#gotta be honest i went for the blue/purple aesthetic | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

horrorstoryfanfics · 4 years ago

Text

Summer To Remember: Part Two

Xavier is so sweet and I feel like he just cares a lot about the people around him. Like especially when he was defending Brooke at the campfire. I feel like he would instantly feel the need to care for you too.

Okay I’m sorry he makes me soft.

Warnings: Drug use, swearing, mentions of death, the normal AHS warnings.

Part One

We started at the lake, stopping right in front of the docks. Mom droning on about the rules and what we had, stopping lastly on how drowning was the main cause of death. I was completely uninterested until a certain voice chimed in.

"What's second?" He challenged, eyeing my mother.

She didn't say anything as she scolded him with her eyes.

"People." I teased back with a smirk. His lips twisted up as he raised his eyebrows to me, looking back at his friends.

I didn't see the way Mom scoffed as she walked away, but it was only a matter of time until she realized I had the hots for the new counselor.

We all made our way down the path and over to the Dining Hall. Bertie was unloading food and supplies out of the back of a truck.

"And this is Chef Bertie, a Camp Redwood veteran." Mom said proudly.

Bertie smiled as she took the cigarette from her lips.

Xavier casually leaned against the truck. "Dibs," he joked motioning to her and looking over at Ray as he laughed.

Bertie looked over at him laughing slightly, "You wouldn't know what to do with it if you got it, handsome."

Ray, Chet and I started laughing as Xavier was completely taken aback. The shock written on his chiseled features.

"Put those scrawny arms to work and help the lady fill her pantry." She shoved a box into his arms. He took it without a word. "All of you, grab a crate." She rested on the back of the truck and finished her cigarette as we all went to work helping unload the back of the truck.

Ray was still laughing to himself, Xavier bumped him with his crate. "It's not that funny." He sneered.

"Actually it was," I interjected, walking past both of the boys and putting the crate down, bending flirtatiously. "It's what you get for calling dibs on the wrong girl." I winked and brushed my hands off while I walked back out to grab another.

Both boys almost dropped their crates along with their jaws. Xavier's mind was racing but he wasn't quick enough to come up with something else to say.

"Chef Bertie worked here when I was a counselor," My mother said as she stood and supervised us, of course not lifting a finger. "We are so blessed to have her with us."

"I have many good memories of this place," Bertie chimed in, "It's magic up here in the fresh air." She took another hit, "I'm sorry that one bad apple ruined it for everyone."

Everyone stopped and gathered around once again. They clearly tensed up at the slight mention of what happened here.

"The minute I heard Margaret was reopening this place, I was first to volunteer." She raised her hand lightly, then looked over at me, "Well second."

I rolled my eyes, "Hey I had too, what kind of daughter would I be if I didn't." I shrugged.

"A pretty shitty one," Xavier joked behind me, "But lucky me you aren't."

I turned around quickly almost nose to nose with him, smiling. "You aren't lucky yet." I gently pushed his sunglasses back up his nose with my finger.

"Okay!" My Mom clapped, "Let's continue our tour."

I smiled at him once again before following her over to the showers.

"Girls shower in the a.m.,boys in the p.m. Same goes for counselors too." She didn't look back as she walked through and waited for us outside.

Xavier turned over to me feigning a fake look of disappointment,"Guess I won't be able to help you rinse and repeat babe."

"I didn't take you for someone who follows rules, what a pitty." I pouted teasingly as I crossed my arms.

He pushed his tongue in his cheek before he laughed lightly, shaking his head.

Everyone was clearly disappointed as they looked through the barren wooden outdoor room. There was no ceiling and not even any stalls. We walked through quickly and eventually made it back to the girls cabin and then the boys.

"Girls are red, boys are blue. Don't even try to make purple." She stated as we made our way back out.

I rolled my eyes, feeling another sexual spiel coming on.

"You expect us to be celibate all summer?" Chet asked, not really believing that she was serious.

"Well I'm not banning self-abuse. Although every stroke soils your soul." She said in disgust. "But how could I ever enforce it?" She threw her hands up in defeat.

"It's 1984, Margaret. They're building coed showers in the West Hollywood gym. You ever hear of the sexual revolution?" He looked over to me momentarily, "Sex won." He said matter of factly as him and Ray fist bumped.

"I am aware of the decadence of our era. Women's underwear that shows the buttocks."

"Here we go." I mumbled, crossing my arms and throwing my head back against the cabin door.

"Pornography in your own home," She continued on, "Van Halen."

Montana furrowed her brows and looked over to me, I just gave her a "Ignore her" look.

"I have been fighting the Lord's fight against filth around the world for years. Charles Keating is a dear friend. I was right by his side in Cincinnati during that Larry Flynt trial. And that is why, while still grieving my sweet husband Walter's untimely death, I took a small portion of the large fortune he left to me to buy this camp."

I tensed up at the mention of dad. While it had been years since his death it wasn't something I talked about openly. I shifted my weight and squeezed my arms tightly. It was also something that Mom and I never really talked about together

"I wanted to create a safe, pure, godly and decent place for the children of this country to escape for the summer. It is a dream come true. Now, there aren't many rules but I expect each and every one of you to follow them without exception." Once she finished her monologue she stormed away.

I rolled my eyes yet again, "Don't listen to her." I said. They all looked overwhelmed with how passionate and forceful her attitude was. Unfortunately it's something I've just endured and gotten used to.

"Who's Charles Keating?" Chet asked abruptly.

"He was against porn." I patted his shoulder as I walked away, heading back into the main part of the camp.

The sun was starting to set as the hue of the camp changed to a darker one. The eeiry scene growing once again onto the grounds.

Once everyone brought their bags and things to their respected cabin it was unanimous that we should build a fire. Brooke being overly excited to roast marshmallows and everyone else just excited to get the aesthetic of summer camp started.

There was a fire pit already with logs circled around it, creating a nice seating area. Chet grabbed the wood and threw it in while Ray lit it up. I sat down on a log by myself.

Brooke dug into the marshmallows as soon as Rita brought them over, stabbing them on the end of her stick and happily waiting for it to roast.

I felt the weight of the log shift as someone sat down beside me. I looked over with the corner of my eye to find Xavier giving me his infamous smirk, clearly teasing me again as he scooted closer, our thighs touching gently.

Chet lit up a blunt as Rita swatted at the mosquitoes and bugs that decided to swarm around us now. He passed it over to Ray who took a hit, and then Ray over to Rita.

"I don't smoke that funny weed," She said as she declined his offer, "The only thing I put in my lungs is a Marlboro Red," She smirked as she lit up a cigarette and huffed at it lightly.

"You know that shit will kill ya," Xavier stated.

"We all gotta die somehow," Rita stated quickly. "Any of you ever been camp councilors before?"

We all shook our heads, some stated their no's audibly.

"We just had to get out of LA." Ray said.

"I hear that, I couldn't be in that city another minute with all those gruesome murders going on." Rita stated.

The blunt made it over to me, I took a hit and turned to Xavier. He seemed impressed with the fact I did it.

"Do you want it or not?" I shook it lightly as he just stared at me, the fire crackling in the distance and Brooke talking about how she was attacked by the Night Stalker.

He took it from me quickly, our hands momentarily touching. "Just didn't know that Mommy's good little Christian girl was such a rebel." Half of his face was illuminated by the fire as he smirked down at me.

"Yeah?" I leaned in closely, "There's a lot you don't know about me." I whispered as my eyes trailed down his face, stopping on his lips. I leaned back and directed my attention back to the conversation. Not noticing the hunger in his eyes as our game of cat and mouse got a little more interesting.

"24 years ago. That's when they closed this place down." Rita was about to start telling the story of the massacre.

"Rita," Xavier groaned, "I understand the tradition, and usually I'm cool with that, but our friend Brooke here had a for-real assault, and we're just not in the mood for a bullshit ghost story." He passed the blunt over to Montana.

I looked over to Brooke who was no longer roasting marshmallows, who looked absolutely scared to death.

"It's not bullshit. And there was no ghost," Rita went on, "I'll be honest with you. I've never been a nurse at a camp before and you've never been councilors. So how did we get these jobs?" We all paused listening to her, "That's because anybody that knows what happened here, doesn't want to be here. This is the site of the worst Camp massacre of all time."

I looked down as I remembered the story my Mom told me, about how she barely survived and the reason she doesn't have her ear. Xavier felt me stiffen as he scooted closer, letting me know he was here. "Come on Rita.." His voice grew in annoyance at the fact she kept going.

"His name was Benjamin Richter but most call him Mr.Jingles." She stood up for dramatic effect, "Richter was drafted into the Vietnam War and he found his calling. He had the highest kill rate in his company. He had a nasty habit of collecting trophies from his enemies. Cutting off their ears and cutting them into a necklace."

"Jesus Christ Rita," I snapped, "If my Mom hears you talking about this she's going to lose her shit." My fist clenched remembering how hurt she was whenever she would be reminded of that horrible night. Xavier looked at me with concern, putting his hand over mine in an attempt to calm me down. I just looked over at him, not really wanting Rita to continue in the fear it would set Mom off.

Rita just shrugged as she continued on, "The only job he could get was here, nobody knows why he snapped...but one night he took a knife and slaughters an entire cabin. Ten victims in all."

"You're wrong," a voice chimed in. We all looked over and saw my Mom approaching the fire slowly everyone grew still at her appearance and Xavier's hand left mine. "Alcohol is not allowed," she took the flask from Ray's hand and poured it onto the dirt, "Neither are those funny smelling cigarettes." She looked over to Chet who had it dangling limply in his fingertips.

"So nothing happened here?" Xavier asked, confused.

"No, there was a massacre here. But only nine died not ten." She walked just in front of the fire, where everyone could see her.

"So Mr.Jingles is real?!" Brooke asked, her voice rose with fear.

Mom didn't say anything as she turned her head to the side and moved her hair, revealing the spot where her left ear should be, but isn't. Brooke gasped while looking away, seeming like she was going to hurl.

Xavier's brows were furrowed as he looked from my mom to me, trying to make sure I was okay. I didn't say anything as she continued on with the story I'd heard only once before. She sat on an empty log as she began to go into detail of the events she went through.

"And I thought that will be the end of it," She recalls the trial, "But I can't escape him. And that's why I bought this camp. To reopen it and take all of my darkest memories and make them into something bright."

"Duddee..." Chet shakes his head, "That's heavy."

Xavier's hand graced over mine again as his eyes scanned my face. He wasn't ready for all of this heavy backstory, he didn't even know that any of this happened. Let alone that it followed you your whole life.

Mom dusted off her shorts as she stood, "Alright well, we have a lot to do with the kids coming in two days. And this is the last time I want anyone talking about that horrible night." She walked away into the night as everyone sat still, horrified.

Everyone eventually got up, except for Xavier and I who just sat there a bit longer.

"Are you okay?" He asked, genuine concern gracing his features.

It made my heart tinge how caring he appeared to be. I just gave him a reassuring smile as I nodded my head, "Yeah, I'm good."

He smiled back lightly and stood up, reaching his hand out to me. "Then let's go inside before we catch our death."

I took his hand as I got to my feet, hesitating to let go once I got up. Eventually I did and we headed back up to the girls cabin.

Next Part

Tags: @felicityofbakerstreet

38 notes · View notes

rubylove-21 · 5 years ago

Text

Whales - Minhyuk fluff

Minhyuk’s dorm always felt like a second home to you. The members were all so welcoming to you and he was the sweetest boyfriend in the world . You were on your way to his dorm with a bottle of red wine in your bag. He was very tired recently due to promotions and practices so it didn’t surprise you when he asked if you could spend your two year anniversary in the dorms while the members were away.

You arrived at the dorms and knocked on the door. it opened seconds later showing a well dressed jooheon. “Oh. Hey Honey. Minhyuk said you wouldn’t be here” you say to him. “ Yeah. Me and hyungwon are going to visit Kyun in his studio. Seeing as your boyfriend requested an empty dorm . “ jooheon replyed , hyungwon coming over behind him.

They both got into jooheons car and drove off. You walk into the dorms , making your way upstairs to your boyfriends room. You knock lightly on the door and you hear a soft “come in” from the other side. Walking in you are greeted by the smell of vanilla. The room was dimly lit by candles and the string of LED lights that hung from the walls.

His bed was newly made, soft cream sheets with delicate purple swirl designs adorning the fabric. 3 dark blue whale plushies rested on the pillows as your boyfriend sat at his desk, typing away on his laptop. You walk slowly over to him as you see him writing up something for his college course. Putting your bag on his bed, you place your hands on his shoulders.

He turned his head briefly before going back to his work. “Just give me a minute baby, i gotta finish this.” he speaks softly. You kiss the top of his head and go downstairs to get 2 wine glasses. You put the glasses on his desk and started filling them with the wine from your bag. Pushing one over to him, you smile causing him to smile back. He hits save and closes his computer, full attention on you now as he stands up, engulfing you in a hug.

