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dustofbrokenheart · 3 years ago

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The Covenant: Lazy, Summer Day

Tyler Simms x Reader

Word Count: 1,650

Summary: Tyler and reader enjoy a day on the water to get away from the heat. Based on this post by @saviorsong which you should all totally check out!

“I called in sick?”

“Yeah, this morning. See? We crossed your name off the schedule and everything.” A finger tapped rapidly on the big whiteboard that had everyone’s name written in dry erase marker.

Sure enough, there was a hastily drawn line going right through the middle of yours.

They really had thought you weren’t coming in. “That’s impossible,” you said confused. “Because I didn’t call in sick.”

“Alright, alright. I believe you,” the supervisor said. “You’re one of the normaler ones that we have and a normal person wouldn’t have driven clear across town when they already had the day off.”

Both of you stood there scratching your heads. Your thoughts were leaning towards this possibly being a dream. You had weird dreams all the time, right? And it wasn’t unlike you to be dreaming of work even when you were off the clock.

There was a good chance you would wake up any second now, still swaddled in bed sheets.

The supervisor had a completely different reaction. “Well, the building ghost strikes again! They must’ve called on your behalf knowing how hard you’ve been working. Just take the day off. We’re covered anyway.”

“Are you sure?” you hesitated. It felt weird taking the day for yourself when you were perfectly able to work. “Since I’m here, I could do—”

“Nope. Enjoy some of this weather. Summer is almost over, you know.”

With that you were ushered out the door and left standing on the concrete sidewalk, not a clue as to what you should do.

There were always things to be done at the apartment. You hadn’t cleaned the bathroom in a while…yikes. Tyler also had his collection of expired leftovers in the fridge that he was terrible about tracking of.

Oh! You could wash the cars, too! Tyler had finally gotten rid of his monstrosity of a Hummer a few summers back in favor of a classic sixties car that Pogue had helped him fix-up. He liked to keep it spotless.

Speaking of his car…you looked up and noticed it parked across the street. And it was definitely his. Not only were there not many of them still out on the roads, but that was clearly Tyler smiling at you in the driver’s seat as he waved you over.

“Were you flagging me down this whole time?” you asked. He nodded with a heavy dose of enjoyment sparkling in those baby blue eyes. “Sorry. It’s been a weird morning.”

“Didn’t expect to have to day off?” Tyler’s smile becoming more pronounced.

“Of course not—wait,” you trailed off in realization. “It was you. You’re the one who called in sick for me!”

He stroked your wrist through the window with his thumb. “You caught me. But don’t be mad, I promise it was for the greater good.”

Greater good? You raised both eyebrows. “And what’s the ‘good’ in question?”

“Weather man predicted we’re supposed to hit high eighties today. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t drag you to the lake house to take advantage of it?”

“That’s a terrible excuse, Ty.”

“Fine,” he admitted with a laugh. “How about you’ve been working this whole summer, and I miss you and want to do something nice for you?”

On the inside you felt yourself vibrate with excitement but you tried to keep it together. You shouldn’t encourage him making plans without you, especially when they disrupted work, but you were a sucker for surprises. “Better,” you admitted with your nose titled up.

And he knew that. Knew that you weren’t really cross with him as he turned the engine over, jolting the car to life with a heavy rumble. “Come on, my lady. I promise that it’ll be fun.”

The lake house in question referred to one of several Simms family properties in Massachusetts, appropriately named for it’s position right next to a small, picturesque lake. The area was naturally beautiful with shimmering water that was encased by tall, shady trees that were a godsend when the sun became too much to handle.

The drive there went like it always did: fast, thanks to a good playlist and easy conversation, and soon Tyler was pulling up to the lake house.

Not wanting him to fixate on the fine dust the gravel kicked up, and how it was dirtying the car, you leaned over the center console to kiss him. It was just long enough to steal his attention.

When his hand cupped the back of your head, you pulled back. “Last one to the dock has to use the tacky orange kayak!” You stuck your tongue out at him as you dashed out of the car and towards the dock.

Unprepared for the challenge, Tyler sputtered as he tried to take his seat belt off with clumsy fingers.

You ran around the outside of the house and dodged trees as best as you could, laughing the whole way. You may have gotten the head start but you could hear the tell tale sounds of the man gaining ground behind you.

The dock was so close you could picture your victory as. Only a few steps more, you would’ve had it.

Then two arms wrapped around your middle in a steel tight grip, halting you in your tracks. A large exhale was forced out of your lungs at the sudden impact.

“No fair,” you whined. Slumping back into his embrace, you turned to look at his smug face. “I can’t match your stupid arm strength.”

Tyler laughed, the argument a familiar one. “We’ve been over this. If you can use the element of surprise, then the element of muscle is fair game.”

That was the agreement but that didn’t mean you couldn’t pout. Not everyone was blessed with good genetics and years of a background in competitive swimming.

“Well, let’s consider this a tie then because I refuse to use that hideous orange boat.”

Tyler hummed, the vibration noticeable against your back. “Nope,” he said. The answer was abrupt and before you could get another word out, you were sailing through the air, lake water rushing to swallow you up.

The shock made your lungs seize up and your limbs flailed in the haze of the foggy water.

Breaking the surface, hair and clothes plastered to your skin you paddled around to glare at him. The effect didn’t have the ferocity you hoped for because he merely but his hands on his knees and laughed so hard it seemed like he might tip over.

Dodging the water you splashed at him, he got the laughs under control and walked to the edge of the dock to give you a hand. You glared at it personally offended by the gesture. Those were the hands that had just thrown you in without any warning.

But Tyler was patient and held his hand out steadily until you were ready to grab hold of it. For a moment, you debated trying to sink him to the murky depths along with you, but as his impressive looking biceps flexed under the warm glow of the sun, you realized you’d have to take revenger later when you were more certain of your success.

With the added help, you hauled up to the dock. The access water from your clothes ran off, darkening the wood in random splatter patterns, and you realized for the first time that it was pretty hot out.

The sun was bright even with your hand covering your eyes as you looked up; not a cloud in the sky as the bugs buzzed around lazily.

“Sorry.” Tyler fidgeted awkwardly, bringing your attention back to down earth. “I didn’t mean to be, well, mean.”

“Most people would think you’re an angel but you surely have a competitive streak, Tyler Simms.”

He shrugged apologetically. After a moment, he stood up and called over his shoulder as he jogged away. “I’ll go grab a towel for you. Meet me in the cabin!”

It was hard to stay mad at him. Especially when he tried to make up for it by doing something cute, like literally running to get a towel. He really was puppy-like; a little reckless but very contrite when he realized he messed up.

True to his word, he did bring you a towel along with a whole bag of clothes he had packed for the trip. Figuring it’d be a waste to dry your hair—you’d be on the water soon again any way—you settled for patting down the rest of your body and changed into extra clothes.

After Tyler managed to coerce you into putting on sun block (he was strict about it, likely leftover from his swimming days, while you tended to be lazy about it), it was back to lake where each of you set off in a kayak.

And even though he had won the bet earlier, he took mercy and neither of you had to row in the garish orange kayak; a mercy on both pairs of eyes, to be sure.

The sun turned sweltering before it had even reached its highest point, the heat feeling like pin pricks all over your body. The water definitely helped. Between kayaking, swimming, and even a brief diving contest off the end of the dock, you kept cool enough.

Enjoying a late lunch under the shade of a large tree, you felt the pull of an after-lunch nap calling your name.

Tyler noticed the way your eyelids drooped and laid down on the blanket and pulled you into his chest. “Nap time?”

Utterly content, you nodded languidly.

“Alright then, let’s nap.” He pressed a soft kiss into your hair. “Thanks for letting me drag you here. This is perfect...”

The was the last words you heard as the summer heat, filling lunch, and buzz of cicadas lulled you to sleep.

