up from the airport and they smothered you with hugs and kisses once they saw you walk out of the gate.

You told them about how the semester was going and told them about your organization and they were just happy you were home. They took you family condo and you immediately got dressed to surprise your-probably-worried-you-hadn’t texted-him-for-a-bit-boyfriend. You sent him a text you saying were leaving in the morning which was normal but you’d always sent a follow up once you took a stop in your usual road trip.

You made your way to the tropical place restaurant where he worked and had even stopped by a local candy shop to pick up some fudge for him.

You swung the door open with a jingle and you’d somehow caught Cove conveniently at the host podium but unfortunately the moment he saw you he started immediately choking on the water he was drinking. His boss rushed over to check on him and noticed you and started laughing.

They said “Oh Cove, ever the smooth one. Why don’t you go take a long lunch since your partner is back.” They patted him on the back as he was still hacking pretty hard but you could see tears forming his eyes. You were unsure whether they were from being excited to see you or because he was in pain from choking.

You quickly pulled your dying boyfriend outside and let him finish recovering. After clearing his throat a few times he brought you into a big hug. And kissed your face all over.

“I didn’t expect you back so early!”

“I know I flew instead of driving since I wanted to see you so bad since I have more time! Fall break doesn’t end til Wednesday so you’re stuck with me until then.”

He puts a hand to his heart and says “oh what shall I do with you for that long.” He says it with a sly look in his eyes. But you also notice a bit of sadness in his voice but choose not to comment on it. You will later but not when he has to eventually go to back to work.

“So, do you want to eat here or find somewhere else to go. I guess I have a longer lunch but I don’t want to push it.”

You both opt for eating at his workplace but sitting outside around back away from the customers. You quickly fall into your normal conversations and you tell him about the midterms and your initiation into your sorority, telling him for the first time you have a secret he can’t know. He tries to get you to spill jokingly but you won’t budge. You also sense his sadness rising but again you won’t push until you’re in private.

Eventually your hour comes to a close and you tell him you’ll see him at his apartment later. You wave the spare key he gave you when he moved in and start your 15 minute trek back to your home to grab your belongings which you had left with your moms before they dropped you off to see him.

You ran inside and gave them a quick hug, popped over to Mr. Holden’s house to let him know you were back, who was just as shocked and then made your trek to Cove’s one bedroom apartment.

His complex was actually rather close to your family homes, he now had his independence but was still close enough to pop in on both families. You’d appreciated it since you’d stay at both places when you were in town and if Elizabeth was in town you got to stay with Cove. Though there was still a room available it was mostly just a weak excuse but your families never minded.

You opened up the door and inhaled and felt at peace. The citrusy-ocean scent you were used to hit you and made you tear up slightly. You walked your bag to Coves bedroom and then grabbed your entertainment of choice and headed into the living room to wait for him to get back. Since he was working a morning shift you expected him home in about an hour.

While you waited you remembered the fudge bought for him and made sure to grab it and display it on his coffee table.

Like clockwork when the clock struck 3, your tired boyfriend walked inside. All of the exhaustion on his face completely melted away at the sight of you and in two steps, thankful to his long legs he was holding you in his arms. Very enthusiastic for someone who’d already greeted you.

“You just saw me though!”

“I know but I didn’t get to do this earlier” he brought his lips to yours and the world stood still and all felt at peace. After a few moments you broke apart and you motioned to the fudge on the table.

“I bought some of your favorite to surprise you!”

You saw tears start to form in his eyes and then tears started to form in yours and you both hugged each other again before settling in a tangled pile of limbs on the couch.

However you were still aware of the subtle sadness he was giving off and decided now was the best time to bring it up.

“Hey.”

You looked at him with worry and he immediately went wide eyed.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“No, you tell me? I could tell you weren’t all there today when I saw you at the restaurant.”

“Oh,” he sighed. “Yeah. I’m sorry. It’s nothing.”

You looked at him and he immediately broke.

“No you’re right, sorry I don’t know why I sometimes do that still, you can read me like an open book.” He pulled you closer.

“I guess I was just feeling a little insecure.”

You were surprised. The Cove Holden. Insecure? You both trusted each other with the utmost care and neither of you had ever done anything warranting an insecurity to rise but you let him continue speaking.

“You looked like you were having so much fun in those photos, but seeing you with all those guys i didn’t know kind of got to me. And then you were busy the whole week, which I know you couldn’t help. But we couldn’t even talk about it and it just weighed on me.”

Oh Cove. You put a hand up to your mouth and tears started to form in your eyes. You pushed your face into his chest then looked up at him. He looked back at you with a deep intense love.

“I’m sorry I didn’t even think about that! Those guys joined their organization around the same time as me so we’d been getting to know each other and since it was the first time we got to drink I wasn’t even really conscious of what was happening! They’re just some good friends.”

At that he seemed to stiffen.

“What do you mean not conscious? You didn’t drink that much you blacked out?”

You were not actually a drinker at all and felt a little stung by his assumption. You weren’t even allowed to drink your entire new member process until you got initiated into the organization either so that was a first and you knew you didn’t pass your limits either.

“No Cove. I didn’t. I was fine, i didn’t mean it that way. I meant that those guys had just become part of my routine. Not that I had blacked out.” Your tone came out a little more hostile than you meant.

He looked away and cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I know you’re responsible.”

He looked at you and picked up your hand and started massaging it.

“It’s just with alcohol, I worry about it since we never really drank in high school. You’re free to do that of course! You’re free to do whatever you want I just was worried since I’m not able to be there if anything bad did happen.”

Oh. He was right. It’s not like if you did get sick he’d be right there to be able to hold your hair back. Of course he was concerned. You were living different lives right now and it worried him that he couldn’t be a part of some of your firsts.

“Cove, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that. You’re always on my mind that it kind of felt like you’d be able to instantly come to my aid if I needed but you are actually 5 hours away and 3 if you fly.” You smiled sadly at him.

He pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“I trust you I really do, you know that but I’ve been realizing it’s hard for me at times watching you live this different life than me after we spent 10 years doing the same thing. I’ve never felt that insecurity before. In the back of my head I worry you’ll get bored of your boyfriend from your small hometown and want to move on to different things.”

You sighed at that, but not with any malice.

“Cove James Holden. You know you are the only one for me. Like you said, I’ve been with you for 10 years! You’re not getting rid of me that easily! And I’d never get bored of you!”

That elicited a chuckle and you pressed your lips to his cheek and then his lips.

Once you pulled apart he stayed looking at you with a soft gaze.

“I want you to have fun, have the whole college experience. I know you won’t always have time to talk to me. Thank you for sticking with me and riding out these insecurities I feel. You are my person and I know I’m yours.”

“Exactly! You are my absolute person.” You replied happily. Poking him in the chest.

“I love you,” he said as he pressed another kiss to your forehead.

“I love you two Cove Holden. Forever and always.”

——

Bonus:

You then spent the rest of the evening cooking dinner, catching up, and eventually having the nicest, deepest sleep you’re had in a while being back in the arms of your boyfriend. He had taken the weekend off so you didn’t even need to worry about waking up early in the morning.

When the sun peaked through the blinds you smiled up at the sleeping beauty who’d encased you protectively in his arms all night knowing someday you’d be doing this every day for the rest of your lives.

[atlafan]

Office Neighbors - Part Thirteen

a/n: WEDDING!!! (reblogs and feedback are super helpful!) not proofread, sorry!

warnings: FLUFF! Smut (a little bit of bum stuff, but don’t get too excited, it’s not what you think...yet)

words: 16K

masterpost

You and Harry needed to go down to Boston a few days before the wedding. You needed to go over things with Julian, and he needed to be there for when his family and friends flew in. Andy was extremely excited. Brandon’s parents would be sending him down on the bus the day before the wedding, so Andy would have a buddy during the rehearsal dinner.

It was nice to have a few days off from school, but Andy was sad to be away from Brandon. They hadn’t been able to really discuss everything that happened at the Halloween party like he had hoped. Every time he saw him he just blushed and smiled. They’d hold hands a little underneath the desks in class, and that was about it.

You were off with Julian, Phil, and your parents while Harry and Andy went to the airport to pick everyone up. Harry was somehow able to get everyone on the same flight.

“Six hours with these two buggers behind me. They were worse than the kids!” Gemma says as she hugs Harry, and then Andy. “I needed to take something to fall asleep.”

“Oi, we weren’t that bad.” Niall says.

“Yeah, it’s not our fault there was a football match on the tele.” Louis says. “You should be paying us babysitting fees for keeping those two entertained.”

Gemma glares at the guys before they rush to hug Harry and Andy. Anne hugs everyone as well. She looked pooped.

“I know, long flight and all that, but you’re here now.” Harry says.

Lizzie and Ritchie chat with Andy as they all wait for their luggage to come through baggage claim.

“How are we all going to fit in the same car?” Gemma asks.

“Oh, we rented a van for the weekend. Make things easier to get to and from the commons, so I just drove that here. You’re gonna love the hotel suite Julian’s put you lot in.”

“And you’re staying with us?” Niall says.

“Yeah, about that…” Harry rubs the back of his neck. “Nothing we’re doing is traditional, so I was sort of thinking I’d just stay with Y/N.”

“Nope, no way. Can’t have a proper bachelors night out if we send you back drunk to your fiancé.” Louis says. “You will stay with us.”

“You’re gonna sloshed the night before your wedding?” Anne asks.

“No…we’re all going out tonight. Tomorrow’s the rehearsal, and then the wedding.” He looks at his friends. “M’not spending two nights away from her.”

“You will, and you’ll like it.” Niall says.

Everyone grabs their luggage and heads out to the van, and climbs in. Harry drives back to the hotel. He helps everyone get checked in, and shows them to their suites.

“Oh, this is perfect!” Gemma says. “Look, Mum, two queens in a room for us, and two queens for all the kids, this’ll be great.”

“Andy, your friend Brandon’s coming tomorrow, right?” Anne asks him.

“Mhm.” He smiles.

“Good, it’ll be nice to see him again. He’s such a sweet boy.” She pats his head and puts hers things down. “Well, I need to take a bit of a nap. Are we all going to have a meal together later?”

“Yeah, we’ll all get together for an early dinner. Take some time to rest. Kids, there’s a pool if you feel up to it.”

“Uncle Harry, I’m pooped.” Lizzie whines. “Need a nap too.”

“Alright, darling.” Harry chuckles.

“I’ll take ‘em down later.” Gemma says. “Andy you’re staying with us?”

“Yeah!”

“Fantastic. Do you wanna stay here with us or go with Dad?”

“I’ll hang out here.” He shrugs. “Everyone they’re all doing is boring.”

“Where is Y/N, anyways?” Anne asks.

“She’s getting some last minute stuff together. Her bridal party will be here tomorrow, so you’ll meet just her immediate family tonight, and then everyone else later.”

“Sounds good.” She yawns. “Okay, off to bed for me.”

Harry heads down the hall to Louis and Niall’s room. Harry met his two best friends his first year of uni. They all played football (soccer) together on the school’s team. Harry obviously didn’t continue on with the sport once he came to the states. Louis had a serious girlfriend of his own, but she stayed home to give the boys their fun, and Niall was in-between relationships at the moment.

“So, how’s Holly.” Harry asks Louis.

“Ah, she’s fantastic. Just FaceTimed her quick. She sends all her love.”

“Tell her I send mine right back. And what about you, Casanova?” Harry smirks. “No ladies awaiting your return?”

“Nope.” Niall grins. “I’m a free man once again. I swear I have all the luck. The women I keep dating are absolutely batty. Wouldn’t mind finding a woman of my own to settle down with.”

“Y/N’s friend Nora is single, and she’s awfully sweet.” Harry says.

“Mm, a long distance relationship isn’t in the cards for me right now, but I’ll keep that in mind if I feel like getting laid this weekend.” He winks at his friend.

“Holly and I did the long distance thing in the beginning, remember? Wasn’t all bad. I had a cool place to visit, we never fought, and it was always hot.” Louis smirks. “It’s still hot, but I certainly don’t like it when she gets mad at me for not getting me knickers in the hamper.”

“Maybe get your knickers in the hamper, and she wouldn’t get mad at you. Just a thought.” Harry says.

“No shit?!” Louis says with a laugh. “Fuckin’ genius over here, it’s almost like you’re a doctor or something.”

“Come on, let’s go get your shit from your room and bring it here.” Niall says.

“Fine.” Harry sighs. “But I’ll need to hog the pillows.”

“Are you still a clingy sleeper?” Louis asks. “You’ve got psychological damage, I swear to god.”

//

After everyone had time to get situation, and rested, Harry eventually caught up with you. He explained that his friends are basically forcing him to stay with them.

“You’ll have more fun, Har.” You chuckle. “It’ll give me more time to be with your mom and sister.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“What are you guys even doing tonight?”

“Think they just wanna take me out to get drunk.” He shrugs. “Wanna come meet them?”

“Yeah!”

You hold hands as you make your way to their room. Harry knocks, and Niall opens the door.

“Hey!” He beams and hugs you immediately. “So this is the lovely lady our Harry’s just been tickled pink about.” You giggle at that and step into the room. “He hasn’t give you enough credit, you’re gorgeous, you know?” Niall keeps his arm around your shoulders and you blush.

“Oi, stop flirting with my fiancé.”

“Why? Not like you’re married yet. Still plenty of time to back out, love.”

“There she is.” Louis says with a smile and hugs you. “It’s so great to meet you. Don’t pay any attention to Nialler here, only rubbish ever comes out of his mouth.” You blink at Louis. “What?”

“You’re…you’re gonna have to speak a little slower.” You chuckle. “Your accent is a little…thick.”

“Maybe yours is thick! Didja ever think o’that?” He looks at you seriously and then laughs. “Only teasing, love, only teasing.”

“How long have you all known each other again?”

“Since we were eighteen.” Harry says as he sits down on the couch in the living area of the suite. “We were all on the soccer team together, and we lived in a triple. It was great.”

“I’m sorry, did you say you were on a sports team?” You were shocked.

“I only played my first year. I’m a better coach than a player.”

“Yeah, the lad here told us there were better opportunities here and left us.” Louis says. “But we all stayed close.”

“We usually get together whenever Harry comes back to London.” Niall explains.

“And where do you both live?”

“I live in London, not too far from Harry’s family, actually.” Louis says.

“Same here, actually. The city was calling my name.” Niall says. “You’re from this area, right?”

“Yeah.” You smile. “Born and raised. It’s the perfect sized city, in my opinion. I never felt overwhelmed or small. I like going to New York once in a wall, but I always get so anxious.”

“London should be fun for you then. You’re coming for the holidays, yeah?” Louis says.

“She sure is.” Harry says as he puts his arm around you, kissing your cheek.

“So, what are we doing for dinner tonight?” Niall asks. “M’getting hungry.”

“We’re all going to this amazing Chinese buffet. You’ll love it.” You say and look down at your watch. “Should probably head down to the lobby soon to meet everyone.”

“Good thinking.” Harry says. “You both ready? We’ll probably leave for our night out from the restaurant.”

“Yup, got everything we need.” Louis says. “Don’t worry, Y/N, we won’t get him too loaded.”

“I’m sure you’ll take very good care of him.” You say with a smirk.

//

You were a bit nervous as you approached the lobby. You had been on a number of FaceTime calls with Gemma and Anne at this point, but it was still wild to be seeing them in person.

“Oh!” Anne exclaims when she spots you, and you smile. “My god, it’s so nice to finally meet in person.” She says as she hugs you.

“Same to you.”

You hug Gemma next, and introduce yourself to Lizzie and Ritchie. Your parents, Julian, and Phil come strolling into the lobby, and everyone else gets acquainted. You all make your way to the restaurant, and are brought to the private room in the back for large parties. A buffet was set up, and the kids sit together while all of the adults co-mingle. You take in everything. Your parents were chatting up Anne as Phil and Julian were talking with Gemma. Louis and Niall were keeping Harry pretty preoccupied. It was nice to see him interacting with them. He had this boyish smile on his face, and it filled you with so much joy.

“Y/N, who’s officiating for you two?” Gemma asks

“My old rabbi is coming.” You smile. “He’s going to do a few prayers for us since that was important to me, and Harry didn’t seem to mind.” He places his hand over yours. “And then our friend Janette is going to step in and do the rest. She was over the moon when we asked her. She works with us as well.”

“That’s great! Harry’s always told nice stories about Janette over the years. Will everyone else from your department be coming?”

“Yeah.” Harry answers his sister. “They’ll be coming to the reception. The ceremony is going to be everyone in this room, plus Y/N’s bridal party. Very small.”

“I like it.” Anne says. “I mean, having a big wedding is great and all, but I like that this will be much more intimate. It makes it more special, in a way.”

“I still can’t believe how quickly you were able to pull this all together.” Your mom says. “I’m happy, don’t get me wrong, but I was shocked when you said it would be happening so soon.”

“We just figured what was the use in waiting a year when we knew it was going to be small. It’s not like we needed to book a large venue, and thanks to Julian, we were able to squeeze into that smaller ballroom for the reception.” You say.

“How will everything work out at the commons?” Niall asks.

“We’re having two small tents set up, one for me and one for Harry, and both parties to hang out in. I’ll be brought over in the van beforehand to take pictures and all that, and then we’re going to do a first look.” You explain.

“We really wanted that moment to be private between us. Andy’s gonna be involved in it too, it’s gonna be great.” Harry says.

“Our admin, Lucas, is taking all of the photos, he’s so talented.” You say. “We’re paying him, of course, but he’s not charging as much as a full-time professional would.”

“It’s nice you two have so many people in your corner to help out.” You dad says. “Makes me feel better about you living so far away, honey.” He gives your hand a squeeze and you smile at him.

You had never felt more blessed in your life. You were with a man your family approved of, and they were happy for you, genuinely! Your parents had been not so great to your past boyfriends, but they took a liking to Harry right away. You wondered if Andy had anything to do with it. They were skeptical, you noticed, at Thanksgiving, but it was like once they met Andy they knew you’d be alright with Harry. It must have something to do with the fact that he’s been able to keep a kid alive and safe. They knew they could trust him with you.

Dinner was great, and everyone felt plenty full. Harry tells Andy to be good and to listen to the adults taking care of him since he’d be mostly likely going to the pool at the hotel with his cousins.

“Have fun you three.” You say to the boys before you all head your separate ways. “Bring him back in one piece.”

“We’ll do our best.” Niall winks.

Harry rolls his eyes at his friends and gives you a hug and a kiss before he leaves with them. You head back to the hotel with Harry’s family after saying goodbye to your own. You meet them all down at the pool to hang out while the kids swam around.

“Have you two been to Boston often?” You ask Anne and Gemma.

“A few times, yeah. We usually fly in here, but we’ve only explored a couple of times.” Gemma explains. “We usually have to hop on the bus up to New Hampshire to get to Harry’s.”

“I think we’re planning our next visit for Andy’s fourteenth birthday since he’ll be done with middle school.”

“And that’ll be when his next birthday party will be at Harry’s house.” Gemma says. “No offense, but I have zero desire to party it up at Paige’s.”

“Oh, please.” You laugh. “I don’t blame you at all.”

“She’s a lovely woman and all, great mum to my grandson, but I’ll never forgive her for hurting my son.” Anne says as she crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, glancing over at the kids in the pool. “I was so shocked the day he called me and told me she was pregnant. He wasn’t done with school yet, and I could tell he was panicked.”

“I had to talk him off the ledge. He was so close to dropping out to find a job. Thankfully Paige had the good sense to remind him he was just about done with school and she was already working full time. I already had the twins, so I was able to give him some pointers.”

“Ah, so they’re about a year older than Andy, then?” You say.

“About, yeah, like a year and half. They all get along great, thank god. At the age they are now, it can feel like such a big gap, you know?”

“Y/N, are you and Harry hoping to have a kid, or are you leaving it with Andy?” Anne asks. “I know it’s not really any of my business, but I had always hoped he’d have more.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.” You smile. “Yeah, we plan to have a baby at some point. I’m hoping to finish up my doctoral program before we start trying. It’s a lot of stress, and I’d be scared of something happening.”

“Perfectly understandable.” Gemma says. “I was happy with my two for one special.” She laughs. “Got one of each in one go, and that was plenty for me.”

“Have you two talked to Andy about him potentially being a big brother? I know he has Rachel, but that’s a little different. Feel like they’re more like buddies.” Anne says.

“We haven’t talked to him about it, no.” You sigh. “I feel like he’ll be okay with it, but sometimes we don’t really know how he’ll take things. He was awfully upset last year when Paige got engaged. He took ours much better, for whatever reason.”

“He’s a mumma’s boy, just like his father, that’s why.” Gemma smirks. “Harry used to throw a fit anytime Mum went out on a date.”

“Only when Dad and I first divorced, he got over it eventually.” Anne shrugs.

“Yeah, he started dating and said, ‘hm, maybe Mum was valid for wanting to go out’.” Gemma laughs.

“I’m glad Harry having such an older kid didn’t scare you off.” Anne says to you. “It’s one thing when you meet someone and their child is young, basically still a baby, but Andy was, like, ten when you met him, right?”

“Yeah, I think so.” You smile and think back on his chubby cheeks. He’d grown so much in just a couple of years. “I actually think it made things easier. He was able to warm up to me as a friend first, you know? Plus, I think Harry would talk about me to him.”

“He talked about you to everyone.” Anne laughs. “He was smitten before he even knew he was smitten.”

“And there I was totally oblivious to the whole thing.” You shake your head. “Well, not totally, I think I was pretending not to notice. I wasn’t totally into the idea of dating a colleague. I was so new, I didn’t want to seem unprofessional.”

“I get that.” Gemma says. “I met my late husband at work, and we definitely discussed the implications of dating before we actually went out. It can make things really complicated if it doesn’t work out.”

“That’s why I’m kinda glad we started dating in the summer time so we could ease into it a bit.” You say as your phone buzzes. You take it out of your pocket and see a message from Harry. It was a picture of him, clearly one of the boys took, drinking through a funnel. “Oh, god.” You laugh and show them. “They do this often?”

“They’re bad influences.” Gemma says. “They act like little boys when they all get together.”

“They better not make him sick, Harry promised to take us out for some fun during the day tomorrow before the rehearsal.”

//

“Why’d you send her that?!” Harry slurs as he grabs his phone from Niall.

“Thought she’d appreciate you checking in.” Niall smirks.

“Not funny.” Harry says as he tries to text you.

Harry: sooo sorry about that, I’m being good, promise

Y/N: don’t worry about it, I’m glad you’re having fun

“You’re lucky she’s easy going.” Harry says to the two of them. “No more funnels, m’too old for funnels. I’m almost thirty-four for fuck’s sake!”

“You’re, like, three months away from that, chill out.” Louis says and Harry pouts at him. “Fine, no more funnels, let’s do shots instead.”

“Good thinking, Lou, tequila sounds excellent.” Niall says and asks the bartender for three shots.

“Can we sit down? There’s a booth right over there.” Harry points to it and the boys nod. They do their shots at the bar, and Louis orders three more so they can have them at the booth. Harry sighs as he sits. “Much better.”

“Alright, so, you’re really ready to get married? Make that big leap?” Niall asks.

“Yup.” Harry smiles. “I like her a lot.” He takes his phone out. “I mean, look at how cute she is, she’s perfect.” He shows them a picture of you out in the garden, wearing one of Harry’s bucket hats and some dirt on your cheeks. “That’s my baby right there.”

“You did well, Har.” Louis chuckles and pushes Harry’s phone back to him.

“She’s amazing with Andy too, like, she always knows what to say to him. I didn’t realize how much I was doing on my own until she started coming over more and helping out. I feel like I really have someone I can lean on now.” He sniffles and Niall starts laughing.

“Please, don’t get all emotional on us, mate.” Louis says.

“I just can’t believe out of all the people in the world she’s choosing me.”  

“Why wouldn’t she?” Niall says. “I’ve never seen a guy treat a woman as well as you do. Not to mention you’re one of the funniest fuckers I’ve ever met. The key to a woman’s heart is laughter, I swear.”

“it’s true, we laugh a lot.” Harry smiles. “Although, sometimes she tells me I’m not funny even while she’s laughing.”

“That’s because you make really stupid jokes.” Louis says. “They’re so bad they’re funny.”

“Oi, I’m a dad, I get to make dad jokes.” The three do the round of shots Louis had gotten.

“Alright, I’m done with this place.” Niall says. “Onto the next one.”

“And what’s the next one?” Harry raises an eyebrow as the boys grin. “No.”

“C’mon, H.” Niall says.

“Nope, not doin’ in.”

“We have to.” Louis says. “It’s an upscale place, we checked.”

“I don’t wanna watch a bunch of women I don’t know take their clothes off and shake it all around.”

“We’re not goin’ to a strip club, we’re going to a club where there will be some bottle girls and some exotic dancers.” Niall explains. “Nothing overly risqué.”

“Ugh, fine, but let’s do another shot before we go.”

The boys do another shot, and then head to the other club. Harry was feeling loose, so he wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but he knew he’d feel guilty tomorrow when he was sober. There was loud music playing, and girls in booty shorts and crop tops walking around with drinks. Louis and Niall speak to the bouncer, and they’re brought over to an area that was roped off for them. Harry just felt thankful he could sit for a bit.

“Alright, who’s the bachelor over here?” A girl comes over with a cart.

“That would be this lad here, miss.” Louis says.

“Great! You get a rum bucket.” She grins at Harry as she starts putting the drink together, and Louis and Niall put some bills down on the cart as a tip for her.

“A rum bucket?!” Harry grows wide eyed. “That may be a bit much, I’ve been drinking tequila all night, and-“

“So you’ll nurse it, sweetie.” The girl finishes mixing the drink and hands it to him. “Whoever’s marrying you is a very lucky lady.” She smirks as she looks him up and down. “My name’s Lucy if you need anything, just holler. I’ll be covering your party tonight.”

“Thanks, Lucy.” Niall says. “This cart staying with us?”

“It sure is.” She smiles and walks away. Niall and Louis make their own drinks.

“How’s it taste, Har?” Louis asks.

“Mm, really good, actually.” Harry smiles. “Like…tastes like I’m at the beach.” He takes another decent gulp. “Refreshing.”

The rest of the night is…fuzzy for Harry. Lucy had come over a few times, she tried to flirt with him a little, but he explained not only was he probably way too old for her, but he explained, through slurred words, that he was marrying you, and even showed her some pictures. Louis and Niall got him plenty drunk at the club. Niall offered to buy him a lap dance, but Harry refused profusely. He drank two of the rum buckets, so needless to say he had no idea how he made it back to the hotel in one piece.

//

The next morning Harry wakes up with his head swimming. He almost felt drunk still. He wanted to take a long hot bath, or something. He knuckles at his eyes and sits up. He blinks a few times and jumps when he sees you sitting next to him with a book in your hand.

“Morning sleepy head.” You smile at him. “The boys let me in, wanted to check on you.”

“What is it?”

“Around 9:30. You gotta get up soon, your mom is adamant about spending the day with you before the rehearsal.”

“I know.” He yawns. “She wants to see some of the freedom trail.” He pushes you down onto your back and lays his head on your chest. You giggle as you card your fingers through his tangled hair. “I drank too much.”

“Get sick?”

“Don’t think so. Feel gross now, though.”

“You’ll feel better after some coffee and shower. I got you a small black.”

“You’re an angel, thank you.” He nuzzles further into your chest and then he looks up at you. “I have to confess something.”

“What’s that?”

“The last place we went to was, like, basically an upscale strip club, I’m sorry. I told them I didn’t want to, but they made me. I didn’t do anything though, I even showed the bottle girl pictures of you, and I refused a lap dance.”

“Harry.” You suck your bottom lip into your mouth. “I have to confess something too.”

“You were the bottle girl in disguise!” He gasps and you laugh, petting his head.

“No, baby. My friends took me to see male exotic dancers. It was a show, really, and they all stayed on the stage so it wasn’t like there was any touching or dollar bills flying around, but I did see some skin.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I didn’t want you getting jealous.” You say softly. “It was good, clean fun, just like I’m sure last night was.”

“There was a lot of skin showing last night.” He sighs. “Wish it was yours.” He tugs at the hem of your shirt and slides his hand up underneath.

“Oh! Cold hand!” You swat it away and pull it out from under your shirt. “None of that now, we have a lot to do today.”

“Shower with me?” He pouts.

“Can’t, I already did, but I’ll wait in here while you do if you want.”

“Sit in the bathroom with me so we can still chat?”

“Okay.” You chuckle.

Harry takes a few sips of coffee, and you let him use the toiler before hanging out in the bathroom with him as he showers. He tries to recall more events from last night, but he explains a lot of it still feels fuzzy.

“Didn’t take you for someone who would chug from a funnel.” You say to him, and he rips the curtain back to show his face.

“What?”

“One of the guys sent me a picture from your phone. It’s okay, it was funny.”

“Buggers.” He mutters as he gets back to washing up. He gets out and you hand him a towel.

“Better?”

“Much. I don’t know what I’d do if Andy ever saw me that fucked up. I’d me mortified. Where is he, anyways?”

“Down at breakfast with your family. I picked up Brandon from south station earlier, so they’re catching up. They practically leapt into each other’s arms, it was so cute.”

“Sorry I missed that.” Harry sighs as he gets dressed. “Cold out?”

“Not too bad, might wanna wear a sweater.”

He nods and throws one on. He puts some mousse in his hair and scrunches it up so his curls will be more defined.

“Alright, I’m a person again. Breakfast sounds really good right now.” He finishes up his coffee and walks out of the room with you. Niall and Louis were waiting in the living area.

“There is he, and you don’t even look half bad.” Louis says.

“Gee, thanks.” Harry rolls his eyes. “We’re heading to breakfast, you lot joining?”

“Yeah, mate, we were waiting for you.” Niall scoffs.

You giggle as you all had down to the small restaurant the hotel had. You spot everyone right away, and tell Harry to go sit so you can make up a plate for him at the buffet table. He presses a kiss to your lips as a thank you and he goes to sit down. Gemma smirks at him.

“What?”

“Nothin’, have a nice time last night?”

“I did, thank you.” He pours himself some coffee and looks over at all the kids chatting and getting along. “I’m gonna go say hello to my son, if that’s alright with you.” He turns his nose up at Gemma, which makes her and Anne burst out laughing. “Hey, buddy.” Harry says as he sits down next to Andy.

“Hey.” He smiles.

“Hi, Mr. Styles.”

“Hey, B, how was the trip down?”

“Good, I slept for most of it.” He shrugs.

“Pretty brave to go on a bus like that by yourself.”

“I was nervous at first, but Andy told me all about his first time flying alone and it made me feel better.”

Harry smiles at that and looks at his niece and nephew.

“You two behaving and all that?”

“When do we not?” Lizzie scoffs.

“Yeah, Uncle H, give us some credit.” Ritchie says.

“How was the pool?”

“So much fun!” Lizzie says. “And Mum let us use the hot tub, it was so cool.”

“That was nice of her.” Harry smiles, and then feels a hand on his shoulder.

“Sitting with the kids, huh?” You chuckle and place his plate in front of him. “Got you fruit and potatoes.” You kiss the top of his head.

“Thank you, darling.”

“Dad, what time is the rehearsal going to start?”

“Around three this afternoon, gotta do it while it’s still light enough out.” He pops a grape into his mouth and looks at his watch. “Plenty of time to go out and enjoy the city. Got walking sneakers on, B?”

“Mhm.” He nods. “Where are we going?”

“Well, my mum loves history, so we’re gonna walk along the freedom trail for a bit, stop at some of the different landmarks, and then we’ll grab a quick bite to eat somewhere inside Quincy Market.”

“But don’t fill up.” You warn them. “Phil’s preparing an incredible dinner for all of us tonight.”

“You’re not coming?” Andy asks you.

“No, I have to stay here to make sure the room is put together, and be here for when my friends check in. A lot of our friends are going to be coming tonight, so I wanna be a good hostess when they check in.”

“Can’t believe you trust Dad to get us around with you.”

“Oi.” Harry says with a mouth full of potatoes. “I’ve got my wits about me, I know what I’m doing. I’ve gotten you around London in piece, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, but you grew up there.” Andy remarks.

“I’ll tell you what.” You say. “If you feel like you’re lost, just call me, yeah?” You wrap your arms around Harry and rest your head on the top of his chest.

