#caught in the middle? the best song on after laughter? i fucking AGREE!
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I need bangchan angst 🙏
😱 *Le Gasp* I just so happen to have some Channie Angst ☺️ Three posts in one night? Have I slept yet? 😶 No comment...also the descriptions Chan lists for reader are literally my own preferences and what I like 😂
Blogs: @belladonna6-6-6 @leezanetheofficial @demtttt (Still can't tag) @succubus-hansol @yongbokkk @heartbinn
Tags: Angst-ity Angst Angst, Reader goes off on Chan, cliff hanger (I will make a part two of how Chan makes up to reader if you want.), implied that sex has happened, lmk if I forgot something.
Despite the exertion that has transpired, you felt cold. The air on your back as you move off your best friend almost felt like daggers are you pull the sheet over your lap, arms draped over your knees, catching your breath, before sighing and laying down, facing away from him.
Your chest tightened when you felt and heard him roll over, throw an arm over your waist and kiss your shoulder, whispering a small 'Thank you.'
You really shouldn't have but you couldn't help but agree, you'd let the world burn if it meant to make your best friend happy. You've been friends since diapers, through everything and anything. You were both into music but different paths, one producing their own songs in a group and the other producing other artists songs.
Your skin burned when he kisses your shoulder again and his hand rests on your stomach. "You okay, Mn?" The bed you're in suddenly feels uninviting when it was once your comfort zone when you needed your friend. Once a space where you and him spent countless nights talking about your day and cuddling whe the sheets absorb your mixed laughter of joy and contentment.
You couldn't take it anymore as you push him away and sit up, grabbing your sweats and putting them back on. You came for cheesy movies and snacks but you're leaving with a heart ache. "Mn, what's wrong?" You grab your hoodie and slip it over your head before standing up and leaving the room.
You're halfway to the front door when the other has caught up to you and grabbed your wrist. "Hey, Mn, you're worrying me. You can tell me what's wrong." He begs and you turn back to him. He gasps, going to reach forward to wipe your tears away but you pull back from him. "It hurts, Chris...." No nickname, no pet name, just his real name and it stung.
"Fuck this, Chris, okay? I just can't take it anymore." "Mn, your worrying me, what's wrong?" "It all hurts, Chris. When you told me you liked Felix, when you told me you were taking him on a date, when you told me you made it official, when you asked me if I wanted to go on a double date with your group member Hyunjin. All of it hurt."
"Mn, what is this-" "I fucking love you, Chan! Why could you never see it? Why could you never see my advances? I've been loving you since middle school, mate, but you are so fucking blind! I've loved you so fucking much that if I had Hanahaki I'd be dead with all the petals that were in my lungs because no matter how much love I gave, you only saw me as a friend. That double date was killing me because I couldn't stand watching the boy I love stare at someone with so much affection. For fucks sake, even Hyunjin saw that I loved you."
You stop and catch your breath but only for a moment. "New years also killed me...cause I slept on the couch and through my drunk haze I heard both of you and it hurt because honestly I was jealous that it wasn't me making you feel that way." Your voice goes weak as your tears fall freely.
"And then you have the audacity six months later to come to me crying after Felix breaks up with you. The audacity because after I comforted you and calmed you down you decided to ask me to fuck you so you could forget? You have no idea how much it hurt when all that was because I was just your rebound, a distraction. No love, no affection, no feelings. I was just your quick fuck and done and it was like a knife when I realized instead of becoming your boyfriend I became your fuck toy." "You're not my-" "I'm not done."
Chris shuts his mouth when you snap at him, the look in your eyes so sharp and hurt that his words died on his tongue. "All I felt coming from you was the need for a distraction. You know how I felt?" He tilts his head gently and the light from the patio catches his glossy eyes, unshed tears brimming on his lash line. "No." He said quietly. "I was suffering. Suffering because I knew that I was nothing to you but a friend and a quick fuck. Suffering because I knew you weren't enjoying it with me, you were picturing someone else. Suffering because I knew I would never be able to tell you how I feel because you only cared about Felix. I was genuine when I fucked you because actually getting to be inside you was better than I imagined."
You breath heavily as you try to gain your breath. "And you know what? You may be called the best leader by your fans but you're not a very good best friend."
That sentence broke him as you walk to the front door and slip on your shoes, tears falling as he gasps and releases a sob. "N-No, Hyung-" "It's Ln-nim to you. I'm done being your distraction, I'm done feeling like nothing. You have hurt me long enough and you've put me through enough pain....I'm going to the other dorm to bunk with Minho but I'll be gone in the morning."
You open the front door but a hand is on your wrist which you pull away from. "Do not try to fix this." "Hyung, please just listen." "Good luck." You say, letting Chris know he'll have a hard time trying to clear all this up.
"I-I messed up. I-I'm sorry for leading you on, Hyung, I am but Felix didn't breakup with me, I broke up with him." "You told me he did, so you're lying to me as well?" You go to walk out but he stops you again and pull you back inside, pushing you into the door before leaning forward and pressing his lips to yours. You shove him away and curse at him. "The fuck, Chris?!" "I'm sorry, I just- I broke up with him because I realized I love you." "You're just saying that." "No, I do. Even Felix could see it before I could. He was okay with me breaking up with him."
He steps back to give you space as he takes a deep breath. "I realized I loved you when I noticed I would notice small things about you that I never payed attention to as much when I was with Felix. You prefer orange juice without pulp, you can't have any drink unless it's cold or with ice, you can't eat at home without your favorite show playing in the background, you sleep with five blankets, you hate onions, you edit alone because you can't stand headphones, you prefer small silverware over big, you always get undercuts when your hair gets too long in the back. No one would ever pay attention to the small stuff but i do."
"That doesn't sway me, Chris...You hurt me." "I know and I'm sorry. Please, Please let me fix this. I don't want to loose my best friend."
You think it over. Should he get a second chance? He really shouldn't but you can see he really doesn't want to loose you. Taking a deep breath, you sigh. "One...Chance...I'm still staying with Minho and I do have to leave in the morning to meet with the current idol I'm working with but you get one chance." "Thank you, Hyung. Thank you." He steps forward, wrapping his arms around your middle and hugging you tightly before stepping back. "Is Saturday okay?" "I don't have anything Saturday." "Great. See you then. Thank you, Hyung."
He finally lets you walk out and you make your way to the other Stray Kids dorm. Your subconscious is telling you to not forgive him but your inner child is telling you that when Chris wants to make up for his mistakes he doesn't hold back and does everything he can to fix it, like when you were younger and he went through everything possible to help replace your favorite stuffed animal he borrowed but left it where Berry could reach. He saved enough money and took you to the local toy store where he used his own earnings to buy you a new one.
Entering the other dorm with the other key you have, you quietly make your way to Minho's room and slip into his bed. He doesn't budge, barely wakes up, all he does is scoot over and throw an arm over your stomach before muttering a small "Don't snore." like he always does and you chuckle softly cause he knows you don't snore.
Closing your eyes, you rest a hand on Minho's arm and scoot closer to him. Soon falling asleep quickly from how exhausted you were.
#random#bleh#stray kids#straykids#stray kids x male reader#bang chan#bang chan x male reader#x male reader
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mixtape challenge.
rules: shuffle your music, post the first ten songs that come up. no cheating! then tag ten ppl to do the same. copy/paste, don’t reblog.
tagged by: @susierpt
1. caught in the middle — paramore
2. bodak yellow — cardi b
3. still sane — lorde
4. eyes closed — state champs
5. white noise — pvris
6. close to gold — hippo campus
7. side to side (feat. nicki minaj) — ariana grande
8. young god — halsey
9. bathtub — the front bottoms
10. bad company — jule vera
tagging: @wuunderstruck , @crackmyhcart , @hiitchhikers , @stcrlets , @lacubanarps , @cheapswines , && @ncrthcrndcwnpcur .
#okay all of these make so much sense for me#even the cardi b#caught in the middle? the best song on after laughter? i fucking AGREE!
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Sealing the Deal part 1
Summary: Always, always be nice to sea creatures but never ever accept their pelt.
A/n: A fic I’ve been meaning to write since forever. My contribution to mermay.
warning: Disgusting fluff and bad decisions
Main Masterlist
part 2
You look like you're gonna die from boredom in your little fishing boat.
Dick rolls over to where Jason was sprawled and used his momentum to push the larger seal into the water. Jason gives an undignified squawk of outrage. Dick just preens and looks smug.
You cup your hand over your mouth as you begin to laugh.
Jason glares even harder at Dick. Dick... couldn't care even less if he tried. All he can focus on is the wrinkle in the corners of your eyes. They'd been gone for so long these past few months. It felt like the first ray of sun after a long storm.
Dick claps his fins in excitement even as Jason snuffs and rolls his eyes. You clap in return but accidentally drop your fishing pole into the sea. Reaching for it, you fall into the water. Dick feels a little bad for laughing but you manage to get yourself back up into the boat safely. You sigh in defeat as your fishing pole drifts away. Dick notices for the first time that your face has grown gaunt from the last few weeks. Are you eating enough? Are you even taking care of yourself? Dick swims over to your boat as it rocks back and forth on the waves. He hops in easily and plops onto your stomach. You laugh and pet his head. It was a weak laugh so he croons at you in question.
“Sorry pup, I don’t have any food for you today. I mean I don’t even have any for me.” Despite the sweet timbre of your voice, Dick can still taste the bitter hopelessness in the statement.
He nuzzles his face into your chest. He can feel just how thin you’ve gotten. He has to do something about this.
To say Dick had been afraid of humans would be a monumental understatement. It had been around 200 years since humans had left the island and the first thing they did when they came back was hunt down selkies. Dick's parents had been two of the unlucky few who'd been hunted down.
So when Dick found himself stranded onshore because of a fin tangled in a fishing line, he thought he was a goner. And when he saw you approaching; well, he still thought he was fucked but he thought you'd at least be nicer than the adults.
Maybe if he acts cute enough you'll spare him.
Dick whimpered and he gave you the big innocent look.
You shushed him harshly. Dick flinched then you flinched and muttered apologies.
You approached him slowly. You looked around before crouching and fiddling with the line Dick had managed to get himself caught in. Carefully, you began to disentangle him. It hurt, especially when you took the hook out, but once he was free. He clapped and trilled before you shushed him again.
Dick thought that it was all over and he could just roll back into the sea until you scoop him up and swaddle him in your shirt.
After 10 minutes of your father screaming at you, he agreed to treat Dick who knew better than to snap at him. Your father was kind with gentle hands. He worked on Dick while you fed him fish. It wasn't the best fish but Dick can't complain.
After an hour or so, Dick started to wriggle and you pull him closer to your chest.
"Dad, can we keep him for a few days? He might still be sick." You plead with big eyes.
Your father glared at you then sighed. "No more than two. His wounds just need to close up, understand?"
You squealed a little. Hugging Dick tighter, you thanked your father before scampering off to find you a basin to put Dick in. You, thankfully, had the good sense to fill it with lukewarm water.
Dick lived like a king in those two days. You fed him a lot of fish much to your dad's exasperation. You kept him warm. You even read to him and sang songs to him.
Dick wanted to stay but he missed Bruce, Alfred, Damian, and maybe that new kid Jason.
On the fourth day (one of the wounds was deeper than expected), Dick was released back into the sea but he never did manage to stay away after that
Dick sets the odd little trinket down in front of Jason's sleeping form. It was something you'd caught in your net days before along with the meager amount of fish you'd managed to net. You'd busied yourself with it for days before throwing it out. Dick wasn't sure what it was; all he knew was that it was something Jason would like.
He waits semi patiently for Jason to notice it, nudging it forward a little until it touches Jason's snout and the larger seal is forced to pay attention to Dick.
"I know when I'm being bribed, Dickface." Jason says, glaring.
Dick volleys it with a wide-eyed hopeful look. He nudges the little trinket forward again. This time, instead of ignoring him, Jason rises to his full height, teeth bared. This... does not faze Dick.
"C'mon Jaaaaaaay," Dick says as if the prolonging of syllables would whittle down Jason's irritation. Jason suspects if he were less inclined to tell Dick to fuck off, it would have worked. Probably. But as it stands, Dick is responsible for ruining a very good, very rare nap for Jason and so he's on the shit list and has lost any favor privileges until further notice.
"I said no. Go away or ask Bruce."
"But Jaaaaaaay, it's just a teensy tiny favor. It won't even take an hour. Not with your skill at least."
"That kind of flattery may work on Harper and it may even work on West but I'm not an idiot about to get involved with whatever shenanigans you have planned with the human."
Dick lets out a long-suffering sigh. Jason isn't stupid enough to think that Dick has actually given up. No, the stubborn little fuck is worse than a barnacle. "You've left me no choice-"
"I have given you plenty of choices. Most of them involve minding your own goddamn business." Jason says with a little snuff.
"-I'm calling it in."
Jason narrows his eyes at Dick.
"Don't you dare. That was 5 years ago."
Dick smiles, evilly. "Unless you want the rest of the family to know about-"
"Fine! What do you want?"
Dick looks smug. Jason wants to bite his face off.
"I need you to help me catch fish."
Jason looks at him, incredulous. "Did you hit your head or something?"
"Not recently. Look, I just need you to help me catch fish for the human." Dick explains like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Contrary to what Dick seems to think, Jason really isn't concerned with the one human on the island. Most of the selkies on the island have barely even interacted with you outside of staring at you.
"You're insane."
"I think we reserve that term for Bruce."
Jason raises his head from the ground. "You're not wrong."
You think you hear the light pitter-patter of raindrops. You sigh. You would be lying if you say you aren't the least bit thankful for the excuse to stay indoors today. You... don't exactly like foraging for food. You had avoided it for as long as you had food in the lighthouse. You thought it would at least last you 'til the ships came in but whatever is going on in the mainland has kept the ships from your shores. You don't mind. You never did find the sailors all that pleasant on the rare occasions that you did have to interact with them.
You like your island the way it is but... you're not exactly the most skilled at hunting... or fishing. You have no idea how your father did it. You chucked it up to the miracles of loaves and fishes. You miss him.
You curl around your pillow in a vain attempt to chase the wakefulness away but the sun in your eyes was too bright. You flutter your eyes open. The sun had the audacity to be there. Still the splushing sound continued.
You strain your ears to listen, trying to make heads or tails of it. It was a squishy sound, the sound of putty hitting stone over and over again. You scramble to the front door. In hindsight, you probably should have grabbed a weapon before running towards the strange sound.
Opening the door, you're greeted with the sight of a familiar seal caught red-handed with a fish in his mouth.
You stare at each other for a long moment before your eyes wander down to a pile of fish. A large amount of fish. Laughter rolls from your lips, musical and manic as you bury your face in your hands.
You think the seal furrows his brow at you, dropping the fish in its mouth before plopping towards you. Plop. Plop. Plop. He looks at you with big dark eyes. Your mouth twitches between curling down into a frown and a smile that spread across your face. On one hand, you are confused. On the other hand, you were gonna be able eat some meat.
A concerned croon comes from the pup and your face decides that it would rather smile at the moment. You throw your arms around him, not at all caring about the seawater getting on your nightclothes.
"Thank you." You whisper and the seal answers with a happy trill.
Dick is over the moon.
He can't even help how loud his trills get. It's ok you don't seem to mind either. He's just happy that you get to eat now.... but you don't.
Dick's a little frustrated when you don't immediately start digging in. Instead, you go back inside your home, swear, shout in delight then come back out with a basin and a jar of white powder. You then run around to fill the basin with seawater then add what Dick finds out is salt into the seawater.
Dick is... concerned.
You go back inside the house. When you come out again, you have a knife in your hand. Dick waddles back a bit. He knows you won't hurt him but it's a habit. You develop these kinds of habits around Bruce.
You settle yourself onto the ground cross-legged and grab a fish. Dick looks on with mild curiosity. You begin to dismember the fish by cutting off it's head, cutting it up in the middle then removing the bones and stomach. That kind of makes sense, Dick thinks. The bones are kind of annoying. Dick nods his head agreeably until you toss the fish into the basin.
Dick looks on in utter confusion as you repeat the process with most of the fish he's brought you.
You turn to him looking equally befuddled before your eyes soften. You look sheepish. "Sorry pup, I can't eat all of this today so I'm salting them so I can eat them the next few..." You count the fish in the basin. "... weeks."
Dick tilts his head but doesn't say anything. You really should just eat more. Dick can get you more if you need it. You just need to ask but you seem content with what you're doing.
Dick is about to rest his head on your lap when you shoot up and scuttle back inside. You return with a line and a smile. Dick watches you string the fish up like laundry. He could probably help you but he has no clue if he should. Just eat the fish damn it.
Finally after what felt like forever, you start preparing the fish and actually eat. You offer Dick some and Dick has to admit cooking the fish does taste odd but not unpleasant. It's totally different from eating it raw (the better way) but it's not horrible. Or maybe it just tastes good because you've got the biggest grin on your face while eating.
Maybe.
Probably, Dick thinks as he munches on his fish, pressed to your side.
___
You sing at the top of your voice. It's a cheerful song but Dick can't quite make out the words. He knows it's human but he's not quite familiar with it. The tune is nice though. Dick rests his head on your lap closing his eyes.
He croons happily when you being to pet him.
You stop midway through the song dissolving into a fit, of what Dick can only describe as, giggles snorts. It was a despicably adorable sound that was engineered to make Dick feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
He looks up at you with big curious black eyes. He's not complaining but he hasn't heard you laugh this much before and he may or may not want to know how to make you laugh like this again.
When you don't answer his questioning gaze, Dick nudges against your chest. Your shoulders are still shaking but you manage to stop laughing for a moment.
"Sorry pup," you say wiping a tear from your eye, "I must look crazy to you. "
A little but not as bad as Bruce, Dick thinks. Bruce thinks you humans still don't know there are selkies on the island. Dick snorts at the idea. Everyone knows that all you humans know about selkies. That's why those men keep coming here trying to trap them.
You squish his face affectionately with your hands. "My dad taught me that song and I just realized..." Your mouth turns into a curved line of held back laughter. "...It's a sea shanty about missing being between a woman's legs." The last few words come out more as giggles than proper syllables but Dick can't enjoy that because he can feel his face warm up from the thought. He hides his face in his flippers.
You squeal, absolutely delighted with his mortification. Smiling down at him, you say: "Yanno pup, sometimes I think you understand me."
Thought process-wise, no.
Dick snuggles up to you again, blowing air out of his nose to voice his ascent. You can't just say things like that but again, you just simply seem amused by his suffering when you bend down to press a kiss to the top of his head.
Dick looks up when you pull away. No! Give him more!
Dick stretches up to return the favor, having to partially climb on your lap but only managing to boop your nose with his snout. You nuzzle your nose against his and Dick makes the happiest noise in the back of his throat.
Sometimes after wandering around you had a habit of falling asleep on the shore which Dick thought was fine until he found out that you couldn't swim. Dick being the only with brains in this duo always nudges you awake when the tide starts getting too close. Dick doubts the lapping water will wake you up before sweeping you away. After all, you managed to sleep through Tim, Kon, and Bart's rock piling contest on top of you. Dick shooed them away but even after cleaning up, you didn't wake up.
Dick sees the sailors on the shore and nudges you. You... don't even blink. You hum, content to bask in the sun as you wrap your arms around Dick. Dick huffs. He likes this but he really would prefer it if you move. Dick considers slipping from your grip and grabbing a fish to slap you with like last time.
Dick cranes his head to look at the ship again. It was far too close now, too close for you to get away without being seen by the sailors.
Dick turns you back over to your back and proceeds to body slam you with all his blubber. He winces when you make a choked noise. Dick can give you apology fish later.
"Pup, what the fuck?"
You see the ship. Your eyes widen then flicker to his injured fin. Dick had injured it when he’d been swimming by the docks and got caught in one of the old traps. You’ve done your best to help it heal but you only know so much. You’re still reading up on herbs in case it happens again.
You try in vain to push him off but he's a big loveable sack of blubber and he refuses to move. “C’mon pup, you need to move. They’ll try to catch you if they see you.” You grunt but the sack of blubber refuses to move.
You and Dick stay still as the ship draws near, neither of your chests rises or fall as the ship rocks back and forth.
The ship passes and you let your head fall back with a sigh.
Dick nuzzles his snout against your face, his whiskers tickling your face. You giggle and try to push him off. It’s useless so you let him stay there.
You both decide to take a nap on the shore with Dick huffing in your face once in a while as he snores.
You curl up on the floor in front of the fire, watching the embers flicker, flash, and fade. It's the best thing you can do to calm your fraying nerves. The storm rages outside violently as if it was trying to tear the lighthouse down brick by brick. The whole building shakes with another boom of thunder. You close your eyes and burrow under the thick blanket.
In the back of your mind, your father is chuckling. The absence of a hand on your head is disconcerting. You remind yourself that it won't come, that you'll have to learn to weather the storm alone. You sigh then tighten the blanket around you.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
You blink. The fire was dying. When had you fallen asleep?
Tok, tok, tok.
Blinking, you rub the sleep from your eyes, but the haze doesn’t lift, only growing as you watch the firelight.
Tok tok tok.
You shoot up and barrel towards the door with the frantic knocking growing louder and louder as your feet pound against the stone floor.
You run into the door in your haste. The loud thud of your body against the door causes the frantic knocks to turn into muffled shouting.
Prying yourself from the door, you open it and you don't know what you expected but this wasn't it.
Standing in front of you was a man soaked like a wet rat. You blink in confusion before pulling him inside. You run to grab him a blanket. Wait. You should probably get him a towel. No, wait. You should have gotten his name first. Fuck.
You shuffle back into the room with a towel, spare clothes, and an extra blanket. You.. what can generously be called a heart attack.
For the first time, in the soft glow of the fire, you can fully admire your guest. Not see, admire because there was a lot to admire.
The light of the fire flicking over the planes of his chest, with a light dusting of chest hair, the amber glow highlighting all the muscles of his body, framing the ripples of his toned figure. Swallowing any good sense you have, you watch the rainwater turn golden as it drips down his perfectly bronzed skin. The water cuts through valleys of muscle that could have only been handcrafted by gods. Your eyes follow the flow until... Oh.
You flush furiously, your face glowing brighter than the fire. He's- He's- Oh my god, he's naked.
You reign your eyes in. Ok, you let it linger down there a bit. Not long enough for your guest to notice. You concentrate on his face which wasn't hard to do. The man pushes his raven hair out of his face letting you fully appreciate his face. In keeping with his body, his fine boned face looked like Pygmalion himself spent hours shaping it, not satisfied until he's made the perfect face. It's handsome in an adorable way. Not intimidating. It's the kind of face you'd like to pepper with kisses. You try not to focus on his lips in case of any sinful thoughts. You just met the man. The only thing you will note is that yes, his lips do look absolutely kissable and it aggravates you.
The most striking feature however are his deep blue eyes. The kind of deep that you feel like you could drown in. The kind of depth that looked too pretty to agonize over the fact that your lungs are burning. You stare, trying to carve a perfect replica of those eyes into your mind. Those eyes... that are currently staring at you... as he steps closer... at an alarming speed.
You hold the stack of fabric in front of you like a shield. Your guest stops, looking at the stack. His face goes from concern to confusion to blinding enthusiasm. He was probably freezing.
A smile spreads on his face, the cutest dimples you've ever seen forming on his cheeks, as he accepts the stack. He thanks you and your heart leaps from your chest. Whatever chill you were experiencing from the storm was completely gone. You turn away from him, rubbing the back of your neck and mumbling a halfway point between 'no problem' and 'you're welcome'. You hope it came out as 'no welcome' instead of 'your problem'.
The man snorts and you are pretty sure which one came out. To save yourself the embarrassment, you walk to the kitchen and start preparing tea. The man thankfully occupies himself by looking at the assortment of knick-knacks you've hoarded gathered over the years. It gives you ample time to breathe.
"Do you like sugar in your tea?"
The man nods enthusiastically. You can't help but smile a little.
You sit next to him in front of the fireplace as you hand him his mug. He leans his head against your shoulder. You can feel his body radiating a comforting heat.
You two sit in silence, sipping tea and watching the fire flicker. You wanna scold him for slurping his tea. You're not exactly his mother. You don't even know his name.
You turn to him, face scrunched and about to ask him for his name when he surges forward. His lips brush against your lips as he nudges his nose against yours. You fall backward in shock and the stranger falls on top of you, his eyes still glowing bright and cool against the amber light.
There's a thrill working up your spine or is it fear? You squeeze your eyes shut and throw your arms over your face.
"Please don't hurt me." You plead barely above a whisper.
You feel the body above you lower itself on top of you. He chuckles and shakes his head. "(Y/n), you're being silly."
You open your eyes. The man is laying his body on top of you keeping you pinned down and he's... pouting at you?
"I- I don't know who you are. You can take what you want but please don't hurt me."
The pout deepens into a frown.
"(Y/n), I'm not gonna hurt you. Don't you recognize me?"
You blink. You would definitely remember someone this eye-catching. "You always sing that sea shanty to me. The one about the sailor who misses his wife's..." The stranger flushes and makes a hand gesture. Your face scrunches again. The only person you've sung that to aside from your dad is...
"Pup?!"
His frown morphs back into a pout. "I'm not even that little."
You squish his face with your hands before you let your mind wander. You think back to the scars crisscrossing his limbs and chest. "How is this possible?"
He laughs, prying your hands from his face. "I'm a selkie," He says as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "My name is also Dick, not pup."
You stare up at him wide-eyed and stupefied. Dick snuggles against you like he always does. Somehow snuggling you in this form is better. He can hold you closer like this. You run your hand through his hair, fingers lacing through the tangles in his hair. He lets out an excited trill.
Dick might just be in heaven right now.
"I dunno how but you're somehow even prettier when I look at you in this form," Dick breathes contently. "I'm so lucky to have such a pretty wife."
You stiffen. Dick looks up at you and the confusion in your face wrenches a knife in his heart. He swallows. "That is what you meant with this, right?" Dick asks, tugging at the collar of his shirt.
Your mouth turns into various shapes trying to piece together a coherent response. It settles on the simplest one. "No."
Dick looks stricken like you'd taken a club to his head.
You reel back. "I just- I- I thought you were cold and you-"
Dick's heartaches. It's a dull ache. He thought this kind of thing would be sharp like having a hook pierce your heart.
His insides twist as he peels of you.
Your stomach sinks as you feel the cold fill your body once more. You don’t want him to go. The thought of being alone right now makes your stomach curdle. Your hands grip his shirt without meaning to. The look on his face hurts but the idea of him leaving felt unbearable. You know it's selfish but here you are begging him not to leave.
"Dick, I'm sorry... I didn't know... I-"
Thunder booms. You squeak and bury your face in his chest. You can't stand storms.
Dick smiles down at you softly. It's still pained but it's bearable.
He lays on his side and pulls you closer. He slots your face into his neck. You're still shivering even when he uses his body to shield you from the rest of the world.
You whisper another apology.
Dick shushes you, pressing a kiss to your forehead.
The sunlight floods into the room like it does every morning but the room is still cold. Your mind works to understand what's wrong with this picture. Your hand pads beside you. The space next to you is empty save for the blanket left behind.
You sniffle, gripping the sheet in your hand. You messed up, you think, pulling it to your face. For the first time in months, the tears come easily. You lay there all day because the tears won't stop.
"If you sigh one more time, I am going to rip your throat out." Jason growls not bothering to open his eyes. Why would he? Dick has been flat and mopey for the past two weeks and Jason is really starting to miss his hyperactivity.
Dick lets out another mopey sigh. Jason. Is. Going. To. Scream.
"Can't you be depressing in Roy's direction? Or Bruce's?"
Dick sighs even louder at the mention of Bruce and Jason, for once, is considering murder or at least maiming.
"She doesn't love me back."Dick sniffles and Jason really should have known this had something to do with you.
He turns to Dick. "I'm going to regret asking but how do you know that?" The sooner he sorts Dick out, the sooner he gets to sleep. "Did she tell you to go away and never come back?"
"Well no-"
It's Jason's turn to sigh. "You fucking moron, What did she even say?"
"She said she didn't know." Dick lowers his head to the sand and Jason wants to slap him with his tail.
Jason is now fully awake and very ready to throttle Dick. Or he's just cranky. "Are you telling me Bruce was right?! This day just keeps getting worse."
Something seems to click in Dick's brain. "Oh, crap Bruce is right." He mutters stupidly.
Jason will take whatever consolation he can get out of this. "She probably thought you were just some random pervert flashing her then." Jason snickers. It's petty and childish but so is interrupting a well-deserved nap.
"What?"
Jason lets out an exasperated huff through his snout. He twists his body to look at Dick with minimal effort to lift his head. "Let's see, you turned up naked at her door and then you called her your wife and nearly kissed her in what? The space of 15 minutes?"
"I got confused." Dick sputters.
"Geez, I thought West was bad but you're just a disaster," Jason chuckles, "Oh! And you made the brilliant decision to leave without explanation," Jason is having far too much fun rubbing salt in the wound. "She probably feels terrible”.
"Are you guilt-tripping me?"
"Is it working?"
"What-" Dick growls. "Well, what do you want me to do?"
"Hmmmmm, have you tried talking? Yanno the thing Bruce never does. But seriously, I can’t believe you call her your wife and then abandon her." Jason shakes his head. "And you have the audacity to call yourself the smart one."
Dick strips out of his skin and begins running towards the lighthouse... naked.
Jason debates on letting him.... he probably shouldn't.
"Dickface!" Jason calls out.
Dick doesn't stop, face crumpled in determination and his little Richard swinging wildly as he walks.
Jason is gonna die of second-hand embarrassment.
"DICKFACE!"
"What?!" Dick asks turning around his hands on his hips. Like usual, his hip tilts to the side and his foot taps as he waits expectantly for Jason to gather a mildly coherent response.
"Your little Richard..." Jason says pointing with his fin.
Dick looks down and the look of mortification on his face is satisfactory. ".... Right. Shit."
"Just steal some from her laundry."
"But she'll be pissed."
"Ok, so you would rather flash her then?"
Dick sighs and this time Jason doesn't have the urge to throttle him only because Dick is already beating his own ego into a pulp. "I hate it when you make sense."
Jason raises a brow, setting his head back down to the warm sand. "I always make sense."
Dick just cackles in response as he heads to the lighthouse.
Dick shifts his weight on the balls of his feet. He feels sick like he'd eaten one of those pickled fish you made him one time. Maybe this was a bad idea. Why did he even listen to Jason? He flips onto his hands and begins to pace. His stomach feels like it's being tossed violently by ocean currents. It feels like a shapeless lump sitting in the pit of his abdomen. Maybe you're out or maybe you never wanna see him again.
Your face had been so blown wide with shock when he had called you wife that it looked almost foreign like the suggestion had been so audacious that your face had to reconstruct itself to accommodate the shock.
Dick puts a hand to his face trying to stem the flow of thought. He was such an idiot. Why did he assume you would love him like that and why did he just leave you? Dick closes his eyes and breathes. He'll knock just once more then leave if you don't answer.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
The knocks register just above a whisper. He thinks you don't hear it.
He lets out a breath and walks away. This was stupid. He should never have come back.
Jason was right. Fuck. Dick buries his face as he walks away.
Distantly, Dick hears the squeak of rusty hinges but it's lost in the tempest of thoughts plaguing his mind, in all the little hurts from that night.
"Pup?" The sound of your voice is followed by the pounding of your feet against stand. Dick's careening to the ground before he knows it as your body collides with his.
"Pup," you sniffle into his shirt, "it is you."
Dick twist in your grip so he's facing you. Your face is buried in his shirt. He strokes your hair, wrapping an arm around you, holding you tight. "Of course, it’s me. Who else would bug you at this hour?"
Dick feels his shirt grow warm. You mumble an apology.
You look up to face Dick with half your face still buried in his shirt. You've clearly been crying based on how red and puffy your eyes are. Dick's stomach churns at the dark circles under your eyes. He feels guilt stab him in the gut. All of that combined with your generally disheveled appearance. Dick can just tell that you haven't slept well the last few days.
"Let's go inside and talk." You say, peeling yourself off of him.
Dick shakes his head, not loosening his grip on your midsection. "Let's walk around you look like you need some sun."
You flushed and put a hand to your cheek. "Do I look that bad?" You ask absently, a shy smile creeping into your features.
Dick smiles at you and pushes your hair out of your face. "Never but the weather is sunny for once and we both need some air."
"So you really didn't know that the island was filled with selkies?" Dick asks, adjusting the infernal scarf you had forced him into. He insisted that he didn't need it. He could just cuddle up to you for warmth but you were equally stubborn about him wearing a coat and the wool monstrosity strangling him.
Your face scrunches up in confusion." I- I don't even know what that is."
Dick stops.
You slow down upon realizing he wasn't by your side anymore. "You... don't know what a selkie is?" He asks, his face the definition of dumbstruck.
You shrink into your coat." My dad wasn't interested in things like that," you shrug, "I dunno much about..." Your hand twists in a circle, reaching for the right words.
Dick tilts his head. That made sense. "You thought we were all just seals?"
You nod slowly, looking like you wanna shrivel up.
Dick starts laughing and you look like you're a second away from throwing yourself into the water.
"I'm sorry," he says, flailing. He's screwing this up again. He breathes to collect himself. "I just thought it's funny that we all thought my dad was wrong about you guys not knowing."
You rub the back of your neck. "Most of us mainlanders don't really believe in magic, yanno? It's just such a foreign concept. Kind of hard to wrap my head around it."
"I get that." The smile on his face makes your gut twist. You fiddle with your hands.
"So what are selkies?"
Dick tilts his head, not exactly sure of how to word it because how do you explain something that's been obvious to you since you can remember to someone who just found out about it a few weeks ago?
"We're fae, I guess-" Your face twists in confusion.
Dick needs to backtrack. "We're fae..." This is hard. "We have this human form and we have our seal forms. We switch between them using our pelt."
Your brow knits in confusion. "Which one is your true form then?"
Dick wraps his arm around your waist and holds you closer as you walk along the cliff tops. He hums as he thinks. "Both?"
You look up at him with a weary smile. “That makes sense in a way.” You hum. Swallowing thickly, you fiddle with your hands. "So what was with the... um..." You clear your throat. "What was with the wife thing?"
Dick’s mouth dries. “Well... when we want to ask someone to be our mate... we- we kind of give them our pelt and I thought it translated to human clothes…” He stammers out dumbly.
“Oh...oh!” Your eyes widen into a look of horror. You open and close your mouth trying to form words. “Dick, I didn’t realize , that must have - I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“Please don’t apologize,” Dick says and presses his lips to the top of your head. His lips are warm and comforting. “I’ve spent so long in love with you my brain just didn’t...” Dick’s mouth twists. “It just didn’t do what it was supposed to.”
You would definitely laugh at that last part but you’re still seeing stars from the startling confession he just hit you with. You snuggle tighter into his embrace as you look over the sea. You don’t know how to respond. You really don’t and it frustrates you. It was all just a lot to take in all at once like you’d been tossed into the sea and you’re flailing and grasping at water.
But if nothing else, you’re at least glad that Dick is still talking to you.
“If you don't mind…” Dick says carefully, the look in his eyes determined. “Would it be alright if I try and pursue you properly?” Dick braces for a no. He’s not dumb enough to be hopeful twice but he needs to ask.
Inevitably, you freeze. You pull his arm closer to your chest. Swallowing, you ask: “you mean like a human courtship?”
He nods closing his eyes. “Yes, I want to court you.” He coughs clearing his throat.
You’re silent for what felt like the longest 30 seconds of Dick’s life. Dick cracks one eye to see you fiddling with your hair. “Uh Dick, there’s this one problem that might make that difficult…” Dick raises a brow. It wasn’t an outright rejection but it wasn’t an answer.
“I don't know how that works either.” You laugh nervously, burying your face in his arm.
“Good - then we don’t know if I’m doing it badly.” Dick beams with a blinding smile.
You twist to look at him, the corners of your mouth twitching. “That sounds like cheating.”
Dick snorts, “would you rather I court you the selkie way?”
“I mean it depends. What's the selkie way?”
“Fish.”
Dick startles when you let out a loud bark of laughter. “Fish? You’ve already done that so many times.” You giggle. Dick tries to wrangle his mind away from the fact that he can feel your lips through the thin fabric of the sweater.