_______________

We could all use a summer day like this. I’m contemplating writing more based on the other boys’ preferences too, but we’ll see. Hopefully this one was enjoyable!

#the covenant #tyler simms x reader #Tyler Simms #the covenant imagines

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toplinetommy · 4 years ago

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Without Warning - Matthew Tkachuk

Synopsis: A college!AU where Matty is playing D1 hockey with people he’s actually played with at various levels (he’s in like his third year in this and is going to the NHL after)

Words: 2.9k

A/N: purely basing this off of my friend’s D2 college hockey experiences, stereotypical guy talk is mentioned (like pulling girls), gif credit to @matthewtkafuck

“Just come out with us Chucky!” His captain, Noah yells across the locker room to him. The boys were buzzing, coming off a two-game series sweep against their state rivals, propelling them to a first place spot in the division.

He began taking his chest pads off, contemplating the idea, “I don’t know man.” On one hand, he could go out and finally let loose after a long week of tough practices and study sessions, but on the other he could run into the one person he avoided on campus: you.

“Bro, you never come out anymore, just let loose!” His center, Auston, advises.

As Matthew pushes his pads into his bag, he looks around the room. The energy is high and he can tell everyone is deciding to go out and even talking about their post-bar plans. Besides, the weather was actually nice for this time of year. The snow from last week’s storm had finished melting away and the temperature was higher than it normally was for late February in Boston.

“Sure.”

The first hour or two of him being at the bar passed by like a blur. Him and Noah had decided to go drink for drink throughout the night and had even started stacking their cups in the corner of the booth their group occupied.

The loud house music beats into Matthew’s ears as he and Noah walk back up to the bar for their next round of drinks. Once they both shout their orders over the loud bass, Noah starts talking about this new girl he’s hooking up with. Matthew listens lightly, deciding he doesn’t really want to hear the specific details of Maya. Or was it Mia? Megan? He didn’t know, and he quite honestly was tired of hearing about it.

“And the other day she came over after practice and bud,” He starts, the bartender cutting them off as he returns with the drinks. Matthew tells him to keep it on his tab before Noah continues. “She did this thing when I was about to -”

Matthew’s attention on Noah completely halts as he sees y/n’s small but mighty frame on the other side of the L-shaped bar. Her hair was down, framing her face just the way he liked. Noah noticed the stop in Matthew’s breathing and followed his gaze to where she stood.

“Oh, shit.” Noah remarks.

Noah claps his hand down onto Matthew’s shoulder as they both eye her from their spots. Matthew’s feet feel like cinder blocks as he fails to move so she doesn't catch a glimpse of him. As he starts to regain feeling in his body moments later, he brings his cup to his mouth ditching the straw to take a larger than necessary gulp of the alcohol.

He’s pulled away from his cup, however, when he hears her all too familiar laugh, he tenses back up and debates finishing it in one pull. Her head leans back, exposing the skin of her neck as she rests her free hand on the bicep of the man next to her. Of Matthew’s teammate. Of Matthew’s friend.

He turns heavily on his heels, planning to put as much space between the two of the two of them as he possibly could in the run-down college bar. Noah followed closely behind him, coming to a halt at the booth they were once sat at earlier in the night.

“I didn't know she’d be here, bud.” Noah claimed to Matthew, the rest of the guys turning their heads to their conversation.

“Why wouldn't she be here, Noah? It’s literally the place to be on a Saturday night.” Matthew reasoned, rubbing his forehead with his hand that wasn’t holding his drink.

“Why wouldn’t who be here?” one of the freshmen asked, confused as to the situation unfolding in front of them.

“Y/n,” Matthew groans, color draining from his face when he sees her walking in the general direction of the table he’s occupied himself at. He quickly plops down next to Tyler even though there wasn’t nearly enough space for him. “Don’t move, she’s coming over here.”

Tyler, very nonchalantly, whips his head in the direction Matthew was just looking in to find her. Tyler catches her gaze, and he curses under his breath due to her visibly recognizing him.

Matthew slaps the bicep of his friend for doing next to nothing to avoid her from making her way over to him and his group.

“Hey, Matty,” she greets, causing Matthew’s head to snap up in her direction. He greets her back with his signature tight-lipped smile, hoping that this would cause her to walk away quicker.

“I heard you guys beat Harvard,” She states. Hearing her voice erupts all the past memories of her that Matthew tried so hard to erase over the course of the past few weeks. Her voice is sweet and smooth like honey, completely contradicting the way things ended between the two of you.

Matthew moves to his feet, standing up from the cramped bench he failed to hide himself on. “Hey, y/n.” He greets lowly, looking from your eyes down to your feet. He does it quickly, hesitating to keep his eyes trained on your features for longer than a few seconds. His actions go unnoticed, as she opens her mouth to begin talking again.

“How have you been?” She asks, bringing her glass of whiskey to her lips. He watches her lick the remaining droplets off her lips when she’s done.

“Good, first in the division.” He answers shortly. Matthew leans his body against the wood paneled wall, hand still clasping his drink. He pushes his hands through his curls that he let free for once. Which he soon remembered was something she liked about him, making him feel a little self-conscious in the moment.

“That’s good,” She hums, taking a step towards his stiff figure. This time it was her turn to run her eyes over his body, though she did it much more purposefully and made sure he noticed her actions. He did, and his stomach twisted wondering if she liked the way he looked tonight. He had opted for a pair of light-wash jeans and flannel over his hoodie combo instead of his usual dark grey sweats and t-shirt.

In the moment he was battling internally with himself on whether or not he really wanted to continue to talk to you, but as soon as her hand softly handed on the muscles of his bicep, the battle was over. He visibly lightened on his feet, slouching a much more normal amount than he previously was and he crossed his ankles as he leant more weight on his one leg.

“I noticed you’ve been playing really well recently.” She compliments, speaking loudly over the thumps of the speakers. He reads her facial features, her eyes are much softer than he remembers and her cheeks are especially pink due to her love of blush and the alcohol in her system.

He smiles just wide enough to show his dimples at the compliment, always one to talk about his accomplishments, especially when it’s about how he plays on the ice. “Thanks, the boys have been rolling lately.”

“It’s good seeing you all having fun, too.” She starts, gesturing to the group of players. “I know you don’t let yourself have too much fun too often.” The comment she makes is true, and even more so lately due to her. He holds back a scoff at the comment before speaking up.

“There’s a few people I don’t risk running into.” He says bluntly, leaning away from her so she can clearly see the lack of emotion on his face. “I kinda got roped into coming out tonight.” He watches her face falter a bit at the comment.

Throughout the entirety of their relationship, y/n had only really seen the softer side of Matthew. The two of them had consistently spent time together over the course of the school year, but primarily behind closed doors. Hell, she barely even went to his games even after telling him about her love for the sport.

She still ignores his blatant call out towards her, choosing to not settle on that talking point. An awkward silence falls between the two of them, the loud music and chatter from the crowd filling their ears.

“What have you been up to?” She asks, and God, all Matthew can think about is how awkward this all is. At one point a few weeks ago, conversation was carelessly easy between the two of them and they talked almost every minute of every day.

In the moment, he knows it’s not the best idea to open up to her again, but he doesn’t really think about all of the bad consequences a simple conversation between the two of them can have.

“Just the usual, hockey, workouts, going to classes, spending all my time at the hockey house.” He answers, voice much tamer than before. He takes another small sip from his cup as you offer him a reply.

Conversation continues to flow between the two of you as the two of you catch up on what the other has been doing since they stopped talking all those weeks ago. He starts to see the crowd thin out, indicating that the two of them have been talking for much longer than he realized.

She steps up on her toes, leaning in further and moving her hand up towards his shoulder, and whispers into his ear, “Hey, you wanna get outta here?”

