#conrad: calls her isabel

[lydiaas]

they're cute

[jellyfish-er]

Episode 6 is out people. We’re counting down the days. It was such a whirl wind, like hold up we get snow on the beach AND delicate. Bitch who do you think you are. Also I’m convinced that the editors added snow on the beach last minute because of everyone flipping out about them using invisible string instead. How did Belly sweetalk her way into buying so much alcohol, I have not a clue. When he calls her Isabel. I flipped my shit. Also Jelly. 🫢 Also Bonrad 🫢 Also Staylor.🫢 Also Ckye. 🫢 (yes the last two are made up. Deal with it)

[pretty-little-mind33]

Conrad Fisher x fem!reader

Summary: You've always felt inadequate compared to Belly, but it's possible you never had a reason to.

Genre: Fluff, kinda angst? hurt and comfort <3

Warnings: harassment, underage drinking, swearing

You'd always been second to Belly Conklin. Although it had been the five of you since you could remember, for some reason it seemed like in the end only four mattered: Belly, Steven, Jeremiah, and Conrad. You were always in the shadows, and now that Isabel had returned to Cousins as beautiful as ever, you wanted to disappear.

It was now apparent to everyone around that Isabel Conklin was the Sun. And you? You weren't even the Moon. You were dust at most, and who would choose dust over the Sun?

"You having fun lil' sis?" Jeremiah fisher asks, leaning against the lonesome wall you claimed as yours. You look at him and scrunch your nose in disapproval. Parties weren't your thing. You only came because Belly had convinced you. Jeremiah grins and points behind him, "Well, that cute boy hasn't stopped looking at you since we arrived, if that makes things a little better." Jeremiah winks and your eyes round. Reluctantly, you glance behind him and see a handsome boy with blond curls smiling at you.

You panic. No boy had ever looked at you like he was and you had never wanted any boys to look at you in that way before—not unless their name was Conrad Fisher.

However Conrad is Belly's now, it's obvious, and you aren't even competition. So, you smile at the boy. You learn his name is Alex and he hands you a drink the moment you walk over to him (upon Jeremiah's insistence). Alex seems genuinely interested in your conversations so when he asks you to dance with him, you don't refuse.

His hand on your hip is foreign and it makes you nervous. But, because the small amount of liquor in your system drowns out any anxieties you have and you lean into him and let him move your hips into his. As soon as Alex's lips skim your neck however, someone's hand is gripping your arm and pulling you away. You lose your balance and bump into the person's chest.

"What the fuck." Conrad hisses. It takes you a moment to understand it isn't you he's addressing, "She's sixteen, you creep."

"Conrad!" You shout, hoping his hand would loosen around your arm. It didn't and it isn't until you push him that he turns to you. His cheeks have blushed pink and the look in his eyes makes you pause. Conrad had never looked at you like that before.

"Did he hurt you?"

You blink at him, head shaking, "Excuse me?"

"Don't touch or even speak to her again." Conard turns around to threaten Alex and your eyes widen, "Now leave." To your surprise, and disappointment, Alex reluctantly listens to him.

"What? No! What the fuck, Conrad?" You curse, pulling your arm from his hand. You stumble but keep your gaze on his. Conard frowns and his hand holds your waist instead,

"You're drunk." He says and you narrow your eyes at him.

"I had one drink!"

"You're a lightweight then." Conrad deadpans and holds out his hand to you, "I'm calling your mom, Y/n. Give me your phone."

You shake your head, "Stop it, Conrad. You're embarrassing me." You murmur and look down, tears pricking your eyelids. Conrad has always seen you as a kid. He has never seen you as an equal, or as a girl he could potentially love, and at this point you don't know which hurts more.

His expression softens seeing your teary eyes. When you look up at him, he looks guilty. You hug your arms around yourself and muster up the courage to ask, "Why did you do that?" You pause, "Alex liked me, he liked me! For once in my life a boy likes me and not Belly and you had to ruin it for me. Why!?"

You look him dead in the eyes when you say, "I hate you Conrad, and I hate that I love you even more." And you mean every single word. All you want to do now is to run and hide, but all you can do is stand there, frozen in time, as you aggressively rub your cheeks with your palm.

Conrad doesn't know how to answer you. His entire body burns to hug you, kiss you, do anything to make you smile again. Smile like you had been when he saw you dancing with that boy. Honestly, he hates himself for being jealous — because yes he was jealous. He has no claim to you whatsoever but simply seeing another boy's hands on your skin made him see red.

Conrad knows your words have been spoken only because of the alcohol you drank. He knows you don't hate him, and he knows you don't love him. Only, some part of him isn't so sure you don't love him. Part of him is hoping you do love him because he loves you too.

But he can't do anything about that now, not when you seem drunk.

"Is she crying? Y/n, are you okay?" Belly suddenly comes rushing up to you both, Cam Cameron abandoned behind her. She puts a delicate hand on your shoulder and you turn around. Instantly, you bury your head into her shoulder and start sobbing. Belly wraps her arms around you as she mouths, "What did you do" to Conrad.

You don’t think he answers her, because she takes your waist and pulls you away from him and into the nearest bathroom. You crumble to the ground and hug your knees, muttering something. Belly slowly shuts the door and kneels next to you, "How much have you had to drink?"

"Apparently, I'm drunk." You sniffs, rubbing your hand under your nose. You look at her with tears in your eyes. "You're so pretty, Belly."

Belly looks surprised, her eyes widening, and she puts her hand over yours, "You're pretty, Y/n." she says, trying to reassure you.

"Not like you are, Bells," You exclaim, "No one has ever looked at me like Cam looks at you. Or Jere. Or even Conrad! And I want them—him—to look at me like that. I don't want him to look at me like I'm a kid he has to keep in check." You choke out another whimper and bury your head in your arms, hands clutching at your hair.

"You're in love with Conrad." Belly suddenly states, her hand disappearing from yours.

Your eyes widen and you look up, quickly shaking your head, 'What? No." You could see Belly's cheeks turn pinker. You'd known about Belly's massive crush on Conrad Fisher since forever and you had never intended to stand in their way. You never even intended to tell Conrad, or anyone for that matter, that you love him.

"It doesn't matter, trust me. Conrad loves you, Belly." You assure her but she doesn't look in any way convinced.

"I don't love him and he doesn't love me." Belly comments determinedly, standing up, "And I'm going to show you why."

You don't understand what she means until a few minutes after she left, the bathroom door opens again. Conrad runs in like he's seen a ghost. In a blur, his hands cup around your cheeks and he's moving your head around, "How did that bastard touch you? Y/n tell me now or I swear–" Your eyes must have been wide open because Conrad squints at you, confused.

"Connie," You say and hearing his nickname, Conrad's body relaxes, "Alex didn't hurt me."

"Belly mentioned you had a fucking bruise, Y/n/n." Conrad continues to roam his hands around your skin as gently as he can. You look at his face. His beautiful face and you notice how different the small freckles he gets because of the sun look in the darkness of this small bathroom. Conrad Fisher has always been so beautiful. If Belly is the Sun, then you're sure he's the Moon and that realization only breaks your heart more.

Conrad's thumb pads under your eye, "Don't cry." He says.

You look up at him and he can't help but think how beautiful you are. Conrad wishes he could give you his eyes, even only from a day, so that you could see yourself just as he sees you.

"I'm not drunk. I promise." You whisper and he cracks a smile. He nods, "I-Connie, if I tell you this can you promise it won't change a thing?"

"Sure." He answers and sits down in front of you, his hands draped across your knees.

"I meant what I said. I hate you," Conrad's face falls, "But I hate you because you won't ever love me the way I love you. I hate you because every time I look at you I want to be someone else, someone that would be worthy of your love. Someone prettier—"

"Y/n," Conrad interrupts you with his hand over your mouth, "Don't finish that sentence. Please. It breaks my heart that you can't see yourself like I see you." He removes his hand and you stay silent. His fingers run through your hair until he cups your chin, "How can you expect nothing to change now that I know you love me?"

You cringe and turn your head, "Because I don't want to lose you."

You hear him laugh and as beautiful as the sound is, it tears your heart into a million little pieces. "You could never lose me." He says and leans back, his arms now crossed over his knees. He's looking into space. You glance at him and he looks like the old Connie. His eyebrows are raised and it looks like he's smirking.

You sniff, "I am losing you."

Conrad tilts his head, "How?"

"Because you love Belly. Because she's the Sun and you're the Moon and I'm, well, I'm fucking dust." You exclaim and Conrad looks at you like you've suddenly grown two heads.

"What?"

"Don't make me repeat myself." You whisper.

Conrad inches towards you, his arms outstretched. You look at him curiously but still, you let him hug you. You're leaning against his chest now and he smells like laundry detergent and sea salt. His large hand rests in your hair and he leans his chin on your head, "I don't love Belly, Y/n. Not in that way. She's like my little sister. She has always been."

"Oh," You say and you think back to Belly's words: Conrad doesn't love me, and I'm going to show you why. You think back to how Conrad looked at you when he was pissed at Alex, or how he almost broke the bathroom door down to make sure you weren't hurt. "Am I like your sister too? Is that why you got so protective?"

You sense his body tense and there is a pause.

"No." Conrad breathes out, "Y/n, you're not like my sister."

You lean away and look at him. Your tone is serious now, "So what am I to you, Conrad?"

His eyes shine blue like the ocean and you almost drown looking at them. He's so close to you now and his cheeks are rosy. You both smell faintly like cranberry liquor and his hand is soft on the exposed skin of your thighs, "You're a Star. My Star."

You feel like you've lost your breath, "I'm your Star?"

Conrad nods, "You see, the Moon is lonely." He explains, expression serious, "He's usually all alone and sometimes it makes him want to cry. But whenever his Star comes out of hiding and shines into the darkness, the Moon is happy again. Unfortunately, his Star doesn't know how brightly she shines though. Most times, the Sun can't even compare because this Star," Conrad pauses, "his Star, isn't blinding. You can look at her shine all night and she'll always be the most beautiful thing. She's kind and brave and the Moon loves her more than anything." You have the sudden urge to sob and Conrad brings his thumb under your eye again, catching some tears, "Shh, it's okay." He says and you don't know how to react. You're suddenly wondering if, because of your crying, you have snot running down your nose.

Conrad Fisher has just declared his love for you and you're thinking about snot. It's all so funny you laugh. Conrad's nose scrunches, "Are you laughing at me?" He asks, mouth ajar.

You shake your head, "No!" You say but you start laughing again, covering your mouth and shrinking into yourself.

"Oh I see, you can make corny metaphors but I can't." Conrad rolls his eyes. Your mouth twists into a smile and you take his cheeks in your hands, pulling him to you until your noses are almost touching. In between your fingers you can see the tips of Conrad's ears turn pink.

"You can make as many metaphors as you want, Con. As long as you mean them."

He smiles, "I have never meant anything more in my life, Y/n/n."

You feel his hand find its way to the back of your head and he pulls you forward, his lips meeting yours. It's like a weight has been lifted from both your chests and you kiss him back instantly. It isn't like you imagined your first kiss with Conrad to go. You certainly weren't sitting on the floor of some random person's bathroom, dried tears on your cheeks.

But, it's still somehow better.

Conrad's hands now find themselves on your hips as he continues to kiss you, lips delicately moving to your neck. The situation is so ironic you chuckle. You move away and Conrad looks confused.

You fake a pout, "I'm sixteen, Connie. Isn't this a little inappropriate."

Conrad begins to panic, "What? I-I mean, I'm barely a year older than you! Are you uncomfortable because," He pauses seeing your expression and he suddenly remembers what he had said to Alex and he blushes, "Okay, that wasn't funny." He whines.

"Kinda was." You boast.

Conrad leans back and tucks some hair behind your ear, "So what do you say we leave this bathroom and go dance." He asks and your heart flutters. You nod. You had never wanted anything more.

* ~ *

Summer ended and came again quickly. It had been a year since Conrad kissed you in that bathroom and a year since he became your boyfriend. Since you didn't live in Cousins, long distance had been complicated. But this was Conrad—when he wanted something he was determined to make it work and luckily for him you had the same amount of determination.

It was Belly's seventeenth birthday, yours having happened a few months prior to the Summer, and Shayla was throwing her a party. Parties usually weren't your thing but having Conrad around made things better.

"Hey lovebirds, this is my make out spot now. Go away." Jeremiah exclaims, leaning on the wall you and Conrad had claimed as your own. He pushes you away from your boyfriend. You laugh as Conrad sends Jeremiah a dirty look.

"You're a freak, Jere. Why can't you find your own?" He asks, his arm remaining around your waist.

"Because this is the only quiet one, and she isn't the only one who wants privacy."

You look at Micheal, Jeremiah's boyfriend, and smile, "Hi, Mike." Micheal awkwardly smiles back.

"Why can't you find a bathroom?" Argues Conrad.

"Occupied." Jeremiah defends.

"Okay children, calm down." You say, taking your boyfriend's hand in yours, "Babe, I’m thirsty, do you think you could grab us drinks while I dance with Belly and Taylor?" Conrad sighs and looks down at you. He squeezes your hand.

"Of course, Starlight." Conrad says sweetly. He then turns around and ignores Jeremiah as he says a quick hello to Micheal and leaves for the kitchen. You smile sheepishly, "Sorry, here!" You move from the wall, "Have fun! I mean–um. Yeah!" You state, waving, and quickly leave to find Belly and Taylor.

"Y/n!" Belly shouts from the crowd and you push your way towards them. Belly hugs you and when she pulls away her cheeks are flushed and you know she's had one too many drinks. But, by the way Taylor is holding her hand you know she's in good hands. Literally.

"Hi, Bells'. Tay." You smile and start to dance with them. Taylor nods at you, gripping Belly's hips and moves them to the music. Just like last year they're wearing flower crowns and they look beautiful. Your mind wanders to Conrad and you remember how he'd offered to buy or make you a flower crown last year since Belly only had two. He'd been so kind. You smile. However, just as quickly as your smile came it disappeared because someone's hands touched your waist. You know it's not Conrad, you know how his hands feel and these aren't his hands.

You turn around only to be met with familiar blond curls, "Alex?"

"Hi, Y/n." Alex smiles, not moving his hands. You return his smile awkwardly. You don't know what to do. His smile makes you want to puke and you don't understand why. You look around for Conrad. "You wanna finish our dance, without interruptions this time?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Alex, I actually have a boyfriend." You mutter and shakily move his hands. Belly has turned around now and when she notices Alex, she drunkenly frowns. In seconds she's taking your hand and pulling you into her and away from the boy.

"Hi," She slurs, "I'm Belly."

Alex sends her a tight-lipped smile, "Hi," You look away but his hand gripping your arm makes you turn to him again, "I-" He starts but he's interrupted by Conrad yanking his arm, causing him to drop his hold on you.

"Don't ever touch her." Conrad snaps.

Alex squints at Conrad, "Not you again." He looks at you, "Does he even know you?"

"I'm her boyfriend, dipshit." Conrad exclaims, his arm going around your shoulder and you unconsciously lean into him.

Alex frowns, "Oh," He moves away, "My bad, man." Your hands clench. Suddenly it matters that you're taken? It hadn't only a minute earlier! When Alex leaves, you turn to Belly and Taylor and they look just as disgusted as you do.

"My bad, man." Taylor mocks, "Asshole." She says and continues to dance.

"Men suck." Belly mutters, taking Taylor's hand and spinning her around. You laugh. You would have agreed, had your boyfriend's hands around your waist not reminded you that no, not all men sucked. But then again, not all men were your boyfriend.

You spin back around and he pulls you into him, "You ok?" He asks, genuinely concerned. You smile and nod, "Good." He says, rubbing his thumb over your hips. His lips twist into a smirk and you tilt your head.

"You look like you enjoyed that." You say.

Conrad raises his brow, "I did not enjoy him touching you when you were obviously uncomfortable, Starlight."

You laugh, "No, I meant telling him that you're my boyfriend."

"I am your boyfriend." Conrad smirks and leans in to kiss your forehead. He looks at you, blue eyes shining, "Is it so bad that I want people, especially idiots like him, to know?"

You pretend to think for a moment, "No," You smile, "I don't think it's bad."

"Good because I want everyone to know." Conrad says as he kisses your lips. You lean up and wrap your arms around his shoulders.

"Ew, gross." Belly groans, pulling on your arm, "Connie, leave her alone. It's my birthday and I want to dance with my best friends!" You chuckle as Conrad’s eyebrows scrunch but he doesn't protest, he only points to Belly and says,

"Only because it's your birthday."

Belly drunkenly points her tongue at him and Conrad smirks, amused at how childish she is when she's drunk. You look at them and your own smile curls your lips. A year ago, Conrad smiling at Belly would have made your heart sink and your insecurities spiral. Now, those insecurities are forgein because while Belly might be the Sun and Conrad might be the Moon, you were his Star.

And what is a Moon without Stars?

[swanhaze]

ON THE BEACH — conrad fisher x reader

warnings: alcohol, swearing, yn is a mess, miscommunication, angst, slight hurt comfort

she stumbled through the sweaty bodies of people, her mind spiraling, the bottle of alcohol feeling heavy in her hand, this past year has been rough for yn, the love of her life dating her best friend, losing the house that she spent all her summers in, the women who was like her second mother dying.

it was bound to happen but it didn’t hurt any less, just like yn finding a full bottle of alcohol on the table and picking it up was bound to happen, hurt people do that sometimes.

the night air hits her when she walked out party, this was exactly what she needed, the late night breeze to bath her and wash away all her stress and hurt.

she lets out a sigh, closing her eyes feeling at peace for second, but that was interrupted when she opened her eyes to see two fishers and a conklin looking at her with not the best looking facial expressions.

“what happened?” she asks, her words slurring together, a product of the amount of alcohol that she’s had in the past hours.

there’s silence for a couple seconds that felt like hours, the six eyes of the three people looking at her in concern, it was obvious that she wasn’t it the right state of mind to be telling her this, especially when yn loved the beach house so much and losing it has been doing a toll on her.

the conklin girl is the first to speak up, “nothing, yn.” she says softly, trying her best to shake up yn, lately anything she says to yn angered the girl lately, it’s not like belly could blame her though.

yn stumbled down the steps, grabbing onto to jeremiah’s shoulder to stabilize herself, “it doesn’t seem like nothing.” she says, bringing the bottle to her lips.

she feels his eyes on her, the older fisher, but her clouded mind tries to ignore it, she can’t be weak.

“it’s nothing I promise.” belly says inching closer to her best friend hesitantly, are they even best friends anymore?, “hey, maybe you should take a break from the drinks.” she says raising her hand to take the already half way done bottle from yn.

yn brings her hand that holds the bottle away from belly’s reach, scowling at the girl, “why?” she asks, “don’t act like you’re a saint Isabel, that’s never gotten drunk before.” yn says implying to last summer.

the taller girl squeezed her eyes before opening them again, “that’s not what I’m saying.”