“I’m not a buffoon, we’re not gonna get lost.” He sips his coffee. “Why don’t you lot go to the bathroom before we get going?”

The kids all giggle and stand up to do as he says. You take the opportunity to sit down next him. He rests his head on your shoulder as he continues to eat, and you giggle.

“What?”

“Nothing, you’re just so fucking cute.” You kiss his cheek. “We’re getting married tomorrow.” You nuzzle your nose to his cheek and he turns to look at you.

“Oh, is that why we’re here? Thought we were just having a little family time.” He shrugs and you nudge his shoulder as smile pulls at his lips.

“They’re really cute together.” Louis says to Niall and Gemma. Anne had gotten up to go to the bathroom as well.

“I’ve never seen him like this.” Gemma says quietly. “Even when he was with Paige, like, yeah he babbled about her, but with Y/N you can really see the adoration he has for her.”

“I was gonna say the same thing!” Niall says. “He really truly adores her.”

“Paige was a first love for him, I think.” Louis says. “Which can be nice and meaningful, but that’s true love right there if I’ve ever seen it.”

“I agree completely.” Gemma says. They all smile as they see you scratch at Harry’s head and kiss his cheek. “I like her a lot, so does our mum. Harry’s chill, but he can get worked up easily, you know? Paige can be so high strung, I feel like Y/N brings a nice balance to his life because she’s also equally as chill.”

“Yeah, he said she only really stresses about her doctoral work. He never sees her fret about her classes or grading.” Louis says. “She’s just a genuinely nice person.”

“Seem like a great fit, honestly. Couldn’t want more for him.” Niall says.

Anne comes back with all the kids.

“Alright, I’m itching to get outside. It’s such a beautiful day.” Anne says.

“Tell your son.” Gemma says. “We’re waiting on him to wake up a bit more.”

You and Harry walk over to the table where everyone was waiting for him.

“Okay, let’s hit it. Everyone all set?” He asks. He gets a collective yes and he nods, then looks at you. “Call me if you need me for anything.”

“Won’t be necessary, got everything under control. I’ll meet you at the common at three.” You peck each other’s lips and off they go.

//

You get to the common with your friends and parents around 2:30 just to help them all visualize everything. You point out where the tents are going to be set up, and where the shuttle vans will be dropping everyone off when the time comes. The rabbi arrives you give him a hug. Harry and everyone else come strolling over to the spot.

“Harry! You remember the rabbi.” You say.

“Hi, yeah, nice to meet you in person.” He shakes his hand. “Thanks again for marrying us…I know it’s a little nontraditional.”

“Please, I love, love.” He scoffs. “And I’ve known this woman since she was a little girl, I’m honored to do it.”

“This is my son, Andy.” Harry grabs Andy’s elbow and has him stand in front of him. “Andy this is the rabbi that’s going to be blessing us tomorrow before Auntie Janette does the rest.”

“Hello.” Andy shakes the rabbi’s hand and he smiles at him.

“What a polite young man. You’re very lucky, getting such a lovely step-mom.”

“Yeah.” Andy smiles. “She’s pretty cool.”

“Is everyone here? Shall we get started?” The rabbi asks.

“Yeah.” You say.

You all block out how things will go tomorrow. You and your dad chuckle as you he quickly walks you up to where the alter will be. You and Harry hold hands as the rabbi explains the prayers he’ll administer and then Janette stands in his place and pretends to give her little speech. Once it’s all done you all make your way back to the hotel for dinner. You were ravenous from all the running around you did.

“How was it today?” You ask Harry as you sit down next to him.

“A lot of fun, actually. All the kids behaved, my mum was in heaven with the history, and my friends annoyed Gem, it was fantastic.” He chuckles. “Also…”, he leans in a little closer to your ear, “think something’s going on with Andy and Brandon, like, think I saw them holding hands a couple of times.”

“Oh my goodness, really?” You jaw drops as you smile.

“I think more happened at that Halloween party than he led on, but I’m choosing not to ask about it for now.”

“Probably for the best. He’ll tell us when he’s ready. They both seem to be in pretty high spirits.”

“Yup, they’ve been their usual hyena selves.”

Phil comes in dressed in his chef outfit, and few waiters follow him in with the food. He wanted to give you a plated meal since it was a smaller group tonight. Tomorrow would be the buffet.

“This looks amazing, Phil!” You beam at him. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course.” He smiles. “I hope you all enjoy.” He sits down at a seat Julian left open for him near the door so he could scoot if needed to.

Everyone mingles as they eat. You loved getting to see everyone getting to know each other better. You look at Harry and smile as he speaks with your mother. Then you look over at the kids, the four of them were enjoying mac n’cheese. You notice how Andy and Brandon keep stealing glances of each other. All around, it was a pleasant evening.

“Okay.” Nora says to you. “We’re taking you out of the hotel tonight for drinks. Don’t worry, we’re not going crazy. We don’t want you looking all tired tomorrow.”

“No ma’am.” You say. “The hair stylist should be at our suite around ten in the morning to do everyone’s hair.”

“Perfect.” She smiles. “It’s gonna be amazing. You’re gonna so fucking cool in your ensemble.”

“I’m very excited to strut my stuff.”

After going out for a few hours, you and your friends go back to your hotel suite to get some sleep. Harry had stayed in, well, he went to the hotel bar with Niall, Louis, and Gemma, but he hadn’t drank to excess like he did the night prior.

“I just wanna say goodnight to him.” You tell your friends as you put your robe on. “Be back in five minutes.”

“Mhm, right.” Mark rolls his eyes. “You’ll be back in thirty minutes, freshly fucked.”

“Well…obviously.” You scoff. “It’s the last time I get to call him my fiancé.” You wink and slip out the door and down a few hallways to his room. You knock on the door, and Louis opens it. “Hi.” You smile.

“Hello, love, what can I do for you?”

“Came to tell my fiancé goodnight.”

He grins at you and turns into the room.

“Oi! Harry, Y/N says goodnight!” He turns back to you. “Anything else?”

“Would you get out of the fucking way?” Harry yanks Louis away. “Both of you should go into the other room.” He runs a hand through his hair and tugs you inside. “Hey.” He smiles.

“Hi.” You giggle and quickly go into his room with him. “Thought it might be fun to have one last go as two people who aren’t married.”

“Always thinking, aren’t you.” He pulls the tie on your robe and lets it fall open. You had a simple silk pajama set on, nothing overly special. “Cute.” He smiles and cups your jaw.

He pulls you towards him gently and kisses you. You wrap your arms around him and drag your tongue along his bottom lip, and he opens up for you. He walks you back to the bed, and you both fall on top of it. He tugs your pants down your legs, and you shiver when you feel his hand caress your thigh.

“Don’t leave any marks tonight, I don’t want them showing up in the pictures.” You say as he mouths at your neck.

“What about between your legs?”

“Don’t think a camera will be going there.” You chuckle.

He kisses down your body and parts your legs open. He kisses from your knee all the way to the sensitive skin of your inner thigh. You gasp when you feel his teeth nip at you.

“Harry, don’t tease, it’s not like we have all night…”

“Teasing’s the best, though.”

“For you, maybe.” You pout. “Please, just want you to fuck me.”

“Did you bring any condoms?”

“No…I thought you’d have some with you.”

“You packed them in your bag, remember?”

“Jesus Christ, okay, so just pull out I guess?”

“Can I fuck you from behind?”

“Yes.”

He grins and gets all of his clothes off and so do you. You get on all fours in front of him, and he runs his hands down your back soothingly before giving you bum a smack.

“Oof!” You look behind you, started, as his second smack was against your cunt. “Harry.” You say sternly. “I can’t stay quiet if you do that, and I’d rather not put on a show for your friends.”

“Okay, okay, m’sorry.” He leans forward and pecks your lips.

He pushes his length between your folds to coat himself before he pushes inside you. You groan softly as he bottoms out. He pulls out almost all the way, and thrusts back in. He does this a few times before getting a rhythm going. He reaches forward, and pulls you back to him so you’re flush with his chest. He licks into your mouth as he rubs your clit. You were falling to pieces in front of him. You wanted it quick and fast, and that’s exactly how he’d give it to you. You were his angel, his princess, no, his queen. He’d make you happy no matter what. You were moaning into his mouth and panting all at the same time. You could feel your orgasm approaching. You tug at his hair in he moans right back into your mouth. You bite his bottom lip harshly as you come around his cock. He pushes you off him and onto the mattress. You barely had time to catch your breath before he was coming onto your back.

“Sorry, that was a close one.” He breathes. “One second, baby.”

He hops off the bed and grabs a towel to clean you up with. You use the toilet and then get dressed. He throw his sweatpants back on and pulls you into his lap as he sits on the edge of the bed. You hug him, and he cradles your head to his shoulder. You nibble on his earlobe and smirk to yourself.

“I can’t wait to feel you come inside me when we’re ready to start trying.” You say into his ear and goosebumps raise on his skin. “Bet it’ll feel so good and warm.”

“Y/N, I will fuck you again.” He says almost warning you to behave. “Be good for me, yeah? It’s hard enough I can’t sleep next to you.”

“Sorry.” You peck his lips a few times. “I’ll behave.”

“Thank you.” He kisses you again. “I can’t wait for that too, just so you know.”

“Good.” You smile and get off of him.

“Want me to walk you back to your room?”

“No, just to the door is fine, I can make it.”

He nods and leads you out to the main area, and to the front door of the suite. You kiss one last time, and say goodnight. This time tomorrow he’d be your husband, and you were absolutely buzzing.

//

The next morning you have room service ordered for you and your friends. You have your nails, hair, and makeup done over a couple of mimosas. Anne, Gemma, your mom, and Lizzie all join in.

“So you’re wearing slacks and a jacket, and then you’re changing into a little dress?” Your mom confirms.

“Yes, and I’m really glad I’m doing that because I won’t freeze outside.” You chuckle.

“Your hair looks gorgeous.” Janette says.

“Thanks.” You smile.

You had the hairdresser make two, really nice buns, sort of like the ones you make on your own. Your hair had gotten pretty long, so she was able to make them look full and loose. She took out some pieces in the front and curled the ends. You knew how much Harry liked your poofs, so you thought you’d have them made elegantly. It was perfect.

The time comes for you to put everything on, and your mother has to blink a few tears away. You both giggle and hug. Mark and Darcy walk in front of you out of the room, and Nora and Claudia walk behind you. This way no one would accidentally see you. You all climb into the van, your father, Phil, and Julian were all waiting for you. They tell you how beautiful you look.

Lucas was there waiting for you. Nora goes into the small tent for the bridal party and grabs your bouquet. You take pictures with Mark, Nora, Darcy, and Claudia, then just you and Nora, then you and your parents, then with you, Gemma, and Anne, and then just you and Anne. Then you take one with Phil and Julian, and then one of just your immediate family. Once all that is done you head inside the tent to keep warm until everyone else shows up.

The other van pulls up; Harry, Andy, Brandon, Ritchie, Louis, and Niall all come out. Harry’s suit was magenta, and it really brought out the green in his eyes. Andy, Ritchie, Louis, and Niall all had tan suits on, and Andy was given a special pocket square that was magenta. Louis, Niall, and Ritchie’s were blue. They all go wait inside the tent while Harry goes to the spot he was told to wait for the first look with you. Lucas takes a few pictures of him standing there with his back turned. You take a peek outside, and bite your bottom lip as you see Harry’s back turned. You take a deep breath and make your way out. Everyone was told not to watch so you two could have your moment.

Lucas takes plenty of photos of you walking up to Harry. You get about three feet away and stop. You take a moment to admire his features: his broad back, the way the material stretches over his bum and thighs. You take a deep breath before speaking.

“Hey, neighbor.” You say softly.

“Hey, neighbor, can I turn around now?”

“Yeah, I’m dying to see the front of that suit.”

Harry smiles as he turns around, and his eyes grow wide when he looks at you. His eyes rim with tears. He covers his mouth with one hand, and the other goes to his hip.

“You…you look…I mean, you’re breathtaking.” He says to you. He steps forward and wraps his arms around you. You were trying your hardest not to cry because you didn’t want your makeup to get messed up.

“So are you, you look so handsome.” You chuckle as you hold each other. You cup his cheeks and he grips your hips and squeezes you. “I have a dress for the reception too.”

“Sneaky.” He pecks your lips. Lucas captures everything, and takes a few photos of the two of you. “Alright, it’s our son’s turn, be back in a tick.” Harry goes back to the tent and grabs Andy. He has him cover his eyes as he walks him over to you. “Ready to see your mum, buddy?”

“Yeah.”

“Please, I really don’t wanna cry and you’re making it so hard.” You laugh.

Andy takes his hands away from his eyes and he gasps.

“You look so cool!” He throws his arms around you and you hug him back.

“Andy, you look so incredibly handsome.”

“My pocket square matches Dad’s suit.”

“I see that, very clever.”

Lucas takes some pictures of the three of you, and then everyone else is allowed out. Every combination of photo is taken for each wedding party, as well as every combination of family photo. Everyone goes to wait in the tents as the guests start to arrive. Lisa, Mateo, Sandra, and Andre all take their seats. Some of your other family comes, and a few old colleagues from both yours and Harry’s previous institutions show up.

Janette and the rabbi get into position. Anne walks Harry and Andy up to the alter, and Ritchie, Louis, and Niall follow behind. Brandon was sitting up front and he gives a small wave to Andy. Andy blushes and waves back.

Lizzie walks down the aisle first, putting out rose petals. She hugs Harry briefly, and then stands in her spot. Your mother walks arm and arm with Phil and Julian, and then they sit down. Next comes Mark, Claudia, Darcy, and Nora. Harry takes a deep breath when he sees you and your father. Your smile grows wider and wider, and Harry tears up again. Your father kisses your cheek, giving you away, and you stand hand in hand with Harry. He even wore a yarmulke for you. The rabbi addresses everyone, and says a few prayers before stepping aside to let Janette speak.

“Thank you, Rabbi.” She smiles. “I am so honored to be here today doing this for the two of you. I’ve known Harry for a long time, and I’ve been grateful for our friendship. Y/N, you and I became such fast friends, and I honestly don’t know what I would do without you. Please, don’t ever leave.” You and Harry chuckle at her. “I know it’s a little chilly out, so I’ll try to keep things brief, especially since these two have their own vows. Love is a really crazy thing. We love our friends, our family, and once in a great while we find someone that fall in love with. Watching Harry and Y/N fall for each other was fascinating. It was slow, oblivious, and all of a sudden. They left for summer break as a good friends, and came back a couple. None of us were surprised, of course, but sometimes you just gotta let the kids figure it out for themselves.” A few people laugh. “And I’m so happy you two figured it out. Now, I think the time has come for you to talk, Harry, I believe you’re first.”

“Right, thanks.” He clears his throat and looks at you. He squeezes your hands in his. “Y/N, the day we met I was just excited I was going to have an office neighbor again. Things had been quiet, and I felt bad for always bugging Andre and Sandra.” You laugh at that. “We bonded over not eating meat, and then we won a game of charades, and suddenly you were all I could think about. I wasn’t quite sure why because I hadn’t felt like that in a long time, and I almost forgot what it felt like to be so into someone. I liked you, and so did my son…who’s ours now. It’s not easy dating someone with a child, and you made it seem so natural. You…made me believe in love again.” He blinks away a few tears, and you smile. Janette nods towards you.

“That’s tough to beat.” You squeeze his hands. “When I first came to the university, I was pretty much focused on getting my doctorate. The last thing I expected was to fall in love with my colleague, as charming as he was. When we all went out to dinner that night, you said you had someone at home waiting for you, and I felt weird for feeling relieved when I found out were a single dad. I was so used to being independent and doing my own thing, that I didn’t realize how good it could feel to have someone want to take care of you. I also didn’t realize how good it could feel to want to take care of someone else, and their kid.” You lean and wink at Andy, who was beaming at you. “I’ve never felt like this before, and I’m so happy that I get to keep feeling this way.”

“Andy, the rings please.” Janette says, holding out her hand. Andy drops them into her palm. “Thank you.” She hands one to you, and one to Harry. You each slip a ring on each other’s finger. “By the power vested in, and the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife!”

Harry steps on the glass, and grabs you by the back of the neck to kiss you. He dips you slightly as everyone cheers. You and your parties make your way to the vans to head to the hotel. All of your guests enjoy a cocktail hour while you change into your dress. Lucas takes a few pictures of you and Harry.

“This is nice, baby.” Harry says to you.

“Thanks, I thought it would be fun to have an outfit change.” You peck his lips. “Hey, I’m your wife.”

“I know, I’m your husband.” He squishes his nose to yours.

“And for the first time as a married couple, Y/N and Harry!”

“Think that’s our cue.” You say to him and giggle. You hold hands and go into the small ballroom.

Everyone cheers as you both come inside. Groove is in the Heart starts playing, which you both chose as your first dance. It was an inside joke between the two of you. You didn’t have a lot of time to plan it, but you were able to choreograph a silly dance to it. Everyone was hollering and clapping as you hit every step. You mouth the words to each other. ‘I couldn’t ask for another. No, I couldn’t ask for another.’ It was a lot of fun. You both hug and kiss at the end, and then giggle. You were so happy Lucas had gotten everything on video.

The song for Harry’s mother-son dance starts to play, and he extends his hand out to her. Andy comes up to you and taps your shoulder. You gasp and smile endearingly at him. You dance with him as Harry dances with Anne. You weren’t expecting this from Andy at all. Next up is your dance with your father, and Harry takes the opportunity to dance with your mother, who was overjoyed.

Nora gives an incredible maid of honor speech, making everyone laugh hard. You almost snorted your champagne through your nose. Louis and Niall give a short little speech before turning the microphone to a nervous Andy. He didn’t love public speaking.

“Um, hi everyone. Th-that’s my dad.” He points to Harry and a few people chuckle. “He’s, like, the best dad in the world. He never really brought his dates around, I didn’t even know he dated. I remember when I first met Y/N…my new step-mom…I thought she was really nice. I asked my dad about her one night, and he pretty much didn’t shut up about her after that.” Everyone laughs. “But that was okay. My eleventh birthday was coming up, and we really wanted to invite her, but he was nervous. So we invited her on a hike to ease to into it. Dad was taking too long, so I asked Y/N to come to my party, and she said yes. After that she kept saying yes to us. I thought my favorite yes was when she agreed to move in, but I think today’s my new favorite.” He smiles and clears his throat. “I…I love you both.”

Everyone cheers for Andy as he comes over to you both to give you each a hug. You both tell him you love him too before he sits down. Brandon gives his shoulder a squeeze. After that, everyone makes their way to the buffet and bar area to enjoy everything. Phil had put an incredible menu together. You and Harry make your way around the room to say hello to the guests who weren’t at the ceremony. Mark was killing it as the DJ, and playing lots of music that everyone could enjoy. A slower song starts to play, so you and Harry make your way to the dancefloor so you can enjoy it.

“I think we really crushed it earlier.” You say. “No one was expecting a fun, choreographed dance.”

“I agree, blew everyone away.” He chuckles and kisses your cheek. “It’s been an incredible day.”

You nod and smile as he leads you around. You rest your head on his shoulder, and let your eyes flutter closed for a bit. You were married, you were actually married. You had the papers to prove it and everything. Sure, you weren’t Mrs. Styles, you’d be keeping your last name, which Harry had absolutely no problem with, hell, he had offered to change his own for you, but you said it wasn’t necessary.

“You know what’s gonna be super sexy of us?” He says and you look up at him with raised eyebrows. “Going on the same insurance plan.”

“God, love it when you talk dirty to me like that.” You giggle and so does he.

The song fades into a faster one, and Andy comes running over to the two of you. He tugs on Harry’s hand so they can dance together. You couldn’t stop smiling if you wanted to. At one point you and Phil share a dance as Harry and Gemma share one. Harry even dances with Julian. You weren’t sure if you had ever seen Harry have so much fun.

“Are you having fun?” Andy asks Brandon as they take a water break.

“Yeah, this is awesome. I had a lot of fun exploring yesterday too. Your family is really nice.”

“Thanks. I’m really glad your parents let you come for this.”

“Me too.” He rests his chin on his palm and smiles at Andy. He reaches with his other hand to fix the collar of his shirt. “Tan’s a nice color on you.”

“Thank you.” Andy blushes.

“Andy!” Lizzie says. “They’re gonna play the cha cha slide in a second, will you come do it with us?”

“Yeah!” He grabs Brandon’s hand to go back to the dancefloor. Everyone gets into position as the song starts.

The music was a lot different than the music that Paige had her wedding. She had more of a generic playlist. You had worked with Mark to play things everyone would like, but you also made sure to have songs on there you knew you’d be able to jam out to. So when Yeah! comes on, you and your friends squeal and all run to dance together. The kids knew the song too, but Andy had never really seen you dance the way you were right now.

“Y/N really knows how to have fun!” Brandon says.

“Yeah!” Andy says. “She really is the coolest!”

Andy knew this wasn’t his dad’s favorite kind of music so he laughs when he sees you drag him over to your friends to dance to the song. You dance up on him in a silly way, and it makes everyone laugh.

“Are they going on a honeymoon or anything?” Brandon asks Andy as they both go to grab cupcakes.

“Mhm, they’re going to Miami during Thanksgiving week. I get to stay at my mom’s for an extra couple of day which will be nice.”

“You won’t mind going back and forth?”

“Nah, it’s only for a couple of days.” Andy shrugs.

“How come her and your step-dad and Rachel aren’t here?”

“I don’t really know. My dad said he didn’t really want her here for this since they wanted to keep things really small. I guess he didn’t want to think about her or whatever.”

“Do you think Y/N and your dad are gonna try to have a baby?”

“I have no idea. I wouldn’t mind if they did, I know my dad’s always wanted to have more kids. He loves babies. Anytime we’re at a party and there’s a baby, he has to hold it. It would be cool to be a big brother, even if I’ll be a lot older.”

“My aunt is, like, ten years older than my dad, and they get along really well. I don’t think age gaps really matter when you’re older.” Andy nods as he finishes his cupcake. Another slow song starts. “Do you, um, wanna dance?” He rubs the back of his neck.

“Yeah.” Andy smiles and takes one of Brandon’s hands.

Andy keeps Brandon’s hand in his, and puts the other on his upper waist. Brandon puts his free hand on Andy’s shoulder. Ever since their kiss, Andy had this confidence about him, not that he wasn’t confident before, but he was certainly less shy now that he knew how Brandon felt about him. No one really pays too much attention to them as they dance. You and Harry notice it and just find it to be sweet.

As the night comes to end, you and Harry thank everyone for coming. Andy and Brandon head up to the hotel suite with Lizzie, Ritchie, Anne, and Gemma. You say goodbye to your family, and your friends go to their suite. Yours and Harry’s things were set up in the room you’d finally be spending the night together in. He laces his fingers in yours as you stand in the elevator. As soon as you get off, you squeal as he picks you up and carries you bridal style to your room. You giggle as you swipe the key card, and he carries you inside. There were rose petals on the floor and a bottle of champagne over ice.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt more special.” You say and he kisses you.

He sets you down gently, and gets his suit jacket off. Harry pops the champagne and pours some into a couple of glasses. You smile as you take the flute from him and take a sip.

“As if we needed more to drink.” He jokes as he takes a sip. “Did you have fun?”

“So much fun, it was perfect. Couldn’t have asked for a better wedding.” You set your glass down and kick your heels off before wrapping your arms around his neck. “I’m gonna be really busy before we go away.”

“I know, it’s alright. You promise to work while we’re gone, right?”

“I promise.” You nod and he pecks your lips.

“Are you tired? We can wait to consummate if you want.” You laugh at that and shake your head as he squeezes your hips.

“No, baby, I’m not tired. Are you?”

“Not at all. Caught a second wind, actually.”

“Mm, well, let’s put it to good use then.”

You slot your mouth over his, and nip at his bottom lip. His hands slide up under the skirt of your dress to squeeze at your ass, kneading your plushy skin. You start unbuttoning his shirt, and tug it out of his pants. You push it off his shoulders and run your fingers up and down his chest and torso. He grips the hem of your dress and pulls it off in one swoop. You grab at your breasts because you had to use an obscene amount of tape to keep them up.

“What’s all that for?”

“I couldn’t wear a bra with that dress because the back is open, and my boobs are too big to let them just bounce around so I had to tape them up. Give me a second to go take all this off. I honestly forgot about it.” You pout slightly. “Not very sexy.” You say as you walk towards the bathroom.

“I don’t about that, your ass looks great in that thong.” He smirks and you shake your head at him.

He takes the time to get out of his shoes and slacks, leaving himself in a pair of black boxers. He sits down on the edge of the bed as he waits for you. He hears you wince a couple of times, and then you come back out.

“They’re all red now.” You pout for real now and straddle him.

“You and your sensitive skin, poor thing.” He pouts back at you and then kisses on your chest. “Let me make it all better.”

Harry swirls his tongue around your tender nipple, and does the same to other one before gently sucking. You run your fingers through his soft hair as you whimper affectionately. Your hips jut forward against the bump that’s growing in his boxers. He kisses up your throat and to your mouth as he holds you close to him.

“Get back on the bed.” You say against his lips.

You get off of him and he shifts further back on the bed so he can sit up against the headboard. He spreads his legs for you as you tug at the band of his boxers. He lifts his hips to help you take them off. You also take a moment to get your thong off so you both could just be naked.

“I wanted to do that.” He pouts.

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re married because we have the rest of our lives for you to take my clothes off.” You smirk and open his legs back up.

You kiss on his inner thigh, a spot where he was extremely sensitive, and suck a bruise into his skin. He grunts as you do so, and he watches your mouth works up his shift, kitten licks and kisses, up to his tip. You suckle on him and his mouth falls open with a sigh. You slobber all over him so you can pump what you can’t fit into your mouth. Your other hand goes to his balls and he moans as you massage them. You could practically feel them throbbing. You pop off his tip and continue to pump him slowly. You lay flat on your stomach and lick the flat of your tongue over one of his balls, causing his hips to buck up. You carefully mouth at his balls before bringing your mouth back to his tip, swirling your tongue around him.

“Y/N.” He groans. “Let me do you now.”

You give his tip one last harsh suck before you do as he says. You lay back on the bed, but he flips you onto your stomach. He pulls your hips up and you gasp when you feel his breath on your center. He licks into you from behind, and you clench your fists around the comforter on the bed. The noises he was making as he slurped and sucked on you were obscene, but you couldn’t find it in you to care because it felt so fucking good. He briefly sucks on your clit before he drags his tongue all the way back up to your other hole. Your body shudders when you feel two of his fingers slip inside you. His thumb works your clit while his tongue swirls around your other sensitive area. Your eyes nearly pop of your head when you feel his tongue enter you.

“Jesus, fuck.” You cry out. You look over your shoulder at him and see he’s totally lost in you.

His fingers were working wonders against your g-spot, his thumb was rubbing your clit in just the right way, and his tongue…Christ. Your senses were totally overwhelmed. He was moaning and groaning against you, and that’s what makes you totally lose it. You have to grab the pillow to scream into as your orgasm washes over you in waves. He lets go of you slowly, feeling your body shake under him. You carefully roll onto your back and look up at him. Your chest was heaving.

“What?” He asks as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“N-nothing, that just felt really good.” You bite your bottom lip. “I think I’m warming up to the idea of doing more…down there.” You swallow as his eyebrows raise. “Not tonight, obviously, but…I still think it’s only fair it happens to you first. I’ve been looking into it.”

“You have?” He reaches to stroke your cheek and you press into his touch.

“Yeah, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious. There’s a lot of prep work that has to be done. Are you sure you’d feel comfortable with me doing it to you?”

“Mhm.”

“You wouldn’t feel emasculated?”

“I think I was, like, sixteen the last time I cared about being masculine or not.” He smirks. “I think doing something like that with each other is so intimate and special because it just proves how much we trust one another. It really excites me.” You nod at that. “We can talk more about it later…got condoms in here?”

“Yeah, I put them in the bedside table.”

Harry nods and opens the drawer to grab one. He rips the foil packet open and slides the rubber onto his length. His runs his tip through your folds and around your clit. He pushes inside you and you both sigh out in relief. He comes down to you so you’re chest to chest and you wrap your legs around him. You wanted to make love with him tonight, and he knew that. One of your hands gets lost in his hair while the other grips at his back and shoulder. He rocks in and out of you with precision and care. Soft whimpers leave your lips as he kisses on the skin just under your ear.

“I love you so much, Y/N.” He says into your ear.

“I love you too, Harry.”

He picks up the pace a little and his tip hits your g-spot over and over. You weren’t going to last much longer, and judging by how sloppy he was getting, he wouldn’t be lasting much longer either. Your nails scratch down his back as you cry out, and he spills into the condom shortly after. Once you’re both cleaned up, you flop onto his chest so he can hold you. He wraps his arms around you and kisses your forehead. He pulls the covers over the two of you, and you sigh peacefully. You felt like a big, toasty cinnamon bun, and you couldn’t have asked for anything better, honestly.

//

When you woke up the next morning, you realized you slept with your buns in. You sit up and start taking out the bobby-pins that were used to keep them together. You shake out your hair and moan with relief as you rake your nails through. Harry was sleeping soundly next to you. You reach over on the nightstand for an elastic to put your hair up in a high ponytail. You leave the same pieces out in the front. You realize you didn’t bother to take your makeup off either. How irresponsible, you think to yourself. Harry’s arm was strung across your lap, and he squeezes your thigh when you try to get up.

“Babe.” You say and he grunts. “I desperately need to wash my face, please let me get up.”

“No.”

“Harry.”

“Just a little longer.” His eyes flutter open and he looks up at you. “I don’t feel like being a dad, a brother, a son, an uncle, or a friend just yet.”

“And what would you like to be then?”

“Just your husband.”

You chuckle softly and lift his hand to your lips to kiss his knuckles.

“As sweet as that is, unfortunately, now that you’re awake you’re all of those things. You’ll love the brunch Phil’s preparing. I swear breakfast is one of his specialties.”

“Is that why you’re so good at cooking it too?” He asks as he sits up.

“Mhm, I used to practice recipes with him. It sort of helped us bond as I was getting older.” You stretch your arms out and then get out of bed. “I left all my makeup on, I feel gross.”

He lets you do your thing in the bathroom before going in himself. You throw on a sweater with some leggings, and a comfy pair of knock-off uggs. Harry puts on some joggers and a sweatshirt. You both work to pack up all your things. You sigh as you zip up your dress bag.

“You really did look stunning yesterday, in both outfits.” He says as he wraps his arms around you from behind.

“Thank you, baby.” You lean into his embrace for a moment before he lets you go. “Did you see Andy and Brandon dancing last night?”

“I did.” Harry nods with a smile. “Think they’ve got a secret little thing going on?”

“Possibly…”

“I have a feeling they’re not saying anything because they didn’t wanna have any issues with the hotel room.”

“Why would they have issues?”

“Andy’s smart, Y/N, he knows there are certain dating rules, he’s watched enough movies with me to know that two kids dating usually means they can’t sleep in the same room, let alone the same bed.”

“So if they are dating, are you going to ban sleepovers?”

“Nah, they’re only twelve.” Harry shrugs. “But…they’ll have to keep the door open. Brandon doesn’t usually sleep in Andy’s bed anyways since he only has a little twin. I’m not too worried about it.”

“You’ll have to talk with him a little, though.”

“About what?”

“The birds and the bees.” Harry grimaces at that and it makes you laugh.

“You’re his mum now, you do it.”

“Harry.” You laugh harder.

“Please, I can’t get through a conversation like that. I don’t even know what I’d say to him. He can’t really be thinking about that kind of stuff yet can he?”

“I don’t know, kids today are doing things at younger and younger ages. They could easily be kissing and making out. He should know that he really should be doing anything below the belt just yet. And like you said, he’s twelve…aren’t things a little hard to control down there at that age? He needs some guidance ahead of time in case he gets a little too excited.”

“Shit.” Harry says in agreement.

“We can wait until he tells us what’s going. It could easily be nothing still.”

“True.” He kisses your cheek and grabs a good chunk of the bags.

You both head downstairs, and into the small function room you had the rehearsal dinner in. Your nostrils are hit with coffee and waffles. Phil had set up a waffle bar, pancakes, and crepes! There was also eggs, breakfast sausage and bacon (regular and vegan), oatmeal, and yogurt. Your mouth waters from all of it, but you’re snapped out of your daze when you hear other in the room clap and holler at you and harry. You both bow and curtsey. You say your hellos and good mornings before you both pile up your plates.