His head pulls away from hers craning his neck so his eyes are looking into hers. He contemplates saying no for exactly one second before she licks her lips and his mind is made up. “Sure.”

She moves from Matthew’s eyes to his mouth, before she leans in and places her glossy lips on his. A fire lights inside him as he kisses her for the first time in what feels like forever and it’s a feeling he definitely knows he missed.

He pulls away, only enough to speak, “I can drive, I haven’t gotten a new drink in a while.”

She double checks that he’s good to drive before he takes her hand in his and begins to lead her outside. He quickly lets the boys know that he’s heading home and that he’ll see him tomorrow. He continues to walk towards the exit and opens the door for her.

As the two of them step outside, the weather has done a complete 180 from what it was earlier in the night. Where the ground was once clear, there was starting to be a light patch of white snow covering both the pavement and the grass. Y/n shivers in her tank top, and Matthew pulls her closer to his tall frame.

Heavy snowflakes continued to fall as he drove the two of them back to his house off-campus. He turned to look at her in the passenger seat, lightly laughing, “Ya know, I was supposed to celebrate the win tonight with the boys and here I am. Driving you home in the midst of a snow storm.”

She giggled at that, igniting a blush on Matthew’s cold cheeks. He reaches for the knob that controls the temperature in the car, and turns the heat up once more. As he pulls his hand away, y/n grabs it and laces their fingers together.

He gets them to his house, pulling into the crowded driveway before meeting her at the hood of his car. She leans up to him, signifying for a kiss. He meets her halfway, placing his hands on the small of her back. They stand there, kissing in the cold, snowy night for a few more minutes as his hands roam down to her ass. She pulls away from him, lightly tugging on his curls, as he feels his hands grab her ass in a not-so innocent way.

“We should probably go inside.”

“Good idea,” He chuckles, guiding her up the slippery sidewalk towards the front door.

As they walk through the front door, one of his roommates, Micheal, is sitting on the couch. “Hey, y/n” He greets with a smirk, “Haven’t seen you around in a while.”

Matthew shoots him daggers as y/n says hi back to him. Michael looks like he’s about to start a conversation, but before he can Matthew yanks y/n up the stairs by their intertwined hands towards his room.

The minor comment his roommate makes sticks in his brain as y/n takes her shoes off and sets them by his desk. He watches her sit on the edge of his bed and he tugs a hand through his curls.

“You shouldn’t have come over.” He states bluntly, standing still a few feet in front of her sitting figure.

“You’re the one that drove me here.” She states pointedly.

“You’re the one that roped me into this bullshit! Like you always do!” He exclaims, pointing at her with flailing arms.

“I did not! I asked you if you wanted to leave and you said yes!” She argues, confusion laced in her tone.

“Why did you even come up and talk to me?” Matthew asks, softly. “We haven't had a conversation in weeks and we ignore each other if we see the other in public.” He was honestly tired, tired of the situations she put him in and tired of how he’s felt lately.

“I don’t know, I just -” She stumbled over her words before Matthew interrupted her,

“You know damn well the games you wanted to play when you walked up to me and said good game.” He states matter of factly. He watches her think of a response as he paces in the small space of his bedroom.

“I missed you!” She exclaims, raising her voice once again. Matthew actually laughs at her statement, throwing his head back as he hears those words come out of her mouth.

“That’s rich coming from you,” Matthew scolds. “You can’t say you missed me when you were the one stopping us from being anything more than what we were! I told you all the time how much I liked you and you just kept telling me you didn’t want a boyfriend and I thought I was fine with that.”

He pauses to take a breath and to collect his thoughts further, he keeps his eyes trained on the wall behind the bed that she’s sat on. The alcohol that was once in his system is completely gone due to the anger in his blood.

“I let myself be okay with what we were and I let myself be okay with you manipulating me.”

“I did not manipulate you.”

“Yes, you fucking did!”

“I let you do whatever the hell you wanted to do and you chose to be with me, and don’t lie about how I was the only one. I know damn well you were sleeping with other people!” She exclaims. She’s standing now, right in front of Matthew’s towering figure.

“Yeah, because you never said anything about it just being us so you can’t be mad at that!” He yells. He takes half a step closer towards her, head leaned downwards to fully look at her. Both of their jaws are tense and their cheeks pink from the anger. Matthew’s eyes are starting to droop from the combination of the game he played earlier that night, the drinking and just the overall feeling of tiredness he had been feeling lately.

“I’m not mad!” She roared, raising her voice to match Matthew’s.

“Then why are you yelling?”

“Because I’m drunk!” She flails, bringing her hands in front of her face, flexing them in frustration.

“That’s fucking bullshit.” He challenged, moving the rest of the way towards her. He grabs her hands and moves them from where they were in front of his face.

“I let your friends chirp me about our relationship all the time. Every time I saw your roommate at the bar and you weren’t there she’d make jokes about me not being with my ‘girlfriend’ and every time one of them introduced who I was to someone else they’d call me your boyfriend. Literally everyone was calling me your boyfriend except for you!”

“If you didn’t want it all to blow up like it did you should've talked to me.”

“And say what? Hey, I can’t sleep with you anymore unless your friends stop talking to me? I liked talking to your friends, I liked the idea of being called your boyfriend.” He argued further, trying his hardest to get his point of view across.

“I told you a million times that I didn’t want that!” She exclaims, “I was constantly checking in with you to make sure you understood that and you always said you did.”

“Because I wanted to be with you however you wanted.” He reasoned back with her, lowering his voice to the calmest it’s been all night. She stood up as he finished speaking, bringing her face closer to his.

She looked into his tired eyes a moment longer before apologizing and leaning in to connect her lips with his. She found her hands tangled in the hair at the back of his neck as he moved his hands from her cheeks down to her waist, before pushing her back onto his bed.

All he could think of as she walked out of his room was that if he would've just set his drink down at the bar last night and left, he wouldn't be laying in his bed right now, thinking about how he would have to start from square one to get over her again. He quite honestly may have been in love with her, but he couldn’t admit that to himself in the moment and he probably never would.

Matthew was finally feeling like himself for the first time in a long time, until she came in and wrecked his world, much like a hurricane.

#matthew tkachuk #matthew tkachuk imagine #alex writes #nhl imagine

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lonestarbabe · 5 years ago

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Holding Out For A Hero

Chapter 2: You Can Call Me Al

T.K. meets his new bodyguard, and Carlos immediately knows he has his work cut out for him.

T.K.

Substances rushing through his body, T.K. was in a great mood and looking for some sexual release. He searched the crowded gay bar for some who struck his fancy. His eyes landed on the biggest guy in the room, who couldn’t hide if he wanted to. His brown skin glistened with a sheen of sweat and the lights hit his brown eyes in a way that almost made them look green.

It took him a second of contemplation, but T.K. finally recognized the guy as a vague recollection of past encounters popped into his mind. Good times. The guy had stamina, T.K. knew that, but he couldn’t remember his name. All T.K. knew was that this dude had biceps the size of T.K.’s head and that Muscles’ mouth would be wasted on romantic words. I’m just looking for sex, not love, T.K. reminded himself. Muscles was the perfect sex tool for T.K. just as T.K. was to muscles. Mutual objectification—check. I want it rougher than sandpaper and as heartless as the tin man.

Sidling up to Muscles T.K. leaned his arms against the bars so that his muscles were popping. “I was thinking about getting out of here.” T.K. and Muscles skipped the small talk whenever they hooked up. Maybe that’s why I don’t know his name. It’s better off that way, anyway. Names can ruin everything. Adolph? Instant turn off.

“Looking for a ride, sugar?” Muscles asked with a cocky grin, which is well deserved.

T.K. winked, “Only if you have tinted windows. I’m careful about who I’m seen with.”