“that’s exactly what you’re saying.” yn says moving away from jeremiah’s shoulder, she knew that wasn’t what belly was saying, but her drunken mind wanted to pick a fight, something she couldn’t do all year, because she was pretending to be fine.

“because you’re belly conklin.” yn says tauntingly, “the girl that can’t do no harm, the saint that everyone loves, give it up for belly conklin everybody!” yn yells unexpectedly grabbing some attention of some of the people around them, they get waved off by conrad.

Jeremiah puts his hand on yn’s shoulder but she shrugs him off, “but you know who should be called the saint?” she asks sarcastically walking closer to the other girl, “me.” she points to her own chest. “because I never would’ve did what you did to me belly.” yn says tearfully, the hurt from the past year fills yn’s head as she tilts her head back to keep her tears at bay, “I would’ve never done that to you.”

“yn.” his voice fills her ears, a sense of concern is in his tone, it makes her feel weak, something that she never wants to be, but look at her now, drunk and almost in tears.

“what are you talking about yn?” Jeremiah cuts his brother off, but he knows what she’s talking about, everyone knows, all except conrad.

“nothing.” she says mocking the words that were said to her not to long ago, she then smiles her emotions doing a 360, “who cares, let’s have fun guys!” she exclaims, trying her best to take their minds off of the vulnerability that she just showed. “it’s a party!”

conrad finally inches closer to her, trying his best to take the bottle out of the intoxicated girl’s hands, “yn, belly’s right let’s take a break from the drink.”

she pushes his hand away, “no.” she whines stubbornly, backing away from him.

yn brings the bottle up to the sky and smiles, “let’s make a toast guys.” she says stumbling backwards, Jeremiah’s hand finding it’s way to her back immediately.

“let’s make a toast to…” she trails off looking up in thought, before her smile becomes bigger, “a toast to losing the beach house.” she jeered.

belly and jeremiah’s face fall even more if that’s possible at the girls words, conrad shaking his head disappointedly, disappointed that you would say that and even more disappointed that you let yourself get to this state.

she brings the bottle conrad’s face, only for it to be pushed away and she gives him a fake pout, “no toast?” she asks tauntingly.

“suite yourself.” she says brining to bottle to her lips.

she drunkenly walked away and yells out, “you guys are so boring!”, she takes another sip, “I’m going for a late night swim.”

the three watch her figure disappear into the night, “late night swim?” conrad whispers to himself in confusion.

her throat burns as she stumbles through the sand, heading towards the water that replicates a black hole, ready to suck her in.

she take of last big gulp of the alcohol before letting herself lay in the ocean, letting it take her away, only the sound of the waves filling her ears.

she finally feels at peace, she closes her eyes and lets all the hurt, stress and sorrow release from her, the waves wrapping around her like a cozy blanket, cradling her like how susannah would.

just as yn thought she had some peace, she feels herself being pulling from her blanket that is the waves and into the air, “what the hell yn!”

she’s thrown over the persons shoulder and out the water, she already knows who it is, and it’s makes her angry.

“let go of me!” she screams hitting his back repeatedly as he walks out the water, “you asshole!”

she feels herself being thrown on the sand and looks up at the oldest fisher, “why did you do that?” she demands.

“why did I do that?” he asks in shock, before pointing to the ocean behind him, “yn, you could’ve died! I just saved you.”

“I didn’t ask to be saved.” she said stubbornly as she got off the sand and stood up.

“what’s your problem?” he says, it sounds like he’s completely fed up.

“what do you mean?”

“wha-what do I mean?” he asks walking closer to the shorter girl, “yn you’ve been acting different since last summer, all you’ve done is ignore me and if you’re not ignoring me you’re giving snarky marks, you’ve been a brat all year.” he says pointing at her accusingly.

“I have not been a brat!” she raises her voice defensively.

“yes you have!” he yells back leaning down to her face.

“even if I was being a brat I have every right to be!”

“really yn?” he laughs sarcastically, “really? what’s your right for acting like a fucking brat.”

“-because I’m hurt!” she yells over him, pointing at her self, “I’m hurt that you would date my best friend knowing that I was in love with you!” a nasty sob is finding it’s way up her throat, everything that she’s pushed down from the last year finding it’s way up.

he inches closer to her, he looks at her like she spoke another language , she’s in love with him? “what are you talking about?” his voice is shaking, his hands are shaking.

“don’t make me repeat it.” she whimpers, this is what she was afraid off, she lets something out and she can’t stop.

“you’re in love with me?”

“why are you acting like you don’t know?”

“because I did’n-!”

“you didn’t know?! are you serious conrad?” she yells over his yells, “do you take me for an idiot? everyone knows, steven knew, jer knew, taylor knew, shayla knew, your mom knew, belly and steven’s mom knew, my mom knew!”

yn lets out a shaky breath, “belly knew.” she says letting a small cry out, she still can’t believe that her best friend would do that to her. “everyone knew conrad, you had to know!”

he shakes his head repeatedly, bringing her face closer to his chest, “I didn’t know.” he whimpers and repeats himself about ten times as she sobs into his chest. “do you know how hard it was to watch you two? so shameless, it felt like you didn’t care for my feelings at all.” she cries turning her face away, but he cups her face in his hands and turns her to face him.

“I’m so sorry yn, I didn’t know.” he says letting his thumbs wipe her cheeks, “this changes everything..” he trails off, “if I knew I would’ve…”

“you would’ve what!” she cuts him off, pulling away from his grasp.

“yeah you would’ve what conrad?!”

both conrad and yn snap their heads in the direction of the familiar voice.

belly stands in the sand her orange outfit making her stand out, she doesn’t look at yn, knowing she’ll cry if she looks at her broken best friend, “you would’ve what conrad?”

“belly…” he trails off.

“no,no you would’ve what? you would’ve dated yn?” she asks walking closer to the two.

“don’t do that…”

“no,no, you would’ve what? you would’ve dated her?”

“yes, I would’ve!”

belly and yn flinch at his outburst, he would’ve what? “and you would’ve never forgotten her corsage too right?”

yn shakes her head trying her beast to wrap her head around what just came out, the man that she’s been in love with her whole life’s mouth. “I… I need to go..” she says stumbling away from belly and conrad.

“wait yn!” conrad exclaimed reaching out for her.

“I’m sorry.” she says walking away, “I can’t right now… I’m tired.” she then walks into the night leaving her best friend and the love of her life in the beach.

[tatoda]

Guitar Pick 2 || college!conrad x fem reader

masterlist

request

part 1

summary: conrad brings you to cousins, everyone knows about your relationship except belly, who has a huge crush on conrad

pairing: college!conrad x fem!reader

warnings: angst, ends with fluff, jealous belly, steven being a good best friend

wc: 2.2k

here’s part 2 :)i changed it up from the request! i hope y’all enjoy im writing some more pieces for y’all !! i ended up not putting smut i hope you understand.

It’s been almost 10 months with conrad. After he asked you out at college, you both instantly hit it off. You learned all about his life and how he grew up in a home with his mom having cancer and her passing away last year and his dad cheating on her. But soon enough after he was a quiet guy he thought it was time to start opening up. He learned about your family and how they always didn’t believe in you so you proved them wrong. He has never been happier.

You met steven and jeremiah one night they came to visit you and conrad. And you instantly hit it off with them, especially steven. He became one of your closest friends when you hung out with him, conrad, and jeremiah. It was a fully platonic friendship. He was there for you and you were there for him. Conrad enjoyed that you got along with them so well. You 4 hung out as much as possible and they loved you and were happy conrad finally found someone that made him happy.

Conrad invited you to his beach house for the first time. He always talked about it and offered for you to come, but you didn’t wanna intrude. You finally said yes to visiting, one problem. Isabel, or as he calls her Belly, had a huge crush on conrad. Since they were kids. He never liked her back, never thought of her that way, but everyone knew that she was in love with him. And here he was bringing you to the one place she was at. One condition, conrad and you both decided to act as friends at cousins so he could break the news easily to her. So your mission was to act as just friends as possible.

“sorry about the whole belly situation.” conrad’s hand rested on your thigh his fingers tapping against your skin

“no, no. it’s okay i understand, you don’t want to hurt her.” you turned your head and smiled at him

“i promise i’ll tell her.” that was the last thing he said before pulling into the driveway behind steven’s car

You didn’t know what to expect. You felt as if he grew up with her his whole life that there had to be some sort of feelings he felt for her. To be honest you didn’t know what to think

When you both got to the front door of the house he looked back at you once more before entering. This was gonna be something for sure.

“hello!” conrad yelled throughout the house

“connie” laurel— who you have seen in pictures— walks around the corner from the kitchen and pulls him into a hug before turning to you “and you must be y/n! i’m so glad conrad found a friend at Brown.” she smiled at you “he keeps to himself too much.”

“laurel.” he let out a warning tone before footsteps from upstairs banged against the floor

“y/n!” steven yelled and ran down the stairs pulling you into a hug and then resting his arm over your shoulder “mom this is who i was telling you about.” it then hit her who you really were

“oh my you’re conrad’s-“ she was cut off by belly coming around the corner

“hey conrad.” she was pretty, so much prettier in person. it made you insecure to see how perfect she was and you weren’t, he looked like he belonged with her. steven felt you shift under his arm

“i’ll show you the guest bedroom.” you didn’t say anything but followed him upstairs and saw belly get on her tippy toes to hug your boyfriend

“is that y/n?” belly questioned stepping back and you lost sight of them only hearing them now

“yeah, yeah. steven and jere thought it was a good idea to invite her because she’s been really good friends with us.

“are she and steven a thing?” you looked at steven and he almost burst out laughing but put a hand over his mouth

“fuck no,” he responded laughing and you entered the guest bedroom

“i’m sorry about him,” he admitted as you put your stuff on the bed

“it’s for the best, i guess.” you softly smiled at him “i might just take a nap until dinner, it was a long drive.”

“are you sure? we were going to go surfing?”

“no i’ll just sleep.” he nodded before leaving the room and your insecurities and sadness stayed with you

Conrad checked on you before going surfing to see you sleeping and he didn’t want to bother you. So here he was sitting on his surfboard with jere and steven.

“was she okay?” he questioned

“you’re seriously asking that?” steven laughed

“man, you know she’s not okay. i know that and i haven’t even seen her.” jeremiah splashed water around and conrad looked down at a bracelet you made him on your 3 month anniversary

“dude how would you feel, put it into perspective. if she told you, you had to act as her friend around someone who was her childhood— put that in your head— a childhood friend who was a guy and had a crush on her and she told you just to be friends around him. how would you feel?” steven looked at him as conrad messed with the bracelet before looking up at his best friend

“i’m so shitty.”

“glad that got into your small brain.” steven scoffed. “she’s the best thing that’s happened to you since your mom's death, she has made all of us happy but you especially. don’t lose that con. because what i saw in the guest bedroom was an insecure girl scared her boyfriend was going to leave her.”

You walked downstairs softly hoping belly wasn’t down there. You didn’t know if you could handle trying to act in front of her. Walking into the kitchen Laurel was measuring stuff for dinner. She looked up and smiled

“hi, y/n. the boys are surfing you’re welcome to stay and help me or watch tv. whatever you want.”

“I’d love to help you if that's okay?” laurel seemed surprised no one has ever helped her with dinner

“i’d love that. could you chop the lettuce?” she pointed to it on the cutting board

“of course, let me wash my hands.” you washed your hands and sat down at the bar starting to cut the lettuce

“don’t worry, belly went out to meet up with some girls from last year's deb ball to the boardwalk, she shouldn’t be back for the next few hours.” laurel looked down at her phone, “life 360 says she’s there right now, you can relax.” your shoulders slumped down

“i’m sorry laurel, i just don’t know what to do. belly is in love with him and it’s just a lot.”

“steven told me that he’s making you act as friends?” you nodded

“i just agreed with him, i didn’t want to upset him. and i always wanted to visit here, he told me many stories of your families and susannah.” sadness reached her eyes when you said that name

“i’m glad you came. she would love you.” she moved some ingredients to the side leaning against the counter, “steven told me about you, i just didn’t know you were you when you walked in. he told me how he has never seen conrad like this before, the smiling and the happiness. his mom's death really affected him, it affected all of us but he had the worst.”

“yeah, he’s really great. i can see when his shield is up, the car ride here he was nervous. he doesn’t wanna hurt belly.”

“she will get over it, her and jeremiah are meant for each other. susannah has known from the start.” the back door opened and the guys walked in with towels, conrad looked amazing and you always melted when he didn’t have a shirt on “hey boys, dinner will be ready in like 2 hours, belly’s out with friends.” she said that last part looking at conrad and you turned to continue chopping the lettuce

“thanks, mom, love you!” steven yelled walking up the stairs and jere followed which left one body lingering

“i’m going to go grab something from my bedroom.” laurel made an escape. conrad leaned down into you and kissed your head, which he knew you loved

“just one night, okay baby?” you looked up and him and nodded “i’m really sorry.” the heat of his breath fanned your face

“is okay,” you whispered leaning up to kiss him and he grabbed the side of your face kissing you deeper before moving his head back

“i’m gonna tell her tonight, okay?” laurel came back down the stairs winking at you

“conrad go get ready for dinner.”

“yes ma’am.” he kissed you once more and took off upstairs

Dinner went okay. There wasn’t much talking going around the table. You sat next to conrad and belly was across from him. When you looked down at your plate you could feel her eyes on you and then on conrad. Steven talked most of dinner about his new job at the county club which everyone listened.

“so y/n, you have a boyfriend back home?” belly’s question made your head pop up and you put your fork down nervously

“um, no. really not much time for that stuff with class happening.” you shifted and conrad moved his hand to rest on your thigh

“well it seems you have enough time to hang out with three guys,” she said back

“belly.” laurel said making belly sit back

“no, no. she’s right.” you smiled at the girl “my last relationship was rough, so i took a break from dating. he wasn’t the best and ruined a lot of things for me.” you truthfully said and conrad’s hand rubbed you softly knowing your past relationship

“oh, well i’m sorry.” belly looked around the table at everyone looking at her

“y/n actually plays almost every instrument!” steven put his glass down he took a sip of trying to change the subject

Dinner didn’t go on long after that. Everyone helped clean up everything and put things up before dessert. You were in the guest bedroom grabbing a sweatshirt and the door opened slightly as you see your boyfriend step through the door and walked towards you

“hey,” he stood in front of you and put his hands on your arms “you okay?” you nodded but didn’t say anything “it’s going to be okay.” he brought you closer and wrapped his arms around you kissing your forehead “look at me.” you lifted your head looking into his eyes “i love you.”

“i love you too.” he leaned down and kissed you softly but that didn’t last when a gasp came from the doorway and both of your heads looked to see belly standing there

“belly-“ conrad started to say but she cut him off

“um, dessert is ready.” she then hurried off

“i-“ he looked from you to the door then dropped his hands and took off after her making your heart drop

Of course, he would choose her. She’s the one that grew up with him his whole life. The one he got the see grown into a beautiful girl, prettier than you. She had a crush on him and was in love with him. There was no point, you felt like you were just a distraction at college, waiting for her.

You didn’t see where they went, and you didn’t go to the table for dessert. You took a walk down to the beach and down the shore before sitting down hugging your legs to your chest. As some tears went down your cheek. You didn’t want to be a second option.

You sat there for about 30 minutes before a body sat down next to you. And you knew it wasn’t your boyfriend but your best friend.

“he’s looking for you.” steven didn’t the same sitting position as you “belly’s pissed but you’re nothing compared to her, y/n.” you shook your head

“he ran after her,” you muttered into your arms

“to tell her that you were dating and didn’t want to hurt her.”

“i don’t know steven.” you looked at him

“i’ve never seen him the way he is with you. he’s happy, y/n. he talks about you 24/7 we have to ask him to shut up.” you softy laughed “he loves you. we have never seen him love anyone like you. he constantly texts me to ask me about you so he doesn’t seem a bother to you. he constantly tells us about the story of you guys meeting at the guitar store because he thinks if he didn’t find you after, he would be lost in his life. i have not seen a smile on him since susannah died, you brought it back.” you smiled down at the sand and steven’s phone went off with his ringtone for conrad

“i’ll answer.” you gestured towards the phone and he handed it to you and you swiped to answer

“steven, did you find her? fuck i’ve been looking everywhere man.” his voice cracked and you knew he was on the verge of tears “i need to find her-“

“conrad.” you stopped him and he let out s breath of relief

“y/n, baby. i’m so sorry.”

“it’s okay.”

“no, it’s not. i’m sorry, okay? i told her everything and she’s mad but i don’t care. i needed to be honest.” you heard a door close on his end “you left your phone here, you scared me when i came back to tell you, you weren’t here.”

“i needed some air, steven found me, i’m safe.” you smiled at steven “conrad i love you okay?” he chuckled

“i love you more, now please come home so we can have dessert.” you laughed

“on my way handsome.”

[xjaylyn]

PART 3 - Bad Boys: Second Chances

Pairing: Armando x Black! OC (Rya)

Warnings: blood, graphic, guns, death, mature, language (use of the n word), and some other stuff I probably forgot about sorry

Summary: Its been two years since Captain Conrad was framed. Another mission brings the team back together and new relationships are formed. It's said everyone deserves second chances and room to grow. So maybe this is that second chance

a/n: It's a really long chapter like 2 chapters long because I will be out of town for a few days and probably wont have time to update. But I will try if I have some free time. Chapter 4 will be shorter.

"This is it,"

Mike pulls into an apartment complex. At a glance, you can tell it's a quiet place, slightly run down; not many people living here. Getting out of the car, the duo follows Armando to his unit. Unlocking the door, Armando steps inside and turns the light on, it flickering slightly for a second before focusing. His place is small, about the size of a hotel suite, with a small kitchen barely able to fit two people. Tight space but enough for someone who doesn't own much but himself anyway.

"I just need to pack some things and we can head out... don't touch nothing," Armando says while walking into his room. Still standing by the front door, Mike and Marcus look around the place.

"Barely looks lived in... well shit, at least he has a TV," Marcus says, walking towards the small couch to take a seat. Mike steps towards the kitchen, opening the small fridge to see barely anything in there: only a couple of water bottles and simple ingredients to make a sandwich, but that was it. Closing the door, he spots something in the corner on the counter: two small cut-out pictures. One of Armando's mother, Isabel, and one of him. Feeling his chest tighten, he gently places the photos back in the corner.

Hearing Armando walk back into the small space, he steps out of the kitchen. "Nephew, what games you play on here?" Marcus asks, pointing at the PlayStation lying next to the small TV.

Armando looks at the man, raises his brow, "why is that important?"

"Because if it's Call of Duty I'll whoop yo ass, what's your tag?" Adjusting the bag strap on his shoulder, Armando turns his body completely towards his uncle, "What's your rank?"

"Diamond 3 rank 2," Marcus says, crossing his arms.

Scoffing with a smirk on his face, Armando just shakes his head. Dropping his arms, Marcus furrows his brows, "what? What's so funny 'bout that?"

"Nothing, but you ain't whooping nobody ass with that weak ass rank," Armando says, walking up to the door.