“Morning.” Andy comes over to the two of you.

“Hey, buddy, how’d you sleep?” Harry says.

“Good, I conked right out, I was tired. Is everyone going back to London today?”

“M’afraid so.” Harry sighs. “We’ll see everyone again real soon though.”

“Yeah.” Andy looks over at Anne. “I’m gonna go sit with Grammy then.”

“Go ahead.” You say. “Enjoy the time with her.”

Andy nods and goes to sit with Anne. Brandon sits on his other side, although he was deep in conversation with Ritchie about the complexities of soccer versus football. Gemma was busy braiding back Lizzie’s hair.

“So, how is it?” Phil says as he plops down in the seat next to you.

“Amazing, I can’t thank you enough.”

“We’re hoping to do more catering events, so we made sure to take a lot of pictures of everything. This was like a test run.”

“Happy we could help, mate.” Harry says. Louis and Niall sit down next to him.

“Sleep well?” Louis asks Harry.

“Like a rock since I had my girl next to me.” Harry smirks.

“You two officially married now?” Niall says.

“Very much so.” Harry’s smirk grows.

“Hey!” You snap your head in their direction. “None of that at breakfast, please. My parents are right over there.” Your cheeks were beat red.

“Y/N, you and Janette have had such vulgar conversations in front of other people before-“ Harry starts, but you cut him off.

“Not in front of my fucking family.” Your gaze is warning and he nods as you turn back to speak with Phil.

The morning goes on, and everyone enjoys their breakfasts. You wait with Harry’s family and friends as their cabs to the airport would be arriving any moment. It was hugs and kisses all around. You already couldn’t wait to see them for the holidays. After wrapping things up with Julian, you, Harry, Andy, and Brandon all head to Harry’s car.

“Now, boys, this is a momentous occasion.” He turns to look at them in the backseat. “Y/N is actually letting me drive through the city.” You glare at him and he laughs.

“Keep it up and I’ll make you switch right now.”

“How come you’re not driving, Y/N?” Andy asks.

“I have a bit of a headache. The sun is a little bright for me today.” You had a pair of sunglasses on to prove it. “This is a test for your dad.”

“And I’m going to pass with flying colors.” He retorts. “Everyone buckled up?” He hears a yes from both boys and he off he goes.

Andy’s hand creeps over to Brandon’s, and they subtly latch their pinkies as they sit in the back. They look at each other briefly to smile before looking out their respective windows. Andy notices you mindlessly reach your hand out to Harry’s. Harry takes your hand in his, kisses it, and rests it in his lap as he continues to drive. It makes Andy smile softly before his eyelids become too heavy, and he drifts off.

//

“Ugh, I do not wanna go to work tomorrow.” You groan Sunday night as you go through your emails. “So many of these questions could be answered if these fucking kids just used Google, like what the actual fuck?!” Andy and Harry both blink at you. “What?”

“Maybe…close your laptop.” Harry says as he gently closes it. “You can catch up tomorrow morning like how I plan to. Just relax, yeah?”

You nod and put your laptop on the coffee table.

“What movie are we watching?” You ask the boys?

“One of my favorites.” Andy says. “Home Alone.”

“A bit early for Christmas movies, no?”

“Y/N, once it’s November, it’s Christmas.” Andy says.

“You’re just going to skip over Thanksgiving?’

“Dad doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, so it’s okay.”

“Fair enough.” You chuckle. “Throw it on.” Harry puts his arm around you as Andy queues it up.

“Before we do…can I talk to you both about something?” You and Harry share a glance with each other before looking at Andy. You both sit up straight to look at him. “Don’t freak out…but I’ve sort of been keeping something to myself…about me and Brandon?”

“Oh?” You say. “Like what?”

“Well…so…at Mum’s wedding, we almost kissed, but his dad called him so we got interrupted, and then nothing happened for a while…until Caroline’s Halloween party.” He swallows. “I mean, obviously that whole thing at school happened with Greg, and sometimes we’d sort of, like, flirt I guess in class, and so at the party we were all playing truth or dare, and we got dared to go into the closet together.”

“Oh my god.” Harry says and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“It’s not what you think! We just talked while we were in there. I didn’t wanna have my first kiss to be in a closet with a bunch of people waiting for us to come out afterwards…and I told Brandon that, and then I told him I wanted him to kiss me, and he said he wanted to kiss me too, so when we came out I asked Caroline if there was somewhere he and I could go where there wouldn’t be a ton of people around and she let us go outside.” He chews his bottom lip. “I…I asked Brandon how he felt about me and we both said that we really liked each other, and then we…well, we kissed for a little while.”

“Has…anything happened since?” Harry asks carefully.

“No, well, we hold hands a lot, but that’s been it. We didn’t wanna say anything until after your wedding.”

“Why?” You say. “You can tell us anything.”

“I was scared you wouldn’t let us stay in the same room, or something. I mean I know we were with Ritchie and Lizzie, but I didn’t know if you’d make one of us sleep on the floor.”

“Are you two planning to date? I mean…does he only like boys, or does he like boys and girls like you?” Harry asks.

“I don’t really know how he feels about people one way or the other. I think he’s still figuring it out, but he knows he like likes me, and I like like him…so yeah, I think we’re gonna date. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is.” Harry says quickly. “I mean, in the grand scheme of things I think you’re too young to be getting into a relationship, I felt the same way with Caroline, but I’m not gonna tell you no. However, some rules will have to be put into place, the same ones you had with her. Door open if you’re in your room and stuff like that. Also, if you sleep at his place, I’d prefer it if you didn’t sleep in his bed. I’m sure his parents will feel the same way.”

“Is Brandon going to tell his parents?” You ask Andy.

“Yeah, we both promised to tell tonight. He’s supposed to text me after he talks to them. His parents, luckily, are really cool about this stuff. His aunt has a wife, and she and Mr. Stewart are really close, so he doesn’t really have anything to worry about.”

Times like these you wished all kids had it as easy as Brandon and Andy.

“Alright.” Harry nods. “Then it’s all good. I’m, um, glad you two have figured things out, I know it was a little up and down for a bit.”

“Me too.” Andy smiles.

“Oh my goodness.” You sniffle and they both look at you. “You had, like, a fairytale first kiss! I’m so jealous.” You laugh and so do they.

“Why, what was yours like?” Andy asks.

“God, it was so awkward, I can’t even get into it. It wasn’t with someone special I can tell you that much. I’m really happy for you Andy.”

“Thanks.”

“You and I will need to have a little chat about…things.” Harry says to him. “But not right now, it can wait.”

“What kind of things?” Andy’s face scrunches.

“Just… things…” Harry clears his throat. “Is there anything else you wanna tell us?”

“No.” Andy shrugs and takes his phone out of his pocket to text Brandon that everything went well.

“Okay, let’s get the movie started then.” Harry grabs the remote and hits play. Andy gets up and hugs the both of you before sitting back down on the loveseat, curling up with his blanket. “Andy?”

“Yeah?”

“You plan to tell your mother right?”

“When I see her Friday I will on the car ride.”

“Good. I’m sure she’ll be just as happy for you.” Harry smiles and turns to look at the TV.

Brandon: all good over here too, my mom teared up she’s so lame lol

Andy: lol Y/N did too. Wanna meet at our lockers before homeroom tomorrow?

Brandon: definitely : )

Andy sighs happily and puts his phone down so he can pay attention to the movie. He was on cloud nine.

//

Being newlyweds was a lot of fun. As if Harry couldn’t already keep his hands off you, it was like he was jumping you every second he got. In the morning, in the shower, sometimes he’d sneak you home quick when you should be eating lunch, and if it was a weekend Andy was at Paige’s, god, he didn’t let you leave the bedroom. However, he was good about staying away from while you worked. He respected that you were in desperate need to get things done. The paper itself was just about complete, but you still needed to edit the entire thing, and work on your dissertation defense which was slated for April.

Andy sat down with Paige and Noah and told them what was going on with Brandon. He told Rachel as well. Everyone was happy for him. He said he didn’t want Lydia to know just yet. He knew she was old fashioned, and he was nervous she’d take it the wrong way. Paige completely understood, and she said she’d keep it between them.

The Ariana Grande concert was incredible, beyond incredible. You had to stay back with Caroline while Andy got to do the meet and greet, but his face said it all. He went on and on about how nice she was. Andy was so thankful you were able to take him. He made sure to wear his concert tee over a long-sleeve shirt the following Monday at school.

“Morning.” Brandon says as he meets Andy at his locker.

“Hey.” Andy smiles.

“So, how was it?”

“Amazing, like, I knew she’d sound good live, but holy shit, she was incredible.”

“What was meeting her like?”

“She was a lot shorter in person.” Andy chuckles. “But she was really nice, and she said she liked my nails, and my hair. It all happened really fast. They emailed the picture to Y/N, I’ll have to show you next time you come over.”

“I’d like that.” Brandon leans against the closed lockers as Andy gets the books he’ll need for the first half of the day. “We have that history test in a couple of days.”

“Mhm.” Andy nods, a smile creeping on his lips.

“Do you wanna come over and study together? We could order pizza and stuff.”

“Mm, so like a study date?” Andy smirks.

“If you wanna call it that, yeah.” Brandon nods.

“I’ll text my dad and see if I can come over after school.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.” Andy slots his fingers through Brandon’s so they can hold hands down the hall.

There were a few broken hearts at Thomas Hamilton Middle School. There were quite a few girls that had crushes on both Andy and Brandon. Obviously those close to the boys knew something was bound to happen between them, but anyone on the outside just thought they had a wholesome friendship.

Harry gives the okay for Andy to go over Brandon’s after school. Selfishly that meant he could fuck you when you got home from work before you needed to go up to the loft to work.

“Hi, Andy.” Mrs. Stewart says as she picks the boys up from school.

“Hello, Mrs. Stewart, how are you?”

“I’m good, honey, thank you. How are your dad and Y/N?”

“They’re good, they really like being married.”

She chuckles at that and gets the boys home. Brandon asks if they can have pizza later, and Mrs. Stewart says yes before they both go into his room.

“Uh, boys? Leave the door open, please.” She says shyly and they both nod.

“Her and my dad are still getting used to it.” Brandon explains as they both set up on his floor.

“My dad says my door has to stay open if you come over too. I had the same rules when I was with Caroline.” Andy shrugs.

“Same for when I was with Molly, now that I think about it. I don’t know what they think we’re gonna be doing in here, we’re just studying.”

“I don’t know either, parents are weird.”

After going over their notes, and quizzing each other a bit, the boys enjoy some pizza, and then decide to play some video games. It was the same as it ever was.

“Do you feel like watching TV until your parents come to get you?” Brandon asks him.

“Sure.” Andy shrugs.

Brandon switches the TV to Nickelodeon. Some reruns of Full House was on. Brandon had beanbag chairs in his room, so that was what he and Andy were sitting on. They start holding hands, and slouch into the chairs. They look at each other. Brandon’s eyes glace to the door to make sure his parents weren’t creeping around. He nods, and Andy leans in to press his lips to Brandon’s. They slouch a little further down, and Brandon cups Andy’s cheek. Andy tugs on the collar of Brandon’s shirt to pull him a little closer.

“Andy!” Mr. Stewart yells from the kitchen. The boys jump off each other. “Your dad’s here!”

“Jesus.” Andy catches his breath. “Scared the shit out of me.”

“Thought you’d be used to him yelling by now. He’s just as loud on the court.” Brandon smirks and stands up. He puts his hand out for Andy and helps him up. “I’m glad you came over today.”

“Me too, thanks for having me.” Andy cleans up his things and gets his backpack together. He leans in and kisses Brandon’s cheek before they walk out of his room. “Thanks again for dinner Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, goodnight.”

“You’re more than welcome, tell your folks we say hi.” Mr. Stewart says as Andy leaves.

He gets into the backseat of Harry’s car.

“Hey, Dad.”

“How’d the studying go?”

“Good, I’m feeling really prepared for Wednesday. Where’s Y/N?”

“Oh, she, uh, she’s a little tired so she’s in bed reading.”

“Why’s she so tired? It’s only 7:30.”

“She…” You convinced Harry to let you work uninterrupted until dinner time. He agreed, and then he fucked you on the kitchen counter while dinner was in the over. Then he fucked you again. Bent you over the bed. So, yeah, you were a little too tired to go out with him and pick Andy up. “She worked a lot today, so she just felt like staying in, that’s all.” He clears his throat.

“Can I ask you something sort of personal?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“What do you do…like…I don’t even know how to explain this, um, you know when your pants get tight?”

“When your pants get tight?”

“Yeah, like, in the front?” Andy twiddles his thumbs.

“In the…oh…oh! Yeah, is that, uh, starting to happen to you a little more often?”

“Yeah, usually if it happens in class or something, I just put my book over my lap, but I’m afraid it might happen when I’m hanging out with Brandon. It would be so embarrassing if we were kissing, you know?”

Harry takes a deep as he tries not to crash his car. These were the conversation he was dreading, but he supposed he was happy Andy felt comfortable enough to bring it up on his own.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s pretty tough to control at your age, but something you can do to help yourself out is to think of something gross or sad.”

“Like what?”

“Um…I don’t know, what grosses you out?”

“When people sneeze into their hands.”

“Alright, so think of that.”

“It works?”

“For the most part. Your head gets distracted so other parts of you don’t get as excited.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try I guess.”

“Do you two, uh, kiss a lot?”

“Well, not really since we feel like we’re being watched every two seconds. Can’t do it at school because of the teachers, and we have to keep our doors open so…” He rolls his eyes.

“That’s so you two stay respectful.”

“You know what’s interesting? Never, not once, have you and Y/N kept your bedroom door open when you both go in there.”

“We’re adults.”

“So that means you deserve privacy more than me?”

“Not necessarily, but there’s an emotional maturity that she and I have that you don’t yet. If your door’s open, you’re not gonna get any funny ideas.”

“Like what? It’s just kissing.”

Harry pulls into the garage and turns the car off. He sighs and turns to look at Andy.

“Kissing can lead to other things sometimes.”

“Like…making out?”

“Yeah.” Harry nods. “And then that leads to more serious things that you’re really not old enough for, but sometimes things happen when you’re not properly supervised, and I wanna keep you safe, as I’m sure Brandon’s parents wanna keep him safe too. Someday, when you’re older, I probably won’t make you keep your door wide open, maybe just open a crack, because you do deserve privacy, but right now you’re twelve, so.”

“Okay.” Andy sits there for a moment. “So, adults get to do whatever they want with each other whenever they want?”

“No, not at all. Self-control is a thing, asking for permission is a thing. You should always ask before you touch, and if someone says no you have to listen and respect that. You can’t take it personally.”

“Do you and Y/N ever say no to each other?”

“Sure! More often than you think, actually. I know she and I can be pretty touchy, but there are times either of us aren’t in the mood to cuddle or whatever. Communication is really important in any relationship. She and I do a pretty good job of communicating our feelings, I think.”

“Well, I would hope so, you both teach classes about it.” Andy laughs.

“You’d be surprised how dense people can be, even when they study something for years. Just make sure you and Brandon continue to communicate. You should be doing things you both feel comfortable with. There’s no need for you two to rush anything either.”

“Alright, thanks, Dad.”

“Any time.”

They both get out of the car and head inside. Andy says he’s going to take a quick shower and then get ready for bed. Harry goes into your shared room to see you still reading.

“Did he have a good time?”

“Yeah.” Harry says as he sits gets changed into his pj’s. “We had an interesting chat in the car.”

“About what?”

“Guy stuff.” You scoff at him. “What?”

“What does guy stuff entail?”

“He asked me what he should do if he accidentally gets a stiffy while kissing.” Your eyes widen and your jaw drops. “He didn’t word it like that, obviously.”

“Did that happen to him tonight?”

“No, but he’s scared that it could.”

“What did you tell him to do?”

“I told him to think of something that grosses him out.” He shrugs, and sits next to you on the bed with his own book.

“Gotta be so tough being a boy.” You pout sarcastically. “Having to hide your boners all the time.” Harry side eyes you. “It’s what you get for having everything else in your lives be so easy. You’re sitting there dealing with that while us girls are sitting there hoping we haven’t randomly started bleeding.”

“Yeah, I remember Gem coming home from school a few times to change her clothes.”

“It’s literally the worst! You can’t tell if it feels like discharge or if you’re just randomly a little wet, so you panic and run to the bathroom, and then you’re relieved when it’s nothing. Plus, you’re crazy irregular at that age, so even if you’re tracking it, it can still be random.”

“That really does suck.” You hum your response. “Am I good to you when you have your period? Is there anything you’d like me to do?”

“Oh, Harry, don’t be silly.”

“M’serious! Should we keep more dark chocolate in the house? Oh! I could get one of those hot water presses to put on your back, or-“

“Babe.” You put your hand on his shoulder. “You do plenty, thank you very much.” You lean over and kiss his cheek.

“I’m kinda glad you got it tonight so you won’t have it on our trip.”

“Me too. Would have been a pain in the ass for sure.” You bite your bottom lip. “I’m very excited for Miami.”

“Same here, the weather’s looking good. We’ll be able to go to the beach, and go to bars, all that fun stuff.”

“Mhm.” You smile and get back to your book.

You had a few things up your sleeve for your week away, but you wanted it to be a pleasant surprise for your husband, so you were doing your absolute best to keep it to yourself.

[puckbuddies]

4 times Mat was caught simping by his friends and 1 time you caught him.

Mat Barzal x reader 

4375 words 

Thank you to @smiley-svechnikov for helping me with it :)

September 30th

When Anthony walked into Mat’s apartment, he expected to find his teammate on the sofa. What he didn’t expect however, was to find Mat laying on the sofa reading a book. He’d never in their however many years of knowing each other seen Mat read a book for fun. Tito had come over to see if Mat wanted to grab some lunch together on their day off but now his interests had changed.

Mat still hadn’t noticed the presence of his friend, being too concentrated on what he was reading to pay attention to his surroundings. Hearing a cough broke him out of his trance and made him let out a startled noise. Shooting up from his position on his couch, he came eye to eye with the blue eyes of his favorite teammate. If he hadn’t been so caught if guard, he would have noticed the impressed look in them.

“You scared the shit out of me.” was the only thing Mat could think of to say at that moment.

Tito let out a laugh at his reaction.

“How about you scaring me? I come over here to find you reading. Like an actual book, are you okay Barzy?”

Mat knew that Tito was just teasing him but he still rolled his eyes in over dramatic Barzal fashion. He’d read books in the past. Granted they were about hockey, but they were books nonetheless.

“Y/n just finished this one and she’s been talking about it all week. I figured I could just read it so I actually knew what she’s talking about next time. It’s longer than I expected it to be so it’s taking more time that I planned.”

Tito’s eyes widened slightly. Mat said it so casually, as if that was a normal thing to do for someone who was supposedly ‘just a friend’.

Obviously he didn’t believe it when Mat told him that. There was no way you and Mat were just friends. But Anthony wasn’t someone who meddles in others people’s business. Besides, he didn’t want to put any pressure on yours and Mat’s friendship in case the two of you hadn’t figured it out yet. However at this moment he couldn’t help himself.

His scoff confused Mat who didn’t feel like he’d said something strange.  His look of confusing forced Anthony to explain.

“Oh come on, you’re reading a book for her. Don’t act like everything is normal. I can ignore you paying for all her drinks and you giving her your sweatshirts when she’s cold but I can’t ignore this. You have to see it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

And he really didn’t. Mat was clueless as to what Tito was hinting at.

“You don’t have to tell me anything but just think about it. You are reading a book she likes and she hasn’t even asked you to read it, surely that means something. I came here to ask you if you wanted to get lunch but from the Taco Bell on the table I see you’ve already eaten so I’ll just leave you to it.”

All Mat did was let out a noise of agreement before his teammate was out the door. He stared at his book with a vacant look for a while trying to process what Tito meant with what he said. Suddenly he didn’t feel like reading anymore. Leaving the book on the table next to his empty wrappings from before, he took off to take a shower.

Mat Barzal was simping before he even realized he was.

December 12th

Mat didn’t really think about Tito’s words much longer. They were out of his head as soon as he was out of the shower. That was a couple of weeks ago and nothing had changed in the way he thought about you. He still called you after every game to let out his happiness about winning or to discuss the things he could’ve done better.

Tomorrow however he wouldn’t have to do that anymore seeing as you were flying out to stay in New York for a week. And Mat was fucking excited about it. He hadn’t seen you in person since September when his training camp started and you had college to attend, and that was almost three months ago.

September was always the hardest month to go through. After spending practically the entire off season in Vancouver together, being in different countries was a big change.

Mat could barely contain his excitement driving to the airport. Messages were just not enough anymore when he got to talk to the real you in approximately 20 minutes. Seeing you standing at the airport with your bags waiting for him to pick you up, all he could think about was how it was all worth it.

~

His feelings of excitement continued all throughout the next day as well. He’d never had as much trouble taking his pregame nap as that day.

But getting ready to leave for the arena, he felt good. On the one hand he was nervous because he wanted to play well, but on the other hand having you there calmed him down like nothing else could. He was feeling confident in himself and the team and was sure they were going to pull out a win.

You on the other hand, were shitting it. It had been a while since you had seen Mat play in real life and you really wanted him to win. More than that you wanted him to enjoy himself and winning was a lot more fun than losing. On top of that Mat had insisted you sit with the Wags who you didn’t really know all that well. He’d assured you they were all great and while you believed that, you still felt like you’d be an outsider. It might look like you were his girlfriend -you were wearing his jersey after all- but you certainly weren’t and you weren’t sure if you could handle any questions about your relationship.

You decided you should tell him how you felt in an attempt to calm yourself down. So when you got into the car to drive to the arena the first words out of your mouth were: “Mat I’m nervous.”. You knew you were overreacting and felt a bit silly for being this nervous when Mat was the one who actually had to get on the ice and do something.

Mat however never made you feel stupid about anything, not even something as small as this.

“Why? You just have to go meet some new people and absolutely amaze them with your personality, which by the way comes naturally and takes you no effort because you are amazing, and then I’ll spend the rest of the season answering questions about when I’ll bring you around again.”

His words were teasing but you knew he meant them and it still helped you feel more at ease about the situation you were about to find yourself in.

“How about this, I’ll walk you up to the box so you don’t have to go in there alone.” He continued still sensing your anxiety.

Your heart swelled up at the suggestion. Mat just kept amazing you with what he was willing to do for you.

“Would you not be late if you do that?”

“Nah it’ll be fine, I’ll just have to get dressed a bit faster.” He hesitated after that and turned to you with a smirk on his face. “Or I could just drive a little faster.”

This caused you to panic and slap his arm closest to you. “No you can’t do that! We won’t even make it to the arena.”

Mat let you his typical laugh at that and the last of your worries flooded to the back of your mind.

When you arrived, Mat kept his promise and went with you to meet the Wags for the first time. You might have not noticed the smile on his face after he hugged you and once again whispered in your ear that it would all be fine, but they sure did.

 December 13th

When you woke up the next day, you felt a little bit of a headache coming up. The Isles did manage to pull out a win the night before and Tito practically forced you and Mat to go out and celebrate with the rest of the team. While you really liked the other Wags, you were still a bit uncomfortable holding a conversation with them so you had decided to drink just enough to take the edge off.

You thanked your past self for being responsible and for not trying to keep up with Mat, who drank a lot more than you did. You still didn’t understand how that boy could drink so much and still be able to walk. Thinking back to last night, you felt it was a good idea to go check up on him and see how he was doing. Making the short trip to the other side of the hallway didn’t take much time even if you did stop at the bathroom to check your reflection. When you reached your destination, you were surprised to not see Mats face staring back at you from his bed.

Checking up on the kitchen and living room, you still couldn’t find Mat and you were starting to get a little worried. He hadn’t left the apartment after you went to sleep had he? Pulling your phone out to send a quick message to Tito asking if he’d seen Mat, an unread message from the boy in question caught your attention.

“Getting breakfast, be back in 20.”

received 18 minutes ago

Okay, so you were worried for no reason. At least you knew where he was now.

You settled down at the kitchen island and entertained yourself with your phone until Mat came back about ten minutes later.

“You’re about six minutes late Barzal. Any excuses?” was what you opened with once you saw him come into the kitchen.

“You know, funny story because you said that to mock me but I do actually have an excuse.”

You looked at him expectantly and he looked back with a playful expression on his face. When he doesn’t say anything else for a few moments you notice he has his hands behind his back. Looking back up at him, you raise an eyebrow to signal for him to continue.

Your whole face lit up when he pulls breakfast from behind his back along with a small bouquet of flowers.

“Oh my god you got me flowers? Why would you do that?”

“Apparently there’s a new flower shop next to the place I always get my breakfast and these were in the windowsill. I know they’re your favorite so I couldn’t not buy them.”

The last of his words were muffled as you jumped up to give him the biggest hug possible, thank yous coming out of your mouth for the next minute. As you finally settled down to eat together after a while, you couldn’t stop smiling. You still couldn’t believe Mat got you flowers.

After cleaning up the dishes you took to Instagram to post the beautiful bouquet on your story. And when Mat got a phone call from one of your mutual friends that night to taunt him about the flowers, he began to understand why people always called him out on his actions.

 June 2nd

You knew going out the day before was a bad idea. Mat had invited you to the lake with him and a couple of his friends and because you couldn’t say no to him, you went. And you got sunburned. It wasn’t your fault really, you had applied sunscreen at least three times but it happened to be exceptionally hot that day. Besides that, being out on the water for four hours didn’t make the situation any better.

It was mostly your back that was hurting and it prevented you from finding a comfortable position in your bed. After another painful turn you decided that you needed to go find a bottle of after-sun asap. Turning on the bathroom light you came into contact with your reflection for the first time that day. Your face and arms were slightly red but your back somehow looked even worse than it felt. Silently cursing Mat for convincing you to go out and yourself for not putting up more of a fight you opened the cabinet door in search of the bottle that would relieve you of your pain.

Except you couldn’t find it, neither in that cabinet or the next. It occurred to you that you might’ve left it at your friend’s house when you last went swimming. Concluding that you weren’t going to find it in your room, you went to your parents bathroom. Alas, the universe had apparently decided that today wasn’t your day as you couldn’t find anything. Your luck got even better as you remembered your parents were out with friends and had taken the car so that you couldn’t even go to the store to buy a new bottle.

Going back to your room to find your phone, you saw that it was only half past eight. Part of you felt guilty having to call Mat at such an early time to help you out somehow. The other part of you felt like it was at least a little justified as it was him you asked you to stay out in the sun. You sent him a text anyway asking if he was awake yet. It took a while for Mat to reply but when he did you took no time to call him figuring it would be easier to beg him that way.

“Hello?”

His voice wasn’t as deep as it usually was in the mornings. It even sounded like he was a little out of breath. Deciding to not waste any more time you got straight to the point.

“What are you doing right now?”

The reason why Mat was out of breath was because he was training with Tyson that morning. Looking back it hadn’t been his smartest decision to agree to an early morning workout after not having slept a lot the night before.

“I’m training with Tys today. Why? Is something wrong?”

“Oh no I’m fine, I’m just dying a slow and painful death at this moment.”

Mat’s first instinct was to panic at your words until he realized that you had to be fine if you had the option to be that over dramatic. Before he could respond though, Tyson called for his attention.

“Are we running or what?”

Waving him off with his hand Mat turned to speak to you again.

“I’m kind of busy right now but I’ll call you back after if you want me to?”

“No please I actually need your help.” Your response came very quickly and it peaked his interest.  “I am really fucking sunburned and I’ve searched my entire house but I can’t find any after-sun. On top of that my parent apparently enjoy to see me suffer because they’ve taken the car so I can’t go to the store. I guess my question is if you would maybe perhaps please go to the store and pick up a bottle for me?”

Your voice had gotten higher as you came to the end of your little speech clearly indicating that you needed something from him. Even though Mat couldn’t see your face, he knew that you were putting on your best puppy eyes.

“ I’ll go to the store after I’m done here.”

“But that’s still so long.” You whined dragging out your last word. “I’m actually in a lot of pain and you are my only hope right now. Please Mat.”

He could argue all he wanted, but deep down Mat knew that he’d made his decision already. He couldn’t say no to you even if he tried. He sighed and at that moment you knew you’d won.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” you sang happily through the phone.

“Yeah yeah only this one time though.”

His words had no truth behind them. And now he had to explain to Tyson why he had to quit their workout after only forty minutes.

When Mat turned around, he found Tyson already looking at him with a smirk that Mat had become quite familiar with in the last year or so and it was reserved specifically for these types of situations.

“So I actually have to go right now, y/n needs my help.”

This caused Tyson to burst out laughing.

“Barzy you are so incredibly whipped.”

Mat only rolled his eyes in response knowing it was useless to try and change Tyson’s mind. He packed up his things and made an effort to avoid eye contact as he left the field.

 + 1.  Driving past the city lights made all the tension in your shoulders disappear. This has been just what you needed, only now realizing the stress of trying to find a job was really getting to you. The two-month break after finishing university was a well needed rest after four years of hard work but you were well aware that it couldn’t last forever. You had to start living your life now. Getting an apartment in Vancouver was far from cheap and finding a job was proving to be harder that you’d thought.

Sighing contently and resting your head on the window you turn to Mat. He looks ridiculously good driving his car under streetlights. If it wasn’t for the fact that you were so deep in the friendzone you could stare at him forever. But Mat being Mat had to ruin the peaceful atmosphere by belting out the lyrics to whatever song had just come on the radio.  

“Jesus Christ Mat, if I wanted to listen to off key singing I would just record myself.”

“Oh don’t do me like that y/n, you know I have the voice of an angel.”

“One that’s getting his wings ripped out maybe.”

Mat gave you an offended look.

‘Okay rude. Don’t forget who’s driving an hour to bring you to go stargazing in the fricking middle of the night. Don’t be ungrateful”

It was your turn to be offended now.

“Which was your idea must I remind you. But you are right, I appreciate it very much.”

He looked happy with your response as he went back to quietly singing along to the radio. It wouldn’t take too long for you to arrive at your destination. You recognized the signs by the side of the road.

Excitement filled your stomach. You hadn’t been at the lookout in a couple of months and while you knew Mat was joking about you needing to thank him, you were really grateful for him taking you. This specific lookout had been your happy place ever since you first discovered it when you were fifteen. And now being twenty-two, it still had an effect on you. Mats voice broke you out of your thoughts once again.

“So, you can tell me how much you love me when we get out of the car and under the sky. Unless your plan is to just sit in the car and look out the window.”

“Yeah no that is actually what I wanted to do, I’m so glad we’re on the same wavelength.”

Your statement was followed by a challenging smile that you regretted as soon as he sent you one of his own in return. You knew Mat was stubborn, annoyingly so. And now your stupid comment meant that he would not be getting out of his car until you took it back. In a different situation you would have sat like this for hours but on this specific night you really needed to see the stars to calm the doubts that seemed to follow you around.

“Just get out of the car.” You sighed while opening up the door on your side.

Walking to the picnic bench in the middle of the grass you could hear his laughter even before he got out of the car.

“How do you always know exactly how to get on my nerves Barzal?”

You didn’t have to wait long on his response.

“Because I know you. I have known you. For about ten years now. You might think you’re mysterious but you’re far from it.”

You chuckle at that, choosing to close your eyes and lay your head down on the bench. A moment of silence comes over both of you. Turning to face Mat you see he’s already looking at you.

“Tell me.”

Your reaction draws a small smile from him and you feel the sudden urge to run your fingers over his cheeks to try and capture it in your hands.

“I know that you did not want to come say hello when you moved into the house next to mine. I know that your dad forced you to and that you thanked him for it a year later because you met me.”

You almost pushed him off the bench for that but the smile on your face told Mat that you weren’t really annoyed at him. He stopped talking for a while after he heard it. Crazy how you could make him lose his train of thought by doing something so easy. He realized after a while that he should probably continue talking, more for his sake than yours.

“I know that your least favorite color is purple but that you don’t like saying that because it makes you feel bad. I know that you don’t like to put your hair in a ponytail because it gives you a headache. I know that your favorite book is the song of Achilles and that you get sunburned by being in the sun for like thirty minutes and that despite that you’re always out of after-sun.”  