“I missed you baby. So much.” he says, combing his fingers through your hair. You took in the smell of coffee that came from him. You smile into his neck, leaving light kisses on his Adams apple as minhyuk began to kiss the top of your head. You pulled away and took in his outfit. A dark grey turtleneck matched with denim jeans. His fluffy, chestnut hair fell perfectly onto his pale face. He smiled at you.

You took his hand and led him to his bed. Both of you got under the duvet and leaned in towards one another. You felt something uncomfortable behind you head. Reaching back, you pull out one of his whale plushies. "ah hello" you giggle looking at the plushie in your hand. Minhyuk giggled to. "sorry. I've been meaning to put them away." he laughed and took the other two from behind his head, putting them on the floor.

"nooooo" you whine, picking the two back up "they're cute". Minhyuk only smiles and puts his arm around you, allowing you to lean onto his chest. "what do you wanna watch? Spirited away?" he asks. "yes yes yes" you reply, exitedly. Minhyuk only chuckles, muttering a small "cute".

He flicks the remote to bring up netflix and then searches for the movie. "the wine!" you say, getting up and walking to his desk. You take the two glasses off the desk and return to the bed, where your boyfriend reaches for a bag of popcorn and some minstrels. You hand him his wine glass and sit back down.

He hits play while bringing his arm around you once more, placing a soft kiss on your cheek. You turn to him kissing him again, him deepening the kiss. Before it got too sexual you stopped and looked at him. "I love you" you said. "I love you more" he replies and kisses your nose.

It was night's like these that you cherished the most. Tonight, was your anniversary and was more special but, if you were honest, every night with minhyuk was special. Between the smells, the aesthetic couple photos and kisses, he truly made you feel loved.

You both watched the movie, laughing and giggling, occasionally bringing up memories while eating all the food and drinking 3 bottles of wine. Tipsy was an understatement. You were drunk as hell and so was he. Laughing at nothing, random make out sessions and eventually you collapsed onto his chest in a peaceful slumber.

**********

You woke up feeling two strong arms around your body and a pounding sensation in your head. "fuck... How much did we drink last night?" you groan. " 3 bottles of wine" minhyuk chuckled, his raspy morning voice present. You turn over to take in his features. His brown, styled hair was messy, his Hazel eyes twinkied while looking into your eyes, his plump red lips were swollen from the make out session that took place hours before. He had managed to get out of his turtleneck and jeans, wearing only his black boxer shorts. His rolex was still on his arm and a single gold chain hung from his neck.

"You're perfect" you smile looking at him. "says you? You are practically a model Emily!" he laughed. You laughed too. He went to kiss you but you pushed him away. "ewwwww morning breath" you groan. He only laughs. "maybe I'm not so perfect so" he says sticking his tounge out at you, you did the same back to him. "maybe we aren't perfect.... But this relationship is" you smile and cuddle into his chest. He places a kiss on your head

" I think you are right, my love"

#Monsta x #Monsta x fluff #minhyuk monsta x #monsta x reactions #monsta x #monsta x angst #minhyuk angst #minhyuk fluff #minhyuk smut #minhyuk

58 notes · View notes

axther · 5 years ago

Text

the dead things we carry

in the end, it’s all dust to dust.

oc x reader

warnings: blood, lovecraftian horror, swearing

To live is to suffer.

That was what Fredrich Nietzsche said, anyway. But mortal opinions were not what Gazadrdiel brought himself to be part of. He had one job, one fate, and one opinion alone.

Watch the child.

The child in question, a female by the name of YN LN, was not quite a child anymore. She had grown and persisted for almost eighteen years under Gazadrdiel’s watchful eye and created her own thoughts, despite the hive mind that Gazadrdiel always observed in humans. Though, he couldn’t truly expect her to have a mind like humans. Not when she wasn’t one.

Gazadrdiel glanced down at the young woman, watching her murmur over her phone. He couldn’t care less who she was talking to; merely that she stayed out of harm’s way. Two others were at her side. One was a human girl, with a pep in her step and hair she had dyed half pink, half blue. She was pastel aesthetics from head to toe, and she seemed to flit from one sight to the other with wide brown eyes.

Speaking of sights, the other one was a boy. He was by no means human, with a writhing tattoo that crawled over his skin like black tentacles, but he kept the guise with black hair and blue eyes. He glared at anyone that so much as glanced at the quartet before looking over YN’s shoulder at her phone.

“Yo, Gaz.” YN didn’t look up at him but fiddled with a headphone in one ear. She leaned into the mic like she was on the phone. “D’ulli’s supposed to be around here, right?”

“Supposedly.” Gazadrdiel floated upside down, letting his snowy wings flop down like dead fish. Mortals couldn’t see him, but the boy stifled a laugh when he turned like a rotisserie chicken. “Chances are, she’d notice Nikolai first, then you. Mates, you know.” Gazadrdiel couldn’t care less, but a quelled, laughing joy rose in him when YN pointed a finger into her mouth and gagged.

“Hets. So disturbing.” YN shook her head and Nikolai stifled another laugh with his hand while looking away.

“Hey!” The girl turned around while walking with a light glare. “We are not disturbing! We’ve actually got an incredibly diverse culture, and we…” She rambled off, crossing her arms and turning around again before she could see YN and Nikolai exchange a look.

“Why is she here, again?” YN pulled the mic up again but Gazadrdiel heard her clearly. He shrugged.

“Mandatory human presence.”

YN gave the girl’s back a disgusted look before dropping it. “Why does she even act like that? It’s gotta be something that I don’t have…”

“Extra brain cells. She doesn’t know what to do with them.” Nikolai gave a short huff before fondling his hair, making the mess flop in front of his left eye. YN looked at him with confusion.

“You gotta stop doing that. You look like...I dunno, a cringy Gerard Way? We’re in twenty-twenty, dude. We have better taste than that.”

“My taste is better than that. It’s my style.” He stuck out his tongue.

“You don’t even look like you should have that hair. You dress like you should be an e-boy or something.” YN pulled at a lock of Nikolai’s hair before he swatted her hand away.

“She’s got a point.” Gazadrdiel raised a relenting eyebrow. Nikolai huffed before looking off to the side. YN dropped the mic and went back to looking over her phone, texting someone that Gazadrdiel didn’t care to check. His eyes drifted over to the girl herself, watching the same black tattoo as Nikolai’s crawl around her neck and shift like a snake. It remained just under the ponytail she had, enough that it was out of eyesight, but with Gazadrdiel floating above her, it was clear within his sight.

The guardian remembered back to the first time that he truly met YN. It was her thirteenth birthday, she had just been considered ‘of age’, and Gazadrdiel had been ordered to inform her of her status.

“You’re not human.”

Thirteen-year-old YN stared up at Gazadrdiel with wide, confused eyes. Her hair fell into her eyes and she was on her bed, playing with a stray feather from Gazadrdiel’s wings. Her shyness gave way to her confusion and awe.

“What?”

“You are not human. You are one of an elite race of remote, ancient entities that oversee the lives of humans.”

“Like...God?” YN looked from Gazadrdiel to the feather, and back. “Are you my guardian angel?”

“If it’s easier for you to think that way, then yes.”

“If my dad’s God-”

“Not God. There is not one god. Not here.”

YN faltered. “Why am I here?” Her brow was furrowed with confusion and sadness that no child should feel. “Where is here?”

“Earth. You are here because your father, Azyrre of the stars and sky, is the eldest and most superior of the Ionians. Your parent’s best friends, Xothrith’ri of the mountain and Vhozi of the trees, decided to send you here because of the unparalleled risk and power you represent, and the fact that your father’s old lover has and will attempt to kill you using their child, who killed the Ionian of the tides, Z’undi.” Gazadrdiel nodded, like he was checking off a list, eyes half-lidded with his white eyelashes getting in the way of his slitted eyes. YN had a mixed look of disgust and confusion, with one side of her nose tilted up.

“So...some lady-”

“We can’t really say Iuhxyu’s a female, to be honest. It gets confusing with all the tentacles.”

“Decided to send their kid-”

“N’ikicite of the fire.”

“After me, who killed my...mom?”

“Again, genders aren’t really a thing with the Ionians, but essentially.”

YN groaned and covered her eyes. She flopped onto her back and the plush comforter puffed around her, sending a teddy bear to the ground. Gazadrdiel leaned over and picked it up, letting his tanned fingers barely trace over a beady black eyeball before placing it gently at YN’s feet.

“I’ve been instructed to watch over you. Since your father is so…” Gazadrdiel waved his hands a bit, trying to find the right words. “Elite amongst the Ionians, and with Iuhxyu deciding to prove their dedication to your father through killing you, there are many enemies after you. And that’s where I’ve been instructed to come in.”

YN said nothing but brought up a pillow to her face. Gazadrdiel sat at the edge of her bed, letting his bare feet touch the carpet with a grimace. He shelved it, though, seeing as the child in front of him was having a breakdown.

“Amongst Ionians, you are Angyosz of the moon. You are a living legend, for having avoided Iuhxyu for so long.” He paused. “You can thank me for that.”

YN said nothing for a moment, before moving the pillow so one eye peered at Gazadrdiel.

“Who are you?”

Gazadrdiel hesitated. “I am Gazadrdiel, subservient of the ridge.”

“Gazadriel?”

“Gazadrdiel.”

“Gazadriel.”

“Gazadrdiel.” Gazadrdiel huffed, wrinkling his nose. “Gaz.”

“Gaz it is.” YN moved the pillow back across her whole face. “How come we look normal? Except for your...wings.”

“Earth cannot contain our true forms.” Gazadrdiel hummed. “Mortals cannot see me, and you haven’t decided your true form yet. So you copy everyone else off of instinct.”

“Instinct?” The shocked cry was muffled until YN threw the pillow off and sat straight up. “Wait, this isn’t what I really look like?”

“Nope,” Gazadrdiel popped the ‘p’. “No one will know what you look like until you turn eighteen.”

“Ugh,” YN fell back onto the pillows. “And I gotta deal with a kid after me, too.”

“Not quite.” Gazadrdiel stood and walked over to YN’s desk, picking up a book with a phoenix on the cover. “You’ve already got that covered.”

“Huh? Wait, how?”

“Nikolai. Nikolai Volatire.”

“Wait, Nicky?” YN tittered. “No way he’s tryna kill me! Unless he, like, killed the kid or something...”

“You’ve managed to befriend N’ikicite.” Gazadrdiel put the book down. “How, I have no idea, but you have. And he’s no longer hunting you.”

“Wow. How many other…?” YN looked directly at Gazadrdiel for the first time since he first appeared in her room.

“Many. Earth is essentially a nursery. They all should theoretically kneel to you, but there’s no one to stop them from slitting your throat. So it’s best that you find the local ones and befriend them.”

“You guys are twisted.” YN wrinkled her nose but hopped out of her bed. “How am I supposed to find others like me?”

Gazadrdiel shrugged. “You think up of a way. Humans made the internet. Use that.”

YN gave him a half-hearted glare before nodding.

“Alright.” YN paused, looking at her hands before looking back up at Gazadrdiel. “What are we called?”

Gazadrdiel looked at her with surprise, honestly having not expected her to ask. He closed his eyes with a soft smile.

“Hionera. The Ionian youth are called the Hionera.”

“You think that’s her?”

YN’s voice snapped Gazadrdiel out of his thoughts and he glanced down at her. She was looking intently at something across the street, and Nikolai stopped playing a game on YN’s phone to look up. The other girl had been walking in her own little world and ignored when YN pointed across the street, into a little cafe.

Indeed, there was someone there. She was a young woman, in a sleek black dress with red hair that oozed maturity. There was a squad of humans around her, chattering loudly and trying to get attention. More than one man was leaning across the table, talking in hopes she would lend her ear. People that passed by did double takes and some tried to discreetly pull out their phones and take pictures. Like she was struck, she stiffened and turned her head ever so slowly and discreetly over to where YN, Nikolai, Gaz, and the girl were. Her eyes, a vivid purple, lowered slightly, and it was clear that she had zeroed in on Nikolai. She looked him up and down before licking her top lip, slightly. Nikolai flushed, played with his hair a bit more, and took back YN’s phone.

“Oh, yeah.” Nikolai looked back down at his game. “That’s gotta be her.”

“Hehhh.” YN let her chuckle drone. “Gaz, you were right.”

“Naturally,” Gazadrdiel hummed.

“Should we send Nicky to the wolves?” YN gave a malicious but animated chuckle when Nikolai snapped his head up with a furious flush.

“Don’t call me Nicky! And no! You do it!”

“We could send Cassie,” YN mused, and the girl snapped to attention.