"Oh, you a lil disrespectful motherfucker, alright, we gon' see 'bout that," Marcus follows behind him, pointing his finger at the young man walking out the door. "Mike, he just don't know how I do."

--------------------------------------------------------

Four hours into the ride, the three of them sat in peaceful silence. Armando looks at the two in the front, Mike focused on driving and Marcus knocked out, snoring a little bit. Looking at his father, he decides to break the silence.

"What's the mission?" he asks.

Mike glances in the rearview mirror, "Apparently the biggest case the government has ever had... was told you might know something about it."

"I don't know why your people think I know it all, I only worked on what my mother told me to do... she's the one with the answers," Armando shrugs.

"Well, that's fine... we have someone that may know something to help us out... we're picking her up when we arrive in Miami."

Nodding his head, he looks down at the back seat noticing a file sitting beside him. "That's the case file, you can look through it and see if you find something you might recognize."

Picking up the file, he skims through everything. Besides the people he has worked with in the past, he's not sure about everything else. Shaking his head, he looks back up at his father, "Nah, I don't know."

Another silence falls upon the two. Clearing his throat, Mike decides to fill Armando in on the past 2 years. "Things have been normal since the last mission... thank you, by the way, for helping clear Cap's name-"

"I didn't have much of a choice," Armando interrupts, raising a brow.

"Yeah, well, thank you anyway..." Another silence falls between the two. Clearing his throat, Mike decides to try for a conversation again. "You have a baby sister," Mike mentions, glancing at Armando through the rearview mirror to see his face.

Armando looks up at him, making eye contact but doesn't say a word.

"Yeah, uh, she just turned one yesterday... cutest thing too... she loves anybody that gives her food," Mike laughs. Dropping his hand, he digs in his pocket for his wallet. Opening it up, he reaches back to give it to Armando.

Taking the wallet from him, Armando sees a picture of a baby girl. 'Cute.' Mike notices how Armando's face slightly softens. It wasn't a big facial expression, but you can tell it did something to him. Looking at the picture a little more, his attention looks down to another photo, it was old... one of him as a baby. Closing the wallet, he hands it back to his father.

"Congrats," Armando says, cutting the one-sided conversation to an end and looking out the window watching everything pass by.

--------------------------------------------------------

...MIAMI...

Finally arriving at their destination, Mike pulls into the private base, security guarding every corner. Stopping at the gate, Mike and Marcus show their badges. The guard nods and lets them through. Getting out of the car, the three notice Chief Paul Nicola and a couple of guards walking towards them.

"Glad to see you all are here. This way, please," Paul extends his arm out, leading the small group into the private building. "For the past six months, we have kept our informant in max security... she was found in uniform so she is to be kept chained up as we do not know exactly what she is capable of. She has agreed to only speak to the people working with her to negotiate a deal," Paul says while scanning his ID to enter a private area in the building.

Stopping at a door, Paul turns to the trio. "Please don't fuck this up."

Allowing the men to step into the room, there's only one source of light from a small window making it dim. In the center of the room, they see a table and a person sitting down completely covered head to toe in chains that are bolted into the floor—securely fastened to ensure no way to escape.

The trio takes a seat at the table. A guard standing in the corner walks up to unlock the headlock. The sound of the metal mask dropping to the floor echoes through the room. She has a disheveled look to her: curly hair matted and covering some of her features, faded bruises on her face, and a busted lip. Looking into her eyes, they see she is scared and nervous. She stares at the men in front of her uncertainly.

Marcus clears his throat and softly speaks up, "Okay... I'm Detective Marcus Burnett and this is my partner Detective Mike Lowery and Armando." He points to his left and right where Mike nods at her and Armando just stares. "We know you know something that we need to know to get this shit together. So what is it that you need us to do for us to help each other?" Marcus asks, cutting straight to the chase.

The woman continues to stare at the men in front of her before nodding her head towards the guard behind her. "Get him out first."

Looking up at the guard, Mike waves his hand in a shooing motion. "We'll be good, sir," smiling at the guard who hesitates for a second before stepping out. Hearing the heavy door close, she starts, "I need one thing guaranteed to me."

"Layla Batiste... I need one of you to free her... she should be in the 7th cell on the right. Free her and give her anything she needs to make a living," the woman says, her voice shaking a bit.

"Okay, and who is this Layla? Why do we need to free her?" Mike questions.

"My sister... just agree to do that and we have a deal," she pleads, looking at Mike. "And write it down too so you don't forget... Layla Bat-"

"Batiste, 7th cell on the right. Yeah, I got it," Mike says, leaning back in his chair. "Done. Now, what do you know? Actually, what is your name before anything?"

Taking a breath, the woman sits back in her seat. "My name is Rya," she says.

"Okay, Rya, what do you know?"

"Do we have a deal?" Rya presses.

"Yes, we have a deal. We free Layla and you help us. Done. Sealed," Marcus says, leaning forward on the table. Armando just sits back with his arms crossed, watching the whole ordeal.

"You were captured by our military in a uniform... what were you doing in uniform?" Marcus questions.

Rya looks at Marcus then looks down. "I have been a prisoner since I was 10... a way for my parents to pay their debt... he sends us on missions as decoys... I was sent there as a distraction and ended up being caught."

Armando raises a brow at her wording, leaning forward to make his presence known. "Who's he?" he asks, looking at her with a hard expression.

Looking up, Rya makes eye contact with the brown eyes staring at her. She can tell he is studying her, looking for any reason not to trust her and her words. "A man named Sergio... he's dangerous and powerful. His family for decades has been a part of this big project to take over the world. For reasons I don't know... I just know his kind is powerful... and it's not just him. He has the military, doctors, scientists, judges, governments in different countries working for him. Any influence you can think of, he has someone there working for him. It's a world operation that has been growing nonstop... he's just the center of it."

The three men look at the girl in front of them and then at each other, taking in the information given to them. Mike looks back at the girl. "So why help us... what's in it for you?" he questions. She pauses for a second. "No one wants to be locked up and held captive for the rest of their life... this is my only chance and I can't do it by myself. I need your help." She looks at the men in front of her, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Hey, we are here to help as long as you can help us... you said he has connections everywhere... is there any place that you know that we can look into to gather evidence or something?" Marcus asks. Rya nods her head, closing her eyes to hold the tears back. "He has these liquid drops he's creating that's a mixture of different drugs and chemicals... there's a place on the strip... an abandoned lot that no one looks into, that's where he makes some of it."

"You know the exact place and where these drops would be?" Mike asks. Rya nods her head yes.

Slapping his hands on the table, Mike stands up looking down at the young girl. "Well, let's take a look at his little operation and make some shit happen." The three men make their way out of the room. Paul, standing in the hall on his phone, looks up as he hears the door open. Quickly putting his phone away, he walks towards the trio. "So what do we got?" He asks, putting his hands in his pocket, looking back and forth at them.

"The man we're looking for is Sergio. His family is the center of this operation and has connections everywhere. She said there's a secret lab on the strip. Claims he's making liquid drops laced with different drugs. We're gonna check it out and build up the case," Marcus says.

"Okay, good, we have something... I'm going to release her to you guys. Make sure she is protected at all costs. We can't afford to lose her," Paul tells them before walking off.

"Well... now we're babysitting... great."

--------------------------------------------------------

Walking out of the building, Paul and two guards on each side of Rya, her hands and feet cuffed. She looks up at the sky, squinting her eyes, and takes a deep breath, finally getting fresh air and light after being confined in a tight cell for 6 months. Looking down, she sees the three men from earlier standing by a car, waiting for her. She wasn't lying when she said Sergio is a dangerous man... his nickname to the people was "The Devil". With the type of connections he has, it's considered damn near impossible to take him down. But still, with the right people and enough evidence... there's a chance. She can only hope she made the right choice and that those three are the ones that can help her.

Feeling a slight tug, her body is forced to a stop. The guard on the right unlocks the cuffs on her feet. Leaving the handcuffs on, he hands the keys to Mike. "The hands are to remain locked." Mike nods, opening the back door to the car. Rya gets in, the door closing behind her. Looking out, she can see Paul exchange a few words with the men before the car doors open and they get in.

"We're going to the station to meet with the team. There you can change and we'll run down everything. Okay?" Mike says, looking back at her in the back seat.

Nodding her head, she feels eyes on her and turns her head to the right, seeing Armando staring at her. She looks him up and down, raising her brow when he doesn't look away. She hears Marcus speak from the front. "Don't worry about him," Marcus says, looking at the two in the back. "He's in his moody teenage phase where he hates his life and everyone in it..." He whispers to Rya. Furrowing his brows, Armando breaks their eye contact by slowly turning his head towards Marcus. "He'll get over it... eventually he tolerates you," Marcus winks at Rya and looks at Armando. "You ever eventually shut the hell up?" Armando asks, causing Mike and Marcus to look at him surprised. "Whoooa," Marcus exclaims, looking at his partner. Mike looks at Armando, "Hey, too much."

Armando rolls his eyes and looks at Rya one more time before he looks away and out the window. "You hear how he talks to me, Mike?... Just no respect for his elders!" Marcus whines from the front seat. "Yeah, I heard him..." The two continue to go back and forth. Rya raises a brow at the dynamic between the people she was put with. Glancing over at Armando, seeing him in his own world, she leans over into the corner of her seat, laying her head back. 'What the hell did I get myself into?'

--------------------------------------------------------

...Miami Precinct...

Stepping out of the shower, Rya wraps her towel around her body and walks over to the locker room mirror. She was able to wash her hair and brush it out, leaving it down to air dry. Wiping the mirror, she looks a little more like herself. The scars and light bruises all over her body are still visible, serving as a reminder of what she had to go through. Shaking her head, she looks over at the folded clothes given to her and quickly puts them on. It's a simple Miami PD t-shirt and black cargos along with black socks, comfortable enough to move around in. Slipping on her shoes, she walks out into the foyer where everybody was waiting for her.

Looking up from the computer, Mike claps his hands and points to Rya. "Everyone, this is Rya, our informant. Rya, this is Rita, the boss, and Kelly and Dorn. They are our tech kids, formally known as AMMO," he says, pointing at everyone. They all wave at her with a small smile, causing her to nod her head in acknowledgment.

Marcus walks up to her with her handcuffs. "Sorry, but they said at all times," he looks at her apologetically, putting the cuffs on her.

"Alright, I have the map of the entire strip. I marked up the abandoned buildings. I just need you to point it out for us," Dorn says, walking up to the table in the middle and laying the map flat on it.

Rya skims over the map. "This one," she says, pointing at a building.

"You sure?"

"Yes, it's that one," she says, looking up at the team.

"Alright, here's the plan," Mike starts. "Rya, you are going to go in and grab a sample of the drops. Grab anything you think we might need that can be used as evidence."

Rya looks at Mike, her eyes widened. "By myself?!" she asks.

"No, uh, Armando will go with you to make sure nothing happens to you. The rest of the team will be watching on the drones, so there's no need to worry."

Calming down a little bit, Rya nods her head. "Okay."

"Armando, you good with that?" Mike asks, looking back at his son who was standing in the back of the room. Armando shrugs and walks off.

"Okay. Well, the plan is set. Let's get ready."

--------------------------------------------------------

...3 Hours Later...

"Alright, can you hear me?" Dorn asks, looking at Armando and Rya who both wore protective gear and their earpieces. Both of them nod their heads as they make their way out of the truck.

"Alright, we'll be right behind you guys. Just grab a sample and get out safely," Rita says, looking at the two before closing the truck door.

Armando starts to walk toward the building, not paying Rya any attention. Rolling her eyes, Rya follows behind, picking up her pace to catch up to him. "Alright, we'll enter first to make sure it's clear," she heard Dorn say into the earpieces. Watching the drone fly into the building a couple of minutes later, she hears Dorn clear them to enter.

Walking into the building, there were broken pieces of glass and boarded-up openings. "You know where the stuff is at, right?" Armando questions, looking back at Rya.

"Yeah, it should be a little further down in a locked room," she replies. Making their way around the building, the two end up at a dead end.

"It's a dead end," Armando says, looking at the wall.

"No, it's just made to look that way," Rya corrects him.

Armando looks at Rya for a second before looking back at the wall. Stepping back a little, he kicks at the wall, and it easily crumbles, revealing a laboratory full of different substances. Skimming the room before stepping in, Armando picks up a bag full of white pills. "Opioids?" Armando mumbles, setting the bag back down. Watching Armando look around the place, Rya sneaks her still cuffed hands into her pocket, pulling out a flash drive. Looking around, she sees a desk off in the corner with a computer on it.

"Where are the drops?" Armando asks, looking back at her.

Quickly hiding the flash drive in her palm, she looks back at Armando and clears her throat.

"It should be in a case or one of these tubes," she says, stepping into the room.

Walking around, she makes her way towards the computer, quickly putting the flash drive in and pressing a button to turn on the computer. Looking back up to make sure Armando was still looking around, she presses around until she sees a downloading screen. Quickly walking away from the computer to look around.

"What are you doing?" She hears Armando question, staring at her.

"Looking for the drops, it should be around here somewhere," she replies, glancing around and noticing a small black case sitting on top of a shelf.

Lifting her cuffed hands, she points at the case.

"There, I think that's it."

Walking over, Armando picks up the case and places it on the counter. Unlocking it, he opens it to see a bunch of little tubes full of a liquid labeled 'OPP.M'. Glancing at Rya, who is looking at the tubes, he grabs one of the tubes and puts it in his pocket.

"Alright, let's go."

Suddenly, a beeping sound goes off.

"What is that?" Armando says, and Rya looks over at the computer.

Quickly walking over, she sees an error displayed on the screen.

"Shit," she mumbles, quickly grabbing the flash drive. She feels Armando grab her shoulder roughly, causing her to turn towards him.

"What the fuck is that?" His face hardens.

"Guys, we have people coming in," Kelly speaks into the earpiece.

All of a sudden, a man fully covered in black with a gold star stitched on his vest comes in firing at the two. Armando swiftly dodges, pulling Rya with him. Getting pushed under the counter, Rya watches as Armando grabs the man, making him stumble. Taking his gun away from him, Armando shoots the man.

More men in black come into the room. Armando fights each one coming at him. Watching him get outnumbered, Rya runs out, taking her cuffed hands and grabbing one of the men from behind, choking him with the chain.

Turning around, she takes the man with her, using him as a shield as one of the other men tries to shoot at her. Dropping his body, she drops to her knee, sliding across the floor, picking up a gun and shooting the men coming towards her. Running out of ammo, she runs up to one of the men, dodging the bullets before hitting him with the butt of the gun.

Grabbing one of the glass flasks on the desk, she breaks it and picks up the sharpest piece. A man comes up to her, throwing a punch. She strategically maneuvers, causing him to fall forward and land on the desk. Stabbing the man a few times in the back, she then turns around and slices the neck of another man coming towards her. A few minutes pass of her and Armando fighting, the last body dropping. She looks up at Armando, slightly roughed up and out of breath, already staring at her. Looking down at her bloody cuffed hands, she drops the piece of glass.

"What the fuck?" she hears Mike in her earpiece. Taking a breath, she looks back up at Armando.

"We got what we need, let's go," she says before turning around and walking out of the room, Armando following behind, glaring at her.

Making her way out of the building, she sees the doors of the truck open up, the team looking at her and Armando coming over. Stepping into the truck, she makes her way over to Dorn's computer and screens. "hey thats my seat" Dorn says pointing at her.

"What the fuck was that?" Marcus says, furrowing his brows and looking at Rya with his arms open.

Armando sits on the seat, unstrapping his vest. "Clearly your informant isn't just an informant," he says, glaring at her.

Rolling her eyes, she pulls out the flash drive from her pocket and swiftly inserts it into the computer, a bunch of files popping up. "Hey, who the fuck are you? Because that wasn't the same helpless girl that was crying and shit, pleading for us to help her back at the prison?!" Marcus says, pulling her shoulder back, forcing her to face the team, all looking at her with confusion apparent on their faces.

"You got some explaining to do," Mike says, crossing his arms.

Staring back at the team, Rya leans back in the chair. 'Well, shit.'

Tag List (lmk if you want to be added!):

@blackgirlmagicforever @believeinthefireflies95 @wizewhispers @omg-mymelaninisbeautiful @sarcasticbitchsblog @maybepersuasivetom @d4rno

[humblequestvinyl]

i'm not pretty

I’M NOT PRETTY, CONRAD FISHER X FEM!READER

APART OF THE ‘ANOTHER ON THE WAY’ SERIES

SUMMARY: while dating one of the hottest boys on cousin’s beach, and an accidental like on an old instagram post, singer y/n l/n realizes exactly what her relationship with the entails, and past girls she might have pissed off.

inspired by i’m not pretty by megan moroney

◀ ⏸ ▶

lowercase is intentional! wc: 0.7k

warnings: reader is blonde today (i promise this will make sense), belly being kinda a bitch!! (peace and love), use of nickname/relationship nicknames (babe)

a/n: guys this is not my best work but thats what i get for not writing since november

“UM, HEY CONRAD?”

y/n called out as she sat in the kitchen of the susannah fisher’s beach house, and the boy turned the corner, giving the girl he loved a wide smile.

“what’s up sunshine?”he questioned, resting his head on the shoulder of the blonde, and he could see instagram open on the girl’s phone, “who’s this?”

y/n pulled up a profile, with her face filled with confusion, and she heard conrad groan as soon as he saw it, “is it someone bad?”

“my ex girlfriend.”conrad told her, and the girls lips shaped into an ‘oh’, before tilting her head slightly.

“but i thought you and nicole were just a fling?”she questioned before conrad went back and tapped on the profile once more, “sunshine that isn’t nicole.”

“that’s belly.”

isabel conklin. the girl that had always loved conrad, and could never move past the breakup between the two. even now when she was interested in his brother, and conrad was dating y/n, the girl couldn’t move past the boy that should have been hers.

“yeah, that explains a bit of it.”y/n shifted back in her seat as conrad walked across the island, and raised an eyebrow at her, “what! you and i both know she wasn’t exactly nice to me the last time i was here while she was.”

y/n was right, belly wasn’t nice to her the last time the two were both at the beach house together. in the blonde’s words, the girl was a bitch. but she tried to be as nice as she could for conrad’s sake, knowing how much the conklins meant to his family.

“did she comment anything?”conrad questioned, and y/n shook her head no, “maybe she heard one of the songs you wrote and accidentally liked the post.”

the blonde gave the boy a look, knowing how wrong he was, “i love how naive you are.”

“i am not naive!”conrad argued as the blonde walked away, up towards the guest bedroom she had been staying in at the fisher’s beach house.

“keep telling yourself that babe!”y/n shouted before she climbed up the stairs, and into the room where her guitar sat, just screaming at her to write a song for her upcoming EP.

the girl had recently been signed to a record label, and while the inspiration had been there, the words wanting to be sung had disappeared from thin air. until now it was almost like a fire had been lit under her as soon as she got the instagram notification, all the words wanted to spill out of her.

it was almost hours before conrad finally peaked into the room, to see his girlfriend hovering over her song book, with her guitar playing and he could see himself in the background of her video.