“I thought it worked.” Dick sighs. He really did, but alas, miscommunication is a cruel mistress.
You lower your gaze trying to concentrate on the fraying needlework of his sweater. “Maybe it has.” You mumble low enough for a human not to hear. How unfortunate it is then that you’re dealing with a selkie.
Dick is beaming when you look up again. He nuzzles his face against yours. Dick is once again insanely, stupidly, incredibly happy.
__________________________________________________________________________
Because neither of you knew what you were doing, Dick's attempts to court you ranged from ridiculous (a literal mountain of fish that you ended up drying, giving away to the other seals, and selling to passing ships.) to ridiculously sweet (finding you handful of pearls). Dick nudged a little shell overflowing with pearls and looked up at you with liquid eyes. He could have gotten you pebbles and it would have been endearing.
It wasn't always gifts though.
Sometimes Dick would just sit quietly with you on the beach, snuggling against your leg as you scratched his stomach. You love the ways his squish vibrated as he purred.
When summer passed and it became unbearable to watch the stars outside, Dick sometimes spent nights in your lighthouse, wrapped up in your sheets or wrapped around you. It was nice having him around the house even if he was kind of a slob. You love him but he is a mess.
You made the mistake of introducing him to tea cakes and got him addicted to November Cakes specifically. As it turns out, your cute pest has a sweet tooth and will nuzzle you into submission just for another bite.
If you ever doubted that Dick was evil before, you now have proof.
During the winter, Dick insisted on staying in the lighthouse to keep you warm. You wanted to point out that you had a fireplace for a reason but it was so hard to turn down hugs from him.
And because you hadn't had the heart to clean out your father's room yet and Dick clearly preferred it, you let Dick sleep next to you on your cot. You felt a bit bad but Dick was just so happy with the arrangement that you didn't want to make him go away. Besides, it was nice to wake up to his sleeping face in the morning, all sleep rumpled and drooling.
__________________________________________________________________________
"Hey Jay, do you have a book on selkies?" Dick asks, caterpillaring on the rock Jason is sunbathing on.
Jason takes the opportunity to roll down the rock and knock Dick into the sea before saying: "No." It shall be put on record that there are no drama queens in the Wayne family.
Dick shakes off the seawater, big puppy eyes staring at Jason.
Jason glares at him. He can't even let Jason have a second of smugness. "Ask Selina."
No one really knows where Selina came from or why she stayed (well, they had their suspicions), but if you need something you can't find easily, your best bet was to ask her and hope she doesn't ask you to do anything ridiculously hard.
Dick hasn't had first hand experience but from what Bruce tells him, they're mostly silly things like recite poems or do a flip. He could do both those things. Well, depending on the poem. He gets tongue twisted sometimes. Hmmm, maybe he should ask if he can avoid tongue twisters so he won't bite his tongue.
Sloughing off his coat, Dick walks towards the glowing cauldron.
"Still no clothes pup? You're going to give a poor girl a heart attack." Selina tsked, reappearing from one of the other cave entrances with a handful of things Dick can't recognize.
"Oh... I- I'm still not used to it." He says sheepishly.
Selina chuckles, dumping the handful of what Dick can assume is plant debris into the cauldron while before dusting her hands off.
Dick stares at the thick vat. A bubble rises and bursts emitting what sounded like a human voice. "What is that? Should I be worried?"
"Oh no, no, this? This is just a little soup for colds."
"It screamed."
"All soups scream."
"I- anyway, I came here to ask if you have a book on selkies."
Selina tilts her head to the side. "I believe I do-"
"Great!"
"Buuuut..."
Of course, the price.
"I brought pearls and some seashells." He says hopefully.
The angle of her head does not change. Though from the gleam in her eyes, she's clearly interested.
"Tell me why you need the book."
Dick's thoughts halt. Should he tell Selina about you? His eyes dart to the boiling cauldron. "... Why do you need to know?"
Selina flourishes her hand. The book appears out of thin air."Do you want the book or not, pup?"
Dick's nerves pinch. Why does everyone call him that? "I need it to teach someone Selkie customs." He manages.
"Oh! The little lighthouse keeper!"
"You know her?"
Selina shrugs. "Do you really think I wouldn't know something going on about the islands nearby?" She pinches his cheek. "Oh little pup, I know about your little crush. You spend more time on land than you do in the sea these days. Dami's been all huffy about it."
He has.
"I've told you my reason." Dick says holding his hand out.
"Hnnnn, you have I suppose." Selina sighs.
Dick takes the book, putting it into a waterproof pouch before gingerly putting his pelt back on. He happily caterpillars out of the cave with the pouch in his mouth. He really hopes you'll like this.
You really should just fix up another cot for Dick at this point and maybe buy him a set of clothes when you go to town.
"It's too cold to sleep outside." Dick whines, flattening himself against you on the bed.
You lift your book to look at him. Dick just gives you that wide-eyed look when he wants something. You roll your eyes, letting him snuggle up to you. "Dick, it is obviously summer and you're like 40% blubber." You snort.
Dick pouts. "You're still gonna let me sleep here."
You scrunch your face up and sigh. "I can't exactly let you brace the summer cold, can I?" You say, running a hand through his hair.
"Eeeeeexactly." Dick says happily as snuggles into you tightly. He nuzzles his face into your neck wrapping his arms around your waist. You hum helplessly, curling into his embrace.
"See." Dick trills with a happy grin.
"Are you going to be smug about it all night?" You huff, throwing a blanket over the two of you.
"No," he says, "you assume I can't keep being smug 'til sunrise."
"Dork," you snicker, setting the book down. It was a book on selkie traditions that Dick had gotten you a few days ago. You devoured it the same night but you're reading it again and subtly testing things while Dick was invading your house. You hum, running your hand through his hair, fingernails lightly scraping against his scalp. Dick purrs against your chest. "There was a one eyed seal on the beach the other day. He was a grumpy fellow but kind of cute. Seals really are a sleepy lot. The big lug started snoozing on my lap after like 5 minutes."
Dick tense under your touch. He looks up at you seriously.
"That was a selkie." Dick deadpans.
You stop your rambling. "What?!"
"That grumpy one-eyed seal was a selkie." He repeats carefully.
Your breath stutters. "Are all of the seals on this island selkies? ALL OF THEM?" Dick is pretty sure your eyes are mounting an escape.
"All of them, darling." Dick nods.
"Oh." You are so screwed. "Do you guys all talk to each other?!" You shouldn't have told that seal about your little crush. You want the mattress to swallow you up.
"Yes? Should I be concerned?" Dick asks, lifting his head.
"No! No reason!" You squeal, shaking your head.
Dick pouts at you with suspicion. It occurs to you with some amusement that Dick is actually glaring. You wisely decide to sidestep the conversation.
"You guys love taking naps on people, huh?" You say, absently twining your fingers into Dick's hair. He settles his head against your chest. "That's just cus we like you." He hums.
A snort rips out of you. "You're just biased."
Dick looks up at you seriously again. "We selkies like pretty things like any fae." Dick says, wrapping his arms around you more tightly. He's being petty but Dick has always been protective of you and he isn't about to stop now. Besides... he doesn't want anyone stealing you away.
You frown at him. "Dick, there are far prettier things on this island and sweet talking won’t magically make November cakes appear." You huff, kissing the top of his head before picking up the book and using it to hide the smile shaping your lips.
You feel Dick pick himself up off of you. You peek over your book to watch Dick. He scoots closer to your face until the only thing separating you is the far too thin book in your hands.
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"No." You say. You don't mean it but it's the easiest thing to conjure up when Dick is this close. Your lips prickle from imagining Dick's lips against yours.
You weren't paying attention. Dick has apparently been going on a two-minute diatribe on how pretty you are and in that two minutes, Dick has managed to scoot even closer. He gently takes the book out of your hands to make sure you're paying attention. He fails to take into account the fact that his face is in fact distracting. Your eyes zero in on his very plush and very kissable lips. If you just lean forward a fraction, you could...
Your lips feel warm and soft against Dick's, the rest of his diatribe dying in the back of his throat as his eyes flutter shut. His mind might just be melting out of his ears because the only thing he can think about is how soft you are and how perfectly your lips fit against his.
"I'm sorry." You whisper shyly. You should be sorry, Dick thinks. Who told you to pull away?
You touch your fingers to your lips. Fuck, what did you just do?
"You can do it again." Please, he almost adds.
You lick your lips. Dick perks up and leans closer. His heart is going to leap out of his chest. You lean closer. Dick can feel his heart pounding against his rib cage.
You kiss Dick on the nose and pull away, hiding your lips behind your hand as you snicker. Dick scrunches his nose and blows air out of it.
"You know perfectly well what I meant." He huffs.
You lean back into your pillow, grinning at him. "I have absolutely no clue what you're on about." You say slowly, smug.
"Let me remind you then,"A grin takes over his face. Dick leans in, pressing his lips against yours. You exchange breaths as you drink in the feeling of each other's lips. Dick caresses your sides. He feels you shiver and he smiles into your lips. "That ring any bells?"
"Not really..." You say, flickering your eyes to him. "But if you try again... it might."
"Oh sweetheart, I can keep reminding you all night." Dick chuckles, winking.
Covering your face, you attempt to hide your embarrassment. You hate how easily he flusters you. "You can't just say stuff like that." You whimper.
"Why not? I'm supposed to be courting you and that includes buttering you up," Dick says, nuzzling your cheek. You're just too cute. Dick gently pries your hands away from your face. "Don't hide your face from me, Honey."
"Oh god, you're making me regret letting you court me."
"Never."
______________________________________________________________________
Dick's eyes are struggling to remain open as he watches the fire. He burrows further into the thick comforter you'd given him. It's not quite as warm as his pelt but the fabric is puffy and it has a sweet smell that makes his head swim.
Dick angles his head slightly to watch you. You've been toiling for hours and refuse to tell Dick what it is. Your back is still hunched over with your foot bouncing on the floor. Dick lets his eyes flutter shut, listening to the sound of your shuffling tools.
You glance down at the adorable mess dozing off on your sofa. You gently move his hair out of his face. He swats at you sleepily, face scrunched even as he sleeps. You sincerely wish you had Damian's talent for art or that you had one of those cameras. You really wish you could keep a picture of Dick's sleepy face. It's the cutest thing in the world.
"Hey Dickie," you whisper.
"Hmmmmm?" He groans.
"Could you hand me your pelt?"
"Sure," he moans, blindly padding around for it. You snort as he nearly falls off the sofa. After groping nearly every surface, he finally finds the pelt. "here you-"
The fur brushes your fingertips before Dick stops. Dick shoots up, nearly clipping your nose with his forehead. He's looking at you fully awake, drool still hanging off the corner of his lips."Are you sure?!"
"Hand it over coward." You smile gently at him. You try your best to fight off the excitement bubbling in your veins.
Dick is off the couch, his own excitement barely contained as his whole body vibrates with happiness. He sits up. You hold out your hand but instead of handing you his pelt, Dick drapes it over you like a wedding veil. It's thick and warm to the touch. You let your hands brush over the silken fur. You can feel magic thrumming from it. It feels like a minute current of electricity but it doesn't flow linearly. It ebbs and flows as it pleases, pulsing beneath your fingers. You burrow yourself in it.
Something warm spills in Dick's chest as he sees you wrapped up in his pelt. Dick kisses your nose. "You have now been wifed."
You twitch your nose. "You missed."
"Nope. Don't think so. Buuuuut if you show me where you want me to kiss you..."
You roll your eyes and surge forward, pressing your lips to his. Dick smiles into it, pulling you close and savoring the sensation of your lips melding together. He makes a happy trilling noise while you laugh against his lips.
"That clear enough, Dickie?" You ask, pressing your forehead against his.
"Yeah, I think I got it, wifey."
__________________________________________________________
THANKS FOR READING
Tag list: @batarella, @anothertimdrakestan, @lucy-roo, @multifandomgirl-us, @idkmanicantenglish , @birdy-bat-writes, @boosyboo9206, @americasmarauders , @l-inkage, @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay, @wunderstell @hyp-oh-critical @glorified-red @ marshmallow12435 @vvipgot7be @jadedhillon
#dick grayson x reader#dick grayson imagine#dick grayson x you#dick grayson#dorks#seals#selkie x reader#selkie au
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caught in the middle (1); m. barzal
SYNOPSIS: For the sake of your friend’s wedding with Tito, you and Mat agree to maintain the facade of still being the happy couple everyone sees you as. But the act comes with its consequences, one more taxing than the other. WARNINGS: language. WORD COUNT: 11.2k A/N: I am so excited for this because it contains some of the tropes I enjoy seeing in fics, and I was dying to also put out some new content as opposed to only reposting my old writing. I wish I wrote this when I was still decent at doing the thing, but I hope that this is still an enjoyable read that makes you look forward to the next part! Title is based off Alexander 23′s Caught in the Middle which is such a good song and I really recommend. Sections in italics represent flashbacks.
PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4
“We’re getting married!”
You gasped, bringing both hands to cover the lower half of your face as your jaw dropped at the announcement. It shouldn’t be so surprising – you would’ve bet even your most prized possession that this was bound to happen at some point eventually – but knowing this was actually now a sure thing sent a thrill through you. It didn’t take long for the shock to wear off and in place of it, your expression mirrored that of your best friend’s: the wide grin, the bright eyes and of course, the giggles of sheer excitement as soon as the news sunk in. Elise was glowing and next to her, Tito embodied the idea of what the world’s proudest man would look like.
“Oh my god!” you gasped, and Elise burst into laughter, not hesitating to jump out of her seat at the same time you did so that the two of you could embrace. Among your squeals and giggles, you could faintly make out the sound of hands being clapped, then caught sight of Mat and Tito hugging. Over Elise’s shoulder and over Tito’s, you and Mat exchanged smiles and you couldn’t help the chuckle that left your mouth as soon as he winked at you. “Congratulations!” you said as soon as you broke apart, though the two of you still held hands. Immediately, your gaze fell down to her hand where a ring now rested, and you couldn’t help but wonder how you hadn’t taken notice of it earlier. “Just—when? How? Where? Who else knows?”
“We don’t have a date or venue set yet, but we wanted you and Mat to be the first to know,” Elise informed you as soon as you took your seats again.
“We have a favour to ask from both of you,” Tito supplied. As soon as he said it, you felt Mat’s hand wrap around your own and the two of you exchanged a brief look during which he squeezed your hand gently, before diverting your attentions back to the soon-to-be newlyweds.
Newlyweds. The immensity of the word sent a discrete shiver down your spine.
“I can’t imagine asking this of anyone else: I want you to be my best man,” Tito directed at Mat.
“You shouldn’t even think of asking this of anyone else,” Mat responded immediately, and the two shook hands on it. You couldn’t help but think that if they weren’t as comfortable as they were now, they’d probably hug again, do their typical pats on the back or fist bump as they usually did, but Elise’s head now rested on Tito’s shoulder and Mat’s hand was so warm, so firm atop your own.
“Be my maid of honour, please?” Elise asked. “I can’t think of anyone more suitable than you and Mat as best man and maid of honour. We’ll return the favour of course,” she added playfully.
“I’ll hold you to that,” you warned without hesitating because after all, you had no reason to – and you knew Mat would agree with you.
Although the two of you hadn’t touched on the subject yet, there was an unvoiced knowledge shared between you that eventually, this would also be you. Eventually, Mat would ask you and your heart would grow and your soul would warm, and you would say yes. Yes, yes, yes.
As you all settled down to hear a replay of how Tito popped the question and Elise accepted the ring, Mat’s thumb began caressing the back of your hand. Though the gesture wasn’t a novelty, you couldn’t help but take notice of the way your heart fluttered each time he seemed to linger more on your ring finger. It wasn’t difficult to imagine a ring wrapped around it but neither of you were in a rush: you simply waited for the right time to take your relationship to a point in which it would become a forever thing, fully confident it wasn’t a question of ‘if’ but rather, ‘when’.
*
This was anything but the right time.
You frown as you cast a glance down at the phone resting on your lap, eyes narrowing a little at the name which brought the display to life for the second time in the space of less than a minute. You click the side button twice, silencing the vibrations of it and from your side, your colleague leans in to whisper to you.
“You can take it if it’s urgent. I’ll fill you in afterwards.”
“Thanks,” you whisper back. “I think it can wait until the meeting wraps up though.”
Luke gives you a well, if you’re sure look as he leaned back in his chair and you flash him a grateful smile.
Still, it is difficult for you to settle comfortably in your seat again and much to your chagrin, you find yourself crossing and uncrossing your legs as if the call had sent some sort of signal to your entire body kickstarting jitteriness you can honestly do without. Not long after you find some comfort and energy to draw yourself back to the present, your phone buzzes again – only once this time, indicating a message.
I’m waiting for you in the lobby.
Fuck, you curse inwardly, locking the phone in frustration. As quietly as you can, you gather your notebook and work tablet then lean in towards Luke who met you halfway. “Have to run but let me know if I miss anything important.”
“At the current rate, I wouldn’t count much on it but will do anyway,” he states as quietly as he can and the two of you exchange sly, conspiratorial smiles before you excuse yourself quickly and very quietly while making a swift exit.
Internally, a string of curses follow without a break in between, and you have to physically bite down on your lip out of sheer fear one might unconsciously slip out. If anyone would be in your shoes, though, they wouldn’t blame you for it. You are the type of person to stick closely to any plans and agreements made, so the fact that he just chose to turn up so unexpectedly doesn’t sit right with you. Not anymore, that is. Besides, you had both agreed to do this after your workday ended as opposed to midday and definitely not in this place. Now, you have to brace yourself for coping with a foul mood on top of whatever else the rest of the day would throw at you.
“You’ve got a visitor,” Rachel announces quietly in a sing-song voice from behind the reception desk as you approach. She doesn’t bother masking the giddiness in her tone and you struggle to work up as genuine of a smile as you can when she nods her head towards the waiting area.
“Thanks, Rach.”
“Bet he must be so happy your redeployment to the Baltimore offices was cut short so quickly,” she coos.
“Sure is. We’re still on for tonight?” you ask quickly in an attempt to drive attention away from the subject before she can try to lead into it too far for your own comfort at the moment.
Rachel’s smile falters a little, her expression somewhat quizzical. “Don’t you want to postpone so you could spend some time with him? You only just got back yesterday, after all.”
You swallow uncomfortably before shrugging. “We’ve got plenty of time to do that. So tonight, okay? I’ll catch you later.”
“Your call. See you then, Y/N!”
You only had just a split second to brace yourself for what is ahead of you, so you draw in a breath then slowly exhale it as discreetly as you can while cutting your way across the lobby. Since agreeing to this meeting, you prepared yourself as best as you could, imagining every single scenario and devising the appropriate plan for it: from the way you presented yourself to what you said, you had a mental plan for everything including a few backups just in case. The only thing you hadn’t factored in, apparently, was how little was under your control and you hated that. Each step you take made you feel less and less prepared for what is ahead, and the thought rattles you. If you were swift enough on your feet, you could just about make a quick turn and dip into the hallway leading to the visitor restrooms. All you need is just a few more seconds. A little alone time for you to run over your lines in your head.
Except—
Mat looks up at the same time you take a step sideways, ready to bolt towards temporary safety. His eyebrows rise a little as if surprised by the sight of you, but you refuse to appear outwardly deflated by the turn of events. Instead, you square your shoulders, tip your head back a little and arch an eyebrow. You can do this. You note he is dressed casually, and his hair is pushed back underneath a black cap.
Unless there was a change in schedule, Thursdays were scrimmage days.
Your jaw clenches ever so slightly as you recall that with so much ease. Then again, you basically built up a collection of information that was practically helpful or useful to exactly no one over the course of the past few years. It’ll probably take just as much or maybe more to replace that with something different, so you try cutting yourself some slack whenever you are willing to.
“I thought we agreed on five thirty,” you state coolly, pitching your voice at just the right tone to also express surprise.
Mat pushes up from the armchair, returning whatever magazine he’d picked up back on the nearby glass table. “Sorry, I tried calling earlier this morning to ask if we can reschedule but it went straight to voicemail.”
Oh. You mentally curse yourself for not charging your phone as soon as you made it home from the airport the previous night or bothering to check the voicemail message you’d been notified of once it did begin charging earlier this morning at your desk.
“They rescheduled the viewing of the new arena for this evening, and I was in the area, so I thought I’ll drop by just in case,” Mat continues, throwing a cursory glance around the place though to you, it seemed more like a way of having a break from the eye contact. You don’t complain; you welcome that.
You open your mouth, ready to berate his poor timing but even you could admit you carry some fault here too. Only a little. You bite down lightly on the tip of your tongue, before nodding towards the seats though you didn’t wait for Mat; you sit, deciding he could make up his own mind if he wanted to follow or not.
“How was Baltimore?” he asks after a few moments of awkward silence while settling in the same armchair he previously occupied.
“Mat,” you say, hoping it comes across as more of a warning than a plea. You can’t deal with small talk and a part of you thinks that’d make the entire deal even more difficult to go through with. He presses his lips together into a thin line and you take that as your sign to continue. “Elise told me she’d like us to be at the venue a day in advance of the rehearsal dinner if we can. I’ve already arranged my leave for that, so it’s not a problem for me. I’m planning on making my way there sometime tomorrow afternoon.”
“We can go together then. I can pick you up after work.”
“There’s no need—”
“Y/N.” The sharpness of his tone catches you off guard and you can swear Mat was equally surprised by that, though only for the briefest of moments. He slides forward a little in the seat almost as if he is more than ready to leave but Mat has never been one to back down so easily and you doubt any of that changed during the course of the past three months or so. “You were the one who insisted we go through with this and I’m trying. I really am, but you’re not giving me anything to work with. So please. Let’s just put everything to the side, do what we need to do and then it’s done.”
Done. Like it is a task, like it is something you needed to cross off a to-do list, scrunch it up then trash it.
The finality of the word is so heavy that it feels as if it had managed to knock out all the air in your lungs. You and Mat were running headfirst towards a fork in the road, and deep down you knew that was truly it. If until now the two of you have been dancing around each other, playing pretend as if you were kids living in a world of fantasy, you know that eventually, you have to let light shine on the truth: whatever lay ahead, you and Mat could no longer walk the same paths. It is just a matter of admitting it not only to yourselves, but also to the people you were lying to.
Lying for, you prefer.
Defeated, you slump in your own seat a little, legs crossing and fingers tapping lightly against the back of your notebook. “Be at my place by two. I’ll have everything that I need ready the night before so we won’t need to wait around.” A pause, and then, “how’s Tito?”
Mat lifts a shoulder in a casual shrug. “Excited. Nervous. It’s the only thing he talks about in the locker, outside of it, on ice and off ice. How’s Elise?”
“Same deal with her. I never knew there were so many shades of blue before, but I’ve been proven wrong before.”
A pause follows that could easily be attributed to the group of people rushing into the building and allowing noise from the street outside to filter in while the doors were kept open, but you can tell there is more to it than that if you are to go by the shift in Mat’s expression. His expression changes and you find you can’t quite read into it or guess what could be going on through his head. You try not to focus much on the little voice inside your mind that was bothered by it but find it takes a considerable amount of effort to do so. Force of habit, you conclude.
“You don’t say,” Mat finally responds. There is a hint of accusation in his tone. Or regret. Maybe both.
Your lips press together firmly, a light frown forming on your face but chose to let that slide. Not only is the lobby of your workplace the least suitable place to have an argument about the two of you, but you find that even those short moments of seeing Mat face to face months after you called it quits appears to take a toll on you. You feel tired, worn out and willing to be the first one to back down for once.
It is cruel irony that a big red neon EXIT sign is visible from the corner of your eye.
You release a quiet, long sigh then stand up from the seat. “Well, I guess we’re done here? I do have another meeting to prepare for, so…” You trail off, already backing away a few steps.
Mat opens his mouth as if ready to say something else but promptly presses his lips together, deciding against it. He gives a swift nod of his head then stands up. It’s then you notice the two Styrofoam cups in front of him and the neon EXIT sign imprinted in your mind starts flashing temptingly at you. Mat is a step ahead. He holds out one of the cups towards you and you are ready to tell him off for it, but he cut in.
“Thought I wouldn’t drop by empty handed.” When you don’t make a move to accept it, his eyes briefly peek behind you. “Rachel’s all eyes this way, by the way,” he informs you and a brief glance over your shoulder confirms Mat hasn’t been lying.
As soon as you turn to look towards the reception desk, Rachel grins, waves quickly at you then turns back to her computer screen. Begrudgingly, you accept the cup of coffee and force a tight smile.
“See you soon,” you say by way of greeting and didn’t wait to hear a response from Mat.
It isn’t until you scan your pass to cross the security barriers and make a turn out of sight that you take a sip from the drink and almost immediately wish you didn’t. It’s your order to a T. The two of you even brought a coffee machine that would let you replicate it on days when you didn’t feel like leaving the comforts of your apartment, especially days when Mat didn’t need to get up early for practices or scrimmages or evening games. It stayed with Mat when you left and the memory left a bitter taste in your mouth, despite the gentle sweetness of the beverage.
Without thinking twice, you throw the cup in the nearest trash can.
*
As soon as your order is set on the table, you ignore the basket of fries and reach straight for your glass to take a long sip from the straw, letting out a content sigh as soon as you felt satiated enough.
“Long day,” you state in response to Rachel’s raised eyebrows but she seems to accept that by raising her own glass. You clink yours against hers, take a smaller sip then set it back down on the table. “What time do you think you’ll make it over to the hotel?”
“Well, I was thinking of trying to get there by midday on the day of the rehearsal dinner but it’s starting to look more like late afternoon. I’m…” She trails off, and you can just about pick up on her hesitation and the way her gaze shifts over to the side momentarily as if avoiding something or considering whether to continue that. You move in your seat, peeling your back away from the plush backrest to lean in a little closer.
“You’re…” you trail off, voice peaking just a little into a question in an attempt to prompt her to continue.
Rachel takes a deep breath in, shoulders visibly drooping and when she looked back at you, she did so with a look that could only reflect…shame? Embarrassment?
“Luke and I are sort of thinking of coming along together.” At the sight of your widened eyes, she quickly adds, “just as friends! We’re still working out through a few things and we’re taking it slow. As in, much, much slower than the first time around.”
“No way! That’s… Rach, that’s so good. I’m happy for you both, seriously.”
You find that you truly believed that, though it wasn’t a surprise to you. You had introduced Rachel to Luke while she visited you in Baltimore and at the time, he worked with you there also. Initially, you didn’t think much of it - you simply invited her to come along to a few after work drinks and the two kicked it off easily that night. Very easily apparently, because as the night started coming to an end, Rachel prompted you to go ahead without her. Ready to say you weren’t going to leave her own her own, you shortly found out exactly why: you watched with plenty of amusement and fascination as she and Luke climbed into a taxi together and whizzed off to his place, undoubtedly. That was pretty much their start and continuation. Her visits to Baltimore were more frequent and though you were seeing her often enough, it definitely wasn’t as much as Luke saw of her. And you were fine with that. They fit almost perfectly and it only took a few more meetings for them to label themselves as a couple.
Things began crumbling as soon as Luke had moved to the New York office just a few weeks before your own return. While he seemed fine with the idea of Rachel working in the same place, that wasn’t also her take on things.
“It’s weird,” she told you through the phone. “It just… It’s so weird. I’d be seeing him at my place or his and in the office? No thanks. That’s way too much for me, you know?”
It made sense, of course, and though you rooted for them, you didn’t want to push her into something she wasn’t comfortable with. Yet, there was a tremble to her voice, a sort of uncertainty that made you think otherwise. It wasn’t that Rachel didn’t have any feelings for him - maybe she was simply shocked to see him walk through those glass doors one morning to pick up his brand new ID and claim what would soon become his permanent desk across from yours.
“Thanks,” she tells you, pulling you back into the present. “But like I said, slow and easy does it. We’ve been talking more and that makes a huge difference.”
“For sure. If communication isn’t the backbone of a relationship, I don’t know what is,” you agree and wasn’t that ironic? You’re hardly in the position of giving any relationship advice at all or saying what is good for one and what isn’t. Not anymore. Not when your own had fallen apart.
Rachel grins. “You’d know. You and Mat have been together for… how long now?”
You should’ve seen it coming a mile away. You swallow uncomfortably, take another sip of your drink and take a few fries just to buy yourself a little more time. “Maybe four years? Don’t really keep track of that anymore,” you said as casually as you could muster, lifting your shoulders in a shrug.
“I think I’d stop doing that eventually too at the rate you two are going. Honestly, I would’ve bet anything you would’ve been the first to tie the knot. Actually, thinking about it,” she says, clicking her fingers in recollection, “Elise said the same thing to me the other day when we caught up on the phone. She went—“
You don’t really register her words. There is a low ringing in your ears and an uncomfortable draft sweeps in the locale as the entrance door somewhere behind you is being kept open, no doubt a large group making their way in; it sends shivers down your body, but really, you are pretty sure you can’t only attribute them to a brief gust of wind. After all, your sweater is keeping you sufficiently cosy and warm. In front of you, Rachel continues praising your relationship with Mat, talking about how anyone took a look at you both and would say, whatever they have going, I want it too and you are trying so, so hard to block out as much as you can of it. You can stop her, of course; distract her with whatever random topic and you know she’d go with it but your jaw is locked in place, teeth clenched uncomfortably. You blame that and the way your nails dig into the palms of your hands on the sting behind your eyes and the sudden heaviness weighting down on your chest.
It isn’t so much the pain of your relationship ending that was rendering you in a state of daze, but the shame of what you and Mat agreed to do: pretend the two of you were still the happy couple Elise, Tito and everyone else thought of you as just to not spoil whatever luck they thought you’d be passing on to them by being their main witnesses. And then, once the event passes and they would return to New York from the honeymoon you and Mat would soon gift to them on their wedding day, you’d tell them the truth. Or part of it anyway. Definitely no mentions that the two of you were childish enough to play pretend; just a simple, clean break timed just perfectly with your request to be permanently redeployed elsewhere. Preferably, as far from New York City as possible so that you no longer have to walk the streets you once both did or yearn to once again visit that perfect pie place the two of you once dubbed your own.
“We’re not together anymore.”
The words stumble out of your mouth in a desperate now or never manner. Despite the anxiousness that came with the act, you find relief in it also. It feels freeing to be able to admit the truth to someone that isn’t only yourself though perhaps you should’ve thought of this more carefully: the idea of now needing to come fully clean to Rachel is somewhat daunting, mostly because of what she might say in response to the front you and Mat are trying to uphold. But for the first time in what feels like too long, you no longer feel like a fraud; like a person lying to everyone around them.
“Wait.” Rachel frowns, and it was obvious she doesn’t quite know what to do with that information or how to best process it. Her head tilts a little, palm idly rubbing against the side of her neck so you take the initiative to come across as unbothered by this as possible by leaning into the seat, legs crossing as you fiddled with the drink’s straw. “What? I’m confused. Didn’t Mat just drop by earlier? You two seemed okay. He was…fine when he came in. We didn’t talk much, sure, but he was all smiley and just…normal.”
You laugh quietly and shortly. “It’s been a while now. Maybe two or three weeks before I left for Baltimore, I think. It’d be pretty worrying if he was still hung up about it. After all, we both agreed on it. And this,” you add, a little more disheartened and embarrassed. “This…thing we’re doing. We promised Tito and Elise we’ll be there for them on their big day and we will. But they had this… I guess, idea of us being an ideal couple. Whatever that is,” you continue more quietly and with a roll of your eyes. “He wanted to tell Tito, but I didn’t want to spoil Elise’s day, you know? So he agreed. Took some convincing because it feels so… Gosh, it sounds so stupid, doesn’t it? Pretending we’re still together just to spread some fake cheer around.”
“Oh, honey…” Rachel whispers and you read the sympathy in her voice. Not that she makes it particularly difficult to take note of. “But… I thought everything was okay. Actually, way more than okay. Perfect, even. What…uh—“ She trailed off awkwardly, but you could easily fill in that gap.
What happened?
You bring the beverage to your mouth, this time drinking from the glass directly as opposed to using the straw. The mixer stings your throat this time around but the small ice cube you take into your mouth numbs it away pretty quickly. Slowly, you chew it to small pieces and speak only when you finish it.
“I thought long and hard about this the first few weeks after we called it quits,” you admit. “We always talked about what bothered us or if there was something on our mind, but at one point we just… We stopped wanting to compromise. When I was put forward for Baltimore, it was going to be a permanent thing. Mat was happy, sure, but I could tell he wasn’t being entirely honest with me, you know? When I called him out on it, he asked me well what about us? And I said we’d be fine. Baltimore isn’t a different continent. It’s not even a different timezone. He could come over when he had free time and if he didn’t, I’d always spend weekends in New York anyway. It’s Baltimore, Rach. Not fucking San Francisco or whatever. Eventually, he told me exactly what was on his mind: he couldn’t do long distance. Not even for a short period of time while I figured out if Baltimore is really what I wanted. Isn’t it a bit hypocritical, though?” You question, but it’s clear Rachel feels a bit awkward about giving her take on it right now, so you make it easier for her by responding to your own question. “I felt lonely too when he was on the road. I was worried he’d find someone different, someone much better while away. He never gave me a reason to doubt him, but a small part of me still thought what if. This happened right before he was on the road again, actually. We didn’t call, barely even texted those weeks and then when he returned, we decided it’d be best to break up. Didn’t take us a long discussion to get to that conclusion because at that point, it just… I don’t know. It felt like we didn’t have much to say to each other.”
Rachel presses her lips together, the frown still on her face and hesitantly, she asks, “who said it first?”
“I did,” you respond without hesitating. “He wanted a break while we work it all out but come on, Rach, a break? Look me in the eyes and tell me people really believe in breaks and they come back to each other as if nothing happened.”
“I mean…” she trails off, pointing at herself by way of explanation. “Look at me and Luke, I guess.”
You shake your head. “Nope. Not the same thing, trust me. This was for the best, Rach. It’s much neater to call it quits. That way, neither of us will feel obliged to hold back if life puts something different ahead of us.” You pause for a moment, teeth biting into your lower lip. “They said they’ll always have me back there if I decide on it, so who knows. Once I wrap up the project their called me back for, I might just take them up on it. Not quite a promotion, but it’ll be a good sidestep and maybe a change of scenery is what I need.”
“And do you think it’s good? What the two of you are doing right now?” Rachel questions, not at all deterred by your weak attempt at trying to divert conversation to a more work related topic. “And I don’t mean it just for Elise and Tito’s wedding, but for you and Mat generally speaking. I mean… the two of you have been together for a pretty long time. Doesn’t it… Isn’t it odd?”
“It’s not normal, that’s for sure,” you confirm. “But it’d be weirder for everyone if we were to tell them we’re no longer together given we’ve been asked to do what we need to do. Rach, promise me this stays between us, okay? Promise. I know how it sounds, I know how it’ll look but trust me on this, okay?”
She fixes you with a sceptical stare, a look that holds yet more questions than certainty but eventually, she nods her head and relief washes over you at the gesture. “I’m sorry it happened, Y/N,” she offers, voice warm and sympathetic as she places a hand on the table palm up. “And I’m sorry you went through it alone.”
You smile softly and reach for it, returning the squeeze she gives you. There is comfort in the gesture, comfort in her words and you find yourself rooting for it, so grateful to have received it. “The worst part is over, but thank you, Rachel. “It means a lot.”
“Feel like carpooling with Luke and I?”
“I’m good,” you assure as you both relax back into your seats. “Elise wants us there the day before the rehearsal. I guess just to have some familiar faces around that aren’t just wedding planners, so Mat and I agreed to go together tomorrow. Promise I won’t lose my shit if our song plays on the radio,” you add jokingly and find yourself laughing along with Rachel.
“What song’s that?”
Too many, you think, although one in particular stands out to you. “Brett Young’s In Case You Didn’t Know.”
*
A tray containing an assortment of dishes is set on the table and shortly after, an ice cold pitch of sangria accompanies that. Eager to cool down, you reach for one of the empty glasses to pour yourself a drink but Mat’s quicker. He takes them both, filling your glass first before his own. You laugh to yourself and Mat grins at that, briefly looking towards you as he fills his glass. You’re about to take a sip, eager to both quench your thirst and cool down but Mat takes the initiative of initiating a toast by raising his glass a little, elbow resting on the table.