“You could at least introduce me as Cassiopia to her! It’s a cuter name! And it makes me sound special.”

“No,” Gazadrdiel shut down the suggestion. “You go, YN. We can’t force N’ikicite.”

“Don’t call me N’ikicite-!”

“Bet.” YN began strutting across the street, looking almost hunched over. She walked to the cafe with a purpose, and the crowd around the woman parted in awe at her blatancy. The woman narrowed her eyes before relaxing them and checking out her nails.

“What do you want?” Her voice was deep and edgy, like she smoked.

“D’ulli?” YN raised her hand like she was in class. The three others trailed behind her, with Nikolai almost trying to hide his entire self behind YN. “Right?”

D’ulli narrowed her eyes, and the crowd around her seemed to shift. “What do you want?”

“This is N’ikicite, that’s Gaz, and I’m Angyosz.”

D’ulli’s face went from restrained disgust to piqued curiosity. “And who’s the girl?”

“Oh.” YN waved a lackadaisical hand. “That’s just Cassie. She’s normal.” “Hey!” Cassie snapped out of her daze and crossed her arms. “What do you mean, normal? I’m about as weird as they get, and I embrace it! Not only do I…”

The four others ignored Cassie as YN sat on the spare seat, and the crowd let out a gasp. Nikolai gave an uncharacteristic squeak and made a dive for the next seat over, and Cassie took the seat next to him and D’ulli. YN propped her feet on the table, and the men on it scattered like cockroaches.

“D’ulli of the rains, we have come to make an oath of allegiance. Ihuxyu of the earth core is after me and I want allies.” YN crossed her arms casually, and D’ulli raised an eyebrow.

“If Ihuxyu is after you, then why is her son with you?” She looked at Nikolai and gave a flirty wink. The poor boy took a deep breath in and looked like his soul left his body. “Tell me, N’ikicite of the fire. Why are you with your mother’s mortal enemy?”

YN snorted before Nikolai could answer, and he glared. “She’s not my enemy…”

“Or you’re just a simp.”

“I’m not a simp-!”

D’ulli raised a hand. “I get it. You two aren’t at each other’s throats-”

“Most of the time.” YN mused.

“Here I am called Daenerys.” The entire table fell silent, and D’ulli flushed. “What?”

“Daenerys? Seriously?” Nikolai raised an eyebrow, and YN took her feet off the table to stare at D’ulli with shock and confusion.

“My copy was reading it.” D’ulli reared up, clearly threatened. “It’s the name she said when I met her…”

No one spoke, but YN blinked owlishly. There was a moment of awkward silence before D’ulli broke it again.

“A-Anyway, I’ll be your ally.” She stiffened, placing her hands on her lap. YN smiled and put her feet back up on the table.

“Great! Then I’ll-”

“At a price.”

“Name it.”

“A night with N’ikicite.”

“Wait, what-?”

“Deal.”

“Wait, what-!”

“No, YN.” Gazadrdiel smacked YN at the back of her head, and she whined and rubbed the sore spot. “You can’t offer up N’ikicite.”

“Thank you, Gaz!” Nikolai stood. The side of his arm had caught fire from nothing, but YN didn't so much as flinch. She flicked a hand and a jet of water from D’ulli’s drink doused the flame. “And don’t call me N’ikicite!”

“Why not, N’ikicite?” D’ulli batted her eyes at Nikolai, who reared up.

“Because I just met you!” He waved his hands. “And I like someone else-!”

“You can say ‘YN’, we won’t judge you.” Cassie piped in.

“Shut up! And it’s more than that! You can’t just do that, YN!” Nikolai whined, looking ready to cry. “That’s not fair!”

YN pursed her lips. “You can just say no.”

Nikolai paused, his eyes popping open. “Huh?”

“Deal’s off,” YN turned to D’ulli, standing and bowing a bit. “Thanks, but you heard the man.”

D’ulli sputtered as YN took Nikolai’s hand and began dragging him away, leaving Gaz and Cassie to trail behind them. She watched them go, with Nikolai gasping and stammering the way into the distance, blinking as the crowd around her murmured to life. She looked down at the table and noticed a scrap of paper. She snatched it and popped it open with a nail, before her eyes went wide.

719 266 2837, in case you change your mind.

“I still have no idea what happened.”

Gazadrdiel was floating above YN’s bed, watching Nikolai hold his head in his hands. YN’s room hadn’t changed much from when she was thirteen, and she still sported the same desk-one that she sat at with her computer open. She was on Craigslist, updating an ad for Hionera she had.

“D’ulli wanted to fuck you. You didn’t want to. We left. Bada bing, bada boom.” She finished her sentence with a definitive tap to the period key and say back with a sigh. “It’s whatever. What can rain do against the earth’s core?” YN made jazz hands when she said and it put a joking accent on ‘the earth’s core’.

“But still…” Nikolai watched as YN checked her phone. “What, you waiting on a call?”

“Kinda. Don’t worry, dude.” She waved a hand and pointed at Gazadrdiel. “So that’s...what? The third that we’ve turned down so far?”

“Fourth.”

“I can go back and say yes.” Nikolai looked like a kicked puppy. “I guess I was just surprised.”

“Nah. Like I said, what’s she gonna do? Rain on your mom?” YN paused. “Heh. Your momma so big…”

“We need to make sure that the next couple Hionera we talk to, we accept. The more we reject, the more likely word’s gonna spread that we’re picky.” Gazadrdiel plucked off a stray feather from his moulting wings. It fell onto Nikolai’s head, but he said nothing about it.

“I can just talk to her-!” Nikolai started, but YN cut him off.

“If the rumour spreads, then technically, it just makes everyone think we have an elite force. And then it’s like...people are gonna want to join.”

“That’s wishful thinking.” Gazadrdiel hummed. “If you think the Ionians are proud, then the Hionera are devils.”

“Guys!” Nikolai barked. Both YN and Gazadrdiel jumped, looking at him.

“What’s up?” YN said a bit sheepishly.

“I don’t mind spending the night with Daenerys! I can just tell her I don’t want to...you know…” He flushed, but before anyone could say anything else, Mother Mother began blasting from YN’s phone. Hayloft played as YN picked up her phone and squinted to see who the caller was.

“You need to get glasses,” Nikolai murmured.

“Shut up, shut up. If we’re lucky, we won’t have to talk to D’ulli again.” She waved a hand, put the phone to her ear, and answered. “This is YN. Or Angyosz, depending on whether or not you’re mortal. Uhh...whatcha need?”

The room was tense and silent.

“Uh-huh. Yeah, this is her.” YN nodded, pursing her lips. “Yup. Yeah.” She glanced at Nikolai. “Well, you heard him…”

Nikolai shot up from the bed, realising who YN was talking to. Gazadrdiel flew out of the trajectory of Nikolai’s head when he began trying to pry at YN’s arm to get the phone, and his own braid smacked him in the face.

“Gimmie, I can-” Nikolai whispered urgently, but YN smacked his arm.

“Dude, shut up!” She whispered back. “Fucking-yeah! I’m still here!” Her voice rose again, and Gazadrdiel watched the two fight over the phone while trying to not insult D’ulli on the other end.

“Yeah, he’s a bit shy, that’s all-”

“YN, give me-!”

“And he’s kinda stupid too!”

“YN, just gimme the-!”

“Nicky, I swear to god-!”

“YN, there is no god for us!”

“Yeah! We’d really appreciate it!” All the struggling ceased when YN gave him a pointed look with a smile. “Seriously, that’s super nice of you. Is it okay if I save your number?”

Nikolai backed up when YN rose and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen.

“We can do the pact over text, it doesn’t really matter. Just so long as we have your consent. Yeah, no problem. Thanks again!” She gave a thumbs-up to Nikolai and Gazadrdiel, both of who sighed in relief. She hung up and shot a finger gun to Nikolai.

“Ayeeee...gotcha!” She threw the paper in the trash and began typing on her phone, presumably to write the pact to D’ulli. “She was touched by the fact that we ‘forsook’ her for your comfort, and now she’s in the squad!” She made a sing-song voice for ‘squad’ and danced a little bit. “Now that’s what? Twenty-six?”

“Twenty-eight,” Gazadrdiel smiled softly. “We got lucky.”

“We always do, Gaz.” YN closed the tabs on her computer with a wiggle. “We always do.”

There was a comfortable silence for a moment before YN stood with a satisfied sigh.

“That’s probably all we’re gonna manage to squeeze before the date, lads.”

“Wait, what?” Nikolai looked disturbed, and Gazadrdiel’s brow furrowed.

“We have a day before your eighteenth birthday. Can no other Hionera answer the ad?” He floated over to YN, who shrugged.

“No one could make it before the week is over. It’s Wednesday, my dudes.” She plopped onto her bed with a sigh. “It’s pregame season, or whatever football nerds say. Shit will be fucked...soon.” She waved her hands before placing a spare pillow over her face and resting her hands over her stomach.

“It’s too soon.” Nikolai sat on the edge of her bed. “What’s gonna happen, Gaz?”

“I…” Gazadrdiel faltered. “I don’t know. YN’s been my only ward for...for a while. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen. Chances are, they’ll just ask what you want your true form to be like. It’ll be nothing too drastic, since Iuhxyu is after you. If they do take you away, then...the chances are high we’d never see you again.”

YN groaned into the pillow, and Gazadrdiel was viscously reminded of when he first told her, all those years ago.

“Big yikes.” She murmured before going silent. Nikolai laid across her legs with a huff and Gazadrdiel wrapped himself up into his wings. He hated seeing YN so nervous, no matter how either of them hid it. If anything, Nikolai was the most expressive of them all. At least he took the liberties he wanted.

Gazadrdiel shook his head with a sigh and leaned over Nikolai. “Are you going to stay the night again?”

Nikolai nodded, tossing an arm over his eyes before scooting across the bed so he was parallel to YN. There was space between them, but Gazadrdiel still gave a stare at the two’s closeness.

“And did you check off the calendar, YN?”

There was an affirmative groan, and he pursed his lips and floated over to the light switch to flip it off. He still glowed ever so vaguely in the dark, but both Nikolai and YN seemed undisturbed.

And like a sentient cloud, he hovered over the desk and hid himself within his wings, and he fell asleep, only hoping that he could protect her a day more.

Gazadrdiel woke up right before it happened.

Gazadrdiel didn’t get dreams. But that night he did, with a thousand voices screaming at him and the night sky staring down at him with a million eyes. The sea crawled up his legs and pulled him under, and when he finally opened his eyes, he saw the moon. It was beautifully glowing and pristine, and when he held out his hands to hold it, it fit. Tears came to his eyes, even underwater, and a choking sensation overtook him.

Then, the voice came.

His eyes snapped open right before the glass broke, and before he knew what he was doing, he was kneeling over both Nikolai and YN. The hefty glass doors and windows burst just as he laid his wings over YN’s sleeping face, and immediately the shards embedded into his wings. Gazadrdiel let out a howl, and both Nikolai and YN woke. The younger of the two leapt up in his seat, panting and face to face with Gazadrdiel, but YN simply laid there with wide eyes. She was shaky but rose and began assessing the damage.

“What the fuck?” She bit, and a wind began tearing through her room. It was ferocious, like a hurricane, and Gazadrdiel brought his wings up to protect them again, despite the pain. Rain pummeled in, and YN stuck a hand out through Gazadrdiel’s wings. He let out a yelp of worry, but she poked her head out and glared through the rain and the leaves.

“There’s something out there!” She gasped, and nudged Gazadrdiel’s wing ever so slightly. Before he could shove her back under the protection, she ran out, and both Nikolai and Gazadrdiel yelled, at the same time.

“Jesus Christ! It’s a hurricane out there! Come back!”

“YN! Get back here!”

YN ignored them both, soldiering through the rain and the wind until she came to the edge of her balcony. She held a hand in front of her eyes to try and shield from stray debris, but a rock clocked her in the cheek and made her lose her balance. She glared into the darkness. A thousand beady lights glared right back at her, and she reared up.

“You’re a day early!” YN howled, before wincing. The tattoo on her neck had begun worming left and right across her skin, and it felt as though it was searing her skin. She brought her spare hand up to try and hold it in place, but it wriggled in and out of her fingers. Finally, she slapped it on her bicep with full force, and it writhed pathetically like a dying snake before going still. At once, the rain stopped and held itself in mid air, suspended like diamonds. She panted, staring into the abyss as Nikolai rushed past Gazadrdiel and onto the balcony, and the guardian himself cautiously approached.

“Why are they here? Gaz!” Nikolai spun around and glared at Gazadrdiel. “They’re a day early!”

“No,” Gazadrdiel stared at the little lights before grabbing Nikolai’s shoulder and pulling him back. “I think...we’re a day late.”