“somewhere out there, my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend is scrolling through my instagram.”she sang, and a small smile crept up onto conrad’s face knowing this would make her ep.

“tearing me down, passing the phone around like there’s nothing better to talk about.”the blonde went on, playing what conrad would call a beautiful cord progression on her guitar, “zoomin out, zoomin in, overanalysing.”

“head queen of the mean girl’s committee.”

“but whatever helps, keep telling yourself i’m not that pretty.”she finished, before turning off her video, finally noticing conrad standing in the doorway.

“that’s going on the EP isn’t it?”he questioned as y/n stood up, wrapping her arms around the boy she adored.

she looked up at him with a wide smile, before nodding slightly,

“you know me so well, lover boy.”

[raven-dor]

there he goes

In which conrad fisher makes up with his best friend, and she realizes that she has feelings for him

PAIRING: conrad fisher x reader, jeremiah fisher x PLATONIC!reader, isabel conklin x PLATONIC!reader, steven conklin x PLATONIC!reader

WARNINGS: allusions to a past argument, heartbreaking fluff, angst, one-sided crush, underage drinking, loneliness

WORD COUNT: 1,832

AN: this is an excerpt from a WIP on wattpad!! just wanted to get a feel and see if anyone would be interested in this even being published<3

Laurel laughed at the spread on the kitchen counter. "I thought we were keeping dinner simple."

"It's Belly's sweet 16. Is Connie done shucking the corn?"

Y/N shrugged, filling up the vases for the flowers. "I don't think so." 

Susannah sighed. "Can you go check for me?" 

She nodded. "Sure." She pushed open the kitchen door and walked slowly down the steps to the landing. Conrad looked up, smiling lightly.

"Your mom sent me down here to see if you're almost done shucking the corn." She looked behind him, noticing that there were only three left. "I'll let her know." She turned back around, walking back up the steps.

Conrad called out. "Y/N/N..." 

She stopped but didn't turn around. "Yeah?"

"I- I'm sorry." She took another step up the stairs, a hand wrapping around her wrist. Her breath hitched, and he slowly turned her around. She tried to look anywhere but his eyes. He had always made her break when she looked into his eyes. "Y/N/N, look at me, please." 

"I can't." She shook her head. "You know I can't." 

"Y/N/N..." 

She shook her head, turning back around. "We can talk later, Conrad." 

"I'm sorry, Y/N/N. For everything." He stood at the bottom of the steps, watching as she turned around. "I'm sorry for everything." 

She sighed. "Why are you being so mean?"

He shook his head. "I'm not being mean-" 

She walked down, meeting him at the bottom. "I don't mean right now. I meant in general. Trust me, I get it. You're dealing with a lot." She looked up at him delicately. "But why did you do that?"

He reached his hand out, grabbing hers, studying the way her fingers looked. "I just- I didn't want to hurt you more. Because I was-" 

"That's what I'm here for." She smiled. "Not for you to hurt, of course-" 

He nodded. "I got it. I'll never hurt you again." 

She laughed, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "Don't make promises that you can't keep." 

A voice coughed, and she jumped, pulling out of Conrad's reach. "I- I'm going back inside." She rushed up the stairs, through the kitchen, and onto her bed. 

She grabbed her pillow, screaming into it. "What is happening to me?"

Y/N settled into her seat, grabbing a lobster and some salad. Since Cam was now sitting in her normal spot, she was placed in between Susannah and Conrad, not that she minded. Conrad's leg nudged hers, laughing at her flower crown. 

"You look-"  

"So Cam!" Jeremiah interrupted the comforting chaos that had erupted, the table quieting. "You mind if I call you Cam Cameron?"

Cam laughed. "Yeah, man. Feel free, that's funny."

Susannah smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Cameron. I know your mom, Denise, from the club." 

"Thank you so much for having me, Susannah! My mom says hi."

Laurel walked in, handing out her homemade miyeok-guk. 

"Cam, have you ever had miyeok-guk before? It's a Korean birthday tradition."

He shook his head, grabbing the bowl from her. "No, it looks so good, though. Thank you." 

"Belly told me you're vegetarian, so I didn't put any meat in it."

Cam smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Laurel, geez." 

Jeremiah interrupted again. "Why don't you eat meat, Cam Cameron?"

"Uh, the meat industry is like the number one contributor to global warming. And I just like animals." 

Jeremiah tilted his head. "Hm." 

Taylor grinned, looking down the table. "Just don't come for my leather jacket." 

Steven muttered. "I'm pretty sure you mean pleather." 

Jeremiah laughed. "Ooh!"

Taylor flipped him off, the boys laughing at her actions. 

"You know, Belly eats meat. So, you let her kiss you with those lips?"

She groaned, shaking her head. "Guys..." 

Cameron shook his head. "No, I don't judge people for eating meat. It's just a personal choice. I don't care." 

"So you don't mind if her lips touch a dead animal, and then those dead animal lips touch your lips, right?"

Belly smiled tightly, kicking Jeremiah under the table. He winced. 

"I don't mind at all. Um, in fact..." He leaned over, kissing Belly lightly. Y/N smiled. It was nice to see he wasn't giving in to the bullying. Or teasing, as Jeremiah and Steven called it. 

The boys started gagging, and Y/N glared at them. "Can you not? I'm trying to eat. I don't need gagging noises in the background." 

Jeremiah smiled guiltily. Steven spoke up this time. "I'm sorry, I just don't understand why anybody would want to kiss somebody who once fully shat in a bathtub." 

Y/N sat down her fork, glaring at the younger boy. "Really, Steven? We're trying to eat here." Conrad laughed.

Belly glared at her brother. "I was like two years old." 

Steven's face contorted. "Two, more like six." 

Laurel stared at her son, signaling him to stop. "Shut up, Steven." 

Taylor sat forward. "I remember when I visited last summer, and you and you," She pointed at the Fisher boys. "Dared him to pee in the fireplace, and you stunk up the entire house for days. Do you remember that?"

Y/N laughed, holding her stomach. "God, that was horrible." 

Steven sighed. "We were drunk. We were drunk." 

Belly rolled her eyes. "On like half a White Claw." She laughed, looking over at Taylor. "You know, I'm thinking maybe we should go to Nicole's party." 

Conrad looked down at his plate, playing with his food. Y/N cleared her throat. "You okay, Connie?"

He nodded, but she could tell that he didn't love the idea of everyone being there. Or maybe it was the idea of Belly and Nicole being in the same room. 

Either way, her stomach was twisting, too. Just for different reasons. 

Y/N tried to contain her laughter as Steven and Jeremiah screamed the lyrics to "We Are Never Getting Back Together." They had quite literally only been in the car for five minutes before Steven snatched the phone from Jeremiah's hands and put on Taylor Swift.

They pulled up to the house, parking on the side of the driveway. Steven whipped around, glaring playfully at the two in the back. "Do not ever tell Belly I did that." 

"Sure, Steven." She grinned, holding up her crossed fingers. "Promise." 

Conrad laughed, shutting the car door. "No promises, man." 

Y/N laughed alongside him, humming. "Wonder if Belly's here yet." 

Conrad shrugged, pulling her towards the kitchen. "I need a drink."

Y/N sighed, following silently. His shoulders were tense, and he was constantly looking over his shoulder. She just hoped that-

"Conrad!"

And there was Nicole. She looked gorgeous and Y/N... well she felt underdressed now. Nicole turned towards the girl, smiling just as wide. "Hey Y/N, cute top." 

She was so nice. Y/N took a quick sip of her beer, smiling. "Thank you. Pacsun." 

Nicole nodded, looking engaged, but Y/N knew she wanted time with Conrad. She smiled again and walked backward. "I'm gonna go find Jere." 

Conrad tilted his head. "We just got here. Give me two seconds, and then I'll come with you." 

"No! I mean..." She laughed awkwardly. "It's fine. I have to talk to him about something anyway. I'll see you in a bit." 

She stumbled through the crowd,  almost smiling at who she ran into. "Taylor, hey!"

Taylor smiled blankly, glaring at her drink. "I met Nicole." 

She laughed, looking out at the crowd of drunk teenagers. "Not a fan?"

"I—" she huffed. I know we aren't that close, Y/N, but can I tell you something?" 

She nodded quickly. 

"I feel like I'm losing her. Belly."

She sighed, facing Taylor. "You're not going to lose her. You're best friends. She'll always need you. Besides, Nicole is just doing her 'big sister' duties. She's not going to steal her. I don't think anyone could do that." She stared back at the crowd. "Trust me." 

Taylor hummed, and they stood in silence for what seemed like forever. Y/N huffed, looking over at the younger girl. "I'm going to go find Belly. You want to come with?"

Taylor shook her head, and Y/N walked away towards the foyer. "So Nicole, you and Conrad a thing or what?"

She stopped, listening in on their conversation. "I think or what." 

"Wait, you live with him. You should know what he's up to. Has he been hanging out with other girls this summer?" 

"Just Y/N, but you know them. Two peas in a pod." 

Her heart dropped. God, she really didn't want people even thinking that she and- She stormed through the foyer and dodged past Conrad, who was talking to some other locals from Cousins. His voice definitely called her name, but she ignored him and grabbed a bottle of vodka. 

There had to be an empty room with access to the roof somewhere. 

It felt like it had been hours since she had found this spot, sitting securely on a spot on the roof that had a perfect view of the moon. 

She used to look at the moon with her dad. She used to look at the moon with-

"Y/N/N?" She almost scoffed, not even bothering to look towards the window. "What are you doing up here? We've been looking-" 

"No, you haven't." 

"What do you mean no we haven't?"

"I mean, no, you haven't. I've been up here for like two hours, Conrad." 

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't- I'm sorry. I just need to be alone, okay?" She lay down, staring at the stars once more. "Just leave me alone." 

Silence followed, and she assumed that he had left, but when she heard the window close and his steps grew closer, she fought the smile that was forming on her face. He lay next to her. "We haven't done this in a while."

"Connie..." 

"Y/N..."

"You don't need to lay next to me just to make me feel better."

"Can't I just lay next to my best friend?"

Her stomach twisted, and she told herself it was from the copious amounts of alcohol that she had ingested. "How's Nicole?"

His voice sounded careful. "She's fine." 

"Just fine?" She turned her head, looking at his side profile. He was- "She was talking about you." 

"Yeah?"

She hummed, still staring at him. "She likes you a lot." 

"That's good." 

"Yeah." She turned back to the stars. "You ever think we're too close?"

He laughed, like actually laughed. "No, I don't. Do you?"

"Sometimes." 

His smile fell, and it was his turn to look at her. "Why's that?"

"I don't think your girlfriends appreciate it very much. Me being your best friend." 

"Nicole's not my girlfriend, and even if she were, she'd have to get used to you." He nudged her and scooted closer. "You're my best friend." 

"I know." She closed her eyes, her heart shattering into a million pieces. "I know I'm your best friend, Connie. You're mine too."

[bumblesimagines]

“can i kiss you?”

“is this your way of asking me out or—”

“think i wanna do a little more than just kiss.”

- Belly Conklin

“think i wanna do a little more than just kiss.”

“is this your way of asking me out or—”

“can i kiss you?”

Pronouns: he/him/his, male

imma be fully honest, i haven't finished season 1 but i know people have many opinions on season 2

Belly surveyed the other teenagers partying around her, feeling wildly out of her element amongst dancing and drinking strangers. Steven had promised their mother he'd keep an eye on her, but the second he found Shayla amidst the party, he went after her like a puppy and left Belly all alone to search for the Fisher brothers. Her two friends had similarly drifted away as well, one in search of his girlfriend and the other had gone off to chat with some old friends.

Thus, Belly Conklin had been left alone to do as she pleased without three guys hovering over her. Not that she felt like doing much. She watched drinking competitions with a nervous grimace, felt too out of place to dance, and had no one to talk to unless she wanted to bring the boys' attention back to her.

Waddling deeper into the party and whispering soft a 'excuse me' every three seconds, she began having regrets about pestering the boys' into letting her attend. The feeling only intensified upon spotting Conrad sat on one of the couches with an arm hung loosely around Nicole and the smallest of smiles on his face.

Her body went rigid and she took in a sharp inhale, spinning back around to block the sight from her vision. She tried ignoring the way her throat tightened and her veins flooded with jealousy and hurt. Conrad was her best friend. He never even showed any real interest in her. But seeing him cozying up to someone else...

"Isabel!" A voice called her name and she looked up, spotting the familiar teen sat on the opposite side of the room. He grinned at her and Belly surprised herself by immediately walking over to him. (Y/N) straightened up on the couch and set his red solo cup on the nightstand beside him. "Never thought I'd see you at a party."

Relief trickled into her and she smiled at him. The two weren't close by any means but Belly knew him well enough to feel comfortable around him. She only saw him on occasion every summer when his mother would drop by to see Susannah and catch up. Steven had desperately been trying to gain the attention of (Y/N), one of Cousin's notable 'cool kids', but his attempts always proved futile.

"It's not really my vibe, I guess." Belly chuckled breathlessly and brushed her hair back over her ear, glancing back in the direction of Conrad while doing so. Their eyes locked and she snapped her attention back to (Y/N).

"I could introduce you to some of my friends, if you want. It's always easier to know who to hang with." He offered with a shrug and she exhaled heavily, body nearly slumping into the cushion of the couch.

"That'd be... really nice. Thank you, (Y/N)." Belly smiled widely and tucked her legs underneath her, propping one arm up on the thick cushion of the couch. She took another glance back at Conrad and a jolt went up her spine when she noticed him watching them.

And then, an idea struck.

“Can I kiss you?” The words tumbled out of her mouth faster than she processed them and her skin immediately lit ablaze. Part of her couldn't believe she'd even asked. Her experience in the romance department was nonexistent and she'd only ever briefly kissed Cam, yet there she was, asking a far more experienced friend if she could kiss them.

“Is this your way of asking me out or—” His amusement made her skin warm further.

"No! I mean, it's not like I don't think you're hot- I mean, I-I wouldn't say no if you asked me out but I didn't ask to ask you out, if that makes sense? I-" Belly groaned quietly and covered her face, unable to shake off the embarrassment as he snickered quietly under his breath. Taking in a deep breath and moving her hands from her face, she scooted closer to him and dropped her voice to a whisper. "I... I like Conrad. I've liked him for a really long time and... I want to, I don't know, make him jealous, I guess."

"I see." (Y/N) hummed, eyes flickering past her to look at Conrad. He pursed his lips in thought and just when she was about to brush aside everything, he gently grabbed her chin and pulled her in. An electrifying feeling erupted within her when their lips connected, goosebumps rising across her arms and the hairs on the nape of her neck rose.

His fingers fluttered over her jawline until his palm pressed against her cheek, their lips briefly disconnecting and nose brushing against each other before he closed the gap again. While Belly had no clue on what to do with herself, she decided to let her instincts do the acting. Her hands found his shoulders and she leaned forward, pulling back for a moment to settle down on his lap. He chuckled against her lips and tilted his head, arms curling around her waist to keep from from falling backwards.

"What'd you think about that, Isabel?"

“Think I wanna do a little more than just kiss.” She whispered, heat erupting in her belly and a flustered giggle escaping her. His lips curled into a smirk and he gave a curt nod.

"That can be arranged." He murmured and she moved her hands up to cup his face, strands of her long hair brushing against his skin. Before she could lean in again, an angry voice barked out.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Oh, shit. Conrad.

[obxsummer]

A Change of Summer // OBX x The Summer I Turned Pretty Crossover

where summer in outer banks meets summer in cousins beach and our favorite pogues meet our favorite... kooks: the fishers and conklins. conrad fisher x gn!reader x jj maybank

warnings: violence, angst, probably injuries and cussing, no use of y/n

a/n: based on these tiktoks (acct: @/sun.aepp on tiktok) I found and then I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. so here we are. for the sake of my feelings, Susannah isn't gone and nothing happened between Conrad and Belly at the end of S1.

navigation

--

The air always smelled different when you pulled into the driveway of your family’s summer house. Everything felt comforting when you came back here, like a home away from home that held memories for as long as you could remember. Every year, your family would start their journey in Cousins with your long-term family friends, the Fishers and Conklins, before taking off after the Fourth of July to come here: the Outer Banks. 

This year was different though. This year, the moms were taking Cousins for themselves and the kids were all here, with you, for the first time ever. It took a little convincing to get Jeremiah and Steven away from their so-called ‘dream summer jobs’, but once you told them they could work at the country club here instead, they were sold. Cousins would always be one of your favorite places, but you were so excited to make some memories here with them too.

“This place is insane,” Isabel Conklin, or Belly as you all called her, spoke up from your passenger seat as she looked at your summer home with bright eyes. She had been your co-pilot and entertainer for the drive down while the boys all went together in a separate car so you weren’t all squished for the long ride.

“Come on,” You laughed and shut the engine off. “Let’s go so you can pick your bedroom first before the boys get here!”

Belly Conklin was the sweetest person you’d ever met in your life. Growing up together meant sharing secrets, long-distance FaceTime calls, and embarrassing moments that would go to the grave. She was only a year younger than you, turning 17 while you would be on vacation together, which really only pulled the two of you closer together.

You quickly opened the garage door of the home and rushed inside with your bag smacking your hip. Belly burst into a fit of giggles as the two of you scrambled over the freshly cleaned floors to get first dibs on the bedrooms. 

Leaving the younger teen to situate herself, you moved into your personal room. It was just how you left it from last year with bright white and pale accent colors filling the space. Your feet moved first, throwing your body on the bed with a big sigh as you sank into the plush mattress below. 

“Holy shit!”

The exclamation broke you from your momentary peace as you opened your eyes. You made your way downstairs to see the new figure in your kitchen with a wandering gaze and astonished expression. 

“Damn, this house gives Cousins a run for the money!” Steven Conklin always knew how to make you laugh. As the second oldest of your group, he had no trouble being anything but a role model sometimes. You shook your head at him and left him to explore the area on his own, deciding to grab the rest of your stuff from the car. 

“A little help unloading the car would’ve been nice, Steven.”

Jeremiah Fisher’s bright blue eyes always sparkled when you looked at them. You held back a laugh and walked closer. He didn’t hesitate to drop the bags in his hands when he caught sight of you. “My favorite ray of sunshine, look at you!”

“Jere!” You laughed but ran to him nonetheless as he caught you effortlessly in a hug. “I’m so excited you guys are here!”

Jeremiah spun the two of you in a circle before placing your feet back on the ground. “Listen, I have to admit I was a bit hesitant about not heading straight to Cousins.”

“I promise it’ll be a good time,” You reassured and gave his cheek a small squeeze. “Belly already claimed her room so you might want to go fight Steven for what’s left.” Eyes widening in shock, he took off instantly into the house and hollered for Steven to wait up.