“Husband?” T.K. wasn’t sure if Muscles recognized him or not, but Muscles treated him like a stranger, which caused some identifiable feeling to curdle in T.K.’s stomach. Being known was scary, but not mattering to someone was horrifying. T.K. nearly walked away, hating the way this guy made him felt, but he couldn’t move his feet. I couldn’t even remember his name? Why would he remember mine? Being a celebrity, anonymity was nice and rare, but to not be remembered by a past lover was personal.

T.K. forced a smile. Flirting is my specialty. Well, not really, I don’t have to flirt much. I just have to be easy. “Definitely not. I can’t imagine being married. Let’s just say that some people in my life can’t appreciate what I do.”

“Ah, homophobes.”

“Nah, not that either. Just people who don’t know how to have fun.”

“Even worse.” Yeah, right, because hating people is so much better than sitting at home and reading for the evening. T.K. wasn’t going to go into a tirade on some passing comment that had been meant as a joke. Maybe it’s my fault for lacking a sense of humor.

“What the hell are you doing?” a firm voice rang in T.K.’s ears. For a second, he thought he was having an auditory hallucination before he turned around to see the hottest guy he’d seen in at least four months.

“Who are you?”

Muscles licked his lips, “I’m willing to share, but I’m in charge.” Two men, I can get behind that.

Hot Guy didn’t even look at muscles. “Come on, tiger, you’re not sleeping with him.” The guy pulled T.K.’s arms from the bar, and T.K. lost his balance, nearly falling before he was steadied by the newcomer.

“What? Are you his boyfriend or something?” Muscles asked, puffing his chest. His veins popped out, and he was clearly trying to look tough, but it was hard to take him seriously in the flowered bowling shirt he’d worn for Hawaii night.

“Who are you to tell me who to sleep with? It sure won’t be you.” T.K. turned to Muscles, shrugging Hot Guy’s hand off his shoulder. “Ignore him. I don’t even know who he is. As I told you before, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Husband. You said you didn’t have a husband.”

“I don’t have a finance either before you ask.”

Hot Guy pulled T.K. toward him with a gentle tug. Muscles pulled him back. This is not tug the T.K. Hot Guy won out. He spoke clearly. “I’m your new bodyguard. Carlos Reyes. I have the paperwork if you need to see it.” Carlos, now that’s a nice name.

T.K. waved him off, giving him a once over. “Oh, I bet you are. You look the part. Big, strong, no fun. You’re way hotter than most, but you still have responsibility in your beautiful eyes.”

“A bodyguard?” Muscles looked shocked. “Why would you need a bodyguard?”

T.K. shrugged. “Like I said, people in my life are killjoys.”

Carlos pulled out his I.D. to show it to T.K. “You shouldn’t take my word for it. I could be any old loser.”

T.K. looked skeptical “And you can’t fake an I.D.?”

“I also have the some paperwork in my pocket if you want to see that too. Signed off by Judd.”

T.K. laughed again, “At the moment, words just look like squiggles. He squinted at the I.D. again, seeing Carlos’ picture. ”Very pretty squiggles.”

Muscles was growing impatient. “Can we go now? Or would you rather talk to the guy with a stick up his ass.”

“Of course, I prefer you, muscle man,” T.K. said looping his arm around Muscles’ broad shoulders, ushering Muscles off the bar stool. Muscles was broader but Carlos looked like he knew how to win a fight if the steel in his eyes was any indication. “Don’t worry about him. I’m his boss. He’ll leave if I tell him to.”

“We’re going,” Carlos countered with stern eyes.

“Judd said you didn’t start until tomorrow, so the way I see it, you’re not my bodyguard yet.” I’m not going to let any hot guy boss me around, especially one doing so on behalf of Judd Ryder.

Carlos tapped his watch. “That was yesterday. It’s after midnight now. Judd told me—”

“Yeah, well, you don’t get to tell him who to sleep with,” Muscles rose from where he was leaning against the bar, standing to his full six-foot-five height.

“You’ll stay right there.” Carlos pushed the dude back down into a seat. “He’s too high to know an apple from a pear.”

“Who the fuck cares? We’re just having fun.” Muscles wasn’t going to back down, and T.K. really didn’t want to cause a fight. He just wanted to go home with a man who would show him a good time.

“He can’t consent when he’s like this, asshole. He probably won’t even remember tonight.“ The fire in Carlos’ eyes was sexy, but T.K. rolled his eyes at the sentiment. The forgotten nights were the best ones.

“I want sex, and I could tell an apple from a pear anytime,” T.K. complained indignantly, looking between Muscles and Carlos. “The pear is the one that takes like a watered-down apple.”

“I need to take you home,” Carlos said with only a hint of exasperation, which meant he was a lot more annoyed than he let on.

T.K. looked confused. “What? Are you mad?” A look of realization filled T.K.’s face. “Oh, he must be a pear fan.” Then, T.K. was giggling uncontrollably, and both Carlos and Muscles looked at him like he was crazy. I am. As crazy as a… something that’s really crazy… a dude named Tyler Kennedy.

Crazy or not, Muscles still seemed up for fun. “Calm down, bro. I’m not going to do anything that he doesn’t want. I know what T.K. likes.” He does remember me, after all. T.K. felt a pang of affection that he quickly chased away.

“I don’t care what he wants. My job is keeping him safe, so go find someone else to screw. Preferably, someone who can stand up without swaying.” Oh, maybe that’s why I feel like I’m on a boat.

Before the topic could be discussed any longer, Carlos grabbed T.K. and dragged him through the crowd. When they were outside, T.K. rubbed the arm where Carlos had grabbed him. He shivered. “You could have been gentler with me. Judd won’t like you hurting his best merchandise.”

“You’re fine, and don’t call yourself merchandise. You’re a human being. If you weren’t, Judd wouldn’t care so much.”

Carlos pulled out his phone and called T.K.’s driver. When T.K. tried to walk away, going who knows where, Carlos reeled him back in with his free hand. Why are his arms so long. He doesn’t have the biceps of Muscles, but he’s as close as you can get without steroids. After hanging up the phone, Carlos shoved T.K. down to a bench while they waited for the car to arrive. Carlos remained standing, looming over T.K. “What did you take?”

T.K. shrugged. “Just some shots.” Shots alone don’t feel this good.

Carlos didn’t buy the bullshit. “And?” He’d been around celebrities to know that T.K. had more than a few shots.

“I think some E, but I didn’t really look at what it was.” I’d have taken it no matter what it was.

“Fuck. You can’t take random pills and expect it to be okay. That could kill you, T.K.”

“I’m not dead yet.” Not sure whether that’s for the best.

“Did that loser give them to you?” Carlos’ fists were clenched at the mere mention of Muscles.

“Nah, Muscles is cool. We’ve hooked up before. He’s as much of a gentleman as I want him to be. Drugs and sex are part of being a rock star.”

“You sing pop songs,” Carlos countered.

T.K. grinned. “Rock star is a state of mind.” Carlos didn’t say anything, but he let T.K. press his body against Carlos’ side.

They sat in silence until a familiar car drive up to the curb. T.K. was glad to see his driver, but he’d gotten pretty comfortable on the bench. It would be nice to go to sleep, but he could do that anywhere if he could get his mind to shut off. He was always so tired, but he still felt wired from the substances rushing through his body. His brain was wired, at least. His body felt like a pile of noodles, slightly ahead of his racing thoughts that would soon come to a startling halt.

“The car is here.” Carlos’ voice sounded floaty. T.K.’s body didn’t budge even though his brain told him he should get up. Carlos pulled T.K. up when he wouldn’t budge, moving him to the car like a ragdoll.