“What’re we toasting for tonight?” You ask, imitating his pose by leaning forward a little. “To our first holiday together? To how perfect the weather’s been so far? To how I mastered paddle boarding way before you did?”
Mat laughs, lowering his head as he did so but when he looked back up at you, he clinked his glass against yours and held it there. “To all of that. To one of the many, many holidays we’ll have together. To this moment right here, to us, to you.” He pauses and the strobe lights of the bar switch from dark blue to hot pink, and the way Mat stares at you in this moment makes your heart race inexplicably. “To how much I love you.”
He takes your breath away. Draws it right out of your lungs and you feel heady. It’s the first summer with Mat, the first I love you from him and it suddenly feels as if this bar is too small for the both of you. You love him, and he loves you too and the only thing you could imagine doing is jumping in his arms but there’s a table between you and sangria topped wine glasses in your hands, and he’s wearing a pristine white shirt that looks incredible against his tanned skinned and there’s a lot of people around (the majority significantly older than both your age and Mat’s combined) so you simply grin and carefully lean forward more, pressing a kiss to his mouth.
“I love you,” you murmur against his lips and even if your voice is low compared to the loud, cheesy country music blasting through hidden stereos, you know Mat catches on to that.
“I love you,” he says right back and before you pull away, he bumps his nose against yours gently, making you giggle.
You both take a sip of your drinks and you smack your lips together, content with the turn of the night.
You and Mat had been dating for a few months, but this was the first time the two of you will spend back to back nights and days together without needing to rush somewhere. Of course, a part of you was anxious about it - while it was easy to spend a few hours together now and then, maybe even the odd night together, it was entirely different being together pretty much all the time. There were habits and quirks you each had that might get in the way, but your worries were soon put to rest. You and Mat had wonderful chemistry together, easily able to spend your time together but also still enjoy each other’s company while doing separate activities. You didn’t want to rush into things and you made no move to do so, but it was ever so easy to imagine what living with Mat would be like. And sure, you were well aware of the fact that it wouldn’t always be sunshine and rainbows; the two of you would eventually transition out of this honeymoon-type period of your relationship, but something told you life would Mat would never bore you. It’d never make you wish for anything different.
“Give me a second,” Mat says and before you could ask him what he meant, he’s out of his seat and you follow him across the bar, a little confused.
He makes his way past the bar, past the pool tables and stops in front of what is undoubtedly a jukebox. Curious, you arch an eyebrow and watch as he fiddles with finding the right amount of change before inserting the coins in the slot. It takes him a while before he finds whatever song it is he wants and it takes enough time for him to make it back to your table before the jukebox and sound system registers the request. You don’t recognise the first few notes at all, much less the accompanying guitar strings but you don’t have time to search your memory for a title.
Mat stops by your side, holding a hand out to you. “Dance with me.” It’s more statement than question and under any circumstances, you may have felt a little awkward about doing this, but it’s the heat of the moment and your giddiness that pushes you to your feet, hand in Mat’s.
The two of you are beaten to an emptier area in the establishment by two other much older couples that were closer to it anyway, and you find that gives you a bit more of a boost also. Mat pulls you to him, wrapping one arm around your waist while holding on to your free hand while you hold on to his shoulder with the other. Your fingers lightly clench and unclench the soft material of his shirt, lowering your head a little and you smile against the back of your hand. It’s so painfully cheesy and there’s nowhere near enough other people dancing along to the song but you love it much more than you thought you ever would.
“Know what I’d invest all my money into?” He asks you suddenly.
You pull back a little, still swaying along with the song. “Cryptocurrency seems like a safe bet right now.”
Mat laughs, that big hearty laugh of his that makes your smile wider and when it passes, he presses a chaste kiss on your forehead. “Well, I’m glad one of us has a good head on their shoulders, but no.” He shakes his head, then laughs again, shorter and quieter as if recalling your response. “A time machine. I want to stop time right here and right now so that we can be as we are for a little while longer.”
“Cheesy,” you joke, despite the warmth coursing across your entire body and the jelly-like feeling forming in your knees. “But perfectly understandable.”
“Eventually, we wouldn’t need it, but it’d be nice to have one for tonight.”
“Eventually? How so?” You question, then narrow your eyes a little, the gesture playful. “You plan on getting bored of me and breaking up?”
“What!” He exclaims and pulls you in just that much closer. He lets go of your hand only so he could bring his to your chin, tipping your head back a little. “Never,” kiss, “say that,” kiss, “again.” The final kiss you share with him is a little longer and you take the liberty of bringing your hand to his chest, palm pressing against it to feel the thump of his heart against his ribcage momentarily. Then, slowly, you graze the tips of your nails along his exposed collarbone and peck his lips once more before pulling away. It’s then that the song’s name and artist comes to your mind, almost as an afterthought. From hidden speakers, Brett Young declares I couldn’t live life without you and Mat gives you a pointed stare. “Damn, he said it before I could.”
“It’s the thought that counts,” you assure him. “Either way, I think I prefer hearing it from you, Barzal.”
“I’m pretty sure I couldn’t live without you,” he recites and wraps his arms around you, pulling you into a hug. He sways you both in a more exaggerated manner that makes you cling to him more out of habit than necessity. You’ve known you’d trust Mat with anything, but each day, he seems to do something that makes that thought solidify more and more in your mind. The comfort and safety that brings wraps around you like a warm blanket.
Be it the hot weather, the somewhat stifling interior of the bar, the sips of sangria on an empty stomach, the euphoria of the moment or all things combined, you nod quickly. And from somewhere in the depths of your mind, the very bottom of your heart, you respond with, “I can get used to this day after day. So don’t let me go, baby.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he whispers, tone full of care and love and warmth. He gives you his promise without hesitation and you know it’s bound to stick.
*
Your phone buzzes once.
I’m downstairs. Need help with your bags?
You push up from the comfort of your couch and make one last round of your apartment to make sure you had everything you definitely needed from where it was placed.
I’m good. Will be down in a minute, you text back but don’t pocket your phone right away. Instead, you stare at the screen for a little while longer, half tempted to scroll through the thread of messages. They’d provide a stark timeline of when things started going wrong and you would probably be able to see exactly how things changed between the two of you from the moment you suggested a mere break wouldn’t do it. But doing that would be like breaking a streak you had going for sufficient time to earn a pat on your back. The journey of getting to a point where you were sufficiently okay with being in Mat’s presence without any other company was a long one and the last thing you needed was to recall how it once was.
You and Mat started out as friends after Elise introduced the two of you just a short while before he started his professional career with the Islanders. She talked about how the two of them met in school and how great of a guy he was; real down to earth, funny and incredibly ambitious - traits she also assigned to you, and therefore thought the two of you would get along great. She wasn’t wrong about it. You knew a little about hockey, going to games every now and then mostly whenever Elise dragged you along but you found that Mat made the game more enjoyable. He explained it to you in a manner that didn’t make you feel belittled or as if it should be something you already knew of, and didn’t mind explaining some things more than once. On the other hand, you introduced him to your own hobbies and the little world you created for yourself in a city as big and busy as New York. You showed him the more lowkey but homely establishments, including your favourite pizza place that - unbeknown to you at the time - would become yours and his, and even took him to a few student bars where you regularly beat him at pool while he showed off at darts. Occasionally, it felt weird to watch him unwind in such…normal places and ways while on other days, he shone on ice and was easily one of the best rookies emerging from one of the country’s most well known sports leagues. Yet despite that, you found that athlete Mat wasn’t all that different from Mat the person.
He never put a front and his genuine manner was refreshing to you, particularly during a time when you were still a college student and a good portion of the guys around were textbook frat boys. Being around Mat was comfortable and safe. You didn’t feel the need to speak a certain way or be a different person, and retrospectively, the way you felt towards him developed almost organically. You felt yourself gravitating towards him and were pleasantly surprised by the moments when he’d seek you out first. A day off here and a day off there until eventually, you found yourself spending much of your free time with him and vice-versa.
Falling in love with Mat was easy. Being without Mat was difficult. But, thankfully, not impossible apparently.
Convinced you packed everything you needed, made your way out with a duffle bag on your shoulder and a suitcase at your heels.
True to his word, Mat was parked in front of your place and as soon as you pushed open the building’s door, he looked up from his phone and made his way over to you. The last thing you needed was to make the journey any more awkward or difficult for the both of you, so you didn’t argue when he took the bags from you to stow them away in the trunk.
“Are you going across the country?” You ask, peeking into the trunk while he plays Tetris with the bags.
“What?” He questions, evidently distracted by the task at hand but straightens up when you delicately place a hand on his arm, pushing him to the side a little.
“You’d think you’re going across the country for like, two or three weeks rather than a couple of days,” you repeat. “Maybe put that smaller bag sideways? That might let the bigger suitcase fit.”
He follows your guidance and sure enough, that does the trick: the suitcases fit perfectly in the trunk and you grin to yourself, triumphant.
Mat steps back, closing the trunk and brushes his hands together. “Thanks,” he says and you nod, heading towards your seat in the front. He follows you inside just as you click in your seatbelt. “I don’t think it’ll take us more than two or three hours to get there if traffic’s as good as it was when I checked it a little while earlier. Got everything?”
“Everything important that is. Everything else, I’ll just worry about and pull my hair out when we get there,” you tell him and you can’t help feeling proud for being able to keep conversation light and as normal as you can.
After all, you’ve known life before Mat and you’re rediscovering it after him too.
Mat laughs ever so quiet, and from the corner of your eye, you catch him brushing his hand across his mouth though he’s a few seconds too slow in trying to mask his smile.
“I think I’ll need to fill up soon, but let me know if there’s anywhere else you want to stop along the way,” he tells you while pulling out of the parking spot.
You nod even if he probably might not see it and take the liberty to scroll through radio stations. Mat doesn’t seem to be against it, so you continue switching to them until, a little frustrating that nothing seems to work for you, you connect your phone to the car and play one of your playlists. A mix of upbeat pop and an assortment of viral tracks fill in the silence for a while, and the act of singing along in your head takes your mind away from how it almost feels as if you’re sitting on needles. It takes a conscious effort on your behalf to remind yourself to loosen your shoulders and stop fiddling too much with your hands, and you’re glad Mat seems to be plenty preoccupied with driving. Once upon a time, he would’ve immediately picked up on even the most mild of your discomforts and tried to do anything he could to alleviate them. You don’t know how much, if at all, Mat changed during the time you spent apart but you want to think that you no longer wear your heart on your sleeve as much and your emotions are much more guarded, especially in his presence.
Apparently, though, there’s only so much he can take with silence filled in by music because once he’s off busier streets, he leans in his seat more comfortably and you can tell he very briefly turns his head towards you. “Think they’ll like their wedding gift?”
You direct your gaze away from the flashing scenery outside to Mat. “Absolutely. Who wouldn’t like it? Trust me when I say Bali’s been a place Elise always wanted to visit and I can’t think of a better time than now,” you assure him.
“If they don’t, it’s on you,” he says and it takes you a beat longer to realise he’s just joking so you huff out a laugh, relaxing back in the seat.
“If they don’t, they can give one of the tickets to me and I’ll happily go there.” You cast a glare out at the scenery ahead, eyes narrowing upwards towards the overcast sky. “I don’t think summer will ever come at this rate. I’m starting to hate it here.”
“Doubt Baltimore was any better,” Mat points out.
“Hardly,” you sigh. “Maybe I’ll ask them to send me to Miami instead. That’d be much better.”
Mat clears his throat quickly, shifting a little. “So, are you planning on going back to Baltimore or... Why are you back?” You catch sight of the frown forming on his face, and he quickly shakes his head as if trying to rid the hint of accusation from his voice. “That sounded wrong, sorry. But just genuinely curious. I thought a permanent move was on the table?”
“It was. Still is, but they needed me back here to wrap up a project. It was a pretty bad move on their behalf to send me there before we had that wrapped up nice and neat, bow and all, but I guess…” You trail off, shrugging a shoulder. “Guess we’ll see what’s next after that. They do want me back there, though. It just depends how long it takes for things here to fall into place.”
“Fair enough.” Another pause, another moment for him to press his lips together in silent deliberation. He did that often, and you wonder if that remains a habit still. “Was it a promotion? I forgot, sorry.”
“All good,” you assure, brushing off the apology. “Not a promotion per se, but a sidestep with just a slightly bigger paycheck. The office there is a bit smaller than the New York one so maybe there’s a higher chance of getting promoted sooner, but I don’t want to jump the gun on that yet. How did things work out for you guys this season?”
The Islanders had a good season, making the playoffs but fell just short of making the semi-finals, you knew that. After all, you hadn’t removed the Islanders game and news alerts from your phone and you put that on your laziness. You wouldn’t shy away from admitting to him you still followed the team’s progression, but you preferred not to.
“Could’ve been better but there’s lots to learn from it,” Mat tells you and there’s a trace of excitement and determination in his voice. “Next season will be even better, I guarantee.”
It’s a staple Mat response, one he always gave if he felt a game didn’t end in their favour or he didn’t do as much as he thought he should have. Sometimes, it took him some time to accept it. Usually, it came to him after pushing himself in training, after going that extra step in the gym, after re-watching highlights or coach videos and always - always, you’d assure him that it takes a team to move forward, not a single person. Always, he’d kiss you and tell you he loves you and always, you’d spend those moments wrapped up in each other’s arms, more often than not with Mat’s head resting against your chest and your leg slung around his hip.
“Plenty of time to lift that cup, Barzal,” you assure him. “Sure, the sooner the better but there’s always a right time for everything.”
“I hope so,” he agrees pensively, and lingers on that thought.
You let him to it, directing your attention back to the view outside and only now and then picking up your phone either to switch songs or browse through a few applications. A part of you feels almost obliged to try and push for conversation but you avoid doing so. The last thing you need is to make it painfully awkward for the two of you and you figure Mat could always do that himself if he feels like it. So, you let your mind wander to better things - to the upcoming rehearsal and the wedding itself, to how good Elise will look and how Tito will be so proud to watch her walk the aisle towards him. You imagine their reaction to the gift you and Mat contributed towards and smiled to yourself, knowing it was a perfect pick for them both.
You don’t think about telling Elise you and Mat had lied to them. You don’t think about passing this hurdle - the final one before you two will become strangers to one another. You don’t think about how the next time you might both see each other again, you’ll both have such different lives that for a brief moment, the surprise of it will knock the air out of your lungs before you remember: that’s him without me, and this is me without him. And you won’t be the first or the last people to break up, but a part of you is certain what the two of you had was unique and could’ve been grand. So much grander.
You become more alert to your surroundings when he starts slowing the car and you notice you’re pulling up into a gas station. As much as space allows you, you stretch out a little and Mat stops right by one of the pumps.
“Want something for the road?” You ask him, unplugging your phone and taking your card from your bag.
“Hold on, I’ll come with you,” Mat tells you and it doesn’t take long for the refill to happen before you both walk into the station’s store, beelining for the snack aisles even if you have only two hours or so until you reach your destination.
“Oh gosh, those are going to be a nightmare to clean up if you spill any in the car,” you groan quietly as he browses through the variety of Nerds flavours.
“But they’re so good though,” he shoots back and flashes a smile that is nothing short of sly when he picks up two boxes instead of one.
“Yeah, until the flavour runs out literally two seconds after you put them in your mouth. I mean, enjoy that but I’m different,” you boast and pick up a bag of sour candy.
“You just like obliterating your taste buds.”
He’s not wrong. Sour candy and spicy foods are your guilty pleasures, and have been for the longest time. You don’t try to look into how easily he recalls that because, you tell yourself, there’s nothing to look into. It’s a mere fact that anyone who knows you would easily recite.
“You’re wrong and you know it, but admitting that is difficult so it’s fine, Barzal. No hard feelings,” you throw back, snickering as you head over to the fridges for a bottle of cold water. Instinctively, you grab another for him and instinctively, he takes your candy and the water to pay for them but you still tag along with him in the queue.
“No shot. I like some spice but to the point where I literally can’t taste anything else? Hey, remember that one time when you made something… Can’t remember what it was but it was so…” He purses his lips and you laugh because yes, yes you remember it so clearly.
“So good you ended up crying over it?” You offer.
“More like, I wasn’t crying but it was so fucking spicy, Y/N, holy.”
“You survived though, didn’t you?”
“I only did because there isn’t a thing you do I don’t like,” he says and then, seems to catch himself but a second too late. “Didn’t like,” he corrects quietly but the damage is done.
You swallow uncomfortably, directing your gaze away from him but don’t hesitate to nod towards the outside. “I’ll head over to the car. I’ll text Elise to tell her we’re close.”
“Y/N—“
But you’re already taking steps towards the exit and out of ear shot, making a beeline for the car. Your heart thumps rapidly and uncomfortable in your chest and find that pressing a palm to your left side doesn’t make it any better. You know it’s an innocent mistake and there are some habits that die hard, but the way he phrased it triggered your fight or flight instinct instantaneously and despite yourself, you leaned towards the latter. You enter the car and take the time to compose yourself as much as you could. The last thing you need is to have a conversation with Mat about this because you didn’t want to have it - it shouldn’t happen for the sake of avoiding making the situation even more uncomfortable. It was an innocent slip up, no doubt, and you should’ve braced yourself to speak of Mat in present tense as opposed to past tense in the presence of others but it comes to you harder than imagined.
It’s odd how you both once knew so much about each other, everything even, and now the two of you are reduced to dancing around all that and making conscious efforts to keep your conversations as short and banal as possible.
You try and busy yourself with formulating a message to Ellie, one that’s long enough to try and make you seem as busy as possible by the time Mat returns to the car, but every line you wrote, every mini paragraph going into dull details about the trip and where you guys currently are seemed like an overthrow. So, you delete that also and simply text her an OTW just as Mat sets the sweets on the centre console and the bottles in the cup holders.
He doesn’t start the engine immediately and your mood quickly switches to frustration. Sure, you hadn’t handled it in the best way possible but trying to have a conversation about it wouldn’t make it any better. Or at least, it’s just something you didn’t want to have to think about for the remainder of the journey.
But he does just that, because that is what Mat always did: he talked with you.
“I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable,” he begins, “I didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did. It’s force of habit more than anything else.”
“It’s whatever, Mat, so just move past it. I did, simple as that,” you tell him neutrally.
There’s something in that response he must have not liked because you pick up on his small huff and shortly after, the car starts and you’re both on the road again. This time, with silence between you and an atmosphere so heavy it makes you wish you weren’t speeding down an Interstate just so you could open the window and let some of the air in.
-
The hotel the wedding will be held at lies in front of you, sprawling and secluded and perfect for an event like this. Tito is already at the entrance and when he spots Mat’s car, he waves quickly while Mat quickly flashes the headlights before pulling into an available parking spot.
“There they are!” Tito says by way of greeting and you walk right into his outstretched arms, hugging him. “Can’t believe so much time passed since we last saw each other. What is it, two months? Three?”
“Three,” you confirm once you pull away so that Mat could hug him also. “It’s good to see you too. Where’s Elise?”
“She wanted to check on some small details and said she’ll meet up with you guys in a bit. So here I am, the welcoming committee,” Tito explained and when he and Mat stepped apart, he reached out to give you another short hug which you accepted. “So how was Baltimore? Don’t suppose you liked it all that much if you’re back so soon. This guy was happy about it,” Tito adds, nodding his head towards Mat who was already busy emptying the trunk.
You press your lips together, displaying a small smile. “Baltimore wasn’t too bad but they missed me here, apparently. Can’t complete a damn thing without my two cents so here I am for now.”
Tito frowns, but the expression is very brief. “For now? We’ll need to talk more about that later so Barzy doesn’t mope around as much as he did back then.”
You throw a quick glance towards Mat but he’s looking away towards whatever interesting spot on the ground he found, pointedly ignoring you. “I’ll have a word with him about it later,” you tell Tito lightly and together, the three of you make your way inside, towards the reception.
“I think Elise is in the room at the end of the corridor if you want to say hi,” Tito informs you and you jump at the opportunity.
You follow the corridor, making a right turn and continuing along the dimly lit hallway leading to what the signs informed you to be Conference Room 1. The door is slightly ajar and you begin picking up on the buzz of activity coming from within and soon enough, you’re face to face with a spacey room boasting an array of flowers and various arrangements tastefully decorating tables and drooping down from the ceiling. No doubt, the effect will be lovely during the night when colourful neon lights can be turned on. You spot Elise easily: she’s in the midst of the room with what is undoubtedly the scrapbook of ideas she’d been carefully putting together since Tito asked her to marry him. Outwardly, she’s all smiles and laughter but you can imagine the amount of effort and planning putting all of this together and working with planners takes.
When she spots you, she squeals in excitement, sets her book down and dashes across the room to engulf you in a hug, making you stumble a few steps back.
You burst into laughter and wrap your arms around her, squeezing her with just enough force to try and communicate how much you missed her but not so that it was uncomfortable.
“I missed you! You’re here!” She exclaims, stepping back to look at you in disbelief then hugging you again. “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy you’re here! Where’s Mat? Is he here too?”
“Of course he is,” you assure her with a laugh. “I missed you too.” You throw a curious glance towards the room over her shoulder, nodding your head towards it. “How’s it going? Need me to take over for a bit?”
“Maybe later. Definitely later. Come on.” She wraps an arm around yours and leads the way out of the room, undoubtedly back to the reception area where you left Mat and Tito. “Please tell me Baltimore is off the table. FaceTime is fine, sure, but it’s not great, you know? I need the real deal next to me. Besides, I’m not sure if you heard, but Mat wasn’t Mat without you.”
“So I heard, but forget about us!” You said in a desperate attempt to try and steer attention away from the subject. “Tell me about how everything’s going. Are you still nervous about it? Because trust me, Elise - you have absolutely nothing to be nervous of. What I’ve heard of so far and what I’ve seen will make it the absolute best day, surely.”
“Of course I’m nervous,” she tells you and to demonstrate, she holds her free hand in front of you and sure enough, there’s just a slight tremble to it. “Please lend me some of those nerves of steel of yours, Y/N, I’d do anything to have even a small percentage of them right now.”
“Pft, as if. Those are all show, trust me.”
“I’ll take even that. Oh, Mat!” She greets as soon as the two of you reach the reception area and Elise spots Mat.
Much like you and Tito, they hug and when she steps back, she immediately stands next to Tito who doesn’t hesitate to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. They exchange a quick kiss and you smile at the happiness and bliss they’re clearly surrounded by.
It’s the slight pressure on your lower back that makes you jolt a little on the spot and it’s then you realise Mat had gently placed his hand there to encourage you a little closer. It takes effort on your behalf to follow his guidance but you move towards him, though you wish you could physically wince at how undoubtedly stiff the two of you must look. Or hopefully, not greatly so because neither Tito nor Elise comment on it or shoot you any funny looks as the four of you engage in brief conversation, mainly surrounding the trip here and any other guests they expect to receive today.
You don’t hang around much, though. Elise’s phone begins buzzing incessantly and she’s whisked away by the message received, but not before she fixes you with a pointed stare and demands the two of you have drinks later in the evening. Tito follows her also, even if he informs you and Mat that he feels as if he’s running around in the right places only because of Elise and the wedding planners, but you encourage him on by joking he could maybe turn a few candles on the tables this way or that for some extra oomph.
“I can’t imagine how she does it,” you admit to Mat once the elevator doors slide shut soundlessly and the car begins moving upwards to your floor.
“Pretty sure it’s not that big of a deal to her, given what all this is leading to,” Mat tells you and you detect a hint of detachment in his voice.
You don’t welcome it, of course you don’t, but you choose to not point that out to him. The last thing you want is an argument to break out the relatively okay mood the two of you have managed to hold, recent events that could be erased from memory aside. Instead, you simply stand back quietly, eyes glued on the red digital numbers aside until they come to a halt on the ninth floor where the elevator stops and you’re both left in a silent, dimly lit hallway.
Mat has the key to the apartment Elise told you the two of you would be in and just before tapping in, he hands you your own copy of it. Up until this very moment, you hadn’t thought very much of the overnight arrangements. You were pretty sure you meant to ask Elise a bit more about them at some point but both your attention and hers were pulled in different directions and here you were, stepping into your place for the next couple of nights, Mat trailing a little behind you.
You stop, arms folding across your chest and you feel Mat stop somewhere close behind you, looking into one room.
“I didn’t think this through,” you state neutrally.
Ahead of you lay only one bed.
#mat barzal#mat barzal imagine#mat barzal fic#nhl imagine#nhl fanfic#nhl fic#*#the synopsis sucks but i'm bad at short summaries lol#i had this idea since i first joined hockeyblr and i'm happy to have finally found the motivation to write it#anyway i have a vague idea for some scenes#and there will probably be three MAYBE four parts to it
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BETWEEN THE NOTES — SEMI EITA x GN!READER
synopsis: for as long as you can remember, you and Semi Eita have always hated each other—but a couple of tender glances and one too many bottles of beer later, you find out that maybe you were looking at it the wrong way this whole time.
genre: fluff, (kinda) enemies to lovers, musician!au, mutual pining but they’re both idiots, jealousy, etc.
warnings: alcohol + intoxication (nothing bad happens), slight suggestive themes, vulgar language, kinda fast paced?
wc: ~2.5k
to: @archivednikes happy birthday shawdy <3
special thanks to: @rintaroll for beta-ing & telling me a lil bit about how bands work and stuff bc idk shit lol :,)
“Semi, get your ass moving,” you huff. “You’re gonna make me late.”
He gives you a smug look and raises a slitted eyebrow. “Did something crawl up your ass and died? What’s up with you?”
You exhale heavily through your nose and stare at him, unimpressed.
“We gotta catch the afternoon train if you wanna reach the venue in time for our gig. This is a really good opportunity for me, don’t you dare mess it up.” you say, gathering the last of your things for the trip.
There is a tingling sensation crawling down your spine, as if someone is staring at you. You look over your shoulder curiously, opening your mouth to utter another snarky remark to get your partner to stop gawking around and get ready.
But the intensity behind his gaze caught you by surprise.
Those hazel eyes of his—ones that are usually sharp and cold—held a sort of softness in them as he looks at you. When you caught him staring, his gaze did not falter one bit.
You couldn’t stop your eyes from traveling down the perfect slope of his nose, continuing down to his pouty lips.
As much as you hate him, you can’t deny that Semi Eita is an attractive man. Heck, even the word attractive isn’t enough to express how infuriatingly hot he is.
Your gaze stays on his lips for a second too long. Have they always looked this soft and inviting?
The dry cough from the opposite side of the room is the only thing that managed to break you out of this trance. Semi Eita’s trance.
Your manager stands by the door, tapping her foot on the wooden tiles impatiently.
“Now, lovebirds,” she narrows her eyes, “Save the PDA for tonight, yeah? We’ve got a schedule to follow.”
You roll your eyes at her, cheeks uncomfortably warm. And just like that, the strange yet tender moment you shared with Semi dissipated into thin air.
。。。
You don’t know if you should take pity on the gray-haired singer or if you should laugh at him.
Currently, Semi’s head is bowed down in shame as he gets an earful from his manager in the middle of a crowded train.
You see, the four of you should’ve arrived at the venue by now. Both your managers are very strict about schedules, and they planned to arrive at the bar two hours before the agreed time.
Thankfully, his bandmates have been a little more punctual than him and have successfully boarded the 4pm train. But Mr. Popular right here just had to stop every few minutes to take pictures with every single fan he met on the way to the station.
“It’s half past five now,” his manager whisper-shouts, “Do you know what that means?”
Semi tries to give her an awkward smile to calm her down. It doesn’t work.
“It’s rush hour! What if we won’t reach the bar in time? It could ruin both your careers, do you know that?” she glares at Semi once again, but there is less bite in her voice now.
“I’m sorry,” Semi starts, plastering a charming smile on his face, “I only wanted to be nice to the fans. Wouldn’t make too good of an impression if I just ignored them, no?”
His manager sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, exasperated. She motions for Semi to stop talking with a wave of her hand.
The singer grins, and out of the corner of your eyes, you can sense his sharp gaze on you once more.
You try to ignore it.
。。。
When your group reaches the bar, Semi’s bandmates are almost done preparing themselves for the gig.
The bar is dimly lit and cool, the multitudes of warm overhead lighting being the only source of light in the room. It’s not too busy tonight, you observe. Some people still donned their work clothes, perhaps rushing over to the bar right after a long day at work—mingling around with friends to let loose for a little and enjoy themselves.
“Dude, where were you?” Aito asks, eyebrows turned downwards in a frown.
Semi pats the guitarist on the side of his head, “Relax, we’ve got plenty of time to prepare.”
Aito rolls his eyes, completely used to his bandmate’s antics.
“Whatever,” he huffs. “By the way, are we gonna have a little after party later?”
“Uh,” Semi’s eyes flicker towards you for one second, then back to Aito, “I dunno man, might be too tired to get wasted tonight.”
The guitarist narrows his eyes. He didn’t miss the way Semi’s gaze lingered on you.
“Y/N,” Aito smirks. “You coming to the after party?”
You were listening to their conversation this whole time, finding the whole exchange quite amusing.
“Eh, I don’t see why not,” you smile sweetly, “It’s gonna be even better now that this dude isn’t coming anyways.” You pointed your thumb at the vocalist.
From where he’s standing, you hear Semi scoff.
“Y’know what?” he sneers, “On second thought, I am going. How does that make you feel, huh?”
You shrug, feigning indifference.
“I literally do not care.”
“Piss off.”
Aito throws his head back in laughter, shaking his head as he walks away from the scene, muttering about people being too clueless and dense for their own damn good.
You adjusted your equipment bag on your shoulder, exhaling loudly to try and calm your heart down.
。。。
It is in moments like these that you remember why you decided to go forth with this career path, no matter how rocky it may be.
Adrenaline courses through your veins as you sing the lyrics of you and Semi’s song; every ounce of the jittery nerves you had just a few moments ago long gone.
There’s nobody else in this world that can ever take your place
Some of the customers are listening intently, others just nodding along to the song, and the rest not even listening at all.
You could hear your heartbeat thumping loudly against your chest, the sweat trickling down your forehead and into your eyes making it harder for you to see the crowd.
And when the day’s all done and dusted, all I ever need is to be in your arms again
You whip your head towards Semi, just like the countless times you rehearsed this song together.
“It shows chemistry,” your manager had said, “play it up for the crowd, will ya?”
The butterflies in your stomach flutters about restlessly when you notice that Semi has been looking at you this whole time.
His eyes—sharp and intense—held your gaze, unabashed. Steady. Sure.
Will you stay tonight? ‘Cause baby you’re all that I need, and you’re all that I want.
And in that moment, with your eyes locked on each other, the world seems to stop.
Nothing else matters, Semi’s lopsided smile says, only you.
。。。
The performance flew by in the blink of an eye, and it’s a little past midnight now. As promised, your managers held a little after party in the shared lounge of your penthouse suite.
It’s not as fancy as it sounds, you smile to yourself. There are suspicious stains on the gray carpet, and the furniture smells vaguely of cigarette smoke and sweat.
Bottles of beers have already littered the floor and glass table, and you haven’t even started drinking.
“Duuuude,” Yuuto slurs, “Why are ya so tense for?”
The bassist points at you and Semi, eyelids drooping as he tries his best to keep them open.
“C’mon guys,” Aito clasps his shoulders and massages them roughly, “Relax a little, we did amazing tonight.”
Semi shrugs his friend’s hands away, annoyed. He snatches an unopened bottle of beer from the cooler and opens the cap with his teeth.
You gulp. He hands you the bottle wordlessly before grabbing another one for himself, chugging it down quickly. You mirror his actions, hoping that the alcohol can dull the annoying fluttering in your stomach that refuses to leave ever since the two of you shared that intimate moment on stage.
For fuck’s sake, what’s going on with me?
Your trick works, in a way. Your stomach feels pleasantly warm now, and your breathing has finally evened out. Another unopened bottle of beer lays invitingly on the couch and you reach for it, opting for a bottle opener instead of doing it like Semi.
“Bro,” Yuuto grins at the singer, drool threatening to leave the corner of his mouth, “Did’ya see that blonde chick in the front row? She was hardcore eye-fucking you dude.”
“Ah,” Semi takes another swig of his beer, a cute flush blossoming in his cheeks.
Wait, what. Cute?
“She gave me her number when we were gathering up our stuff.” He runs his hand through his hair.
“You gonna hit her up or what?” Aito teases, smirking.
The singer shrugs, “Maybe, I dunno.”
Your breath hitches, and Aito’s smirk widens. You raise your eyebrows at him, silently telling him to fuck off.
“Where’s Kai?” you hear Semi ask. Come to think of it, you haven’t seen the drummer since after the show was over.
“Oh,” the guitarist laughs, “Fucker left us for some girl he saw in the bar. Might see him tomorrow morning, might not. Who knows?”
The vocalist hums and walks over to where you’re sitting, plopping down on the old couch.
“The managers?” Semi casually drapes his arm on the back of the sofa. You feel yourself tensing as your heart races uncontrollably, and the singer looks over at you with an unreadable expression on his face.
Aito scratches the back of his neck, quickly losing interest in the conversation.
“They decided to sleep in early. Long day, I guess.”
Semi nods and rests his head on the top of the couch, exposing his defined jawline. His eyelashes look so pretty from this angle, they’re long and fluttery and they almost…
Huh?
“Eita, are you gonna hit that blonde girl up or nah?” Aito provokes, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
You clench your teeth and reach for yet another bottle—your fourth one this past hour. Or fifth. You don’t bother counting. Semi looks over at you again, but this time his eyes holds a sort of concern in them. You scoff to yourself.
“Uh,” the singer looks at his friend weirdly, “Why are you so insistent on this? I did say maybe didn’t I?”
Aito laughs. You almost recoil in disgust.
“Oh nothing,” he chuckles, “It’s just that she’s really hot and she’s your type so—”
You stand up abruptly, knocking over some empty beer bottles by accident. The regret is immediate. You can feel the acid in your stomach traveling up your esophagus, tickling the back of your throat.
Semi quickly stands up when you clasp a hand over your mouth, trying your best to hold it together.
“Shit,” he mutters, “You okay?”
He rubs tiny circles on the small of your back, an action that’s supposed to be soothing but instead causes tingles to run up and down your spine. You shiver.
Another wave of nausea hits before you could respond, causing your knees to almost give out under you.
“Whoa there, angel,” Semi wraps his arm around your waist, holding you flush to his side to support your weight.
You groan softly as your head spins uncomfortably. Droplets of cold sweat is starting to form on your forehead, adding another layer of discomfort upon you.
“You wanna go to your bedroom?” Semi murmurs close to your ear. You shiver again. At this, Semi thought that you’re freezing so he drapes his leather jacket on your shoulders, holding you close.
You nod weakly as you try to blink the black spots in your vision away.
From somewhere around the room, you hear Aito snicker, “Stay safe!”
You turn your head around to give him a deathly glare, but all you see is a big blob of blurriness.
Dammit.
。。。
Semi takes the key card from your bag and pushes the door open, placing your duffel bag on the floor after
He guides you to the bathroom—with gentleness you rarely see from him—and sets the toilet cover down so you can sit on it while he wets a towel with the running tap water.
“You still feel dizzy?” he asks, voice soft.
You stare at his fingers as he wrings the towel and shakes your head.
Semi holds out the cloth and pats your forehead with it, the coolness allowing you to feel a little more refreshed.
“Do you want me to make you some tea?” he wipes the back of your neck carefully.
Shit. Has he always been this thoughtful?
You shake your head again, telling him that you just want to go to sleep.
He sighs and gives you a half-smile, holding out his arm to help you to the bed.
Semi still has it in him to give you a little but of privacy as you wiggle out of your tight jeans, looking away until you slip under the covers.
He helps you pull the plush white comforter closer to your chest, tucking you in.
Your mind doesn’t feel as hazy as it was a few hours ago, but the leftover alcohol coursing through your veins gave you a sort of boost to your impulses.
“Eita,” you whisper, reaching out towards the singer, “Stay?”
The singer halts in his steps and turns to look at you.
“Uh, I don’t know Y/N,” he starts, “You’re drunk right now.”
“No I’m not,” you say, steady voice proving your point. “Please?”
Semi glances over at the door and sighs. He chewed on his lower lip for a few seconds before sighing again.
“Okay.”
。。。
You’re struggling to open your eyes when you wake up, the harsh sunlight streaming into the room completely unfiltered.