YN ignored them both, watching as the darkness moved. A cancerous, insipid, coarse, solemn fear came over her, and her glare fell into a fearful look. Something, something baleful and sleepless and terrible, crawled out of the darkness. It had no mouth, but eyes upon eyes upon eyes and horrible lanky arms. It had tentacles for hair and it’s entire torso was a bloody, exposed ribcage, and it crawled on all fours across nothing but air. It looked as though it should have reeked, but YN smelled nothing.

Another thing came out of the shadows, and this time, it had not one, not four, but nine arms, all snowy white and long-fingered. It’s face was long, like a horse’s might be, but huge human teeth jutted out at painful angles. In the middle of it, it looked like there might have been a human nose, and a human eye to the right, but the left was so deliriously disfigured that it looked like something from a corpse pile. It had hair light straw and a torso that looked malnourished, but all in all, it could have once been a man.

“What are you here for?” Nikolai spat, only somewhat trying to fight against Gazadrdiel’s hold. YN’s face went from fear to being perfectly blank, head tilted and eyes wide. From just beyond the clouds, the moon came out, and like a bloodstained pearl, there were blotches of red and gold across the great light.

The second Ionian began to speak, it’s mouth moving but no sound coming out. It only looked at YN, like she was the only thing in the world. The hand that YN had over her eyes fell, and a single tear fell out. Nikolai started struggling harder against Gazadrdiel’s grip, but it was no use.

“Go! We have one more day! Why…!” Nikolai began to plead. “Why are you here?”

“They came to take me back,” YN whispered in a mournful reverence. She began to blink quickly, but tears began falling out nonetheless. Some, in the bloody moonlight, looked pink, as though tinted with blood. Nikolai howled like a dog, but Gazadrdiel still held him back.

“No! No! No! We still had a day! You promised us!” He didn’t seem to be talking to YN or the Ionians in particular, but cursing the air itself. It grew thick and warm, but no one else seemed to notice. The first Ionian leaned forward and extended a long and bony arm, letting a long, claw-like nail poke at the exposed skin of YN’s shoulder and drag across. It cut like a knife through butter, and blood began to pool out. But instead of flowing down and dripping across the balcony, it perfectly dissolved, evaporating into the air like water. YN didn’t even seem to feel it, but gave a fish-eyed stare at the second Ionian, who never looked away.

The first Ionian let it’s claw hang in front of YN, and the hand that held the tattoo let go and began to slowly drift towards the hand. Gazadrdiel gasped.

“YN, think before you do this. Once you accept the bloodbond, you can’t go back. If you wait until you’re twenty-one, you can bide your time. You don’t have to leave yet.” He tried to not let the fear of her going leak into his voice, but he had no idea she would go so soon.

YN’s hand stopped moving, but the second Ionian’s mouth started moving again. Her eyes went blank and just before her hand touched the first Ionian’s, Gazadrdiel let out a yell.

“You were supposed to tell her! To tell her the full consequences!” He looked not at her, but at the second Ionian. “Vhozi! That was your job!”

Vhozi tilted it’s head, finally looking away from YN and looking dead on Gazadrdiel. The guardian didn’t falter, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t terrified. Vhozi spoke, and still no sound came out. Gazadrdiel felt his blood freeze.

“I don’t know all the consequences.” He stood firm, and for a moment, Nikolai stopped struggling. “I can’t tell her. You or Xothrith’ri has to, and Xothrith’ri doesn’t have a mouth.”

Vhozi’s eyes narrowed, and it was bone chilling. It’s mouth moved again, and then it looked back to YN. She looked at him, and at once, a thousand emotions ran through her face. Fear seemed the most prominent, but at the end, she seemed calm. Vhozi gave a shadow of a smile and moved to the right, letting Xothrith’ri take center stage. Nikolai let out a scream that felt so earth-shatteringly heartbroken that Gazadrdiel nearly let him go.

“No! Oh my god! I wasn’t ready! I-I love you! YN! For fuck’s sake, let go, Gaz!” He choked on his own tears and spit, flailing like a crazed man and lighting Gazadrdiel’s wings on fire. “You can’t go! Not yet! We could go together! I can’t let you go!”

YN closed her eyes, a blissed expression taking over her entire being. The moon glowed brighter, Vhozi was grinning, and quietly, YN took Xothrith’ri’s hand.

The next thing that happened was like a silent bomb. There was no noise, nothing to prove that it had happened. But it erupted in a brilliant light, white and red and gold, all at once, and YN had her mouth open in a scream that would never sound. Her eyes were no longer e/c, but a blank white, and when she bent over in pain, her spine looked ready to burst out of her skin. She threw her head back, and Nikolai fought, and the Ionians watched, and Gazadrdiel could only silently cry as she let out one last bone-chilling, blood curdling scream. It was the scream of a soul being ripped apart, of something dying a thousand times and being reborn only once.

Then, the light burst, and there was only darkness.

Gazadrdiel didn’t know how long they had been there.

Morning had come and gone, with a sobbing Nikolai in Gazadrdiel’s arms. YN’s apartment had been completely destroyed, and the bed was nothing more than stuffing and feathers from the pillows. Neighbours stepped out and stared, but with a tired wave of Gazadrdiel’s hand, they all turned and spoke no more of it. Nikolai didn’t move besides his body-shaking sobs, and the fires he had induced on Gazadrdiel’s wings had long gone out. The guardian himself was still in pain, with the blood from the glass shards and the burns from the fire almost definitely disfiguring them forever. But at the moment, all Gazadrdiel had on his mind was comforting Nikolai. The Hionera seemed as though he would never move again, with how he refused to move from the fetal position.

Gazadrdiel watched him, and then eyed the bright sun above them. It seemed to be getting later in the afternoon, and Gazadrdiel knew that if he didn’t get Nikolai to his mortal parents, he would have more trouble on his hands than what he was at all emotionally capable of.

“Nikolai,” Gazadrdiel whispered. “Nikolai, we have to go. I need to get you home.”

Nikolai said nothing but responded with a fresh wave of sobs, curling even further into himself. Gazadrdiel sighed.

“N’ikicite.”

Still nothing.

“I’ll carry you.”

Gazadrdiel picked up Nikolai bridal-style and walked across the ruined balcony, letting the glass and splinters dig into his bare feet. Nikolai popped an eye when they entered YN’s room, only to wail louder and curl into Gazadrdiel’s embrace. Gazadrdiel himself felt tears beginning to come on, but ignored them in favour of walking through YN’s apartment door and beginning the trek to Nikolai’s house. He knew that if he pushed using his wings, they would be irreversibly ruined, but seeing as he couldn’t just waltz into Nikolai’s house with the Hionera in his arms, he knew it was a sacrifice he had to make.

The sun was shining, people were staring, the flowers were blooming, and at once, Gazadrdiel felt the great grief of the loss of what was his only friend. He knew he couldn’t mourn, not until Nikolai was safely home, but he had no idea what YN was doing, or if she even survived the encounter. For all he knew, she was launched to Pakistan and was trying to make her way back home. The bloodbonds were so disambiguous that he could only hope that by some miracle, YN was still on earth, and all she had to do was crawl her way back to Gazadrdiel and Nikolai.

He stopped, right in front of a tree that led up into Nikolai’s room, and Gazadrdiel looked at his wings with a grimace. They were charred and a bloody brown, but Gazadrdiel still spread them and gave one last push.

Gazadrdiel let out a subdued scream, feeling the pain rocket through his system as he landed on a branch. Trying to ignore the urge to drop everything, including Nikolai, and cry, he pried open Nikolai’s bedroom window and slipped in. Nikolai peeked out from his huddled self and watched as Gazadrdiel gently placed him on his bed, before standing perfectly still. Nikolai sniffed.

“Thanks,” He murmured, wiping his nose with his sleeve. He looked up at Gazadrdiel, who was staring at the ground and swaying from side to side. His wings seemed almost clipped, like they could fall off at any moment, and wounds covered his entire body. Gazadrdiel nodded, and reached up to his shoulder. He pulled out a large shard of glass and dropped it onto Nikolai’s carpet. They both watched as it bounced and landed, and Nikolai looked back up to Gazadrdiel.

“Are you okay?” Nikolai croaked.

Gazadrdiel dropped to the floor, and all he knew was darkness.

“Let her go, Gaz.”

#the dead things we carry #oc x reader #lovecraft #i really got to invested writing this in a compitition with like one other teenager #i played myself #etsi's og works #Original Work

5 notes · View notes

acrobaticcatfeline · 6 years ago

Text

Summerville Nights chapter 1!

ok so this is the fanfic based on the prompt by @romantichopelessly.

summary: It was a sunny day in august when the school opened its doors for its first day that school year. 4 kids so terribly different walked into the doors, gazing in awe before getting shoved aside by kids eager to get to class and meet up with friends. Everyone who goes to this school has one heck of a story about it and it’s always legendary. So let’s get into it.

warnings: cursing, piningness? i don’t really think there’s anything else, let me know if there if though.

ships: pre logince, pre moxiety

taglist: @anyay666 @emocinamonroll @noahlovescoffee @voices-and-stardust @treechildoffical if anyone wants to be added to the taglist let me know!

more below the cut

Summerville high school is known as one of the best schools in the US in athletics, curriculum, and even the arts. Its giant too, the size of an average community college campus and many amenities provided are free to any student or alumni. The school has a lot of luxuries by being in a wealthier neighborhood and still being a free access public school. Everyone who goes to this school has one heck of a story about it and it’s always legendary. So, let’s get into it.

It was a sunny day in august when the school opened its doors for its first day that school year. 4 kids so terribly different walked into the doors, gazing in awe before getting shoved aside by kids eager to get to class and meet up with friends. The 4 of them hadn’t been able to tour the campus and the giant pristine halls set them all in shock at the beauty of it all; who knew a high school campus could be actively gorgeous. Virgil Lee was the first to come back to the present, mostly because his older brother Remy was quick to drag him over to freshman orientation. The smaller kid quickly turned and ran forward to the open doors of the huge auditorium. He gave his brother a punch to the arm as a farewell before meeting up with some of his friends in the audience. They spent quite a while just talking about the different sports the school offered; of course, Virgil was the epitome of the high school jock. (not really but don’t tell him that). He wore his jeans hung slightly low, and a purple muscle tee with his middle schools’ mascot across the front, and his jet-black hair fell across his violet eyes gorgeously; his family always did say they were the best thing about him. He had to pause his conversation when he saw a really fucking cute goth boy walk in, he made a mental note to introduce himself later before jumping right back into the midst of his previous conversation.

The next to come to his senses was a tiny frail kid named Logan Sanders. That was because he had been shoved into a wall already, probably for his choice of outfit; a deep blue knee length skirt, a black button up and a matching blue tie, as well as a little teal butterfly hairclip. He scurried away and into the auditorium searching for anyone he knew and running straight for Virgil, his longtime best friend. He was always grateful for Virgil’s awareness, because he could run straight into the other and be lifted up instead of falling over; something extremely important he thinks as he’s barreling toward the jock full speed. Virgil’s grin was wide when he caught the feeling that his nerd was running toward him and spun around to lift the tiny thing up before he bulldozed them both over.

“sup Lo? Haven’t heard from you in like a month, everything been alright?” Virgil questioned softly with a small smirk.

“oh yeah, uh, anxiety hit like a metaphorical truck again, sorry about that. Hey, I already got shoved into a wall today! It is a new record!” Logan’s small smile was quick to fall when Virgil’s face fell, and his hands turned to fists. Maybe he said a bit too much?

“who? Where? I’m gonna kill them how dare they? They need to grow the f-” Logan covered his mouth before he spouted more incriminating words. He gave another weak smile as he pulled his hands away again.

“it is fine! Calm down, I don’t even know if it was on purpose or not, it is okay. Lets just sit down and wait this thing out” Virgil slouched before nodding.

“only for you nerdling”

The next to come to was the same goth boy Virgil saw, the bad boy Patton Fernandez. He had to snap out of it, if anyone saw him smile for long, they’d start asking questions that he was unprepared for and people were already staring. He sauntered into the auditorium with his hood pulled down showing off his dirty blonde hair that faded into pastel blue and his eyebags that were only partially eyeshadow He was surprised he even made it on time today, usually when he’s actually able to sleep, his alarms can’t do shit to wake him from a week of sleep, but here he is, at 7 am on a Monday regretting his decision to not bring his headphones. Granted his mom dropped them off at the office for him, but he couldn’t get them until after orientation and its really loud in there. He’s supposed to meet his best friend though, and he’d suffer far worse for him and to be honest, he already had. All he had to do was wait for his service human and he would be fine. Speaking of which.