His face turned serious after that.

“I know that coming here and watching the stars is your favorite way to calm down but that you’ve not asked me to bring you because you don’t want to bother me. I know that you’ve been extremely stressed thinking now that you’ve finished school you have a deadline to do all the adult things you feel like you’ve missed out on until now. I know that thinking about the future freaks you out and that all you want to do right now is just lay here and not go back home.”

You don’t speak after Mat finished his little monologue, trying to process what he had just said.

“But I know that you’ll be fine.”

This causes you to scoff. The fact that he was trying to reassure you was sweet really, but you knew that he couldn’t possibly be sure of that. Mat was great at pretty much everything he did, but no one could predict the future.

“Y/n I know that you don’t believe me but everything will turn out alright.”

“And how do you know that Mat? I appreciate you being here for me but the things I’m dealing with are slightly out of your field of expertise. I’m terrified that I’ve spend my entire life studying for something that I’m completely unprepared for. I have no idea what direction I want to go in with my professional career and I don’t have time to think about it because I need to find an apartment in like three months unless I want to live with my parents for the rest of my young adulthood. I can’t afford to wait much longer.”

“Move in with me then.”

Everything paused for a second. You almost asked him to repeat himself but the look in his eyes told you that you’d heard him right the first time. You took the time that it took you to slowly sit up from your position on the bench to collect your thoughts. Still you couldn’t come up with much more than “You don’t mean that.”

“I get that you’re stressed about everything right now, but you don’t have to be. I can help you figure it out.”

“Mat you’re not serious” you interrupted him. “I can’t ask you to babysit me, you have your own things to deal with.”

“You’re not asking me to. And I’m not babysitting you, I want you in New York with me as much you need an apartment.”

Your head was spinning even more than at the start of the evening. Moving in with Mat. It would be everything you’ve ever wanted. But it wasn’t like that. He wanted you there to take care of you as a friend. As much as it hurt you to say no to him, you knew that you couldn’t do it like that.

“Mat I can’t ask you to put your life on pause for me. I-”

“Y/n I love you. I have no idea how you haven’t figured it out by now because my friends have reassured me that I’ve been very obvious, but I. Love. You. I’ve wanted to ask you to move with me for an entire year now. I want you with me not to take care of you but to hold you and kiss you and reassure you. I want to give you the future you want. And I can give it to you.”

At this point Mat was furiously running his fingers through his hair and you were staring at him open-mouthed.

“I’ve probably fucked everything up by saying this but I can’t let you believe that you don’t deserve everything good the world had to offer.”

You couldn’t think. It was like your body was moving on auto-pilot. So it surprised you just as much as it did Mat when you jumped up to press your lips against his. You pulled back quickly though to start your own rant.

“Mat I want that. I want you, in Vancouver and in New York and everywhere you’ll take me.”

You didn’t need a reply. The way he kissed you told you that he was on board with anything you said. And you were so exited about it.

[because-of-a-friend]

Boyfriend!Mingyu Fluff

MASTERLIST

Coups | Jeonghan | Joshua | Jun | Hoshi | Wonwoo | Woozi | DK | Mingyu | Minghao | Seungkwan | Vernon | Dino

Thanks for the request @ajusquishy​ !!! I really hope you like it, thanks again for all the compliments on my writing! Feel free to request more! Reminder to everyone that this is a series I only do by request so if there’s one I haven’t written that you want, just request it! (Sorry this one took longer, I had long shifts at work and forgot I promised to do favors for some people)

You and Mingyu have been best friends almost your whole lives

You both met in elementary school

You were in different classes but the whole school got lunch and recess at the same time

You meet each other on the playground

And Gyu being the big puppy that he is, immediately starts whining to you about how he hasn’t made any friends in his class

And you eventually admit that you haven’t either

And then you quietly ask Mingyu if he wants to be friends

And he immediately hugs you and proclaims that he’ll love you forever

And you two have been friends ever since

You know that character trope everyone loves?

Gentle giant befriends a defensive person who’d kill anyone who so much as looks at the gentle giant the wrong way?

That’s you and Gyu 

He’s all fully trusting of others and bright smiles and sunshine and flowers 

And you’re all 

“That person said what to you??? I’m gonna go beat them up”

Truthfully most of your high school days are Mingyu dragging you away to stop you from fighting anyone who’s mean to him

But really since Mingyu is so trusting of everyone he meets 

You really have been taking care of him since you met him

Warding off people who try to take advantage of him, helping him with the favors he couldn’t say no to, and comforting him when his feelings get hurt

Usually you’re happy to do all of that for him because you care about Gyu so much and honestly you’d do anything for him

But one time your teacher asks Mingyu to help round up volunteers for garbage pickup 

And on the weekend you were planning to go to the beach with other friends

You get stuck on the side of the highway helping Gyu and your teacher pickup trash

You never let him live that one down

But even when you’ve graduated high school and started your 20s 

You’re still happy to help Mingyu with what he needs

It’s a bit different now with you being in university and Mingyu being an idol

But you’re also both so much more grown up and mature and understanding that it’s not just the two of you against the world anymore

You’ve made more friends and Mingyu has the boys

Who are all incredibly happy you’re around btw

Especially Coups who sometimes finds being a leader to twelve really stressful and is incredibly happy that Mingyu has someone to depend on even when he gets busy

But aside from all of that, not a lot changes between you and Gyu

Except

“Honestly, Woozi, I don’t know what I’d do without them, [Y/N]’s the kindest person I’ve ever met and I feel like they made me who I am and I honestly can’t even imagine life without them”

“It sounds like you’re in love with them Gyu”

And Mingyu’s like

*white guy blinking gif*

And he realizes that oh

He definitely is in love with you

And after that he’s just 

Suffering™

Because he is so completely infatuated with you

And you’re just like 

Oblivious™

And he starts convincing himself that you don’t feel the same way

“You don’t know until you tell them, though, Gyu.”

So Mingyu decides he’s gonna tell you

He hypes himself up

Dresses up really nice

Practices a speech in the mirror

Tries to ignore Seungkwan and Hoshi walking in every once in awhile to tease him

And heads over to your place 

And when he walks in

You’re...

Packing???

“Oh hey Gyu, I have big news”

He doesn’t want to assume the worst but he can feel his heart sink down to his feet

“You know that summer internship I applied for? The one abroad? I got it!”

You squeal excitedly and grab Gyu’s arms as you jump up and down

“Can you believe it? The whole summer overseas, interning at my dream job!!!”

“No, I can’t...”

“What are you so dressed up for? Do y’all have something important scheduled today?”

“Oh, uh, yeah”

“Bummer, I was gonna force you to help me pack”

Mingyu is distressed when he gets back home

What if he tells you and you get into a relationship but it starts off long distance and it’s too much and your relationship ends before it can even begin?

What if he doesn’t tell you and you meet someone while you’re there and it’s over for him?

He just lays face down in his bed the rest of the day, groaning and pulling at his hair

When the day comes for you to leave, he drives you to the airport

“Remember the time change when you try to call me, and make sure to keep me updated on how that new song is going, and tell Hoshi I said to be a little nicer when he’s teaching you the choreo and...”

You stop in your rant when you see Mingyu’s forlorn face

“Hey, it’s only three months-”

“Three months and two weeks” he pouts

“Three months and two weeks” you roll your eyes “But it’ll be over before you know it, I’ll be home soon!”

He nods before pulling you into a tight tight tight hug 

And you start to pull away but he just grabs onto you tighter so you just let him hold you for a minute

“I made you some snacks and stuff for the plane ride”

He hands you a bag before sending you off towards your gate

He waves until he can’t see you anymore

To be honest, you don’t really look inside the bag until you’ve already landed and reached the hotel you’re staying in

It’s because you know you’ll miss home and you wanted to have that with you when you were so far away 

So you pull out Mingyu’s snacks and chow down

Then you look through the bag to find the other things he packed

An extra pair of headphones bc you always forget yours

Some face masks

Other odds and ins

And a letter

You put the letter to the side, deciding to only read it when you really miss home

Which happens half way through your internship

You get back to your hotel room absolutely exhausted, thinking about how you’ve only made it halfway through

And you really really want to go home

Your employers told you they’d give you some time off

But you’re not sure you’re gonna take them up on their offer

You turn over in your bed and reach around to find the letter Mingyu had written you

You stare at your name written in his handwriting for a bit before opening it

It’s mostly a pretty standard letter

He tells you how much he’ll miss you

How great he thinks you’ll do at your internship

How nervous he is for their comeback

“I’ll give it my all but it won’t be the same since my heart will be across the sea”

You reread it five times thinking you must be misinterpreting it

But nope there it is

You decide to take the vacation days

Mingyu is nothing short of surprised when you show up to the dorm halfway through the summer

“Well you’re back early” 

“Oh I’m just here on my time off”

“Why’d you come here for your time off?? You were abroad, there were places you could’ve seen and-”

“Mingyu, I’m in love with you”

He stops dead in his tracks

“What?”

“I don’t think I realized it until I read your note but... I love you”

Time stops for Mingyu 

He doesn’t even realize it until

“Usually when people tell you they love you, some sort of response is expected”

“Oh right sorry”

He steps forward towards you and looks over your face

He forces you to look at him by pinching your chin between two fingers and guiding your face towards his

“I love you too”

Then he presses his lips softly against yours and kisses you slowly

As it turns out the long distance isn’t so bad once you go back to your internship 

You call as much as you can and send each other gifts

And once you get back

You two are inseparable

Like still the same duo as always

But with a lot more fluff added on top

Just smothering each other with affection

Constantly

“Mingyu please, [Y/N] has their own place, can’t y’all be gross and mushy there instead of at the dorm???”

“Quiet maknae”

Mingyu is elated to be your boyfriend

Like honestly he’s been waiting for this his whole life

He’s kind of clingy in a cute way

Every time you two see each other at the end of the day he runs to you to hug you and greet you

Since you two were already with each other 24/7 before you started dating

Your relationship is really easy

You know how to navigate arguments with each other well

You know each other’s habits

And favorite things

It was already a perfect situation with a beautiful love added on top

Mingyu isn’t always super open about his feelings

But sometimes at night when it’s super late

He’ll lay next to you and play with your hands as he quietly whispers his deepest feelings to you

You always take him seriously at times like this so he knows he can trust you and that he’s safe with you always

Like Hoshi, he’s a bit of a crier at times like this

He’s just so utterly happy to be with someone who cares for him so much and makes him feel so loved

So he can’t help but tear up when he tells you he loves you

Usually it’s during your late night talks

But sometimes it happens in the middle of the day

You’ll just be talking about something or cleaning the kitchen or doing something to entertain yourself and you’ll look over

And Mingyu will have a pout on his face and tears in his eyes

And you’re like ??????

“Babe what’s the matter???”

“I just love you a lot”

Cue the giant puppy pushing himself into your arms and burying his face in your neck

You two switch on being the little spoon quite often bc you both like being held by the other

There are some nights when you both want to be the little spoon and you’ll try to stand your ground but then he’ll act cute to convince you to let him be it

Cue knocking on the wall next to the bed

“Mingyu, [Y/N], please remember that this is a dorm housing twelve other people that don’t want to hear your disgustingly cute argument over who gets to be the little spoon”

“Oh god, Hoshi hyung, you heard that???”

Hoshi is bitter that y’all kept him up

But not bitter for his new material to blackmail Mingyu with lol

But you’re not the only one taking care of Mingyu

Mingyu does lots to take care of you

He remembers your allergies bc sometimes you forget and almost eat something that might set off a reaction

He’ll slap it out of your hand like you do when a baby picks something up off the floor and tries to put it in their mouth lol

When you’re stressed from classes he’ll stay up all night with you until you finish your homework

Even if he can’t help you with it, he’ll keep you company until it’s done

And he’ll make you lots of yummy food while you’re working on it

When you’re upset he’ll hold you while you cry/silently mull it over/rant about what’s happening

And he’ll massage your back and pet your head

Buys you lots of cheesy couple gifts

“Look [Y/N]! I bought us couple plushies for when I leave on tour”

“He stole that idea from me by the way”

“Shut UP maknae”

But he’s willing to do anything to make you happy

Like how you are for him

You two have a one in a million love story

[raleighcarrera]

be mine

platinum | raleigh carrera x mc (cadence dorian)

raleigh and cadence end up on a couple’s trip together as the fifth and sixth wheels to their friends, four months after they’ve broken up.

shoutout to jade for letting me borrow her rcd mc florencia/platinum mc dom and shoutout to pj for letting me borrow her platinum mc ascendance ! the gang’s all here this valentine’s day 💕

tags: @choicesarehard ; @empressazura; @dakotawinchester ; @zigtheeortega ; @pixeljazzy ; @grigori-girl 

~9k words | E (18+)

avery was uncharacteristically squirrelly when she pressed him about who else was coming on the trip with them, evading her questions as best as he could while he herded her onto the plane.

“i don’t want to be a third wheel to you and ascendance,” cadence insisted for what was surely the sixth or seventh time since he’d first invited her along, “or a fifth wheel once seth and florencia show up, either.”

“would you relax?” avery said, waving the flight attendant over and practically shoving a drink into her hand as they settled into their seats across from each other, “seth and florencia are bringing someone with them, too. it’s going to be fine.”

“it’s not going to be fine if whoever they bring is a weirdo,” she pointed out, but sipped obligingly from her champagne all the same, sighing dramatically when the doors closed and the plane started to roll down the tarmac. “then the four of you will be off doing valentine’s day things together and i’ll be stuck entertaining some creep.”

“they wouldn’t just bring some creep,” avery assured her, rolling his eyes. “and even if they did, at least you’ll be entertaining them in palm springs, yeah? i don’t think i could’ve lasted another day below zero.”

that was true. new york had been freezing, lately, with a particularly unrelenting winter that seemed unlikely to melt into spring anytime soon, groundhog predictions be damned. as the plane took off into the air, her toes had yet to thaw out where they were like ice in her sneakers. 

avery’s girlfriend’s vacation house in palm springs was going to be a welcome respite from the place she was desperate to get away from, even if she was going to have to spend her first valentine’s day alone there -- or, worse, with some strange guy or girl she wasn’t ready to entertain.

it had been four months since her breakup with raleigh, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to date again. she had. each of her friends had begged to be given the chance to set her up until she finally relented and subsequently regretted ever leaving her apartment -- every single miserable dinner date she went on felt like trying to walk around in the wrong size shoes, pinchy and unfamiliar and strange.

each of the people she’d dated were perfectly nice in their own way, but they weren’t raleigh. they never could be.

the realization had admittedly left her feeling a little glum. she’d expected to be over him, by now, or at the very least, to not still be so torn up about their breakup, especially when she was the one who’d forced his hand.

man up and make a commitment, or let me go. the words felt bitter as she recalled them, and she sighed when avery kicked her underneath the table between them, eyebrows drawing together.

“oi, none of that this weekend. this trip is going to be fun.”

“i know,” cadence said, her eyes on the window beside her. as fun as it could be, she supposed. “and i really appreciate you trying to take my mind off things, but...”

avery’s eyes softened. “yeah,” he allowed, “i get it. but i really do want you to try to have a good time. a break from new york will be good for you.”

“i hope so.” though she doubted it. if she couldn’t get raleigh out of her mind when she was home, a trip across the country was unlikely to make a difference. 

the drive to ascendance’s from the airport was short, and after only a few minutes cadence had the pleasure of watching the two of them embrace like it’d been years since they last saw each other, kissing enthusiastically while she lingered in the foyer with her suitcase.

ascendance grinned widely at her when they broke apart, laughing a little as avery kept her wrapped in his arms, lifted up off the floor with her bare feet dangling. “hey! it’s so good to see you again. you can take any room you want, okay?”

the wet sound of kissing didn’t disappear even after she rushed upstairs, dragging her suitcase down the long hallway until she could find the bedroom farthest away from the noise. 

she shut the door behind her on an airy, sun-drenched guest bedroom draped in billowy linens, the open window looking down at the pool and sprawling backyard. palm trees decorated the property, and the sight of the view alone was enough to calm her down just a little, so that her stomach wasn’t clenched into tight knots for the first time in weeks when she kicked off her shoes and sank into the bed.

her hands scrubbed across her face, rubbing at her eyes. she was makeup-free from the flight and knew she’d need to get ready before whatever chaos she was inevitably going to be dragged into tonight, when seth and florencia and their mystery guest would get in, but just then, she was far too exhausted to move. 

figuring that a nap wouldn’t hurt, she slipped under the blankets in the sweats she’d worn on the plane and immediately fell fast asleep.

the sun was setting when she woke up, a commotion downstairs alerting her to the fact that seth and florencia had gotten in early; she heard a champagne cork pop and cheers echo out just as she slid to the edge of the mattress and stretched, arching her back and righting her clothes where they’d pulled out of place in her sleep.

running a hand through her messy hair, she walked out into the hallway without thinking twice about it, figuring she’d find out the plan for the evening before she started getting ready.

cadence regretted the thought as soon as she paused at the top of the stairs. “hey, sleeping beauty!” seth crowed, throwing his hands up in the air, but she couldn’t bring herself to greet him when her eyes were focused on the mop of brown hair standing just behind him, a head taller and a commanding presence she’d recognize in any room, in any city, in any place. 

the person seth and florencia had brought with them was raleigh.

he smiled sheepishly at her, rubbing at the back of his neck before lifting his hand in an awkward wave. “hey.”

“hey,” she said slowly, resuming her walk down the stairs as if on autopilot, even though every nerve-ending in her body was screaming at her to turn back around and go to her room and put on something hotter, damnit. if she’d known she was going to be seeing raleigh today she would have taken the entire six hour flight in valentino haute couture and sat ramrod straight not to wrinkle it.

but she didn’t, and so there she was, makeup free in sweats, dreaming of all the long, drawn-out and painful ways she was going to murder both avery and seth for blindsiding her. 

“i’m gonna go pour drinks,” seth said decisively, and cadence only barely caught the look florencia shot her before they both turned away to tend to the champagne bottle in her hands, leaving her alone in the foyer with raleigh. 

it had been a few months since she saw him last. they ran into each other only once after she picked up all her things from his apartment, the shoes and makeup and guitar picks and jewelry she’d left strewn all over the place because there was no rules at raleigh’s and she’d gotten too comfortable with that. she’d spotted him from across the room at a party she didn’t want to be at and ducked out the back door before he could see her, too, walking home thirty blocks in the cold, hiccuping sobs that blew clouds of her breath into the air.

he looked more or less the same as he had in november. raleigh’s hair was still pretentiously, purposefully disheveled, his clothes the rich form of messy, distressed and slouchy that looked effortlessly fashionable, with that gaudy rolex on his wrist and hints of his tattoos peeking out at the edge of his collar.

the expression on his face gave nothing away when he said, “i didn’t know you’d be here.”

“we don’t have to talk,” she answered, because they didn’t, and she pursed her lips and looked away just as avery and ascendance entered the house from the patio door, their clasped hands swinging between their bodies.

“oh... my god?” avery said, recovering quickly from the shock on his face, his eyebrows arching to his hairline. ascendance looked to be hiding a nervous laugh behind her hand. “raleigh, good to see you. this is... a surprise.”

“it sure is,” cadence agreed with a wide, fake smile, rage pulsing in her temples. fine -- maybe she’d only have to kill seth.

as if on cue, seth reentered the foyer with the bottle of champagne still in his hands.  “oooookay, here’s the -- oh, hey avery -- ascendance, thanks for having us.” florencia passed out glasses while seth leaned in for welcome hugs, and cadence stood there numbly as the reality of the situation started to sink in.

she and raleigh were the other couple, the people who’d be paired up all weekend while the rest of their friends enjoyed the time away. she was going to be stuck with the guy who’d dumped her, on valentine’s day, and there was nothing she could do about it.

when seth stopped beside her, she made a show of wrapping him up into a bear hug, squeezing him as close and as tightly as she could. “you’re dead to me,” cadence murmured calmly into his ear, smiling innocently again when he pulled away nervously and taking one of the waiting glasses of champagne from florencia’s outstretched hand.

she stared at it for a second, unseeing, before lifting the glass to her lips and draining it in one go, knocking back the champagne while silently lamenting the fact that it wasn’t something stronger. but there was probably no amount of alcohol in the world that was going to make this weekend feel bearable. 

“i’m gonna go get ready,” she announced to no one, dashing back up the stairs as quickly as she dared.

ascendance found her a few minutes later in full meltdown mode, flicking frantically through the outfits she brought for something to wear to dinner.

“obviously i had no idea they’d be bringing him,” she said, sitting on cadence’s bed and rolling her eyes, “and i hope they didn’t know avery was bringing you, or, like, what the fuck is wrong with them?”

“please don’t even get me started,” cadence sighed, “or i really think i might kill someone tonight. which dress do you think is hotter?”

she gestured frantically at the two pieces she’d laid out over the top of her entire dumped-out suitcase, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes until she saw stars. getting ready was going to be impossible. if she wore something too sexy it was going to look like she was trying to get back at raleigh and if she dressed too casually it was going to look like she was trying too hard to seem unaffected. the whole situation was fucked.

“i think i have something you can wear,” ascendance said slowly, “if you have the right shoes. but are you sure you want to --”

“i can’t go home,” she cut in, groaning. “that’s worse than staying. no offense -- i want to stay, i just don’t want --”

“i know,” ascendance said sympathetically, “i get it. why don’t you start on your makeup while i pull this dress out?”

“okay,” cadence sighed miserably, and then she was alone again, staring at the mess of clothes before her. 

she let herself have exactly ten seconds of wallowing and dramatically lamenting why me before she squared her shoulders and sprung into action, digging her makeup bag out of the chaos covering the bed.

okay. step one -- all she had to do was get ready. you’ve done this a thousand times before. just get ready, and go downstairs. no tears.

her hands shook as she sat down in front of the vanity.

fuck this. she wished dom was with her -- she would know what to do. at the very least, she’d have a xanax to offer.

you will not believe where i am, cadence texted her, stomach squirming. part of her would’ve given anything, just then, to be where dom was, with shane, working on whatever film they were making in whatever remote location he’d dragged her to, if only so she wouldn’t have to face the disaster waiting for her downstairs.

strip club? dom answered almost immediately, her words enough to make cadence crack a genuine smile. she felt a little calmer as she quickly filled her friend in on the situation.

fuck him, was dom’s advice, when she was done. ruin his life!!!! is that even a question? squeeze your tits up to your neck if you have to

thanks for the encouragement! cadence wrote back, setting her phone aside when only a sarcastic string of nonsensical emojis came back in response.

she did feel fortified, then, to make it to dinner, and got her makeup on in almost record time, a genuine smile fixed on her face when ascendance helped her get dressed and zipped her into the outfit she’d set aside, a stunning red minidress that was equal parts short and tight, a gentle ruffle at the hem flaring out under her ass.

they were late to dinner, but it was only in the backyard; ascendance had planned for a private chef to come to the house and cook for them so they wouldn’t have to worry about cameras following them around, and in hindsight, cadence could have kissed her for her forward thinking. 

the setup was still elaborate when they made their way outside. ascendance had gone all out in planning the evening -- the table was set with candles and flowers down the length of it, the lawn lit with string lights and music playing somewhere, softly in the distance.

thankfully everyone was already at their seats when they made their way across the grass. avery pulled out the chair across from him for ascendance, and cadence took the seat at the head of the table, opposite raleigh, who was all the way down the other end and looking right at her, a crooked smile on his face and an eyebrow arched at her outfit.

she pointedly ignored him as she dropped down into her seat and picked up the bread roll waiting on her plate, squeezing ascendance’s knee gratefully under the table when she silently passed her roll over, too.

conversation was slow to start, but ascendance kept the food and drinks coming and when cadence was halfway through her third tequila soda she felt markedly less murdery, at least enough to actually talk to seth again, who was still eyeing her warily when she asked, “so, how’s the movie coming?”

“it’s good,” he answered modestly, “they tore down our sets, like, the day filming wrapped, so we did some of the reshoots on location in cordonia. that was cool.”

“they took us on a tour of the palace,” florencia added, though cadence couldn’t look at her without catching raleigh in her peripheral vision, so she kept her eyes on seth, even when he grinned widely at her between bites of the appetizer, a sure sign that there was trouble to come.

“ryan actually asked me about you,” he said casually, “a lot.”

her eyebrows pulled together in surprise. “ryan summers? i think the last time i saw him was when the odyssey dropped.”

“well -- i guess he knows we’re close,” seth shrugged, and, fuck it. she risked a glance at florencia and found her picking her way through the salad; out of the corner of her eye, cadence was pretty sure raleigh had tuned into their conversation, too. “he said he heard you were single.”

warmth flooded her face. she lifted her drink and took another measured sip of it. “did you give him my number?” 

now it was seth’s turn to look surprised. “do you want me to?”

“yeah,” she said without thinking, turning her eyes back to her plate immediately. “florencia, how’s pilot season going?”

the tequila sodas went down easily after that. eventually, when the meal finished and she stood from her chair, cadence realized she was too drunk to be upright, wobbling precariously on the lawn in her heels. her head swam as she did her best to hold still, though judging by the look ascendance was giving her, she wasn’t quite managing it.

“you guys wanna head to a bar?” avery asked, and she looked up just in time to catch raleigh’s eye across the circle, knowing they were having the exact same thought at the exact same time.

her team was going to kill her if she was photographed with raleigh. more than that, the internet would destroy her, and she would absolutely deserve it. she shook her head.

“we’ll hang back,” raleigh said, either not noticing the glances the others were exchanging behind his back or tactfully ignoring them, “you guys go.”

then they were alone. 

“i don’t want to talk to you,” cadence said bluntly, as soon as the others had gone, the half-bottle of tequila she’d drank obliterating her filter completely.

“that’s fair,” raleigh allowed, looking around the backyard -- which was slowly spinning in her field of vision -- before asking, “can i help you upstairs?”

“you can fuck off.” she spun on her heel to storm away and promptly tumbled down onto the ground, face planting into the grass. fuck.

in an instant, raleigh was down on his knees beside her, one large hand wrapped gently around her arm to pull her upright. “hey, are you okay? jesus, that looked bad.”

“i’m fine,” cadence groaned, yanking her arm out of his grip, “and i don’t need your help, and even if i did, you wouldn’t be helping me anyway. all you care about is yourself.”

it took her a minute, but she made her way back to her feet, kicking her heels off for better balance. silently, raleigh picked them up for her, giving her a long look before muttering, “come on, let’s get you inside.”

they trudged back to the house in silence, side-by-side, cadence’s steps slow and awkward with the world fuzzy around her. raleigh hovered as close to her personal space as he dared their entire way up the stairs, all the way down the hallway until they were both alone in her room.

everything she owned was still strewn across the bed. she groaned when she saw the pile of clothes obstructing the mattress, then threw herself down in the vanity chair and poked around for her makeup wipes instead.

raleigh lingered in the doorway, watching her. “are you gonna be okay?”

she scoffed, yanking the package of makeup wipes open and pulling one out forcefully. “like you give a shit.”

“would you stop it? you have every right to be pissed at me but i’m trying to help, here. are you going to be sick?”

“sick of you,” she said, scrubbing the eyeliner off her eyes in a way her glam team definitely would not approve of, with how she was tugging at her face.

but they weren’t here. raleigh was. and she needed him to go, before she said something stupid.

when she dropped the makeup wipe into the trash at her feet, cadence found raleigh’s arms folded across his chest where he was still leaning in the open door frame. he was staring at her through slightly narrowed eyes, looking either annoyed or pensive -- it was hard to read him, now, considering the drinks she’d had and how long it’d been since they were last alone together.

maybe she’d never be able to read raleigh’s expression ever again. 

raleigh dragged a hand across his mouth, rubbing at his jaw before shrugging helplessly and saying, “i do actually want us to be friends, eventually.”

“don’t count on it,” cadence scoffed, turning back to the vanity mirror for a fresh makeup wipe and the eyeliner on her other eye. 

there was silence for a long moment before he asked, “is that really how you feel?” raleigh’s voice was quieter, this time. he was less sure of himself, maybe.

or maybe she was projecting, leaning into her own wishful thinking.

either way, she faltered, pursing her lips as she stared at her streaky, half-made up face in the mirror before her. 

no. it wasn’t what she wanted. but evidently she wasn’t able to have what she wanted, so a clean break should have been the next best thing, right? space to get over raleigh in peace, no matter how long that took. 

when she didn’t say anything, he softly continued, “it’s just that... i miss talking to you, you know? other people don’t always get it.”

irritation flashed within her, sudden and sharp. that was so like raleigh, to want all of the emotional benefits of her companionship without any of the responsibilities that came with them. “i can’t be your friend right now,” she snapped, shutting her eyes briefly when the way her head turned too quickly made the room start to spin again. “maybe ever, okay?”

there was quiet for so long that she forced her eyes open to check and see whether or not raleigh had left, peeking one eye open slowly, just a crack. cadence sighed when she saw he was still standing in the doorway, staring at her with that dark, inscrutable gaze. 

raleigh cleared his throat before he said, “i’ve been trying to give you space. obviously i knew you wouldn’t want to talk again right away, but in a few months, i thought...”

how embarrassing. she turned away in shame, biting down on the inside of her cheek. 

she wondered how long it’d taken him, to get over their relationship. had he felt they could have been friends again, like nothing ever happened, in one month? three weeks? a few days?

“well, you thought wrong. so please just leave me alone this weekend.” cadence kept her eyes trained on the wall by the closet on the other side of the room, refusing to turn back around. she could feel the tequila starting to work its way back up in her stomach.

“okay,” raleigh said finally, and she heard his hand tap on the doorframe with finality. “night, cadence.” 

only when she heard the soft sound of his footsteps on the carpet fade away into nothing did she get up, gently shutting the door to her room and slumping back against it to thump her head against the wood quietly once she was alone.

fuck.

that certainly hadn’t gone as planned.

in the morning, she woke up with a pounding headache, someone heavy sitting on her legs on the bed. the smell of coffee forced her eyes open, and cadence sat up slowly until her blurry vision focused on seth, who grinned at her again before passing her a mug that was warm to the touch in her hands when she reached out for it.

“morning,” he said, looking far too obnoxious and smug for someone who’d been out later than she had the night before. “i thought you might want to know that raleigh asked if i was really going to give your number to ryan at breakfast just now.”

“i’m going to throw up on you,” cadence mumbled, but stared into the coffee in her hands instead, lifting it to her lips for a careful sip that immediately burned her mouth. “wait -- what?”

“any idea why he’d ask me that?” seth smirked, shifting away deftly when she lifted her leg underneath the covers and kicked out at him. 

“because he’s a bad person and you’re an even worse one?” she suggested, slumping back down to the mattress with a huff when seth rolled to the other edge of the bed, out of reach. “i hope you don’t think i’m ever going to forgive you for bringing him here.”

seth cringed. “florencia said i’m lucky to be alive.” he shifted closer tentatively when she laughed. “i really didn’t know you’d be here, though. i thought you were going upstate to write.”

“i went last month,” she sighed, “it was miserable. even colder than the city and more depressing than my apartment.” the air b&b had been too empty and too quiet, just like her place back home. 

“well, we didn’t all conspire to pull a parent trap on you, i promise,” seth said, and she rolled her eyes at him before disappearing back into her coffee, hoping the caffeine would mitigate the hangover that was starting to feel miserable. “but i also didn’t think you were going to get drunk and start a huge fight or whatever.” 

“is that what he said?” she asked, glancing at the closed door of her bedroom before looking back at seth curiously, “that we had a huge fight?” she had been drunk, but the argument she’d had with raleigh had felt tame in comparison to some of the blowouts they’d gotten into when they were together, including the final explosive screaming match that’d broken them up in the fall.

“kinda,” seth shrugged, “but you know how he is. always downplaying everything.”

“yeah.” her nails tapped against the ceramic mug as she strained to listen to whatever was going on downstairs, but if there were still people in the kitchen, she couldn’t hear them, anymore. “are you going to give my number to ryan?”

“i already did,” seth answered with a dismissive flick of his hand, sending a wave of relief through her. there was something comforting in knowing that the decision was out of her hands, and that she wouldn’t have to admit, out loud, that she was reconsidering the offer after talking to raleigh last night. “but that so isn’t the point.”