Drunk you completely forgot to close the blinds, it seems.
You groan audibly, wanting to pull the covers above your head to hide yourself from this cruel world.
You freeze. Why can you feel someone’s soft breaths on the crown of your head?
Nervously, you reach out in front of you, eyes still shut closed. Oh no.
You force your eyes open, grimacing from the sudden brightness. Your eyes widen at the sight in front of you. Semi Eita, your supposed nemesis, is sleeping soundly a few inches away from you, arms wrapped around your waist.
What the hell happened last night?
A small squeak leaves your mouth as you fully realize the situation you’re in. The small noise wakes Semi up from his slumber, causing him to slowly open his eyes, squinting at the bright light.
“Morning, angel,” he croaks, voice raspy with sleep.
My god does he look pretty in the morning.
You stay there, frozen and unblinking. All the words at the tip of your tongue seem to disappear from existence.
Semi blinks, sitting up quickly.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he rubs his eyes vigorously, “I should’ve said no when you asked me to stay. Fuck, you were drunk and I—”
You grab the back of his neck and pull him closer to you, a small smile gracing your lips.
Your thumb grazes Semi’s bottom lip, dragging it down every so slightly before releasing it, enjoying the way he seems to unravel under your touch.
“Shut up and kiss me, will you?” you murmur, trying to keep your cool as your heart hammers against your chest loudly.
At this, Semi breaks out of his reverie and laughs, “I thought you’d never ask.”
a/n: if you’ve made it this far, please feel free to let me know what you think about this fic! and please REBLOG IF YOU ENJOYED mwah <3
© HAJIMINE — all rights reserved. please do not repost, copy, or claim any of my works as your own, thank you.
#❀ —𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐉𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄#haikyuu x reader#semi eita x reader#haikyuu!!#haikyuu fluff#haikyuu imagines#semi eita imagines#semi eita#haikyuu x you#hq x reader#haikyuu scenarios#!semi
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The Great Flesh-Eating Cake Incident of Year [REDACTED], Chapter 2
chapter: 2/2
relationships: Drumbot Brian-Raphaella la Cognizi (queerplatonic), Gunpowder Tim/Lyfrassir Edda/Marius Von Raum, Nastya Rasputina/the Aurora
Other things: genderfluid Tim, she/her Tim, he/fae Marius, temporary character death, possession, canon-typical violence. but mostly literally just silly self-indulgent fluff.
chapter 1
ao3
Read here below the cut >:}
The Rec Room: Tim, Lyf, Marius. All 10 still alive. (a few minutes before It is released)
Lazy days on Aurora are hard to come by, and when they do happen, they are spent most often by complaining about how boring lazy days are. Some, however, can find content in the slower days spent in relative peace and quiet. Case in point: the three currently buried in a pillow nest in the middle of the rec room floor.
The situation is this: the pillows and cushions from the furniture all stripped away and stolen to build a comfortable arrangement on the floor. Gunpowder Tim, in simply a loose blouse and leggings, hair braided elegantly over one shoulder. Lyfrassir Edda, in what is undeniably one of Tim’s waistcoats, perched in between the gunner’s legs, having their hair braided by her deft hands. Marius von Raum, sprawled across Lyf’s lap, waving his hands about animatedly as he talks.
“You left out the best part,” Tim says as Marius finishes relaying the story of how fae and Raph had joined the crew. “You forgot to mention the bit where Bri gave the two of you an actual job interview. And how, upon being asked your greatest strengths, you said, and I quote, ‘I’m hot.’”
“You did not,” Lyf looks utterly scandalized. “At a job interview?”
“You forget, love, that the job fae was applying for was being a Mechanism,” Tim points out, running her fingers through the former inspector’s hair. “The criteria is pretty much being able to play an instrument and willing to do crime.”
“Speaking of,” Marius says, batting aimlessly at Tim’s face where it peeks at him over Lyf’s shoulder. “It’s a shame that we only really have two or so songs together, Tim. We should get to sing together more.”
Tim nods in agreement. “We’re simply too powerful together.”
“I’ve been thinking of trying to get Jonny to let the three of us sing Blood & Whiskey,” Marius admits, then frowns. “Oh, wait, sorry Lyffers, I forgot you sound like a drowning cat when you sing.”
“I do not!” Lyf flushes scarlet, turning their face away from Tim’s raised eyebrow.
“You’re right, sorry, it’s more like a drowning cat playing a kazoo.”
Lyf makes an attempt to hit Marius lightly, but the violinist just catches their hand and kisses the back of it, grinning wickedly.
“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard you sing,” Tim says slyly, tying off the braid and leaning forward so she can rest her chin on Lyf’s shoulder. “Would you sing for me?”
“Do you enjoy the sound of a drowning cat playing a kazoo?” Lyf asks her.
“Well, not exactly…”
“Then according to Mare, you do not want to hear me sing.”
Tim pouts, showing off her mastery of sad puppy dog eyes. The overhead lights glinting off the metal make them sparkle, creating a masterfully alluring wide gaze. “Please? Just a bit? For me?”
It is next to impossible to argue with those eyes, especially once you’ve already fallen hard for the person making them at you. With a sigh, Lyf squeezes their eyes tight shut and awkwardly sings a few lines of Blood & Whiskey. It sounds, as promised, like a drowning cat playing a kazoo.
Tim manages to hold a straight face for roughly three seconds before guffawing with laughter, burying her face in the spot between Lyf’s shoulder and neck to smother her cackles.
Lyf breaks off, turning their head slightly with a gently irritated eyebrow raised at their partner. “Are you finished?”
“Sorry,” Tim gasps between giggles, nuzzling further into their neck, failing miserably at trying to stifle her mirth. “I- I just- I didn’t expect it to actually sound- like that- I’m- I’m sorry-”
“I told you,” Marius crows, grinning up at Lyf and Tim with triumphant teasing fire in faer eyes. “Wasn’t I right?”
“You two are very rude to me,” Lyf huffs, sticking their nose in the air haughtily. Tim lifts her face from their shoulder and noses their jaw, murmuring something about drowning cats and how they have never sounded more attractive. Lyf pointedly ignores her.
“Aw, hey, don’t be like that, fairytale,” Marius heaves himself into a sitting position and catches the former inspector’s face in his hands. “Y’know we’re just teasing you ‘cuz we love you, yeah?”
“Yeah, yeah, I love you too,”Lyf sighs, giving in and letting faer kiss them.
“Sappy,” Tim comments, earning a petulant finger from Marius. “Also, fairytale?”
“They’re my fairytale,” Marius declares proudly, and Tim pouts. “What am I, then?”
“You,” Lyf contemplates, turning their head to meet Tim’s metallic gaze with their own iridescent one. “You’re my battle cry. You’re the song I sing for strength when I can’t find it. You’re my declaration to the world that I will not stand still and break. You’re the inspiration that keeps me fighting. My battle cry.”
“Well,” Tim blinks, making a valiant attempt to keep her voice steady. “Hey now. You didn’t have to go and do that to me.”
Lyf’s brow furrows, concern instantly evident in their features. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, goddamnit, you said everything right, you- fuck.” without another word, Tim fists a hand in the front of their shirt and pulls them into a kiss. “I fucking love you.”
Lyf’s (no doubt sappy as all hell) response is cut off by Marius, who groans and rolls out of their lap with a huff. “If you two are going to be like that, I’m leaving.”
“You started it,” Tim points out, “but whatever, more Lyf time for me.”
Marius sticks faer tongue out at her as fae leaves. “Go see if Bri’s made me any munchies!” Tim calls after him, before turning back to her partner with a decidedly malicious smirk. “Now, where were we?”
They are interrupted not long after by Brian, who comes barging into the room without preamble, zeroes distractedly in on the pair of them, says “Oh. Hello, dears. Have either of you seen an unidentifiable mass of sentient ooze? Slightly larger than an octokitten? It ate Marius,” and then hurries out the opposite door.
Tim and Lyf glance at each other, attempting to register his words. “Wha- Brian, what?”
But the Drumbot has already disappeared down the corridor, leaving the two of them to scramble to their feet and race after him, their questions landing on ignorant ears.
Nastya, the corridors: 9 left alive, 1 eaten.
Nastya spends her lazy days with her girlfriend, most of the time. She enjoys the quieter hours when she can work on repairs, listening to Aurora tell her stories or complain about whatever is on her mind. This particular lazy day, the engineer is sitting cross-legged on the floor of one of the corridors, right outside Jonny’s room, her hands deftly working at the wires beneath one of the wall panels. Aurora is telling her about a new program she and Ivy are working on, a sort of virtual reality experience for the shooting range that will ‘revitalize the excitement of warfare’, in her words. Nastya listens intently, interjecting with questions when she has them and praise when it is deserved.
As she finishes up, carefully replacing the wall panel and smiling softly at Aurora’s petulant complaints, something drops from the air vent above her. She takes a smooth step back as the thing falls to the floor with a wet thwack. At first glance it resembles an octokitten, but as it unfurls it reveals itself as more of a dark glistening lump, tendrils of gooey flesh extending across the floor toward Nastya.
“Well, hello,” The engineer says, tilting her head to study it. “What are you?”
That is the cake our Drumbot and his science officer made, Aurora answers for her. Don’t touch it.
“This is a cake?”
I believe it was supposed to be.
“And what is it now?”
Decidedly not a cake.
It’s at that moment that Ivy comes racing into the corridor, breathless and looking faintly annoyed. “Ah. Nastya. Good. Have you seen-” her eyes drift to the thing at Nastya’s feet. “That.”
“I am certainly looking at it right now,” Nastya says in response, nudging a toe forward to poke at it. Ivy throws out an arm to stop her. “Do not. Unless you want to get eaten.”
Nastya raises an eyebrow and quickly steps back, just as an octokitten meanders into the area, approaching the blob with a curious ‘mrrp’. Ivy dives for it, but the creature is much faster, latching onto the octokitten in a second. But instead of eating it, the thing seems to melt into it, turning it a darker color.
“Hm,” Ivy hums curiously. “That’s new.”
The possessed octokitten zeroes in on Ivy and Nastya, yawning wide to show a lot more teeth than should be able to fit in its mouth.
“Run?” Nastya suggests, watching the kitten start forward on uneasy tentacles.
“Run,” Ivy agrees.
Jonny & Ashes, the shooting range: 9 left alive, 1 eaten.
The shooting range is one of the few rooms on Aurora that isn’t quiet on lazy days. This day is no different from any other in that regard, with the sounds of gunfire and cackling echoing from behind the wide open door. The quartermaster and the first mate are both in there, trapped in a pointless competition to outshoot each other. They have done this many times before, and who wins changes nearly every time. But it’s an excellent way to distract and relieve stress, and Jonny had noticed Ashes appearing down earlier, so he had suggested a shooting competition. He never said that he was doing it to cheer them up, but he’s pretty sure they’ve caught on to his intentions.
“I kicked your ass harder than Brian got his ass kicked in that sun,” Ashes remarks, standing over Jonny, who lies prone on the floor. Jonny groans and sits up, shoving his singed hair off of his forehead. “You cheated.”
“Says what rules?” Ashes snorts, reaching down to help him up.
“It was a shooting match, O’Reilly, not a goddamn grenade match.”
“Your screaming was hilarious, though.”
Jonny scowls and flips them off. Ashes laughs and slips another grenade into their pocket, a little something to save for later.
The trapdoor in the ceiling of the shooting range drops open, and Raphaella tumbles through, falling head over heels and landing neatly on her feet with a dancer’s grace. “We have something of a problem.”
“Yeah, Ashes just fucking blew me up,” Jonny complains, and Ashes rolls their eyes. “You’re fine.”
“You’re fine,” Raphaella says at exactly the same time, and Ashes shoots a grin at her. “Anyway, Bri and I may have done… something.”
“You may have done something,” Brian argues, breezing into the room with Tim and Lyf close on his heels. “I take no responsibility.”
“Can we please go back to the part where it ate my boyfriend?” Lyf demands, causing Jonny’s eyebrows to shoot up practically to his hairline. “Someone’s eating boyfriends?”
“The octokittens are possessed,” this is Nastya, squeezing past Brian through the door, tailed by Ivy.
“Possessed?”
“Possessed,” Ivy confirms, to Brian’s incredulous outburst.
“D’you mean those octokittens?” Jonny asks, pointing to the door. Sure enough, a gaggle of octokittens meanders through, moving a bit unsteadily, oily dark colors writhing beneath their skin.
“That looks like- that’s-” Lyf’s eyes go wide as they stare at the kittens. “What the fuck is that?”
“It was supposed to be a cake,” Brian says mournfully.
“It ate Marius!”
“It’s technically your child, Lyf,” Raphaella pipes up. “The compound I used to make it is based on your blood samples.”
Lyf just stares at her.
“It doesn’t look that bad,” Ashes remarks. They crouch down and flip open their lighter, holding it in front of one of the kittens’ face. It flinches, then snarls and shoots toward them, latching onto their foot, its jaws opening far wider than they should be able to. They try to kick it off, but its tentacles appear to have melted onto their skin and are slowly eating through. With a squelch, the odd entity detaches fully from its octokitten host, who blinks and scuttles into the corner.
With a pained grunt, Ashes drops their lighter onto the thing on their foot, successfully setting the thing alight. It recoils and retreats to the center of the floor, squelching in a frantic circle. It leaves behind nothing left of the quartermaster’s foot, and Ashes stumbles and is caught by Jonny, who steadies them and shoots a murderous look at the flaming blob.
“Fuck fuck fuck,” Ashes hisses through their teeth, pain evident on their features. “Goddamn. What the fuck, you two.”
“Again, I take no responsibility,” Brian insists. Raphaella sticks her tongue out at him. “You are a bastard and a traitor and I never loved you anyway.”
Brian blows her a kiss and a wink.
“Interesting,” Ivy interrupts, pulling out a notepad and writing something down. ��It appears fire is ineffective.”
This gets everyone’s attention directed back to the creature, which is indeed decidedly not dead or incapacitated in any way. It isn’t even on fire anymore. And it looks angry.
“You’re kidding me,” Ashes growls, staring at the thing with disgusted fury.
“Run,” Tim suggests, pushing Lyf gently out of the way as the thing focuses on them and begins to move forward. “Split up and run. It can’t get all of us at once.”
Jonny nods and dutifully starts off out of the room, taking Ashes with him, holding them up as they limp and curse. Ivy and Nastya shoot off in another direction, Nastya scooping up the disgruntled left-behind octokitten as she goes. Raphaella grabs Lyf’s wrist and pulls them up through the ceiling trapdoor, ignoring their startled protests. That leaves Tim with Brian. She turns to him, poised to ask what the plan is, but hesitates when she sees Brian standing there, head cocked to one side, staring blankly at the empty floor. The bifrost cake-creature is nowhere to be seen.
“Brian?” Tim steps forward, reaching out and resting a concerned hand on his shoulder. “Bri? You good?”
Brian’s head lifts, slowly, in an uncharacteristically stilted motion. His eyes are… wrong. Something is moving in them, and if Tim looks closely she can see it oozing from the corners. Oh. Oh no.
“Fuck,” she breathes, stumbling backward and reaching for a pistol. “Not Brian not Brian not Brian.”
The thing in Brian’s body smiles, forcing the expression onto the Drumbot’s face. It takes a step forward. Of course, it’s at that moment that the Toy Soldier decides to make its first appearance.
“Sorry I’m late!” It announces as it steps into the shooting range. “I was in the middle of a delightful painting using the blood from that corpse Jonny dragged onto the ship the other day! I didn’t want to leave it for too long in case it was ruined! Anyway, I heard there was a crew meeting?”
“Oh, I’d love to see that painting,” Tim says, momentarily distracted. The Toy Soldier claps its hands together excitedly. “Of course! I’ll set up a viewing!”
Tim grins. “Lovely. Now, what do you know of possession?”
“Well, it depends on what kind!”
“Um,” Tim glances back at Brian and whatever is piloting him, who has stopped in its tracks and is watching the exchange curiously. “Well. Would you.. Happen to know anything about possession by.. Cake?”
In the brief pause that follows, the thing inside Brian appears to give up on its curiosity and steps forward, opening his mouth. Tim frowns at it for a moment, confused, and then she sees the soft glow building in the back of the Drumbot’s throat. “Oh shit.”
Tim & The Toy Soldier, just outside the shooting range, 9 left alive, 1 footless, 1 eaten
Tim grabs the Toy Soldier and pulls it with her as she bolts to the door, just as a jet of flame shoots out of Brian’s mouth.
“Since when can he do that?” she yelps, flattening herself against a wall to avoid being scorched.
“Oh, that is interesting!” TS declares, peeking around the doorframe. Tim nods. “So. To catch you up. There’s some sort of Bifrost related demon-creature loose on the ship, it is currently inside Brian’s body and appears to be controlling him. Fire can’t kill it. Oh, and it ate Mare.”
The Toy Soldier nods, bouncing on the balls of its feet. “So?”
Tim blinks, then shrugs. “We kill it, I suppose. At least get it out of Brian.”
“How do we do that?”
“That’s what I’m asking you!”
Another jet of flame shoots past them, followed by what sounded oddly like a frustrated grunt. The thing still hasn’t actually followed them into the hall, which is a good sign, if somewhat nonsensical. Tim flinches further back instinctively, feeling the heat in her eyes.
“I don’t know what to do,” she confesses. “I don’t know how to get it out without opening Brian up, and he won’t like that. And I can’t even get close to it when it’s breathing fire at us like that.”
“Hmm,” the Toy Soldier hums a thoughtful note. Tim bites her lip, thinking, then lets out a soft laugh. “I’m glad I’m here with you and not Nastya,” she tells TS. “She’d probably suggest kissing it.”
There’s an awkward clank from the shooting range, followed by the sounds of a struggle. Tim glances at TS, who shrugs. “I could kiss it!”
“Could you?” Tim frowns again. “I mean.. I suppose it would just be kissing Brian, wouldn’t it, unless.. D’you think that would work? The kissing?”
“Possibly!” the Toy Soldier sounds positively thrilled about the prospect. “I’m very good at it, you know!”
“I feel like making out with the eldritch blob possessing our crewmate is a bit extreme,” Tim says, peeking around to corner to see what’s happening in the shooting range. What she sees gives her pause.
Brian seems to be fighting back against the thing holding his body hostage. He’s standing in the room where they left him, and every so often he takes a jerky, strained step forward, like he’s having to force himself to step. Although in this case its more likely that he’s trying to stop himself from taking a step. He looks pained, and Tim feels that familiar protective rage rising in her, that feeling of no he’s mine you can’t hurt him. All thoughts of kissing fade away, and she steps out, pistol in hand, and marches back into the shooting range.
“Brian,” she says, and the Drumbot’s head lifts slightly, his eyes still leaking sludgy iridescence. “Bri. Hey. I know you can hear me. Uh. I’m going to do something, and it might be.. A bit uncomfortable for you, but it will hopefully work out in the long run. So do me a favor and… stop fighting it for a moment? Just a moment.”
Brian gives her a wary look, but nods stiffly, clearly using every bit of control he has left. Then he lets go. His face goes blank, and his mouth opens, that glowing heat making another appearance. With a grimace, Tim lifts her pistol and fires.
The bullet flies true, carving straight through the flamethrower mechanism in the back of Brian’s throat and exiting out the back of his head. There’s an inhuman screeching sound, and Brian jerks once as the creature, with its main source of power destroyed, crawls out of the hole left behind.
Brian shudders once, then raises a hand to touch the new hole in his head.
“You alright?” Tim asks, stepping forward. “You.. you?”
“I’m fine,” Brian reassures her. “That could have obliterated my vocal cords, but I’m alright.”
“You’re welcome,” Tim says, tossing her braid back over her shoulder smugly.
“I don’t want to ruin the good mood,” TS says, peeking into the room curiously. “But, where did it go?”
Tim and Brian both freeze, locking terrified eyes. And then the lights go out.
Raphaella, Lyfrassir, Nastya, Ivy: In the dark. 9 left alive, 1 eaten, 1 footless
When the lights go out, someone screams. It’s Lyf. Raphaella shoots them a glare over her shoulder, aware of their ability to see in the dark.
“Sorry,” they whisper. Raphaella frowns. “Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t know,” they admit. “It feels like the right thing to do.”
“Aurora?” That’s Nastya’s voice, coming from just ahead of them. She sounds worried. “Aurora, please say something. Please tell me if you’re hurt. Aurora?”
“Nas?” Raphaella moves forward, stretching a hand out until she bumps into the engineer’s shoulder. Nastya grabs her hand and gives it a quick squeeze, an indication that she’s here and she’s alright. “Raph, good. Is Lyfrassir still with you?”
“Right here,” Lyf says, still whispering. “Where’s Ivy?”
“Here as well,” the archivist pipes up from the other side of Nastya. “Everyone’s okay, as far as we can tell, Aurora simply.. Stopped.”
“Do you think it got to her?” Lyf asks, shifting nervously behind Raphaella.
“It better not have,” Nastya snaps, her concern for her girlfriend evident in her voice.
Raphaella squeezes Nastya’s shoulder and looks around, cursing the fact that she hasn’t given herself night vision yet. “Ives, can you get ahold of Bri?”
Ivy nods and closes her eyes, typing out a message to Brian in her brain. After a moment, she nods again and announces, “He’s alright. Tim and the Toy Soldier are with him. It took control of his body, but they got it out of him and he’s barely hurt.”
“That’s good!” Raphaella exclaims, giving Nastya’s shoulder another squeeze. “That means Aurora should be fine, once we get it out of her!”
Nastya nods, expression growing determined. “How do we get it out of her?”
“Um, I don’t mean to alarm anyone,” Lyf says, sounding a bit shaky. “But there is something wrapped around my leg.”
They sound afraid, but not panicked or in pain, which causes Raphaella to frown. They don’t even sound urgent. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah I’m- I’m fine, it isn’t hurting me. It’s more… it’s like it’s hugging me.”
“Didn’t you say you made it out of their blood?” Ivy inquires, and Raphaella nods. “Perhaps it recognizes them as one of its own.”
“I don’t like the implications of that,” Lyf says quietly, then gives a determined shake of their head. “Right. Now is not the time for a Bifrost-related panic attack.”
“We can use this,” Raphaella perks up suddenly. “We can use your connection to it, Lyffy, to… something.”
Silence falls as the four of them think on it. And then Ivy speaks up. “I have something from Brian. He met up with Jonny and Ashes, and Jonny has an idea. He just needs us to lure it into something smaller and able to be picked up.”
“Can we do that?” Raphaella glances to Lyf, who nods. “Great. Let’s go.”
Lyfrassir, the kitchen. Same situation.
The kitchen is dark and eerie when Lyf enters, stepping carefully over the seething tendrils rising from the floor, grabbing at their legs. It’s almost possessive, the way it reaches for them, curling around them with its oozing tentacles. They can almost hear it talking to them, in their head, whispering mine mine mine. It terrifies that, but they shove it aside to think about later, once they’ve got this dealt with. Instead they focus on locating something small and liftable to lure the thing into. They find something almost instantly.
As they approach the object they’ve chosen, their Bifrost-enhanced eyes land on something in the middle of the floor, a moving shape.
“Hey, babe,” they say, stepping lightly over the half-formed Marius Von Raum to the counter.
“Hi,” fae groans, conscious enough for at least that. “Whatcha up to?”
“Oh, nothing,” Lyf replies, placing their hands gently on the object they want to bring the creature into, watching it curl up around their arms and moving down the walls toward them, chasing the contact. “And… there we are.”
In a flash, Jonny comes pelting into the room. He grabs Small Brian the electric mixer from Lyf’s hands, and as the lights come on he races down the corridor, and the sound of a door sliding open can be heard.
“What did you do?” Brian demands as the first mate reappears, smugly dusting off his hands.
“Tossed it out the airlock,” Jonny grins.
“Right, ‘cause throwing all our problems out an airlock always works,” Ashes snorts. Jonny frowns. “It does.”
Tim shakes her head. “Oh, you are so lucky I can’t roll my eyes too hard without fucking up my face, D’Ville.”
Brian looks gutted. “You- you threw- Small Brian?”
Jonny freezes. “Oh- oh shit, Bri- I didn’t- Shit shit shit.”
“We’re getting it back,” Brian says, folding his arms and glaring. “As soon as Aurora’s recovering, we’re getting it back.”
“How do we know that that thing will die out there and not just… devour a star system?” Lyf asks. Jonny shrugs. “That’s not our problem.”
“I… fair enough,” Lyf sighs, and casts a last look toward the airlock before going to help Marius up.
Brian & Raphaella: Everyone alive and well
They get everything on the ship back in order quickly. Marius is back, and is being regaled with the tales of what he missed by Lyf and Tim. As soon as Aurora is ready to move again, Brian takes her to pick up Small Brian, and he carries the mixer reverently back to its place in the kitchen. “You’re a hero,” he whispers to it, before kissing the top of it lightly. He then gathers all the ingredients to make another cake, a real one this time.
Just as he’s setting up to get everything made, Nastya comes marching out of the corridor from where she’s been checking up on Aurora, a flamethrower in hand.
“Right,” she says, firing up the weapon. “Where are the fuckers who got my girlfriend possessed?”
Raphaella and Brian glance at each other, knowing this was coming. With a grin, Raphaella runs over and grabs Brian’s hand, pulling him after her down the hall and away from the vengeful engineer.
Nastya curses and follows, and Raphaella lifts off the ground, sweeping Brian into her arms bridal-style to easier carry him. He yelps, and then laughs, twisting to look down and watch Nastya chase after them, looking furious.
Raphaella rounds into a tight corner and sets down, letting Brian back on his feet. They’re both giggling, and Brian buries his face in her shoulder, grinning widely. She kisses his hair and strokes it lightly, running her fingers around the edges of the hole in the back of his neck.
Nastya finds them like that, rounding the corner and hefting her flamethrower with a malicious glimmer in her eyes. “There you are,” she hisses, and this time there’s nowhere to run.
“It was fun while it lasted,” Raphaella murmurs to Brian as she pulls back, and he takes her hand.
“Love you always,” he replies, and she leans over to kiss his cheek. “See you soon.”
And together, they face their fate.
#this is. the stupidest thing i have ever written#enjoy <3#i'm sorry it took so long to get this done i lost all writing motivation for a while#anyway i hope you like it!!!#fic#my fic#my writing#the mechanisms#the mechs#drumbot brian#raphaella la cognizi#lyfrassir edda#gunpowder tim#ivy alexandria#nastya rasputina#jonny d'ville#ashes o'reilly#the toy soldier#long post#very long post
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Girl Talk (The Song of Sway Lake Fic)
A/N: The moment has finally arrived! The first official collab/crossover between myself and @miss-kittys-magical-library! I’m really excited for how this came out, and how much fun we had writing it together. 😊 Word Count: 3127 Rating: T - mild language, brief mention of blood, discussion of violence
~The Papermill bookstore, Sway Lake~
Selina burst through the door of the bookstore. She almost doesn't wait for Jess to say hello or ask questions. Selina is overcome with adrenaline, the exhilaration of what she did. A giant smile spread across her lips. There's almost a dreamy look in her eyes.
She's covered in blood: her hands, her jeans, the bottom of her shirt. Selina held her hands like a surgeon so she didn't touch anything.
Jess’s mouth hung open while she pointed nervously towards the upstairs. Her friend knew where to find what she needed.
Selina comes out of the hot shower knowing Jess will be in the room waiting. She found clean clothes but stopped to study herself in the mirror. Somehow she felt like her body had changed somehow.
Selina caught a picture of her and Jess and held it up. How far they've come from the girls in the photo on her best friend’s dresser.
She glimpsed Jess in the mirror, a strange smirk on her face. Selina knew something was up. She handed the picture to her friend and spoke,
“Can you believe this was us?”
------
There had been a time in life where Selina and Jess had told each other everything, no matter what. And yet somehow this summer, one of the most eventful in recent history, Jess hadn’t told her best friend anything. Anyone who had spent any time on the lake knew about tensions between the Sways and...basically everyone, but especially Selina’s mother and her relatives. And more than that, it had been kind of nice to have a good secret all to herself for a little while. But she missed her friend, and would have loved her advice on what to do about the boy who was quickly becoming someone important, and a problem for her heart.
She was just thinking about the other girl, wondering if she should call her after work, maybe suggest a bonfire or late night rowboat race like they used to have, when Selina burst through the door. Jess’s eyes fell to the blood first, and then rose quickly to Selina’s face and the expression that didn’t match the apparent situation at all.
A thousand questions raced through her mind as she pointed her best friend toward her bathroom (not that Selina didn’t know where it was by now) and made quick work of closing the shop. She didn’t seem hurt, so everything else could wait. While Selina washed herself clean, Jess dug for any clothes left behind the last time she had come for a visit, and failing that, any old shorts and t-shirt. She left them on top of the dresser and poked her head into the bathroom to gather the discarded bloody garments and throw them into the wash.
Selina was standing in the bedroom, studying herself in the mirror when Jess returned, and for a moment she wondered, again, if her friend was injured.
“Can you believe this was us, what?”
Selina laughed, “These girls. We’re just girls here trying to be grown women. I sort of treated you like I did Sunny.”
She waited for Jess to maybe bristle or tense up at his name. “I marched on to the beach, saw the first girl my age who had SOMETHING in common with me, and declared you mine. We aren't little girls anymore.”
There was a bittersweetness in her voice. Selina didn't even care that she was naked.
Jess laughed. She remembered that day, meeting Selina after escaping her siblings in search of a moment of peace and quiet, far from what actually found her instead. But they had got on so quickly she'd forgotten to be angry about it.
"No, we really aren't," she agreed with a tinge of nostalgic sadness in her own voice.
She leaned back on her hands on the bed, watching her friend study the picture. "I never minded, you know. It was kind of nice to be claimed by somebody. You'll always be my first for that," she bit her lip, hoping the joke didn't come off as uncomfortable given the situation.
Selina finally dressed and sat beside her friend on the bed. Her knuckles caressed the other woman’s cheek before she swept the hair from her face. Without a thought, she leaned in and gently pressed her lips to Jess’s, tongue lingered a bit before she broke away.
“That's from Sunny too.” Selina laid on her side tucked under Jess’s arm. “How is it that I was here for a few weeks, and youuuu have been tramping around Sway Lake with some chick?! Have you gone FULL lesbian?” she dropped her voice low.
Jess turned onto her side, propping a head on her arm to face Selina.
"You two are so weird," she rolled her eyes. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."
Her stomach flipped at the thought of Sunny, eyes cast to the ceiling as her thoughts wandered. She loved Ollie, but there was something raw about the idea of losing the other boy, even though he wasn't really hers anymore and hadn't been in quite some time.
She quirked a teasing eyebrow as she returned to the present moment and the woman beside her.
"If I was going to do that, do you think it would be with anyone else than you? Whoever gave you your gossip needs glasses."
Selina’s mouth dropped open, “There's a guy around here with hair that long?!”
She linked her arm through Jess’s and pulled her in for a hug. The other woman now wrapped up in her embrace. Selina let her chin rest on her friend’s head as she stroked her hair. “You feel happier. Content. Like you're just drifting along. I know you loved Sunny in your own way, but this is different. It's the,” she ran a hand up and down Jess’s body without touching it, “this. Papa would call it your aura.”
Jess grinned. "I am. I'm really, really happy," she answered dreamily. "Ollie's a really sweet guy. But only here for the summer…"
She swallowed down the lingering bitter taste her argument with Ollie the previous morning had left in her mouth, not wanting to burden the conversation with her fears. Especially not when she still had so many questions of her own.
"But don't think asking about my love life is going to get you out of explaining yourself, missy." She teased.
Selina sat up, “Oliver Sway?! Jessica! Come on. Any other Tom, Dick or asshole at this stupid lake. Sunny. Sunny’s RIGHT THERE. Just grab him by the ankle and bring him back to Earth. He needs you.”
She took a breath, “That.. harpie will tear you apart because you aren't good breeding. It's Sway Lake because that's what those upper crust cunts hold over this entire town. Sway. Lakes dont belong to one family, they should belong to EVERY person. Are Sunny and I the only ones NOT under this family’s curse? First Tom, then Nikolai and now you.”
Selina’s voice was full of disappointment more than anger. She looked at her hands. Her palms, white and clean, were just caked brownish red not even an hour ago. “It can't be the both of us.”
"Nikolai?!" Jess asked, staring for a moment before doubling over in laughter. "Oh god it all makes sense now."
She struggled to contain her laughter, gasping for air and wiping away the tears in her eyes from it.
"Fuck Charlotte Sway, I couldn't care less what she thinks," she said, sobering and then sighing. "It's not like I planned on falling in love with Ollie. But I did, and it kinda scares me. I really really don't want to lose him. And he hates her and the whole legacy bullshit as much as anyone. Let it all rot or burn or whatever."
Jess was silent for a moment. It was hard to say Selina was her only or even oldest friend. But they were best friends, for certain, and they knew everything about each other. There were even times when they were younger that Selina and Sunny had talked about soulmates and Jess had wondered if she were hers. Which is why her stomach twisted with guilt as she realized just how unsettled Selina was, and pretending not to be.
"But enough about me, it doesn't matter. Are you okay?"
Selina took Jess’s hand in hers. She laced their fingers together and laid down again. This time she and her friend were side by side. She was certain no one in any spoken language had invented a word for what the two of them were.
Selina knew it was why Leon and Johnny always ended phone calls and visits with long hugs and I love yous. Why Honey and Klaus showered each other with intimacy and affection Honey showed Leon. Friendships that made people question your sexual intentions. It was probably something in the Kostas skin, like a pheromone.
The 23 year old pushed the thought out of her mind that everyone around them was their friend because they didn't have a choice. Instead she squeezed Jess’s hand.
“You know Honey, she holds grudges with a tight grip. There's only two people she hates: Charlotte Sway and Reginald Hargreeves, and he's the one she really wants dead. Charlie is lonely and miserable. That's punishment enough for Mama. Papa always says she would make a great Mafia don. She DID like Tim Sway;
cried when he killed himself. He wasn't even Charlot-” Selina cut herself off. “Either way Ollie must take after him then. I hope he does. I think we played together when we were little?”
She realized she was avoiding the question and wanted to deflect solely on Jess. Sunny wasn't the only one who slept around up here, or had a weird effect. Selina again panicked if maybe, somehow, what was in him was in her. That the Russian on a canoe in the middle of the night would show up in the Village, screaming at her in the dead of night. Some of the guys she fucked flopped around on top of Selina for a few minutes, got off while she stared at the ceiling. Then they laid claim to her like any White guy who thought he owned someone else’s land.
“And don't laugh like that either! I was doing my duty as a future nurse and helping someone who got hurt.”
She watched Jess cross her arms, even on her back. She was giving Selina THAT stare. Selina threw her hands up. “Ohhh,” she whined, ”I was swimming, floating really. Probably out further than I should be in the middle of the night, but that fucking moon. And there he was on his way to get rid of those horrendous jet skis of Jimmy’s. And he was flirtatious and made me groan, but also laugh?”
Selina had pulled her knees up to her chest so she could hug them. A far off look on her face. “And he's very.. I didn't really pay attention to what he looked like. WHO, right? It was just this fire that went through me. Like I knew him?
“Mama always talks about the day I was born and speaking into existence this notion. That every version of her will be loved by and love Papa. She thought it was blood loss creating insanity, but Sunny and I had designs on a love like theirs.”
“And the way Nikolai made me feel, and the way he knew my body? We didn't even fuck; not like that. I haven't cum that hard or much ever. Even by myself.”
“Then he got hurt, and I made Sunny take me to him. Ollie had saved him, right? As we're stitching him back together, I see his face. That face I grew up with three times over. He's fashioned for me, Jess. Maybe like Ollie is for you. But Nikolai is Leon and Nicklaus and Klaus and he's made to be mine.”
"No, no I'm not laughing at that, or you," Jess promised. "Just...the first decent conversation Nikolai and I had, he mentioned meeting someone. Matching his description to you is what's funny. And the fact that you two are such opposites." Jess paused, smiling in fondness for both parties in question. "But it's safe to say he likes you, a lot."
She felt silly now, not putting it together sooner. After all, there was no one else in the world she could think more aptly described as a siren made of the moon. And as funny as it was on paper, something about Selina and Nikolai made sense.