Roman Washington was the last to refocus, mostly because he was so tiny no one noticed he was there. He ran into the assembly and made a beeline to his goth friend. He ran into him for a big hug and Patton didn’t even stumble. The boy started jumping in excitement and his giant circle glasses were bouncing just as much. The two of them couldn’t be more dissimilar, Roman was tiny, colorful, and loud but introverted where Patton was tall, dark and gloomy, and quiet but extroverted. When Roman spoke everyone heard, but he didn’t talk much. Patton was rarely heard, but never stopped talking, mostly for his own sanity. Even so, these two have been inseparable since they met.

Roman was about to start ranting to Patton about his weekend but the lights in the room dimmed and the orientation started. Oh well, Roman would be able to tell Patton all about everything when they go home to Patton’s. I mean its his super epic birthday extravaganza and Patton was… pretty much the only one who was invited. It’s not his fault people are scary! Although he once shouted at someone for calling Patton a broody emo because excuse??? Patton isn’t BROODY he’s d e p r e s s e d, and he’s not EMO he’s g o t h and if anybody has an issue, they’re gonna have to get through him first. And his tiny frail body that knows nothing about how to protect himself. Yeah lucky for him most people are scared of the look Patton gives to anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to mess with his friend. In other words, there’s two guys walking over to them and-oh. Roman sees a boy walking towards him and he’s wearing a really cute skirt and a tie? Oh, geez Roman was always a hopeless romantic but geez. He not-so-subtly starts fussing with his bright red sweater vest and fixes the button up underneath it. He pats at his green slacks and is suddenly very aware of how nerdy and awful he looks and wants to disappear. He steps behind Patton and hyperventilates while fussing with his glasses that are far too big for his head suddenly and oh geez oh geez. Patton was having a similar freak out because there’s a really cute guy but he’s obviously a jock and jocks like to torture him and he’s not keen on this happening right now, so he just sits down. He was not ready to punch his poor heart yet.

Virgil had grabbed Logan as soon as the lights dimmed and dragged him over to the cute goth boy because cute boy? Possible friend? Possible more than friend? Yes please. Also, the little nerdy boy with him looked like he was totally Logan’s type and we all know its bros first, so yeah, that’s how he made his way over to the two. Logan was maybe possibly slightly enamored with the boy Virgil pointed out to him. He shouldn’t be, he doesn’t get it, although he’s always been one to fall for darker skinned guys, and holy crap he was so pretty-aesthetically of course-it’s not like Logan finds him attractive or anything, just aesthetically pleasing. His darker skin matched with a white button up and a blood red sweater vest beautifully is all. And him fiddling with his hair and tie was just a fidget he did, not him trying to look nice for the cu-the boy over there. Of course not.

When they got over, they simply sat in the row behind them and chatted quietly together until it was over. Patton was gearing up, getting ready to tell them off as they were leaving, but the jock was offering him a hand up? He took it suspiciously and went reeling at the smirk the guy wore, thinking he was about to be pranked. He drew back quickly before looking around him. All he saw was Roman and this little nerdy kid exchanging shy nerd glances of pining. He immediately fixed the jock with a glare.

“do you have an issue with me kid? What could I have possibly done to heed you waltzing your happy ass all the way over here out of your way?” oh he felt bad for that. He didn’t like being mean, but he has to protect himself. Maybe if he’s intimidating enough, he’ll just leave? Oh, nope he’s smiling now, did he set himself up? Oh, is there a supervisor that just heard him curse out this dude? He didn’t even swear that badly! Shit.

“wow wasn’t expecting that. I do have an issue with you in fact, you are illegally cute, and I was hoping I could possibly befriend you?” oh. Oh no this is worse, gosh his cheeks are bright red now he’s sure of it. He scowls at him before shoving his hands in the pocket of his hoodie.

“yeah sure thanks for the joke dude real funny I gotta get to class I don’t have time for people poking fun at me right now.” He pulls one arm back out and grabs Roman’s hand and heads off.

“hey, wait!” he pauses for a moment, the voice being new. “um, mr person, my friend isn’t joking with you, I promise. He’s not like that. He’s really nice actually um, and I would also be pleased in befriending you and your friend. If that’s ok with you. Uh, I’m Logan and his name is Virgil.” Patton smirks slightly and turns around. He analyzes the look on the smaller boys’ face before nodding.

“hm. Ok. I’ll believe you for now. Names Patton. This one is Roman. See ya round later, I guess. Virgil, Logan.” And he turned back and continued to class with Roman.

Logan and Virgil were left in awe for a moment before rushing to their class too. Logan kept spouting about how dare he introduce him to a pleasing person and make him feel… things!!! He didn’t even talk at all, but he was figuratively falling for this, this… dark skinned beauty!!! Its not allowed and Virgil was definitely buying him dinner tonight to make up for this entire ordeal thank you very much! Meanwhile Virgil was in stunned silence because geez that Patton guy, oh he’s so cute and feisty and he wants to see that cursed smirk every day now. He hadn’t ever had such fierce desire to know someone, he hadn’t had such a fierce desire to do anything other than sleep. And maybe run on a good day. But he has a goal now at least. He was gonna woo the goth.

The 4 didn’t reunite until after school that day. Logan was seated in the field across from the football practice and was studying already, hoping to get to a comfortable week ahead. He nearly threw his book out of his arms when someone tapped him on the shoulder, but he settled for snapping it shut…on his tie. Great job. He opens it and sets it down before turning to see the two he met earlier. He adjusted his glasses and gives a small smile. Patton was squatting next to him, and Roman was standing a foot or so behind him. Logan went back to his textbook when it seemed like the two weren’t about to start talking. He was paying enough attention to hear the sounds of two backpacks thudding to the ground as well as some footsteps and two people sitting down. As long as they didn’t try to hurt him everything would be fine. They didn’t seem like they had any malice directed at him, so maybe he could focus a bit more on his studies, maybe he could trust them? No definitely not, no way, even Virgil would say it’s a bad idea he bets. Plus, it seems like they’re talking now Logan you might want to listen.

“so, what’re you doing hanging out here dude? You don’t have any extra crap like Vee does?” Logan tilts his head over at Patton who is the one talking, very quietly in fact.

“oh uh, not that start yet. I plan on joining gsa and maybe the debate team? I do not know quite yet, Virgil usually helps me make decisions as I am quite indecisive. Also, he owes me dinner tonight, and as much as I would usually let him off, he said he would take me to Olive Garden and while I logically know its objectively bad Italian food, it is a guilty pleasure of mine that I have been craving. Thus, why I am sitting here studying and waiting for him to be done with practice.” He says rather easily. There’s a beat of silence before Patton speaks again.

“so how long have you two been a thing?” Logan squints in confusion.

“um, I am not quite sure as to what you are talking about? If you are inquiring about our relationship, I cannot quite remember. I think I was about 3?” there is sputtering, and Logan is only even more confused.

“you’ve been dating since you were 3!?!?! Please tell me you’re joking?!” ohhh. Oh, that makes more sense now.

“oh no, I seem to have misunderstood you. Virgil and I are in a completely platonic relationship. We have been friends for that long.” There was a sigh of relief as well as a small giggle that sounded, and the giggle set Logan’s chest into overdrive, gosh that must have been Roman and that was the literal sound that happens when you ascend past this mortal world; pure and hopeful and did Logan just actually die? That’s the only reasonable explanation. Welp he said he platonically loved Virgil before he went to practice so no reason to regret. Wait what’s that voice.

“Pat you should have known, he literally walked over and said you were cute while dragging him along. You’d have to be really silly to drag your boyfriend along to call someone cute! I mean unless you’re poly but most teenagers don’t mess around with polygamy in high school and I dunno, but I told you!” the giggle sounded again, and Logan managed to turn to him in time to see the large toothy smile that broke out on the near charcoal skinned beauty. And yup, Logan was so gone. Virgil owes him dinner for a week now yup that’s what’s happening.

“um, are you ok Logan? Logan? Do you need to go to the nurse’s office?” that pulled him right back.

“what?! No! um, I mean, I’m fine it’s just uh, it’s a bit warm don’t you think, I mean it’s august and I’ve worn dark colors all day its fine I just need to cool down for a sec sorry.” Oh no there went his metaphorical chill. He used contractions! Gosh how could he have done this it’s embarrassing he wanted to be cool and calm and now he looks like a complete imbecile. Of course it was just then that the whistle ending practice sounded. There was shouting and running and suddenly Logan grabbed his bag and started packing hurriedly before standing.

“I uh, I am sorry, but I must be leaving, I hope to see you both tomorrow?” he rushed while trying to remain calm. Of course, the two others stood, and Patton gave a smirk.

“well we might bump into each other tonight. I was actually taking Roman to OG for his birthday dinner tonight as well. Maybe we can hang there, god knows with sports for him and theatre for Ro, it’ll be hard to chill anywhere else. I’ll be sure to book a table for 4.” Oh shit. That cheeky goth just winked. Oh god what does that mean what is he planning what did he just sign up for??? He nods, and waves then bolts to the locker room.

Logan was a regular there, as he had accompanied Virgil to every tryout for the team, so when the guys saw him, they paid no mind. He walked to the hallway directly next to where he knew Virgil was and slid to the floor, covering his face and pushing his glasses up to rest on his head. Virgil peeked his head around and snickered softly as he rushed to finish getting ready. When he was finished, he tapped Logan on the shoulder and they started on their way.

“I might have accidentally signed us up for something and I need you to promise not to yell because its freaking me out too and you yelling would make it worse ok? And I know you don’t yell at me but yelling in general might cause a panic attack right now” Logan blurted out while they were walking. He is acutely ware of the fact that he’s fidgeting with his tie but he’s nervous ok? Cut him some slack! Virgil glances over to him with a curious look as well as a promise in his eyes. They’ve learned to communicate without words after as long as they’ve been friends.

“well uh, you know how we are going to Olive Garden? Well apparently Patton and Roman were going too and Patton said he was going to get us a table for 4 and I sort of want to just go home and curl up in a ball but also like Roman’s voice is so nice and his giggle is like literal angel bells Virgil, his giggle is the sound that you hear after you die and I cannot handle it Virgil what have you done I knew I was gay but this is a lot and I don’t know what to do Virgil what do I do?” Virgil had to set his hand on Logan’s shoulder to help ground the now panicking boy. After taking a deep breath and calming down a bit he looks over to see Virgil with a small smile on his face. He takes his hand off his shoulder as he speaks.

“first off dude, I wouldn’t yell at you or near you if I have the choice, you know me I hate losing my temper. Secondly, that’s pretty cool! I did wanna hang out with them more they seem really interesting. Thirdly, it seems like you’ve found your dream guy lo. I’m glad I could drag you headfirst into your destiny. Just be yourself and everything will be fine. Plus, the kid looks like head over heels for you too. So just relax and go with the flow. You’ve got this.”

They both gave each other a look of confidence and a nod as they headed to the dreaded Olive Garden meet up. Will they survive? Maybe. Will they realize just how totally gay they are for the goth and the nerd? Most definitely. But the only way to know is to stay tuned!

thank you for reading!!!

#tw cursing #tw swearing #my writing #thomas sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #sanders sides #sanders sides fanfic #logince #moxiety #remy sanders

16 notes · View notes

sakuya123draws · 6 years ago

Note

for the end of year meme: 1, 8, 10, 14, 20 !! Please and thank you!

OH MAH GOD IT’S LATE!!! (I am so sorry @nalufever I finally got around to answering asks and I’m starting with the most recent ones!! It’s appropriate as they are for the “End of the year” meme I reblogged!)

Anyways, without further ado, let’s answer these lovely questions~! >w

1. First things first, did you have a good year?

A: Well, I guess that is the first thing to ask when jumping from one year to the other! ^_^ If I’m being honest the year started out really bad. Lots of family problems, stress from college and my horrible relationship was weighing me down and draining me of my energy. I never want to blame anything on anyone, but I was in a dysfunctional relationship with someone and I finally got out of it around April. It’s a long story, but I don’t feel like dwelling on that stuff. I’m stronger now! (I mean I “hope” so ^ ^;) I was happy that I got in the honours roll for my first year which gave me entry to showing my artwork to judges at the college I got to! It was an amazing experience and I made some cool friends along the way! It’s a small class, but we’re like a family. :D As for my actual family, I lost my grandma…She was an inspiration to me and even today I will always show my appreciation for my grandparents! Other than that, my family had gotten better and we can finally understand each other a bit more when it comes to communication which is always a plus!! :3 Even on here with Tumblr being who it is, I still have lots of friends that didn’t leave and I’m happy to see they are better from last year! In short, (cause you can see THIS is a paragraph xD) I think the year was wishy-washy! It was all over the place, but it made up for it at the end to be called “good”. ^v^

8. Which fashion trends did you hate?

(I thought of him when I thought of the word fashion xD Don’t kill me, I LOVE Max

A: Even though my mom is a lady who lives by fashion, I can’t say I know the styles of 2018! ;w; I looked up a source (well you know Vogue and all that jazz :/) to base my opinion on. I only think this would be easier if I could say what I “loved”, but it’s a hate one so gotta be mean xD lol. I mean I never “hate” anything, so I’m gonna give it a shot.