Moving around to the trunk of your car, you grabbed a few handfuls of the items you could before coming face to face with Conrad Fisher. A gasp escaped your lips at the lack of space between the two of you before you took a small step back. “Conrad, hi.” 

He didn’t miss the suppressed emotion behind your tone. The last time the two of you saw each other, were close to each other, it took everything in him not to kiss you. “Hi. Do you need some help?”

Glancing at the bag strap across his shoulder and the large cooler in his hands, you shook your head. “No, no. Thank you, though. How was your drive?”

Conrad Fisher. The boy who you had hated, loved, envied, admired. Every emotion you’d come to experience had a tie back to the boy in front of you.

Things with Conrad had always been complicated. He knew you better than anyone, yet he pissed you off every chance he had.  He knew that you were wrapped around his finger too, and you hated that. You knew things had been rough when his mom went through her cancer treatment, and the whole ordeal with his parents’ divorce obviously, but that version of him had slowly disappeared since last year. You hoped this summer would actually put things back on track between the two of you. 

“Boring. Jere snores when he sleeps.” His reply was simple and held the same tone yours did. This is how things always were when you guys saw each other after half a year apart. Awkward, tense, and then you’d slip back into your routine like nothing ever happened.

The kitchen was empty when the two of you walked in. You quickly left Conrad to himself and started stacking things by the stairs to take up for Belly and yourself. The pattern continued until both cars had been emptied out and everyone was conversing in the main sitting area. 

“So, what first?” Jeremiah looked at you eagerly once the noise died down.

You shrugged as all of their eyes moved to you. “Plenty of options. I definitely want you guys to meet my friend Sarah. You’ll love her and her boyfriend. We’ll need to hit the grocery at some point too. We could do a quick island tour and grab some dinner to start?”

One of your other favorite parts of the summer house: your dad’s summer car. The custom-colored four-door Jeep Wrangler brought you so much joy with its oversized tires, LED lighting, and decals. 

The five of you piled in, Conrad calling dibs on the passenger seat much to your surprise before you were on your way. The warm, salt-water air took over instantly as you pulled from the driveway. The music filled the otherwise silent car as the wind flowed around you. 

“So, a little bit of OBX lingo for you,” You started after turning the music down a bit. “There are two sides to Kildare Island, which we’re on. This is Figure Eight and the other half is called The Cut.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steven asked without moving his gaze from the passing views.

You knew it was going to be odd describing to them the balance and lifestyle of the island but better to tell them now than wait around. “Well, they’re metaphorically separated by social class. Those who have more income are on Figure Eight are called Kooks. Those on The Cut are Pogues.”

“Like…pogies? The fish?” Conrad’s addition to the conversation was slightly surprising but you nodded regardless.

“Low on the food chain, yeah.” You reached over the console to point towards a building on the passenger side. “That’s the country club. Steven and Jere, I already talked to the manager and he’s going to find you guys open positions if you’re still up for it.”

Both boys exchanged a fist bump, completely disregarding Belly who was stuck in between them. 

You continued to point out a couple of other monumental landmarks that might spike interest including Sarah’s house alongside popular restaurants and stores. It was obvious when you switched from Figure Eight to the bridge to The Cut. The home quality instantly changed and the people were much more scarce. 

“Damn, okay now I can see why you guys don’t come on this side of the island,” Jeremiah said as he caught sight of a rundown house. The majority of the area was still torn up from the hurricane that had just come through prior to your arrival.

You nodded. “I don’t really know anyone who lives on this side for the most part. But, they do usually have a bonfire at the start of the summer so we can always check that out if we want?”

“As long as it doesn’t end up like Belly’s first bonfire, sure,” Steven laughed from the backseat which prompted his sister to smack him across the shoulder. “Ow! I was joking, geez.”

“You’ll be fine here, Bells,” You reassured as you stopped at a light. “Unlike these idiots, I won’t leave you.” You glared at Jeremiah and Steven in the rearview mirror for emphasis. 

They attempted to defend themselves but you tuned them out as you looked through the window. The realization that you’d never really spent time on The Cut was setting in, minus the few parties Sarah and her boyfriend would drag you to, and the rare occasion you had to drive this way instead. 

“Yo, can we get some food? I’m starving.”

Deciding dinner would be a good move, you made your way to The Wreck. It was the best food you’d had on the island that wasn’t $100 per meal. While this was a summer to splurge with your friends, you definitely weren’t looking to drain your account in the first week. 

--

“Does this look okay?” 

Belly’s voice broke through the music in your bathroom as you continued to get ready. After a minor amount of persuasion, everyone decided the bonfire was a good move to kick off the trip. 

You took in Belly’s crop top and jean shorts. “Yeah, absolutely. Hey, do you wanna grab us some drinks from downstairs and we can finish getting ready together?”

The two of you emerged downstairs sometime later to find Steven and Jeremiah entertaining themselves with cup pong against Conrad on your kitchen island. You moved fast enough to swat Jeremiah’s shot away from the rim of Conrad’s cup, effectively costing the opposing duo a turn. 

“No!” The blue-eyed boy groaned at his loss before taking a sip of his red cup. 

You weren’t paying attention to him though. Conrad had shifted right when your hand crossed his vision and was looking at you. You froze at the eye contact, wishing he would say something, anything, to give you a hint of what he was thinking. Was it about you? Did he like your outfit? When he stayed quiet, you offered him a small smile before turning away. 

“Hurry up!” You replied to Jeremiah’s protests as you grabbed more drinks from the fridge for yourself and Belly to take along the way. “We’re already late and I wanna get there before they run out of stuff. Sarah texted me that she was already on her way there.”

It took a little more prying before you convinced them to leave and walk to the beach for the bonfire. The music was already blaring from who knows where when the five of you arrived. After getting drinks for everyone, you found a spot in the sand to claim as a standing area. 

“Okay, so when does this get good?” Steven asked as he looked around at the surrounding crowd. 

You glared at him and flipped him off. “I don’t see you bringing life to the party, Conklin. Go find someone to make out with.”

“Ew! I didn’t need that image in my head,” Belly groaned before taking a sip of her drink. She looked surprisingly comfortable compared to her normally stiff exterior when it came to parties. Granted, the past few that she’d been to hadn’t exactly been the best. 

The sound of your name being called grabbed your attention just before a head of blonde hair invaded your view. Sarah Cameron had always been the happiest soul you had known. Having her around each summer made a huge difference on your trip.

“Sarah!” You embraced her tightly before letting go.

Her classic summer dress flowed in the wind as she took a step back. “You bitch! You didn’t tell me you were here!”

“Sorry, sorry.” Your apology wasn’t real, but you felt the need to say it regardless. Jeremiah cleared his throat behind you to which you snapped back to attention. “Oh! Sarah, these are my friends Belly, Jeremiah, Conrad, and Steven. Guys, this is Sarah Cameron.”

“I’ve heard practically everything about all of you,” She said and gave them a wave before her gaze moved back to you. “Come on! Topper’s been dying to meet everyone.”

“Topper?” Steven repeated the name as he and Jeremiah snickered. You gave them a sharp glare and continued to follow Sarah further into the crowd.

The air grew warmer as the six of you approached the large fire that everyone was surrounding. Sarah broke away from your side to run forward where you could see her boyfriend, Topper Thornton, chatting amongst his friends. To your unease, Sarah’s older brother Rafe Cameron was staring right back at you.

Growing up, you didn’t mind spending time with Rafe. He was two years older than you, but he loved to think that meant he controlled everything. As you got older, his desire to be in a relationship with you became painfully obvious. You had politely turned him down as much as you could, but nothing ever really stuck when it came to him.

Quick introductions were made before everyone fell into casual conversation. Belly and Sarah were getting along just as you thought, and it even seemed like Conrad was starting to crawl out of his shell. That was probably the alcohol more than anything, you reminded yourself.

Your conversation with Jeremiah was cut off when you saw a blond teen stumble their way toward Belly and Sarah. “Sarah, can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage?”

Your friend gave the kid an odd look and shook her head. “No, thanks.”

“Is it not fancy enough for you?”

“No, we were just-“

Topper stepped around you to come to his girlfriend’s defense. “Hey, I’ll take it.”

The boy offering the drink was instantly annoyed. “I didn’t ask you, Topper. If you’d said pretty please, maybe. But you didn’t so, too bad. You can have it, Sarah.”

“She doesn’t want it, asshole,” You spoke up from over Sarah’s shoulder. Jeremiah had moved to stand at your side and you could tell Steven and Conrad had stopped conversing to watch.

Topper smacked the cup out of the guy’s hands, the liquid splashing all over. “See what happens?”

You were vaguely aware of someone pulling your shirt backward as the blond teen’s friend threw himself at Topper. It didn’t take long for a full-blown fight to break out which caught the attention of everyone around. Angry shouting followed as the dark-haired boy screamed at Topper to continue the fight.

“Guys, we should go.” Jeremiah tugged at your shoulder and started to grab the rest of your group to herd you away from the violence in front of you.

“He’s got a gun!”

The statement ran your blood cold as you looked to see the blond kid from before with something dark and shiny against Topper’s head. Hands grabbed at your hips and lifted you forward as the five of you took off from the scene in fear. Someone’s hand was in yours, practically dragging you through the sand back up to the concrete path you’d used to get here. You didn’t make it very far before two loud cracks filled the air, gunshots.

Once the bonfire was out of your sight, you took the chance to slow down and catch your breath. “Is everyone okay?”

Belly’s eyes were wide in shock as she stayed close to her brother’s side. Jeremiah put his hands on his hips as he turned around to make sure nobody was following him. Everyone was clearly shaken and you were right there with them.

“What the hell was that?” Conrad’s hand dropped from yours, something you’d just now noticed. “So much for a fun, casual bonfire to kick off summer, huh?”

You took a step back in defense. “How the hell was I supposed to know that would happen?” You shouted. “I would have never taken you guys if I knew what was going on!”

Conrad’s eyes flared but he shut his mouth and continued to walk on the path. You stood frozen for a moment before groaning loudly and stomping behind him all the way home.

It took some time to get the nerves out of your system, but a cold shower helped. You texted Sarah to make sure everything was okay before heading to the kitchen to get something to drink. Belly and Jeremiah were watching a movie in the other room while Steven occupied himself with calling his mom to check in (and would hopefully be leaving out some major details of the night).

You came face to face with Conrad when you stepped into the slightly lit kitchen. He was rolling up a joint on the countertop and probably didn’t even notice you were there. You stood still for a moment and just observed him.

“A picture would last longer,” He blurted but kept his gaze on the object between his fingers. Shit.

You rolled your eyes and walked to the fridge to grab a drink. “Wasn’t staring.”

“I could feel your eyes on the side of my head.” You could hear the smile in his voice. You weren’t sure what it was about Conrad Fisher that kept you coming back but you knew you couldn’t stop. Cracking the top of your drink, you pulled a chair away from the kitchen counter to sit.

Moments of silence passed with the only noise coming from Jeremiah and Belly’s movie in the other room. The feeling of anxiety still coursed through your veins. It would be like that for a while, and you doubted that you would be able to get some sleep.

“Are you okay?” Conrad’s question was quiet, and you almost thought you imagined it. Even if you wanted to tell him yes, that you felt fine, you knew he could read you like a book. You offered a shrug instead. He watched you for a moment before standing up from his seat. Freshly rolled joint pushed behind his ear, he made his way over to you and grabbed your hand to pull you out of the chair so he could lead you through the house. “We’re heading to bed.”

Jeremiah and Belly were no doubt watching you follow the eldest boy up the stairs to your bedroom. Conrad slowly closed the door behind the two of you as you paced slowly back and forth.

“You don’t have to stay,” You whispered as you sat down on your bed with a sigh. Everything felt really overwhelming and suddenly, you doubted the good intentions behind having everyone join you here for the summer.

This wasn’t abnormal behavior for you and Conrad. He had unfortunately stumbled upon you fighting through one of your first anxiety attacks and talked you down before sharing his own experience. Turns out, the two of you had way more in common than you’d thought. This routine built up from helping each other over the years and it’d become second nature at this point.

“I’m not leaving you like this; you know that.” Conrad was already in his pajamas – sweatpants and a Cousins Rowing t-shirt, as he climbed under your covers. You stared at the ground beneath you for a moment before caving and making your way to crawl in next to him.

Often before you’d joke that maybe the two of you should have a smoke session and clear the air instead of sharing a bed after things like this. Conrad disagreed each time. You knew he was right about that being an unhealthy way out.

Fingertips smoothed across your back before sliding beneath your t-shirt. His skin was warm as he continued to give you the physical touch that would eventually calm your nerves. It was hard to shut off the thoughts running through your head but having someone to hold you and bring you back to earth always made everything easier. Conrad knew that. He knew you. 

“Thank you.”

Your appreciation was left unanswered but acknowledged when Conrad pulled you closer against his chest. You fell asleep to the feeling of his lips against your head.

--

The next day had been much less eventful. You took the time to get some groceries from the store to stock up the fridge (and snagged some alcohol from your connection in town). Unpacking went by quickly and before you knew it, Conrad, Steven, and Jeremiah were begging for some surf time. Belly only offered a shrug to say she didn’t care what the group did, which is how you ended up here.

Ocean water chilled your bones as you sat on the surfboard below. To your amusement, Conrad kept encouraging Steven even with wipe out after wipe out. You decided it was a good time for a break and made your way out of the water to sit by Belly who had volunteered to watch everyone’s things.

“Hey, Bells.” You set your board in the sand and attempted to tame your salt-water-soaked hair. She smiled and handed you a towel so you could cover up before taking a seat next to her. “Everything okay?”

“Can I ask you something?” She questioned at the same time. The two of you shared a laugh before she continued. “Um… I’ve just been thinking. Is-Is there something going on? With you and Conrad, I mean? You guys have always been a certain way and then last night…”

You let out a deep breath and thought to yourself. Isabel Conklin had always looked at Conrad Fisher with the biggest heart eyes one could have. Everyone knew that including Conrad, but the two had never been anything besides best friends. 

You didn’t want to be the one to break her heart, so you shook your head. “Nah, Bells. Conrad’s just as complicated and stoic as he’s always been, you know? I take everything he does with a grain of salt because you never know how he’ll react. We’re just really good friends.”

“Really good friends that sleep with each other in the same bed?”

A sudden interruption pulled your attention away from her question, to which you were extremely grateful. “Hey, does this belong to you guys? It was blowing away.” A girl stood in front of you with a t-shirt in her outstretched hand.

A deeper look at the shirt in her hand proved it to be Conrad’s so you stood up to grab it from her. “Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it.” 

She gave a nod before focusing on you. “Are you from here? You look so familiar.”

You smiled and shook your head. “No, no. Just a regular for summer. You?”

“Yeah, yeah. I live off Clove. Been here my whole life.” She shrugged and looked over her shoulder to where you could see two other figures in the water surfing.

“Oh! We’re right off Anchorage so probably within walking distance,” You replied. “Did you happen to eat at The Wreck the other night? I swear-”

She nodded. “Yeah. My parents own it so I’m there all the time.”

“Kiara, right? My mom is great friends with Miss Anna.” You fidgeted with the t-shirt in your hands to see Cousins Rowing in large white text. 

“That’s me.” Kiara shrugged and gave you a smile. “Were you guys at the bonfire last night?”

Belly's demeanor shifted noticeably as she stood up, her voice carrying an edge as she answered, “You mean the bonfire where a gun got pulled? Yeah, we were there.” She took the shirt from your hands, her steps taking her towards the water's edge.

“Sorry about her,” You sighed and crossed your arms as you watched her stop at the shoreline where Conrad was exiting the water. His mere presence on the surface of the beach seemed to shift the whole atmosphere.

Kiara waved off the apology. “Totally fine. Listen, my friends and I brought some snacks and drinks. Would you guys-”

“Kie! Are you ever gonna get your ass in the water?” A voice from behind her grabbed your attention and you instantly noticed the blond boy who pulled the weapon last night.

Kiara’s response was sharp, “Clearly in the middle of a conversation, JJ. Thank you.”

“Geez, alright forget I asked.” The blond boy, JJ apparently, came to a stop beside her and stared at you. Your face warmed at the attention. “Do I know you?”

You shook your head slightly as Kiara elbowed JJ’s tanned ribs. “Not officially but I definitely know who you are.”

He winced and let out a low whistle. “Damn. Guess my chances of taking you on a date just disappeared.”

“That you can bet on.”

You jumped at Conrad’s voice behind you and turned at his sudden presence. He brushed loose hair from his forehead and kept his expression stern, clearly unamused at this conversation. Not that it was any of his business on who you dated or spoke to. There was no surprise at his reaction but you didn’t expect him to be there.

You rolled your eyes at him. “I don’t need your help.” 

Conrad stared back at you with unflinching determination as a silent conversation passed between your eyes. You recognized his concern, even if he struggled to convey it in a different way. His protective instincts always kicked in when it came to you. 

Your attention moved back to Kiara. “We have snacks and stuff too. Do you guys wanna come sit? Maybe we can get to know each other?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me.” Kiara smiled. “I’ll grab our stuff and come over. JJ, help me?”

The blond boy was glaring knives in Conrad’s direction but followed his friend regardless. You turned back to Conrad and shoved his shoulder. “What the hell was that?”

“He was eye-fucking you. It was gross.” He turned away from you and moved back to the messy towels in the sand to sit. 

“You don’t have to act so childish all the-”

“Sorry, I don’t want you hanging around someone who owns a gun and clearly doesn’t care who they point it at,” His reply was sharp and direct. Conrad’s eyes didn’t meet yours again and it was easy to recognize that he was pissed.

Kiara returned shortly later with a cooler packed with cheap beer and both of her friends including Pope who you all were introduced to. He and Steven quickly connected on scholarships and college options while Kiara scooped up Jeremiah’s bubbly personality instantly. Conrad and Belly were sulking to themselves which left you with the infamous JJ.

“Sorry if I scared you last night,” JJ suddenly blurted which surprised you. He caught your expression and continued. “Kie said your friend seemed upset about it when she asked.”

“Oh, Belly?” You waved a hand toward her. “I think it just kinda surprised all of us but they’ll get over it. Why did you have a gun on the beach anyway?”

JJ smiled to himself as if he were remembering something. “Long story. You smoke?” He held his weed pen out for you to take which you did happily. “So, y’all are Kooks I take it.”

You blew out the smoke before nodding. “Something like that. At the end of the night, we’re going home to Figure Eight so…” You trailed off and took another hit before handing it back to him. 

“Nicest Kooks I’ve interacted with, if I’m honest.” He took the pen back and quickly downed his beer. He crushed the can with his hands and tossed it into the sand by Kiara for her to place in the trash bag. “Is he always like that with you?”

You followed his gaze to where Conrad had moved away from Belly and was having a smoke session himself. “Yeah, unfortunately. It’s complicated, to say the least.”

JJ laughed, “I love a challenge.”

You laughed softly and gave him a smile. “Good to know.”

You couldn’t help but feel that amid the chaos of the past few days that this might become something different… something new and exciting. And deep down, that’s exactly what you needed it to be.