“please don’t start,” cadence practically begged, “i literally don’t have it in me to think about this today.” or ever, she silently added. the what-ifs of her and raleigh’s relationship would prove to be enough to consume her, if she let them. she’d spent too many hours, over the last few months, thinking about them -- wondering how he felt, questioning whether or not he was thinking about her, torturing herself guessing where he was or who he was with. life had finally been able to start to distract her with other things again: work, friends, social events. she couldn’t afford to take a step backwards.

any question or comment he’d made was probably done in passing. he didn’t care who anyone gave her number to. 

“but --” seth tried, cutting off with a sigh when she shook her head at him, eyes wide and pleading. “fine. well... there’s more coffee in the kitchen, okay? come out to the pool when you feel like it.”

she stared off into space as she finished what was left in the mug seth had brought her, rubbing her calves together under the sheets to try and determine whether or not she needed to shave her legs again. it’ll give you some time to stall, said a voice in her head helpfully, and she headed to the shower without thinking twice about it, eager to explore ascendance’s stock of beauty products.

everyone was out by the pool when she finally emerged with her sunglasses and bikini on. the boys were splashing in the water, and cadence kept her eyes lowered as she spread out in one of the empty lounge chairs next to ascendance. 

“so,” ascendance murmured, as soon as she got comfortable, “i heard last night was a disaster.”

cadence rolled her eyes again. “good to know raleigh is still the nosey little gossip he always was.”

“if you seriously thought he wasn’t going to tell everyone you hardcore unloaded on him last night, you’re delusional,” ascendance pointed out fairly, making her pout where she was sitting next to her friend. 

fine. “i just didn’t think it was news every time we got into an argument,” she muttered, tilting her head back against the lounge chair, squinting into the sun.

“it’s always news, with you two.” 

with a sigh, cadence looked away, squeezing her eyes shut against the spots that were suddenly appearing like fireworks. evidently all sense of self preservation had completely abandoned her this weekend, both where raleigh was concerned and otherwise. “you’re not really going to make me ask about it, are you?”

she turned her head and found ascendance grinning at her. “would i do that to you?” she asked, rolling over onto her side and inching her chair closer. her voice dropped to a near whisper, and when she dipped her head so her eyes were visible over the tops of her own sunglasses cadence could see how eager she was to fill her in on the news. “the man is a mess,” ascendance said bluntly, looking almost excited about it.

despite her best efforts not to care, she couldn’t stop herself from feeling hopeful and a little relieved, just to hear that. “really?”

“yeah. i don’t think he ever thought you’d be so upset with him, and for so long. it’s kind of embarrassing, honestly. like -- for his soul.” 

“well -- what did he think, that i was just going to be, like, okay, see you? when he picked up all his shit from my apartment while i was on a shoot and told entertainment tonight we had mutual differences. what the fuck was he thinking?”

“beats me,” ascendance scoffed, slowly shaking her head. “i told him he was out of his mind many times. you know how he is. asking all of us for advice on how to talk to you when you made it clear you wanted him to leave you alone.”

“it’s just like -- what could he even possibly have to say to me, you know? after all this time. he had plenty of chances to text me, or something.”

“i don’t think he even knows,” ascendance said. “it just kills him to think anyone’s mad at him. we’re all like that, in a way.”

“i hate that you’re right,” she sighed, gaze drifting out at the sprawling view in the backyard. “he doesn’t care that it’s me. he’s just too much of a narcissist to have someone dislike him.”

“hang on, i didn’t say that,” ascendance mused, pursing her lips. “he definitely cares more because it’s you. try talking to him for ten minutes, you’ll see.”

“i honestly don’t think i can stomach looking at him for ten minutes. it’s like --”

“oi! ace, cadence -- get in here, yeah?”

they turned in unison to find avery grinning, splashing water and waving them into the pool. florencia and seth were sitting on the stairs, and her eyes scanned the rest of the space to slowly come to land on raleigh, treading water behind avery, already staring at her.

“come on,” ascendance smiled, reaching for her wrist and tugging cadence out of her chair before she could protest, yanking her forward towards the edge of the pool.

with a splash, they both jumped in, and cadence was left hovering by the wall as ascendance immediately swam over to avery and jumped into his arms, the two of them spinning away into the deep end with loud laughter.

raleigh lifted his hand to wave awkwardly at her. with a sigh, she swam over, sparing only a brief glance at seth and florencia, who were still parked on the stairs with absolutely no intention of moving and saving her anytime soon.

“you sleep alright?” raleigh asked, as soon as she was close enough to hear him. the expression on his face was sincere, his eyes resting respectfully on her face.

cadence fidgeted as she tried not to stare in return, though the broad planes of raleigh’s chest had always been a distraction -- worse when they were bisected with gold chains and dripping with water, gleaming under the sun. “yeah, i guess. sorry i got drunk and screamed at you or whatever.”

raleigh tipped his head back with a loud laugh, one large palm resting against an equally large pectoral muscle. with his eyes crinkled together under the sun, she gave in and let herself stare at his fingers, glaring bitterly at the tattoos that swirled up his forearm. asshole.

“i think i actually really deserved it, so it’s fine.” when their eyes met again he seemed uncharacteristically uncertain, his trademark shield of confidence momentarily lowered. “i feel like an idiot for not realizing that’s how you must’ve felt sooner.”

cadence shook her head. “that’s not your problem.” having an ex-boyfriend was new to her, let alone one she had to work in the same industry with and live a few neighborhoods away from, the tinny call of the subway conductor’s voice announcing the stops still making her cringe down into her takeaway coffee, even months later -- but she was pretty sure none of this was par for the course. in her (admittedly limited, defined mostly by movies) experience, ex-boyfriends didn’t concern themselves with the aftermath, and raleigh shouldn’t have been any exception.

“i know that.” something unidentifiable flashed in his eyes, and when he winced, she realized it was akin to... pain. uncomfortableness, at the very least. “but, still. i hate thinking that you felt that way... about me. or because of me, even. it’s just shitty.”

“you don’t have to feel guilty,” cadence said, that same prickly annoyance rising up in her again, too suddenly to contend with before the rude words reached her lips. “i know you think highly of yourself, but i’ve had worse things happen to me than being broken up with before.”

raleigh sighed heavily, shaking his head. “i’m fucking this up again. that’s not what i meant. i’m trying to apologize.”

her face contorted with confusion. “you are?”

“yeah, but -- this isn’t going like how i thought it would.” he shrugged, dragging a wet hand across the stubble on his face. he must’ve forgotten to bring a razor with him; it was growing out thicker than it usually did, even and dark across raleigh’s jaw. “i am sorry, though. for what it’s worth, i... really do miss you. and i know that you want me to fuck off and leave you alone and i’m being selfish by not doing that, but -- i just hate not talking to you. and i’m sorry.”

she was quiet for a moment, stunned into silence by his honesty. before she’d even fully had time to process what he’d said, cadence found herself saying, “you don’t have to fuck off entirely.”

raleigh blinked. “no?” he questioned, sounding unsure.

cadence shook her head. there were a million things she could’ve said -- that she’d missed him, too, that she hadn’t ever wanted to break up in the first place, that all she’d ever wanted from him was the promise of a future together -- but they all felt too revealing, making her feel as small as she had when she’d seen his first tabloid cover without her hit the newsstands at the corner store beneath her apartment building. yet again, it was like he was winning their breakup and she was acutely aware of the fact that she was not, and that she’d never be able to, because raleigh was raleigh and she was in love with him.

so she said nothing, and after a beat, he smiled hesitantly at her, eyes searching her face for some sign that she was going to snap at him again.

but she didn’t, and just as she smiled back at him a splash down at the other end of the pool startled them apart, stealing their attention away, and then they were both melding back into the group seamlessly, as though absolutely nothing had transpired between them.

that didn’t stop her from obsessing over it, though, analyzing every aspect of their interaction for the rest of the afternoon while she lounged by the pool, scrolled idly through her phone and made small talk with her friends. despite knowing that raleigh was only trying to bury the hatchet between them in order to appease his own narcissism, the small flicker of hope that had been inside her since their breakup, wondering if maybe he regretted what had happened between them, had been stoked back into a roaring fire.

as the sun started to set, she shivered, tugging at the ends of her damp hair. “i’m gonna go shower. what time’s dinner again?”

ascendance waved her off lazily. “whenever. you know these fools are going to start a fire and pull out a guitar as soon as it gets dark. just come back down when you’re done.”

she shouldered her bag and was surprised to find raleigh fall into step beside her, just outside the sliding back door of the house. “hey,” he said, shirtless still and warm from the sun, smiling brightly, “you going up?”

“yeah,” she answered, trying not to stare at him, “need a break?”

“i’m exhausted,” raleigh said, as they walked up the stairs shoulder-to-shoulder, “i think i got too much sun.”

“i know, i’m going to be washing my hair for, like, a year.” her hands pulled at the split ends, hanging in wet waves around her face. “feels like i soaked up all the chlorine and took it with me.”

silence fell as they walked down the hallway together, and cadence snuck a glance over at raleigh as soon as she realized he wasn’t stopping in front of any of the other guest room doors. they both slowed outside the last one, at the end of the row -- hers.

“listen,” raleigh said, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck, “i was thinking about it, and i feel like i didn’t explain myself well earlier.”

great. he’d probably seen the way she was overthinking written all over her face and realized she was holding out hope for something he had no interest in giving her. cringing, she opened her mouth to insist that she was fine when he continued, “i don’t just miss you as a friend, cadence.”

her mouth snapped shut. out of the thousands of possibilities she’d been turning over in her mind, that sentence was one that had genuinely never occurred to her. “what?”

“i felt like -- what i said, i felt like it came across, like, that i just miss being around you and talking to you like we used to... which is true, don’t get me wrong. but i didn’t mean any of it platonically. and i know that’s wrong, but...” raleigh shrugged, grinning ruefully at her. “i guess i don’t care.”

she gaped at him. after a moment, raleigh’s grin faltered. “can you say something? anything is fine.”

“sorry, i’m just, um.” cadence shook her head. what the fuck? “i’m processing.”

“look, you don’t owe me anything,” raleigh rushed to say, “i know that, and -- last night, i know you said you don’t even want to be friends, let alone anything else, so the fact that you told me i don’t have to fuck off should be enough and is way more than i deserve --”

before she could think too much about it, cadence pushed up onto her toes and kissed him, backing raleigh in against the other side of the hallway. for a split second, he stayed frozen against her; then, just as she started to panic again, he kissed her back, mouth moving urgently over hers.

raleigh’s arms wrapped around her and she carefully tip-toed forward, swaying in against his bare chest and pushing her fingers into his hair to drag his head down closer, giving herself over eagerly to the kiss. raleigh answered as if he was drowning, holding onto her so tightly her knees buckled.

the door behind him opened abruptly as they both pushed against it, and they stumbled forward into a linen closet, breaking apart clumsily as towels and washcloths rained down over their heads.

“fuck,” raleigh muttered, breathing heavily. she watched his bare chest rise and fall as he lifted a hand to run his fingers through his hair. “shit, i’m sorry.”

“don’t,” cadence interjected, similarly working to catch her breath. “i kissed you.”

“yeah, but i -- fuck, i want to be able to give you your space. i know you want that.” he seemed torn by the very idea of it.

she shook her head. “i don’t,” she rushed to explain breathlessly, “i just -- i said all that stuff because i was mad at you, and i thought... i didn’t think you wanted...”

her voice wavered and then trailed off helplessly. with her eyes, she offered raleigh the most pleading look she had, begging him to take pity on her and be the one to drive the conversation, so that she wouldn’t have to feel so achingly vulnerable, like she’d just ripped her chest wide open and laid herself bare for him to examine.

raleigh sighed. “cadence... of course i want you. i always have, ever since you threw that stupid pizza party at one in a million. but i felt like i lost the right to... to even think about this.”

cadence drew in a breath, finding it impossible to tear her eyes away from raleigh’s. he looked heartbreakingly sincere, among ascendance’s racks of askew towels, and no matter how much being with him was going to eventually, inevitably destroy her, she knew she would never, ever forgive herself for turning around now.

“you didn’t.” she watched as raleigh exhaled, relief transforming his face. “i’ve thought about it -- so much -- and i’ve wondered if you ever thought about it, too, and -- i hoped that you did? but when i didn’t hear from you, i had to assume... i mean, i thought you just moved on.”

“no,” raleigh insisted, “jesus, cadence, i could never ‘just move on.’ do you have any idea --”

she kissed him again before he could continue, and raleigh stepped forward to meet her halfway, blindly walking them both out of the closet and back across the hall to her bedroom, fumbling for the doorknob behind her back without dislodging his lips from where they were doing their very best to pull every last breath from her lungs.

he kicked the door shut when they stumbled inside together, and they fell onto her unmade bed in a tangle of damp bathing suits and sunkissed limbs, the messy sheets twisting into further disarray as they rolled around amongst the pillows.

“fuck, fuck, fuck,” raleigh bit out, crawling on top of her to press her down into the mattress, the combination of his lips on her neck and his hands on her hips wiping each and every last thought from her mind. “god, cadence.”

“raleigh,” she moaned in return, sliding her hands down the bare expanse of his back, her fingertips digging into the muscles she’d sorely missed touching, “please, i want...”

his hips bucked forward, and her voice trailed off into a gasp as he pressed against her, her legs widening to give him more room to settle in. raleigh took advantage of the space immediately, and his hips circled forward slowly in a dirty grind that made her head spin, her eyelashes fluttering as her head tipped back against the pillows.

“is this what you want?” raleigh demanded, his voice low. “can you feel how much i want you?”

“yes,” cadence breathed, palms pressing against his back, urging him forward against her, “yes, raleigh, please --”

his hands made quick work of her bikini, untying the strings at the sides of her bottoms, letting the fabric fall away beneath them as his hips thrust forward again. her back arched up off the mattress, and as soon as there was space for his hands, raleigh slipped them between her ass and the mattress, squeezing. 

“you look so fucking pretty,” he sighed, sounding almost personally offended as soon as his thigh slipped between her legs and she pushed her hips up, chasing any source of friction, “jesus, cadence.”

cadence reached up and threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling his face down for another desperate kiss. she didn’t exactly feel pretty, makeup-free and wet from the pool, flushed and panting and begging for her ex-boyfriend’s affection, but the way raleigh was looking at her made her feel like a perfect ten, as stunning as she’d ever thought she was, more glamorous than she’d be for a red carpet event.

it was exactly the same as the way he’d used to look at her, a mix of warm adoration and awe in his eyes, his pride bumping up her own self confidence until she thought she could do absolutely anything.

her forehead pressed against his as they broke apart, sharing the same ragged breaths. “i want you to fuck me,” cadence murmured, just so that she could hear the pained, punched-out groan of raleigh’s that followed the words, her gaze unfocused on where raleigh’s eyes suddenly screwed shut tightly from up close.

“anything,” raleigh promised, lifting his hips so her hands could slide his shorts off, “god, come here.”

she slipped forward down the bed, into raleigh’s waiting arms, and he pulled her in close enough that her body acted on muscle memory, opening up for him to slot into place against her in that same familiar way they’d come together so many times before. 

it was as easy as breathing -- as simple and as complicated as everything with raleigh always felt. 

raleigh’s hands planted on the mattress to give him more leverage, and he shoved his hips forward forcefully, pushing her up the bed. “fuck,” he groaned emphatically, making it impossible for her head to be anywhere else but right there, with him, “you feel so fucking good.”

she knew exactly what he meant. her romantic conquests over the last four months had been few and far between, and raleigh was scratching an itch that had been impossible to manage on her own or with anyone else -- even if she’d wanted to be with someone else, there was no one who knew him quite like he did, who knew exactly what she needed and never failed to give her everything and more.

each quick thrust nudged the headboard against the wall behind her, the sharp tilt of his hips making her tense until her whole body was shaking with how good it felt. cadence turned her face away as raleigh got the angle just right, throwing her forearm over her eyes to hide the open expression of pleasure on her face, muffling her moans into the sheets under her cheek.

“oh, don’t you dare,” he breathed, reaching for her arm and pulling it away, pinning her wrist down to the bed. her head rolled back as his hips bucked viciously, compelled by the low intensity in his voice. “look at me.”

her whole body felt hot and anxious, but her eyes blinked open obligingly and locked onto his, pinned in place by the wild look in raleigh’s gaze. 

“raleigh.” his name was a moan that felt too loud in the room, her breath hitching halfway through. a full-body shiver tripped down her spine.

above her head, his palm slid the last inch up her wrist to lace their fingers together, squeezing her hand in his.

“did you miss this?” he asked suddenly, walking his free hand up the inside of her thigh in a maddeningly slow tip-toe. his question was punctuated by a thrust that shoved the bed into the wall again.

“yes,” she groaned, “god, raleigh, i --”

“say it.” his hand paused in its path, curling tight around her thigh, fingertips digging in hard enough to bruise.

“i missed this.” the words tripped out in a needy rush, the full-body flush she could feel worsening. “i missed this, i missed you.”

“yeah,” raleigh agreed with an answering moan, bowing his head to bring his lips to her neck again as his fingers finally slid the last few inches up between her legs to touch her, the rough pad of his thumb circling in time with each swing of his hips. 

in a matter of moments she was shaking, the rough scrape of raleigh’s teeth and stubble down the column of her throat making her squirm in the sheets, her legs trembling with the way he was touching her. her nails dug into the back of his hand when she tripped over the edge, and she felt her mouth work with what was doubtlessly a mindless jumble of profanities, her brain too dizzy to work out the specifics.

cadence was only distantly aware of raleigh’s hips rocking forward, the curse words he spit out in spanish when he followed her over the edge with his teeth biting at her shoulder. her head was still spinning from the ridiculous ride of it all, and when raleigh finally exhaled, lifted his head and grinned goofily at her, his hand pushing a sweaty lock of hair off his forehead, her heart joined the party, too, seizing up with a worrying tightness before beginning to do backflips in her chest.

he rolled over carefully onto his side, pulling her with him gently until she reached out and braced her hands on his chest. “you okay?”

“pretty good,” cadence murmured honestly. she felt better than she had in a long time. her eyes swept his face curiously, desperate for an understanding of what he might have been thinking. “just tell me now if this was, like, a palm-springs-only kind of thing.”

raleigh’s wide smile faltered. he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and she saw a flash of his teeth before he resolutely shook his head, eyes still fixed seriously on her face. there was quiet for a moment before he said, “i want to go at your pace, okay? but... i’d definitely take it all back, if i could. that fight we had -- and those things i said --” he trailed off, reaching out for her arm. “i could explain this a lot better if you give me, like, an hour.”

she laughed, smiling brightly despite the heaviness of their conversation. “sorry. i didn’t mean to ruin the afterglow.”

“no, this is important,” raleigh insisted softly, “‘cause i don’t want you to go home thinking -- whatever. and i don’t want this to be just a one-time thing. i mean, i’d love for this to be at least a ten-or-twelve-time thing before our flights tomorrow, but... ideally, uh. you know. there’d be more than that, too.”

cadence leaned in to close the distance between them, gently catching his lips in a quick kiss. as soon as their mouths brushed, raleigh relaxed against her, the tension abruptly dropping out of his limbs as his hands hesitantly came to rest on her back, tilting her in closer.

“i think that sounds great,” cadence murmured, the cautious smile that was spreading across raleigh’s lips enough to set a swarm of butterflies loose in her stomach again.

“thank god,” he sighed, “because i seriously need a break before i have to put sentences together again, cadence. you killed me.”

“oh my god,” she laughed, “shut up, you’re so absurd.”

it was a long time before they finally dragged themselves out of bed and into the shower, and an even longer time before she felt like they were presentable enough to join the group, who all looked at the both of them with shit-eating, smug grins when they sat down at the fire in ascendance’s backyard together, raleigh snagging two slices of pizza out of the box on the table and dangling one of them straight into her waiting, open mouth. 

“don’t,” cadence insisted without stopping to chew or swallow, “please keep it to yourselves.”

“what she said,” raleigh agreed, finishing his own slice of pizza in a few quick bites and passing his crust over to her wordlessly.

there was a beat of silence before seth said, “okay, no,” and then a cacophony of sound exploded around them, with each of their friends talking louder and louder over each other, shouting their questions out from around the fire. 

she leaned her head on raleigh’s shoulder, chewing thoughtfully. there was certainly still a lot more to talk about -- so many things to discuss -- but she felt more on the same page with raleigh now than ever before, his palm spread out low across the small of her back with his ring and pinky finger dipped beneath the waistband of her shorts. 

as avery and the others continued to bicker around them, raleigh turned his head and pressed his lips to her temple in a sweet kiss. “happy valentine’s day,” he murmured into her ear.

cadence glanced down at the face of his watch, shrugging. her lips curved up into her own private smile -- it wasn’t quite valentine’s day just yet, at nine o’clock on saturday night. 

“we’ve still got three more hours,” she reminded him, basking in the warmth that raleigh’s fond, indulgent laugh provided, “let’s not push it.”

[ramp-it-up]

Fresh Squeeze, Pt. 6

Pairing: Daveed Diggs x OFC Linden Marshall

Set in 2023, post-pandemic

Warnings: Cursing, Wild Thoughts™️, Angst, Yearning, 18+, Walmart shopping, Anime discussion, Anthony Ramos. Lots of Plot

Word Count: 2.8 K

Plot: Linden Marshall just finished law school at Columbia University in NYC. Daveed Diggs is still creating magic with his platonic life partner Rafael Casal in the form of their Blindspotting musical, Bay Boys. Linden’s boyfriend WAS Mark Monaco, star of the superhero movie series Invincible.  They were together for years, and her trauma and his addictions were toxic. She knows now that wasn’t love. 

A/N: Keep in mind that this the same AU as Arrivals, with Holly Woods, but is BEFORE Rafa and Holly get together. 

Read the previous chapter.

==================

Isabela, Puerto Rico, May 2023

“We are about 30 minutes from our destination. Please stay seated with your seatbelts fastened. The pilot will let you know when it is safe to do otherwise. Enjoy the rest of the flight.”

The flight attendant’s announcement woke up Daveed. He felt warm and happy. And he had you in his arms.

Daveed moved his head down into your curls, and kissed the top of your head., checking to see if anyone was watching. Everyone was knocked the fuck out. 

You had fallen asleep on his shoulder about 45 minutes into the flight after passing around champagne bottles. You were so cute, but he could tell that your neck was gonna be wrecked when you awoke.

Daveed had carefully maneuvered you so that he could pull up the armrest without waking you. You were dead to the world, so you waking up wasn’t a problem. 

Then, he pulled you to his chest, situating the blanket around you two and leaning back.  If he wanted anything from you right now, at the top of the list would be to be able to hold you like this and to show love.

He questioned that word in his mind. Love, really? He did love you, even if it was only as a good friend. But could it be more? Were you ready for that? Was he?

Daveed looked around to see Craig watching him and giving a thumbs up.  No one else noticed, Rafa was on his laptop and he could have sworn that Anthony and Jasmine were doing something nasty under their blanket behind you.  

He settled back into this feeling of being with you and fell asleep too, happy and content.

You woke up to a strange rhythm under your ear. It was a blue covered heartbeat, you recognized as you opened one eye, and it was insistent and hard, yet warm and safe. You shifted, held Daveed’s torso tighter and tried to drift back off. His arms tightened around you in response.

 Then your eyes popped open.

“Oh shit!”  You realized what was going on. You sat up slowly and squinted at Daveed’s smile and his damn low sexy voice. 

“Hey sleepyhead.”

“Hey.”  

You blushed and wiped your mouth. 

“Shit, I’m sorry…” you wiped at his onesie. “I think I drooled all over  your…” 

You didn’t finish the sentence when you glanced at Daveed and caught his eye. 

What you said that night came back to both of you. D’s eyes darkened and he licked his lips. For a minute, you were trapped by the static energy of your attraction. Daveed could do a lot with those lips right now if you’d let him. 

But of course you fought it.

You took a deep breath and sat up, separating from Daveed more fully. You had to get it together. You reached for your phone and checked your face, making sure you weren’t too crusty.

“Practically perfect in every way.” Daveed was watching you.

“That’s your first mistake.” You clicked your camera off. “ Anything that’s perfect isn’t real. Or alive.”  You had learned a lot in therapy.

“Truth.” Daveed looked at you appraisingly. “Such wisdom from a young one.” He leaned close to you.  “That’s why I said, ‘practically.’”  He was staring at your lips, not wanting to give up on meeting them again.

“I’m not a ‘young one.’ I’m thirty in two days.” 

You lifted your chin as a child would do, Daveed noted.  It was appropriate, because you were being stubborn as fuck right now.

He chuckled and stayed close, not letting you off the hook.  

“And I’m 40. I could be your…”  

The timbre of his voice was causing your pussy to vibrate. Holy fuck.

“...Daddy,” you said, huskily.  

You opened your mouth to breathe, as Daveed grunted quietly in his throat. God, you wanted to fuck him. You remembered that you knew how big he was. Your eyes widened and you watched his mouth.

Daveed would teach you about Daddy. He wanted to rail you until your pussy curved to his dick.  Got damn.

Daveed wanted you and you wanted him. It was crystal clear. He began to reach for you under the blanket when the flight attendant’s voice intruded on your vibe.

“We are beginning our descent into Rafael Hernández Airport, please stay seated with your seatbelts fastened and bring your tray tables and seats to an upright and locked position. The temperature is 75 degrees and the current time is 12:47 am.  We should be at our gate shortly. Thank you.”

That’s it. The moment was gone. You reached for your water bottle and took a drink to cool down. You were grateful.

Daveed was frustrated, as he sat back, brought his seat up, but held the blanket on his lap for a little while longer. It wasn’t fair, he almost had you. He closed his eyes. Now he felt like a child.

---------

The crew finally arrived in town around 2 am, after the two hour flight and renting a couple of cars to get to Isabela, a village on the seaside.

Loud music was playing to avoid falling asleep, Rafael driving one car and Ant the other.

Arriving in town, the two cars headed straight to the Walmart to get some food and things. It was almost 2 am, but everyone was re-energized and playing around, glad to be free for the time being on the island.

Daveed had to concentrate to read the titles in the video section.  His mind kept going back to the moment on the airplane.  But he vowed not to chase you up and down this island. He didn’t want to crowd you.  It had to be your decision.

You had to come to him. And  the thought of you made him want to cum. He’d have you to think about in the shower tonight, or today, whatever.

He needed to stop thinking about it.

Daveed was looking for Black Dynamite to watch in the condo in case it rained. He knew better than to think that Walmart had it, but he tried anyway.

He did see Afro Samurai tho… He picked it up as Rafa approached him with a toy xylophone and a big grin.

==================

Puerto Rico did something to all of you. It was like some weird no inhibitions pollen or something. When you stepped off the plane you decided to not overthink shit. You were just going to respond naturally, fuck the consequences.

This was your weekend, after all.

You walked into the entertainment section and heard some vaguely familiar music. As you got closer, you realized what it was.

Daveed was in the book section rapping “Rubber Duckie” as Rafa played a toy xylophone.

I got my rubber duckie

I'm in the tub with bubblies

He isn't very fuzzy

I know my duckie loves me

Call up my homie Ernie,

You know the orange one, ya heard me

D was going in, being silly and laughing with his bestie. He was fucking adorable.  You grinned at them and turned down the dvd aisle.

“I can’t believe they don’t have Cowboy Bebop.”  

You shook your head as Daveed and Rafa walked up and flanked you at the display, a shopping cart by Daveed’s side.

“It’s a classic.  Children will be referencing the War on Titan and it's after effects a hundred years from now."

Rafa just nodded and stroked his chin, having enough sense to be quiet.

“Wait, Attack on Titan is right here Lindy…” Daveed reached for a dvd and held it up in front of you.

Rafa shook his head and covered it with his hand.

"Spike Spiegel wasn't in Attack on Titan.  That's an entirely different anime series, my dude." 

The sardonic wit in your voice. Daveed just nodded, face on the floor, and put the blu ray down.

You squinted at what D had in his hand. 

"Afro Samurai is 20 years old as well.  You know that and not Cowboy Bebop? You put shame on your house. Old Man.”

You gave him a sexy grin and sauntered away shaking your head.

Rafa had been watching the scene, head on a swivel. All he had to say after you left was, “Boom. Roasted.” 

Daveed just chuckled, surprised and exhilarated at the same time. It seemed that you were up to letting loose a little bit.

He looked at Rafa who just watched Daveed falling. He couldn’t catch him this time.

"Man. Tonight looks like the beginning of an EPIC weekend,” Rafa said as he pushed some more dvds into Daveed’s cart.

Then he pulled a pack of Magnum XLs off the shelf that he had been hiding under his arm from you.

Daveed looked at him. Rafa stared back.

“What?  All these beautiful women on this island. I’m not gonna be unprepared or take any chances.”

Daveed shook his head, grimaced and looked around to see where you went, but you were nowhere to be found.

----

You were busy eating some Hot Cheetos that you’d grabbed on the chip aisle and were turning down the candy aisle when you saw Grumpy Care Bear standing there with a basket full of food, dvds and shit, looking at some sour patch kids.

"Oh hell,"  you said as you turned right back around.

"Ay, yo.  Lindy. You can get your candy. I'm not going to assault you with my inferior anime knowledge."

He laughed that sexy laugh and held up his hands. He sort of regretted calling you back because you walking away...Damn. Even in the Pikachu onesie.

Daveed continued to hold up his hands to show he didn't intend any harm, a smile on the lips that were your weakness earlier.  Fuck me, you thought.

You smiled back at him and went for the Jelly Bellys. You crunched loudly on your Cheetos as you clocked him out on the low. You felt bad. A little. 

"Look, I'm sorry about that in the dvds.  I'm just passionate about what I like."

Daveed wondered if you liked him. Like liked him liked him. He allowed himself to go there. 

You sucked the Cheeto dust off your fingers and it was making D feel some kinda way as he watched your fingers go in and out of your mouth. His eyes began to slide down your body.

He needed to stop. Daveed cleared his throat and looked at your face.

"No problem. I get it. It's all good." 

Diggs unconsciously licked his lips and grinned, causing you to stare for a second at his casual hotness. This couldn't continue. You frowned.

Daveed sensed the change in mood, grabbed his Sour Patch kids and backed away.

“I’ll leave you to it.”

That was a close call you thought as you felt some weird pang of disappointment at him leaving. But it was what it was.

Soon enough, you all left the store.  Rafa stole some of your Jelly Belly’s. You just handed over the pack to him and pulled out some more. You were prepared.

==================

When the crew finally got to the house, you dropped your bags and ran to the beach, celebrating four days of freedom from work, acting, fame, fortune, and expectations.

After a few minutes of staring at the waves, y’all made your way back up to the house.

When you walked in before Jazzy turned the lights on, you recognized a large dark expanse which seemed to be the back wall. As your eyes got adjusted, you noticed the white rolls of the waves on the shore. 

The back wall was floor to ceiling glass.  When the lights came up, it turned into a mirror and 6 characters in onesies stared back at you.

You were at the back of an open concept space with a huge u-shaped sectional sofa and a beautiful, big kitchen with a bar.

Daaaammmmmmnnn! This place is gorgeous!  Craig’s mouth was hanging open. You reached over and closed it.

“Welcome to our home away from home!” Anthony was bleary eyed and smiling wide. 

He pointed to the right of the house.

“Me and Jazzy’s room is over there,” he then pointed to the right of the house. 

“The birthday girl’s room is opposite over there, a mirror of the master,” then he pointed to the back of the house behind you and to the right,  “and the other four bedrooms are here.” 

Ant started pulling their luggage toward their room, talking over his shoulder. 

“Everybody gets their own room, even me, when I fuck up.” 

All of you cracked up laughing whole Jasmine nodded her head.

It was almost 4 am, so you all were tired.  You gladly pulled your suitcase to your room, feeling grateful and warm for being the guest of honor of your friends.  Your room was the bomb.

You walked into a spacious room with bamboo wood floors,and exposed wooden beam ceilings and several floor to ceiling windows.  There was a huge fluffy white rug under a comfortable king sized bed in the middle of the room. 

Two uniquely designed bamboo lounge chairs and white pillow ottomans faced a window where you could look through and see the pool and beach.

It was a luxury get away and right now, all you wanted was a shower and the bed.

You put your suitcase on the floor and got down and opened it.  You shook your head at what you saw.

“HOLY FUCK GOT DAMN SHIT!!!!”

Daveed, Craig and Jasmine came running at your screams.  Rafa and Ant were behind.