“Oh, man handle me some more. I like it,” T.K. said hollowly. T.K. felt his mind drifting, going to that faraway place where he wasn’t part of the normal world anymore. No matter how many people were around, he would feel detached from everything, even himself. It’s really nice. Calm. Easy. No complications.

“That what you want from that guy in there?” Carlos asked in a strange voice that T.K. couldn’t make sense of.

“There’s nothing wrong with liking it rough. I can give it as good as I take it.”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with it. But I don’t think you wanted rough sex from that guy. You wanted him to hurt you.” I wanted him to break me and not bother to put me back together.

“Is that so bad?”

“It is when you’re using it to punish yourself.”

“What would I punish myself for?” For being a purposeless waste of space maybe? For being an awful son? For being a poser? For hating myself?

Carlos shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t know you. Only what Judd told me about you. This conversation is wasted on you, anyway.”

“I’m wasted,” T.K. laughed tiredly, letting his head fall to Carlos’ shoulder. For someone who was so muscular, Carlos’ shoulder was a nice cushion, firm but with just right the amount of softness. If T.K. could find a pillow with that exact balance, maybe he could sleep without first getting high.

“Yeah, T.K., I know, but soon you’ll be back to normal.”

T.K. sighed before letting his eyes drift closed. “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.” He didn’t hear if Carlos responded. He’d already taken refuge in the blackness of sleep. It’s better than gray.

#my fics #911 lone star #tarlos #911 lone star au #911 lone star fic #my wrting #Elise Writes #holding out for a hero #I suggest reading on a03 #the formatting is bad here #There should be italics #Season 1

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letmeletmetrashyourlove · 7 years ago

Text

Millie

Summary: Billy finds out that he is having a baby girl.

REQUESTS OPEN FEEDBACK APPRECIATED

Author’s Note: Killing two birds with one stone with this fic! It was requested, but also for Amanda’s 3,000 follower celebration! Yay Amanda! Love you!

Billy leaned against the doorframe as I stood in front of our daughter. She was sitting on the bathroom counter, playing with my necklace as I tugged her hair up into pigtails on top of her head. Though she had my hair color, she had gotten Billy’s ringlet curls.

“Alright, silly Millie.” I sighed when I was finished, hoisting her off the counter and into my arms.

Today was her first day of soccer, and she couldn’t be more enthusiastic. Billy, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Every bump, bruise, and fall she had ever suffered was made worse by his overreaction. She would fall over and be fine until her dad gasped and came flying over to her asking if she was okay.

His panic drove her to cry more often than not. Which is why I was contemplating making him stay home for the duration of soccer practice, knowing he would lose his mind whenever she went down. I passed Millie over to him as I exited the bathroom, he peppered kisses on her cheek, making her squawk.

Billy followed me as I went into her bedroom, pulling out a pair of knee high socks with red bands around the top. I tossed them to him. He struggled to get her feet in them as she kicked fiercely, giggling the whole time.

“Hey! Save the kicking for practice, will yah?” He exclaimed.

“Mmm. No!” She cackled.

He rolled his eyes, flipping her upside down so her feet stuck up in the air,

“Teamwork!” Billy hollered, holding her legs still while I shoved the socks over her feet.

“That’s cheating!” Mille protested, crossing her arms as she hung upside down, her pigtails dangling.

He flipped her right side up again, throwing her over his shoulder.

Billy Hargrove had somehow straightened himself out since he was in high school. My suspicion was that it was entirely to do with getting away from Neil. Despite being flat broke, when he turned 18, he moved out and into an apartment down the street from my childhood home. We met when he came to my door when I was home from college on spring break. Without his mullet, he was nearly unrecognizable. If it hadn’t been for his signature smirk, I wouldn’t have known who it was.

“Oh, hey, Y/N.” He greeted, “Jeez, it’s been a couple years, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah. It has.” I replied, looking him up and down.

He and I never really got along in school. He relied too heavily on his fists to get his point across, though, despite that, he had never shown an ounce of hostility towards me.

“So, uh, what brings you here?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just…” He wavered, “Saw you and you got me all distracted.”

He blushed, drawing his lip between his teeth. I placed my hands on my hips, recognizing his flirtatious ways.

“I’ve been taking care of your parent’s lawn for a while. I just wanted to come over and see if they needed help with anything.”

“Oh, yeah. Uh… Come on in, I’ll go find my mom.” I told him, stepping aside so he could come in.

He studied the walls of the house, tucking his thumbs into his pockets as I trotted to the living room where mom sat with a book in her lap.

“Hey, mama.” I notified, “Billy’s here.”

“Oh, Billy!” She beamed, drawing herself from her seat.

She brushed past me, meeting him in the entryway and pulling him into a hug. I was taken aback by the gesture, especially as Billy gladly returned the hug.

“How have you been?” She sought, rubbing her hands up and down his biceps.

“Good! Good!” He smiled down at her.

“Got a girlfriend yet?” She asked, making his cheeks go red as he shook his head. Mom motioned over her shoulder to me, making my cheeks turn an equally dark shade of pink.

“She’s still single, and I want grandbabies.” She whispered, nudging him with her elbow.

“MOTHER!” I exclaimed.

“WHAT!?” She retorted, “YOU CAN’T WAIT FOREVER.”

“I’M ONLY 22!” I shouted back.

“I was 21 when I had you. Gotta use that uterus while it’s still good.”

“OKAY, HOW ABOUT WE STOP TALKING ABOUT THE EFFICIENCY OF MY UTERUS IN FRONT OF OUR GUEST?!”

Billy could hardly contain his amusement as he watched my mother and I stare each other down.

“Well. I don’t have any work for you to do yet. But, I have something to give you.”

She traveled into the kitchen, getting a pan out of the freezer and handing it over to him,

“Lasagna.” She told him, “I’m tired of seeing those takeout cars going down the street to your place every night. Eat some real food, will ya? I don’t know how you keep your gut with how you’ve been eating.” She jabbed him in the stomach.

Despite our awkward reunion, Billy somehow managed to overlook my mother’s constant talk about grandbabies long enough to ask me out on a date. To say I was reluctant would be an understatement, but the way my mother talked about him persuaded me. She insisted he was hardworking and kind. Told me an adorable story about how he found a bunny nest in the backyard and ended up taking the little creatures to a wildlife rescue.

But when I finally accepted his request, I saw what she was talking about. His rough edges had softened over the years. He even managed to come up with kind things to say about his stepmother and Max.

After I finished college, he proposed to me. And a couple weeks later we found out I was pregnant. Billy went into freak out mode, insisting that he was going to turn out just like his own father. I had to grab him by the face in the middle of him ranting to make him look at me,

“You are nothing like that bastard, do you understand me?” I hollered, “And if I had even an ounce of doubt about that, I wouldn’t be with you.”

He subdued for the next couple of months, only having another freak out once we figured out the gender. A baby girl.

“What- What am I supposed to do with a baby girl!?” He roared, pacing back in forth in the nursery, awkwardly stepping around deconstructed furniture.

“Babe. Chill. It’ll be okay.” I reassured, lounging on the recliner with a bag of bugle chips, supervising while he was supposed to be putting the crib together.

“No… No, no, no, no.” He stuttered, “Nope. No. I know how girls are, okay. She’s gonna fall in love with some asshole and get her heart broken.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his outburst, earning me a scowl.

“Billy, she’s not even as big as a softball yet, and you’re worried about her future boyfriends.”

I didn’t bother to look up at him, placing the chips over the ends of my fingers as he continued to pace around.

“I’m gonna run that asshole over in my car. Then I’m gonna end up in jail. I’m going to end up in jail and I can’t go to jail, I’m too pretty to go to jail!”

I rolled my eyes, holding my hands up with the bugels on the end and wiggling my fingers,

“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too.” I cackled, doing my best wicked witch of the west impression.