One thing I don’t like about fashion trends if I’m being frank is that it’s usually clothes on the runway. Many styles I see based on Vogue’s source are styles I can’t see the everyday person wearing. Personally, I wouldn’t wear half of those designs outside. That’s just me. My sense of style is a hybrid of my mom’s fashion she wears/sells, 80′s-90′s fashions and cutesy outfits. (that I think I’d look bad in ;w;) I’m gonna give a small bullet point list. (I know I always say small xD)

Arty Impressions - This was the first one on the article I read. From what I can gather it’s fashion with famous works printed on it. (Artworks, for example, Andy Warhol’s, screenprints) I mean I can see the connection, but for me wearing something with a reproduced art piece is hard for me to personally wear. LIke it has to be done like how T-shirts have a design in the middle or small embellishments on it to make me wear it. The example I saw is fun and creative, but for me, I couldn’t see myself liking/wearing those pieces. It depends. 5/10? I guess xD

Plastic/see-through material - This honestly has been a reoccurring style that I have seen. It’s become more prominent now according to last year’s trends. I can’t stand the “see-through” look. I don’t know what it is, but it’s just too awkward to wear outside. LIke people will defend that you can wear what you want, but for ME and ME Only, I can’t wear those kinds of stuff. I would feel very scared/concerned with how I look. (Even to myself) If you don’t know what I am referring to, I mean like that umbrella looking material. (I’ve added the source in the paragraph above for this question! ^_^)

Geometric/Flannel Print - I can never see myself liking the flannel scene. For pyjamas, no problem! To wear outside, I can’t bring myself to do that. You can see me in an old sweater, but flannel I don’t think any of my friends have seen me in that xD I just can’t say it’s aesthetically pleasing to me. I have a problem liking this style. Maybe I will when I get older, but as I’m young and creative I see myself wearing clothes for the young generation! :P (my mom says that anyways xD lol) The clothes that make you feel like partying, even though you don’t go outside like me xD lol

As much as I love talking about fashion, I think I would bore everyone with my opinions. xD (You’re definitely not here for these are you? xD If so, thank you)

10. What song sums up this year for you?

A: I don’t have a definite answer, but I went through a lot of things. Many times I wanted to be in a dream world…Like to escape everything. All the pain and depression. I still feel that way, but in 2018 it was WAY worse. This song I originally heard in Silent Hill: Downpour (A GAME I LOVE ;w;) was a song I thought of when I see this question. I think it’s a great song! sad, but I’d recommend it. The singer’s voice is lovely. It invokes so many emotions in me ;w; (I’ll give a youtube link)

Ed Harcourt - From Every Sphere

14. Favorite new TV show?

(I HAD to make it this guy >w

WARNING: HUGE ANSWER BELOW!

A: Well, as you may know, I don’t watch many shows anymore. I mostly play video games, but for the sake of this amazing question, I’ll say what anime(s) I did enjoy last year! I don’t think I’ve ever loved an anime as much as I love Gintama. It’s really funny because I originally “disliked” Gintama. It was a naive thing for the young me to have said at the time. I judged the show so harshly after seeing anime (IMO) being shat on with the usual themes and scenes I ALWAYS see. I began to give up on anime as a whole. My story starts when I was pissed at my brother telling me, “Gintama is amazing Tash, trust me you’ll regret hating it.” I answered with my normal response of, “ sure Ja, you ALWAYS say that. How will this be any different?” Maybe I shouldn’t have said that…Well, it’s too late now for present-day me. My brother showed me all the “humorous” parts first. (I honestly felt like he tricked me, but the show really starts that way xD) Anyways, we eventually watched a few episodes and I told him I didn’t understand the humour. (it’s honestly hard to get into if you’re not open-minded or don’t understand the comedy Sorachi uses) Until he decided to hit me with his ace, “The Shinsengumi Crisis Arc”. All I can say is, a different side of me was born. I started to see what a show could truly offer if it was done right, the way I wanted to see it. It’s hard to explain, but without Gintama’s sad/inspirational/happy/stupid/clever story writing/arcs I don’t think I would have ever gotten through 2018. I haven’t finished the episodes as of its recent update, but I really learned a lot from the show. I want to give a HUGE shoutout to Sorachi for writing this masterpiece and I would 10000% recommend it to ANYONE! It’s a show that changed my views on people’s situations and lives. I think all the arcs are amazingly written and so far I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of it! It really got me in the feels. I can honestly say that if you can’t feel after seeing an arc in Gintama, you haven’t felt. It’s that amazing! (Then AGAIN, it’s an opinion not everyone will sadly share xD) Also, I am really enjoying Bleach! I’m sad at how it ended in terms of what things happened and I honestly hope Kubo will be ok. I loved his episodes and the earliest ones really touched my heart like Gintama. He’s also really great at making me cry every episode! :P

(GOD SORRY FOR THE ESSAY AND STUPID STORY LINES xD I’m sorry I can’t add a RM for this b/c then everything under can’t be seen like the other answers ;w;)

20. Did you develop a new obsession?

Well…YES! Many obsessions!! The real question is which is the one that I obsess over the most? Well I’ll put some bullet points to hopefully make it smaller xD

First of all, I don’t want to say it but I’ve taken a “liking” (what an understatement lol) to Gin Ichimaru from Bleach~! >////

I think everyone knows, but I have an obsession with cute/pink/pretty stuff. (Can it be called that?) I just LOVE pastel colours or pinks/blues/purples. Those kinds of soft colours you see in Hello Kitty toys or Fairy Kei/Kawaii merch (if I’m correct xD) I just have a HUGE soft spot for childhood stuff! I literally still act like a kid xD lol I don’t think I’ll be growing up anytime soon haha xD lol I just love to collect them! :)

Vaporwave I guess has become a new obsession and old art styles of the past! I just can’t stop being in awe at those marble statues! The curvature and bodies are so magnificent! >w

So many different art styles that are brought to this world! :D This is the truth! I absolutely love most styles I see on here and whenever I encounter them! >w

Other than that, I don’t think I have any other obsessions I know about :P Sorry, I’m super boring xD That’s the art student life lol (only me guys xD dw)

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR MESSAGING ME AND SENDING THIS AMAZING ASK YOU AWESOME PERSON!!! @nalufever I am so happy to have gotten something from you and I hope you’ve had a great Christmas and Happy New Year, friend!! I hope you stay happy and healthy this year!! All the best to you! Thank so much once again for taking the time :)

If anyone else is interested, you can send me something as well~!

Take care from me and Happy New Years everyone!!!

Saku~!

3 notes · View notes

madminniefics · 8 years ago

Photo

can’t pretend anymore

grace left mississippi for a reason. she just wants to be left alone. niall is spending the summer traveling through spain searching for the perfect wave and, instead, finds grace. liam has chosen this moment to pop back up in grace's life. she doesn't want any of it.

a surfer niall / expat grace / tech billionaire ex liam nsfw one shot

Grace spent her whole life running.

Running from her family, running from her dead-end job at the mall selling phone cases in a kiosk, running from her past and future lovers, running from the existential dread that seemed to follow her everywhere, running from the small town in Mississippi that reminded her of fried food, heart attacks, and racism. But no matter how far she ran, there was no getting away from herself.

She’d run to Spain five years ago—to live in a big European city, eat fruit, drink wine, and be left the hell alone—and ended up in a small town outside Valencia where everyone knew everyone’s business. Ain’t that some shit? If she wanted everyone to be all in her shit, she would’ve stayed in Oxford, home of William Faulkner and little old ladies who went to church on Sunday’s and talked shit about their neighbors the rest of the week.

That’s why she left. Or, that’s what she told people. That she couldn’t handle the hypocrites. She couldn’t stand the way they smiled to your face as they plotted against you behind your back. That’s why she quit church in middle school. That and the frilly dresses her momma insisted on putting her in.

The waitress placed a carafe of orange juice and a bottle of champagne on Grace’s table. She was tucked away in the back corner of her favorite café. A window behind her seat overlooked the café’s tiny garden that consisted of two orange trees, three olive trees, and a rosemary bush. The owner, Mateo, reserved the table for her every Saturday. No matter if there was a line outside, that table was always saved for Grace. As a thank you for helping him find a new chef. Grace thought he may be harboring a crush on her, too. They were cool as long as he didn’t act on it.

“Gracias, Marta,” Grace said with a smile as the waitress opened the bottle of champagne for her.

“Claro. Vas a comer lo mismo o algo nuevo?”

Grace looked down at the menu. She always had the same thing for brunch, despite Mateo and Marta urging her to try something new. She loved the churros and chocolate at their little café. It was the best she’d had during her time in Spain.

“Um,” She looked at the menu and back up to Marta. “Dame el menu.”

Marta’s eyes brightened and she nodded and walked into the back to yell at Mateo and Andres, the chef, that ‘La Grace’ was finally trying something new. Grace didn’t even know what the chef special was for that day but she trusted Andres. As long as it was cooked, she would eat it.

Shit. Sometimes if it wasn’t cooked she would eat it. 14-year old Grace would pretend to gag and refuse to eat but 28-year old Grace knew that sometimes you gotta eat what’s in front of you. She tilted her head trying to think if that was deep or just sounded deep. It could be a metaphor for life. Like sometimes you just gotta do things you don’t want to do. She scrunched her nose and poured less than half a glass of orange juice before topping it off with champagne.

After concluding that, no, it wasn’t deep, she took a gulp of her drink before opening her book. It was a collection of poetry, in Spanish, by a local artist. Most of the poems were about love, which Grace couldn’t—or, more accurately, didn’t want to—relate to, but they were beautiful pieces. She continued to read until her food came out. By then she’d already run through two mimosas.

Marta brought three plates and Mateo brought out three more plates. Grace’s mouth watered as the first plate of olives, jamon iberico, bread, and a cheese selection was placed in front of her. Fried quail eggs and sliced beef, ham and cheese croquettes, patatas bravas with their special mayo sauce, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, and clams in a cream sauce were placed on the table as well.

As she ate, she thought about the poems. They were beautiful, she couldn’t deny that. Comparing love to the soft mist after the crest of a wave, to the way the night and the day melted together during a sunset, the purple of clouds in the early morning, the quiet moment before the work day starts, comparing the woman’s white skin to ancient statues carved from marble. And that was her problem, wasn’t it? She’d been raised to believe that women like her—an ‘angry’ black woman from the south whose family barely made it above the poverty line—didn’t find happy endings. In love or in life.

She couldn’t count on two hands the amount of times someone alluded to—or straight up told her, because racists have no shame—her having no future, being a receptacle for children, that she was going to be on welfare her entire life before dying of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes. Or a combination of all three. Grace sighed and sliced off a piece of jamon iberico before pairing it with a piece of cheese and placing it atop the garlic bread like a Spanish bruschetta. Fuck them. Because look at her now.

She washed down the anger with a sip of her fourth mimosa. The poems reminded her of why she really left Oxford. Why she quit the United States and North America in general. Her first love. Her only love.

Liam.

Just thinking his name made her choke on her jamon iberico.

***

Once all of the plates were empty—yes, Grace single handedly demolished six plates of food but, to be honest, they were tapas and she was still hungry—and a few euros placed on the table, Grace grabbed her book and walked outside. It was just before noon. She looked to the right, looked to the left, and decided to go that way towards her tiny apartment above a bakery. It always smelled like sugar and chocolate and, in the afternoons, she could hear two older men arguing over their usual coffee and magdalenas.

The thought of the sweet, sugar topped Spanish muffin made Grace hum. It was a nice day and her article about fun things to do with your children in Valencia was done and turned in. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a whole day off.

She switched out of her favorite grey sundress and put a bright blue bandeau and matching swim bottoms on. For the sake of modesty, since her cheeks were coming out of her bottoms—it was either that or her ass crack and, honestly, that was not a good look—she tugged on a pair of short shorts and a thin, almost see through, white tank top. She left the button open on her shorts for the aesthetic before bounding out of her apartment, with her towel, mystery novel, and water bottle in her tote bag, to take the train into the city.

But not before stopping at the bakery to buy a bag of muffins.

***

Grace set up shop a few feet away from a giant sand castle. The beach was crowded—as it usually was during the weekends in the summer—but she managed to find a relatively empty area. There were a few children splashing near the water’s edge, some teenagers playing beach volleyball, and more than a few people sleeping. She set out to rub sunscreen all over—because she wasn’t playing that skin cancer shit—when something caught her eye.

Someone, really.