And, it made her heart beat giddily. Her faith in fate was complicated, but when it came to the Kostases, the concept was shockingly simple. And it seemed impossible that this was just coincidence, the four of them tied together like this.
'Or maybe,' she silently scolded, 'it's wishful thinking so you can tell yourself you're not being completely crazy.'
The rest of what Selina said registered belatedly and she blanched. "Wait. That was a lot of blood. Are you saying that it was all Nikolai's?"
“It was,” Selina replied softly.
"Jesus. What did he do, get in a knife fight?" Her voice was a mixture of concern and annoyance.
She could see Nikolai doing something like that, to defend his own pride which he deflected onto Ollie, or for some other stubborn, idiotic thing. And now that there were two people she loved who would get hurt if something happened to him, she made a note to have a little chat with him about being so reckless. And to find Ollie later to check on both boys.
"I know if he had you helping take care of him, I don't have to ask if he'll be alright." She nudged Selina teasingly with a shoulder, hoping to break up some of the heavy, contemplative air settling over them both.
“Knives don't cause QUITE as much damage as you think. Unless you hit a vein. Diego showed me how to do it effectively once. Plus if he's like the others, Nikolai probably prefers fists to weapons. Or the spider monkey sleeper-hold thing Klaus and Sunny do. Although Papa stabbed Uncle Jonny once, it was just an artificial wound.”
Selina suddenly scooped Jess up in her arms so they could go back to a cuddle. She tangled her legs and arms around Jess to sort of dominate her personal space. Her forehead pressed into her friend’s neck.
“He and Jimmy got into it, and they were on the boat dock. Nik slipped and hit his head. Ollie swam for like, the first time ever to get him up into a boat. Had pressure on it. I just stitched him with fishing wire. They'll do better at the ER.”
Selina sighed, “If he's like them he wouldn't die anyways. Klaus died like twice in a few days, also head injuries? Either way, Nikolai would’ve been fine without me.”
Then almost like an afterthought, “Did you say he talked to you about me? Probably something about conquests and the Russian army. But you! YOU FELL IN LOVE this summer! I got my pussy licked and think he's this mythical soulmate. You're in actual, real love.”
Selina propped up on her elbow, “Have you slept together? No I'm sorry, YOU get to call it MAKING LOVE!!” she burst into a fit of giggles around cheeks fired by jealousy. “I am happy for you. I promise. I'm glad Sunny.. I'm just happy.”
"No, actually," Jess said, shifting around Selina so they tucked together more cleanly, like two matched puzzle pieces. This kind of closeness wasn't Jess's favorite thing, but Selina knew that, and Jess trusted that if she didn't need it, she wouldn't be initiating it. "It was surprisingly non-militant. And only one nautical reference."
Jess hesitated, remembering some of the incidents Selina had to deal with and one or two more from the summers that Sunny, or Jess herself, had headed off before they got far enough to be a concern (or for Selina to even know). She wanted her friend to know just what Nikolai had said, and that he very much did not just see her as just some conquest. But the line between sweet and creepy was a hazy one at best. She brought one hand away from the tangle to fret the corner of her thumb between her teeth while she thought it over.
"I'm not saying I'm jealous...but I thought it was romantic. And dramatic of course, look who we're talking about. But dramatic isn't always bad. I wish you'd stop dismissing yourself like that. Soulmate or no, you have some sort of feelings for him which seem serious; one might call it a crush at least. And he made you feel good. He made you happy. You're allowed that. You deserve it. And now, for the moment if not more, you have it, savor it."
"As for Ollie and me..."
She froze, frowning as she struggled to figure out just what to say. There was a part of her that feared a reputation of some kind (even though it was just Ollie that she'd been a first time for, and Sunny, but he didn't count). And another part that wanted to keep it to herself, even though most of her wanted to share. She bit again at her thumb, searching for words.
"It's not that big of a deal?"
Selina bit her lip before a yawn escaped her. “One: a crush is a crush because you can get hurt. Otherwise, it would be called a cushion. I think that's what Papa said once. Or was it Klaus?”
Selina closed her eyes now. “Either way, it's a very big deal! I can feel the difference in you. I want you to be in love. To maybe leave Sway Lake. Come back to the city with me? Close up this place for a few months. You can live with me. Or Oliver for a little while. Oh lovely little Oliver making my sweet Jessica come ‘round again. All your sadness and little pieces everywhere. I couldn't stitch you back together with fishing wire, could I? I shouldn't have let Sunny break your heart. I just didn't want being around me to remind you of him. I'm sorry. But Ollie.. he’ll.. Sorry, I think I'm a bit delirious from adrenaline? Mind if I nap a bit?”
But Selina was fast asleep before Jess could give permission.
Jess shook her head with a smile, carefully extricating herself and tucking her friend into the bed. Selina had given her a lot to think about.
#hopefully this formatting worked#it was not at first#author collaboration#Jess O'Neill and Selina Kostas#Moonbrella Lake Crossover#The Song of Sway Lake fic
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who do you think you are? [spn cast]
prompts: none
summary: breaking down on stage at an SNS during karaoke
characters: the spn cast
warnings: angst, fluff, no offense to Gen because I literally adore her <3
[beginning to think I like cheating!angst]
''Welcoming Y/n L/n to the stage!'' I heard Rich's voice filled with a humorous tone, it still feels weird to use L/n instead of Padalecki. He's the one that ended it, not me, I just received the divorce papers. Hearing the gasps of some of the non-obsessive fans hearing my last name nearly tore me apart, what would they be thinking right now?
''I don't think she needs an introduction, what you thinking, Y/n?'' He continued, wrapping an arm around me as I strolled on stage.
I whispered in his ear before talking to the audience, ''I think you all know this one.'' Despite the laugh in my sentence, it wasn't a funny time in my life right now. He gave me a questioning look as if to say 'are you sure?', I nodded, a crooked smile shooting his way as to try and disguise my dead eyes.
''I would just like to say, I will be reversing the pronouns used.'' I physically shook my nerves away before starting.
'Yeah, you sure broke my heart last week-'
The audience wailed.
'When you said you had slept with her-'
Nothing against Gen- actually, yes, she knew he was married. The audience seemed to understand my point, whipping out their phones in fan fashion. God, this was definitely going to be all over Jared's twitter later.
'I know you called, I got them all-''
I put on a fake grin as I continued.
'La da da da da da-'
When everyone in the cast had found out, they were seething, he was supposed to be the one to love me.
'Boy you better love what you got, before you go and give it away-'
I moved from the single spot I had glued myself to, putting a small skip in my step.
'But don't say that I don't know you-'
I gave a small head whip, trying to engage the audience.
'Cause- oh, I know all about your type-'
I grit my teeth at the word 'type'.
'You're the kinda boy that texts all day and talks all night-'
I use mocking hands to emphasise my attitude.
'And oh- I know, that you-'
I looked towards the side of the stage where Jared was watching, oh shit, he wasn't supposed to be here.
'Are feeling sad- don't feel bad-'
I scoff at him, turning towards the crowd again.
'Cause even after three text messages, four missed calls you still-'
I slammed my foot against the ground, anger took over before the anguish.
'Slept with my best friend-'
I sung shakily and it all became too much, seeing his face again after so long, singing this song.
'Yeah, you-' sure got a lot of nerve
My breath caught in my throat and I stopped singing for a moment, missing a couple lines as I sniffed.
'-to say that this was all my fault-'
I broke down. In the middle of karaoke. In front of an amazing amount of fans. Fuck me.
The sobs came out, racking my chest, Matt was the first one to reach me before I collapsed into despair on the dirty floor. I gave my microphone to Sebastian as Matt whispered to me.
''Come on, it's okay, let's get you out of here.'' He ushered me off stage so quickly, the lights blurred.
I heard the speakers from backstage as I tried to bee-line for the green room.
''Uh- so- I'm just going to go sort this out. This is so unprofessional for me- I apologise but this is important.'' Rich blurts out before leaving the stage, passing his mic and mine to a techie.
The cool air from the green room soothed my burning face as I continued to bang out cry after cry. Matt pulled me in, hugging me as tight as he could.
''Hey- is she-'' Speight stopped as soon as his eyes settled on me falling apart in Matt Cohen's arms.
''Oh no, come here.'' Matt knew that he could handle this better so he handed me over to Richard.
''Go entertain, I have this covered.'' Matt nodded at him before leaving to return to the stage.
We just sat there for a while, on the carpeted floor, whilst I cried.
''Wanna tell me why you chose that song?'' His voice was comforting and light, he tried to cheer me up with his addictive personality.
''I don't know. So much was going through my head and- this is too much to deal with. I saw him and I just-'' I let out a giant exhale, giving up on trying to speak.
''Divorce is messy. You had to go through it alone, in your house, no one to help you. If I could've been there, I would have, oh my god I would've.'' He had such sincere sympathy in his voice and his eyes, I couldn't be this pathetic in front of him.
''No one could have known they would arrive, I knew it was coming, knew what he felt for her. I just thought he would do it in person at least, not like a pussy, god he's such a quivering pussy.'' I growl, standing up to grab a complimentary bottle of water from the set up table.
''Everyone agrees with you. Work is going to be difficult now but- at least you weren't his love interest.'' He giggles, I try to keep a straight face but give in to him, smiling proudly.
''No, I'm yours, I cannot wait to flex on that bitch that I don't care about him anymore.'' I run over and jump onto the awful yellow couch, lying down.
''Well you sure showed it out there.'' He shoved my legs off the coach and sat down, but before I could protest, he picked them up and lay them over his.
''Hey- too soon.'' I pointed a warning finger at him before both of us erupted with laughter. ''That was so embarrassing, I'm never coming again, I will just bar crawl all day.'' I groaned, stretching out my arms.
''Do you miss him?'' This silenced the room, I though of an answer.
''I don't know, I miss the perks of being married. Over the years we grew apart, we loved each other, yeah but-'' He finished it off for me.
''But you weren't in love with each other?'' He looked over at me, placing his hand on top of mine, his sad eyes said it all.
''Yeah.'' I stared into nothing, this is the start of a lonely road ahead.
''It doesn't have to be lonely.'' Guess I said that out loud.
''Yeah, Rich, it does-''
''No, it doesn't. You have me, Rob, Mark and many othe-''
''It's not the same! I can't hold onto to any of you at night and hug away my tears, I can't share kisses and longing looks at-''
''What if it can be? The same?'' I shot my gaze to him, feeling my heart scream inside my chest.
''W-What do you mean?'' I swallow, realising my throat is dry and feels like sandpaper, I try not to cough.
''Mark told me- about that night in Vegas? You two were the only ones left at the bar, scotch-drunk to holy hell. You told him how you felt about me, and how you told Jared. And how he had told you about Genevieve.'' His voice was quiet and unsure, unsure of what I would say and how I would react.
''Damn it, Pellegrino.'' I looked down to the floor towards Hell, before looking at Rich.
''I know it's too soon for you to even have an opinion on this-'' He starts.
''You're right. It is too soon, too soon for me to date anyone for now. How about, we hang out with each other tomorrow. We'll have a movie night.'' I emphasise my words and he get's the gist. It had been four months, it was perfectly okay to say yes to him, so I did it indirectly.
''That sounds perfect. My hotel room, should I invite the vodka or will you?'' I smile at him, shaking my head.
''I think I might skip on inviting Dr. Smirnoff just yet, two's a company.'' I study his eyes, the golden flecks swimming affectionately within the ochre shade.
''Great idea, meet me straight after tomorrow's con, it's the only time we will have for a while,'' I grab his hand which still rested on mine.
''Sick.'' Why did I have to be like this in serious situations?
''Really?'' His judging yet teasing tone played into my ears.
''Really.''
#supernatural imagine#supernatural#supernatural cast#supernatural cast imagine#jared padalecki#jared padalecki imagine#richard speight jr#richard speight jr imagine#richard speight jr x reader#richard speight jr imagines#matt cohen#sns#rob benedict#sebastian roche
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dance partners
requested by: @danicarosaline (literally forever ago bc i suck)
summary: you and jj had been besties for as long as the rest of the pogues, but everyone always thought it was strictly platonic. one night at a kegger, though, your relationship with the blonde changes drastically. (we love a lil friends-to-lovers moment!) word count: 2.9k
“this is gonna be an epic night, guys.”
“jj,” you said, rolling your eyes with a light laugh. “you say that on the way to every kegger. we all know you’re just excited to get fucked up.” the rest of the pogues chimed in, agreeing with you as jj flipped you off. the walk to the kegger was longer than most people would be willing to trek, but it was always your favorite part of the night. walking from the Chateau to the Boneyard was one of those little things that probably wouldn’t mean much to anyone else, but times when you could simply bicker and laugh with your best friends meant the world to you.
“y/n, you need to learn to look forward to these kinds of things. you only live once, you know.” he reached out to you, wrapping one arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his side as the other hand, in the shape of a fist, lightly ruffled the top of your head. you grabbed the hand that was resting on your shoulder, spinning yourself out of his gentle grip and conveniently forgetting to remove your hand from jj’s when you were free of his hold. to your left, kie, pope, and john b were exchanging suspicious glances, immediately noticing the lingering touch between their friends. kie snorted in surprise, but other than that, they all kept their mouths shut.
soon enough, the five of you had arrived to the scene of the party. within a few minutes of getting there, you all had red solo cups in hand, spreading out on the beach to mingle a little. after kie got her first refill, always having been the quickest drinker of the pogues, you two broke off from the boys, arms linked together as you roamed around the beach. somehow there was music flooding the beach, and neither you nor kie could stop yourselves from letting out a few dance moves to the songs you knew. you chatted and laughed at the antics of the already drunk teenagers scattering the sand, pointing out those who were doing the funniest shit. “okay, wait. we can’t laugh at those girls,” kie said, nodding toward two kook girls who were clearly too far gone, dancing messily with each other. a small flock of guys had begun to cheer the two on, but they seemed too busy enjoying each other’s company to notice. “that’s gonna be us in like, an hour.” you both laughed loudly, clinking your cups together before downing the rest of their contents without anymore words.
once you had emptied your cup, you turned to figure out how far you’d strayed from where the keg sat. as you scanned the beach, your eyes met jj’s, immediately earning a smile from your friend along with a raise of his own cup. you flipped yours upside down with a joking pout, indicating to the blonde that you were already out of ammo. he waved for you to come over to him, and you nodded with a smile before holding up a finger and turning back to kiara. before you could say anything, you noticed the sudden amused glint in her eye and she began to talk. “pope and jb are making fools of themselves again. i’m gonna go get in on that. i’ll catch up with you later?” you laughed at the two boys she had pointed out, both seemingly trying to limbo without reason.
“yeah, i got jj, so i’ll find you later. good luck with the other morons!” and with that you were parting ways, kie heading straight as you turned and made your way over to jj. “you gonna get me a refill or what, pogue?”
jj bowed sarcastically, grabbing your cup and falling into step beside you as you moved toward the keg. “it’d be my genuine honor, princess.” you scoffed at the nickname, bumping jj’s hip with your own. once again, his arm found its way around your shoulders, and the two of you swayed clumsily over to the source of the beer. “two refills, dude,” jj called to the kid manning the keg. once your cups were full again, you and jj found yourselves a seat in the heart of the chaos, perched on a fallen tree branch that some other pogues were standing in front of. as you laughed at the scene playing out before you (a bunch of touron guys standing in the middle of a circle of people doing ‘parkour’), jj watched you with a smile. the two of you bantered a little, mocking the actions of the people around you as you tried to ignore the feeling of his eyes burning into you. after a few minutes of trying to avoid his glance, you finally gave in. when you caught his eye, the glance you expected to exchange was not at all what you got. in all honesty, you’d never really seen jj with that expression. he looked... smitten. you raised your eyebrows at him, laughing again. “are you laughing at me now? don’t you know better?”
your eyes widened at the question, your cup-less hand immediately coming up to his chest to hold him back from any attacks. “no,” you corrected. “i’m laughing at your face, because i think it might be broken or something. you can’t make a face like that and expect me to take it normally. don’t you know better?” you were leaning into him tauntingly as you spoke, smiles spreading across both of your faces as you did.
“y/n,” jj teased back. “are you trying to get me to kiss you? hm?” your hand then fell from his chest, and you let out a scoff. jj, on the other hand, wasn’t satisfied with that being the end of the conversation. he lifted a hand to flick back a piece of hair that had fallen onto your shoulder, and that same hand somehow found its way to the side of your face. though you were still smirking confidently and comfortably, your insides were getting all sorts of twisted up. what was he doing? was this whole thing still just a joke? “i don’t know if you know this, but, if you are, you don’t have to try that hard. kinda don’t have to try at all.” jj was now wearing an expression you recognized. it was his i’m hot, and i pull girls, and i know it expression. for some reason, that pissed you off a little. slightly offended, you knocked his hand away from your face, turning back to face the tourons. you felt his gaze linger on you, but before either of you could do or say anything else, the rest of the pogues had materialized before you.
all three of them decently drunk at that point, john b and kie were laughing hysterically as pope dazedly looked between you and jj. hopping down from the tree branch and taking a step toward them, you decided to ignore pope’s obviously noticing that something had just happened. “what’s so funny?” you asked, internally hoping whatever they were giggling at would be enough to lift your spirits again. while they explained the joke they couldn’t get over, you essentially downed your second drink. at the tail end of the explanation, jb and kie both broke into more laughter, and this time you joined them. when the laughter faded, you spoke again, this time only to kie. “come get a refill with me?”
kiara looped her arm through yours, nodding with a smile. “of course! we’re off!”
after one more fleeting look at jj (a glance he caught, and even tried to hold), you and kie were walking away. against your own will, you let out a sigh, shoulders slumping a little as you replayed the past few minutes in your head. this time, you got a refill and remained standing by the keg, kie next to you with a drunk but concerned pout on her face. ignoring her, you downed your third drink within a minute, quickly stepping back up for another. that’s a bit better, you found yourself thinking as all the drinks seemed to hit you at once. turning to kie, you smiled insincerely. “what are you thinking about, my little drunk?” her eyebrows knitted together at the question, her head tilting knowingly. she was asking you the same thing. letting out a puff of air, you rolled your eyes but explained yourself nonetheless. “i’m fine! jj just like... implied that he wanted to kiss me or something. i’m just confused, i guess.”
“honey, i just watched you down a cup and a half of beer that you don’t even like. i may be a little bit drunker than you, but i think you’re something other than confused.” her arms crossed insistently across her chest, some of the liquid in her cup falling onto her arm in the process. she giggled at her own mistake, trying her best to wipe the drink away and looking back to you expectantly. “are you gonna explain, or should i go ask jj what he did to you?”
at that, you were vigorously shaking your head. “no, no, no. it’s not that big of a deal. it was just unexpected. i mean, jj hitting on me? that’s weird, isn’t it?” kiara simply shrugged, letting you continue the tangent she knew you were about to go off on. “it’s kind of annoying, too. i’m his best friend. at least, one of his best friends. and now he’s gonna try to, what, conquer me? like he does with the desperate tourons? i’m not a fucking touron. it could’ve been a really sweet moment if he hadn’t--”
“wait, a really sweet moment?” kie interrupted. “oh my god. you wanted him to kiss you!” without hesitation, your hand was clamping over her mouth, both of your eyes wide. peering over your shoulder, you caught eye contact with jj once again from across the beach. he waved nervously, and you threw him a tight lipped smile in return. easily distracted by the boy, your hand fell from kie’s mouth. when she realized she had some leeway to speak, she lowered her voice so only you could hear her words. “awww, you guys are so cute! seriously, since when was this a thing? and how come you didn’t tell me?”
you shook your head lightly, eyes fluttering shut for a second before you answered. “it’s not really a thing. i mean, i don’t think it is? i’ve had this little crush on jj forever, but i never let myself feed into it because it’s jj, you know?” kie nodded sympathetically, tossing a comforting arm over your shoulder. “but now he’s acting weird, and i don’t know what that means.”
taking a deep breath, kie forced you to fully face her, placing a hand on each of your shoulders. (actually, she had one hand on one shoulder, and the other held her full cup, which was being balanced on top of your other shoulder, but it was close enough.) “here’s what i think you should do,” she began, grabbing your full attention at the implication of a solution. “be you. it’s jj, y/n. he’s fucking weird. but, i don’t think you should assume he hasn’t had a little crush on you forever, too, because i’d say he has. but don’t tell him you got that knowledge from me.” you raised your eyebrows, opening your mouth to question her so-called knowledge but being cut off by your friend. “so what i’m saying is, just do what you always do. don’t freak out, or start avoiding him, or any of that shit. just be y/n, be normal, and i’m sure jj will be jj, in that terrifyingly concerning jj way. if something’s gonna happen, it’ll happen. and if not, you’re still y/n and jj, right?” you nodded slowly as you took in her words, your subconscious registering them as the truth. “oh, and one more thing: get drunk with me, please!” even when she was drunk, kie knew just what to say in times of distress. so you listened to her.
you took a few more seconds to let the nerves leave your body and mind, but soon enough you were back with the boys again, in that same spot next to jj. he seemed a little surprised by your return, but didn’t verbally question it. you bumped you shoulder against his with a smirk, and when he concluded that you weren’t upset, his arm was tossed back around your shoulder like nothing had happened.
within thirty minutes, you’d almost forgotten how weird jj was acting. instead, you were focused on being with your friends, and having fun. kiara, pope, and john b eventually began dancing foolishly, tripping over each other and laughing at their own actions. you and jj remained perched in your seats, both swaying and singing along to the music surrounding you. after a few songs of simply watching your friends’ drunken dance moves, jj was hopping down from his spot and putting a hand out for you just as the song changed. you looked at him hesitantly, laughing when he impatiently shook the hand that he wanted you to take. “c’mon, princess. you’re my dance partner. let’s go!” succumbing to his persistence, you put your hand in his and let him pull you from your seat and move you a few steps closer to the source of the music.
conveniently enough, jj had chosen a decently scandalous song for the two of you to dance to. the movements between you were goofy and innocent for the first few moments of the song, but when the bass dropped just before the first chorus began, you felt like every ounce of alcohol you’d had that night was hitting you at once, and your body was basically moving itself. you let jj pull you flush against him as your hips swayed with the beat, your back pressed firmly against his front. he followed your movements, one hand in yours as he tried not to focus too much on the way your ass was moving against him. with one particularly powerful roll of your hips, you had jj lightly groaning behind you, drawing a chuckle out of you as you spun in his arms. “what, you wanted me to be your dance partner and now you can’t handle it?” at that point, you were unbelievably aware of how close your face was to jj’s, but kie’s words were ringing through your head loud enough to keep you from moving away. if something’s gonna happen, it’ll happen.
jj’s arm snaked around your lower back as the two of you continued to dance while you quietly talked. “oh, no, princess. i can handle it.”
“then what’s the problem, dance partner?” your free hand came up to jj’s shoulder, fingers lightly grazing the nape of his neck, and you gave him a small, satisfied smile. maybe kie had told you to act normal, and this wasn’t normal, but it was fun, and you had gotten just as drunk as she’d wanted you to, so who was complaining?
“no problems here. absolutely none,” jj insisted quietly. suddenly, that smitten look from earlier was back on his face. before you could react, the hand that had been stationed on your back was moving to your cheek. he tugged you a centimeter closer, studying your face as he did. when your expression didn’t change, your eyes just flickering down to his lips and back to his eyes, he knew what his next move was. without giving himself another second to overthink it, his closed the gap between your mouths, both of your eyes now shut as you melted into each other. the music was long forgotten, and the (extremely loud) hoots and hollers of surprise from the other pogues were ignored. the hand you’d had around his shoulder was now raking through his hair, and his was holding the back of your head steady. neither of you moved away from the other until the song was changing, and you both realized that the volume of your friends would soon draw a lot of attention to the two of you. when you pulled back, you locked eyes with jj for a few seconds before breaking into laughter and burying your face in his shoulder. “what? am i that bad? you laughin’ at me again, princess?”
you pulled yourself away from the shelter you’d found in his shoulder to look at him again with a surprised smile. “that’s your main concern right now, jj?” he laughed with you, pulling you back into a hug. “by the way,” you murmured in his ear so none of the eavesdropping pogues could hear. “we’re gonna have to talk about that ‘princess’ thing, because i don’t know if i can handle it.”
jj released you from the hug, smiles plastered on both of your faces as you finally turned to face your friends, who were full-on applauding at that point. “we can talk about the ‘princess’ thing later, princess. let’s take a walk first.” and just like that, you and jj were waving sarcastically to your friends, refusing to otherwise acknowledge them (or answer any of the burning questions they were throwing at you), and heading off to a quieter part of the beach. the walk to this kegger had been fun, but you doubted anything could top the walk you and jj were taking now.
tags: @baby-bearie @g4bster @danicarosaline pls lmk if u guys wanna be tagged in all my stuff :)
#outer banks#obx#outer banks imagines#outer banks imagine#obx imagines#obx imagine#outer banks blurbs#outer banks blurb#obx blurbs#obx blurb#outer banks fics#outer banks fic#obx fics#obx fic#jj maybank#jj#jj maybank x reader#jj x reader#jj maybank imagines#jj maybank imagine#jj imagines#jj imagine#jj maybank blurbs#jj maybank blurb#jj blurbs#jj blurb#jj maybank fics#jj maybank fic#jj fics#jj fic
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The Intern - 3
Andy Barber x Reader
Summary: Being Andy’s intern meant you got to spend more time by his side more than anyone. This was fine, however, until feelings got in the way and made things complicated
Word Count: 4114 (oh boy)
Warnings: SMUT, pure filth, age gap, technically cheating, swearing and all that jazz
A/N Contains spoilers from episodes 1-5.
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Getting the day off wasn’t as hard as you thought it would be. Neal was busting his ass trying to prove Jacob was guilty and he wasn’t particularly fond of you, you knew if it had been up to him you would be sent packing the day Andy was forced to leave. So, when you approached him to get the day off, you didn’t even need to use the ‘family emergency’ card. In his eyes, you were just a disposable intern who had spent too much time with Andy fucking barber for his liking. You pursed your lips, not wanting to think of work as you waited for Andy’s black car to pick you up.
You looked around the silent neighbourhood, your small backpack sitting on the pavement next your feet. First rays of sun were illuminating the whole street with a soft light, the early morning chill wiping the last bits of sleep from your eyes. In the one time you had a proper chance to see Andy that past week, you had decided to drive up to Connecticut early Friday morning, careful not to get caught. The plan was to visit Andy’s father in prison, then hang out together before driving back home under the cover of the night. You were busy kicking a small rock and keeping yourself entertained when you spotted Andy’s car turning the corner.
“Hi baby girl.” Andy gave you one of those smiles you so loved seeing on his face, but you could still see the shadows lingering in his eyes.
“Hi.” You leaned in to peck him on the lips. Before you could pull back and get comfortable on your seat however, Andy pulled you back in with a hand sneaking down to your waist, holding you tight. His hot lips never leaving yours, he ran a hand down your back, as if to soothe down the shivers that were also caused by him. He loosened his grip ever so slightly as he moved to look at your face, a grin plastered on his face.
“What?” You questioned, yet your face mirrored his.
“I really like you is all.” Andy faintly remembered the excitement of a new relationship from almost sixteen years ago, everything seemed different and shiny in those first moments, but there was something else he didn’t quite recognize in his heart too. Something that made him believe everything would be okay as long as he had you by his side, despite everything.
“How do you not know this song? It’s impossible you don’t know.” Andy shook his head with a small laugh of disbelief escaping his lips.
“Alright old man, I’m picking the next song.” You stuck your tongue out at him thinking he wouldn’t see it as he focused on driving, you were wrong. You yelped in surprise when Andy reached out and flicked your nose without even looking at you, the corners of his eyes crinkled with a rare, completely genuine smile.
It was so easy to laugh and forget about everything clouding over your heads as you drove further away from Newton, and ignoring the end of your destination, it was a much-needed change of pace.
“Let’s do this again sometime. I know it’s hard with how things are now, but in the future.” You watched the scenery roll by with occasional stolen glances at the man sitting next to you.
“Do what, baby girl?”
“Take a road trip. Leave Newton and our jobs, our labels for a while. Go someplace where you are not a married man and I’m not your intern.” You sighed.
“As you wish.” He looked at you for a second before turning his attention back to the road. “I know how much things suck right now, but I promise you, it will all end soon. We will get Jake off the hook; we’ll finally get the divorce that should’ve happened year ago and… We’ll be alright.” His right hand found yours over the console, gripping tightly.
“I trust you.” After a year of working together night and day, you knew that when Andy Barber made a promise, he made sure to keep his word. So, you knew, eventually, you would be alright.
After one stop to get some gas and morning snacks, your car rolled into the facility in the middle of the lush greenery. The closer Andy got to facing his father he had tried his whole life to distance himself from, he grew quiet. He would still give you small smiles with the corner of his mouth or engage in whatever conversation you started to help him relax, his joyful mood from earlier was gone.
“For Jake,” he had muttered more to himself than you, reminding himself why he couldn’t turn the car back around and drive as far as he could, away from the dreaded conversation. He placed a lingering kiss on your forehead before heading inside the building, in the manner of a silent thank you.
You were messing around with your phone maybe for fifteen minutes when Andy’s sulking figure made its way towards the car, he shook his head negatively when your eyes met, and that was all you needed to know your little mission had failed. You drove back the road you came in silence, the only sound being the low humming of the car engine.
“Fucking asshole.” Andy filled you in before digging into the burger sitting in front of him. It was a classic off the road diner, the kind frequented by the tired drivers at all kinds of odd hours.
“I can’t believe he refused. He sounds like a real piece of shit. Even without the whole murder thing, I mean.”
Andy snorted. “That’s one way to put it. We’ll simply have to skip it.”
“You know Neal will bring it up in trial and try to use it.” You reminded him, that was what you would do had the case been different.
“It’s bullshit.” You stuffed your face with the side of fries as you nodded in agreement. It was complete bullshit, and you could feel the frustration of a parent radiating from across you.
“Do you wanna spend the night here? I really don’t want to go back and deal with Lau- I mean, I don’t wanna deal with this tonight.” You looked up in surprise. Seeing right through him even with him trying to play it cool, it was obvious him and Laurie would get into another fight over this. Your heart sped up at the thought of spending the night together, away from all the things keeping you apart.
“I would like that very much.” Your knees touched under the table, your gazes locked, both feeling the electric contact and not making any move to break it.
Twenty minutes of driving around was all it took before you stumbled on a small town, where you spent the rest of the afternoon together. Hand in hand, feeling more free than you had in weeks, you walked through the town. It was a great feeling, being able to be a couple out in the public without everyone knowing who you were and looking at you with judgement in their eyes. You looked at Andy, golden hair shining under the sun that peeked behind the clouds, and for a moment you were reminded of a time without his son’s future in the line. It was a selfish thought, but you didn’t want to go back. With his arm around you, holding you secure to his chest, you were content.
After a rather quick and clipped call to Laurie and an excuse of car trouble, you made your way towards the motel on the outskirts of the town. It wasn’t the best-looking motel, it was definitely not where Andy had originally wanted to bring you to, however it seemed to be only option. So, the two floored motel with its orange painting chipped at parts would have to do. That, sleeping in the car or worse, going back to Newton were your only choices, and you both were fast to agree on the first option.
“A room for two, please.” Andy reached into the pocket of his dark coat to grab his wallet. Knowing the stubborn nature of his, you made no protest to pay although you weren’t too happy. The girl who didn’t look older than twenty looked up from behind the reception desk and eyed you up.
“Name?”
“Andy Barber.” She nodded, typing fast on the keyboard before reaching back for the wall of keys.
“Here you go, Mr. and Mrs. Barber. Room 204.” The girl turned back to her phone after sliding the key towards Andy.
“We-” You began, startled at the assumption although a part of you gushed at the name, but stopped at the shaking of Andy’s head. He couldn’t contain his laughter much more as he led you up to your room for the night, the sound was contagious. You noticed this was the first time he had laughed like that in what felt like a forever, you couldn’t help but join him.
The room was what you expected, the crème coloured walls almost looking yellow due to the lamps sitting on each side of the bed. The bed, occupying most of the small room was covered with pink and blue flower design bedding that looked like it was left there during the 80s.
“I’ll go wash up.” Andy muttered before heading into the bathroom, you dropped your backpack on the floor next to the night stand. You removed your coat, and then your sweatshirt, suddenly feeling too hot despite the room’s temperature being on the cool side. No, it wasn’t the weather itself, you mused as you eyed the bed, but rather the fact that for the first time, you had the whole night alone with Andy Barber. Not a stolen moment, afraid of getting caught. Here, you were just Y/N and Andy. You could do anything you wanted without a single worry on your minds. You gingerly sat on the bed, fiddling with the end of your tank top.
Andy stepped out of the bathroom a moment later, stopping right at the door upon seeing you. He eyed you up and down, so very slow you felt his gaze burn through you, a smirk spreading over his lips. You gulped quietly, but not breaking the stare.
“Waiting for me?” he asked, and two long strides later he was right in front of you. He placed a finger underneath your chin to tilt your head and make you look up to him.
“Maybe.” You drawled, the tips of your fingers tracing his thigh up and down.
With a hiss Andy leaned down, his lips crashing onto yours in a way you never were kissed before. His large hands cupped your ass as he scooted you to the middle of the bed, not breaking the heated kiss. You moaned when your back met the surprisingly soft mattress but it was muffled with his warm lips never leaving yours, and Andy was on top of you in a matter of seconds. More and more and more was all you could think of, hands roaming on his broad back wildly in a desperate effort to pull him closer than he already was.
You wanted to feel his skin under your hands, run them through his toned muscles and get rid of all the unnecessary layers between you, Andy knew what you wanted as you tugged the hem of his shirt. You took in a deep breath when he pulled back only for a second to throw his shirt to a corner of the room, your eyes wandered on his abs and strong arms, he looked down at you with the same hunger in his eyes. You looped a finger around the waist of his jeans, tugging them down with hurried movements and fumbling hands, aching to have all of him. He chuckled at you before slipping his jeans off and sending them to accompany his shirt, now all that was left was his boxers and the silver necklace he always had on him. You bit your lips at the sight in front of you, gently running a hand down his length.
A breathy sound escaped Andy’s lips and they were back on yours, with a quick move Andy swapped your positions. Now, you leaned down to kiss him with your hands going down to unbutton your jeans, the need of getting closer and feel him against your skin almost driving you crazy. You followed suit and slid them off along with your tank top, left only in your lace bra and matching panties. Even though this night was quite spontaneous, you were secretly hoping for such a night and patted yourself on the back mentally for coming prepared.
“Shit, baby girl, you drive me crazy.” Andy ran a hand down the side of your body, stopping on your thighs. You shivered at his touch; Andy pulled you closer to his chest once again. Sitting on his lap, you shifted as you felt him press against you, rock hard. His hands were everywhere, exploring and marking his way as they ran through your hair, your back, the length of your legs… You couldn’t decide if this was pure torture or the best feeling in the world. Maybe a little bit of both.
You got up and lay on your back in the middle, pulling Andy in by the waistband of his boxers, almost begging to be pushed down. He supported himself above you on his elbows, leaving sloppy, wet and warm kisses down the trail of your neck.
“These,” he whispered against the warmth of your skin between kisses, “have to go.” In one swift moment your bra was gone. He placed a kiss to the curve of your breast, so close you felt his hot breath hit your nipples already hard with pleasure. You threw your head back with a whimper as his tongue teased and toyed with you, getting so close before wandering down your stomach.
With each kiss he went lower and lower, but never reaching the one place you wanted him the most. Before long you were a mess under him, with his tickling lips and wandering hands you prayed you would survive the night.
“Andy, please,” another whimper left you as lips connected with the inner parts of your soft thighs, dangerously close.
“That’s right baby girl, tell me what you need.” You felt his smirk on your skin.
“I need, I,” you sighed feeling his fingers toy with the band of your panties, “I need you.”
“Tell me how, and you have me sweetheart. I’m right here.”
“I need you in me, please, Andy,” You shut your eyes, unable to stop the curling of your toes as he ran a finger down your slit, still not making any move to remove the final layers between you. He enjoyed teasing you, seeing you moan and whimper completely begging for his touch was something he never knew how much he needed.
His rough hands finally tugged down the last piece of cloth covering you, leaving you utterly bare and under his control in front of him. Andy felt himself twitch, unable to keep teasing you as the urge to have you took over him.