“HOW ARE YOU SO CALM WHEN I’M ABOUT TO GO TO PRISON FOR VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER!?”

“Actually, honey, it would be vehicular homicide, unless you do a good job and make it look like an accident.”

“I’m gonna go to jail.” He repeated.

I let out a sigh, throwing a bugel at him and hitting him on the cheek,

“The only person going to jail is me when I murder you for being irrationally worried about this.” I threatened, “And then you’ll be gone and I’ll have a baby in prison. And then she’ll have to go live with my mom.”

“Oh no.”

“And you know what my mom is gonna do to her?”

“Dress her up in those freaky doll outfits.” He gasped.

“Exactly.”

I pulled him down to sit beside me, resting my head on his shoulder and patting his chest reassuringly.

“What if she doesn’t like me?” He whispered, scarcely audible.

“What do you mean ‘if she doesn’t like you’?”

“I mean… I don’t know… I’m just…” He sputtered, “I don’t know. I’m kind of an asshole.”

“Yeah. I know you are. And I still let you knock me up.” I replied, finally getting a laugh from him, “She’s gonna love you. I know she is.”

He nodded,

“Got any name ideas?"

I shook my head,

“How about…. Joan? Or Bonnie?”

“WE ARE NOT NAMING OUR CHILD AFTER JOAN JETT OR BONNIE TYLER!” I screeched.

“WHO SAID THAT’S WHY I PICKED THOSE NAMES?” He defended with a gasp.

“Is that why you picked those names?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“What about Joni?” He offered, “Combo of Joan and Bonnie.”

I rolled my eyes,

“We’re not naming her after Joni Mitchell either.”

A few months later, we decided on the name Millicent, after his mom’s mother. And a few months after that, we got to meet Millie for the first time. She instantly took a liking to Billy, for a while him being the only one able to rock her to sleep. Literally. Rock her to sleep. He sang rock songs to her, and the only requirement on the song was that it had to have the word ‘rock’ in it.

“Here I am, rock you like a hurricane.”

“I love rock and roll, put another dime in the jukebox baby.”

“We will, we will rock you.”

“Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus, oh, oh, oh Amadeus, Come and rock me Amadeus.”

“I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day. I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day.”

He’d creep out of the room, shutting the door carefully behind him,

“You know, I really should start recording you when you do that because it’s disgustingly adorable.”

Despite my refusal to name my daughter after Joan Jett, Billy had taught Millie to love her and she now knew the words to most of her songs. They sang it in the car on the way to soccer, her tiny voice standing out against the chorus.

We pulled up to the park, watching other little girls in pigtails clamber out of their cars and run into the field, soccer balls tucked under their arms.

Millie was playing in the youngest league, only being three years old. Billy pulled her out of her car seat and carried her onto the grass. Once we reached the field, she squirmed to be put down. As soon as her cleated feet hit the grass, she took off running to the group of toddlers that was kicking the ball around before practice had even started.

“She’s too big now.” Billy lamented, coming up behind me and resting his head on my shoulder.

“Yeah, that’s what happens.” I sighed, watching her make quick friends with a girl who had matching socks with her.

We waved to her as she turned back around, giving us a thumbs up before returning to play. The coach finally rallied all the girls together, which was about as difficult as herding cats. Within a few minutes, she had them kicking the ball up and down the field. Billy had a grin plastered on his face. Until Millie fell, that is. She landed face first in the grass, dirt sticking to her cheeks as she looked up in horror. Billy let out a gasp, attempting to run towards the field. I snagged him by the back of his shirt, preventing him from going any further.

The girl that Millie was playing with earlier ran over to her, helping her to her feet. She brushed the mud off her face before hugging her. Not a single tear was shed on Millie’s part, the first time she’s fallen without Billy there to catch her.

“See. She’s fine.” I reassured, “She’s a strong girl.”

“Told you letting her listen to rock music would turn her into a badass.” He smirked.

I gave him a playful smack in the gut,

“Oh, please. You were closer to crying than she was and you’ve got 23 more years of rock music than her.”

“I guess she must take after her mama then.”

“Yeah. Uh-huh. Whatever, you big baby.”

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maxattack-powell · 7 years ago

Text

The Freshman 1-4

Book 1-4

Chapter 4: The All-Nighter

Masterlist - go here for other chapters and related original fics

Disclaimer: The following are fics (adaptations from actual game chapters AND original works) to Choices: The Freshman and The Sophomore stories. It is a fictional adaptation. I (we) do not work for Pixelberry Studios, the game developer or own the rights to the characters Chris Powell, Nicole or any other IN GAME character. All of the ORIGINAL characters, storylines and events were developed for my adaptation of The Freshman story.

Comments: I enjoyed playing Choices The Freshman… and then I found this awesome group of people and their works - I’ve loved it all, very much so. Deciding that I wanted more interaction than the options allowed, I’ve gone through the first book, chapter by chapter (omg painfully slow) to follow the story (95-99% I’d say) and add to it as I felt would benefit.

Basically, I wanted to include certain things that weren’t really full fic size worthy, adding to the story. However, I did add some full size fic moments also… some are included in cannon chapters, some are their own full chapters in between. I wanted to see MC and Chris through their freshman year… with more angst, fluff, sweetness, real life and overall detail. So, if you like that pairing then you’ll be satisfied, otherwise sorry James & Kaitlyn fans lol. I even added some parts from Chris’s POV, so that we have a chance to see what he’s thinking, knowing what she experienced.

There will be ADULT and/or NSFW moments in certain chapters - this is a warning lol. I will try my best to make it obvious as it occurs...

Paring: MC x Chris

POV: ~MC~ or ~Chris~

~MC~

-10:00 p.m.- MC sucks in a deep breath, blinking in such a way to stretch her face. Everything was taught from staring at the screen for hours. "Okay!” She suddenly claps her hands together, causing some of the roommates to jerk out of their typing immersion.

“Quick check-in… how many pages has everyone finished?" She looks around the room hopeful. Chris throws both hands up in the air, almost in a surrender, letting out a weary puff of air. "Eight!" "Twelve!" Zack about screeches next to her, clearly losing his mind from monotonous task. Abbie smiles bashfully. "Thirty!" "Thirty?!" Tyler’s mouth just falls open while he stares at her in awe. Abbie shrugs at him. "What can I say, I spend a lot of time online." She laughs, almost at herself. MC nods before looking at her computer. "Fifteen pages. Okay, time to concentrate and really do this!"

She types madly for another hour or so, this time getting to twenty pages. "At this rate I might actually get some sleep tonight!"

She keeps going for a while before checking her progress. Now she was at thirty pages, and a smile crosses her face. "I'm even giving Abbie a run for her money!" She laughs and tosses a crumpled paper ball at her friend who doesn't notice until it's too late. Chris appears then, looking over her shoulder to check on her progress. "Wow... you're getting a lot done." "Let's just say I'm highly motivated..." She shakes her head with a sanguine smile. Chris moves to sit next to her at the table as the others get up to stretch, giving them privacy by default. "And why's that?"