A blond-haired man and a long-haired brunette with matching blue surfboards. Suddenly, the blond turned his head and seemed to look right at Grace just seconds before he face planted in the sand. Like. Literally fell face first in the sand like he was a mermaid learning how to use his legs for the first time. Her eyes widened and she bit her lips to keep from laughing. Don’t laugh at the tourists, Grace. If they get embarrassed they won’t come back and you will be out of a job.

Grace watched the blond get up with the help of his friend. She watched him wipe his face with the soaked tee shirt he held in his hand. Kind of redundant to wipe your sand-covered face with something that probably had sand on it as well but. Grace figured he knew better than she did.

“Hi,”

Somehow, she missed the blond walking up to her. Probably because of the dark brown hair on his chest that Grace had been eyeing. It led down to a matching patch of hair that disappeared into his swim trunks. So many thoughts ran through her head re: that hair, what it led to, and what she’d like to do to him when she remembered that he spoke.

She raised an eyebrow up at the blond. “Qué?”

Oh, don’t do it to him, Grace. All he said was hi.

But hi led to ‘how are you’ and that led to ‘you’re beautiful’ which led to ‘can I have your number/email/facebook/twitter/linkedin/what’s app’ and that, ultimately, led to the dreaded ‘can I take you out sometime?’ Not that she was opposed to a nice night of wine and dancing. But it was the conversation she could do without. She didn’t even talk to Marta or Mateo like that and she saw them almost every day.

That was the whole point of moving away. Nobody knew her here despite how hard they tried. Grace liked it best that way. It kept her heart intact, her expectations reasonable, and her standards high. No more getting hurt. It was safer, for Grace, and it gave her something to hold onto.

“Oh, perdon, me llamo Niall,” He cleared his throat when his friend looked at him sideways. “Es que te vi esta manana y te queria decir algo pero no sabia que.”

Grace’s eyes widened so much she thought they were just going to roll out of her head. The odds of this man speaking perfect Spanish—accent and all—were slim to none. That was her go-to trick when tourists hit on her. But he was cute and the fact that he admitted to wanting to talk to her but not knowing what to say…fuck if that didn’t hit Grace in her cold, dead heart.

She smirked. “My name’s Grace.”

She hoped that wouldn’t come back to haunt her.

***

She ended up giving Niall her phone number that day at the beach, under strict promise that he wouldn’t try anything with her. After two weeks, he’d progressed from sending funny pictures to sending silly selfies. Grace was alright with that. She was even okay with him asking questions.

As long as he didn’t try to get deep. She was content to stay on that ‘what is your favorite color?’ level with him indefinitely.

Grace sat in her window, finishing an article about a festival in nearby city Alicante, wondering what she should do with her afternoon. There was always the beach, but she’d gone so much the past few weeks that she was tired of washing sand out of all her cracks. She gave her running shoes a sad glance. There was a 10k in a few months that she should be training for but the farmers market sounded like more fun than running in the dusty trails behind the small town. Her empty pantry would agree with her.

Hitting send on her article, she hopped up with more energy than she should have considering she’d stayed up all night to make deadline. That’s what happens when you put too much on your plate. In work and in food.

And, when you’re delirious from lack of sleep and food, you grab your phone and text a stranger to meet you at a farmer’s market. At least, that was Grace’s excuse.

She didn’t know what Niall’s excuse was when he agreed.

***

The first thing Grace noticed at the farmer’s market was the disproportionate amount of people holding hands. It was like all the fucking couples from Riba Roja del Turia came out that day to get their fresh tomatoes, greens, oranges, and churros. It felt like Grace and Niall were the only people not holding hands.

They weren’t gonna, either, so don’t get any ideas.

He cleared his throat and looked down at Grace. She could see him looking at her from the corner of her eye. Barely resisting a giggle, she looked at him with a playful brow raised. She wasn’t flirting. She was just sleep deprived.

(Keep telling yourself that, Grace.)

“What?” She said, smirk on her lips.

He shook his head and looked forward. “You told me, and I quote, ‘no compliments or anything that could be misconstrued as a crush’ so I’m just gonna stay quiet over here.”

She covered her face with her hands and laughed. Grace had grown to love her laugh despite being told her entire life to ‘tone it down,’ ‘be quiet,’ and ‘do you have to laugh so loud?’ She loved that her laugh turned heads. There was some funny shit happening over here and all y’all were missing out with your boring asses.

“Wow what kind of asshole says that to someone,” She said through her laughter.

When she looked up at Niall he was just grinning down at her and shaking his head. From what she’d learned about him over the past week, he was the chillest surfer dude ever. He was spending the summer in Spain with his cousin, Harry. They were originally from Canada. His favorite color was blue and he was always hungry. His words, not Grace’s.

He seemed to be the perfect buddy. He listened to her rules, didn’t try to skirt around them, and he would be gone in a few months. She would never see him again. Biting the inside of her lip, the cogs in Grace’s mind started working.

“Ignore what I said. If you have something to say, say it.” She looked over at him and tried her hardest not to lick her lips. Because he looked good but she wasn’t trying to start anything deep. A friendship, perhaps. She was mulling the pros and cons.

Pros: eye candy, someone to talk to, maybe he’d teach her how to surf

Cons:

She was drawing a blank on cons which made her feel like she was forgetting something. There were truly no downsides to being his friend, really, Grace? Really? Okay. Don’t come crying in a few months when you get your heart broke because that’s what you’re setting yourself up for.

Grace was fixing to argue with herself when Niall turned to her. He blinked and as he smirked his face transformed. Grace felt that smirk in between her thighs. Lord. She would let him do dirty things to her.

Um. Ma’am.

Get some sleep and maybe drink some water with your thirsty ass.

“Alright. I like your shorts,” He said. The gravel in his voice reverberated throughout Grace’s chest. She almost didn’t notice the little tug he gave to her hemline. Just inches from her thigh. If her shorts had been any tighter he would have grazed her skin and she was sure—as sure as the sky is blue, dirt is brown, and ice cream is delicious—that she would have jumped out of her clothes. Right there in the middle of town. “They look cute on you.”

Grace looked at Niall and then looked away as she shook her head. What do you even say to that? Grace could argue with the best of them. She could debate anything, she had been on an award-winning debate team in high school, but she failed at flirting. Like. Capital ‘F’ failure. Because her first instinct was to tell him his shorts looked cute on him, too.

And her second instinct—which is what she ended up going with—was pointing at the churros stand, looking up at him, and asking if he’d share a bag with her.

***

Grace didn’t see Niall for a few weeks after that. She wished she could say it was because she needed some space but, really, it was because he and Harry had taken a road trip to chase some waves. He’d sent her a few pictures of Harry wiping out—a technical surfing term that Niall taught her—and more than a few shirtless selfies.

There was something there. They were trying to ignore it—Grace, especially, because she didn’t need the drama—but she couldn’t ignore the reason why she smiled when Niall texted her or why she gripped her phone up so fast when she got a new message or why she had her ringer on at all when her phone used to be always on silent.

She rubbed a hand over her face and stood up from the small table in her tiny, one room apartment. Not that she couldn’t afford anything bigger. She’d fallen in love with the apartment when she visited. It was the last one her realtor showed her and it overlooked the eastern side of town. She had a view of the orange groves on the outskirts of town.

Grace wasted away her Friday by getting her nails done, taking a bath, washing her hair, and shaving her legs. That was her entire day. She was starting to feel cooped up in her apartment and found that she was just walking back and forth in her living room. Stopping in front of the tv, she decided she needed to go out.

Two hours later she was sitting at the bar at an oceanfront club at the marina in Valencia. Her go-to place was dead. There were a handful of people on the dance floor—not nearly enough for her to be comfortable dancing—but the drinks were good so she stayed.

She sipped her vodka cranberry and watched as the tourists on the dancefloor made a fool of themselves. After a certain amount of drinks anybody would get out and dance even if they knew damn well they had no rhythm. She took a gulp of her drink and looked at the entrance. She was going to leave as soon as she finished her drink.

That’s when she saw him.

Liam. In the flesh, right there, just a few feet away from her in his now-signature black suit and tie. She thought he looked ridiculous. It was almost one hundred degrees. Who wore a suit to a club outside of, like, Hollywood-types?

Grace turned her body so that her back was towards him. When she told Liam that she never wanted to see him again, she thought she’d made it clear that Spain was hers. He was a gazillionaire. He could afford to leave her the fuck alone.

Apparently not. Because just as she finished her drink there was a tap at her shoulder. She knew he would be there before she turned around. Taking a deep breath, she summoned her most bored expression before turning towards Liam.

“I couldn’t help but notice how familiar you look,” He said, speaking close to her ear because of the noise level.

She almost scoffed. Is that the game he wanted to play? Pretending not to recognize the girlfriend he left behind after college? The so-called ‘love of his life’? His ‘angel with no wings’? The girl that had wasted six years of her life on him? Really?

Okay.

“Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She said, turning in her seat to face the bartender so her back was to Liam, once again.

And it was a nice back. She made sure of that with her work out regiment of running every other morning and lifting weights on the days she doesn’t run. Plus, she’d worn her favorite backless satin black dress. Grace knew she was looking good. He could eat a dick for all she cared.

Six fucking years and he thought he could talk to her any old way. Ha. He must have forgotten what she was like after all the models he’d ran through.

Grace quickly paid her tab and grabbed her clutch. She was halfway to the door when she realized Liam was following her. Rolling her eyes and sucking her teeth, she turned with her arms crossed.

“What?”

He stood there, staring, for a long moment. The area near the front door was fully lit and she wondered if he had realized his mistake.

“You remind me of someone I never thought I’d see again,” He whispered.

His words made her flinch.

“Yeah, well,” She shrugged and suddenly felt less in control of the situation. “Here’s hoping you’ll never have to see me again.”

With that, she turned and walked out the club. Her angry steps made her heels clack loudly in the night. Someone honked the horn and cat called her in Spanish and she flipped them off. She did not have the patience for that shit on that night.

“Grace, wait!”

Liam. When would he get the hint? How many times did she have to tell him that she was done with his bullshit? Done. She’d left a whole continent just so she wouldn’t have to see him again. And there he was, looking as gorgeous as ever, making Grace rethink all of her promises to herself.

Sighing, she raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

“Sorry, I just,” He ran a hand through his hair. Grace couldn’t help but notice he needed a haircut. “You look so different.”

“Five years will do that to you.”

He nodded and looked away, putting his hands in his pockets like he was wearing jeans and not a suit that probably cost more than Grace’s yearly rent.

“Can we just talk?”

She knew she would regret it later—and, honestly, she wasn’t sure what possessed her to agree—but the grin that took over Liam’s face when she agreed made her heart flutter. It had been five years. Surely, they could act like adults. They could at least have a conversation.

He placed her hand in the crook of his elbow as they started walking farther down the marina. As they walked up to one of Grace’s favorite gastropub’s it hit her that he’d been there before. There was no way he would know about that place tucked away at the end of the marina unless he’d been there before. In the same city. Without her knowledge. She couldn’t believe that was the first time they’d run into each other.

As they made their way into the gastropub—which was, really, just a glorified patio with a few tables and chairs but mostly lounge chairs with tables beside them—Grace took a deep breath. Was she ready to do this? She tried to forget everything about Liam. The way he looked at her, his smile, his laugh, especially the way his fingers felt as they grazed her skin and the way he looked deep in her eyes as he pushed inside her.

Sex is the last thing she needed to be thinking about as they laid next to each other on a two-person lounger. There was like two inches separating them. She couldn’t keep her mind from going there, though. She reminded herself of how good sex with Liam had been. He had to have learned a few new tricks over the years. She tried to hide her quick glance at his lap with a sip of her watermelon daquiri.

“How’ve you been?” He said, pulling her eyes from their attempt to find the outline of his dick.

She let the question sit for a moment as she sorted through her emotions. Her instinct was to be petty. She thought she had let go of the anger long ago but just seeing his face brought back all those emotions. A lump lodged itself in her throat. Hell no. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of making her cry. Again. No sir.

After clearing her throat, she made herself smile. “I’ve been great. Doing some freelancing right now. Momma tells me your little app is doing well.”

If you thought Grace wasn’t going to be petty you don’t know her very well.

“Yeah,” He laughed and took a sip of his beer. “It’s doing alright.”

“That’s great.”

She nodded. That was the extent of what she had to say to him. There was nothing else left. She had nothing to give this man that had stolen her light. He’d changed her whole personality. As other girls were finding themselves, Grace was losing herself. She’d only just found herself. Something that all the advice columns and baby boomers insisted happened during college.

“I didn’t come here to small talk,”

Grace blinked lazily. “What did you come here for, then?”

She bit her tongue to keep from saying what she really wanted to say. She didn’t have anything else to say to him. She wished he could get that through his head and leave her alone.