You opened your eyes to see what he was doing, and the sight you met with almost made you gasp. There he was, fully naked; your eyes trailed down his pecks to his abs, and then to his cock. Standing proud and hard, you took in his length and girth with a hunger in your eyes.
“I need you. Now.” You reached your hand towards him, eager to pull him close and hopefully never let go.
“As you wish.” He lowered himself down, giving you a long kiss as a hand slipped between your legs. You shuddered at the tease of his hand, feeling him play with your clit send electric waves through your whole body. A finger slid in you, then another one, picking up the pace until Andy was satisfied with the wetness dripping down his hand. Placing a soft kiss on your knee he pushed them open, positioning himself before you. He ran his wet fingers down his shaft and his tip, lathering himself well.
Another soft moan escaped your lips as you felt his tip tease your entrance mercilessly, just wanting to feel Andy fill you already.
“Ready?” He asked, you found yourself unable to form words in that moment of euphoria so you just nodded.
Seeing you under him, already a mess for him, Andy swallowed. He took one moment to look you up and down, wanting to burn this moment well into his memory and never forget it. In that moment, he was overcome with such desire, such passion that with a grunt he pushed himself in. Any small thought of protection flew from his mind upon that feeling, leaving no trace behind as all he could think was how good it felt to be in you.
“Fuck.” He moaned and pushed a little bit more inside you. A part of him wanted to fuck you senseless then and there, but the less animalistic and more caring part of him scanned your face for any sign of discomfort. It was a tight fit already and Andy feared hurting you, damn the passion blinding him.
“I’m good,” you breathed out, noticing his peering gaze. You ran a hand down his thigh. “More.”
Andy happily obliged, slowly pushing all of his length in with a grunt deep in his throat.
“You feel so fucking good. Such a good girl you are, Y/N.” He lowered his body down on his elbows to give you a kiss. You felt his tongue push in, penetrating and filling your mouth just as you felt his cock pulse in you. He pulled back ever so slightly, pushing a strand of hair fallen on your forehead.
He started moving slowly at first, allowing you get comfortable with him. Even though you claimed you were okay, Andy planned on using the precious alone time you had as well as he could, so your comfort was of upmost importance for him to execute his plans.
Andy picked up his pace, pulling out almost completely before slamming back into you, each time sending waves of pleasure crash through you as your moans synchronized with his moves. Your legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer and deeper as the wet sound and your whimpers mixed with his grunts and the occasional ‘fuck’ that slipped between his lips and onto your skin. Your nails left hot red marks down his back, sending Andy into a whole new level of frenzy.
You couldn’t resist the orgasm threatening to rock through you any longer, you gave in to the feeling as you arched your back, all kinds of incoherent sounds and words glided out of your lips. Feeling you tighten around him and the sweet sounds you made underneath him made Andy shiver as he slammed into you time and time, the rocking of hips becoming sloppier and rougher with each time.
One of your hands pulled at his hair, the other wrapped tightly around his shoulder, your body shook to his rhythm. His trail of wet kisses down your breasts and the teasing tongue left you purring against him, never wanting this night to come to a stop.
Andy swore under his breath as he pulled out, you drew inhaled sharply at the sudden emptiness, disappointed and needing much more of him. He gave you a look as if to say ‘I know’ before pulling you up and on top of him as he now lay in the position you were in mere seconds ago. You purred against him, peppering kisses on his face, your fingers playing with his tip.
“How does it feel to be teased, Mr. Barber?” Your hand gripped one of his balls, satisfied with the moan you got in response.
“Fuck, ride me, baby girl, come on.” He swallowed once. Twice.
You positioned yourself, hoovering just above his tip, originally wanting to tease him longer but couldn’t resist the urge to lower yourself down and feel him fill you up once more. Slowly you guided yourself down on his shaft, mouth open as you did so, Andy’s hands cupping your ass and helping you.
Soon you were fucking yourself on him, Andy’s fingers gripping you so tightly you were sure it would leave a mark. You didn’t care.
The downright sinful sounds coming from Andy fueled you to pick up your pace, chasing your orgasm. The eagerness of making Andy cum and please him like the good girl he called you was a close second in terms of motivation.
“Are you tired, huh?” Andy managed to let out, grabbing your ass to push you up and down on him. He pulled you under, kneeling as he kept pushing in and out with his hands holding your knees.
“Shit sweetheart.” His sigh echoed as stars began flying in front of your eyes, hot white pleasure claiming you for the second time, you winced when Andy pulled out sharply, stroking himself and shuddering as he finally reached his own release, white thick ropes of cum splattering on your breasts and stomach.
He looked at you with sparks in his eyes, a dumb grin on his handsome face, you chuckled at his expression. A gentle hand reached out, caressing your cheek with a look full of adoration. No words were needed as you hastily cleaned up yourselves, wanting to go back to one another’s arms without any more delays. You had waited long enough.
You lay your head on his chest as a strong arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you close, his second hand running through your hair with soft strokes. Your hand lay on his chest too, right above his heart, a tired smile danced on your face as you felt the steady beat of his heart.
Andy looked down slightly at your face, at the happiness he could so easily read, and felt his heart tug with emotion. You were here, in his arms, and he felt so damn lucky.
His.
Andy smiled.
When was the last time he allowed himself to be this happy? Sure, he was happy when he won a case, though it always was shadowed because of the long and exhausting hours he pulled. He was happy at his home, with his family, but the problems of his marriage ran deep and even though he loved Jake with all of his heart, he couldn’t deny the fact that sometimes he dreaded to go home. But now, here, in this moment his heart swell with pure joy and affection towards the young woman he held in his arms. He couldn’t believe it. He used to think maybe he had done something to piss universe off. That’s why things never fully looked up for him.
Maybe the universe wasn’t so bad after all.
“Thank you.” He muttered in a quiet voice, his fingers drawing shapes on your arm.
“For what?” You raised your head slightly to face him. You caught your breath at the sudden closeness, and the way his eyes looked like deep pools of blue you wanted to dive in.
“For everything. For being by my side, I guess. You have no idea how much you mean to me.”
“If it’s anything like how I feel for you, I think I have some idea.” You leaned in to share a slow kiss, unlike those of passion some time ago, this one stirred the deepest of emotions within you. A promise, it was.
You talked of all kinds of things in that embrace, with hushed voices not caused by fear or getting caught, but caused by the level of intimacy. In that moment, where limbs were entangled and pressed together under the god-awful floral print you both laughed about, you didn’t even need words.
You weren’t exactly sure when you fell asleep with your head still resting on Andy’s chest, but you knew when you woke up. You blinked as your eyes adjusted to the dark room, head snapping towards Andy upon the sound hitting your ears. It was faint, sounded like muttering and whimpering, you searched the face of the man laying beside you when it hit you: he was having a nightmare.
“Hey, Andy,” you called out his name softly, “come on, love.” You coaxed him out of sleep, gently running a hand through his hair in the hopes of calming him down. His eyes snapped open with a small gasp, eyes looking around in fear for a split second.
“It’s me,” you got his attention, hard breathing of his chest calming down with your touch, “I got you.”
“Oh, Y/N.” He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. You pulled him close this time, resting his head on your chest as you hugged him, dropping kisses on his head, along his hairline, on the creases that made home above his eyebrows. Just as you thought Andy was back asleep because of his steady breath, he spoke.
“It’s my father.” Was all he needed to say, and you understood him, understood how hard it was for him to open up about the very thing he escaped from confronting his whole life.
“I know, sweetheart. I got you.” You muttered again and again, determined to make him believe and know that you meant what you said. His arms tightened around your waist as you closed your eyes, hand still combing through his soft hair. Neither asleep, you laid there until the first streaks of sun began to invade the room, reminding you both the dreaded car drive back to Newton was closer than you liked. You pushed that thought to the furthest corner of your mind as you turned your focus on the man between your arms, and let sleep wash over you like a cold blanket.
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5 a.m on the dot as I post this, whew! I’m incredibly rusty in smut writing, so help me practice and send some requests, huh? My inbox is open for requests, feedback and all kinds of asks!
#chris evans#andy barber#andy barber x reader#andy barber x you#andy barber x y/n#andy barber fanfiction#andy barber imagine#chris evans x reader#chris evans imagine#defending jacob#defending jacob fanfiction#steve rogers x reader#andy barber smut
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Sink Or Swim
tag list: @cleocc @feeling-kinda-so-so @hopelessromanticvirgo @dreamy-slytherin @adora8 @lockerfivethreefive @painfully-oblivious @poeticinemaa @jjustonemorething @saraben00 @wedarkacademia @coolguyssyndrome @hischbabe @suckerforsobbe @tayspots @starmansander @theah0lt @zoenneforever @invisibleme @chibibanane
~^~
Tuesday, 18:47
Song: EDEN - how to sleep
Lucas seizes up as the front door opens, gathering himself up and pushing to his feet. If he does it naturally, he can probably slip to his room without his father protesting too much. He can probably excuse himself with homework. He won’t have to interact, not properly.
His plan would work perfectly, in normal circumstances. Normal circumstances just usually don’t involve running into a moving skeleton three steps into the hallway.
He’s mildly embarrassed by the squeak he lets out, and by the pitch of his voice as he screeches, “What the fuck?”
His father curses under his own breath, moving the skeleton flapping in his arms out of his face, and mutters, “Language.”
“Dad,” Lucas sputters as the dummy is shoved into his hands. “What the hell is this?”
Hugo ushers him back into the sitting room, following behind with shopping bags hanging heavily from his hands. He dumps them on the coffee table and takes the skeleton out of Lucas’s arms to prop him up on the couch, watching them with a gaping, toothy grin. “Halloween decorations.”
Lucas bites back the urge to sarcastically thank him for stating the obvious and chooses to further his question. “Why?”
After the scoldings Lucas has gotten over the past few weeks, watching his father turn to him with his hands on his hips is a rather nerve-wracking thing. The smile on his face, however, turns out to be the most disconcerting. “So we can decorate.”
“We?”
“I thought it would be something nice to do together,” Hugo shrugs.
Lucas blinks at him. He feels the need to tread cautiously. He’s very worried that he’s somehow being played, in an oddly surprising way. “But...Halloween is in four days.”
“Exactly.”
“Everyone else has had their houses decorated for weeks.”
“Yeah, but we’ve only been getting moved in. We have the best excuse.”
Lucas continues to stare at him.
Hugo sighs, rubbing his hand over his brow, gesturing at the skeleton. “Do you have to be such a moody teen over everything? I bought a skeleton, buddy.”
The old nickname softens Lucas a little bit. Just a little. He looks at the skeleton once more. Flimsy, about three-quarters the height of Lucas, black smudges dotting his gray-toned bones. The right number of ribs, missing a tooth (with another cracked), eye sockets deeply sunken. Just on the realistic side of cartoonish.
Lucas asks, “What’s his name?”
His father grins proudly. “Tim.”
“Tim?”
“Same as one of my old-coworkers. Piece of work himself. One of the know-it-all types. Even worse than a moody teenager.”
Lucas can’t help it. He snorts. “Poor Tim.”
His father waves a hand at him. “Well, he’s a member of the household now. A blessedly silent member.”
Lucas raises his brows. He examines the skeleton once more, then leans forward and gently picks up its left arm. He presses the small button on the inside of its wrist.
Tim’s eyes flash red as his jaw drops open in evil, mechanical laughter.
Hugo jumps and curses under his breath again and Lucas lets out a laugh, delighted. He leans back in to grip Tim around the waist, picking him up and drawing that same arm around his shoulder, playing with the skeletal fingers. It’s unexpected. To be turning to his father with a grin, to feel the remnants of laughter settling cosily in his stomach. He likes it, and he likes the soft smile that lightens his father’s eyes, and he likes the comfort of the small space when it lacks the tension and the animosity of the previous few days, of the past week.
He asks, carefully, “What else did you get?”
His father beams. He moves to the bags on the table and begins pulling banners out of the way, followed by a packet of bats and pumpkin lights and various other witchy products. Lucas feels his pleasure grow at each new item and nods approvingly.
“Good idea?”
Lucas nods, humming. “You’ve definitely had worse.”
The man accepts the jibe with nothing more than a small shrug. “You happy enough to take an hour to do it now? I’ll start hanging these around the place and you can get Tim situated. Maybe somewhere around the door?”
“Sounds good,” Lucas agrees. He grips Tim’s arm tighter and carries him out into the hallway, making sure to press the little button once more as he passes his father. He chuckles at the swears he receives in response.
It’s almost therapeutic. Even as the desire to let Tim’s bones scatter on the street grows, there’s something simplistic and soothing about decorating the place. Something that makes it feel a little more like it’s his. A little more like a home. It helps that he loves Halloween. He loves the spookiness, the eeriness, the beauty in the horror. It’s satisfying, watching the angry little pumpkin faces emit a stunningly bright glow. There’s a sort of poetry to all of it, he supposes, to the veil around the world becoming foggy, to the masks people wear becoming visible.
There’s an artistry, too, that he appreciates more than anything. The sharpness, the otherworldliness, the darkness. The meaning under it all, of the in-between.
Beauty in the horror.
He supposes there’s a little beauty, too, in doing it together. They work together to hang the string-lights up in the hall, and the silence isn’t strained or uncomfortable. It’s companionable, filled with little huffs of laughter as one or the other gets caught, or trips, or drops the line. The usual simmering anger that sits in his chest is entirely absent, just for these few moments.
“You used to love Halloween when you were a kid,” his father says suddenly, and Lucas glances over at him. “Your mom always avoided buying stuff she thought would scare you, but you never flinched at any of it. You wanted all the weird loud things that used to make Kes bawl his eyes out. The only things you didn’t want were the spiders.”
Lucas laughs at the idea of little Kes, terrified, and Lucas enjoying scaring him as he had with his dad today. He remembers how his friend would retaliate, finding the biggest fake-spider in the place and sneaking up to set it on Lucas’s shoulder. He’d only stopped at the age of twelve, when Lucas had given him the silent treatment for a week in response. “I did notice you didn’t bring any of those back.”
“I do pay attention, sometimes. I also remember that you liked it most because of all the sweets.”
“You could have just brought back a cake,” Lucas agrees lightly, shooting him a grin.
“Yeah, but we couldn’t have shared that. You would’ve eaten it all yourself.”
Lucas laughs quietly, realising he can’t argue, that there’s plenty of proof in the past to refute anything he would say. There’s a calm that has settled over him, and he relishes in it.
For a moment.
“Hey, Luc,” his father starts slowly, and some of the tension in Lucas returns. “I know this hasn’t been easy for you. It’s a big change, and a bad age to be making it, and I don’t know how many times I can apologise for it before you’ll forgive me.”
Lucas tacks his end of the lights to the wall and listens carefully.
“I should be making it easier for you, but I think it’s pretty obvious that I just have no idea how. It used to be so easy for us, too, you know? I used to know you so well. Now I keep stuffing up.”
Lucas slowly lowers his hands to his sides and turns to face him. “Dad,” he starts, but the man shakes his head.
“I was harsh on you the other night. And the week before that. I know that. I just don’t know what else to do. You don’t let me in. I can only react to what I see. And maybe I overreacted, but I only do what I think is right. I think what worried me most, about the weed, is that it didn’t surprise me. And now, I know, it’s probably natural to all of you nowadays and it might not surprise many, but it’s more that—well it didn’t surprise me that you managed to hide it from me. It was just another nail in the coffin.”
“I don’t hide everything from you,” Lucas says quietly. “You surprise me a lot more often.”
“I know,” Hugo says, just as gentle, abandoning his task to turn to Lucas too. “I know, buddy, and I am sorry. I’m trying to do better. But I need you to try with me.”
Lucas swallows thickly, averting his gaze to his feet for a moment. There’s a war going on in his chest, the childish urge to hold onto this leverage over his father and the desperate desire to give in, to claw for some semblance of harmony. Beyond all of it, canceling out all the rest, is the whisper that whatever answer he gives won’t matter. The harmony could never last, and he’s stupid to hold onto that tiny bit of hope, a tattered little shred he hadn’t even realised he held.
But it’s this little whisper that strengthens his resolve, that makes him return his gaze to the man before him and give a tiny nod.
“Okay. I will. Promise.”
His dad squeezes his shoulder, and none of his anger returns at the contact. He leans into it, and he lets himself hope.
Hugo lets him go and moves to tack up the middle of the string-lights. “So as it’s my proposal, I feel like I should make the first move, and say if you wanted to have a few friends or something over for Halloween, that would be okay.” He pauses. “You have friends here, right?”
Lucas huffs. “Yes, I have managed to make friends here. But everyone will be going out for Halloween. They know I’m not allowed out, so they probably already have plans, or whatever.”
The realisation settles in that this may very well be true, and it’s another sting settling in his heart. He’s still too invested, much too invested, and he still hasn’t figured out what to do about it. Managing his emotions felt a lot easier when he was pretending—even with himself—that he didn’t have any.
Now every time he sees Jens without him, he aches, and when he sees Jens with Jana, he breaks, and when he sees Jens at all, he has various emotions that he really doesn’t want to think about in such close proximity to his father.
His father, who is currently frowning at him in genuine concern. “You really think so? Surely good friends would make the effort to include you.”
Lucas thinks of Jens messaging him about meeting up even while thinking he was in a different country. Of Jens dragging him to the party a few days before that. Always of Jens.
He directs his gaze back down to the ground and shrugs. “Maybe. But I wouldn’t ask that of them. I haven’t even known them that long.”
Hugo sighs and makes his way back to the kitchen, leaving Lucas to stand alone for a moment before following. They hang up half a packet of bats before the older man says, “A curfew is still kind of a punishment, right?”
Lucas whips his head up to look at him. He’s focused on the bat in his hands, unwilling to look at his son and the excitement suddenly building in him. “Yes, definitely. Better than grounding, really. More embarrassing. Will definitely get me laughed at.”
“So, say, if you wanted to go out with these friends of yours. That would be okay, as long as you’re back by midnight?”
Lucas nods quickly. Much too quickly.
Hugo’s eyes narrow. “Midnight’s too good, isn’t it?”
“No, of course not, midnight is super lame.”
“No, make it ten.”
“Ten?” Lucas tosses his hands up. His dad turns to look at him, now raising his brows in challenge. “Eleven,” Lucas counters.
The man considers him. “Ten-thirty. Final offer.”
“Midnight was your first offer!”
Brows are raised further.
Lucas blows out a breath and turns on his heel to collect more bats. “Ten-thirty.”
It takes ten more minutes of hanging decorations before Lucas chances asking.
“So, does this mean I can have my weed back?”
His father stares at him. “Buddy, I might not be able to stop you from smoking it, but I can’t just give it to you. I have some parenting skills, you know.”
“It could be bonding! We could share that too.”
“Nice try. Give me that orange tinsel. We’ll give Tim a little sparkle.”
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UA Idol | Chapter Twenty
Hitoshi Shinsou x Reader
Word Count: 3,079
Warnings: Language, excessive amounts of nerves, Y/n’s song mentions a razor
A/N: Another one. This one was fun and now I’m excited because we are getting into live shows which means a LOT OF ACTION IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN LEMME TELL YOU. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one! I’m having fun with this series and I have a few ideas for some other ones, so if anyone would be interested in hearing about them just let me know and I’ll post little prefaces or something. Okay, I’ll shut up now, please enjoy! :)
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“Are you ready to kick some ass?!” Mina screams as the two of you are getting dressed for your final performances of Hell Week. You laugh a bit, shaking your head. “Yeah, I’m ready. I’m assuming you’re even more ready considering you just screamed that at six in the morning.”
“Oh, you know I’m ready. I’m so pumped, dude. So. Pumped.”
“I can tell.”
“And you need to calm down, (Y/n), I can tell you’re nervous.”
“I’m always nervous, Mina. Especially with this.”
“Yeah, well you’re gonna kill it and get through to live shows with absolutely no problem, so I don’t wanna hear it,” Mina winks at you as she applies her lipstick, and you grin. It’s nice knowing your best friend has more faith in you than you do. You freshen up, making yourself look presentable. You’re wearing the best outfit you brought here, and to say you look good is an understatement. “Someone looks hot,” Mina says as the two of you are about to leave. You laugh. “Speak for yourself,” you say, and she just stops in the middle of the hallway and starts twerking and doing tiktok dances. All because you said she looked hot and she’s extra as hell. You can only roll your eyes as you laugh, and surprisingly while she’s doing this, Uraraka runs over to you guys and joins in with her. “Oh my god y’all, let’s go,” you say through laughter, rushing over to the elevator and hitting the button.
Uraraka and Mina both follow after you the minute they hear the doors ding, opening up to reveal Midoriya and Todoroki. “Hey guys!” Uraraka says, hugging Midoriya. Todoroki and Midoriya both greet everyone and you all start talking about the performances. “I’m so nervous,” Midoriya says, and Todoroki tries to inconspicuously grab his hand to give him reassurance, but you all see it. None of you say anything though because it’s cute. “I am too, dude,” you say, and Mina hits both of you. Not like actually hits but a friend smack on the arm. “You two need to stop this, you’re going to do great!” “I agree with Mina, you’re both going to be just fine,” Todoroki says, and Midoriya starts grinning like a mad man. “But it’s okay to be nervous, just know that y’all are going to kill it and everything will be fine!” Uraraka says, giving you both a thumbs up. By the end of the elevator ride, you feel a little better with what’s about to happen. When you all walk out into the lobby where you run into Hitoshi and Denki. “Hey guys,” Mina says, running over to Denki and bumping him with her butt. She is… very energetic for getting up extremely early. Denki laughs and butt bumps her back. The two of them have the most chaotic energy you’ve ever seen in two people. It’s kind of impressive.
“Hey,” you say to Hitoshi and he grins. “Hey.”
Unbeknownst to you, he had been checking you OUT the minute you stepped off of that elevator. He knows you’re insanely attractive and he’s seen you look good countless of times but like… wow. Right now, you look insanely good, and he can’t even try to hide the fact that he was looking you up and down. Of course, Todoroki noticed this, and made a mental note to text in the group about what he just saw. But later. When you two weren’t around.
“Alright guys let’s head out!” Denki screams the minute that Kirishima, Bakugou, and Sero step out of the elevator and Momo and Jirou appear from the stairs. Now you all could walk to the theater, it truthfully wasn’t that far, but UA Idol provided the contestants with big ass vans just like they did for the first round of Hell Week. You pile in one with Mina, Denki, Hitoshi, Kirishima, and Bakugou yet again, but this time the conversation is a lot more familiar and Bakugou even partakes in it without calling someone a dumbass in every sentence.
The drive really was short, so you just stared out of the window the whole time. You were listening to what was happening and responding with laughs and things, but you weren’t necessarily talking. You were just going over the lyrics of your song in your head and trying not to psych yourself out. Hitoshi knows this, of course, and he gently hits you with his foot, causing you to look at him. “You okay?” he mouths, concern evident on his features. You nod, and he raises an eyebrow at you. You give him a small grin, trying to convince him that you were fine because you really were, you were just nervous. But he doesn’t buy it and decides that he’ll ask you about it when the two of you are alone. And Kirishima notices this exchange, but he also bookmarks it in his brain to talk about in the group chat later as well.
When your van pulls up to the theater, you all hop out and head inside. Everyone is gathering in the actual theater again, and you all head in. This time, you’re sitting with all of your new friends instead of just Hitoshi since you aren’t divided up into genres this time, but of course you were still right next to him. “Okay, seriously, what’s up?” you hear a whisper and look over to see Hitoshi highkey concerned about you. You smile a bit. Cute. “I’m just nervous Toshi, it’s okay,” you respond, and he frowns. “I wish I could help you out with that but like, same.”
“I knew you’d feel my pain. But don’t worry, you’re going to do great.”
“And you are too, kitten.”
He elbows you, causing you to smile. Now you didn’t feel 100% confident after this, but you did certainly feel a lot better. When all forty of the remaining contestants are gathered in the theater, everyone is informed on what is about to go down. The theater is where everyone will wait and watch the performances on a big screen, but since they’re in LA and it’s a really nice day, a separate performance stage was set up outside. Everyone will be doing another soundcheck before the performances, since they’re changing from indoors to outside, and they will start at two pm. It seems a little early, but the way they do this is they have everyone perform for a live audience which usually takes around three and a half hours. Then, they need to discuss who will go through and who won’t, which can take anywhere between an hour to two hours. Then, they proceed to invite everyone back onto the stage outside where the judges are going to be sitting to tell them if they’re going through to the live shows, or if they’re going home.
After that, you all get to work immediately. Everyone heads out to the outdoor stage, running through soundcheck again and adjusting to the new dynamics of outside. You would be lying if you said you weren’t also pumped as well as nervous. This was about to be so fun, but also extremely important for your future. Before you knew it, it was two, and there were so many people in the crowd. You all watched from inside the theater on a big screen on the stage, and you hear Sero mutter something in Spanish while Denki and Mina’s jaws drop. “That… is a lot of people,” Midoriya says, his nerves evident in the shake of his voice and look of fear in his eyes. “Yeah, but who cares? If they’re here to hear good music and watch a good fucking performance that’s what they’re gonna get. Don’t let a shit ton of strangers make you perform like shit, Deku,” Bakugou growls at Midoriya. He’d started calling him Deku ever since yesterday when he saw how clumsy the poor kid was. It’s not a very endearing nickname, but it’s certainly a degrading one. Midoriya doesn’t seem to mind though, and in retaliation started calling him Kaachan. Don’t ask why, no one really knows, but it makes Bakugou’s blood boil. “He kind of has a point, you know,” Uraraka says as the first contestants start going. “I mean, they’re here. For a good performance. So that’s what we’ll give them!”
You take a deep breath, trying to listen to Bakugou and Uraraka, but still internally freaking out a little bit. Everyone going so far had been really good, you have no idea how the judges can pick people to send to the next round and who to get rid of. You would never be able to do that. You watched as all of your friends, old and new, went, occasionally going to sing backup for them. For some unknown reason, basically all of you were the last one to go. Kirishima and Denki helped Bakugou sing the background vocals for his song, Sugar, We’re Goin Down by Fall Out Boy and then Kirishima and Bakugou in turn helped Denki with his rendition of No Control by One Direction. Meanwhile with Kirishima, he had quite a few people helping him out since he’s singing Locked out of Heaven by Bruno Mars, but all of them had amazing performances. Mina, of course, killed her performance of Positions by Ariana Grande as well as Uraraka with her performance of New Rules by Dua Lipa. Sero completely and totally caught everyone off guard singing a Caramelo by Ozuna, mainly because a lot of people didn’t realize he was Asian Latino and fluent in Spanish, Japanese, and English. Of course, you all knew because you hung out with him like all day yesterday and he threatened to beat Bakugou with a shoe completely in Spanish which was hilarious because Bakugou didn’t know what was going on, but a lot of people (excluding the judges since they saw him literally audition in Mexico) were surprised. Midoriya did a surprisingly good cover of Dance Monkey by the Tones and I and Todoroki really did a great job singing Willow by Taylor Swift. Mans has range. And now, Hitoshi was up. You gave him a thumbs up when he looked back at you at the piano, which was a decision you both made so you could since back-up and also play the piano, it made sense to do and was easier on the pianist in the band. He could learn one less song. Then he started strumming his ukulele and went off.
“I was scared of dentists and the dark. I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations, Oh, all my friends are turning green. You're the magician's assistant in their dream.
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ahh-ah-ah And they come unstuck…
Lady, running down to the riptide, Taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left-hand man. I love you when you're singing that song, And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.
There's this movie that I think you'll like. This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City. This cowboy's running from himself, And she's been living on the highest shelf.
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ahh-oh And they come unstuck…
Lady, running down to the riptide, Taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left-hand man. I love you when you're singing that song. And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.
I just wanna, I just wanna know If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay.
I just gotta, I just gotta know I can't have it, I can't have it any other way.
I swear she's destined for the screen. Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen, oh
Lady, running down to the riptide, Taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left-hand man. I love you when you're singing that song, And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.
Oh lady, running down to the riptide, Taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left-hand man. I love you when you're singing that song, And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.
Oh lady, running down to the riptide, Taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left-hand man. I love you when you're singing that song, And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.
Yeah, I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.”
The crowd was very interactive with him, singing along and afterwards, they were going crazy because they genuinely enjoyed his performance. He looked at you with a very happy expression that made your heart skip a beat. You smiled back at him, and he motioned for you to take the microphone while he took his place at the keyboard to help sing back-up for you. The judges also seemed to be enjoying themselves through Hitoshi’s song. You were still nervous, but you took a deep breath and started your song anyways.
“Ooh, ah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Ooh, ah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I know we don't need anyone, anyone. Here in the dark, I feel my heart. And we react like chemicals, chemicals Here in the darkness, I feel my heart beat.
Oh, when we lock eyes, Come with me don't kill the vibe. Look around, no one's in sight Hold me down if I get too wild, I swear. You and I could just disappear. We can run away from here. To the darkest places, Too late, no one can save us now.
When you spill your guts they don't go back in. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I say too much it's my consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) So take your razor love and run it down my skin. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I bleed too much it's my consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Oh, your fingers locked in my hair, Our clothes all over the chair, We're all alone And I'm dancin' in my underwear. You laugh and I blush, and it hurts so much. You melt and I die, The world is ours At least it is tonight.
(It's chemical, it's chemical Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
When you spill your guts they don't go back in. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I say too much it's my Consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) So take your razor love and run it down my skin. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I bleed too much it's my Consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Yeah we don’t need anyone, anyone. Here in the dark, I feel my heart. And we react like chemicals chemicals. Here in the darkness, I feel my heart beat.
When you spill your guts they don't go back in. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I say too much it's my consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) So take your razor love and run it down my skin. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) If I bleed too much it's my consequence. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooh, ah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Ooh, ah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”
You were met with more applause and singing along than you expected, and honestly you had a great time performing. You got the audience involved, your voice was spot on, everything went perfectly. And you were very happy with what you did. And it seemed like the judges were too. You both walked back to the theater, all pumped up as you sat next to your friends. Compliments were going all around, everyone telling each other how well they did. Now, you all had to wait to see if you made it through.
Everyone was called back in the order they had performed, and after seeing countless people come out with bad news and a few with good news, your nerves were back in full force. Unluckily for you and Hitoshi, you two were dead last. Again. So, you just had to sit there, and wait. And the worst part is, only half of the people who already got the news came out the way they went in to keep the remaining contestants clueless on if they made it through or not. Luckily, though, Mina, Denki, Sero, Kirishima, Bakugou, Uraraka, Midoriya, and Todoroki all made it through. You knew that much. And now, you and Hitoshi were the only ones waiting.
A producer came out and you gave Hitoshi a thumbs up as he stood to go back. “Wait, the two of you are okay to head onto the stage together.”
You look at each other, a little confused, before you stand up and follow Hitoshi back to the stage where the two of you had performed earlier. “Oh, good, they sent you together,” you hear Midnight say as the two of you walk on the stage. Sure enough, there are two seats set up where the usual one is for whoever is being told good news, or bad news. “Yeah, this will make it much easier.”
“How are you two?” Toshinori asks, and you snort. “Very nervous.”
“I second that,” Hitoshi says, and the judges laugh. “Well, that’s good. When you’re nervous about something it means you care about it, so that’s a good answer,” Aizawa says, a small grin on his face. Weird. He never smiles. “So, do y’all think you made it through?” Hawks asks, and the two of you look at each other before Hitoshi shrugs. “We honestly don’t know.”
“Yeah, everyone did really well today. We can only hope we did.”
“Another good answer,” Aizawa says, and the two of you grin. Getting praise from Shouta Aizawa is a wonderful feeling. “Well, I suppose we can just rip the band aid off. You two have been waiting for quite some time,” Midnight says, and Toshinori nods. “So, as you know, only twenty people are able to advance to the next round.”
You both nod.
“And you both did very well today.”
You both say thank you.
“And so far, we’ve only accepted eighteen people in the top twenty.”
Your heart starts beating faster.
“Which means there are two spots left.”
Hitoshi grabs your hand.
“And those two spots, belong to you two. Congratulations, it’s up to the world to see how far you’ll progress in the competition now.”
───────────────────────────────────
Song list:
Kirishima | Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars
Mina | Positions - Ariana Grande
Denki | No Control - One Direction
Midoriya | Dance Monkey - Tones and I
Uraraka | New Rules - Dua Lipa
Bakugou | Sugar, We’re Goin Down - Fall Out Boy
Sero | Caramelo - Ozuna
Todoroki | Willow - Taylor Swift
Shinsou | Riptide - Vance Joy
(Y/n) | My Consequence - Hey Violet
#shinsou x reader#shinsou x y/n#shinsou x you#hitoshi shinsou x reader#shinso x reader#hitoshi shinso x reader#my hero academia x reader#mha x reader#bnha x reader#boku no hero x reader#bnha shinsou x reader#shinsou#hitoshi shinsou#shinso#hitoshi shinso#my hero academia#mha#bnha#bnha shinsou#boku no hero academia#ua idol
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duet [2/2] • jeon jeongguk
WORDS – 3.6K
part one
“Just rehearsing now, right?” He checked, even though you both knew that was all that remained.
“And we’re done!” You announced, grinning at Jeongguk. He grinned back and warmth bloomed in your heart.
“Yes! No more early Saturdays and Sundays.” You were relieved because every weekend that Jeongguk was in town, you two worked on the choreography. And now that that was done, you would only rehearse at school until the assessment day.
Jeongguk looked at you, a little hesitant. “We’re still friends, right? I mean, after this is over, we’re not gonna go back to being strangers?”
You frowned at him, heart twisting violently at the thought. “No. Of course not, why would you think that?”
Jeongguk’s tense shoulders relaxed. “I don’t know, just being stupid, I guess.”
“You, my dear friend,” You started, walking closer to him and pointing your index finger at him. “are a overgrown puppy.”
Before he could come up with some ridiculous retort, you stepped even closer, right up in his personal space and wrapped your arms around his waist, hugging him.
He froze, just for a second, before hugging you back.
“Our friendship doesn’t have a expiration date, Jeongguk-ah.” You told him softly, but meaning it all the same.
“Thank you.” His voice was just as soft as yours as he squeezed just a bit tighter.
You stood there, hugging. He didn’t let go, so you didn’t either. You realised that it was actually really nice hugging Jeongguk. His chest was warm and solid but also soft and comfortable. His arms around you were strong and secure and it made you feel content, just standing there in his arms.
Then it hit you, like a lightening bolt. Holy shit, you thought to yourself, I like him. I like Jeon Jeongguk. Fuck.
You pulled away from Jeongguk, startled by the revelation, but really, you should have seen it coming. You’ve never bothered too or wanted to get to know someone, and then in walks Jeongguk into your life and all you wanted, was more.
You want to spend more time with him, you want to talk to him, you want to know anything and everything about him, you want to tease him and you want to comfort him.
You want him. And not just physically.
Shit.
“You okay?” He asked, reaching out to you after you pulled out of the hug so abruptly.
You side stepped his hold and nodded slowly, still processing. “Yeah, I’m good. I’m gonna go get the ice cream.”
Jeongguk stared after her as walked in the direction of the kitchen, heartbeat speeding up even more. There was no way she knew right? It was just a hug, he was sure he didn’t let anything slip. She couldn’t possibly figure out from that, that he likes her.
* * *
“I’m going to be so bloated tomorrow.” Jeongguk groaned but still finished the last spoon full of banana ice cream.
You snorted, “Do I really need to remind you that this was your idea?”
And it really was. He was the one who called you and said that he was going to star gaze with his telescope on the roof of his dorm building and asked if you wanted to join him. Seeing as there wasn’t many opportunities to stargaze in the city, you said yes – although in hindsight it wasn’t the greatest idea in the world to stargaze with the guy you liked more than you’ve ever liked anyone before.
“You bought the ice cream.” He retorted, going to lay on his back, looking up at the stars. “Admit it, you brought it here for me to eat with you.”
“Of course, I brought it for you too, it was chocolate and banana ice cream so I thought I could eat the chocolate and you could eat the banana-” Here he let out a loud, triumphant 'hah!’ that made you roll your eyes just a bit. “-but I still didn’t tell you too eat it. It was your own choice, golden boy.” You smirked at him, watching as he pouted. You snickered, laying down next to him and looking up. You couldn’t really see the stars clearly without the help of the telescope that stood not to far from the two of you, even up this high.