She turns thoughtful for a moment, her hands still on the keys. "I want to stay because of my friends.’ She looks up and over the room. “Look around... look at the way everyone is here helping me. I've never had friends like this before, and if I leave school... I'll lose them.” She pauses and gathers a little courage to continue. “And to be honest, because of you too. I..." She pauses again, chewing on her lip as she looks around the room again, lowering her voice even more. "I can't lose you Chris." Chris’s face falters, his emotions foggy and unclear. "MC, I... last night..." He takes a deep breath and looks around the room as well, noticing Kaitlyn and Abbie looking towards the two of them. He closes his eyes for a moment before continuing. "Don't worry. You're not going anywhere. We won't let that happen." He gives her hand a quick squeeze and gets up to leave. As he heads black to his laptop in the next room, Kaitlin and Abbie sidle up to MC. "Okay... time to dish. What's the latest on you and Chris?" Kaitlyn probes. "What are you talking about?" MC plays it off, trying to get back to the pages in front of her. "Don't play dumb. I know you two stayed behind last night..." Kaitlyn puts her hands on her hips, waiting. Abbie hisses at their persistent friend. "Stop pressuring her, Kaitlyn. They were probably just talking... Plus, MC would never be reckless enough to date someone in the house, right?" "To be honest... I don't even really know what's going on right now. It's like we have this… bond. Or understanding… or something. See, I don't even know what I’m trying to say. Chris and I have… something." She grimaces at the last sentence, not happy with her choice of words but unable to do any better. "I knew it! You two totally had a connection.. You work fast!" Kaitlyn jabs at MC playfully with her elbow. Abbie looks at them both with surprise. "I... I just hope you're careful. You heard him. He's not ready for a new relationship yet.” She crosses her arms. “And I just hope the suite can stay drama free." MC looks at her, contemplating her words. "I'm not so sure…” She runs her hand through her hair. “Anyway, we should get back to work." "You're the boss..." Kaitlyn gives a thumbs up and turns on her heels, heading for her laptop.

-Midnight- "Looks like we're ahead of schedule, we're almost a third of the way through!" MC tries not to get too excited, jinxing them all. Kaitlyn is in the kitchen, holding the coffee pot with a look of panic on her face. "But we just hit a serious emergency: the coffee maker is fried." Abbie quickly looks up from her keyboard, a look of dread on her face. "What?!" Tyler throws his hands up to his head, grabbing both sides of his hair. "Game over man! We're doomed!" Zack quickly stands up, an idea bursting to get out. "Not if I can help it! It just so happens that the campus coffee shop is only a short walk from our dorm. Even better, the barista is a total babe, his name is Brandon, and he basically looks like he was carved by Michelangelo…” The roommates laugh at his sudden focus shift. He walks over to MC, placing his laptop on the table next to hers. “Please, please come with me, MC! You can be my wing-girl! Plus, we'll get enough coffee to keep everyone awake and typing!" Tyler nods, eyes wide. "Yes, please go with him MC! We need that coffee... and if Zack goes on his own, he'll spend all night working up the courage to talk to Brandon and never make it back.” He shakes his head, knowing all too well he speaks the truth. Sensing he's right, MC agrees. "Alright, I'm in. Let's go, but we need to hurry. Everyone text me your order!” She shouts through the suite, hearing everyone confirm her request, even Chris yelling his thanks from his bedroom. "That's my girl!" Zack throws his arm around her shoulder and they take off, almost at a sprint across campus. A few minutes later... Zack falters as they enter the coffee shop. "I totally owe you one, MC. I know I talk a big game... but under all of this steely confidence is the heart of a tiny, scared mouse." He wrings his hands together nervously. "Somehow I have trouble believing that." She smirks at him. Zack's face suddenly changes to a look of shock blended with adoration. "There he is!" He whisper shouts at MC while shifting to put her between him and the barista.

A tall handsome man comes out from the back room, right towards the counter, taking a customer's order. MC notices his warm smile and soft brown hair as it almost conceals his eyes. He's trained it to part on one side and fan over his face, almost so he can hide behind it when needed. His broad chest fills out his sweater nicely, but she immediately notes how there would be no comparison if Chris was wearing the same sweater, seeing how he had twice the thickness throughout his upper body. Zack interrupts her musing of the male form, jerking her back to the present. "Just look at him. The hottest thing around here isn't the coffee." MC nods in agreement. "You're right. He is a hottie." Zack breathes out nervously. "Tell me something I don't know." He looks over at Brandon again, and she sees him swallow hard. "Ah! Panic is setting in! What if he's not into me? What if he's not even single?" He pinches the bridge of his nose, crushing his eyes close. "What if he isn't into guys?" "I guess... asking him would be a good start?" MC gives him an attentive smile and rubs his upper arm. "Great idea! I need you to go get some intel. I'll wait over at that table WAY over there!" Zack takes off, basically speed-walking to a table at the back of the shop. MC shakes her head as she reaches the front of the line, coming face to face with Brandon. Brandon gives her a genuine smile as she approaches the counter, glancing over towards Zack. "Everything okay? Your friend took off in a hurry..." "I think he just gets nervous..." MC admits, glimpsing his way briefly before turning back to Brandon. "I've seen him hanging out a few times. What's his story?" Brandon lowers his elbows down on the counter, resting his head in one hand while the other crosses to rest on his bicep. "Zack? He's the funniest guy you'll ever meet." She lets out a small laugh after thinking about the last 24 hours. Brandon straightens back up, away from the counter and shifts to get a better look past MC. He and Zack make eye contact and Zack quickly looks away at his phone, trying to hide the pink tinge growing across his cheeks. "So he's funny... and cute?" He smiles. "Oh yeah, and did I mention single?" She quickly adds. Brandon lightly laughs, his grin growing as his eyebrows lifts with interest. "Now you did." "That actually reminds me of something I wanted to ask you... are you seeing anyone?" MC smashes her smile to a thin line, her face still showing delight as she waits for a response, hoping she wasn't too forward with the barista. He smirks and slowly wipes the counter down, looking up at her under his bangs. "Somehow, I don't think you're the one who wants to ask me that.” He nods in Zack's direction. “You can tell your friend that he should come talk to me himself... and that I'm into shy guys." He winks at her before taking down her coffee order. She heads back to the table where Zack is anxiously perched on the end of his chair. "So... what did he say?" "Sounds like he's actually married to a really nice girl..." MC sighs dramatically, a somber look on her face. Zack, losing his composure, let's his mouth fall open. "What?! Am I that oblivious?" His brow creases deeply and he begins to frown, contemplating. MC suddenly feels bad at her horrible attempt at a joke. "Relax! I'm just kidding!" She grabs his shoulder and shakes him out of his gloom. "He seems into you, you should go talk to him." His face starts to brighten, weight lifting from his shoulders. They sit there for another minute as he builds up his courage, finally walking over to Brandon. They both shyly smile at each other and strike up a conversation. MC turns her attention to her phone, sending a text to their suitemates, letting them know they have the requested caffeine and are about to be on their way back. Zack comes back towards their table after a few minutes, an uncertain look crossing his face.

She gives him a small smile, hopeful for her friend. "So... how did it go?" "Terrible." He sighs and sits down across from her. She blinks and shakes her head in disbelief. "Really?! You guys are chatting for like... what, ten minutes?" Zack closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Yeah... and then I ordered another coffee and said goodbye. I didn't even get his number!" He groans and rubs his eyes with the palm of his hands. MC then notices something off about Zack's new coffee cup and points to it, redirecting his attention. "Wait a second... look at your cup!" Zack peers through his fingers at her, confused for a millisecond before his eyes go wide. He starts spinning his coffee cup until he can see the bold writing. "Brandon wrote his number!" He almost shrieks before silencing himself quickly. MC smiles as she reads the entire message. "And a winky face!"

Zack throws his arms around her, somewhat lunging across the table, almost knocking all the coffee cups onto the floor. Startled, MC quickly grabs the cup carrier and laughs, patting him on the back with her free hand. "Best. Wing girl. Ever." He let's go and gives her an infectious smile. "I'm never leaving home without you again."