“I wanted to talk about us.”

I. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I. Shut. Up. Grace didn’t want to hear any more sentences that started with ‘I.’ Whatever came after was usually only about what the speaker wanted or needed. Be careful with people who only speak in ‘I’s. They’re only there to smile at you while they break your heart over and over.

Listen to Auntie Grace. Her heart had only been broken once but that was more than enough. She knew what the fuck she was talking about.

“So, talk.” She said. As if she was going to make this easy on him.

He sat up and cleared his throat. Like he was about to make some big speech or something.

“I miss you.”

No, this motherfucker did not.

Did he just.

Seriously.

Grace managed to keep a straight face even as her thoughts bounced all over the place. Of all the things he could have said that’s what she was least prepared for. She fully expected him to ask for an apology—or even for his money back—for the tires she’d slashed, the windows she’d broken, the tv she’d smashed. Not that any of those damages compared to her heart circa 2017.

But she’d survived, she reminded herself. She survived and thrived and so did he. That much was clear. Why he felt he needed to come and intrude in her life five years after the fact was a mystery. He could never leave well enough alone. That was one thing about Liam. He was nothing if not persistent. And damn if it didn’t piss Grace off.

She just wanted to be left alone.

“Grace?”

“Hm?”

“I said I missed you.”

Oh, sweetie. She heard you the first time.

“Okay.”

Ouch.

That ‘okay’ hit Liam like a rock. Grace could tell he didn’t know what to say back. He’d expected the shy, meek Grace that he’d molded and instead he got this Grace. The Grace that didn’t care who you were, she wasn’t going to let you fuck with her. She was done with letting people walk all over her. She found that once you freed yourself from people like that your life became so much better.

She was happy. Certainly, happier than she was when she had a filter between her brain and her mouth.

“You look beautiful,” He said, leaning forward to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear.

“Thanks.” She said, her hand going up to remove the piece of hair from behind her ear.

“Dammit Grace I just want to have a civil conversation,”

“So, have one. Nobody’s stopping you. But don’t be surprised if I don’t answer.”

“You’re so frustrating,” He sighed and shook his head. “What happened to you?”

She raised her eyebrows and blinked at him.

“What happened to me?” She placed a hand on her chest. “I grew up, Liam. What happened to you to think that you could just come out of nowhere and demand things of people?”

They sat on the lounger staring at each other for a long moment. Grace didn’t have anything else to say. She was sure Liam was trying to figure out how to counter what she’d just said. She would be amazed if he didn’t just leave. That’s what rich people did, right? When things get hard they threw money at their problems or they just ignored them.

“I’m sorry,” He said softly.

He said what now.

“Um, apology accepted,”

She set her drink down and looked out to the sea. It was dark though so she couldn’t really see anything except the white foam of the miniature waves crashing at the edge. There were people walking around but mostly they were hidden away inside the air-conditioned clubs or on the patios drinking.

Later, Grace would blame her next words on the alcohol. She would completely Jamie Foxx it. But at that moment, when she looked over at Liam, she wasn’t thinking about her anger. She wasn’t thinking about their past and the ways they hurt each other. She was thinking about that apology. About how sincere he sounded.

She stood from the lounger and held her hand out to Liam.

Somehow, he understood just what she needed.

***

Grace and Liam stumbled out of a taxi at the front of his hotel. She wanted some dick but she surely wasn’t inviting him to her apartment. She’d forgiven him but that didn’t mean she wanted his overall negative energy in her home.

But his hotel, that she could do. It was impersonal and she needed that to keep her heart at least an arm’s length away from Liam.

She let him lead her into the elevator and she let him press her into a corner with a hand on her ass. His lips sponged kisses up her neck. She hiked her leg around his hip as he sucked a spot beneath her ear that had her squealing.

The elevator dinged to let them know they were at his floor sooner than they both expected. With both her feet on the ground she was still a little shaky as she looked around. Of course, he was in the penthouse. Of course. She rolled her eyes behind his back as he walked out of the elevator.

Liam pressed the softest kiss on her lips. It reminded her of their first kiss on the playground in her neighborhood at three am on her seventeenth birthday. Soft, sweet, and just a little reckless.

“I hate you,” She whispered against his lips as he finally got his card key to work.

“I’m okay with that,” He said, voice muffled against her skin as he lifted her in his arms and walked into the hotel room, kicking the door shut behind him before dumping Grace on the massive ottoman in front of the couch.

She giggled as he licked up her neck. There was a part of her that was screaming at her to stop. Like. If she really wanted to cut all ties with Liam then why would she go home with him?

But the rest of her was telling that other part to shut up, mind its business, and get this dick.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” He whispered against her skin.

Why. Why did he have to say anything? She wasn’t here to talk. She was here for sex. Dassit.

“Shh,” She said, pressing a finger to his lips before replacing it with hers.

She wanted to make the rules. After years of following him, letting him make decisions, doing things because he wanted to…it was her turn.

Grace let Liam lick all on her body as her slinky dress slipped from her shoulders. He tossed it on the floor next to them and resumed licking down her torso, pressing a kiss to her clit through her thong, before all but ripping them from her body. He made Grace squirm on the ottoman as he alternated between kissing and licking down her legs and back up to her pussy.

He left her heels on. She was about to ask if he wanted her to take them off when she felt his tongue on her slit. All words—all breath, really—left her in that moment. Who cared about the heels, truly. All Grace cared about was the feeling of Liam’s breath on her sensitive skin and his tongue on her clit.

She ran her hands through his hair and pulled at the ends gently. He looked up and winked at her. Grace was done with this slow shit. His taking his time with her, lazily running his tongue around the area where she needed it the most. She wanted to come and she wanted to do it now. She growled and pressed on the back of his head. He got the point.

Within minutes Grace was coming undone. Her breath was ragged as she gasped and moaned through the feelings. Her back arched off the ottoman and her eyes rolled back as Liam undressed himself.

She turned and got on all fours before he could grab the condom from his wallet. Looking back at him as he put it on, she bit her lip against a grin. She wasn’t sure about missing Liam but she missed this, that’s for sure.

***

In the morning, Grace was wracked by debilitating doubt. She was wrapped up in Liam. His legs were intertwined with hers, his arm was around her bare waist, his face in her neck, his breath making goosebumps pop up on her skin. She could smell him all around her. It was the same cologne she’d gifted him for their first Christmas together.

And just like that, she was eighteen again.

Alone and afraid. Left behind. Images of pale skin, unfamiliar panties, and pink nail polish on some other girls’ toes flashed through her mind.

Grace pushed Liam’s limbs off her. If she didn’t get out of that bed in the next two seconds she was sure she would throw up on him. Did she really drink that much last night? She must have.

But, deep down, she knew that wasn’t it. She knew it was the memories that she’d repressed for so many years. Of Liam moaning as he pumped into a woman who was the complete opposite of Grace.

There was a noise coming from behind her but she refused to turn and see his face. This was her worst mistake. And she’d left home at 23 to move to a different country with barely a thousand dollars to her name. It was like she’d forgotten everything she told herself. All the promises, all the goals, all the time spent talking to her therapist about Liam. Everything down the drain. And for what? An orgasm and a half?

“Come back to bed, babe,” Liam said, his voice tinged with sleep.

She inhaled sharply. “I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?” He sat up and placed a hand on her back. She shivered. “Stop playing, Grace, c’mon.”

She needed Liam to stop talking. She needed him to stop touching her. She needed to leave. Now.

Grace stood so fast that Liam fell forward onto the bed. She grabbed her clutch from the chair in the corner and her heels from the foot of the bed.

“Grace.” Liam yelled.

No he did not just yell at her.

That stopped her as she was walking out the bedroom bare ass naked. She gave him a dirty look. Who the fuck.

“Where are you going?” He said, his tone a little more respectful after seeing how angry Grace was.

“I’m going the fuck home where the fuck do you think I’m going,” She rolled her eyes and walked out the room muttering under her breath. “Talking about where I’m going like he’s my daddy or something he better get the whole fuck out of here what the fuck.”

She was dressed and out of his hotel room in two minutes flat. That must have been a record.

***

Days later, Grace was still thinking of her encounter with Liam.

She would walk around, muttering curses under her breath, wondering what it was about that man that made her fall every time. Did she have to write ‘This is Why You Shouldn’t Fuck Liam’ notecards or would she be good next time?

She hoped to God there wouldn’t be a next time.

As she laid on her couch in her underwear Grace thought about whether she should do something or continue to scroll through social media as she ignored the movie playing on her tv. Really, she should hit up her therapist because just talking to Liam brought forth many emotions but the fact that she fucked him, too, was really messing her up. She flopped onto her stomach and sighed.

The cushion underneath her buzzed. She reached down for her phone to see a text from Niall. He was back from his surfing trip and did she want to hang.

Did she want to hang? Ha. Yes. Yes, she did.

They agreed to meet at the beach. Niall was there—looking especially scrumptious in a pair of swim trunks and black sunglasses—when Grace arrived. She’d left her bikini at home, deciding to wear a blue off the shoulder top with a pair of white shorts instead.

Just being near the marina made Grace feel like crying.

Niall could sense it, or something, because he wrapped her in a hug as soon as she was close enough. She hid her face in his chest as he stroked her hair. He let her take as long as she needed and, when she pulled back, he let go immediately. It was nice.

“You okay?” He said, a sad smile on his face. Like he knew.

Grace shook her head and exhaled.

“No, I’m not okay,” Her voice cracked. She hated when that happened.

“Do you wanna talk, Gracie?”

She smiled weakly. He’d started that a few weeks before his trip. Gracie. Nobody else had ever given her a nickname. She loved it.

“My ex was in town,” Grace took a deep breath. Just two months ago she wouldn’t have been able to imagine talking to Niall about anything deeper than her Telepizza order and look at her now. About to tell ol’ boy everything. Because somewhere along the line—along the silly pictures, the trips to the farmers market, the late-night phone calls, the texts reminding her to sleep—their friendship had become deeper than just ‘what kind of pizza do you like.’

“Ah,” Niall winced because he knew about Liam. He was the main character of more than one of their late-night phone calls. “Do I need to kick his ass?”

Grace laughed, a loud laugh, one that was full of life. She looked at Niall and grinned while shaking her head. He snaked an arm around her shoulder and she leaned her head on his. Sometimes all you needed was a good friend to help you, to not give up on you, to know when you needed to talk about something and to know when you needed a laugh.

“No, seriously,” He said.

“We talked for a while, argued a bit, and then, uh,” She took a deep breath. “I went home with him. Big mistake.”

Grace looked out to the ocean and pursed her lips as she thought of how to translate her thoughts into speech.

“You know when you want something you’d eaten before, a little too much, and you think about it a lot and then, when you eat it, it’s not nearly as good as you remembered?”

Niall nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“It was a lot like that.” She whispered.

He took his arm from around her shoulder. She stopped and looked up at him. He was looking down at her. It was probably the worst timing on Grace’s part but she couldn’t stop looking at his lips.

“Come on,” He whispered, grabbing Graces’ soft hand gently with his callused one.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “What are we doing?”

“Just go with it, Gracie,” He said, tugging at her hand before lacing his fingers with hers and taking off at a jog.

She laughed as they dodged tourists, children, dogs, and peoples’ belongings. He was getting her mind off Liam, she knew that, and she was glad for Niall. That she had him in her life. That she hadn’t pushed him away.

When they stopped—a few feet from her favorite ice cream shop, which was probably Niall’s plan from the beginning—they were winded and grinning. Niall’s face was red and when he turned to Grace she laughed.

“Is there something on my face?”

“You’re so red, poor baby,” She said through her laughter.

Niall pouted. “Sure, make fun of the white guy.”

That made a fresh bubble of laughter burst out of Grace. Her head tipped back and, when it came back, Niall was standing right in front of her. Closer than he was before. She blinked up at him as his face came closer to hers. She realized that he was going to kiss her seconds before his lips grazed hers, as if asking for permission. She leaned up on her toes to press her lips fully to his.

He opened his mouth against hers and she followed suit. Their tongues tangled as their battle took them back and forth from his mouth, to hers, and back. The kiss made her forget that she needed to breathe. She was gasping as she leaned back down on her feet.

Was the world spinning or was that just Grace?

Niall pressed one last kiss to Grace’s forehead before she took his hand and led him to the window of the ice cream shop. She wasn’t sure if this was anything. Wasn’t sure if she wanted it to be anything. All she knew was that Niall was safe. He was safe and happy and soft.

Sometimes you needed that.

#i can't believe how cute that banner turned out #i made that y'all #anyway let me know what you think about this!!#1dff #niall horan fanfiction #liam payne fanfiction #os: itc #there's some spanish in this but i think y'all will be able to get it with the context given #but let me know if you want a list of the phrases translated!!!

57 notes · View notes