“I hate that you’re always right.” He grumbled, no heat in it whatsoever as he nudged your arm with his. Your heartbeat kicked up a bit at the small touch and you felt half giddy, half annoyed with yourself. It was just a nudge, for crying out loud.
“My apologies, Sir Jeongguk.” You said, raising your voice in pitch and making it sound squeaky and fake. You both burst out laughing a second later, rolling on the ground, until the laughter turned into giggles that turned into silly grins as you two laid facing each other.
Jeongguk looked at you, dark eyes pinning you down. Even though it was the dead of night, the city lights made sure that your two could see each other. The air between you changed. Your stomach flip-flopped and you wanted to get away from this, because this position – Jeongguk laying face to face with you, within kissing reach – was dangerous for your heart and your self-control.
“Can I tell you something?” He whispered, seeming to realise that something about this moment was different and he didn’t want to accidentally break it.
“Don’t you always?” You tried to tease like your normally did, but your voice was different as nervousness stared spreading through your body.
“I want to kiss you. So badly.” Jeongguk admitted and all of the air in your lungs evaporated.
Your heart screamed yes, thundering against your ribcage, but your mind said no. You sat upright, moving away from Jeongguk, wishing that he had never said it. Fantasizing and daydreaming about him returning your feelings is one thing, but him actually returning your feelings? It’s terrifying. He is an Idol, part of a group who’s popularity and fame grows everyday.
If you act on whatever is between you two, give into each other, it could ruin everything that he’s worked so hard for. And you couldn’t do that to him.
So, you hardened yourself and looked at him, seeing that he had sit upright as well. “What?”
He immediately understood by your tone that you didn’t agree with his words. “I, uh, I’m sorry. I thought that you felt the same. I’m sorry.”
“There is a difference between friendship and a relationship. You and me? We’re just friends.” You words were slightly harsh and when he flinched, you felt like the worst person in the world.
He looked down at the cement you two were seated on, hands gripping his knees so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, Y/N.” He whispered, like he did something terrible by admitting what he feels for you. Your heart ached and you needed to leave before you could give into him.
“I don’t think we should be friends anymore.” You said, and his head shot up, eyes visibly panicked. You ignored it, getting up.
Jeongguk scrambled to his feet, taking a hold of your hands, shaking his head fiercely, his eyes tearing up. “No, no, please, we- we can still be friends. I can get over this, I will get over it, I promise. Just don’t do this. Please.”
You pulled your hands out of his, gently because you’ve hurt him enough as it is. “It’s better this way, Jeongguk.”
You turned and walked away from him, you took deep, shaky breaths as you walked to the elevator, your eyes starting to tear up halfway there. Luckily, it was just you when the elevator dinged open. So, when the doors closed, you finally let the tears fall as you slumped against the wall. With each shake of your shoulders, it felt like your heart was breaking more.
* * *
After that, you started to avoid Jeongguk. You sent him a text saying that you didn’t need to practice the duet any more, because it was already perfect and there was only a week left before you needed to do the dance. Then you blocked his number. Petty, you knew, but you didn’t need the extra temptation.
At school it was a little easier because he wasn’t there for Monday or Tuesday and when he was back, you avoided him best you could. On Thursday, he caught up to you after a math period and you snapped because this was hard for you too.
“Just stay the fuck away from me!” You screamed at him, so loudly that every student in the hallway looked at you.
Jeongguk stepped back, looking like someone slapped him in the face.
You found the nearest bathroom and cried for the whole next period. Then you called your mom and asked her to come get you because you weren’t feeling well. She didn’t even question it, just said she’d be there within an half hour.
Jeongguk didn’t try to talk to you again the next day.
* * *
That next Monday was when you and Jeongguk had to perform the dance that would count for half your year mark. When you walked into the studio, you immediately noticed him. Jeongguk was standing and waiting for you in the middle, wearing white skinny jeans and a loose white button up – you had asked him if it would bother him, but he said that he could dance in pretty much anything. He looked breathtaking, but then again, you already knew that.
You were wearing white dress. It was tight fitting across your chest and to the middle of your stomach. Then it went down to your knees and when he twirled you, it would flair around you.
You tried to avoid his eyes, but couldn’t. It reflected exactly what you felt – hurt and longing. You nodded to the teacher, and when the song started, you suddenly hated it. You don’t speak English, but the song needed to be in English and you both wanted to know what the song meant and for it to mean something to both of you, so you googled the translation of the lyrics.
Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi was the song you both finally liked. Now you hated it because the lyrics hit to close to home right now.
You and Jeongguk finished your dance, and letting go of his hand was one of the hardest things you’ve ever had to do. The teacher was full of compliments and some of your fellow students were too. Others watched you two with envy. You ignored both.
When you got the results the next day, full marks, you couldn’t even feel happy about it.
* * *
Two months later, Jeongguk releases a cover of 'Before You Go' on SoundCloud and you spent the whole night listening to it, crying and eating chocolate ice cream. (You couldn’t even look at the banana and chocolate ice cream.)
* * *
It was another two months later when you were woken up by your mom one night. You immediately sat up right, disoriented and full of sleep, eyes squinting from the hallway light.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Your voice was low and full of sleep.
“There is someone at the door for you.” She said, reading glasses on her face and dressed in her PJ’s but not sleepy, which means she was still up working.
You checked the time on your phone, “It’s the middle of the night. Tell whoever it is to go away.”
“I think you should come and see the person.” She said, giving you a pointed look that made it clear that it wasn’t a suggestion.
With a deep sigh you got out of bed and walked to the living room. You were shocked out of your wits when you recognized the figure sitting on your couch leaning back, eyes closed and singing something unintelligible. You looked around for your mom, who was nowhere to be found.
“What are you doing here?” You asked, sharper than you intended. Jeongguk's eyes flew open and searched for you. When he found you, the most endearing bunny smile lit up on his face.
“Y/N!” He exclaimed cheerily, a bit slurred. You frowned, a thought coming up in your mind, and you stepped closer to him.
“Jesus Christ,” You breathed when you put it together. Flushed cheeks, over cheery personality, and the smell – Jeongguk is drunk. “What the fuck, Jeongguk?”
He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest huffing. “We haven’t seen each other or spoken on four months and that’s the first thing you say? No ‘I missed you'?”
You looked at him with narrowed eyes, “Oh no, you don’t get to play that card with me. Not after you show up drunk at my house, in the middle of the night.”
“I missed you.” He said, like he didn’t hear a word you said, looking at you with frighteningly serious eyes.
“I-” You started, but you didn’t know what to say because those words melted away at all of the carefully constructed walls you built around your feelings for Jeongguk in an effort to keep them under control. The truth of the matter is simple – you are weak for Jeongguk.
“Do you hate me?” He asked, tilting his head at you curiously.
You frowned, kind of offended by the question. “No, I don’t hate you.”
“Oh.” He nodded to himself, looking relieved.
You sighed gently when something occurred to you. “Does your hyung’s where you are?”
“Uh,” He looked at you wearily. “No.” He admitted.
You gaped at him, “What? Why not? Are you insane? They must be so worried about you.”
“I forgot.”
“You forgot.” You echoed in disbelief and when he just nodded, you pulled deep for patience. “Okay, so call them.”
“I forgot my phone.” He winced at the glower you aimed at him.
“Fine, I’ll go get my phone.” You said, turning away from him and going back to your room. “You better have their numbers memorized.” You muttered to yourself.
When you returned, phone in hand, it was to an asleep Jeongguk and your mother throwing a blanket over him.
“Mom, no, what are you doing? He needs to go home.”
“He can go home in the morning. After you two actually talked to each other.”
“We don’t need to talk.”
Your mom gave you one of those looks again, “The boy showed up, in the middle of the night, drunk of his ass and asked for you. I think that he might have a few things to say.”
“Maybe I don’t want to listen.” You mumbled petulantly.
“You love him. No, don’t look at me like that. I know who he is, I know about the dance and I know you cry sometimes. It doesn’t take a genius to put it together, my dear.” Your mom said, looking very satisfied with herself.
“He’s not even supposed to be here.” You sighed. “I let him go.”
Your mom grinned, eyes twinkling, “Well, you know what they said: when you set a bird free and he returns, he’s yours to keep forever.”
“He’s not a bird, mom.”
“It’s a metaphor.”
“It’s ridiculous, is what it is.” You huffed.
“Go get some sleep.”
The next morning you seriously contemplated not getting out of bed. Then you remembered the look your mom gave you and decided to face Jeongguk rather than your mother’s wrath. You got dressed, having showered the previous evening before bed, brushed your teeth, and walked to the living room, where the Idol was still passed out.
You got a glass of water and two painkillers before going to wake him up. You gently shook him wake, watching as he blinked his eyes open with a wince, then bolted upright when he noticed you. “Y/N? What am I doing here?”
“Funny thing,” You started, handing over the water and painkillers. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”
He took hit gratefully, drinking the pills and downing the water. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, so we need to talk, but first, call your hyungs and then go brush your teeth. There is spares in the cupboard beneath the sink. I’ll be in the kitchen.” Without giving him a chance to respond, you walked away.
Fifteen minutes later, he passed into the kitchen on sock covered feet, face washed and teeth brushed, holding your phone out with a sheepish smile. “Thank you.”
“They must love you right now.” You smirked, taking the phone and pocketing it. “Coffee?”
“Sure.” He nodded. “My hyungs aren’t to happy with me right now, but they are relieved that I called.”
You hummed in agreement, not really sure what to say. When you were done, you handed the coffee to him. You leaned against the counter and watched him. “Why are you here?”
He looked at you, long enough that you started to feel until unnerved. When he spoke, there was no hesitation or doubt. “I want to be with you.”
You swallowed, “Jeongguk-”
“Just hear me out, before you say no, okay? Please.” He looked at you. “I’m begging here.”
You nodded hesitantly. What could it hurt?
“We only get one life, and I decided long ago that I wouldn’t live it with any regrets and I know that if I let you go now and never look back, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I’m not asking you to marry me, Y/N, just for a chance, because I think that we could be great.” He said, eyes unguarded and hopeful as he looked at you.
Tears was stinging your eyes, “You don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?” He asked, because no, he didn’t get it.
“You’re an Idol, and being an Idol means sacrificing certain things. You and me-” You gestured between you two. “-we’re one of those things.”
“So, what? I don’t even get a say? You just make the choice for me?” He asked, getting a little angry.
“Why can’t you understand? This is for you own good. If we do this and it gets out, and you could loose everything.” You said, trying to make him see. “Before, when I said you could tell everyone I’m your girlfriend, that was different because it wasn’t true and you could have easily denied it. But this time it wouldn’t be and both of us deserve better than a life of secrets and lies.”
“Well, that’s my choice, too, isn’t it?” He retorted heatedly and it was only then when you noticed how close you two were standing, that while you were arguing, you moved closer to each other.
You went to step away from him when he grabbed your wrist and pulled you closer to him, wrapping his free arm around your waist. He gave you a slight glare that you found a lot more attractive than you probably should have. “Stop running away from me. It’s not going to solve anything.”
“I’m not running.” You protested even as you placed your hands on his shoulders, trying to put a bit of space between you but not really getting anywhere because his hold was solid and he is really strong. How easily he lifted you during your practices for the dance was more than enough proof.
“You are.” He scoffed, looking down at you. Your heartbeat spiked, heat rushing to your cheeks as he looked at you with those dark eyes of his. This close you could see they were really a warm brown colour and the mole underneath his bottom lip looked even cuter. You felt the urge to press a kiss to it. “Tell me you don’t have feelings for me.”
More than a little distracted by the close proximity to Jeongguk, you didn’t immediately understand what he said. “What?”
“Tell me you don’t have feelings for me. Tell me and I’ll walk out your front door and you never have you see me again.” He challenged. You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. Slowly, he started to smile, happiness seeping out of him. “I knew it.”
You looked down, looking at the stitches of his t-shirt collar. “What gave me away?”
“The look in your eyes that night on the roof – you were terrified. You once told me that only three things in this life terrify you – loosing your mom, snakes and love.” Jeongguk said and your eyes widened.
“You remember that?” You asked, a little amazed because that was more than five months ago.
“I remember everything.” He said, voice so soft and gentle, sparkling eyes looking at you like you were worth everything and more. He started to smile slowly. Your heart thumped wildly, cheeks heating up. “Can I tell you something?”
You snorted, leaning forward to rest your head against his shoulder, his words of all those months ago coming back to you. You decided to give in an play his game. “Don’t you always?”
“I want to kiss you. So badly.” He said again, but no less sincere than the first time.
You lifted your head and looked him in the eyes. You saw the hope, the nervousness and the fear. You realised that maybe, he was just was terrified of this as you were, but he was taking a chance – again – despite of his fear.
You knew that there was still a lot to be said. You owed him an apology, for all those mean and heart breaking things you said, but most of all for ending your friendship. You promised him that your friendship didn’t have an expiration date and then you shut him out after he opened his heart to you. You really don’t know where he got the courage to do it a second time.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Jeongguk, you smiled up at him and said, “Then what are you waiting for?”
Jeongguk went still for a moment, then smiled – something bright and brilliant – before leaning down to press his lips to yours. You decided right then and there that this must be what heaven on Earth feels like.
the end.
#jeon jungkook#jeon jungkook x reader#jeon jungkook x you#jungkook x you#jungkook x oc#jungkook x y/n#jungkook x reader#jungkook
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Nuna
Pairing: Jungkook x Reader (Jin, Namjoon, Taehyung)
Genre: fluff
Word Count: 3,9 k
LIST
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Part: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [extra]
POV Jungkook
"DAMN IT! Why the hell again, I agreed to this! Why did I think it will be a good idea!" Jungkook swore while lying on his bed covering his face with hands. Every time a party with your participation was given to him very difficult. You've been Jin's best friend since elementary school, and you've only seen him as a naughty kid. All the guys in the band knew about his lust for you and they made fun of him every time, when he trying to show you that he's no longer a boy. Everyone must were get together to the dorm today and you were supposed to come. His heart pounded furiously in his chest. After spending the whole evening with you in the same company, he almost until the morning had to jerk off the stress of your proximity. Your smell, the shape of your body, but especially your habit of driving fingers on your lips drove him crazy every minute. And now he will have another painful night. He got out of bed and stood in front of the closet. Each time he had to wear wide sweatpants to hide the hard-on. But choosing a t-shirt has always been difficult. He always opted it with a short sleeve and v-neck to bare the muscles of his arms and chest try to look more hottest. He knew how you excited from guys with muscular hands. But it never worked with you. He opted for grey pants and a grey T-shirt made of thin matter that covered every muscle in his chest and abs. He looked at himself from the bottom to up in the mirror "As if it would change something" he sneered at himself.
He left the room and immediately collided with Namjoon, looking at him from head to toe he laughed. "Still hoping for something?" he asked with a sneer. "It's not your business, hyung! I'll deal with my hopes myself!" Jungkook responded sharply. Namjoon just smiled back and walked toward the kitchen. Maybe he'd must just walk out of the house, he thinking to himself. Why does he keep tormenting himself every time. He heard laughter from the kitchen and realized that Namjoon had already told the other guys about his appearance. Sooner or later, they'd see him.
He went into the kitchen last, everyone was there. But he saw that only Jin, Taehyung and NJ were sitting in the kitchen. "Aren't we going to have a drink together today?" he asked sitting down on the nearest chair at the kitchen table. "Hoseok and Jimin are going to train the dance into the late night, and Yoongi decided to finish working on the song in the studio, so it's unlikely to show up today." He mentally regretted not asking about Jimina's plans for today. Whom he wanted to deceive, no matter how much he cursed, he still used every opportunity to see you at least for one minute.
"She's on a blind date tonight. So she will arrive only at half an hour" Jin's words distracted him from his thoughts. What? Blind date? Why it caused fury in him. He tried to stay calm listening to the hyuns talk. "What? Is she still being forced to go on these useless dates? Hahaha... Is she still making ridicule of the guys?" laughed Namjoon. "Poor guys get enough from her. We should be pitied them" Jin replied laughing. "She's still behaving like a spoiled and rude girl because of why guys run off the middle of the date?" asked Taehyung. He was practically boiling with anger inside, what's the hell is going on, why everyone knew about her dates except him! "Hell yes! I would have had enough and a five-minute date with her to run off" shaking his head confirmed to Jin. Half an hour passed while they spoke. But you still weren't here yet, Jungkook kept looking at watch. Another 20 minutes later Jin paid attention to the clock "Hm, she already should be here by now. It's strange why she's delayed."
Jin picked up the phone and quickly typed the message. The answer came right away. "Wow, it seems her date is going well. She'll only arrive in 20 minutes" Jin said. "What? She on a date for almost 2 hours?! I'm impressed" after looking at the watch told Namjoon. A new wave of anger covered him. For all those 20 minutes, he couldn't think of anything but your date. He hasn't even heard about what his hyungs have been talked. At last the doorbell ripped him out of his mind. Taehyung quickly got up and ran to open the door. Jungkook sat on a chair unable to move. Raising his head he met Jin's gaze and realized that all this time he was watching him. He winced because all his emotions and thoughts were reflected on his face.
"Oh my God, nuna! You look gorgeous! I almost fell in love with you!" a chuckle said Taehyung. He turned his eyes to the front door and almost fell from his chair. Your dress was too short and covered your beautiful figure. Neckline was too deep baring your breasts. The make-up was too bright for a simple date, twisted curls falling on bare shoulders. His heart almost jumped out of his chest. "What the outfit, _____? Have you decided to take over the world?" asked Jin.
"Don't even ask, Jin. It was the worst two hours of my life. I had to smile and be nice to that asshole!" You threw your stiletto heels to the floor with force, taking out anger on it. "My credit card depended on that fucking date!" all the guys laughed. Jungkook breathed a sigh of relief realizing that it wasn't your desire to go on a date. "I want to get out of this horrible dress, I can't breathe. How girls voluntarily wear these tiny pieces of fabric."
"Don't be shy, you can undress here. We don't mind," chuckled Namjoon. "Very funny Namjoon" you abruptly replied "Jin, I'll take your T-shirt and shorts?"
"No problem, you know where my room is" replied Jin. Jungkook only silently watched your dialogue. After you left, the topic changed to a choice of food and alcohol. Getting up from his chair he went to the toilet. Before entering the bathroom, his gaze caught the door to Jin's room, which was not completely closed. Before he could stop himself he was already standing in front of the door looking into a thin gap. You stood with your back to the door taking off your dress. The sight of your naked skin stirred up to the limit of Jungkook. He turned sharply and walked away, going quickly into the bathroom. By locking the door he opened the tap washing with cold water his blushed face. "And what do you think you're doing, moron?" he asked himself. After few minute he came out of the bathroom and met you when you left the room. "Ooh Kooky, I'm sorry I was so angry that I didn't even say hello to you. Are you OK?" you asked with a smile. "Of course, nuna. Everything great. I hope you're very tired playing the role of an obedient babygirl?" he asked, focusing as much as possible on the word 'babygirl' trying to sound sexy. But you just laughed at his words. You patted him on the shoulder saying, "Oh, you better not know about this, baby. Be glad that all your fans are against that you meet someone. It's a complete headache. Brrr" you shook your head dramatically. Together you went to the kitchen. You sat down at the table "This shame should be washed off with alcohol!" Everyone laughed. He sat down opposite taking non-alcoholic beer from the fridge. "Wow Kooky, you won't drink today" you asked taking a sip of strong alcohol. "Wrong mood for a drink today" he smiled.
"The first time I see you're not in the mood to drink" Jin said. The evening was fun after jokes and ridicule of each other, after a few hours the themes became more frank. "You're sure such topics can be discussed in front of children" you laughed at Jungkook. Another wave of anger went through it. 'And how I must react to this,' he thought to himself. "Nuna, stop treating me like a child, I'm actually a man!" he put on the table a can of beer with loud thud. You raised your hands up playing hard showing your surrender "Yes yes man, no one argues. Excuse me, mister Man, couldn't you give me a bottle of water from the fridge?" you asked in a stern voice. Your behavior caused a loud laugh. He dropped his head on the table trying to regain his composure. Getting up from the table, he went to the bathroom. He heard behind the sarcastic jokes in his address, but tried not to pay attention to it.
After skipping the bathroom, he went into his room and fell on the bed. He punched a pillow. 'And what I must do with it? Why the hell didn't I go to practice?' He got used to taunts from hyungs, then why are your comments hurting him so much? Thoughts were swirling in his head. His excited dick interfered all evening. Your bare back and perfect ass was still standing in front of his eyes. He lay on the bed not wanting to leave the room, it was about 15 minutes before he realized that he had spent too much time here. After taking a deep breath he rose from the bed. "You must show that you are not a boy who does not know how to control emotions, but a grown man! Jungkook fighting!" he cheered himself up before leaving the room. Hearing a loud laugh from the kitchen his step sped off. Going into the kitchen, he did not immediately understand what was happening. Taehyung yelled at Namjoon, trying to outvoice their laughter, stomping his feet with anger "Hyung, so dishonest! You cheated! I'm not going to do that" Jungkook turned his eyes and saw you and Jin rolling the floor at laughing. "What's going on here?" he asked, sitting down on a chair. Namjoon turned his gaze "This kid lost to me but doesn't want to accept punishment!" he said pointing at Taehyung who was seething with anger. Jungkook froze when he felt a hand on his thigh. His head turned sharply in your direction. Climbing off the floor, you leaned on his thigh for balance. The dick immediately became hard. 'It's looks like you haven't tease me enough all night' thought to sweep through his head. You didn't even notice that action at a time when he couldn't even move. He mentally thanked Taehyung as all attention was riveted on him.
He stood up abruptly quickly towards the fridge. Taking out a bottle of cold water he took a few big sips bringing the thoughts in order. He almost jumped when Namjoon appeared next to him "Why are you so twitchy, it's everything okay?" said hyung to the maknae reaction. "Yes, hyung" quickly replied he put in place the water and taking a new can of beer. Namjoon took the raw egg and moved away from the fridge. "Time for punishment!" he angrily laughed by passing the egg to Taehyung "Oouh hyung.... So dishonest" still whined he. "Hey! Everything honestly, you didn't set any rules, so why now you denies everything!" said Jin sitting back on his chair. "Here it is! Be a man and take the punishment" you said. Now Jungkook understood what the punishment was and why Taehyung hissed with anger. "Isn't too children's games for play?" he asked. All four turned sharply at him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Man, for our childish behavior" you said bowing 90 degrees. Another wave of laughter made him regret that he had said anything at all. "Nuna, seriously..." He answered you. "Nuna seriously" Namjoon twisted his voice to childish. "Hyung..." he turned his eyes to Namjoon. "Hyun" in a childish voice repeated Jin. "Psychos!" Jyngkook said opening the beer, and everyone laughed even louder. "Didn’t you talk about sexual adventures when I left? How did you get to the game with eggs?" he asked, trying to sound as calm as possible. "Oh my God... Mr Man said the word on 'S'!" with your hands covering your mouth, you whispered loudly in a playable manner. "We talked, but then Taehyung said he had sex more often than Namjoon. The loser has to smash an egg on his head" Jin said calmly, and Jungkook choked on a beer. He turned his eyes to Taehyung who hypnotized the egg, apparently hoping it would boil from his burning look. "Then what was Namjoon's cheating?" he asked Jin. "Taehyung didn't say that masturbation is not considered sex, which is why he lost!" everyone laughed again. "Taehyung just do it and we keep having fun " said you drinking from your glass. He broke the egg hard and the spray squirted in all directions. "Ohh you're a little bastard" hissed Jin wiping his face, because he was sitting next to, most of the egg put on him. After a verbal altercation and cleaning, everyone sat down again at the table returning to their drinks.
"So what about you, Mr. Man, tell us about your sexual adventures?" asked Jin. "Or apart from masturbation and tell nothing?" added Namjoon, raising an eyebrow. "I prefer to keep secret what's going on between me and my sexual partner!" he replied sharply to the hyungs' attacks. "Wow, what words we knew" you chuckled at his comment. "Okay let's not embarrass our cute maknae and changed the topic" said you updating your drink. "Why, Nuna, can we maybe hear about your sexual adventures?" 'Jungkook are you have completely get cranky, where you get this courage' he asked himself mentally, trying to be calm. "I'm afraid a sweet boy... Oh... I mean, Mr. Man, you missed my story while you went to the bathroom" you replied, he didn't even know to rejoice or be upset. On the one hand, he would have known about your preferences in sex, but on the other hand, he did not want to hear about your sex with another man. "Well, next time I'll definitely listen to your story" he said, looking you in the eye. "Yaah ... Our baby is quite an adult. I'm really surprised. Look how he spoke" patted him on the back Namjoon. "I've been an adult a long time ago, but for some reasons you don't want to notice it" he said still looking at you.
"Okay okay... Let's have a drink! Everyone has become too much serious" said Jin attracting the attention into himself. The rest of the evening passed quietly for stories of funny cases. Everyone drank, laughed and played different games. Taehyung went off first to sleep after drinking too much. After a while, Namjoon also left. There are three of you left. Jin was telling some funny story about you at school. Jungkook was sitting there hoping that hyung, too, would soon go to bed leaving you two. But his plan was broken when you said you were going home. He didn't want to coax you too hard, but even if he can do it, he don't think he'd be able to be alone with you. "Have you already summoned a sober driver?" asked Jin distracting him from his thoughts. "Not yet, I'll call from the parking lot, I want to get some fresh air while I wait" you said "So don't see me off and go to bed. When I'll be home and I'll write you, Jin".
“Why you so want to get rid of us, are you sure that you will call a sober driver? You can not answer, I will leave the question open, "Jin asked with a grin.
"You think too much, oppa!"
"Oh my God! It seemed to me or you first called me ‘oppa '!” said Jin, pretending surprise on his face. “Baby, it seems you are really very drunk or I'm right about the fact that the call will be someone else”
"Shut your mouth, crazy!" you clapped on his back.
“Ohhh ... this looks more like you!” Jin answered, dodging your punches.
Jungkook sat and watched you with a smile. Your laughter was echoing somewhere deep inside. And how can he make you see him as a man? His gaze is wandering over your body. He imagined holding his hand under a wide T-shirt clutching your boobs. 'Crazy, crazy! What are you thinking about now' he scolded himself when the dick twitched in his pants. 'You must calm down,' he repeated to himself.
"That's it! Okay, I'm not going to ask you anything else, and I'm not even going to escort you to the car! And I'm going to go to bed, I don't care, do whatever you want!" pretended to be angry Jin
“Oppa ...” you leaned on the table, pouted your lips and clapped eyelashes, posing as a cutie. “Well, don't be mad at me, oppa!” you said in a sweet voice. From this spectacle, Jungkook simply lost his speech. He looked at you with wide eyes, not believing that this was actually happening, and not in his imagination.
"Buuee..." Jin pretended to be throw up. "End this, _____! I'm really going to throw up. Kooky, have you seen this? She's completely barmy"
"Yaaah... Want to die, you jerk!" you shouted.
A second later the kitchen filled with laughter. "Wow, nuna, I didn't know you could be such a cutie" Jungkook said through a laugh.
"You have no idea how cute she can be, especially when she needs something" Jin replied.
"Tssss... Didn't betray my secrets!" you answered, and Jungkook laughed harder.
"Now I'll know she could be so dangerous" he replied.
“So I'm leaving! Get down already to sleep! I’ll come home - I’ll write, "you said, and went into the living room for a bag. He watched your every move, not wanting to let you go. But what could he do?
They led you to the door, putting on the first slippers you got, you looked up at Jin “I'll borrow that too. I'll back it with your clothes” you said, raising your stilettos. “I don’t think I can go now in these shoes. Moreover, they don’t fit my design outfit" by scrolling you showed your outfit as a model: black basketball shorts that lost a colour from time and a stretched cotton t-shirt, one edge of which was tucked into shorts. You curtey finished your little fashion show. "You can leave it for yourself, this 'designer outfit' really suits you. Although the next time I advise you to put on your heels, it will be look super fashionable! ” said Jin panting with laughter.
Jin hugged you and said “Good night, nuts! Write me when you get home "
Jungkook envied that you and Jin were so close and could hug each other.
"Night, night, let you have nightmares," you said, posing as zombies. "DAMN, get home already" said Jin pretending to shove you out of the apartment.
"Good night, nuna!" said Jungkook, watching you fool around with Jin. "Good night, Kooky! You, unlike him, let have good dreams" you smiled at him " That's it! Now I'm definitely leaving! Bye"
Jin closed the door. Turned, two guys went to the bedrooms. Jin wished quietly the night before closing the door to his room.
He went into his room and stared at the empty bed. Within a second he grabbed his phone and wallet, ran to the exit. He quickly shoes out of the apartment. After reaching the elevators, he pressed the buttons "please, please, please..." he prayed. One bodice was still on his floor on this door immediately opened. Running inside he continued to press the parking button as if it helped the elevator to go faster. He was hoping you didn't have time to call anyone yet. He knew you always left the car in the open parking lot, you liked to look at the stars while you were waiting for the driver or taxi. Arriving at the parking lot he almost flew out of the elevator, he ran through the parking lot with maximum speed. 'It's so good I didn't drink today' Having reached your car, he stopped a couple of meters away, levelling his breath. He looked ahead and saw you lying on the hood looking up. ‘Interestingly, you already managed to call someone or not’ this thought was spinning in his head. Completely catching his breath he went toward the car.
"Nuna, why are you still here?" he asked trying to look surprised.
"Ooh... Why don't you sleep?"
"Unlike you, I haven't had a drink today, so I don't think I'll be able to sleep so fast. So I decided to go for a walk before going to bed, especially the weather is so good" he replied.
"Yes the weather is really great. I already wanted to call the driver, but the wind was so refreshing that I decided to first enjoy the night sky lying down on the hood. Although it must have been longer than I thought once even if you've gone for a walk" you said looking up into the sky. He was glad you thought you were lying here too long, and he didn't run right behind you.
He breathed a sigh of relief 'not yet calling the driver' it seems as long as luck is on his side. Sitting next to you on the hood, he was finally able to relax, he still had a chance to spend time alone with you.
"Nuna, I was still want going for a walk and if you want I'll able to drive you at home" he said getting up and making a bow to "For regular customers we do good discounts, madam" He smiled when you laughed.
"Well, if you make good discounts for regular customers, sir, I'll be happy to use your service," you said with a laugh. When you found the key in the bag, you handed it over. "Please take care of my car" you said make bow. Now he laughed at how cute you were at that moment. He still couldn't believe you agreed so easily. He wondered if you could hear how badly his heart was pounding. He was glad you were drunk enough and didn't crack down on his lies.
"Nuna, can we go or do you still want to admire the sky?" he asked again sitting next to you. You lay down on the hood, and he followed suit. He felt your elbow touch his arm slightly. Your warm skin and the smell of your perfume were react heat in his underpants. He sincerely hoped that his dick did not protrude from his pants too much.
"Let's lie for another five minutes. The sky is too beautiful to be in a hurry somewhere" you replied. He rejoiced in this opportunity to be so close to you. Maybe he can get you to lie in his arms one day. 'Too much you want, Jungkook, she doesn't even see you as a man' he replied to his own thoughts. But now he was just happy about it.
__________________________
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#bts fluff#jungkook#jungkook x reader#jungkook fluff#kooky x reader#bts jin#bts namjoon#bts taehyung#kim seokjin#kim namjoon#kim taehyung#jeon jungkook#bts jungkook#jungkook bts
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Stuck in the Middle, Part One: Friends & Talks (6.8k)
Hello! I am so sorry for the delay. College is sneaking up on me in the worst ways and we all know I’m not very good at scheduled writing. The good news is that the first part is officially here! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
June 2021
A loud, crowded bar would never be your first choice of location on a Saturday night. Frankly, you’d rather be at home with your group of friends making dinner and putting on a film. Unfortunately, they had wanted to go out for the night and you were a bit of a pushover when it came to promises of vodka and other various cocktails. Eventually you were lured out the door and tugged into a cab on the heels of your friends.
It’s exactly how you end up sweating and sighing at The Hog and Hound, tapping your foot to the bass shaking the bar and waiting for the kind bartender to make your vodka tonic. You cast a worried – albeit amused – glance over to the karaoke stage. Your two closest friends Jack and Whinnie are screaming into the mics on the flimsy stage to Shania Twain, the crowd that’s gathered in front of them shaking with laughter and whooping occasionally. You wince when Whinnie kicks off her tall heels while continuing to shout lyrics into the microphone. As you sigh quietly, Whinnie catches your eye and blows you a flourished kiss before slinging an arm around Jack and causing them both to stumble slightly. Laughter bubbles out of you and you blow a kiss back to her as they straighten up and continue singing.
A tap on your shoulder has you turning around just as the bartender sets down your drink on the bar in front of you. You grin, wrapping your hand around the glass and pinching the lime wedge before dropping it in the glass.
“Thank you,” you say loudly over the music. He smiles. He’s handsome, probably mid-forties with bright blue eyes and greying hair. A gold ring glints on his ring finger and his eyes crinkle with his grin.
“Your friend,” he gestures, voice thick with an accent you can’t place – your best guess would be Eastern European, “she’s a bit of a party animal.” You laugh, bobbing your head side to side in agreement and taking a heavy swallow of the drink. The cool, perfect balance of it has you humming happily before Whinnie shrieks a particularly high note into the microphone. The bartender erupts into laughter as you shake your head with a wince and down another gulp of your drink.
“I should probably–” you wave your hand vaguely in the direction of the stage, earning another laugh from the man in front of you, “thanks again. I’ll probably be seeing you shortly.”
“Good luck,” he grins, wiping down the ring of condensation your glass left behind as you begin making your way through the crowd. The end of the song is vibrating through the bar and you mumble apologies as you shoulder your way through the crowd. The song finally ends as you reach the makeshift platform. Whinnie and Jack cheer their thanks to the crowd before stumbling off the stage.
Whinnie embraces you with a cry of, “My love!” as her long arms wrap around you tightly. You laugh, a bit of your drink spilling onto the floor as she sways back and forth with you wildly. Jack follows her off stage with her shoes in one hand.
“Wonderful rendition, mate,” you rib him over Whinnie’s shoulder, “thought maybe it was Shania herself.” Jack rolls his eyes, dropping Whinny’s shoes on the floor and leaning to press a firm kiss to your cheek in greeting.
“Brat,” he mutters, grinning at you. You smile sweetly at him and steady Whinnie as she pulls away from you. Jack releases you and before you blink he disappears into the crowd, presumably headed to the bar.
“Put on your shoes, babe,” you snort as Whinnie sways. With a whine she’s slipping into the heels and once again standing six inches taller than before. With a bit of a wobble and a happy laugh, she’s squeezing your hand and beginning her walk away from you.
“Off to the bar!” She crows, beaming, waving off any sort of attempt you make to persuade her to drink some water, and soon she’s swallowed into the crowd as well. You sigh softly, lifting your glass to your lips. You’ll find her eventually – most likely with her arms draped over the toilet or in the lap of the leggy blonde that’s been eying her all night. These thoughts are interrupted when a large hand slides to the small of your back and makes you freeze.
“She’s a wild one, our Whinnie,” a low voice chuckles in your ear. With an affronted yet relieved scoff, you spin and face Harry whose palm slides away as his dimples come into focus.
You’d forgotten Harry was here tonight, to be honest. He hasn’t been in your circle of friends very long – really only since you’d started a neuropsychology seminar in January with Jack and Whinnoie. Harry had been in it too. It wasn’t a large course, he was friendly, and slowly his group blended with yours. He’s joined all of you on a few outings, usually meeting up with you at the bar and leaving with someone before you do. Never one to slut shame, you admire his drive even if it does tweak you with just the slightest bit of jealousy.
There’s something very disarming about Harry and it keeps you on edge whenever he’s around. He’s tall and lean with muscle from running with a group of guys in your seminar class. You really only know this because Jack is in the group as well and wakes up your flat much too frequently with squeaking sneakers and the slam of the front door early on Saturdays. Harry has tattoos up and down his arms and torso that you’ve never really gotten a good look at. Frankly, it doesn’t matter if they’re stupid or meaningful they suit him so well. His smile is crooked and charming and he has a horrible habit of flirting with you until your lungs feel like they’re going to pop. He’s never crossed any lines or made you uncomfortable, in fact it always seems like he’s taking the piss a bit because he fucks off with someone else before you can even manage a response or bounce back with a flirt of your own.