They both get up to leave, Zack glancing one last time over his shoulder towards the counter. Brandon was already looking at him, giving him a smile, causing Zack to blush and give a bashful smile in return, before quickening his steps towards the door. MC was close behind, giving Brandon a quick wave as she joins Zack outside. When they arrive back at the suite they hand out everyone's order. "...and here's a double-espresso for my favorite football star." Zack begins walking towards Chris who just came back into the main living space. Tyler suddenly stands up and places his hand on his chest. "I assume you're talking about me." He gives an exhausted but genuine laugh. "Very funny." Chris moves next to Tyler and gives him a small shoulder check, causing Tyler to take a step to keep his footing, fortunately still grinning. "Now hand over that cup. I can barely keep my eyes open." He gives MC a very weary smile. Zack leans in towards MC. "By the way, I owe you big time. Anytime you need a wingman, I'm at your disposal." MC glances at Chris briefly as he and Tyler joke around while drinking their coffee. "I may take you up on that. But for now, what I really need is for you to type your heart out." She turns towards everyone else who has congregated in the center of the living room. "Let's keep pushing everyone!"

-4:00 a.m.- MC gets up from her laptop and heads to the kitchen for a quick break, unaware of its current occupant until she finds herself alone with Chris. His back is towards her as he leans down, returning the juice to the fridge. He stands and turns towards her, shutting the door, still not seeing her. He doesn't outright jump, but he does slightly startle at the new presence in the kitchen once he does. Chris looks tired, but he immediately warms to her as he moves a little closer. "Hey..." He fidgets with the hand towel on the counter. "We haven't really had a chance to talk about last night." With the day she’s had, she had not really thought about it actually, having almost no down time. Her second day had flown by so fast, that last night about felt like a week ago. She took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts through the growing awkwardness. "Yeah... that was really... nice." She laughs nervously, her smile laced with exhaustion. A faint red flush had began building up his neck towards his cheeks, framing in his tender smile. His one hand still tightly clenching the kitchen towel as his other finds itself running through his hair, grabbing at the nape of his neck.

MC smiles then, noticing his anxious habit, really starting to find it adorable. "Yeah it was. I... I don't usually do stuff like that." He flashes a toothy smile, looking into her eyes, causing her pulse to liven.

Worried about his meaning, MC struggles to get her response out. "Oh, me neither! I mean I..." She grasps for the rest of the sentence, coming up empty. "Don't worry. I know." He looks down at her hands, studying them as they firmly hold one another. "I guess the bigger question is... what happens now?" His face turns semi-serious, smile mostly gone, but enough remains to make her feel alert. "Chris..." She bites at her bottom lip, causing his eyes to move down from her eyes to her lips. "I think there's something special between us." "So do I..." Chris gives her a small sideways smile before sighing and breaking her gaze to look at the towel he was now crushing in his hand. "I just..." He closes his eyes and continues. "I promised myself I wouldn't do this... that I wouldn't get serious with someone again, and..." His other hand goes back up, gripping his traps in frustration. MC feels bad for him then as she feels the pain radiating from his person. "Listen." She moves closer, closing the space between them. She places her hand on his, currently gripping the towel so hard his knuckles were white. "Don't stress about it."

He opens his eyes, meeting hers, the struggle clearly evident there as he searches her face.

"I'm not even sure if I'll be able to stay in school at this point. It doesn't exactly seem like the right time for a 'Define the Relationship' talk..." A small frown crosses her lips as she steps back, removing her hand from his. Chris stares at his exposed hand for a few moments longer and she worries that she just ruined her chance with him. He clears his throat and swallows. "Sure. I uh... I understand." He lets go of he towel and shoves his hands into his jean pockets, visibly turning in on himself. "I mean, it's like I said before... after everything that happened with Nichole, I'm pretty confused." His eyes darken and turn into narrow slits as he focuses on the counter. MC steps closer again, not willing to let her true feelings be pushed down this time. "Chris, I..." She leans forward, placing a hand on his chest, before looking up slowly into his dejected eyes. "I really do care about you." His face begins to lighten up as he peers deeply into her eyes. "Let's just say we are both... exploring our options." He covers her hand with his, keeping against his warm, muscular chest. "But hopefully, once things settle down for you, we can talk about this a little more." He gives her hand a firm squeeze and she feels his heart beat against her palm. "Sounds like a plan..." She replies wistfully. "Well, great. I, uh, better get back to work." He lowers her hand from his chest, holding it briefly as he begins to walk past her. "Talk to you soon..." She says in a tired voice. MC swears she feels a slight squeeze again, before his warmth was gone as he leaves the kitchen. Just as Chris disappears, Zack manifests in his place, immediately noticing the expression on MC's face. "Hey... everything okay?" She forces herself to perk up instantly, throwing a huge smile across her face. "Yep! Just, uh... psyching myself up to get back to work." He pats her on the back enthusiastically. "Right on! Time for one last push!"

-7:30 a.m.- Staring at the screen in disbelief, MC shakes her head. "That's…” She lets out a huff, “...that's the last page!" Kaitlyn throws her hands up and topples backwards off the couch. "We did it!" Zack jumps up and reaches out triumphantly. "Group hug!" Abbie sighs, but gives a weak smile. "Okay, one hug. Then I'm headed to bed.”

Zack grabs at everyone as they all converge in the living room briefly. Everyone but Kaitlyn heads towards their rooms, as she decides to pass out on the couch instead.

Abbie looks at MC calmly. “Good luck, MC. I hope you get to stay." "Me too..." She waves at them all, her anxiety beginning to build. She packs her laptop and a few thumb drives as backup, before she heads to the door. Quickly tossing some shoes on she moves across campus as fast as her exhausted body will let her. A few minutes later, she arrives at Vasquez's office. She walks in and finds him there already. MC just knew he would be there first thing, so she let out a huge breath of air, glad she made herself hustle to his office. She doesn't say a word as she opens her laptop, placing it on his desk and turning it to him.

"Let's see here... better spot check a couple of scenes... no typos so far..." He suddenly looks impressed, pursing his lips together, almost as if he was fighting a smile. "Congratulations... you completed your task. The manuscript looks... adequate." "Adequate?" She forcefully lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "What do you want? A gold star for finishing a basic assignment?" He raises an eyebrow at her, begging for her retort. "Actually... you should be way more grateful. Not only did I work all night... but so did my friends." The irritation was apparent in her tone as she ended her statement. "The least I deserve is a 'Thank you'!" Professor Vasquez sneers at her. “If you want a thank you, go volunteer. This is a job." His expression softens. "But then... I guess you're entitled attitude is why I hired you." His eyes narrow and he looks at her as a whole. "You see... my new book is centered on a group of freshmen students in the modern age... and I need firsthand account of what it's like to live that life."

He smiles then, causing MC to feel her unease begin to build. "Your actual first assignment is to write a detailed summary of everything that happened last night. Was there any drama? How did your friends react when you ensnared them in my little test?" Realization hit MC like a brick house. Her face reflects her anger now, eyebrows drawn down sharply as her mouth pulls tight. "Wait... are you saying that the whole 'Type up a 1,000 page novel' thing was just..." She waved her arms in-between them to enunciate her words. "...a test?!" Apparently the professor doesn't appreciate her attitude and matches her look with his own. "Of course it was! Now start writing out the details of the experience. And when you're done with that, I've got your next assignment ready... one of the characters in my book is a football player. I'll need you to go find it what that's like with some firsthand research." "I... I do have one friend who's a football player, but..." She hesitantly begins, not liking the idea of dragging Chris into her assignment drama. "But nothing! I need you to go talk to him in-depth about his life." MC looks down at her feet in disbelief at the new request, beginning to speak, mostly to herself. "After the talk I had with Chris last night, I..." She doesn't even get to finish her thought. "Less complaining. More working. Get to it!" He snaps his fingers at her, turning away from her and back to his work.

#chris x mc #thefreshman #The Freshman #thesophomore #choices #choicestoriesyouplay #pixelberry #Chris Powell #Christopher Powell #choices stories you play #playchoices #TheFreshmanChronicles #tf/ts/tj #choices the freshman #choices the sophomore #choices the junior #choices the senior

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