“What happened.”

You were embarrassed. But so irritated.

“Craig. You got the wrong suitcase.  This is Mark’s shit that he never came to get.  None of my clothes are here.  I have nothing to wear.”  You felt like crying.

“I’m sorry Lindy, you said that your summer clothes and bathing suits were in the rolling soft Louis bag…”

I mean the large one. This is the medium one. It’s okay, Craig.

“You have nothing to wear hunh?”

Daveed was smirking at you and you ignored it, crossing your arms and tapping your foot.

“But it’s perfect!”  You looked at Jasmine and her chipper British accent.

“We can go shopping for your birthday tomorrow. Treat yourself!”

You couldn’t help but smile at Jazzy’s happiness. She was right. Rafa and Ant went away and left y’all to that talk. Daveed was glued to his spot.

“OOooooh. Good Idea.” Craig was in. 

“Ok.I’m tired as fuck. I just wanna shower and sleep now. I’ll not need anything tonight.

Daveed couldn’t get the image of you in the shower and naked in bed out of his head now. He cleared his throat.

“I can give you something to wear shopping tomorrow, Lindy.”

His voice was soft.  You smiled at him and he was a goner.

“Man, you are like three times bigger than she is?”  Jasmine didn’t understand.

“Hold up. Are you willing to sacrifice, D?  Can we cut up one of your t-shirts and jeans?”

Daveed felt pain. The only t-shirts he had were Oaklandish.  

“Let’s compromise. You can cut my jeans all you want, but not the shirt.”

Craig smiled wide.  “Deal, if you throw in a belt.”

“Damn, Diggs…” was all that Jasmine said, smiling and shaking her head.

“Thank you Daveed. I appreciate it.” You were blown away.

Daveed played it off. “No problem…” And then he just turned around and walked out of your room.

“Girlllllllll!!!!”  Craig and Jasmine squealed at you and it took you a minute to get them out of your room.

You walked into the en suite bathroom and marveled at its beauty. It was large, with a huge tub and a walk in glass encased shower with an overhead waterfall  shower head. 

You turned on the shower to get it hot, stripped off your onesie and your underwear, wrapped yourself in a towel and went back into the bedroom.

You stopped short, because there was Daveed standing in your room, clothes in hand.

He had immediately gone to find his least favorite jeans and the Oakland shirt that would suit you the best.  He decided that you would look beautiful in blue.

You just in a towel was a sight to behold. He was sure that underneath that towel was paradise.

You stared at each other for a minute, Your eyes were glued to his.  

“Th-thank you again Daveed.”  He couldn’t discern if your hesitant, sexy voice was for him or from embarrassment.

“Sorry, I…. didn’t think you’d be… sorry.” He put his hands up and backed out of the room.

“Daveed.” You called, softly. “Stop.”

You approached him with a smile on your face. Daveed’s eyes were wide, not knowing what was going to happen.

“Thank you. I mean it.”

You stood on your tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, your lips lingering. Daveed closed his eyes and fought the urge to grab you and hold you close to him.

“You’re welcome.” His smile wrinkled his eyes as he smiled down at you. 

“Goodnight, Linden. Have sweet dreams for me.”

You just stared at him as he turned and left the room.

Daveed was just outside your door when he heard your reply.

“Yes, Sir.”

==================

Read the Next Chapter.

Thank you for liking, replying, and reblogging! 

Tagging: @einfachniemand @sillyteecup @commandersmiley @ohsoverykeri @theselilwonders @theatrenerd86 @sebastianabucknettastan @imatyoursurrvicesurr @riiyy @ivycomet @lonelydance @curtainremote @biafbunny @id-do-it-for-free-babe

[xjoonchildx]

airplane, pt. 2 | jjk x reader chapter four: los angeles

pairing: jungkook/reader

word count: 2.2K rating: 18+

genre: smut | silly smut | nonsensical smut

warnings:  criminal!jungkook, koreanamerican!jungkook, reality has left the chat, plausibility has left the chat

A/N: i’m not a huge blog and don’t have a lot of readers -- but i’m so, so, so grateful to every single one of you who’s reached out to me on AP2. hearing what you think about this story makes my day every time. from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. hope you enjoy this chapter. the story wraps up in the next one!

Chapter 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06

artwork by the shmexy @ppersonna​ who’s smut is even better than her art

***********************

“You see, as messes go -- there are levels.” 

Seokjin takes a big sip of his draft beer then sets it down to free his hands.

“On the bottom are your run-of-the-mill problems,” he says, putting one hand out flat.  

His other hand comes out to hover over the first.

“Then your regular-level shitshows, then your high-level shitshows and then there’s disasters,” he says, stacking his hands in the air to demonstrate the escalation.  

You smother the urge to roll your eyes.  Like most lawyers, Seokjin loves to hear himself talk.

He’s also an old friend, someone you trust and someone who’s help you desperately need -- so you’re going to have to suck it up and let him have some fun at your expense. 

It’s only fair.

“Then somewhere way up here -- ” he stretches his upper body for effect, “ -- way past disasters is the shit you just told me.  Somewhere way off the charts. Are you with me?”

You nod, taking a sip of your own beer.

“Yup.”

“So what the fuck?” 

You laugh.  You know it’s bad form to call up a buddy you haven’t seen in months, tell him you want to buy him a beer and then dump the world’s most complicated case at his feet.  

It’s just that you haven’t been able to come up with another solution.

You’ve turned this problem over in your mind hundreds of times by this point -- envisioned dozens of ways this could end.  No other scenario makes sense in the long run.  This is the only way to put a stop to this madness without Jungkook behind bars for the rest of his natural life.  

Or worse.

That’s why you’re prepared to pull out all the stops with Seokjin.  You’re not going to let him get away with letting you down easy. 

He hasn’t laughed you out of this bar yet so you’re taking that as a good sign.

“Jin, there isn’t anyone else who could pull this off,” you say, meaning every word.  “I know you can fix this.”

He snorts.

“This guy gave agents the slip in two different countries and ghosted from a federal courthouse,” he takes another sip of his beer.  There’s limits to what even I can do. Not that I don’t appreciate the ego stroke though, you know I do.”

You gnaw at the corner of one fingernail, thinking.

“So who is he?” 

“I already told you, he --”

“Cut the bullshit,” Jin interrupts. “You know what I’m asking.  Who is he to you?”

Well, isn’t that the million-dollar question?

“It’s complicated,” you sigh, and even that is somehow oversimplifying this entire fucked-up situation. “Not sure I know how to explain that.”

“Oh, I’m willing to bet there is quite a story there,” he smirks.  “Some day you’re going to have to fill me in on all the dirty details.”

You glance away for a moment to avoid his knowing look.

“Just promise me you’ll think about it,” you say. “I’ve seen guys way worse than this get deals that kept them out of prison entirely.”

“Well you of all people know how this works, so don’t act brand new,” Jin retorts. “You want the government to play ball with this guy then he’s got to give them something they want.  If they don’t have any use for him, they have no reason to show mercy.”

“I know that,” you admit.  “Still trying to figure that part out.”

“So figure it out,” Jin pushes back. “‘Cause I’m an attorney, not a genie. I’m not in the wish-granting business.  Bring me something I can use and we’ll go from there.”

We’ll go from there. A careful hope stirs in your chest when Seokjin says that.

You promise yourself you’re going to bring him an angle that works.  

Now you’ve just got to find it.

*****************************

“Who is this guy to you?”

Jin’s question echoes in your head the entire way home.

It’s so much easier to focus on the what -- Jungkook on the run and all the problems that come with it -- than it is to focus on the why.  

The why scares you too much to confront head-on. It’s not like you love this man, right? 

He could be a terrible person. He could be as rotten in real life as he is on paper. 

He could be playing you.  It’s certainly not the first time the thought has crossed your mind.

But every time you start to entertain the doubts, something pulls you back. You can’t shake the feeling that Jungkook is none of those things.  You can’t forget the way he looked at you in Puerto Rico.  His face that night is forever burned into your mind.

So he’s either completely real or the world’s most convincing fake.

You pour a glass of water and unlock the burner phone.   The message you’d tried to send back to the number he contacted you from bounced back.  There hasn’t been a single new message since then.  

You take a drink and consider what step to take next.  

There is no way you’re going to push Jin to fight on Jungkook’s behalf until you know without a doubt this is something Jungkook wants for himself.  For all you know, he’s happy with riding this out until the end.  He could be totally at peace with the idea of never being at peace.

You stare at the screen for a moment before making up your mind to dial the number you’d found online.

The voice on the other end answers in Korean.

“Yoongi?” you ask.

The line is completely silent for a few seconds.

“I distinctly remember you promising me I’d never hear from you again,” comes the curt reply. You smile to yourself imagining the scowl he’s probably wearing right now.

“I did,” you admit.  “Thing is --” you pause and choose your next words carefully, “ -- circumstances have changed. So I’m asking for your help one more time.”

Yoongi makes an aggravated noise, something between a growl and a grunt.

“Fine.  What do you want?”

“I might have a way to help him.  Nothing is ironed out and there are no guarantees, but it’s something.  It’s just that -- I haven’t been able to reach him.”

“Yeah well, neither have I.”

Shit.  You hope the situation hasn’t gone completely upside-down in Nicaragua already. Getting him there was supposed to buy you some time.

“Okay, “ you exhale, pacing your kitchen floor.  You tell yourself there could be a million reasons why he hasn't reached out to anyone.  You tell yourself not to panic. You certainly don’t want to panic Yoongi, either.

“I need you to take down this number.  If you reach Jungkook, you need to give it to him.  Tell him if he wants to end this it’s the only way.”

Yoongi blows out a heavy breath.

“Yeah, alright.  Go ahead.”

*****************************

 God, you are really starting to hate this place.

The voice in your head that’s been telling you how deeply unsatisfied you are in this job has slowly gotten louder over these past few months.  Now it’s all you can think about every morning as you swipe your badge and walk into the polished lobby.

This isn’t some labor of love for you.  

It’s something you trained to do, started doing, kept on doing and you’re still doing now.  

On and on and on in an endless string of days.

You’d started this job with the kind of starry-eyed enthusiasm that always annoyed the veterans around here.  Now you can understand why.  It doesn’t take long in this line of work to realize that justice is a concept that’s bought and sold.  He who has the most cash makes the rules.

You grab a cup of coffee and log onto your computer to start in on the mountain of paperwork that awaits.  It’s laborious and annoying and total bullshit but at least it’s a distraction.  At least it keeps you from obsessing over the Jungkook situation non-stop.

So you throw yourself into the work just to make the hours tick by.

Your boss stops by before lunch, asks if you want to join him and some of the others at a local deli.  You cry off, complaining about paperwork and deadlines and he smiles sympathetically as they head out.  It’s a relief when their laughing voices fade away and this part of the office falls silent.

You are half-way through customizing your burrito order online when a shiver of realization walks up your spine.

***********************

“Seokjin Kim.”

He sounds so formal, answering his phone for a number he doesn’t recognize.  

“Hey, it’s me,” you say, tossing your keys onto your kitchen counter.  

“Oh, I didn’t realize -- wait, wait, wait.  Are you calling me from a burner?” Jin asks incredulously.  “Wow, it’s like we’re on The Wire or some shit.”

“Shut up,” you huff, rolling your eyes. “I’m calling because I think I might have come up with the angle.”

Jin whistles.

“Hope it’s a good one.”

“Yeah me too,” you mutter under your breath.  “I just -- I can’t be involved in any way.  I’m not even going to be able to talk to you until this plays out. No texts, no calls to my cell.  I’m already way out on a limb here.”

“Yeah, I get it,” he says.  “But hey, just for the record? A favor is something like, ‘Hey Jin, can you drop me at the airport on Tuesday? Hey Jin, would you mind picking up my dry cleaning?’ You know, for future reference.”

You laugh. Points were made.

*************************

You tell yourself -- this is long overdue.

That with or without Jungkook -- with or without the madness on that flight or the night in San Juan -- this was going to happen anyway.  

And for the first time in weeks, you actually smile at the security guards who check bags at the entrance.  You smile at the barista who talks too much at the Starbucks in the lobby.  You smile at the creep from Cybercrimes on the elevator, even though he’s standing too close. He always stands too close.

You feel lighter than you have in ages and that’s fucking bizarre, because this could all still blow up in your face at any moment.  Despite all you’ve done, Jungkook could be arrested at any time -- hauled away, locked away in prison for life.  Hell, you could be joining him at some point, disgraced and discredited and detained.  

But you woke up this morning and had a moment of clarity that knocked the wind out of you.  Today, you’re going to walk out of this building on your own terms.  

Every decision you’ve made along the way -- good or bad -- has been yours.  

If they show up at your door with a warrant, then you’ll handle it.  If they haul you off, then you’ll handle it.  If Jungkook decides he wants Jin’s help and the agency never sniffs out a thing, then you’ll handle it.  

You’ve done everything you can -- so either this works, or it doesn’t.  But there’s a big fucking difference between being cautious and being scared. 

You’ve decided you’re not going to be scared.

You read over the letter you’d typed, printed and signed before walking into your boss’s office. 

His mouth gapes in surprise when you hand him your resignation.

Effective immediately.

************************

It’s been three weeks without a word from anyone.  

Yes, you did specifically tell Jin not to reach out, you remind yourself.

The last time you two had spoken, you’d explained that you didn’t give a shit about losing the job, but that you were certain were entirely too prissy to make it in prison, and he’d agreed and you’d both shared a laugh about that.  

But now it’s been over three weeks and he still hasn’t reached out.  

You’ve had no word from him, no word from Jungkook and now you have no job.  

The silence is deafening.

If there’s an upside at this point, at least your house is immaculate.  You’ve gotten your daily run up to three miles.

Tonight the air is unnaturally cool for this time of year, more than welcome when you lace up your running shoes.  You set a good pace, make good time, and drown out the outside world with your earbuds.  

But at the end of your run -- just as you’re getting closer to home -- you notice something odd. 

Your porch light is out.  

Which is weird because you definitely remember replacing that bulb not too long ago.  You cut the music and walk quietly up to your door. 

Your entire body is on high alert as you approach slowly, keys in hand on the off chance you’re going to have to wield them like a weapon. 

But when you step up to the porch you find -- nothing. 

No creep waiting to jump out of the shadows to ambush you.  You shake your head at your own overactive imagination, take a deep breath and tell yourself to relax.

You slide your key in the lock.

The sunlight that had waned at the start of your run is entirely gone at this point, and you open the door into darkness.  You flip on the light, toss your keys on the small table you keep in the entryway.

“Don’t freak out, okay?”

You nearly jump out of your skin at the voice that comes from your living room.  From your couch.  

From inside your goddamned home.

Oh my god.

**************************

[mattieshew]

RusCan Week Day 2: Tourist/Domestic

Word Count: 1,216 (although Word, AO3, and my writing program are giving me different numbers and I'm not about to count the words by hand so this could be slightly off)

Summary: Matthew finally gets to meet his online boyfriend, but it ends up going very differently from what he had expected.

Matthew sat fidgeting in his chair, alternating between staring down the hallway and down at his third cup of coffee, because he couldn’t sit still and for whatever reason kept defaulting to going to the coffee stand across the way, and although it seemed like a good idea at the time he was starting to regret it now because it’s only made it harder to just relax and wait.

And he’d run his phone battery down half an hour ago, too, so he couldn’t distract himself with that. And he’d neglected to bring a book or any other sort of entertainment because he hadn’t thought it would take this long, and he refused to pay for the overpriced crossword books in the airport shops (although he was starting to reconsider that decision). At this point Matthew was pretty sure the only thing he could do to make this any worse would be to get himself kicked out of the airport.

Thankfully though, his battery had lasted long enough to receive the text from Ivan saying he would be landing any minute now, so he “wouldn’t have much longer to wait.”

“‘Any minute now’ my ass,” he muttered, before downing what was left in his cup and rising to go throw it away. On the way back to his seat he caved and stopped in the shop to the left of the coffee stand, buying a puzzle book and a pack of pens. Matthew usually considered himself to be a fairly patient person—after all, he’d grown up with Alfred without ripping his head off. But he’d never had a situation as exciting as this one probably ever in his life, and he’d been waiting for the past year to meet his boyfriend and wasn’t wanting to wait any longer.

While he was sitting there working on his puzzles, his mind started to wander. He’d thought about meeting his boyfriend a thousand times, and now that it was actually happening he wondered how it would go. Who would see the other first? Or would they see each other at the same time? Would it be like in the movies, where they run at each other and one scoops the other up and swings him around? Oh, he hoped so, he’d love to finally know what it feels like to have Ivan’s arms around him.

In the end it was Ivan who noticed him first, because Matthew was too busy with his puzzles and his thoughts to notice Ivan finally coming down the hallway and walking over to him, until he was standing right in front of him and Matthew had to crane his neck up just to see his face. Christ, he hadn’t realized Ivan was this tall.

Wait, holy shit that’s— “Ivan!” he yelled and leapt out of his seat to throw his arms around the other. Ivan laughed and hugged him back, and they stood there holding onto each other for a few moments until they realized they were standing in the middle of a public airport and people were starting to stare.

Matthew reluctantly let go but was delighted when Ivan moved his hands down to grasp his. He then looked up at Ivan—God, he really is a giant—and smiled, swinging their hands. He knew they had to leave the airport, but he didn’t want to let go of Ivan. Unfortunately, Ivan then made that decision for him, as he let go of Matthew a moment later so he could reach down to pick up his bags.

“Do you need any help with those?” he asked, mostly out of courtesy. Ivan could probably lift him over his head, judging by the size of his arms alone. He hadn’t realized how hard it is to tell how big someone is through a computer screen.

“No, I’ll be fine. How do we get out of here?” Ivan said, looking around, and Matthew grabbed his arm softly and started walking toward the exit.

It was a quiet walk to Matthew’s car, mostly because he didn’t know what to talk about, and judging by Ivan’s silence he figured he was in much the same situation. He loved that Ivan was here with him now, but he wasn’t really sure what to do other than just sit and enjoy the other’s presence.

When they got to the car Matthew unlocked it and popped the trunk, and he helped Ivan put his bags in even though he insisted Matthew didn’t have to. Then they got in the car and started the long drive back to Matthew’s house.

After a few minutes on the road Matthew looked over at Ivan, and he looked back and smiled. He could tell it was forced though, and Matthew frowned and looked back at the road.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Ivan chuckled lightly and turned to look out the windshield, and Matthew heard what sounded like him resting his head on the window. “Yes, just tired.”

Of course, Matthew thought. He’s just spent all day on a plane, of course he’s got jet lag.

“When we get home, you can take a nap if you’d like,” Matthew offered, and reached out his hand for Ivan to hold. Ivan thanked him, and after a moment he grabbed Matthew’s outstretched hand and squeezed it.

Another ten or so minutes passed before Matthew glanced over to see Ivan asleep, and the rest of the ride home was spent in silence. Not that he was complaining, Matthew thought Ivan was just as pretty asleep as he was awake, and he knew he needed the rest.

He honestly just found the whole situation kind of amusing. He’s spent the past year waiting to meet his boyfriend in person, imagining all the exciting things they’d get to do now that they’re really together, but instead Ivan’s asleep and they’ll probably end up spending the rest of the day napping together.

When they finally pulled into Matthew’s driveway, he got Ivan’s bags out of the trunk of his car and brought them to his room before he went to wake Ivan.

“Hey, big guy,” Ivan snorted at the name, and Matthew stifled a laugh in return. “how about we go lay down in bed? It’ll be way more comfortable than sleeping in a car.” Ivan nodded, and he followed Matthew into the house and then to his bedroom, where he saw his bags by the door.

“You brought my stuff inside?” He asked as they laid down in Matthew’s bed, and he hummed in confirmation.

“Yeah, I thought you’d want to just come in and go back to sleep.”

Ivan nodded, and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend as he moved over to lay next to him. “Thank you.”

Matthew hummed again and curled up in Ivan’s arms as they finally got settled. He was starting to feel tired as well, and figured the coffee was starting to wear off.

Eventually Ivan started to snore softly—cute, he thought—and smiled to himself. This might not have been how he planned his first day with Ivan going, but this was probably better than anything he could have imagined. And as he finally started to drift off, he thought about how happy he was that Ivan was finally here with him.

[ddarker-dreams]

Home. Yan!Shigaraki x Reader [COMM]

Japan brings with it a plethora of memories.

Memories ranging from the highest of your life to the lowest. Times that you can recall with a special fondness, reserved in your heart for the rest of your life. But always balanced out with numerous hurts, times that you wish you could erase from your mind. All of it remains a mixed bag within you, serving only to befuddle your true feelings further as you get off the plane. 

Going through customs felt surreal, the bustle of the airport one that struck you with a sense of  nostalgia. The people, the scents, the sights -- it all left you with a weary heart, but you had already expected to feel this way. Returning wasn’t an easy decision, the dividing thought leaving you with numerous restless nights.

But ultimately, your choice has been made. With suitcases in hand, you look down towards your phone. Traveling always sounds nice in theory, but jet lag and exhaustion were taking you hostage. Still, it won’t do to get tired now; you still need to make it to your new apartment after all.

‘If I could survive that long flight in economy class, I can last through one more Uber drive.’

Blurry images of the airport scenery go by, the music in the car all but tuned out by your chaotic thoughts. It all reminds you of how you left in such a hurry in the first place, in the dead of night. How conflicted you were then -- constantly doubting your decision and wondering if you should just turn back.

But turning back to Shigaraki at the time didn’t feel like a viable option. 

You don’t think of it as running away from your problems. Even if that’s what it may sound like, you tried all you reasonably could do. From countless heart to heart discussions, to tearful phone calls. All of it fell on deaf ears, or worse, served to irritate him. Neither of you would back down from your given positions, despite the care you shared for one another. The care that led you to overlook your own morals for a time being. 

Shigaraki was always someone who was firmly planted in his ways, and didn’t care for having his morals challenged. Though he was considerably more tolerable towards your verbal opposition than anyone else would even have the opportunity to attempt, it didn’t mean he’d change his mind in the end. 

So you left. It’s bizarre to believe that eight months have already passed since then, eight months of your life being vastly different than before. Even when you weren’t in Japan, you would still hear news reports of the League of Villain's activities. Every time a headline popped up of what was happening, it made your stomach drop. 

His hold over you didn’t feel as less constricting as you had originally hoped it would. Even if he was no longer physically with you during those times, you could still almost imagine his presence by your side. His mannerisms, what he would say to you if he was there. The nightmare never ended, it only got worse as the days went on. Shigaraki would never stop haunting you.

Which leads to where you are now. Having left the car with a quiet thank you, staring up at your new apartment building. Getting your keys from the main office, you desire nothing more than for this to be a positive beginning in your life. If leaving Japan didn’t help you feel any better, it only made sense for you to come back. There’s no place like home, after all. 

But you’ll still be living your life on the down low. It’s unnerving, since the League never stayed in one area for long. If you knew where they were hiding now, you would gladly put as much distance between yourself and them as possible. But given the nature of Shigaraki’s vision, they were always on the move. 

Turning your keys until you hear a click, your last burst of energy goes into opening the door. Inside showcased an apartment devoid of furniture, but still your new home nonetheless. With a deep sigh, you tug your heavy luggage through the door frame. 

‘I’ll at least need to unpack some things before I can sleep…’

Briskly walking to the sink, you splash cold water onto your face in a desperate attempt to stay awake. Your new mattress won’t be delivered until tomorrow, so sleeping on the floor is all you can do for the time being. Shaking your head at the thought, you sluggishly get to work.

Grabbing your favorite blanket and pillow, you lazily throw it where your bed will soon take its place. Everything else can wait for tomorrow, it’s not like you’ll have any company to entertain. With the sun already having set thirty minutes ago, you close your blinds and gratefully lay down. 

Even if it’s on the floor, it feels like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders to finally relax.

It doesn’t take long for sleep to find you, all of your pent up emotions and nonstop thinking having sapped all your energy. All you can hope for, as your heavy eyelids flutter shut, is that tomorrow will be the fresh start that you have longed for.

---

“Mnh…” 

Rubbing your eyes, you almost panic for a moment at your new surroundings. Before recalling all that had occurred, and that this place is your home now. 

‘What time is it…?’

Blindly groping around your pillow for your phone, your eyes squint in pain at the bright screen. Displaying that it’s only 11:25 PM, and that you only had been asleep for a few hours. The effects of sleeping on the floor make themselves known, your back aching at the lack of proper support. 

Grimacing at the throbbing discomfort, you put your phone down before sitting up with a yawn. With intention to get up and soothe your dry throat with a drink, you never get the chance before a voice pierces through the dark.

“All that running sure must’ve been exhausting.”

Jumping at the sound of a lower voice in your pitch black room, your eyes rapidly dart around for the possible source. Breathing growing unsteady, you feel your lips tremble at the thought of a stranger in your apartment. Would your quirk be useful enough in fending them off? 

Hugging your knees against your chest in a reflexive response, your mind scrambles to come up with a plan. 

Reaching to grab your phone out of desperation, you finally let out a weak response. “W-who’s there? I’ll call the police!”

“Like that’d do any good.” The voice responds in a mocking lilt. Like a sudden wave crashing over you, you’re finally able to discern through your fatigued state who this is. You feel as if you’re being dragged beneath the waves, the air all but smacked from your lungs.

‘That’s--!’

Footsteps approach you slowly, methodically. You feel frozen, incapable of even forming a coherent thought. As the person gets closer, you realize you need to run. But before you can even get the opportunity, you feel a foreboding weight around your shoulders.

And four fingers tapping against your bare skin.

“Did you forget about me, [First]?” 

You know that voice all too well. The fact that even sleep managed to dull your guess of who it was is astonishing, but no longer do you feel uncertain of who it is. Goosebumps line your exposed skin, the sound of your own shaky breathing filling the otherwise silent room.

“Sh-Shigaraki…?” 

“So you didn’t,” he responds with a low, humorless snicker. Tightening his grip around you, you can feel his hair tickling your face. “I’m glad I don’t have to remind you of that, at least.” 

Swallowing thickly, you feel tears prickling the edge of your eyes. There are too many overwhelming things on your mind, too many questions without answers and silent pleads. It all feels too suffocating, air becoming a luxury that you miss. In the moment, all you can will yourself to do is choke out your next words. 

“How,” you exhale shakily, mind screaming your tongue drier than sandpaper. “How did you find me?” 

For a brief moment, you feel his coarse fingers cease their previous drumming movements. In a motion that could only be described as flinching, Shigaraki quickly recovers himself while answering your question with a malicious bite. 

“After all this time, that’s what you want to say to me?” Shigaraki growls out towards you, causing you to squeeze your eyes shut. You desperately wish that none of this is real, that the cruel events unfolding before your very eyes are all but a dream. 

From all the time that you had spent with Shigaraki, you had grown accustomed to his mannerisms. Being able to pick up on every little nuance of his words, to what every twitch of his muscles meant. But now, you feel incapable of doing just that. Is it bitterness hidden in his words? Disappointment, frustration? Something tells you that it’s all of that, and more. 

“Whatever. I’ll humor you with the answer. Imagine my surprise, I get a phone call from Toga. I was barely able to understand her at first, her voice was so frantic and excited,” Shigaraki pauses for a moment, recalling the prior events. “Eventually, she manages to explain that ‘big sis [First]’ is back. And well… here we are.” 

At first you didn’t pick up on it, but there’s a slight tremble in Shigaraki’s voice. You realize now how difficult he’s trying to hold himself together, feeling his body shaking against your own. Each of his words come out more forced than the last, almost as if a lump was forming in his throat. 

Unable to conjure up a response fast enough, you hear Shigaraki’s labored breathing growing more unsteady.

“Well? Say something! Don’t just sit there.” 

All false impressions of control start to slip through his fingers, true emotions no longer being able to hide. Cracks beneath the surface reveal to you just how much pain he is in, the mere thought enough to tug on your own battered heartstrings even more. You open your mouth, wondering if there’s anything you can say to diffuse the situation. 

He clings to you tighter.

“Shigaraki… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” you sniffle, small sobs unable to be suppressed any longer. His muscles tense at the sound of you crying, a battle within ensuing. “I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t take the violence, t-the constant living in fear! I don’t know, I don’t know…” 

Much to your surprise, a rough hand wipes away the tears leaving your dampened eyes. Jaw agape, you feel deft fingers working hard to dry your skin. You remember long ago how he told you once that he hated seeing you cry, that it made him unsure of what to do.

Hiccuping, you feel your lip tremble at your next question. “Are you going to kill me too now?” 

“I don’t know, probably not. Just… just stop crying already.”

Shaking your head, you know the waterworks won’t be stopping anytime soon. Now it was your turn to take Shigaraki by surprise, stuffing your head against his chest to muffle your own cries. He subconsciously moves his fingers to make sure they don’t all touch you at once, and you feel how tense he becomes at your unexpected touch.

Eventually, he places a tentative few digits against your back, awkwardly attempting to soothe you. It all brings you to the pinnacle of your emotions, unable to hold back your full fledged sobs any longer. Gripping onto the fabric of his hoodie, you take in his familiar scent. Shigaraki begins gnawing on his lip, having not expected his confrontation to go like this. 

He eventually returns your serpent tight hug, placing his head into the crook of your neck.

“Don’t think you’re getting off easy,” Shigaraki finally grumbles against your skin, his own emotions too unsteady to even understand. “I’m not ever letting you out of my sight again.”

[pippki-writes]

Just Desserts [Chef Andre - Part 8]

NOTES: One of my friends got me to join an e-fed, and even though I know nearly nothing about wrestling, I do feel confident in my ability to write fairly entertaining nonsense. And I’d love to share that nonsense with you lot too!

THIS IS THE END OF ANDRE STORIES PROBABLY! Unless I feel so inclined as to write a Receipt segment, but let’s be honest. I’m ready to move on.

(Chef Andre Poêlon, Toddrick, and other non-wrestler side characters are mine. The other wrestlers—Duncan in this installment—belong to their respective creators.)

(Andre’s appearance is based on Chef Gordon Ramsay. I’m so sorry Chef Ramsay. Here’s your alternate French-American life)

WC: ~1K

Installments: Part 1 (The Recipe); Part 2 (L’Aperitif); Part 3 (L’Entree); Part 4 (Fish); Part 5 (Main Course); Part 6 (Salad); Part 7 (Cheese)

Sweet.

Victory had tasted sweet, when it had come to him.

The few times it had come to him.

This, once again, had not been one of those times.

At least it hadn’t been him, specifically, on the mat when the count came down, though he shared the loss just the same.

He’d put up a good fight hadn’t he?

“Insurance payout? No, I’m sorry Mr. Poey-lawn, I’m afraid your renter’s insurance simply doesn’t cover a situation such as this, flood and water damages would have been an extra subclause surcharge—”

Yes, he’d put up some good fights. Thought he had, anyway. He had fans, some. But he also had what he felt like were more losses than wins, and all his momentum now was headed in the wrong direction. Win, lose, he couldn’t tell what seemed to make the difference from one fight to the next. Dishes follow recipes, and when they go wrong he could find the reason—too much salt, cooked too long—but he couldn’t make any sense of this world. Wrestling was a recipe for chaos, and he simply couldn’t stomach it.

Andre considered just not showing back up at the Waffle House. The airplane ticket tucked carefully in his wallet burned bright across his thoughts, begging him to make a choice. Stay in this mess of a life he’d created, or start over?

He’d briefly glanced in his mailbox once back in Indianapolis, and seen more angry, official-looking correspondence waiting inside. He’d quickly shut the mailbox and left the envelopes inside. Pretend he hadn’t seen them. If it came down to it, plead that he didn’t know.

Andre considered leaving right away. He considered mailing off a handful of apologies before abandoning his car in the parking lot of the Indianapolis International Airport. He imagined the puns if he simply didn’t show up for his next match: “The Chef has been Taken Out!” perhaps, over an icon of a takeout box. Chef Andre gone, with nothing left over.

He was too poor to pay a lawsuit, and he wasn’t going to prison. There was only one choice to make, and he finally realized that as soon as he had seen that ticket, he had already made it.

Yes, he would take that flight. But not before taking care of a few loose ends.

Sometimes a Waffle House is a bastion of chaos. Imagine you are sitting there, eating crisp, mouthwatering hashbrowns while a screaming woman in a neon lime tube top and matching shorts climbs over the counter to throw every salt shaker in reach at the server who’s just trying to flip the waffle irons.