Not that you want to flirt with him.
“She likes to have fun,” you concede with a polite laugh, guard up when he smiles at you.
Harry’s patterned shirt is unbuttoned almost completely and the shirt tails are tucked crookedly into his trousers. His waist is looped with a worn, brown leather belt embroidered with a red and orange dragon. You can’t help the smile that quirks your lips as you take in his outfit of choice. He always has had eclectic taste.
He’s grinning at you crookedly, eyes clear and bright. It looks like he’s holding a glass of water with lemon, his gold rings and blue nail polish winking up at you. Something about nail polish on a man is unfairly attractive, especially when the rest of him looks like Harry. You swallow, meeting his gaze again.
“You look ravishing, love,” he murmurs, blinking lazily, “absolutely stunning.” You roll your eyes with a laugh and spin on your heel, beginning your quest to find Whinnie before she does something regrettable that she’ll whine about for the next three days. Harry scoffs, choking out a laugh and follows you, hot on your heels.
“What did I say?” He demands, laughter bubbling between his words.
You snort, shaking your head again and mumbling apologies as you bump into patrons and Harry bumps into them after you as he rushes to catch up.
“Can’t compliment you now? Bloody rubbish, that is.”
“Sod off, Styles,” you retort with minimal bite, scanning the crowd for your friends, “I’m not in the mood. I need to find Whinnie and Jack.”
Harry whistles in offense and you frown when you fail to find Whinnie at the bar. One of Harry’s broad shoulders brushes yours as he comes to stand beside you, also scanning.
“You really don’t like me very much,” Harry observes thoughtfully, and you look at him with wide eyes and your mouth open in shock. His eyes meet yours, a shrug of his shoulders earning him a huff of disbelief.
“That’s not true,” you manage with your cheeks warming. It seems he’s caught on to your determined avoidance. “I like you fine.” Harry laughs, eyes meeting yours.
“Could’ve fooled me.” He says plainly. “You rush off every time I talk to you.” You set your jaw and turn to face him.
“That’s because you’re taking the piss every time you talk to me,” you say bluntly, “there’s not a lot of reason to stick around.”
“Not taking the piss,” he mutters with a snort, shaking his head. You simply hum, ignoring him and turning back to look over the crowd.
“Do you see Whin?” You ask him, standing on your tiptoes. Harry cranes his head around to look behind where the two of you stand. You continue to scan the room, eyes narrowing when you see someone who looks like your best friend before sighing quietly in defeat. Jack seems to have also disappeared and you fight the annoying anxiety that pipes up in the back of your head.
“Dunno,” Harry says finally, “maybe we should check the bathroom.” You agree, mentally preparing yourself for Whinnie to be puking and your role of holding back her hair. Harry pushes his way forward first, clearing a path for you as you follow him. Your eyes fall on the broad span of his back and his wide shoulders. The fabric of his shirt hugs the smooth planes of muscle nicely and something in your lower belly twinges. Clearing your throat and with a slight shake of your head you focus your attention back on the game plan to get a drunk Whinnie and maybe Jack into a cab and up the five flights of stairs at your flat.
“I’ll check in here,” Harry mutters, shouldering open the men’s room door before disappearing inside with a call of, “just in case.” You pop into the women’s room, scanning and calling out for Whinnie. No response.
Sighing, you trail back out into the hall. Harry is standing and waiting for you, leaned against the wall. His arms are crossed over his chest and the door bangs shut behind you.
“She’s not in there?” You ask him, eyes big.. Harry shakes his head, brow furrowed with concern. “Shit,” you mutter, pulling your phone out of your jeans. Admittedly, you’re a little surprised that Harry remains leaned against the wall of the small hallway, eyes on you. Normally he would be close to getting someone in a cab with him or already have disappeared into the night with them.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” he says quietly, plucking your drink from you as you fumble to unlock your phone, long fingers brushing yours, “you know Whinnie and Jack, they like adventures.” You laugh just slightly under your breath as you tap Whinnie’s contact, ignoring the satisfied smile that slides onto Harry’s face.
“I do,” you agree, putting the phone to your ear, meeting his gaze, “that’s what worries me.” Harry huffs a laugh and as the ringing begins in your ear your good friend Mika stumbles into the hall.
“Lo, babes,” he greets you both, grinning widely, white blonde hair sticking up wildly, “I’ve been looking for you for ages. Darling,” he addresses you as Whinnie’s voicemail begins, “Whinnie and Jack caught a cab home. Apparently she was feeling ill and didn’t want to cut your night short.”
“Seriously?” You ask with groan as Harry erupts with laughter. You drop the phone and slide it back into your pocket. “God they’re infuriating.” Mika coos his sympathy as you take your drink back from Harry.
“Sorry, pet,” Harry murmurs despite his shoulders shaking with laughter. You scowl at him and take a hefty swig of your drink. Mika squeezes your hand before he’s sliding past you and into the men’s room before patting Harry on the chest in greeting. The door shuts behind him as you begin pulling out your phone once more. “What are you doing?” Harry asks, brow furrowing as you unlock the device.
“Getting an Uber,” you sigh quietly, “I’m ready to go home.”
“By yourself?” You smirk at the disbelief in his voice.
“I’m a big girl, Styles,” you say, “I can handle a cab ride home alone.”
You bend down, setting your glass on the floor this time instead of letting him take it and he sips at his water, eyebrows drawn together. It’s when you’re turning on your location for the app that he speaks up again.
“Let me take you home.”
You glance up at him, eyebrows raised. He stares evenly at you, running a hand through his curls before his hand drops back to his side. He’s still holding his water.
“Seriously?” It slips out before you can help it and Harry’s head tilts to the side, lips curling up on one side and showcasing a dimple.
“Please. I don’t want you in an Uber by yourself. I brought the truck and I’ll have you back at the flat in ten minutes tops.”
You eye him suspiciously, sliding your phone back into your pocket.
“I have to settle my tab…” you trail off, crossing your arms over your chest. Harry’s smile is wide and smug. You roll your eyes, pushing off the wall before retrieving your drink. “You haven’t been drinking right?” Harry holds up his water in response and you bob your head in understanding.
“I’ll bring the truck around and meet you at the front,” he says before trailing down the hall and disappearing. You huff a breath of disbelief – if someone had told you six hours ago you were going to be ending the night in Harry’s car you would have told them to fuck off. Shaking off your surprise you follow him and make your way to the bar.
After paying your tab and bidding goodnight to the friendly bartender and your group of friends, you make your way to the front door of the bar and step into the humid air. Harry’s truck is pulled against the curb with it’s hazards blinking. You suck in a breath of preparation before making your way over and cranking open the door.
“Lo,” he greets, staring and scrolling through his phone as you climb into the passenger seat. Soft music begins to play through the speakers and you fasten your seatbelt as his phone lands with a clunk in the cupholder. “Fancy seeing you here.” His voice is cheeky and you snort, rolling your eyes and settling back in the seat. Harry’s still grinning as he checks the mirrors and pulls out onto the street.
There’s a pleasant silence for the first few minutes of the ride. You lean back in the leather of the seats, tapping your foot along to what you think is The Strokes. The song changes to something softer that you don’t recognize, and you clear your throat. Suddenly, you’re nervous, but you push through it to glance at him. One of his large hands is draped over the steering wheel, the gold H ring twisted crookedly and facing you. The other hand is laying relaxed on the gear shift and you swallow thickly when he flexes it absentmindedly before relaxing it once more.
“Thank you,” you speak over the music, dragging your eyes along the sharp angle of his jw and up to his eyes. He glances over at you, an unruly curl falling onto his forehead. “For taking me home. I appreciate it, really.” You stare straight ahead, refusing to look at him. He’s silent for a few seconds.
“You know,” you steal a glance at him once more and a dimple is shadowing his cheek, “I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“You ruined it,” you say easily, staring back at the road and crossing your arms over his chest as his laughter fills the truck, “asshole.” He laughs harder at that and you fight a twitch of your lips.
“Sorry,” he manages, still laughing, “you’re welcome. Truly, it’s no trouble. We’re friends.” You nod, arms still crossed. Sitting so closely to him is putting you on edge. If you really look at him you’re sure you can see the occasional freckle on his cheek or the tiny scar on his chin. His cologne fills the car, warm and a little bit feminine like vanilla. You clear your throat, succumbing to Harry’s soft hums and the rumble of the street under the tires.
The rest of the ride passes in silence apart from his playlist and before you know it, you’re pulling up to your apartment. Harry parks the car, reaching over and turning down the stereo just slightly.
“Thank you,” you meet his eyes this time and they crinkle at the corners, “seriously, Styles.”
“Sure,” he says easily, smiling widely at you, “like I said, anytime.” You snort, gripping the handle of the door and cranking it open.
“Get home safe, okay?” You ask as you jump down from the truck and check to make sure you have all your essentials.
“Always.”
With a final wave you slam the door shut and hurry up the walkway to your flat. When you're at the foot of the steps the engine of the truck revs. You hear the scratch of tires on asphalt as Harry backs out of the lot when you set your foot on the first step. It finally feels like you can breathe again with some distance between the two of you and you suck in a grateful gulp of air that’s not permeated by his cologne.
Three minutes later after a laborious journey up the stairs to your flat, you kick off your shoes in the entryway. Your phone buzzes in your hand and you glance down at it.
Got home safe. Thought you might worry. Good luck with Whin. Xx, Harry
You roll your eyes, stuffing your phone in your pocket. You forgot he lives so close to you. You admit, you’re relieved he got home safe, but that’s normal. You have a heart for godsake, the man drove you home and you see him regularly. It’s normal to worry.
Whinnie stumbling into the entryway breaks you from your thoughts. She squints at you suspiciously before breaking into a grin and laughing in apparent relief. She’s changed from her dress and into what you think are a pair of Mika’s bright orange sweatpants and a huge, neon green hoodie. The combination makes you shake your head, a fond smile pulling at your lips.
“Christ,” she giggles as you make your way to her, “I thought you were a robber!”
“Lovely,” you snort as she wraps you in a hug, “thanks for abandoning me, by the way. Great surprise.” Whinnie pulls back, a sincere look on her face.
“I really am sorry about that. No excuses. I felt really ill and didn’t want to ruin your night but… yeah. We’re arseholes.” You laugh softly, trailing into the kitchen with her following you.
“It’s okay, promise. I survived, you just had me worried.”
You pull open the fridge and retrieve spring rolls Jack made yesterday afternoon. Whinnie slides onto a stool and watches you sleepily as you dish them out onto two separate plates before sliding her one.
“You have to eat, Whin,” you say when she wrinkles her nose in distaste. After a moment of her glaring at the plate with a frown, she picks one up and bites into it. “Is Jackie Boy sleeping?” You ask. Whinnie bobs her head.
“He passed out when we got back.”
You finish the spring rolls in silence before Whinnie’s heaving a sigh and pushing her plate away.
“Did you take an Uber?” You shake your head, snatching up her plate and stacking it with yours in the sink.
“Harry took me home,” you say as Whinnie slides off her stool and follows after you as you flip off the lights in the flat. You roll your eyes as Whinnie gives you a look. “What?”
“Why?” She asks bluntly. “You hate Harry.”
“I do not!” You exclaim, throwing your hands up as she leans against the wall. “Why does everyone think that?”
“Because you do?” Her eyebrow arches. “You’ve told me multiple times that you can’t stand him.”
You guppy for a moment. Maybe a few times after too many and Harry vanishing with a person you find much prettier than you, you’ve drunkenly declared that you find him rude, infuriating and insufferable. Tequila can do bad things when it’s paired with jealousy and an audience.
“I’m going to bed,” you declare instead of responding, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Fine,” Whinnie consents as you disappear into your bedroom, “sleep tight!”
August 2021
You told Whinnie having a small get together to kick off the new school year at your flat wasn’t the best idea. For one, it’s tiny – the living room is cramped and the kitchen and bedrooms aren’t much better. The three of you are already on top of each other as it is, adding twenty more people to the mix has your anxiety levels rising.
Naturally, you were out voted and Whinnie and Jack both entered party mode with planning and preparations.
The flat is packed to the gills, loud chatter bouncing in from every direction. You’re not even sure how Whinnie knows this many people, in fact, you have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of them are simply friends of friends of friends. Currently you’re standing in a tightly smushed group of maybe six or seven friends, Jack’s arm draped around your shoulders. You suppose you’ve been quiet for awhile because he squeezes you gently.
“Alright?” You smile as Jack leans down to murmur in your ear. The group you’re standing with continues on with conversation and you swallow back the remnants of your drink.
“Fine,” you say breezily, smiling up at him. His eyes are warm, lips curving up as you answer him, “I’m gonna go get a refill. Save me a spot.” Jack nods as you slide away from him and sigh as you try and visualize the best route to get to the kitchen.
“Excuse me,” you sing softly under your breath, sliding past a cluster of people who erupt into laughter as you pass by, someone showing them an apparently hilarious video on the tiny screen of their phone. Your drink is empty and you weave between people and finally push through into the kitchen. There’s much less people in the small, tiled room, one in particular that makes your heart jump to your throat.
Harry has his back to you and it looks like he’s fixing a drink at the makeshift bar. He’s dressed down in a white shirt and light wash jeans that sit low on his hips. Broad shoulders shift and ripple as he finishes up whatever drink he’s been making. You take a deep breath and then you’re saddling up next to him. Harry turns as you set your glass down, and your heart swells when he beams and meets your eyes.
“Lo,” he greets cheerily, turning to face you fully, “it’s been ages.” You hum your agreement, reaching over him for the bottle of vodka that’s nearly half gone. Harry snatches it back from you and you squawk in disbelief. He grins smugly, turning back to the bar. It looks like he hasn’t shaved in a few days, stubble lining his cheeks and the top of his throat. The collar of his shirt is stretched wide and you can see the wings of the birds tattooed on his chest.
“Can you not be insufferable for five seconds?” You demand as he picks up your glass and deposits it in front of him. Familiar gold rings glint up at you and you blink quickly when long fingers twist off the cap of the vodka and toss it on the counter. His nails are baby pink now and you fight a weak whimper.
“S’not anyway to talk to your bartender, is it, darling?” Harry asks, earning a roll of your eyes so far back you swear you can see your brain.
“You truly are the most annoying person I’ve ever met.”
“I’m making you a vodka tonic,” Harry says with laughter in his voice, “maybe you could try not verbally abusing me while I do so.” He pours the vodka carefully into the glass and then retrieves the tonic water set to the side.
“Do you need a lime?” Your voice is softer now as you watch him measure carefully, lips moving around silent counts. He doesn’t look at you but hums his assent, setting the bottle down.
“A knife too, pet, if you would,” he murmurs. You bob your head once. The other people in your kitchen have cleared out, leaving the two of you alone. You open the fridge, rifling through the vegetable drawer before retrieving a nice, cold lime. The fridge shuts firmly as you yank open the drawer right next to it and pick up a knife. You set them next to your glass.
“Here,” you murmur, throat suddenly tight and you want to smack yourself. He’s making you a drink, not proposing, but it feels strangely intimate.
“Cheers.”
After cutting the lime in half and then slicing it up easily, he squeezes it before dropping it in the glass.Harry turns to you with your glass in hand. He has a victorious look on his face. You eye him suspiciously before taking the drink and taking a sip. A groan bubbles up in your throat – it really is perfect.
“So?”
“It’s fine,” you say breezily. Harry laughs, shaking his head. He crosses his arms over his chest, green eyes rolling before meeting yours again. His smile is crooked, head tilting to the side.
“And I’m the insufferable one?”
“Don’t be a twat,” you sing under your breath, taking another sip of your drink as he shakes his head. You pat him on the bicep, sliding past him. “Thanks for the drink. Enjoy the party.” You slide out of the kitchen, his eyes hot on the back of your head until you’re out of sight.
...
He finds you again a few hours later.
“Got a question for you.”
You’re back at the counter top, screwing caps back on bottles and setting them neatly to the side to clear the counter. You glance at Harry who’s leaned against the counter and invading your personal space a little more than usual. He’s frowning and you hum to indicate you’re listening before setting another bottle to the side.
He doesn’t say anything and you glance at him again. Curls are falling against his forehead in an unintelligible pattern and his eyes are gloomy and focused on yours. His demeanor is a sharp contrast to not even four hours ago when he was all quips and smirks.
You turn toward him fully, crossing your arms over your chest to put some space between the two of you. He’s a little more drunk than the last time you saw him, you can tell by the slight droop in his eyes and the way he loses a bit of balance standing perfectly still. You would find it funny, but he’s positively pouting at you.
“What’s that?” You ask, voice light.
“Why don’t you like me?”
You sigh sharply through your nose in disbelief, rocking back on your heels.
“I like you fine, Harry,” you say flatly, “don’t be ridiculous.” Harry’s scowl deepens and he mirrors your posture, arms crossing tightly over his broad chest.
“M’not bein’ ridiculous,” he says sharply, voice tight. You blink in surprise at the frustration in his voice. “I wanna know why you have a problem with me.” You’re a little stunned at the turn around in his behavior and annoyance pricks at your skin.
“I don’t!” You exclaim, heart jackhammering your chest. You throw up your hands in exasperation before they fall limply at your sides. “Where is that even coming from? I don’t have a problem with you.” You say, calmly this time. His eyes are sharp and focused intently on you. “I just..” you trail off and Harry’s jaw clenches.
“What?” He demands. “You just what?”
“I think you’re an annoying flirt,” you snap, his tone making you suddenly unreasonably angry. His eyes narrow at you and annoyance flares hot in your chest. “You flirt with anyone with a pulse and I think it’s bloody annoying. I think it’s annoying that you never stay past ten whenever we go out with friends because you’re too busy taking someone home.”
The words are falling out of your mouth before you can stop them. You stare at each other in disbelief for a few seconds. It appears you’ve struck a nerve from the way his jaw clenches and stays clenched. You swallow, suddenly feeling sick. His eyes scan yours before he releases a harsh breath through his nose.
“Alright,” he says shortly, but the way he says it makes it clear he’s anything but, “s’all I wanted to know.”
“Harry–” you try weakly but he shakes his head, straightening up, “I’m sorry.” You feel lightheaded and a bit like you’re going to cry. Sometimes you’ve snapped at each other over the course of your friendship but now it looks like you’ve struck him across the face with your words.
“S’fine,” he says quietly, shaking his head, “thanks for telling me.” You heave a panicked breath and before you know it he’s out of the kitchen. Regret nearly knocks you sidewise. Sure, you’ve always been a little jealous of the seemingly endless stream of people fawning over him, but it’s never bothered you to the point of actual dislike or anger. The hurt etched into his features before he exited your kitchen is haunting you and you finish tidying up with shaky hands before you trail out into the living room.
It’s only your closer group of friends now, scattered along your sofa and mix and matched chairs. Whinnie is sitting in Mika’s lap, arms around his neck as he laughs loudly at something Jack is rambling about. A few other friends are in their own conversations, and your eyes land on Harry almost unwillingly. He’s squished into the side of the sofa, listening to a story being told by another friend and his eyebrows are furrowed deeply, fingers folded together and resting on his knee.
You take a deep breath, making your way to sit on the floor at Mika’s feet, leaning against his legs. Whinnie’s hand lands on top of your head in greeting and you focus your eyes on Jack.
“I tried to tell him to piss off, but he wouldn’t leave us alone!” Jack exclaims, throwing his hands up. He turns his focus to you. “I’m telling Mika about that crazy guy at The Dragon’s Tail who kept hitting on you and Whinnie.” You snort a laugh and Jack resumes his animated tale. You glance at the couch and your heart flies to your throat. Green eyes are focused on you, Harry’s lips pressed in a thin line. You inhale sharply, holding his gaze before his jaw clenches and he looks away and back to his conversation.
The next hour flies by. People trail out of the house until it’s just Whinnie, Jack, Mika, Harry and yourself. Whinnie slides off Mika’s lap, they bid their goodnights and trail into her bedroom. Whin squeezes your shoulder gently on her way to bed and you smile softly in farewell.
“Well,” Jack huffs, groaning as he stands up, and stretches, “I’m knackered. I’ll see you later, H.” He chucks you under the chin as he walks by and claps Harry on the shoulder. Harry mumbles a goodbye and then you’re alone.
Once Jack disappears into his room, the silence is nearly crushing. Harry shifts minutely on the couch and you stare pointedly at the coffee table until he clears his throat and stands abruptly from the couch.
“Guess I’ll head out then,” he mutters, barely audible. You keep your stare focused on the table and Harry skirts around you, making for the front hall. You hear the clunk of his shoes and the jangle of keys and your throat feels tight.
You never want Harry to think you don’t like him. You’re a little terrified because frankly, it’s the opposite. Petty jealousy has somehow poisoned your relationship with him and he has no idea – he’s simply convinced you think he’s a womanizer and that’s that. You blink rapidly and suddenly you’re shooting up from the table.
The door shuts firmly behind him as you stumble into the hall. You moan quietly under your breath, yanking on running shoes and heading out after him. He’s on the landing already, turning the corner with his shoulders hunched against the cool evening breeze.
“Harry!” Your voice is a little croaky and you stumble down the steps as he freezes momentarily and turns to look at you. The hardness in his expression that makes you wither and you cross your arms over your stomach as you come to stand in front of him.
“S’chilly,” he says simply, eyes bright and analyzing, “should put on a jumper.”
“I’m sorry,” you blurt, shaking your head, voice wobbling. Harry’s expression softens and the hunch of his shoulders relax slightly, “I’m so sorry for what I said. It wasn’t fair.” Harry’s silent for a few moments and you shudder as another breeze brushes by you.
“I sleep with a lot of people,” his voice is even, calm, but you wince internally, “I know that. I don’t care about it. I don’t think anyone should. But you seem to think you have me completely figured out when really you barely know me.”
“I know and I–”
“You refuse to get to know me.” Harry continues, undeterred. “I try and talk to you and you tell me to fuck off. I give you a ride home, I think you’re getting to something resembling tolerating me, and then we’re right back to square one before I even blink.” You pull your bottom lip into your mouth. Harry’s expression is unreadable. “So are you gonna tell me the real reason you almost bit my head off back there, now?”
You chew anxiously on your bottom lip.
“Why were you so upset?” You ask weakly. “When you came into the kitchen, it seemed like something set you off. I thought things were going well and then...” you trail off, shrugging.
“Whin brought up me giving you a ride,” he says flatly, “said it was a bit weird considering she thought you couldn’t stand me.” You twist your rings around your fingers, anxiety bubbling in your stomach. “She was makin’ a joke, but also she wasn’t.”
“I’m sorry.” You say, voice meek and with a shrug of your shoulders. “I don’t hate you. I don’t want you to think I have a problem with you or the fact that you…” you swallow. He’s peering at you carefully and he lets out a long breath from his nose before licking his lips.
“Gonna give me a reason?” He asks, voice a little softer. “Feel like I deserve to know why you’re trashin’ me to your best friend when you don’t mean it.”
Your cheeks feel hot and you press your hands to them in an attempt to cool off. There’s no point lying to him now, you think to yourself. Admitting you have a tiny crush on him won’t ruin anything, and if it does he’s not as nice as you think he is. It’s definitely a better alternative to lying to his face. You’re not sure what yu would even say.
“I was a little..” you meet his unwavering gaze shyly, heart leaping and jumping in your chest, “jealous.” Harry blinks in surprise, eyes widening a fraction. “I’m sorry if that’s weird for you to hear but… yeah.” You finish lamely and with a shrug of your shoulders.
“Jealous?” Harry parrots, lips parted in shock. “Of…” he snorts, eyes not leaving yours, “of who? The people I–” You cut him off with a sharp nod, looking down at your feet and shifting nervously.
“It’s stupid,” you mutter weakly, neck and cheeks feeling like they’re engulfed in flames, “really, really stupid and taking it out on you was even worse.” Harry stares at you, eyes big. “I’m really sorry.” You finish meekly.
The silence is a heavy and weighs on your shoulders. Your eyes fall to the floor, staring at your feet and swallowing back more apologies at the risk of sounding even more idiotic. Just as you’re about to give up and bid him goodnight, Harry takes a step toward you, closing a good amount of the distance between you.
You look up him, heart shooting to your throat.
“What are you doing?” You croak, nerves buzzing in your fingertips. Harry’s eyes are still wide, lips parted and he clears his throat. You tip your chin up to look at him squarely despite your heart hammering against your ribs.
“Dunno,” he mutters, throat bobbing, “I just–” he laughs but it sounds tight and anxious, “I really thought you fuckin’ hated me.” You shake your head and he takes another half of a step. Wind blows between the two of you and you shudder despite the heat still blooming in your cheeks.
“Sorry.” You whisper again. He shakes his head almost frantically and before you can blink both of his large hands are cupping your face and tipping you up to him even more. Green eyes peer at you closely and you can make out the different flecks of color as they bounce between your own. You choke out a breath, wrapping your hands around his wrists as his the cool tip of his nose bumps yours.
“Can I–” his voice is hushed and tight and you bob your head eagerly before he can finish the request, ears ringing as he sighs in apparent thanks, capturing your bottom lip between his own.
You’ve always figured he’s a good kisser. No one with bad technique would be able to woo people like he does but fuck he really is good. You whimper as he tilts your head gently, a soft sound ringing in your ears as he locks and unlocks his lips to yours repeatedly. Your hands pulse on his wrists before falling and gripping his shirt.
“Wasn’t taking the piss,” he manages between eager kisses, “really was flirting with you, promise.” You laugh but it dissolves into a moan when his tongue slides shyly against your bottom lip. You open up almost immediately and swallow the groan that erupts from him instantly.
It could be only seconds but it feels like ages before you have to pull away with a gasp. Harry moans his discontent against your jaw before ducking and sucking gently along your neck. Your eyes roll back and your head falls back on your shoulders with a breathless sound.
“Need to–” you pull your tender bottom lip between your teeth before releasing it, “need to breathe.” His laugh rumbles against your skin. His teeth graze your skin and you moan, hands sliding up his waist, shoulders and neck before carding through the curls at the nape of his neck.
“Do you want to come in?”
Your voice is high and pitchy, eyes closed in bliss. Harry’s mouth freezes on your neck and he rears back, pupils blown and lips swollen. You tip your head to look at him, frowning.
“What?” You ask, suddenly shy. Harry just blinks, cheeks flushed. “You don’t have to, it’s alright, I just–” his mouth collides with yours again, a shocked moan bubbling out of you.
“Sorry,” he pants, grinning against your mouth, “was rude of me.” His lips brush yours in a softer kiss and you fight a smile and fail.
“A bit.”
Harry laughs quietly and you tug at his hair.
“Do you want to come inside?” You ask against his lips. He kisses you again, just quickly.
“You have roommates,” he croaks, “and you’ll wake them if I come in, can promise you that.” You swallow, cheeks flushing and lower stomach flipping eagerly. “Can go back to mine, only if you want.” You hesitate only a moment before bobbing your head. Harry grins, grabbing your hand before stepping back from you.
“Sure?” Dimples are digging into his cheeks but his eyes are sincere.
“Yes.”
The wind blows past you again and Harry gives a gentle tug of your hand.
“S’go then.”
#harry styles fanfiction#harry styles fanfic#harry styles#harry edward styles#harry styles oneshot#harry styles writing#original writing#writing#fanfiction#harry styles angst#harry styles fluff#harry styles blurb#series#part one#SITM#enjoy this one
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Sweet Wine (Jaskier x Reader)
Request: Hey! I love The Witcher too!! Could you write another Jaskier fic? I just finished the series last night and I was SO EMO for Jaskier in ep 6 😭 Could you do Jaskier x Female Reader where the reader gets really sick of hearing people make fun of his singing, so she very drunkenly and loudly defends him in the middle of a crowded tavern, also accidentally admitting her raging crush on him in front of everyone?
Warnings: Language
Word count: 1,769
Pairing(s): Jaskier x fem!reader (The Witcher)
A/N: I had a lot of fun with this one! I hope this is what you had in mind, anon! There’s never too many Jaskier fics 💜
Comments and feedback are always appreciated!
Taglist: @thunderdog8 , @dreaming-about-starfleet , @dandelionwitcher
Masterlist
It was nights like these that, although some might not like to admit it (ehm, Geralt), were everyone’s favorites. Starting out with (Y/n) and Jaskier pestering the Witcher to stop at an inn for the night instead of camping and Geralt reluctantly agreeing, also biting back a smile at their antics, which lead to the joyful singing from the rest of the party as they traveled. Jaskier’s cheerful voice mixing with yours.
(Y/n) would be left in charge of steering Jaskier’s horse while he sat behind her, back to back, with lute in hand. Which, eventually, would always lead to him falling off. (Y/n)’s side splitting open in laughter, while Geralt allowed himself to laugh as well. Jaskier’s sore bottom was nothing compared to the sound of his dear friends’ laughter.
Lunch would pass rather quickly- Jaskier spending the whole time fantasizing about what ‘delicacies’ they would be eating for dinner and what the signature brews of the next establishment might be. As always, Geralt would grumble something about ‘booze is booze’ and he was going to drink whatever they had, and (Y/n) would laugh and lament the sweet dessert wines she craved, yet those were usually only found at banquets and parties. Unfortunately for her, and fortunately for Geralt, they wouldn’t be going to any of those in the foreseeable future.
Once in town the three would slip into their familiar routine of attending to whatever matters each might have. Geralt went looking for contracts, (Y/n) looking for herbs, and Jaskier securing their rooms. They would all return in just in time for supper and Jaskier’s performances.
Tonight was just like every other night like it had been, except there were a few exceptions. This tavern was particularly crowded and rowdy. Geralt and (Y/n) shared worried glances over their stew as this could mean trouble for their bard, but he seemed to have it under control. This quickly slipped from their minds anyway- the tavern offered one of (Y/n)’s favorite sweet wines. Geralt was now babysitting two overgrown children.
It wasn’t that (Y/n) couldn’t hold her liquor, not at all. In fact, she could give Geralt a run for his money on most days. If it weren’t for his mutations, she would probably have him beat. But that was most days, where all they drank was the local piss. This was something she enjoyed drinking, and when something tastes that good- it’s easy to forget just how many glasses you’ve consumed. So she sat at their table, merrily clapping and slurring along to Jaskier’s tunes. The rest of the patrons seemed to be in a good mood, so all was going well.
Glancing down (Y/n) realized her mug was empty and stood up, rather abruptly and nearly spilling the rest of Geralt’s stew, to get another. It was only her second and they had plenty of coin, although Geralt’s count was at five. He rolled his eyes and let her stumble to the bar, smiling into his own ale. It wasn’t often his companions got to enjoy themselves like this. Plus, his warnings of slowing down fell on deaf ears, so it wasn’t his fault if she had a major hangover the next day.
(Y/n) waited patiently for her drink, tapping one foot to the beat as she watched her favorite bard. She found it hard not to, as he was so very distracting. His voice rang throughout the whole tavern, and he kept dancing in and out of her vision. Heads turned in his direction as he spun this way and that. She sighed and rested her cheek in her hand. (Y/n) swore he looked ethereal. The gentle flickering of firelight glinted off of his newly washed hair, the small bit in the front bobbing up and down as he moved. His bright blue eyes sparkled, full of energy and life, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. And gods, when he smiled, he took her breath away. The whole world seemed to melt away as she locked eyes with Jaskier, his smile growing wider and a wink was thrown her way. (Y/n)’s heart skipped a beat.
She was broken out of her stupor when a fresh mug slid her way and splashed her sleeve. She greedily took another drink not wanting to seem like she was staring too long. A satisfied hum escaped her lips as she put her wine back down, when something caught her attention. There was laughter off to her left, sounding much harsher than it should have. Listening in, she picked out what seemed like three men, all jeering at and mocking the bard. It immediately irked her, how could they not see that the embodiment of perfection itself was currently performing for them, putting his heart into every single note and phrase? (Y/n) glanced back over to Geralt, looking to see what his expression could tell. Though he said otherwise, she sometimes caught him quietly humming or tapping along to Jaskier’s songs. Geralt did not look this way. He was not enjoying himself in the slightest, his eyes formed into a hard glare and he looked bored. So very bored. (Y/n)’s head whipped back to the left as she heard the cruel laughter again, the men now beginning to heckle the poor bard.
Jaskier finished his song. He gave a dramatic bow as the tavern cheered and clapped, but the rowdy table of men began to boo and toss chunks of bread in his direction. There was no way (Y/n) would let them talk shit about her bard.
“Oi!” She shouted, her stool clattering to the floor as she stood. “You better watch your fucking mouths, you dimwits!”
Jaskier’s smile faltered and he looked to (Y/n) with wide eyes. Geralt clenched his jaw and prepared for the worst. Somehow, their nights drinking always ended in a bar fight. One of the men stood up, his beady eyes narrowing at (Y/n).
“Oh yeah? You sure got some mouth on you then, sweetheart. What you gonna do about it, eh? Stupid woman you are.” His buddies joined in on his laughter.
Her nostrils flared, and there was a fire in her eyes. “Do you even know who you’re listening to? Who you should be sodding grateful you could even hear his music? This is Jaskier, the world famous bard. Also known as Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount of fucking Lettenhove.” She pounded her fist on the bar and nearby drinks sloshed at the impact. “He graduated from Oxenfurt Academy with honors. He travels with a witcher, fucking Geralt of Rivia. Ever heard of them? Oh well of course not. How could a small town idiot know anything of celebrities and lords when he spends all his time fucking sheep in piles of shit?”
“What the fuck you know about our town, bitch?! You obviously don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. It’s clear your bard here prefers the company of men, so you need real men like us to show you how it's done, you filthy whore!” He spat.
“So fucking what if he likes men or women? He’s great in bed! Everyone knows that and everyone wants to bed him! Hell, I want to bed him! His perfect chocolate hair and blue eyes and amazing voice and...argh!” She grabbed her mug and threw it at the man. She stumbled slightly but her aim proved true, splashing sticky her sticky wine all over the beady eyed man. “He’s the best fucking musician I’ve ever heard! Nobody gives him the credit he deserves!”
Geralt shot up from his seat and leapt at the man, who roared in anger and was about to attack. Jaskier stared in shock at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes.
“(Y/n)!” Geralt yelled, “That’s enough! Jaskier, get her upstairs!” He began wrestling with the man, Geralt easily had the upper hand due to his greater size and sobriety.
“No! Nobody is appreciating Jaskier like they should!” (Y/n) slurred. Jaskier slung his lute on his back and rushed over to her.
“Shhhhhh, it’s okay, dear. I think they all get the message now. You’ve made it very clear how good of a performer you think I am, it’s alright. Let’s get you upstairs, shall we? I think you’ve had far too much to drink.” He attempted to calm her, struggling to lead her back in the direction of the stairs. (Y/n) thrashed and stumbled against him in protest. “Shh sh sh sh shhhhh, (Y/n). It’s alright. C’mon.” He grunted as he slung her arm around his back to support her weight.
Geralt was busy dragging the unsavory man outside as the rest of the tavern was no longer silent. Cheers were heard for both the witcher and the drunk, though it was clear who was winning. (Y/n) stumbled up the stairs with Jaskier’s help. They stopped a couple times as she began to veer off to the right, straight into the wall and Jaskier needed to tug her back for balance.
After some struggle the two finally made it all the way up the stairs and into one of their rooms. Jaskier led (Y/n) over to the bed and tried to gently place her down, instead throwing her against it rather ungracefully. He rubbed his shoulder and sighed, bending down to begin to unlace her boots.
“Ya know...I meant everything I said down there.” She began, eyes already heavy, “I’m sorry that I ruined your show…”
Jaskier laughed in response. “It’s alright….We’ll...We’ll talk about this in the morning, okay? I think we need to have a conversation when we both have our wits about us, hm?” He fetched a mug of water and placed it on the table beside her bed.
“You won’t leave me, will you?”
“Of course not, (Y/n). I’ll stay.”
“Mmmm...okay.” She snuggled into the pillows, her speech almost incomprehensible. “I love you, you silly bard.”
Jaskier pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down with a sigh, unable to hide his grin.
“And I, you. Now get some sleep. We can talk about this when you wake up.”
Whatever it is she said next, he couldn’t make it out, it sounded more like a groan than actual speech.
“And I, you...” He settled into the chair, removing his doublet and draping it around himself like a blanket. The smile remained on his face as he drifted off to sleep.
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