-- 

The rest of your afternoon with Kiara, Pope, and JJ went really well. You hoped your groups could blend together throughout the summer and maybe it wouldn’t be so boring and repetitive. 

You and Jeremiah were in charge of dinner tonight and after the amount of weed and alcohol consumed on the beach, everyone was begging for some actual food. Jeremiah had one of Susannah’s famous recipes memorized and had no trouble assigning you as his co-chef to help.

The aroma of spices filled the air as you stood by the kitchen counter. Jeremiah practically danced around the kitchen with easy confidence, his movements efficient and fluid. The clatter of pots and pans and the sizzle of food on the stove formed a comforting backdrop to the disaster of thoughts swirling in your mind.

Jeremiah glanced at you, a knowing glint in his eyes as he stirred a pot on the stove. "You seem a bit off tonight. Everything okay?"

You sighed, letting the wooden spoon in your hand rest against the counter. "Not really. I think Belly's upset with me, and I just... I don't know what to do about it."

He nodded, his gaze sympathetic. "Is it about Conrad?" He wasn’t a stranger to the ongoing tension that came with his brother’s presence.

Your shoulders slumped slightly, and you offered a hesitant smile. "Yeah, you could say that."

Jeremiah's hands worked deftly as he chopped vegetables, his voice calm and soothing. "You know, she's been in love with him for a while. Seeing you two together might be a bit hard for her."

You picked up a bell pepper, your fingers tracing the smooth surface absentmindedly. "I get it, I do. But it's not like I asked for this mess. And we’re not even really together."

"Well, you're not exactly making it easy on yourself."

You huffed a frustrated breath, dropping the vegetable into a bowl. "You're right. I'm not. But what am I supposed to do? Ignore my feelings? I don’t even really know what they are, to make things better."

"No, not at all. Just be mindful of how your actions with Conrad might affect Belly. She was really quiet today."

"I guess she figured out Conrad slept in my room last night." You leaned against the counter, your gaze fixed on the bubbling pot in front of you. "It's just so damn complicated, Jere. I thought we were all friends, but now it feels like I'm stuck in the middle of some love triangle drama."

Jeremiah chuckled again, his eyes warm as he reached out to touch your arm briefly. "You know, love triangles are cliché for a reason. Emotions are messy and unpredictable. But they don't define who you are."

A wistful smile tugged at your lips as you met his gaze. "When did you become so wise, huh?"

He grinned, turning back to the stove. "I try my best. Now, how about you help me with these potatoes? Maybe cooking will help take your mind off things for a bit."

As you grabbed a potato and a peeler, you felt a small sense of relief settle over you. Jeremiah's presence was a comforting grace, his wisdom a soothing antidote to the chaos of your emotions. Together, in the midst of chopping vegetables and simmering sauces, you found temporary relief from the tangled web of feelings and expectations. As you worked side by side, the kitchen filled with laughter and the clinking of utensils, you felt at home.

Following the clean-up of the kitchen after dinner, you moved outside to enjoy the coolness of the night and the sound of the ocean waves. To your dismay though, it seemed you weren’t alone.

The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the beach as you sat on a lounge chair. The atmosphere was charged with unspoken tensions, a sense of unease hanging in the air like a heavy cloud. Belly's eyes were fixed on Conrad, a mixture of frustration and adoration etched onto her face until she recognized your presence and it shifted to one of anger. On the opposite side of the pool, you exchanged glances with Conrad, a blend of irritation and a deeper emotion that remained locked beneath the surface.

"Isn't it just wonderful how we keep managing to go to the same place?" Belly's voice pierced the silence, her tone dripping with a hint of bitterness as she swam through the water. "Must be fate or something."

Conrad let out an exasperated sigh, his eyes rolling dramatically. "Fate? More like a twisted game." The beer and weed combo was definitely affecting his usual style of silence.

You offered a small smile, your gaze meeting Conrad's for a brief second before you shifted your attention away. "It's never boring, that's for sure."

Belly's focus shifted to you, her frustration now directed your way. "Oh, of course, you find it entertaining. Always the center of attention, aren't you?"

“What the hell?” Your patience wore thin, a flicker of annoyance glinting in your eyes. Belly never talked to you like that. "I'm not seeking attention, Belly. People choose to interact with me."

She leaned in, her tone accusatory. "Yeah, because you know exactly how to manipulate those choices."

You were in shock that she was this upset with you over nothing. Nothing happened between you and Conrad so why was she treating you like a bug on her shoe?

Conrad couldn't hold back his snarky remark. "Manipulate? Is that the word we're using now?"

Your reply held a touch of sarcasm, your positive attitude gone out the window. "Well, if the shoe fits..."

Belly's frustration ignited into anger as she stood up in the shallow end of the pool, her voice laced with emotion. "And if the shoe fits, you wear it well. Playing everyone like a fiddle." Her voice cracked, her anger barely contained as she stood her ground and faced Conrad. "And I'm not falling for your denial either! Everyone can see the way you two look at each other."

Conrad's gaze wavered, a fleeting vulnerability slipping through before he hardened it into a defiant glare. "You don't know anything."

Belly's voice trembled, her frustration giving way to a heartbreaking mixture of hurt and rage. "I know enough to see that you're pushing me away because of it."

You couldn't help the bitter chuckle that escaped you, your voice laced with a biting edge. "So now it's my fault that you two can't figure things out?"

Conrad's eyes flashed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, please, don't give yourself that much credit. You’re doing a great job of fucking things up on your own."

Belly's hands trembled, her voice breaking as she lashed out. "You're the one who's not important enough to admit your feelings. You're too busy with your mind games to figure your shit out."

Rising to your feet, you felt the tension in the air like a physical weight, suffocating and inescapable. "And what about you, Belly? Clinging to your illusions won't make them real."

Her eyes welled up with tears, her voice a desperate plea as she kept her gaze on the boy. "I just want you to see me, to choose me."

Conrad's tone softened, carrying a mix of frustration and regret. "Belly, it's… it’s complicated."

The silence that followed was heavy. The waves provided a distant soundtrack, a rhythmic reminder of the tumultuous undercurrents within the circle.

You exchanged one last look with Conrad, a fleeting connection that held a complexity beyond words. Your heart was physically hurting. “If that’s how you guys feel about me then I’ll make it easy for you.”

Conrad’s voice called your name as you turned your back. Your actions were swift as you darted back into the house without another word. The weight of the day's emotional turmoil settled heavily as you retreated to your bedroom, seeking solace in the familiar space. 

You sank onto the edge of your bed, your thoughts a swirling mess of hurt, confusion, and frustration. Belly and Conrad's biting words echoed in your mind, their harshness etching wounds that seemed to run deeper than you'd anticipated. The three of you never fought, minus the petty arguments you'd had as kids.

A soft knock on your bedroom door drew your attention, and you looked up to see Jeremiah's concerned face peeking in. Without a word, he stepped inside; his presence was a welcoming gift. His gaze was gentle as he closed the door behind him, leaning against it for a moment before crossing the room to sit beside you.

"You okay?" Jeremiah's voice was gentle, carrying a genuine concern that touched you in a way you hadn't expected. “I could hear bits and pieces.”

You sighed, leaning your head against the wall behind you. "Not really. It's just... everything feels so messed up right now."

He shifted closer, his shoulder brushing against yours in a comforting gesture. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Relationships can get pretty messy sometimes, especially when they involve Conrad."

You closed your eyes briefly, allowing his presence to anchor you in the moment. "It's just that... I don't know what I'm doing anymore. It's like I'm caught between feeling hurt by Belly and frustrated with Conrad, and I don't even know where I stand."

Jeremiah's hand found yours, his fingers intertwining with yours in a reassuring grip. "It's okay to feel lost. But you don't have to figure it all out right now."

A small, bitter laugh escaped you. "I wish it were that simple. I love him Jere, I’ve always loved him and I probably always will but it’s so… so toxic that it hurts."

He gave your hand a gentle squeeze. "You're not alone in this. And you know what? Sometimes people lash out because they're hurting too. You know Conrad shuts down when he’s overwhelmed."

“You like her, don’t you?” You should’ve seen it before. While you and Belly were looking at Conrad, Jeremiah was always looking at Belly.

He shrugged and stared at the pictures on your wall like they would tell everything. “She’s busy looking at Conrad. It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters,” Your reply was a little more aggressive than you intended. “Jere, you deserve to be happy too. Maybe Belly just needs a push in the right direction.”

A sad smile graced his face as he looked at you. “I don’t want to be second to Conrad my entire life.”

Your gaze met his, a mixture of gratitude and exhaustion in your eyes. You leaned your head against his shoulder, finding comfort in his unwavering support. "Don’t downplay yourself. You always know how to make sense of things. That’s the Susannah in you."

He chuckled softly, his fingers tracing soothing patterns on your hand. "Well, I've had my fair share of tangled relationships and confusing feelings. But maybe it’s a bit of my mom’s influence, too."

You smiled, the weight on your shoulders lightening just a bit. "Thanks for being here, Jere. We’ll figure it all out."

He turned to you, his eyes filled with warmth and sincerity. "Always, no matter what."

As you sat there, side by side, a sense of calm settled over you. In Jeremiah's presence, the chaos of your emotions felt more manageable, and the wounds from the day's conflicts seemed to soften. Sometimes, all it took was a friend who truly understood and cared to remind you that even in the midst of heartache, there was always a glimmer of hope and a way to find your way back to yourself.

-- 

Walk on the beach tonight? 

The new text flashed across your screen as you stared at the unknown number. Today had been less tense than yesterday but still awkward. Belly was avoiding you at all costs and Conrad was in his normal shifty mood. Steven and Jeremiah started work today at the club so you had to fend for yourself in the house for most of the day.

It’s JJ btw. Got your number from Kie. Guess I should’ve started with that.

You smiled and typed back. Would love to. Meet me at my place at 8. I’ll send the address.

JJ’s response was instant. I’ll be there.

A few hours later, you made your way to the back deck where you had texted JJ to meet you. 

Conrad sat on a folding chair, his sun-kissed hair tousled by the breeze, his dark eyes fixed on the horizon. Beside him was Belly, her arms crossed, and a stormy expression on her face. She shot a quick glance in your direction, her distaste obvious even from a distance. You stood a few feet away, your gaze focused on the beach, your heart heavy with the weight of the recent argument. They still had yet to speak to you.

Jeremiah lounged in the chair next to you, his frame propped up on his elbows, seemingly lost in thought. He watched Belly intently, his feelings for her hidden beneath a carefully crafted mask of nonchalance that you could see through now that you knew. 

Steven perched on the arm of a chair, his smile bright but strained, trying to keep the peace between his friends. He glanced at you sympathetically, understanding the turmoil that churned beneath the surface.

Tension hung in the air, a thick fog of emotions waiting to be acknowledged. It was clear that the disagreements of the past few days had taken their toll on the group's dynamic. Conrad's and your on-off relationship had always been a whirlwind, but lately, it had been more stormy than sweet.

Feeling the need for an escape, you turned to see JJ walking up the path from the beach. He strolled along the shoreline, his lanky figure cutting a carefree silhouette against the setting sun. Catching your eye, he grinned and waved, gesturing for you to join him.

As if pulled by an invisible thread, you left the deck and walked toward JJ, leaving behind the complicated web of emotions that surrounded your friends. You could feel their curious glances on your back.

"Hey there," JJ greeted, his voice carrying a laid-back charm that put you at ease. “So this is where you live, you Kook.”

"Hey," you replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips at his light teasing. The weight on your shoulders seemed to soften with each step you took away from the group.

JJ returned the smile and gestured toward the shoreline. "Wanna take a walk?"

Grateful for the distraction, you nodded and fell into step beside him. The sound of the waves grew louder, drowning out the distant murmur of your friends' conversation. As the two of you walked along the water's edge, your thoughts began to drift away much like the actions of the sea.

Back by the house, Conrad watched you go, his conflicted gaze fixed on your retreating figure. Belly sighed beside him, wishing he’d watch her that way. Steven's gaze flickered between the two, his role as the peacekeeper extending beyond words.

As you walked alongside JJ, a sense of calm settled over you. The soft, warm sand beneath your feet provided a soothing contrast to the emotional turmoil that had been stirring. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was a gentle symphony, drowning out the noise of your thoughts.

"That seemed awkward. Trouble in paradise?" JJ asked, his voice carrying a genuine curiosity.

You glanced at him and shrugged. "Just needed a break, you know? Things have been a bit complicated with everything."

JJ nodded in understanding, his eyes reflecting a quiet empathy. "I get that. Sometimes a little distance can give you a fresh perspective."

You found yourself opening up to JJ more than you had expected. Maybe it was the anonymity of sharing your thoughts with someone who wasn't entangled in the web of emotions that seemed to follow you.

"It's just... this thing with Conrad," you confessed, your voice tinged with frustration. "And it's been affecting everyone in the group, especially Belly. She's always had a thing for him, and she's not too happy about me being in the picture."

JJ listened attentively, his gaze fixed on the horizon as he let you pour out your thoughts. There was something comforting about confiding in someone who didn't have any preconceived notions about your life. He never thought he’d play therapist - that was usually Pope’s role anyway.

"I get it," JJ finally said, his voice gentle. "Our group set up rules to prevent this kind of thing actually. No pogue on pogue macking. Keeps the emotions out of play."

You laughed at the statement even though it made so much sense. “Yeah if our moms hadn’t encouraged the idea in the first place, that rule would’ve solved a lot of problems.” 

As you continued to walk, you felt a sense of understanding and admiration growing between you and JJ. It was as if the beach, with its calm and beauty, served as a canvas for your shared thoughts and feelings.

"And what about you, JJ?" you asked, curious to know more about the person who was becoming a source of comfort and escape for you.

JJ shrugged, a playful grin crossing his face. "Oh, I'm just trying to enjoy the summer vibes. The beach is my escape, you know? It's like my therapy. Just glad I can enjoy a good surf here and there too."

You chuckled, the tension in your shoulders easing. "Well, I'm glad I stumbled upon your therapy session."

The two of you walked in companionable silence for a while, the fading light of the sun casting long shadows on the sand. As the conversation shifted to lighter topics, you found yourself laughing and genuinely enjoying the moment. The beach had a way of making everything else seem small and insignificant in comparison.

Eventually, the sky began to darken, and the stars emerged one by one, casting a soft glow over the shoreline. With a reluctant sigh, you realized that it was time to head back to your home.

"Thanks for this," you said to JJ, “I really needed it.”

He smiled, his eyes reflecting the moonlight. "Anytime. The beach is always here, I’m just an added benefit."

The soft sound of the waves, now illuminated by the faint glow of the moon, provided a serene backdrop to your conversation. As you walked, the sand shifted beneath your feet, the soft surface occasionally giving way to hidden obstacles. Lost in the moment, you didn't notice the uneven ground, and before you knew it, your foot caught on a raised piece of sand and you stumbled forward. Your ankle twisted painfully, and you let out an involuntary gasp of pain, collapsing onto the sand.

"Shit, you alright?" JJ's voice was laced with concern as he knelt beside you, his hands hovering near you but not quite touching.

Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes as the pain throbbed in your ankle. You clenched your teeth and nodded, squeezing your eyes shut to fight back the discomfort. “Just twisted it.”

JJ's expression was a mix of worry and empathy as he crouched down beside you. "Let me help you. We'll take it slow."

With his steady support, you managed to get to your feet, though each step was accompanied by a throbbing pain that made your breath catch. You leaned on JJ for balance, grateful for his presence in this moment of discomfort.

As you made your way back to the beach house, the distance seemed longer than ever, and you were acutely aware of JJ's arm around you, guiding you carefully. The soft glow of lights from the house grew closer, and relief flooded over you as you realized you were almost there.

Just as you reached the poolside, the back door burst open, and Jeremiah, Steven, and Conrad rushed out, their faces etched with concern as if they’d been watching you walk up from the beach. Belly stood near the doorway, her expression a mixture of curiosity and detachment.

"What happened?" Conrad's voice was urgent as he hurried to your side, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation.

"I twisted my ankle," you managed to say, your voice strained from the pain.

Conrad's eyes flickered between you and JJ, suspicion evident in his gaze. He seemed to be on the brink of saying something, but Jeremiah and Steven stepped forward, their presence a calming influence.

"It was an accident, Connie," Jeremiah's voice was firm as he clocked Conrad’s angry expression. "We need to go inside and get some ice."

Conrad's jaw clenched, his gaze still fixed on JJ, but he exhaled sharply and nodded, seemingly accepting the situation. "Fine, let's get inside."

With the combined support of JJ and Conrad, you were guided inside the house and settled onto a couch. Your ankle throbbed painfully, and you winced as you tried to find a comfortable position. Steven quickly ran for an ice pack, while Jeremiah propped up your ankle with a cushion.

Conrad hovered nearby, his eyes never leaving you, a mixture of concern and something more complex in his gaze. His fingers twitched as if wanting to reach out, but he held back, his emotions a mixture of worry and guilt.

As your friends tended to your injury, you caught glimpses of Belly's distant gaze, her form a silhouette against the lights of the house. She watched the scene unfold without a word, her feelings seemingly held at arm's length.

“Thanks,” You breathed a sigh of relief when JJ handed you the painkillers that Steven had found.

Conrad turned from his spot on the couch next to you, his eyes narrowed as he faced JJ. "How could you let this happen? If you hadn't gone for a walk, this wouldn't have happened."

JJ's brows furrowed, his expression a mix of frustration and defense. "It was an accident, dude. I didn't plan for anyone to get hurt."

Conrad's jaw clenched, his fists curling at his sides. "You should have been more careful." He knew he was overreacting but it was you and when anything came to you he just snapped.

Steven, who had been observing the conversation, stepped forward. "Hey, hey, let's take a step back here."

Conrad turned to Steven, his anger still evident in his eyes. "Steven, seriously. He should have been more responsible."

You groaned, your gaze shifting between Conrad and JJ. "Look, I get that you're upset, but accidents happen. It's not fair to blame JJ for something that was just my bad luck."

Conrad's shoulders remained tense, his fists slowly unclenching. Steven's tone softened as he stepped closer to Conrad. "Blaming JJ isn't going to change what happened. Right now, everyone needs to just get some rest."

Conrad's expression softened slightly, his anger giving way to a mixture of concern and guilt. "Yeah, whatever."

As the tension in the room began to ease, Jeremiah glanced at you. "Hey, why don't we give them some space? I think they could use some privacy right now."

Belly, who had been quietly watching from the corner, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea." You’d forgotten she was even there.

Jeremiah's gaze met yours, his expression filled with a mixture of apology and exhaustion. "I'll check on you later."

You smiled, appreciating his concern. "Thank you."

As your friends filed out of the room, leaving you and JJ alone, a sense of calm settled over the space. You leaned back against the couch, your injured ankle propped up on a pillow. The pain had subsided somewhat, but your thoughts still churned with the emotions of the night.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, his eyes filled with concern. “I’m sorry.”