Imagine you’re taking a bite of the most perfect waffle drenched in syrup, while on the other side of the diner a man strips down to his boxers and starts to breakdance on the floor as every patron with a tiktok account records him, hoping to go viral off someone else’s derangement.

Imagine cutting into your 5 oz. ribeye, debating whether you want to nab a bit of eggs in the same forkful, watching through the window as a car hops the curb, flips across the parking lot, and lands upside down without hitting anything else. Do you take your bite, or are you, too, standing to watch the drunk bob and weave his way out of the shattered window, bruised but mostly uninjured?

Andre had now seen all these things and more, but his last night, in the warm dark hours, quiet and late, was not a night of chaos. There is also a perfect serenity that may sometimes be achieved in a Waffle House around 3am, when all is calm and whatever storms wait on distant horizons have not yet broken, and this was what Andre’s last night was. Quiet and calm. Grill sizzling, orders steady and uncomplicated, every item perfectly cooked, whipped cream piled on every waffle. Someone even hacked the jukebox to play songs beyond the catalogue it knew, and the whole diner sang along with Andre:

Leavin’ on a jet plane

Don’t know when I’ll be back again…

In his previous matches, Andre had been concerned about how he would do. Whether he would win, and what he could do to make that happen. But his decision had already been made, and the outcome of this match didn’t matter, not to him, not anymore.

Either way, he was leaving on a jet plane.

It was freeing. Win, lose, it didn’t matter. He’d given this a go, and now it was time for him to go. This wasn’t his world. He belonged in the kitchen. But he’d certainly serve his best one last time.

The camera opens close on Andre, standing in his chef’s coat, arms crossed, with a light and knowing smirk on his face. What does he know? What isn’t he telling? It is definitely the look of a man who has more that he could say than what he ultimately will.

“Duncan, Duncan…” Andre taps his chin thoughtfully, “Why does that name sound familiar? Oh!” He pulls from off camera a bright red box of Duncan Hines Classic White cake mix. “This you, Duncan? A boxed imitation of what a real cake should be?” He looks at the box with a laugh. “Speaking, how do you say, mėtaphoriquement?” He laughs again, and you get the feeling he might just be speaking in French not because he doesn’t know the right word in English, but simply to be an ass.

“That is what I think. I am the real deal and you’re no better than mass produced powder. Which is what I,” he cracks his knuckles, “will leave you turned into by the end of the night. Even if you manage to win, you will get the full seven courses of what Chef Andre can serve. You think you can handle all that without any ill effect? Just try me, Duncan.” Andre throws the boxed mix toward the camera, so fast and close the near miss will make you jump back from your own phone as you watch him, hearing his deep and mirthful laugh as the sound of the box lands with a satisfying thud off camera. “Be my guest! Go on Duncan! Whatever you think you can mix, be. my. guest.”

[prorevenge]

Sexual Perv - Revenge is Sweeter When They Don't Know It's You

​

So this is a story about a guy I considered a friend. To this day, he has absolutely no idea that I am the main person who exposed him and I hope to keep it that way.

The main characters in this story are Myself, Badass Pilot, Girlfriend1, Girlfriend2 and Girlfriend3, Young Female Pilot, and a bunch of other randos needed to fill out the story. I witnessed most of this myself, but I also included details from other people who witnessed things when I was not there. I fully trust the sources of the reports.

So Badass Pilot is a pilot, as the name suggests, but he doesn't work for an airline. He started teaching at a flight school in his 20s but decided to strike out on his own because, as he told everyone else, he could do it better. He spends the next few years trying to destroy the reputation of his first employer. Badass Pilot is a very likeable guy and lots of people think he's awesome and believe him. I am one of them.

Now when he starts out, he drives a super shitty car, doesn't have an office, gets evicted from his apartment for not paying rent, and so on. But people like him and they help him set up a school and help fix it up, and generally give him a hand. Every once in a while people get pissed off at him because he does shitty things to other people, but his circle of friends defend him and just think he's great. He tells these pretty whopping tales, he's funny, and people naturally like to be with him. A lot of his stories have made-up details designed to put other people down, but he tells them in a highly entertaining way. His behavior is a bit crazy, and some of the reason people hang out with him is that he will do crazy stuff that is not normal, plus now he throws good parties.

He also has this cute girlfriend, Girlfriend1, and they end up living together. To be clear, she is pretty cool, definitely not a raging B, is fun, throws him a huge party for his 30th birthday, and so on. Now, while he's with Girlfriend1, he is still coming on to other women when she's not looking. A couple of times I have seen him totally love bomb a hot girl, usually someone in a vulnerable position like if he knows she's going through a bad breakup. He showers them with attention, gets them totally interested in him, says Girlfriend1 cheated on him, they're on a break, or some other such story that isn't true. He sleeps with them, and then he ghosts them and says they're crazy, and does anything else he can to get rid of them so Girlfriend1 doesn't get suspicious. As an example, after he cheated on Girlfriend1 with one girl, she tried to get in touch with him after he ghosted her, which is a actually a reasonable thing to do. Instead of talking to her himself, Badass Pilot lied and told everyone she was crazy and was stalking him, reported her to his friends at the police department, and had the police call her and tell her to shove off. On top of that, he also starts telling these crazy stories about Girlfriend1, totally criticizing her behind her back, telling everyone what a loser she is, and generally not appreciating having a relationship that most people would love to have. So you get the idea on how he treats women.

When Badass Pilot and Girlfriend1 finally break up, he told everyone that SHE was cheating on HIM when it was the other way around. His excuse for tanking an interview for his dream job was that he discovered Girlfriend1 was cheating the night before, he was an emotional wreck and that's why he flubbed the interview. There were a bunch of inconsistencies with his timeline and I knew it wasn't true but he told the story to anyone within earshot and people just accepted his version of events. And so he made everyone hate the ex and feel sorry for him, which is a common theme.

So anyhow, he and Girlfriend1 break up, he is drinking heavily, partying all the time, and a bunch of us get a front row seat as he comes close to destroying his life, parties hard, acts like a sleaze, hits on women constantly, and works his way through any woman who will sleep with him setting some new low records.

A few months later he hooks up with one of his students, let's call her Girlfriend2, and pretty much immediately moves into her house. This seems to stabilize him and help him get his life on track. Over the next few years he gets a cush offer flying corporate charters. He's a likeable guy, which helps him get a sweet contract as a private pilot for a billionaire, which he brags about nonstop to everyone. They also pay for him to get trained to fly jets. He gets a new car that doesn't look like a piece of shit, and he lives in a nice house. His flight school is no longer a frat house and it's more of a family friendly environment. Girlfriend2 helps him out at the flight school and life is pretty good for Badass Pilot.

To put the icing on the cake, the FAA is looking for new blood to fill a highly prestigious job of pilot examiner. These are people who are pilots with a lot of experience, well respected members of the local community with good judgment and a lot of power over student pilots and other flight schools. They also tend to make tons of money because they can charge any price people will pay to get their license and there isn't a lot of competition. Badass Pilot has friends at the FAA who like him, and he gets the job. He brags to people that it's like printing money tax free since students have to pay in cash (sounds weird, I know, but it's true) and he says the IRS doesn't need to know about it. So Badass Pilot is now in his 30's at the pinnacle of his career, earning tons of money, and has lots of power over people in the industry. And the success really goes to Badass Pilot's head.

Now, as you might have guessed, Badass Pilot is still the same person he was before, just with a lot more money, power, and success.

Badass Pilot still likes to brag loudly that he is the best instructor around and he has the best flight school. He still tells people how bad other flight schools in the area are, even though he shouldn't be saying anything due to his job as an examiner. He talks about his friends and his students and tells embarrassing stories about them, but I don't think much of it because they're funny and they're not about me. It doesn't really register with me at the time, but he is really good at getting other people to pile on and hate the people he hates and really good at destroying peoples reputations behind their back with things that turn out to be total lies. I start to hear him put down Girlfriend2 and say things about her that I know aren't true. I still don't pay attention to it because there are lots of loud guys in aviation who like to brag and make up stories. I continue to think of him as a friend and have even confided in him about something that I am sensitive about and looked to him for advice.

So one day when I'm in town I was hanging out with him and a bunch of people at the Badass Pilot flight school shooting the breeze. After I left I realized I forgot something, so came in the back way through the mechanic shop next door. I heard him talking in his very loud voice so everyone could hear, and that's when I realized he was talking about me. Not only was he talking about me, but he was totally lying about my embarrassing situation, made it totally different and a thousand times worse than what it was, and turned it into something that could potentially end my career. I thought he respected me and was my friend, but he was destroying my reputation and tearing me down behind my back.

Luckily nobody saw me and I slinked out the way I came in. I spent weeks feeling humiliated and betrayed. I reflected on the way I had seen him treat people and started to see things in a different light.

Now, I knew that he had tanked some careers. He has a lot of contacts in the industry, and he has bragged about calling companies that are hiring and telling them not to hire certain people. One of his favorite sayings is that aviation is a small world and you shouldn't burn any bridges because it will come back to bite you in the ass. He bragged several times about bringing people down a peg and making someone he disliked lose a job they had applied for by calling the company owner. Usually he did it because he wanted to take revenge for something he thought they did to him, but he was also jealous of people who graduated college (he didn't) and people who came from stable families (he didn't). He would always talk about how bad his home life was as a child and really try to get people to feel sorry for him. Keep in mind he's an adult in his late 30s.

I also knew that despite becoming more stable with GF2, he had not changed his ways with women. He acted like he respected women in front of GF2. But every time he was off on a trip, and even at his own airport, he could get pretty aggressive with women would push them hard to see how far he could take things.

As an example, he flirted aggressively with the receptionist at the building next door from his flight school. The receptionist was young and relatively new and had no idea Girlfriend2 existed. She (F18 or 19) called the Badass Pilot flight school and left a flirty message for Badass Pilot (M35), totally in line with how Badass Pilot was interacting with her. I was not there, but a witness said GF2 played the message on the machine and made Badass Pilot listen to it. He sheepishly said he had no idea why she would leave such a message, and Girlfriend2 told him in no uncertain terms that he was obviously leading her on, exploiting a young woman, and he needed to stop. Then, instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, Badass Pilot took revenge on the young girl. He immediately complained to the airport manager and got her fired. She ended up packing her stuff in a box and leaving that same day. So, while Badass Pilot is fun to be around as long as you're on his good side, he will F** you up if he thinks you are against him. I knew I had to be careful.

I wasn't sure yet what I was going to do, but I decided I needed to be close in order to get more information. So I sucked it up, pretended I wasn't humiliated and had never heard him talking about me, and spent more days at the flight school when I had time off. Everyone at the flight school was in and out all the time, so sometimes I'd be the only person there and I could easily sit down behind Badass Pilot's desk and start scrolling through his files.

That's when I hit the jackpot.

Badass Pilot was logged into all the same accounts on his desktop that he was on his phone, email, messaging, everything. And boy did he like to text. Now one of the things some of his students complained about was that Badass Pilot would not stop texting, even when he was supposed to be instructing people in the plane. He even lost a few students who were so annoyed by him texting during a lesson that they went somewhere else for lessons. And now I knew why.

Badass Pilot was a sex addict.

That's the only way I can describe it. Some people might describe him as a serial sexual harasser. His entire messaging history was full of cybersex, photos, videos, you name it, it was right there on his computer. I copied everything. I played the videos and recorded them on my phone, I took the snapshots, I took pictures of the texts. I must have spent an hour trying to copy this stuff and I ran out of time because someone came back, so I minimized the tabs and casually left the office.

I enlisted the help of another aviator that Badass Pilot had screwed over and we went through the treasure trove with a fine tooth comb. We had to research the phone numbers to find out who these people were and we classified them into "known aviation" and other. We even found that he was doing the nasty with a couple of people there at the flight school...not quite the family friendly environment everyone thought it was.

It became clear that his cybersex activity made him totally ineligible to be an FAA examiner. Plenty of the texts were just plain sexual harassment from a guy with a lot of power in the aviation industry, flirting with and pressuring young women who were hoping to become pilots for everything from sexy photos to sexual acts, sometimes pretending it was all just a big joke. He had no problems sending dick pics to women. That in and of itself made him unqualified to be an examiner. However, he went even further and had sexual contact with at least one person he tested. This is extremely dangerous because it compromises his ability to evaluate if someone is able to pilot a plane safely. If he is threatened with a lawsuit or criminal charge and has to test one of these women, or even someone they know, he might be coerced to pass an unsafe pilot, which could result in death.

August 2017

My pilot friend and I decide the best thing to do is send the information to the FAA, but we know we have to do it anonymously because our careers could be on the line. So we carefully packaged up a bunch of evidence, sent it in to the FAA office that he reported to, and waited for the fallout.

AND. NOTHING. HAPPENED.

The FAA literally ignored evidence that they had a sexual predator as a pilot examiner. This is a pretty old boys club environment, so maybe not too surprising.

For our next attempt we approached a Young Female Pilot we identified from the evidence who seemed like she tried to stop Badass Pilot when he got out of hand with her. We approached her to see if she would be willing to come forward and tell the FAA about her experience. She basically said all it would do was get her slut-shamed and blacklisted, especially after she heard that the FAA did nothing with our anonymous package we sent in. She said Badass Pilot would most likely ruin her career and nobody would hire her and he would make sure her reputation was destroyed. I had to agree.

Fast forward to 2018: I Make Him Homeless

I thought maybe I should just tell Girlfriend2 about what I had found, but I kept chickening out. I also didn't want to be exposed myself, as I have to protect my career and I was certain Badass Pilot would try to destroy me if he found out. One morning I was sitting in the school playing with the ipad while Girlfriend2 was behind the desk. Wouldn't you know it, she is texting Badass Pilot, who is flying, and Badass Pilot is logged into the flight school ipad I'm using! I can see her messages to him, and I can also see that he had cybersex with someone the night before and that he sent a video of himself masturbating to a student before that! I take photos for evidence, as usual.

Girlfriend2 is reading and not looking up at me so I just mumble something and hand her the ipad with the sexting open full screen as I walk out the door. I wait in the parking lot in my car, and about 10 minutes later, Girlfriend2 leaves the school with the ipad in hand and drives home.

I made sure to be scarce the rest of that day as I didn't want to raise any suspicions about my own involvement. Apparently Girlfriend2 owns the property where they live, so she immediately moved his stuff out and permanently banned Badass Pilot, who started sleeping at the flight school. From what I pieced together that week, Girlfriend2 was so alarmed by the evidence that she demanded that Badass Pilot see a therapist or she would report him to the authorities and he could potentially be arrested. One thing I should mention is that Girlfriend2 has a child, which is important. Badass Pilot was using her child to set up booty calls for himself (set up playdate with another child, have sex with child's mother while kids are paying video games).

Badass Pilot slept on a cot in the flight school, stayed drunk, and looked like a homeless person for a couple of months before he ended up getting his own place.

We also let Badass Pilot's billionaire employer know that he was a sexual predator, as well as a few other people anonymously. I wanted to make sure Girlfriend2 knew all the gory details of Badass Pilot's sexual activities in case she was even considering getting back together with him after he did therapy, so I kept sending her more information anonymously too.

Young Female Pilot kept in contact and apparently had some conversation with other female pilots. Nobody was willing to go on record but they all started sending anonymous letters to the FAA hoping they would at least investigate him.

The next thing I hear is that Badass Pilot is telling everyone that he broke up with Girlfriend2, that she is crazy and trying to destroy his reputation, and that she's sending false anonymous letters to the FAA because she's jealous. From what we could tell, the FAA interviewed Badass Pilot, but nothing happened because he blamed Girlfriend2 for sending the letters. True to form, Badass Pilot also made sure everyone at the flight school hated her and felt sorry that that he was being victimized by her. He also called the police and told them she was harassing him and told them he was banning her from his flight school.

Nothing else happens. This all starts to die down and Badass Pilot is still an examiner. He still works for his billionaire boss as well as a very wealthy owner of a car dealership who also races cars, and he still runs a flight school with plenty of students. Again, he starts sleeping with another student at the school, who will now be named Girlfriend3. Badass Pilot continues to complain to everyone that he has been victimized by Girlfriend2. Badass Pilot gets Girlfriend3 (who has never met Girlfriend2) so wound up about her that she is spitting tacks every time she is mentioned. This is important later.

Fast forward to 2019: WTF?!

Not only has Badass Pilot not been punished by the FAA, but the FAA has INCREASED his responsibilities so that now he can also conduct instrument flight exams for students!

Young Female Pilot stays in touch and we talk periodically, sworn to secrecy, of course. We have a couple of male pilots who are also sworn to secrecy to protect our own jobs. When the FAA promoted Badass Pilot to instrument examiner despite all of the complaints they had received, Young Female Pilot and her friends get really pissed off. They are still unwilling to risk their own jobs, however. (Reader, please don't judge me or Young Female Pilot for this...it is very expensive to become a pilot, easy to get blacklisted by someone at the FAA or someone like Badass Pilot, and then you have no way to make a living or to pay back a huge amount of student loans if you're in debt.)

So we hatch a plan to have her call Girlfriend2 and tell her about the frustrations of the other female pilots in hopes that she will think of something to do. A detail I should mention, Girlfriend2 does not fly for a career, and she has her own business not related to aviation. So Young Femail Pilot calls Girlfriend2 on someone else's phone. Girlfriend2 doesn't know Young Female Pilot and we don't think she would betray her, but the situation is still very risky for Young Female Pilot She discusses how frustrating it is that a serial sexual harasser gets promoted by the FAA with no consequences when the FAA knows about his harassment, and Girlfriend2 agrees that she will try to make information public to protect other women. She agrees to post a review on Yelp and maybe some other platforms.

I do my best to be at the Badass Pilot flight school when this goes down. True to her word, Girlfriend2 posts a very straightforward and factual Yelp review and heads EXPLODE at the flight school! People are forwarding the review on and it spreads like wildfire all over the aviation industry. Think "owner sends messages of himself masturbating to female students." Yikes! And totally true!

Other people have posted unfavorable reviews before, but Badass Pilot has been able to have them taken down, falsely claiming that the review is a fake account or from a competing flight school. But there has been nothing like this that I know of. Badass Pilot and Girlfriend3 (who now appears to be a co-owner of the flight school and who has posted a positive review of the school on Yelp) go into damage control mode. Badass Pilot tries to get Girlfriend2 arrested or at least harassed by his friends at the local police department. He's frantically trying to get the review shut down with Yelp. His brain is literally exploding and I, along with everyone else at the school, am agreeing with him that Girlfriend2 is a total lying, crazy, conniving, vindictive B, and that she needs to be punished.

All while laughing on the inside.

Badass Pilot next engages one of his instructors, who was friends with Girlfriend2, to meet with her and ask her to take down the review, but she does not. Badass Pilot is finally successful in getting Yelp to remove the review a day or two later. The same process also happens with another platform that shall remain nameless.

Badass Pilot gets everyone to bombard Girlfriend2 with hate mail, which makes me glad I am still anonymous. Badass Pilot also tells the instructors at his school that they are not allowed to be friends with Girlfriend2 and they will be fired if they are.

Fast forward to August 2019: Mission Accomplished!

What happened to Badass Pilot:

We later found out that the FAA ended up doing an investigation on Badass Pilot. Finally. Badass Pilot totally lost all of his examiner privileges. On top of that, his flight school had an FAA written testing center, which was also permanently closed. And even beyond that, Badass Pilot can't have any affiliation with the FAA in any way, shape, or form. He can't even host an educational seminar or continuing credits class for the FAA.

While some up and coming pilots and people outside the industry might never hear about Badass Pilot being totally humiliated and losing his examiner status, believe me when I tell you that everyone in the profession knows what happened. And it has got to BURN!

What happened to me:

I am pretty much back to enjoying my time at the airport like I used to. There are still parties and flyouts, and ultimately some people don't care that Badass Pilot sexually harasses women or destroys peoples careers. But he has definitely been taken down a peg, as he likes to say. I just don't trust anything Badass Pilot says and I don't heap on other people he's trying to destroy. I still feel a little twinge of delight whenever I hear Badass Pilot tell new students that he used to be an examiner, but the liability insurance was too high so he quit.

Another thing that I get a chuckle out of is that Badass Pilot has started talking behind Girlfriend3's back. I tried to warn her and even sent her (anonymously, of course) information about Badass Pilot. But so far Girlfriend3 is standing by her man, and I'm just sitting here eating popcorn watching the story unfold again!

TL/DR Friend who is a badass pilot screws me over, I find out he's a sexual perv and get him fired from his job.

(source) story by (/u/flyingmonkey737)

[1kook]

baecation

Jeon Jeongguk x (F) Reader

summary⥗“Lose the top, or lose the right to present yourself in any low back gown for the next three months.” He truly knew the way to your heart. tags⥗richboy!jk, -3 knowledge of how vacations work, domestic love!!!, outdoor sex, unprotected sex, fingering, jk’s white ass cheeks mention wc⥗5.9k u ever randomly get inspired for the first time in 2 months and write a whole fic in one night anyway enjoy

There were many perks to dating the heir of your city’s top conglomerate, the endless showering of gifts being one of them, but your favorite thing about your boyfriend wasn’t his overflowing pockets or his secure future, but the lovesick look in his eyes when you told him how much you loved him.

Jeongguk was an enigma.

He was born to be the stereotypical rich boy that authors of teen fiction could only dream of, his looks suitable for magazine covers and his brains destined for top-notch universities. His bloodline was carefully crafted by generations before him, every marriage carefully planned and executed with the ultimate goal to preserve their place in society as apex predators. In fact, Jeongguk’s entire life had been one big script his family had carefully pushed him along, from the fencing classes he took to the hiring of the nation’s best nannies to care for him, all subtle enough for him to not complain but demanding enough that he knew what was going on.

The only thing they hadn’t planned in Jeongguk’s life was him meeting you.

They had never planned for him to meet some middle-class girl, who was definitely not an heiress to any particular company or celebrity of any level, just some random girl he had accidentally bumped into leaving a charity event at the local community park. They hadn’t planned for his long, gangly arms to knock your phone out of your hand, or send it tumbling into the lake as you both watched on in horror. It was only after the quiet plop of water registered in both your ears that you had whirled on him, half of you in shock and the other in fury.

Jeongguk was, as previously stated, handed everything on a silver platter. His parents hardly bothered with teaching him how to do things. He barely understood how to work a washing machine, because all of that was done for him by other people. At the moment, he didn’t have to bother with taking an entrance exam to the best university this side of the country because he knew his parents would pay for the entire thing out of pocket. He especially didn’t ever have to worry about what to do when random girls scolded him in public sight, because frankly, it would never happen.

Yet here he was, completely startled as you told him to watch where he was going, and to learn how to apologize to people when you’ve done something wrong. He’d never had someone of a lower status than him treat him so aggressively before, and when you pause to catch your breath all he can stumble out is that he’ll replace your phone, he’ll even buy you the best model, what was your number so his people could reach out to you again?

The last sentence has you groaning in frustration, as you pointed furiously towards the lake, because how on earth was he supposed to contact you when your phone was 20 feet below surface level?!

After another fifteen minutes of you continuing your verbal rampage against him, the entirety of it which he’d spent fending off his security guard and his assistant (both who’d been appalled that he’d willingly let this peasant swear and curse at him) as he stared at you in awe.

When you finally calmed down and he’d offered to take you to the Starbucks across the street to figure out the details of your phone replacement, he’s surprised to find out your normal disposition is nothing like the one you’d first shown him. In fact, you’re rather sheepish and embarrassed at the coffee shop, albeit still a little upset with him for trashing your phone.

After you’ve finished nailing out the little details of your phone replacement, which included you hesitantly giving him your address, he leaves right away. He’s sad to leave so soon, having become completely enthralled with your entire being in the thirty minutes he’s come to know you, that he finds himself hopelessly staring out of the backseat of the Benz as he travels back to his upscale apartment in the heart of the city. He hopes you don’t forget him so soon.

To say you’re surprised to see a package on your doorstep the next morning is an understatement. You remember every online purchase you make, and if memory serves you right, you hadn’t made one in the past month to warrant its arrival today. After glancing down both ends of your hall, you tug the mystery package inside.

In hindsight you probably should have been more cautious of the entire situation, but part of you was extremely curious to see what brought this surprise on. After tugging the tape off and shuffling through the packing peanuts you’re met with a sleek box for the hottest and most expensive phone right now, a pink bow carefully tied around to secure a note.

One of our guard’s fished around the lake for the phone I misplaced and managed to retrieve the memory card. I hope you won’t mind the new contact I added.

Best,

Jeon Jeongguk

And thus was the start of your love story.

-

You’re wondering if Jeongguk’s sudden idea was truly a spur of the moment epiphany or another ploy for him to get out of going to the ball his father had planned at the end of this month. You’ve come to learn in the last two years that despite his perfect boy aura, he was quite the impulsive shithead. Eitherway, you know he would have invited you to wherever he was going, and if he hadn’t, his mother would have shipped you a gown from her favorite designer and asked you to drag him there.

As it stands, it’s not a fancy ball you’re preparing for this time around, but a luxurious spring break in the Bahamas, away from school and family and anything to ruin your mood for the next week. You’d just finished your midterms when he bursts into your dorm room, demanding you pack your bags, baby, we’re going to the beach! Evidently, it was not the local beach you were going to. No, the ‘beach’ Jeongguk had referred to was one he conveniently forgot to mention was an entire plane ride away. It wasn’t until he returned later that same day to usher you off to the airport that he realizes how sorely under packed you are.

So now here you were, frantically cramming a week’s worth of cute, summer-y clothes into the only suitcase you own, running back and forth from your closet to the suitcase to the desk where you kept all your beauty products and shower essentials, while your boyfriend ate one of your granola bars on your bed.

“You better not get any crumbs on the bed, you know I hate finding them later,” you scold, not even bothering to look at him as you stuff all your makeup into a small bag.

Jeongguk snorts. “You won’t even be sleeping here for a week, babe,” he says, voice calm and relaxed in the way only someone who’s already done packing can be. The only consolation to your current state was that Jeongguk had booked his family’s private jet, so you really couldn’t be late to a flight only the two of you would be on.

You turn around with a hand on your hip, giving him the same unimpressed look you always do when he’s being unreasonable. “I’m sure the mice you’re attracting will keep it warm for me.” He rolls his eyes, finishing off his snack and then making a big show of patting down your creaky mattress to rid it of any granola crumbs.

He’s settled back into the bed when he speaks again. “Take the orange crop top you bought from Forever 21 last month, it makes your boobs looks amazing.”

You tuck your socks and undergarments against the suitcase’s inner pocket. “Oh right, ‘cause that’s a priority right now.” You don’t wanna tell him it’s already folded against your other clothes because you, too, think it makes your boobs look amazing.

You hear the rustling of the bed sheets once more, before you see his long legs come to a rest around you, arms wrapping around your waist to watch you ruffle through the clothing you already have. “Not my fault my girl’s got a nice set on her.”

“Oh my god, shut up,” you beg, reaching over to your pile of haphazardly thrown shorts and skirts to fold some more into your luggage. You’re careful of not moving far enough away that his arms would dislodge from their embrace. “We could have been halfway to the Bahamas right now if someone bothered to plan things ahead of time and not last minute as a means to get out of a charity ball.”

Jeongguk groans, letting his head fall forward to rest against your back, his soft breath leaving your back warm through your t-shirt. “Can’t a guy just steal his girlfriend away to the Bahamas for a week to avoid the overwhelming stress of life, and maybe choke on some exotic shrimp while she chokes on his di—”

“Get off of me, you pervert!”

The second you step foot on the archipelago that is the gem of the resort world, it’s about seven thousand degrees hotter than it was back home, and the sweat on the back of your neck can attest to that. The jet ride here had been pretty fun, it being your first experience flying private, but also flying in general. Jeongguk had kept you entertained both on the take off and landing, lips kissing down every inch of your neck with a promise for more later.

Well, it was later now, and the need to be sated was still present, something you’re not quite sure your boyfriend was aware of. Jeongguk was like that. Forgetful as fuck. The only reason he ever got anything done was because he had that assistant of his practically glued to his hip at every moment of the day, breathing down his neck every task he needed to complete. If it was up to Jeongguk, and Jeongguk alone, things would get done at a very slow pace.

But you were nothing like your boyfriend, and you suppose it’s why you two go together so well. While he put things to the side, you needed everything to be done right away and fast. Which is why you find yourself pulling him away from the scuba diving kiosk in an effort to check into your high-end cottage away from all the tourist hub.

“Babeee,” he whines, almost forgetting his luggage for the nth time, not used to actually having to haul his things by himself. “We could have seen the reef! You know, where all the fish are at? Where Nemo lives.”

“Uh huh, that’s nice,” you say, finding the driver Jeongguk’s assistant (bless his uptight, perfectionist ass) had booked for your arrival. “But we need to check in first and make sure our rental is all good.”

He seems miffed about the fact people actually have to do that, and had it not been his status as a trust-fund baby funding this entire trip, you would have liked to sock him right in the nose. But he’s your boyfriend and you’re used to his somewhat clueless ways by now, so you let it go.

You don’t know what you expected his assistant to rent out for you guys, but it certainly wasn’t the swanky beach house your driver pulls up to. It’s carefully secluded from the other houses around it, a high hedge-turned-fence surrounding the private yard. It hides a decent sized pool, a few lawn-chairs, and a hot tub from the public beach down below. The house itself is marvelous, complete with multiple bedrooms, two baths, and the most luxurious kitchen you’ve ever seen in a beach house.

“Oh,” you say upon stepping out of the car, mouth agape as you take in the sight of your accommodation for the next few days.

A pair of hands snake around your waist before carefully coming to rest above your navel. Jeongguk presses a gentle kiss to your temple, murmuring, “all for you, princess.” The waves crashing against the beach below are miniscule compared to the sudden blossoming of warmth in your chest.

“Shut up,” you shyly whine, turning around to envelope him in your arms. Your need for him and his body fades at the breathtaking sight behind you, and you find yourself forgetting about it completely as you venture around the house.

It’s the same day when you decide to go out into the yard and tan for a bit. Jeongguk had went in for a nap, a little tired from keeping you entertained on the long flight, because he’d stayed awake even when you fell asleep just in case you woke up scared. You don’t try to discourage him, watching him snuggle into the king mattress as you shuffle around for your bikini.

You’re absentmindedly applying another layer of sunscreen to your face, sunglasses pushed onto the top of your head. You’re completely enveloped by thoughts of your boyfriend, of how he could have easily ran off to the Bahamas alone (he went to Moscow last November on a trip to ‘find himself’), but he’d elected to whisk you off with him.

You tuck your AirPods—another gift from him—into your ears before finally settling into the comfort of a lounge chair, the sun’s rays beating down on you full force. It feels wonderful being away from everything you know with the comfort of returning. You’d always dreamt of visiting such places as a teenager, the presence of a lover or not, but now you truly got to live out those fantasies with Jeongguk.

He was a dream.

It’s about thirty minutes into your session when you register the sound of the sliding door, and you crack one eye open to see your refreshed boyfriend wandering into the backyard in a pair of swimming trunks and a goofy look on his face. “Oh, pardon me, I didn’t know such women came to the public pool,” he smirks.

You roll your eyes, not that he sees through the shades protecting you. “Don’t you dare try to roleplay with me, weirdo.”

He cackles, before somersaulting into the pool, and you find yourself squealing at the splash he makes. He disappears for a second under the water, but then pops back up at the ledge closest to you. “Come on, don’t be a pussy. Play along and maybe we’ll go to the spa tomorrow morning,” he offers.

“Fine.” You decide to join him, but not because the spa.

Jeongguk laughs at your petulant tone of voice, before sprawling out to float across the surface of the pool. “Great, so here’s what I was thinking. Me, the rich middle-aged husband coming here strictly for business. And you, the shy darling relaxing by the pool with her girlfriends who are all pushing her to go talk to me.”

“Sounds perfect, except for the part where I’m actually the sly minx coming here to scam a rich college boy out of his money, luring him into the most pleasurable sex he’s ever had, before ghosting him for all eternity and leaving him forever waiting for someone like me to come into his life again,” you propose.

Jeongguk blinks. “Wow, that sounded so realistic. You’re either really good at this, or… I should be worried,” he playfully accuses, before throwing over a gesture that says im watching you. You laugh.

“Just keep swimming, rich boy.”

He does as you tell him, playing in the water as you tune back into the music drifting into your ears. You’re about done tanning the front side of your body, and flip over to make sure your backside catches the rays as well. You set your sunglasses off to the side, and when you look back for them they’re adorning Jeongguk’s silly face as he doggy paddles around the donut floaty he found.

“Untie your top, dumby. Unless you want those ugly tan lines,” Jeongguk calls out in that brash tone of his. You flip him the bird, before sitting up in a very Ariel-esque pose to glance around your private yard.

As if sensing your hesitation, Jeongguk paddles over to your side, leveling you with an unimpressed look. “These bushes are as tall as a door, and there’s no one around for the next half mile, babe. Lose the top, or lose the right to present yourself in any low back gown for the next three months.”

He truly knew the way to your heart.

You untie the knots at your back and your neck, carefully laying back down to get that perfect tan Jeongguk was talking about. Admittedly, you do feel a bit better knowing you won’t return home with noticeable tan lines, and that much is enough to have your topless self blissfully relaxing.

Your soundtrack is the playlist you had collected on the plane ride, occasionally joined by the splashing Jeongguk makes as he moves around the pool, and before you know it, your timer is ringing to let you know it’s time to flip over again. This time, you’re less hesitant about shedding your top, breasts bare to the sky as you throw the top over your eyes (guess where your sunglasses still where).

You hear a wolf whistle from the other side of the yard, and catch sight of Jeongguk sitting at the edge of the pool. His skin is glistening from the water, the sun enveloping him in its warmth. He’d been outside for a shorter time than you but somehow he’d accumulated a darker color faster. The sun loved him like no other. He’s pushing himself to his feet when he catches your gaze, mischievous smirk twisting his features as he rounds the pool.

“Didn’t know this was a nude beach,” he says, and you curse your body for the way it reacts to the sight of his messy hair and tone abdomen. Your nipples harden embarrassingly and you can’t even hide them.

“Tired already?” You muse instead, hoping he doesn’t comment on the state of your breasts. “Tired after a plane ride, tired after swimming. Didn’t know I was dating an old man.”

“Har har,” he says in a monotone voice, and you can’t help the curl of a smile at beating him at his own playful ways. He stops in front of you, and your expression is knocked clean off when the water droplets clinging to his body fall onto your warm skin.

“Jeongguk!” You whine, pushing him away with your foot in a valiant effort to save yourself from the cold water. If anything, your actions end up bringing your demise as he catches your ankle in his hand.

“Ah ah, princess,” he tuts, bending your leg upward only to place his knee where it once was. He ducks down to tower over you, your continuous squealing only bringing an evil smile to his face. “What did we say about tan lines?”

You push him away, groaning in defeat as his hair drips even more water onto your skin. “I took the top off, what now?”

He glances down, and for a moment, you’re confused as to what he sees that you don’t. You're only met with the sight of your yellow bikini bottom preserving the last of your dignity.

You scoff. “You’re kidding.”

Much to your chagrin, he’s not.

“You’re on one of the nicest islands in the world, staying in a private home with fences tall enough to stop Bigfoot from looking in, and you’re gonna tan with your bikini bottoms on? You’re ridiculous.”

You shove his shoulder, before resigning yourself to getting soaked by him as he shuffles around to squish you under his weight. “You’re ridiculous for thinking I’d be outside without any clothes on!”

He snorts against your shoulder, long arms moving around until he has one somewhat curled beneath you. “Nah. You are.”

“Don’t start with me, Jeon.”

He shifts again to look you in the eye. “Come on, ___. You’re really gonna get tan lines when you could avoid them?”

You roll yours eyes. “You couldn’t get me to go outside completely naked for a million bucks, baby.” The beginning of a grin curls around his lips. “Don’t even think about it.”

This brings a laugh out of him, before he’s laying back down to kiss your neck. “You’re silly.” All you can really hope for now is that him laying on top of you won’t give you an even worse tan line.

Just when you think he’s given up on his quest to have you completely naked outside, you feel the slightest tug on the tie holding your bikini in place, slapping your hand down on his as if he were a pesky fly. “Fine!” He huffs, rolling off you to jump back into the water. “I hope everyone sees your uneven tan.”

“No one would see a tan line on my coochie, Jeon,” you remind him, flinching when he decides to cannonball into the water right beside you, sprinkling you in another round of water pellets.

He emerges from the clear water a moment later, paddling to the ledge beside you to flick more water your way. “I will,” he retorts. “When I got you bent over tomorrow morning.”

You don’t hesitate to fling your bikini top his way, the yellow fabric smacking him across the face. “In that case, you should take those shorts off, because I certainly don’t wanna have to look at your pasty thighs.”

“You love my milky thighs,” he hums, traversing the length of the pool for his donut floaty again.

“Milky?”

Your tiny quarrel ends there, Jeongguk soon becoming too immersed in competing against himself in a breath-holding contest to bother you any longer. He’s adorable like this, cheeks puffed out like Mrs. Puff every time his head pops out of the water, that you almost forget to flip over when your timer rings again.

It’s in the midst of your repositioning that you dare take a peak beneath your bottoms. Much to your disdain, there is a growing disparity between the skin beneath your swimsuit and the skin around it. Nothing too bad, but if you were to lay out as long as you planned, it’d become embarrassingly noticeable. Your breasts had been saved from any differences thanks to Jeongguk’s early warning, and you begin wondering if shedding your bottoms would inflate his already huge ego.

No matter, you discreetly unknot the ties securing your bottoms, hoping he won’t notice from across the yard as you carefully slip them off.

You make quick work of laying on your stomach again, your ass finally catching some rays after being covered for so long. You won’t lie, there’s an unexpected wave of comfort that comes with being bare outside, your entire body wonderfully enveloped by the sun’s beaming rays. You snuggle into the lounge chair’s cushions as you nearly reach nirvana.

Your blissful state is ruined not even ten minutes later when the sound of Jeongguk’s heavy splashing comes closer and closer. It’s not until you hear the splat of his wet feet against the pavement that you realize you’re in trouble.

There’s a playful smack against your ass, and you yelp in surprise. “Jeon!” You whine, instantly sitting up on your forearms to narrow your eyes at him. He’s flashing you that playful grin of his as he plops down beside you, not even having to ask you to move over because you do so subconsciously

“Knew you’d give in eventually,” he sighs, leaning back on his palms as he tries to catch his breath. You decide to give up on your dreams of having a peaceful tanning session, turning around to face your glistening boyfriend.

“What do you want for lunch?” You ask instead, running a hand through the hair at the nape of your neck, rolling your shoulders around to get some movement back into them. He shrugs, slithering his way up the cushions to squish himself beside you. It’s a tight fit, but he makes it easier by throwing your leg over his middle.

“Probably some good food in the little village a mile from here. Could probably walk there too.” You hum in agreement, snuggling into his side. You’ve long since gotten over the coldness of his skin, cheek pressed against his chest. He’s got a hand on your lower back, partially to hold you close but also to stop you from rolling off the chair.

Right as your snoozing off, so wonderfully warm beneath the sun and comfortable in your birthday suit, you feel a pair of fingers brush against the backside of your thigh, and then ghost over your exposed pussy.

“You’re despicable,” you murmur, tweaking his nipple between your fingers. Jeongguk snickers, shifting you around so you’re mostly on top of him now, your awakened core pressed against his thigh.

“C’mon, princess,” he goads, running a pair of moist fingers along your thigh again, trying to carefully coax you into doing what he wants. Most things, you now realize, tend to go Jeongguk’s way regardless of other factors. “No one’ll hear us out here.”

“But what if someone does,” you point out, always the voice of reason when it comes to Jeongguk’s ideas. “We could get in trouble, Guk. I don’t know…”

“In trouble for what?” Is his smart rebuttal, shuffling beneath you so you can finally feel the swollen cock hiding beneath his swimming trunks. “Enjoying ourselves in our own home? Oh, the terror.” Upon seeing the uncertainty that still clings to your features, he drops the somewhat cocky attitude to press a kiss to your nose. “It’s all good, princess,” he soothes, ducking down to caress the side of your face with his cherried lips. “If anything, I’ll just bribe our way out of any trouble.”

“Ugh,” you groan, melting into him as you finally give in. “I hate when you say that.”

Jeongguk snuffles a laugh against your jaw, maneuvering the two of you around until you’re laid flat against the cushion with him hovering over you. “When I say what?” He teases. “That my wallet is as fat as my cock?”

You roll your eyes, untying the knot he’d done at the front of his shorts. “Get that fat cock of yours out before I change my mind.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he complies, setting one foot on the floor to push his shorts down, until you’re met with the sight of his stark thighs. You cackle, and his arrogant smirk is wiped off as he glances down at his two-toned legs.

“What happened to getting the perfect tan?” You sneer, tapping a finger against his muscled thighs. “Don’t tell me your ass is this white, too.”

He huffs in annoyance, before reclaiming his spot between your legs again, tugging you down until your cores are pressed together. “Shut up.” You do as he says, words catching in your throat at the feeling of his engorged cock brushing against your wet folds.

His slips a hand down to languidly toy with your folds, his fingers slightly pruny from all the time he spent in the water. It feels a little weird, but any complaints you may have had are wiped away when he nudges your bud with the tip of his pointer finger. You gasp, fingers digging into his shoulders at the sudden stimulation against your core. “Ohh,” you sigh, eyes rolling backwards.

“Feel good?” He checks, eyes trained on your expressions, lips unconsciously puckering to kiss you, even with your writhing beneath him. You let out a high-pitched mewl, much to your embarrassment, cheeks flushed warm from the sun and his ministrations. You nod belatedly.

He lets his wandering hands carry on, carefully travelling across the entirety of your folds. He knows your body like no other, so familiar with the dips and curves, that it’s impossible for him to not immediately locate your g-spot upon plunging his fingers inside you. “G-Guk!” you cry out, hands falling to grip at his biceps.

He presses a kiss to your throat. “That’s it, baby, lemme hear you,” he murmurs, and subtly presses his cock to the inside of your thigh. “Looked so delicious out here,” he sighs, and it’s as if he’s talking to himself. “Wanted to fuck your pretty little pussy from the second I stepped outside.”

Your back arches beneath him at a particular scissor of his fingers, another whine caught in your throat. “Want you so bad,” you whimper, reaching a hand up to tangle in his dark locks. You use the leverage to pull his lips towards yours, meeting in a frantic crash that has you whining against him even more.

His tongue slips past your lips, subduing yours when you try the same on him, and you almost choke on the excess saliva pooling in your mouth. Right before you can, he pulls back in favor of trapping your lower lip between his teeth. Your eyes flutter open, and you meet his own dark gaze.

“Ready?” He huffs, pulling his fingers out from within you. They’re shiny with your slick, almost as wet as they’d been when he was swimming earlier. You nod, dazed from all the pleasure he was giving you, that you can’t do more but spread your legs for him. He leans back on his knees, lining himself up with your hole.

You’d long since eliminated condoms from your relationship with Jeongguk, your trust in each other overwhelmingly so. Besides, you were still on the pill, and Plan B existed, so you never really worried about slipping up and accidentally getting yourself pregnant. Although there were times when he’d go overboard, stuffing you with his cum until you feel bloated, you’d never gotten pregnant before, so you wouldn’t begin to worry now.

Just the idea of feeling him in his entirety has you salivating, needy hands reaching out to grasp any part of him you can reach. Jeongguk snickers at your desperate ways, knotting his fingers with yours before pressing them to the cushion beneath you, the other gripping onto your thigh to keep your legs spread.

The second his tip pushes through the initial tightness, your mouth drops open, indecipherable noises escaping you. “J-Jeon,” you cry, chest heaving at the sudden intrusion.

“Relax for me, princess,” he huffs, just as out of it as you. Your body feels like it’s ascended, Jeongguk’s cock slowly pushing in further with each breath you take. It doesn’t take much longer for him to completely bottom out, the warm skin of his thighs pressing against you.

You’re like a fish out of water, mouth opening and closing as your body slowly assimilates to the feeling of being so absolutely full. It’s not until Jeongguk subtly shifts his weight onto his other leg that you give him the green light to start fucking you.

You moan, the first few thrusts hitting against every sweet spot inside you. “God, you’re so fucking big,” you heave, clenching around him just to feel the drag of his cock against your walls.

Jeongguk chuckles through his own pants, the fingers entwined with yours becoming impossibly tighter. “You’re too good for me,” he sighs, hauling your thigh further up his forearm until its resting in the crease of his elbow. The positioning allows his strokes to go deeper. You cry out, squirming beneath him with each thrust he gives.

“Oh fuck,” you cry wantonly when he plunges deeper into you, the water that decorated his skin long having been replaced by the sweat clinging to him. Your eyes flutter shut and you’re left only listening to the sounds of you, Jeongguk, and the ocean waves beneath you. “I love you,” you whimper.

Jeongguk grunts, ducking down to kiss you again, his hips not once slowing down. “Love you too, princess,” he murmurs. “Fuck, I don’t deserve you,” he groans, puncuating his statement with a brutal thrust of his cock into you. “Gonna buy you that pretty Valentino bag when we get back, I promise,” he adds, picking up his pace.

You whine, “You don’t have to, Jeon, I—”

He cuts you off, “and that silver Audi you liked at the car show last winter,” he rambles on, seemingly clueless to your protest. “A-And maybe that Louis Vuttion coat that brings out the color in your eyes—”

“I saw the same one at H&M,” you interrupt, swiveling your hips upwards to meet his thrusts. He chokes out a laugh.

“Shut up and just let me spoil you,” he groans, and then seemingly forgets what else he was planning on buying you as he focuses his complete attention on helping you reach your orgasm.

With his focus solely on that, you find the burning feeling in your lower abdomen grow tenfold, voice becoming more annoying with each moan and whine you give. “That’s it, baby,” he encourages, his thrusts sending tingles up and down your spine. He peppers kisses down your chest, each touch leaving your skin scorching.

Time seems to slow when the coil in your stomach finally snaps, an embarrassingly loud moan leaving your lips as your body spasms beneath him. “Oh, Jeongguk,” you sigh, falling limp on the lounge chair as he continues chasing his high.

He pulls out soon enough, giving his cock a few tugs before he’s spurting his come across your lower abdomen, leaning back to admire his masterpiece. He’s panting afterwards, and the backyard feels eerily quiet as you both just gaze at each other with goofy smiles on your faces.

The romantic aura is ruined when he feels the need to say, “hey, maybe now my ass won’t be so white.”

“Fuck, you look sexy,” he murmurs when the instructor finally turns around, leaving Jeongguk to gawk at your body in the tight wetsuit provided. “Gonna fuck you so good tonight.”

“Shut up,” you blush, trying to stop your eyes from violating your boyfriend’s disgustingly gorgeous body in the matching wetsuit he wears. “We’ll get kicked out of the group, Guk.”

He rolls his eyes. “I could have rented the whole place out for us, but someone thought scuba diving with the other corny tourists would be fun.”

You flick his forehead. “You don’t have to buy out every building we go to,” you remind him, memories of this morning’s completely empty breakfast bar flickering to attention. “Besides, I wouldn’t have let you fuck me tonight anyway.”

He scoffs at your claim. “Please, you would have begged me, ___.”

You hit him with the wide end of your swimming fin, then have to apologize to the instructor for your horseplay, much to Jeongguk’s amusement. You narrow your eyes at him, following the rest of the group out onto the boardwalk leading to the boat. “Find me a Nemo, and we’ll do it in the beach cabana.”

Jeongguk’s lips twists into the most devious smirk you’ve ever seen, and he smacks your ass as he runs ahead of you. You yelp, just as he turns to face you just as he nears the group. “Has anyone seen my son?”

[shinsorokiri]

UA Idol | Chapter Eight

Hitoshi Shinsou x Reader

Word Count: 2,005

Warnings: Language

A/N: Ahhhh here we are at Chapter Eight! I can’t wait to write right more for this I really love it, I wish I knew just how long this was gonna be but honestly I have no idea at this point. We’ll see, but for now, enjoy!!!

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“So, you made it without managing to murder Mina, huh?” Shinsou smirks at you, and you roll your eyes. You’d made it to the airport after him, and you had just gone through security. You and Mina had spotted the rest of the contestants sitting and waiting for the plane to start boarding, and among them was Denki and Shinsou. You plopped down next to your tired friend, rubbing your temples in the process. “I was… genuinely so close, Shin. You… you don’t even understand,” you mumble. His laughter brings a smile to your previously frowning face, and you look over at him. “Well, good thing you didn’t because then I would only have Denki throughout this entire trip and I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know if I could do that.”

“You couldn’t. I was thinking of you, congrats, you saved Mina Ashido’s life.” “Wow, didn’t know I’d grow up to be a hero,” he grins at you and you shake your head with a smile. “That was so cheesy, I’m gonna throw up,” you say, and he shrugs. “I only say cheesy things to the people I like.”

“So… me and Denki?”

“And my mother.”

“Oh wow, I’m in the exclusive club, now aren’t I? Mom, Denki, and kitten?” you ask, giving his arm a light push, using the nickname he oh-so-affectionately calls you all the time. He snorts, glancing over at you and shaking his head. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess you are.”

Before you can respond, one of the flight attendants opens the door to the walkway for your plane. Lucky for all the UA Idol contestants, you all were VIPs. Very Important Passengers. Which means, you all got to board first. You and Shinsou are right next to each other, along with Denki and Mina behind you two. “Okay. How long do you think until they realize they’re madly in love and make a move on each other?” Mina whispers to Denki and he scrunches his nose. “I give it… two months. Who do you think will say it first?”

“Shinsou. For sure. And as much as I’d like that two months thing, I think it’ll take at least three. (Y/n)’s a tough nut to crack,” Mina says, and Denki smirks. “Well if she’s so tough, that means she’ll probably crack under pressure, right? She’ll say it first.”

“Well then, Denki Kaminari. Looks like we have ourselves a bet.”

“Looks like we do, Mina Ashido. Also, did you see that one emo girl who never took her headphones out? She’s so fucking pretty.”

“Oh, I know. Personally, I go for the cuter and softer types… like that girl over there, with the black hair and cute face,” Mina subtly motions to the girl she’s talking about and Denki glances. “I respect it, but I wouldn’t pursue it.”  

“Would you two stop talking about your crushes right in front of us? It’s annoying,” Shinsou cuts in, shooting Denki a glare. “Yeah, I preferred your hushed whispers from earlier over the louder lovey-dovey talk,” you add in and Denki and Mina look fake offended. “Excuse me, but I will have you know-”

“Tickets?” Mina gets cut off by the stewardess asking you and Shinsou for your tickets with a big smile. You two hand them over and walk down the hallway to the plane. “I vote we sit far away from them, that way we don’t have to hear about their love lives for these ten hours,” Shinsou says to you and you grin. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

You and Shinsou grab your seats, luckily getting on early enough to honestly have your pick. “Let’s get as close to the side door as possible, better chances at surviving if it… well… you know…” Shinsou says, and you raise an eyebrow at him. “Hitoshi Shinsou, are you afraid of flying?”

“What? No. No of course not. Nope. Not at all. It’s not like we’re on a metal death trap floating through the air. What would give you that idea?” he says, sinking in his seat. You give him a sympathetic grin. “Well, don’t worry, okay? If you need any comfort at all through the flight, I’m right here. I’ll protect you, sweetheart,” you tease, trying to take his mind off of the ‘metal death trap floating through the air.’ You’re too busy putting your carry on in the compartment above you to notice the blush on his entire body, which he silently thanks whatever god that exists for, and he scoffs, hoping that it disappears. “Thank you, honey. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” You laugh, squeezing your way past him to the window seat. He claimed the aisle seat, probably because he didn’t want to look outside and see just how far up the plane is. You glance over at him to see just how nervous he is, and the poor thing is a total wreck. Without thinking, you grab his hand. “Seriously, Shin. I’m not a big fan of airplanes either. But I’m here for you if you need me.”

He glances down at your hand intertwined with his, and he swears his heart skips a beat. For some reason, every time the two of you touch it feels like he’s put at ease while also being zapped with 100 volts. It’s a feeling he could honestly get used to. He looks up at your face, silently noting the light pink dusting your cheeks. “Thanks, (Y/n). I appreciate that.” The two of you sit in silence, never letting go of the others hand, when the stewardess starts her speech. You two both train your attention on her, but your hands are still entwined the whole time.

You pretended to listen to her, but really all you could think about was how perfect Shinsou looked. You could tell he had gotten even less sleep than usual the night before, but he still looked like the most attractive human being on the face of the planet. And the fact that you two were still holding hands? You didn’t know contact with another person could feel so good. What you didn’t realize is that Shinsou was thinking the same exact thing about you the whole time. The stewardess and pilot’s words went right through one ear and out the other for both of you, so hopefully everything on the flight went okay.

You glanced out the window, staring at the runway. A ten-hour flight to Los Angeles sure was going to hit you hard. If you thought you had insomnia before? Wait til you’re thrown into the epicenter of American Entertainment. You see the runway begin to move, and then feel a tight squeeze on your hand. You look over to see Shinsou paler than usual and gripping your hand and his arm rest ridiculously tight. “Take offs and landings are the scariest parts because that’s when things go wrong and crashes happen most often,” he mumbles and you frown, squeezing his hand back. “It’s gonna be okay, Shin,” you assure him, gently rubbing his hand with your thumb. This seems to help him a bit, but he still looks absolutely horrified. The plane begins its ascent, and he closes his eyes tightly. You squeeze his hand in reassurance, which he gladly returns, and before you know it, you’re in the sky. No crash. Not even any turbulence.

“You can open your eyes now, Shin,” you gently say, and he opens one eye, looking over at you. “Ten hours of this. I’m going to die of anxiety if the plane doesn’t nosedive into the ocean itself,” he says, and you snort, shaking your head. “Shinsou, I refuse to let you die. I will distract you this whole flight, and who knows. Maybe you can get some sleep.”

“Wow, my knight in shining armor,” he says, a small smile gracing his worry ridden face. “How about we watch a movie? Take your mind off of what’s happening right now?” you suggest, pulling out your headphones and plugging them into the tv in front of you. Shinsou nods, following your actions. “Hmmm... what do you want to watch?”

“Uh... how about... this. This is actually a tv show, so technically it will be even more distracting. And it will take longer to finish. We might not even finish, actually,” he says, landing on a show called ‘How To Get Away With Murder.’ You grin, nodding your head. “This will do,” you hum, and you two begin at the same time. The show quickly grabs both of your attention, and before you know it you two are deep into the show. You keep muttering theories to each other, sharing shocked looks at the plot twists, and cringing at the romantic scenes.

After about four episodes, you find yourself leaning against Shinsou, paying more attention to his screen than your own. Albeit, your eyes were starting to become way too heavy to even focus on Annalise Keating and the Keating Five. Shinsou notices, and he himself is getting a bit tired, so he pauses the show for both of you. He then wraps his arm around you, solely to get more comfortable. Definitely not because he just... wants to hold you. No. Ew. Gross. Totally not. But his heart does almost jump out of his chest when you snuggle against him. He can’t help the smile from spreading across his face as he rests his head on top of yours. His eyes slowly close, and he drifts off into a deep sleep.

“Holy shit, Mina.”

“Huh? What?”

“Look. They’re sleeping,” Denki whisper screams, frantically pointing at the two of you. “Oh… my god. They are literally perfect for each other,” she practically squeals, and Denki violently nods his head. “This is the cutest shit I’ve ever seen, I need to document this moment,” Denki says, taking a picture of the two of you. “Please send that to me, I need it,” Mina says with a shit eating grin. “Of course, of course,” Denki smiles, immediately sending it to her. “At this rate, maybe they’ll get together sooner than either of us thought?” Denki suggests, and Mina considers it for a moment. “Maybe, but I am telling you, (Y/n) is very… skeptical when it comes to relationships. I know it looks like they’re super flirty and already a couple but if he mentions it too soon then… there’s a good chance she will sprint away from the situation and never talk to him again. Sadly.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I would like for it to happen sooner than later, but Shinsou isn’t the best with emotions. He feels them, and he feels them a lot, but he hates them. So, he pretends he doesn’t feel them and in doing so he ruins every romantic opportunity he ever has,” Denki says and the two of them stare at each other for a moment. Suddenly, they both get smiles on their faces. “Looks like we just need to gently push them together, then, eh?” Mina wiggles her eyebrows and Denki nods. “Oh. One hundred percent.”

“Look at us. Being little matchmakers,” Mina says, winking at Denki. He laughs and shakes his head. “Yeah, well, if you don’t match make me too, I’m gonna be pretty upset about it,” he says, and Mina rolls her eyes. “Oh please, trying to find someone who could deal with your hyperactive ass is too much to ask of me.” “Damn, Mina. Hurtful.” “Don’t hate me because I speak the truth. Let’s just focus on Shinsou and (Y/n), okay? Cause let’s be real, you don’t need me to help match you up with someone. Besides, I caught your ‘cute emo girl who never took out her headphones’ staring at you while we were getting settled into our seats.”

“Yeah? Well, I saw your soft girl with the black hair check you out when you put your bag in the overhead.”

And with that, Denki and Mina fist bump.

[woah-were-halfway-there]

You wrote something about being separated from Auston during quarantine, what about finally being reunited with him after all of this?

You know I had to make sure this extremely soft, right? 😉 Here’s the oriiginal piece :)

Word Count: 1.7k

It wasn't easy living in a pandemic for anyone. Life as everyone knew it changed drastically, and it was hard to say when things would entirely go back to the way they once were. It was hard staying positive sometimes.

When everything started going downhill back in mid-March, you got stuck in Toronto. Although you mainly worked from home, you were needed in the office for a few days to help figure things out with the upcoming closure as a precaution for the pandemic.

This happened just after all NHL players were given the ok to go home as opposed to staying in their team cities. You knew that it didn't make sense for Auston to stay in Toronto if he didn't need to and although he did offer to wait for you to be done work so you could fly to Scottsdale together, you insisted that he go be with his family as soon as possible and that you'd join later that same week. Simple as that.

But then the Canada-U.S. border closed and a travel ban was put in place. After that, you got stuck alone at yours and Auston's condo without a single clue of when you'd get to see your boyfriend in person again. And it sucked.

The first month was a lot of adjusting. Many people, including yourself and Auston, were sure this would blow over fairly quickly. You both followed the guidelines of social distancing and didn't go out unless you had to; being very considerate of your own safety and the safety of others. However, it didn't take long to realize that not everyone had the same mindset, which is why things remained so strict.

Although the thought of getting sick with the virus was terrifying, so was the unknown of what was going to happen next, or when society would finally function the way it used to. It was honestly really depressing, and the fact that you couldn't see any of your loved ones in person also made it so much worse.

You and Auston developed a bit of a routine, though. The two of you would FaceTime every day, usually multiple times, so that you would have some company. Seeing as he was in Arizona with Freddie and another friend, your FaceTime calls with the boys, and sometimes Auston's family were always entertaining, but you also loved the ones where it'd just be you and your boyfriend as well.

You still kept in contact with your friends and family too. Some were either still in or not far from the city, like Mitch and Steph, and you hated not being able to just go hang out with them to help keep your mind off things, but there wasn't much you could do. You were quite literally stuck, and damn did you miss your people.

You missed Auston the most, easily. It was ridiculously hard adjusting to him just not being with you for months on end. Sure, during the hockey season, the two of you were separated quite a bit when the Leafs had away games, but you always knew when he'd be back and had that to look forward to. During quarantine, you didn't have that.

Auston missed you too, more than anything, and constantly beat himself over the fact that he left without you even though it was not his fault. And you made sure to remind him of the fact that he had no control over anything that happened and needed to not be so hard on himself.

There were just so many things about the situation that made it seem like nothing could go right. It was a really tough time and felt like it was never-ending, but then something in the news instantly made you feel more hopeful.

Shortly after you had woken up one day, it was announced that the border between Canada and the States had finally reopened. Slowly, flights out of the country were becoming available but still extremely regulated to prevent further spread of the virus.

Whether or not the NHL season was going to resume was still unknown, so the game plan was for you to get to Arizona as soon as you could if the opportunity became available, and then it finally did.

You booked a flight to Phoenix, and just waited for the email saying that it was cancelled to avoid the spread of the virus, but it never did. So, with a day left before your flight, you packed up a bunch of your clothes and prepared yourself to be reunited with your boyfriend finally.

The flight from Toronto to Phoenix was a little long, but you've made it many times before, so it was no big deal. However, for some reason, you felt extremely anxious this time around.

Maybe it was the eerie feeling of an almost empty aircraft or just the fact that not everything was back to normal quite yet, and here you were leaving the country anyways. You weren't doing anything wrong, but it felt like you were.

Regardless though, you were on your way to see your man, and that was all that mattered to you at that moment.

Once you touched down in Phoenix, it took you a bit of time to get through customs. Again, with all the new procedures, and with you arriving from Canada, some other precautions had to be taken before you could get your luggage.

As soon as you were done doing everything you had to and grabbed your suitcase, you started heading towards the arrivals area of the airport and called Auston as you did so as a way to find out where he was.

The phone rang twice as you walked through the doors, but then you quickly hung up as your gaze fell on your boyfriend standing a few feet away with Freddie; and watched his face light right up as soon as he laid eyes on you.

Now, you never pictured yourself to be in one of those cliche movie scenes of an emotional reunion in an airport, but time seemed to slow right down as you rushed towards Auston, and that's exactly what it felt like. Luckily there weren't too many people arriving when you did, so it didn't take long for the space between the two of you to shrink, and you were soon launching yourself into his embrace.

You collided with him and held on for dear life as you were suddenly overwhelmed by the familiar scent of that cologne he always liked to use. It was really him, in person, and soon the waterworks started as he held onto you even tighter and placed a soft kiss to the top of your head.

"God, I missed you so much," he stated as he continued holding on to you and refused to let go.

It was then you finally pulled away a little bit just so you could look up at him, sniffling a bit as you did so. "I missed you more than I can even explain."

"Then it's a good thing you're here now because you are not leaving my side."

"Well, it's suggested that I self-quarantine for two weeks since I'm arriving from out of the country, so I really don't get a choice."

"Nope, you're stuck with me," he said while finally letting you go just so he could grab your suitcase, but made sure to hold your hand as the two of you started walking over to Freddie. "And big red."

"Hey Y/N," Fred greeted and pulled you in for a hug as well. "Glad you're here, now Auston can stop sulking and quit forcing me to binge-watch his stupid Netflix shows with him."

"Hey!" Auston said and glared at his teammate. "Rude much?"

"It's likely that I've already seen them," you told the two and shook your head. "There was literally nothing else to do back in Toronto."

"Yeah, I'm still not over the fact that you went ahead in watching Ozark without me," your boyfriend replied as the three of you walked out of the airport towards parking.

"Well, excuse me, someone has been too busy playing video games with Mitch. The other day I could barely get a conversation in with Steph because of Mitch yelling in the background over a goal that you scored on chel."

"It was a beauty of a goal, though."

"No, it wasn't," Fred chuckled before taking your suitcase from Auston and putting it in the backseat with him so that you and Aus could sit up front together. "At least with you here now, he won't bug me as much to hang out with him."

"Again, rude much," Auston grumbled as he climbed into the driver's seat and looked at Freddie through the rearview mirror.

"All I know is that I'm already looking forward to these two weeks to be up so I can at least see Ema, Brian and the girls. My sanity will need it after being stuck with you boys for 14 days," you replied.

"Wow," both scoffed defensively, making you chuckle again.

"Hey, but I'd take being stuck with you guys over being alone any day."

At that, Auston smiled and reached over to grab your hand and squeeze it, giving you a knowing look. "Good, cause I'm really glad you're here."

"Me too," you said and looked over at him, wanting nothing more to lean over and kiss him before he started driving. But for Freddie's sake, you decided to wait until you were home.

"God, enough with the sappy looks already," he groaned as you laughed, and Auston rolled his eyes. "I'm just messing, glad to have you here too, Y/N. And not just because Matt's will finally shut up about it now."

"Thanks, Fred," you told him with a smile before looking back to Auston. "Ready to go?"

"More than ready," your boyfriend replied casually, trying to play down just how excited he was to have you back, but you knew as soon as the two of you were home, he wouldn't be leaving your side. And you couldn't have asked for anything more.