You nodded, appreciating his attentiveness "Yeah, I'll be okay. Thanks for helping me and seriously, don’t apologize. Sorry that he attacked you like that."

The soft glow of the room's lights cast a warm ambiance, and you found yourself stealing glances at JJ when you thought he wasn't looking. There was a calmness about him, a sense of understanding that you hadn't expected to find in someone you had just met.

As if sensing your thoughts, JJ turned his head and met your gaze, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You know, I've had my share of beach mishaps, but I think this one might just take the cake."

You chuckled softly, grateful for his attempt to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I guess I'm breaking records here."

The two of you shared a comfortable silence, the weight of the evening's events fading into the background. At that moment, it was just you and JJ, the connection between you growing stronger with each passing second.

"I hope this didn't ruin our walk," you finally said, your tone teasing.

JJ grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Trust me, this will be a story to remember. Can’t wait to tell the Pogues."

As you gazed at him, a mixture of gratitude and a hint of something else—something that had been simmering beneath the surface—bubbled up within you. The warmth in JJ's gaze was inviting, his presence comforting.

Before you could overthink it, before the complexities of your relationships and the weight of the night's conversations could hold you back, you leaned in and pressed your lips against JJ's in a soft, gentle kiss.

The moment was tender, a release of emotions that had been building throughout the evening. JJ's lips were warm against yours, and for a heartbeat, everything else faded away—the tensions, the conflicts, the doubts. It was just you and him, connected in a way that felt both unexpected and right.

When you pulled away, the room seemed to hold its breath, the air charged with a new kind of energy. JJ's eyes searched yours, his expression a mix of surprise and something deeper, something that mirrored the emotions swirling within you.

"Wow," he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper.

You smiled, a mix of nerves and anticipation dancing in your chest. "Yeah, wow."

In your post-kiss bliss, you’d missed the individual audience with glassy eyes. There, standing a few steps up, was Conrad, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and hurt. He had unintentionally witnessed the kiss, and he wished more than anything that he hadn’t.

He turned away abruptly, his footsteps silent as he ascended the stairs. It was clear that he was upset, his emotions a tangle of confusion and perhaps jealousy as his heart broke in his chest. He was losing you. God, he was losing you and he had nobody to blame but himself.

--

navigation 

part two

wanna see certain scenes in the second part? ask me anything

[violetmuses]

Spill This Blood -  A. Aretas 🔥🖤🩸

Title: Spill This Blood - A. Aretas 🔥🖤🩸

Fandom: “Bad Boys” Film Universe 

Character: Armando Aretas 

Pairing: Armando Aretas + Female Reader

Main Storyline: If loyalty is a sin, watch us burn hand in hand. 

Author's Note: Surprise! Here's my sequel to “No Church In The Wild.” Enjoy! 💜

@nelo0wesker @onlyrealjoy @omg-mymelaninisbeautiful @yassbishimvintage @spaceacelover @nobodygetsza

=====

2024

“How you doing?” 

Here through dark circumstances with partner Marcus Burnett, Detective Mike Lowrey greets his estranged son, criminal Armando Aretas. 

“It's a prison.” Armando rasped, dressed in this orange uniform behind bars. 

“Yeah. Well, look.” Lowrey then struggled for a moment. “We need your help. Captain Howard might've been dirty. Do you know anything about that?”

“How much time in prison do I lose from talking about this one?” Aretas nearly shrugged. 

“I'm still working on the exit plan, but I need answers.” Mike repeated himself. “Did Captain Howard work with the cartels?”

“No. He wanted to shut everything down and clean up the mess.” Armando denied this terrible rumor. 

“Wait, but your mother put Captain right on the hit list.” Mike stood puzzled. 

“He was added to it. Your people wanted this plot to look like our work. Your people wanted him dead.” Aretas exposed brand-new information. 

Someone who joined the Miami Police Department wanted Captain Conrad Howard to die. 

“Our people?” Even Marcus Burnett narrowed his eyes across the space. 

“Be careful. You've played this game and don't even know the rules.” Armando warned. “There's dirty players working on your side.”

“That's bullshit.” Marcus would scold these details. 

“Wait, who set everything up?” Mike Lowrey tagged with questions again.

“I saw him one time.” Armando said, remembering this view of someone from the DEA. 

“Can you ID him?” Marcus wanted to see if Armando could identify the possible suspect. 

“Si.” Aretas quickly used his native language of Spanish. 

“What's his name?” Mike would still attempt further. 

“I don't know. Only my mother could deal with him.” Armando continued offering his perspective. 

“Damn. I knew that we should keep the witch alive.” Marcus grumbled. 

“Marcus, be nice.” Mike corrected his longtime partner regarding Armando's deceased mother Isabel Aretas. 

“May she rest in peace.” Burnett pulled weary sarcasm. 

“Really, dude?” Mike faced Marcus through another correcting glance. 

“You slept with a bruja.” Marcus then lifted his brow. “I'm still calling out the truth at this point.”

“Hey…” Armando pulled accented English to distract the officials. 

“My bad.” Mike still apologized to his own son. “Marcus just won't stop talking. What's up?” 

“Is she okay out there?” Armando gently mentioned you for the first time since Mike last visited. 

“Yeah. You'll be with her soon. Don't worry.” Mike walked from Aretas and left with Marcus once more. 

******

“Someone tried to kill my son, Rita!” Not long after Mike returned to Miami, plotted “inmates” set to kill Armando and this bomb exploded at the prison. 

“What do you need? I know that Armando is part of your family, but he is still a criminal.” AMMO team leader Rita Secada spoke up as expected. 

“Schedule his transfer.” Mike requested. “If we don't move fast, the situation could get even worse and I can't let that shit happen to Armando, all right?” 

“How can we trust your plan?” Attorney and mayoral candidate Adam Lockwood chimed in. 

“We learned that Armando can identify whoever framed Cap.” Mike explained further. 

“Fine, but if anything goes wrong, you're alone with the operation.” Lockwood stepped out grumbling. 

“Who pissed in his cereal this morning?” Marcus tried joking. 

Mike rolled both eyes here, but still planned the next move. 

______

“We need to tell her what's going on with Armando.” Leaving Rita behind this afternoon, Lowrey entered the hallway and whispered to Marcus about you. 

“Hell no! Not yet.” Realization hit Marcus once Mike acknowledged your position. “Listen to me. If that girl finds out what happened from the wrong place, she'll line up body bags for all of us!” 

“Fuck.” Mike rasped toward his partner and grounded the absolute truth. 

If Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett  showed up on your doorstep without Armando standing, all hell would have gone loose. 

“We haven't even helped Armando leave prison yet.” Burnett continues. “Don't you dare make that call right now.” 

“What's the move?” Lowrey questioned his best friend for advice. 

“Once we set up Armando's transfer, then we'll all find his girl.” Marcus said. “I don't need you giving out false hope or bringing up scary shit.” 

“Deal. Let's do this.” Mike agreed with this point while leaving the department. 

******

“You good?” En route to Miami, Mike questioned his son Armando. 

“Never been better.” Aretas mumbled from the towered cage. 

“In about forty-five minutes, you'll see somebody familiar.” Mike nodded. 

“Cool.” Armando held back his smile this time around, exhausted. 

*****

“Get me out of this fucking cage!” Armando shouts as his placed cell nearly falls out of the dipping aircraft.

This organized plan immediately failed. Unknown experts from the dark hijacked Armando's federal transport! 

Scrambling, Marcus struggled to keep everything steady as Mike hurried, opening the main door with this designated key. 

Even handcuffed when Mike caught him, Armando hobbled to the cockpit and yelled through directions for landing. 

“Ah, grab the stick!” Aretas pulsed through fear and chaos while trying to avoid death for everyone. 

“When the hell did you learn how to fly?!” Marcus went on. 

“I'm a drug dealer, man!” Armando just yelled back. Steer to the right! We'll face water.” 

The helicopter crashes right through large ripples, but all three men survived this nightmare. 

*****

Drenched from murky water, Armando Aretas stands in his ruined orange uniform to travel on foot, outright ignoring Lowrey and Burnett. 

“Hey! Where are you going?!” Mike realized that Armando walked off.  

“Fuck out my way.” Pissed off with Lowrey, Aretas stepped even further back and continued the route forward. 

“Look, you are the only person who can identify whoever is doing this!” Mike pulled Armando's collar without hesitation, but Marcus dodged their fight. “We should reach the suspect before they get us.” 

“There is no us!” Armando shoved Lowrey back once more. 

“We gotta stay together, man. Captain Howard left us files with Dorn in Miami.” Mike struggled. 

Y'all better not slow me down. Before we move again, lose your phones.” Armando then took charge. “Either keep up with me or I'll leave you both in the dirt. You're in my world now.” 

Given no other option, Mike and Marcus followed Aretas through the wilderness. 

*****

By nightfall, this makeshift campfire snapped to keep all three men warm. 

“How should we tell her what happened?” Noting you, Mike offered his question near Armando. 

“It's not up to y'all.” Armando defended his own choice regarding you. “We'll go back there and find her first. If the hijackers reached us, who knows what else happened…” 

Damn. Lowrey thought. 

“Fine.” Mike accepted reality. 

“By the way, ya'll are some terrible fucking fugitives.” Armando tossed more wood, still disgruntled. 

____

After stealing clothes from two idiots, Mike, Marcus, and Armando “found” one rusty pickup truck before Aretas drove away. 

“Did you love my mother?” Armando faces the road when evening returns. 

“I definitely loved her.” Mike told the truth over Isabel despite everything. 

“You sold her out, though.” Aretas darkened this talk with his biological father. Even Marcus squinted. 

“I've made some mistakes.” Mike continued speaking. 

“Like me?” Armando revealed eye contact while facing Mike. 

“Hold on. Now, you know damn-well that's not what I meant.” Lowrey defended himself. 

“Wait a minute...” Marcus tried to interject, but Mike reached the breaking point. 

“Nigga, will you shut the fuck up and let me talk to him? For the last time, this is not your conversation!” Mike couldn't stand Marcus now. 

“So you hate me now?” Flabbergasted, Marcus looked toward his partner. 

“Let ‘em talk.” Armando whispered to Marcus while still driving. 

Though we're judging Marcus, there's progress with Armando.  Mike realized. 

Silenced, Marcus Burnett only watched upcoming streetlights. 

“Shop ahead. I'll go in and use somebody's phone.” Armando set his next plan right as the pickup truck's engine burned out. 

“No help?” Mike glanced toward Aretas for a second. 

“Y'all are detectives. Too recognized.” Armando gestured between Mike and Marcus before leaving this truck himself. 

Mike then watched his son put this trucker  hat back on and enter one neon lighting storefront. 

“Where did he go?” Marcus spoke up again.  

“Doesn't matter.” Mike said. “Let's just wait.”

______

“Hey.” Armando offered accented English just in case. “Sorry to bother you, but my truck broke down outside. Could I borrow your phone?” 

“Oh, damn. I'm closing up here, but sure.” The food mart clerk nodded. “Want anything else?”

“No cash.” Wearing this Bud Light shirt, Armando tapped both dirty pockets of stolen jeans. Boots stepped along. 

“Don't worry. I've been there when times aren't easy.” The clerk just wanted to help out. 

“Thanks.” Need to call my girl first.” Armando took this cell phone from the counter. 

“I know that's right.” The clerk smiled for a moment while gathering free snacks. 

“Hello?” Your sweet voice responded shortly after Aretas dialed. 

“It's me, baby…” Armando couldn't believe this moment. “Lost my phone, but I'm here.” 

“Armando?” Quiet shock reached your entire body right now. 

Yeah, hey.” Armando confirmed his words and promised that you weren't dreaming. “It's a long story, but I need to meet me somewhere. I'll explain everything.”

“Just say where. I'll find you.” You don't ask questions. 

“There's a rusted truck parked downtown, but the engine's dead.” Armando gestured outside. 

“All right. Love you.” You hung up quickly, but Armando can't help grinning this time. 

“Take care.” Once Aretas returned the phone, this sore clerk bid farewell and handed Armando his bag, watching him leave.

____

“Sup?” Mike greeted Armando once the driver's seat door opened. 

“My girlfriend will pick us up soon and I got free snacks from the clerk.” Armando offered this bag. 

“Thanks.” Mike nodded. 

“Skittles?” Marcus just seemed nosey all over again. 

“Not supposed to eat that shit, Marcus.” Mike warned his partner as usual.

Within minutes, Armando smiled once more when your car pulled up at last.

“She's here. Let's go.” Aretas ditched that truck again and met you on the sidewalk. 

Immediately recognizing Armando, you bolted each footstep down this path and jumped right into his arms, knocking off the trucker hat. 

Both of you survived. 

Yet once you reached the sidewalk again, your plan started up. 

“Mike, Marcus! Let's go.” You call the Miami detectives. 

Armando hops the passenger seat and you hit that sturdy engine, noticing Lowrey and Burnett. 

“Armando got the front seat!” Marcus yelled while standing near your car with Mike. 

“Get in this damn car before I smack you upside your peasy-ass head!” Mike warned. 

“Have they always bickered like this?” You questioned Armando. 

“Since we met.” Armando rolled his brown eyes and passed gum your way. 

“Goodness.” You finally started driving and moved along. 

______

“Dorn from AMMO has a boathouse near the harbor. Can you take us there?” Detective Mike Lowrey called from the backseat. 

“What happened? All of you look rough.” You needed to hear the truth no matter what. 

“Long story short, I told you when Captain Howard got framed, but someone hijacked Armando's aircraft. If it wasn't for Armando flying…” Mike trailed his explanation. 

“Who struck down the plane?” You leveled this question. 

“It was probably the same person who just framed Cap.” Mike went on. “Armando can identify the suspect.”

“Done. Just give me an address.” You affirmed and waited to hear more instructions. 

______

Early daylight moves along this harbor when you finally reach the boathouse. 

“Stay in the car.” Mike warned you and Aretas without thinking twice. 

Because Armando stood as a criminal, Mike and Marcus couldn't take chances with Dorn acting spooked yet. 

“And don't fog up windows tryna be nasty.” Even Marcus pointed, following his partner into the residence and leaving you with Armando. 

When the doors slammed shut, Armando loosened his seatbelt. 

 Your man opened both arms and truly hugged you for the first since lockup. 

“Hi.” Greeting him, you didn't let go of this embrace yet. 

“Hey.” Armando held your cheek, just grateful to see you in person and remain alive. “Still beautiful. No makeup last night?”

“I was sleeping when you called me.” You laughed for a second. 

“Sorry.” His slightly accented English returned to you. “I should join you next time.” 

“Let's knock out this bastard first.” You glance toward Armando and make another vow, planning to help Lowrey and Burnett. 

Back together again. Aretas promised. 

*****

“Hey. Dorn just plotted connections with your laptop.” Tapping your driver's seat window, Mike offered an update. 

“Got it. I can set up here.” You walked around the car, but Armando already gathered your bag from the trunk. 

“Damn, ya'll fast.” Marcus noticed the dynamics with you and Aretas. 

“We're a team.” Armando says. “That's why I don't match with you, Detective.”

“Marcus, look. She might work even faster than Dorn.” Mike acknowledged just how quickly you matched databases from the house. 

While Armando noted countless faces, each rejection seemed more and more disappointing. 

“Wait, zoom in again.” Armando grounded his reality now. 

“Here?” You ask. On screen, this grayscale picture of one man with bright hair caught your attention. 

“That's who ordered the hit on Captain. Text them.” Armando confirms his discovery while you immediately contact Mike and Marcus. 

****

James McGrath: Former Army Ranger turned DEA agent. Tortured before joining the cartel himself. 

The monster is cornered, but you realize one very significant problem: 

Mcgarth has kidnapped Mike's wife Christine alongside Captain Howard's granddaughter Callie. 

An alligator park located somewhere deep in Florida veiled as the hideout for McGrath’s operation, but you still can't join this battle. 

“There's me, Marcus, Armando, Rita, Kelly and Dorn. That's it.” Mike dropped your help and even relayed the AMMO squad. 

“Why the hell would you leave her out? You know exactly what she's capable of.” Aretas defended your skill. 

“If anything happens to her out there, you'll go right back to prison. You can't set off a bloodbath if she gets hurt.” Mike offered this horrifying perspective. 

Fed up, your steps leave the dock and Armando chases after you. 

______

“We pushed all that work for nothing! Why did Mike even call me out?” You reached the car once more and planned to leave. 

“Listen…” Armando tried. 

“No. Complete the mission.” You declined this chance, speeding away. 

*******

After taking down James McGrath and saving Callie Howard, Armando Aretas somehow pulls many different strings, finding you once more. 

“Stubborn just like your father.” You open the front door of your home while Armando stands on that porch with flowers. 

“I love you, too.” Aretas chuckled through his accented English and passed one threshold, staying here forever.  

Who gon' pray for me?

Take my pain for me? 

Save my soul for me? 

'Cause I'm alone, you see. 

If I'm gon' die for you. 

If I'm gon' kill for you. 

Then I'll spill this blood for you…

[pascaloverx]

Strangers?

Part Three

previous part next part

Author's note: This fanfic is set in the creation of Jenny Han. Conrad Fisher and other characters mentioned in the future do not belong to me. I hope you like this fanfic, depending on how it goes, I'll decide if this fic will have more parts or just this one. This fanfic is recommended for all audiences, there will be no adult content in it, only possible inappropriate language and alcohol consumption.

You and Conrad come out of the water towards the people calling him. A boy and a girl, both looking relieved to find Conrad. I'm not sure what their relationship is, but they definitely seem to care a lot about Conrad. You feel like it's appropriate to pretend like you didn't just kiss someone you met hours ago. Even Conrad seems to have been bothered by the interruption but I'm wondering if he's with a frown because of the interrupted kiss or because of seeing this possible couple here.

"Do you know them?" You discreetly ask Conrad before emerging from the sea. You become so engrossed in the awkward atmosphere that you end up stumbling when fully out of the water. Luckily, Conrad grabs your arm, resulting in an insanely intense exchange of glances between you two. You step back, afraid that the girl staring at you might be the happiness Conrad mentioned earlier. At least, your near-fall helps Conrad ease his discomforted expression.

"He's my brother, and she..." Conrad speaks softly as you both walk towards the two people. But you immediately understand when you observe the glances between Conrad and the girl. She is his happiness.

The girl speaks anxiously as she looks at Conrad. "You turned off your phone and disappeared; we got worried, so we decided to look for you in possible hiding places."

"The intention of disappearing and staying unreachable is precisely to have no contact with anyone, Belly. It's nothing personal." Conrad explains.

"So, next time you want to disappear, send a message letting us know you're going to vanish, and it's not for us to worry." The boy says this time as he approaches and hugs Conrad.

"You worry too much Jeremiah, I'm your big brother not the other way around. You two shouldn't have come here. I wasn't even gone for twenty four hours." Conrad reprimands them, and they seem to disagree with what he says. You find it cute that they came here looking for Conrad, but you're concerned that they might have seen the kiss and jump to conclusions. Your mind can't stop thinking about unnecessary things. What if Belly is in love with Conrad and thinks he moved on because of the kiss? What if you enjoyed the kiss and want to repeat it, but can't because Conrad clearly has feelings for someone else?

"We're being rude here. Hello, I'm Isabel, but you can call me Belly, I'm Jeremiah's girlfriend, and..." She pauses for a moment, perhaps contemplating how to define her relationship with Conrad.

"I'm Jeremiah, Conrad's brother." Jeremiah tries to make the moment less awkward. I shake hands with both of them as they extend their hands to greet me.

"My name is Y/N. Nice to meet you." You say smiling, when you notice that something is strangely strange. Wait a minute... is Conrad in love with his sister-in-law?

"Now that everyone has introduced themselves, you can go back where you came from..." Conrad says, clearly lacking any sense of courtesy.

"Or you can stay here and enjoy this beach day. Although it's almost evening. But we can always make a bonfire." You say, trying to ease the obvious tension in the air. Jeremiah smiles appreciatively while Conrad looks at me in disbelief. Well, it's not like you invited them for a make-out session.

"We'd love to stay; it'll be an opportunity to get to know my brother's new friend." Jeremiah says, putting his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. Belly seems comfortable with the idea of staying.

"So it looks like everyone is staying. I just need to find some dry clothes to wear. And I think I bought some snacks; I'll check if I left them in the trunk." You say as you gather your clothes from the ground. The ones that aren't wet are covered in sand.

"I'll help you. By the way, Jere, did you bring any spare clothes?" Conrad says, holding your hand. You feel something bubbling in your stomach, but you firmly grip Conrad's hand.

"In the trunk, you can take whatever you think is good for today." Jeremiah says smiling while whispering something to Belly who elbows him. You and Conrad head to your car and Jeremiah who coincidentally are next to each other. You stay torn between letting go of Conrad's hand and going to your car when you notice him watching you.

"Do you like my company so little? You even had to call for reinforcements." Conrad speaks in an amused tone, making an almost cute, hurt expression.

"One of us had to do this, you were a nice ass suggesting that two people who care about you leave." You say trying to be as soft as possible, even at the end you mumble "sorry but it's true" to Conrad who is expressionless.

"I just... wanted a break from being the guy who's getting over his ex-girlfriend who's currently his younger brother's girlfriend." You get a little confused but you start to understand the situation a little better.

"Now I feel like a pretty idiot. I thought you had an unrequited crush on your sister-in-law but it's worse than that. You're living a real life version of The Vampire Diaries." You try to lighten the mood with this silly comparison. At least it made Conrad smile a little.

"But I understand that you felt it would be polite to call them, I wouldn't have done that but I understand." Conrad says, getting a little closer to you, which leaves you feeling cold in your chest.

"You can't judge me sir"I didn't give you the whole context and I want you to guess". I did the right thing." You stare at him, getting even closer. Now you started to remember what you were doing before Belly and Jeremiah arrived.

"Do you think friends can kiss?" Conrad asks as he goes from holding your hand to putting two hands on your face. You don't respond with words but nod your head positively. Seconds later you kiss. A kiss with more intensity. A kiss that makes you want to fly, or whatever. You feel that Conrad is at least in that moment with his mind focused on you. And you're focused on him. You kiss for as long as possible until you both need to catch your breath.

"You taste like beer." You say, giving Conrad a peck, who gives you one in return.

"And you taste like chocolate ice cream." You laugh at the expression Conrad makes when he says that and then move away a little.

"So let's get dry clothes and food for the night with your brother and his girlfriend." You say looking at him. You then head off to what you hope will be a pleasant evening.

[pasdasin]

Entanglement ch 4

levi x reader

summary: Levi is so downbad for y/n!

cw: low key angst at the end, cussing, bad grammar lol, etc

a/n: sorry for the late update, midterm season is rough! I hope y’all enjoy

read below the cut

previous — next

“You’re still working for him?” Levi questioned you as more of his companions filed back into the living room.

“He pays good, I don’t have a choice.” You removed yourself from his grip and then headed towards the front door. “I have to buy more food since I didn’t expect you all to be here. I’ll be back later,” With that you walked out the front door. A moment passed before Levi turned to head to the kitchen table. The rest of the squad continued to set up camp and get comfortable. “Captain who is she?” Eren asked cirquously. “I mean we are in her house and these pictures-”

“Shut it Eren.” Levi growled before moving into the kitchen, surprised to find his favorite tea in your cabinet. As he brewed the tea, he could hear his squad theorize about you and your relationship to Levi. He rolled his eyes before the door opened and you walked in. The “groceries” in your hands seemed like much more than he could remember ever being brought in by you in the past. You placed them on the counter top and wordlessly put them away. Levi looked at your bags and instantly recognized the soup you planned to make.

“How can you afford bacon?”He asked quietly.

“I’m a valuable asset to Conrad.” You muttered back to him. Soon the both of you cooked the dinner just as you had in the past. Closing your eyes for a second, you could almost feel the presence of Isabel and Farlan. You could almost feel the ghost of Levi’s arms around you…

Soon you set out everyone’s food and called them to dinner. Levi’s squad hesitantly took the food but only ate after seeing Levi start his own plate. The soup was probably the best food they ever had. After a silent dinner, the squad took it upon themselves to clean up and start watch shifts. You and Levi had decided to return to your old room.

Levi shut the door behind you as you sat at your makeshift vanity. Grabbing a brush, you began your process to get ready for bed. Wordlessly Levi sat on the bed watching you, a flood of memories hit him like a bag of bricks

---

Levi sat on the bed in only his sleep pants, you in his sleep shirt. The room was only lit by a singular oil lamp near your vanity. He got up and grabbed the brush out of your hands. He began to brush your hair out as you started to remove the little makeup you could afford. Humming a soft melody in the process.

“When we live above around, I’ll be able to wear more than just this lipstick and this mascara. Won’t I?” Levi hummed in agreement before placing a kiss to the top of your head.

“I don’t like that you work in that horrible place.”

“I know, but at this rate I’ll afford citizenship for all of us! Soon it’ll all be over.” You turned to face him and held his hand tenderly.

---

“Why didn’t you get your citizenship?” Levi asked after a while.

“After I was told you all had died, I didn’t find a reason for it anymore. I was wanted here, not up there.” You said softly, turning to face him again. “Why did you leave me here?”

Levi was silent for a second. “When I heard you died, I lost all hope. I couldn’t even force myself to look… it was better to be ignorant than face to truth.” He turned his head to face you when there was a knock at your door. Levi got up to open it and saw Armin followed by Hange and Erwin.

“We might have gotten a lead”

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

The summer I turned pretty episode 6 thoughts

Belly getting the alcohol and the boys failing

Conrad calling Belly Isabel

Belly calling him Connie baby

The party city scene!!

Belly falling and Jeremiah catching her was so cliché

The beach scene

Milo showing up...not a fan of him

Milo and Steven fighting and interrupting Belly and Jeremiah's kiss!! YES. Steven is team Conrad

The polaroid of Belly and Conrad

Taylor and Steven's dance

Taylor's bodysuit <3

Delicate TV!!

Why was it given to Belly and Jeremiah?! Taylor songs are not for them!!

Cam and Skye is a no for me (no hate to them!)

Finally got 'snow on the beach'...except there was no snow, just tears (my own XD)

Belly calling Laurel was so sad and messy of her. All their lies will come out

[hanisdaisys]

Double Take ~ L.HS & S.JY (hee ver.)

Pairing! : Heeseung! X Female Reader!

Information! : a spin-off of The Summer I Turned Pretty

Casting! : Y/N as Isabel (Belly), Heeseung as Conrad,Jake as Jeremiah, Steven as Jay, Taylor as Yunjin and Cameron as Sunghoon

Word count! : 2.3k

Reading time! : around 8 minutes

Summary! : It all started the spring of 2023, your best friend, yunjin, had been BEGGING you to take of your braces and your glasses. She kept saying how hee, your childhood best friend AND your crush, will not be able to hold back after seeing you change so drastically in the span of a year…. Taking in her advice, you decided to completely revamp yourself, a glow up! And when summer came around you couldn’t wait to get into that car with jay, your annoying older brother.. and drive until the summer house. Finally Heeseung and Jake would be able to see how much you’ve grown… and maybe they’d finally give you a chance, a chance to belong to them for a while… but you didn’t know if this summer you wanted Heeseung or Jake…

Warning! : mentions of cigarettes

🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚

READ MAIN PART FIRST -> HERE

“Hey darling” he said smiling leaning against the door frame. “Hi…” you said going in and sitting on his bed. He followed shortly behind, closing the door and sitting right beside you. “So it toke you this long for you to come and see me huh” Heeseung said with a smirk. You chuckled as you turned yourself to face him “ I wanted to ask you...” you said. He urges you to continue while smiling and nodding at you. You knew that he knew what you were about to ask, but he wanted to hear YOU say it. “Would you maybe go to the deb ball with me…?” you said looking to see his reaction. He was smiling and laughing as he nodded his head, still a sweet smile on his face. “I'd love to y/n I've been waiting for this moment” he said pulling you into a hug. “You don't mind the fact that you'll have to dance with me right...?” you added. “Of course not darling I’d love to have a dance with you!” he exclaimed pulling you back into the hug. You let him engulf you with his hug as you put your head into his neck smelling his cologne. “It's mine..” you mumbled Into his neck. He just smiled laughing while saying “Well this bottle is almost over, I'm looking forward to the one you'll buy this year” he said playing with your hair, one hand still at your waist. “Love thank you so much for choosing me, I swear I won't let you down okay?” he said being the first to pull away this time.

PRESS ON KEEP READING

That night, you stayed in his room cuddling over the sound of the waves. It was comforting and finally calming to realize that the one you've always liked since childhood was here for you and finally yours, the ending you always wished for. Heeseung was deep in sleep hugging your waist while his face was laying on your chest. You carefully grabbed your phone from the nightstand and texted yunjin.

BLUE IS Y/N PINK IS YUNJIN

- hey girl…

- Sup babe! I missed you so much :((

- ME TOOOO

- I have something to tell you yun

- Yeah what's wrong babe? Hit me

- Um so yesterday… I confessed to Heeseung and we are a thing now! He's bringing me to the Debs ball!

- Y/N….

- CONGRATS GIRL 🎉🎉🎉

- THANK YOU 💕

You put your phone away relieved that that was over. Suddenly you heard your phone ring picked it up quickly and answered the person. “Yunjin Im sorry i really can’t talk right now” you said whispering. “Why girl cmon tell me all the juicy details!!!” She said yelling into the phone. “I’m sorry hee is sleeping on me right now… I can’t really move hehe, he’s holding me quite tightly” you said giggling a little before going back to patting his head. “OH MY GIRL WHAT THE HELL YOURE SLEEPING TOGETHER?? YOU SHOULD’VE TOLD ME IM LEAVING YOU TWO LOVEBIRDS ALONE” Yunjin said quickly cutting the call and leaving you and heeseung alone in the dimly lit room. Little did you know heeseung was smiling against your chest hearing you tell yunjin that you were sleeping with him.

The next morning you somehow found yourself being held by heeseung as your head now was placed on his chest. You looked up to see him staring at you already with heart eyes. “Good morning sweetheart, how’d you sleep” he asked kissing your forehead. You went back into his chest feeling shy whispering a gentle “good, best sleep I’ve never had”. He giggled hearing you before letting you know of todays plans. “You know deb ball is in 3 days… I was hoping we could go buy a suit for me to match your dress and then we can do all your favorite things, is that okay love ?” He asked still fixing your hair. You nodded against him as you both got up and went to his bathroom. You were glad that the toilet and shower were in different rooms since you spent atleast 20 minutes together just brushing your teeth and giggling together. You then went your separate ways to get dressed and groom yourself. You did your hair into a braid and did quick and simply makeup. While you were putting your socks on you heard a knock on your door “come in!” You yelled looked at the door. Heeseung came in fully dressed in street style. “You ready love?” He said putting out his hand for you to grab. You nodded and kissed his cheeks as you walked out your room. Before leaving, you decided to grab a quick cup of coffee to fully wake up. You and heeseung were lost in the flirting as Jake entered the kitchen. At first he gasped, seeing how heeseung kissed you and held you like you were more then friends but then he slowly realized.. you had picked heeseung instead of him.. “congrats bro” Jake said making you break the hug you and heeseung had held for the past few minutes. Heeseung went up to Jake accepting his handshake while awkwardly staring at him. “Don’t break her heart hee or I’ll come for you” Jake said whispering into heeseungs ear. You continued brewing your coffee ignoring Jake as you felt bad that he was expecting you to chose him. You were lost in your thoughts as he walked up to you. “So what’s todays plan sweets” he said kind of close to you, just enough to take in your scent. “Oh just shopping with heeseung for the debs…” you said walked away from him and going to heeseung. “Oh have fun sweets, take care of her hee” Jake said before going into his room. Heeseung had noticed your mood dropped when Jake walked in. He knew that you were hesitating between him and Jake, he immediately knew that you felt bad for pushing Jake away when he was equally as good as heeseung, maybe even better. Heeseung pulled you Into a hug. You hugged him back taking the time to finally ease up.

You got into his car and noticed the pack of cigarettes laying on his dashboard. Your face scrunched up in disgust smelling the pack of cigs and the lighter. Heeseung glanced at you before taking the box and throwing it into the trash outside. “I’m sorry love… I just was having a hard time with basketball and suddenly started smoking.. I know how much you hate it but I promise I’ll stop.” You nodded and smiled at him. “Thank you heeseung i really appreciate it” you said kissing his cheek. You both went around shopping for his suit and ate dinner at his favorite restaurant before coming back home giggling from the intense day you had. While exiting heeseung’s car he pulled you into a kiss right on the trunk of his car. You heard grocery bags fall as you looked at the noise disturbing you two. Jay was right there staring at the way heeseung placed you on his trunk. The scene felt like out of a movie to jay, a good highschool romance where the sweet girl fell for a gangster guy . He approached heeseung in full force before letting him know that if he ever decided to hurt you or break your heart, you won’t be the only one left hurt. Heeseung would be equally as injured as you were. You all laughed it out before entering the house. Another day ended in a perfect way!

The next day, you and heeseung trained the whole day for the couples dance you’d have to do tomorrow. Heeseung loved competitions and he loved winning them even more. He knew that you both could easily pull off being the winner of the ball. He didn’t want to end his night until he saw you being crowned miss debutant. Even if it was tiring and somehow exciting. You both went to sleep with sore feets and the dream of winning the ball.

The big day finally approached. It was finally the day of the debutant ball where heeseung accompanied you as a date. In the morning, you both got breakfast together, going over some steps and checking if you had everything ready (including jays Porsche since it looked so nice and fancy). Your mom had volunteered to drop you off to the venue since the competition had hired professional artists for makeup and hair (and because heeseung could not see you until the judge announced your presence) . You got there early before picking out what style you wanted to go with. After a couple minutes of hesitating you went ahead with a simple makeup and a hairstyle that required a Pearl headband. When you were finally done with your hair and makeup, your artist helped you put on your dress before doing final adjustments. You were a little uncomfortable, like heeseung had told you a month ago, this wasn’t really your thing. You preferred shying away from the spotlight and just being comfortable with yourself. You were proud of yourself for finally going out your comfort zone and doing something you’d never think of doing.

The girls were slowly being presented out as you started shaking in fear. What if you tripped ? What if something bad happened? What if heeseung forgot he needed to be here at 6?? Thoughts filled your head as you got closer and closer to the door. You toke a deep breath before the announcers named you. “We welcome Park Y/N on the stage as a debutant of the 2023 challenge!!” You walked onto the stage as heeseung walked right beside you as your date. He gasped a little before whispering “you look absolutely astonishing love”. You smiled at him focusing your attention back to your family cheering loudly for you. Heeseung handed you a bouquet of flowers before holding your arm the rest of the way. When you reached the front, you did a u-turn, sitting down at the designated area for the debs and their date. You sat and watched the performances of the couple cheering excitingly seeing what they had come up with.

When it was finally yours and heeseung turn, you looked at him taking a deep breath together as the song started playing. Somehow this song seemed perfect for you two. Strawberries and cigarettes by Troye Sivan. A couple years back, when you were younger heeseung had introduced you to this song. You giggled at first listening to the sweet yet cringe lyrics, but you found yourself listening to it more and more. You felt an emotional connection to this song, so when you had to pick a song to dance too, you easily picked strawberries and cigarette. To add, Heeseung was a great dancer, he executed the dance perfectly, his moves hitting the beat every single time. When the performance ended he got down on one knee grabbing your hand and leaving a kiss. The night went on, watching performances, slow dancing and eating the food the place provided. After a few hours of enjoying the Party, it was finally time to announce the winner of the debutant ball. For some reason, heeseung looked way more stressed than you, so you grabbed his hand rubbing gentle circles on it before kissing him on the lips. “Well we’d like to start off by saying thank you to all the debutant and their dates for working so hard on tonight! It was a tight contest and we decided very hard to pick the winner! Drumroll please” the judge said as everyone started hitting the table as drumroll “the winner of the deb ball is beautiful Y/N Park and her handsome date Heeseung!!! Please come up on stage and claim your prices!” The judge exclaimed as you and Heeseung looked shocked. You stayed seated for a couple seconds before your mom told you to get up and get the prize you worked so hard on. You grabbed the prize with heeseung thanked the judge for the amazing commentary on your performance and thanked the other debutants for their hard work. The night ended on sweet note as you made your way home to the comfort of heeseung’s bed .

“Heeseung… thank you so much I own it to you” you said hugging him. “Oh y/n, my love… it’s all you baby. This is all your hard work love. I only accompanied you to success angel. You’re a masterpiece on stage. I was definitely wrong” he laughed as you looked at him confused. “Love I was so wrong these type of competitions are definitely your thing! You shined tonight sweetheart, you were glowing…. I was worried that if I kissed you I wouldn’t have been able to stop” he said as you held you. “Then don’t stop” you said before pulling him into a kiss…

Your relationship unfolded beautifully after that night, you both , grew and healed from past mistakes. Heeseung kept his promise of growing and building himself into a better person for you. Jake worked hard on himself to wish you two both a happy and healthy relationship. You and heeseung were so thankful that Jake was so caring and immediately stepped away when he realized how serious you both were. With heeseung renewed passion for basketball, he not only found success but also regained his sense of purpose on the field. He trained harder the ever aiming to make you proud every game he ever played. Jay finally accepted that Heeseung was never going to harm you or your relationship in a negative way. The air carried the sweet scent of your new relationship. And throughout the years you spent with heeseung, it only sweetened…

🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚

[brunettemermaid]

Conrad adresses Belly as an adult calling her "Isabel" and then later on, Belly calls Conrad "Connie baby" treating him like a child...does this means that maybe what they have to do in order to be together is that Belly has to grow up and become more mature and Conrad has to learn to be a young person and not to take every single responsability and that kind of stuff..? So they both are aware of the other's problems but are clueless about their own issues.