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iflostreturntosteverogers · 3 years ago

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Little Mouse

Characters: Benny, Reader, Dean, Luca (OMC)

Warnings: Angst, Implied sexual abuse of a minor, Kid has a hard life, Dean and Benny to the rescue, Comfort

Word Count: 2501

Beta: @fictionalabyss

Header: @sorenmarie87

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

You duck into an alley between two nightclubs and pull out your phone to check the time. You still had a few minutes before your… client was set to meet you here. Sighing, you remove your hoodie and lay it atop your battered backpack, leaving you in jeans and a bra. You shiver at the cool air on your skin, but there was no way you were getting blood on your new hoodie. You feel a presence looming at the mouth of the alley and straighten yourself. “Little mouse.” You cringe at the man’s raspy voice but quickly replace it with a sly smile.

“Hello, Luca. It’s nice to see you again.” He saunters towards you. You can smell the sex and alcohol on him the closer he gets. It’s always the same with him: he calls you his little mouse so you remember you’re weak and his prey for the evening, he holds you close in his arms and strokes your hair to calm your racing heart, then he bites you, taking the precious blood he pays you for. Sure he might rough you up or let his hands wander if he’s in a particular mood, but he always brings you some food as well as the cash he owes you. You resist the urge to sigh when he opens his arms to you.

“Come here, mouse,” he beckons. You do as told. There’s no reason to fight. You’d just lose in that case. You wrap your arms around his waist and let him hold you. He spends time petting your hair and rubbing your back until he deems your heart rate sufficient. “Turn around now, mouse.” He’s gentle as he turns you and moves your hair to one side. Gentle. Fuck. That mood, huh? Taking deep breaths, you try to turn it all off. It’s easier that way. He slides his hand across your chest and up to your throat, tilting your head to the side. You don’t even flinch when his fangs pierce your throat. You go numb as he takes his fill, letting your mind wander to faraway places as his hands roam your body and you grow colder.

Soon enough he’s laying you down on the alley floor, using your hoodie as a pillow and wiping away any remaining trace of blood from your neck. He tucks a new blanket around you and sets a food container by your head. “I’ll see you next week, mouse.” He disappears into the dark and you curl into yourself, letting sleep consume you.

Benny exits the nightclub and turns down the alley. Why he had let Dean convince him he should go in the first place was beyond him. Dean wasn’t even in town. He shakes his head at the thought and stretches. The smell of fresh blood catches his attention. He searches for the source, eyes roaming the dark alleyway. He almost misses the small figure huddled under a blanket towards the other end. His gut tells him he needs to check this out. That it’s not just another drunk passed out.

You’re pale and shivering despite the blanket. Benny lays his hand on your shoulder, gently shaking you. It worries him how long it takes you to respond, but finally, you open your eyes a bit and frown. “What do you want?”

“Uh-“ he’s taken aback by the venom in your voice.

“Listen, dude.” You glare at him as you push yourself up on shaky arms, the blanket falling away. “I’m drained. Got it? Come back in a couple of days with cash and you can have a turn.” Benny stares hard into your eyes, trying to avoid looking at your half-naked form. You jerk the hoodie up off the ground and over your head. You pull your hair out of the back and brush your hand across your neck. When you pull your hand back, red stains it. “Fuck, still bleeding. You need to go, dude. I’m not giving you shit.”

“What do you mean ‘have a turn’? Why are you bleeding?” His face darkens as he watches you. Panic rises and your brain screams run.

“Forget I said shit. I’ve gotta go.” You push yourself up the wall, debating whether it’s worth it to grab your stuff. While you need it, you need to get away from this man more.

“Now, hold on, darlin’. I’m not gonna hurt you.” He stands and takes a step back, giving you some space. His mistake. You start forward to take off running, but don’t make it far before collapsing. “Fuck!” Benny dives to catch you before your head can hit the asphalt. He weighs his options, deciding to get you in his truck and to a safer place. He practically sprints there and lays you across the seat. Pulling out his phone, he calls Dean and heads back to the alley to retrieve your things. Dean answers on the second ring.

“Hey, Benny. What’s up, man?” Benny gathers your backpack, the blanket, and the food container, opening it up to see a wad of cash in a baggie along with some Chinese food.

“Hey, I’m kinda at a loss here. I went to a club like you said-“

“That’s great! Did you meet someone? Why are you at a loss? Forgot how to screw it’s been so long?” Benny sighs at the interruption and rolls his eyes.

“No. Dean, stop and listen. I walked out to get some fresh air and ducked into an alley. Found someone curled up under a blanket. First thought was that it was just another drunk, but I decided to trust my gut and check on them anyway because I could smell fresh blood. Turns out it’s a young girl. I’d be surprised if she’s even seventeen, Dean. She was half-naked and pale. Based on the two bleeding puncture marks, she’s been around some vampires.”

“Fucking hell.”

“Yeah, I know. It gets worse.” Benny runs his hand over his face and sighs, walking back to the truck. “She commented something like ‘come back in a couple of days with cash and you can have a turn’. When I asked for clarification on that, she panicked and tried to run away. She didn’t get more than a couple of steps before she collapsed. I’m assuming from blood loss. But also probably malnutrition. She’s so small. She had a food container with some cash in it nearby. I’m assuming from her recent ‘client’.” He grimaces at the word and tosses the blanket over you as he gets in the truck and starts the engine.

“So you think what? That she’s selling herself to vamps for money. Why though? And where the fuck are her parents?”

“Yeah, and my guess is that she’s homeless.” You mumble something in your sleep, drawing Benny’s attention to you. He can’t quite make out the words, but whatever you’re dreaming isn’t pleasant based on the way your eyebrows are knit together and teeth are clenching. “I’m taking her to my place. Gonna try and get those punctures cleaned and bandaged. Maybe when she wakes up, convince her to eat something and talk.”

“I’m in the area. I’ll meet you there.”

“Sounds like a plan. Thanks, man.”

You wake up somewhere warm and soft. The thought that Luca took it too far and you died crosses your mind briefly, but your sore limbs and a hazily remembered conversation prove otherwise. Voices filter in through the haze of your mind. You remain still, trying to concentrate on what they’re saying. “...call a doctor.”

“Probably CPS as well.” Oh hell no. You open your eyes and look around. Whoever the voices belong to aren’t within sight at least. Slipping off the couch you stay low to the ground and take inventory of yourself. You still have your jeans and hoodie on but your shoes are missing, most likely near the door. Your backpack on the other hand… Fuck, that was everything you owned. You stifle a groan and focus on escaping. Hopefully, it was still in the alley. The cash you’d made from Luca was probably long gone by now. You crawl past the couch, keeping a watch for the owners of the voices, and make your way towards the front door. Your freedom, shoes, and surprisingly your backpack are all in sight when a pair of boots step out in front of you. “Going somewhere, sweetheart?” You follow the legs up, up, up to the man’s stern face. He crosses his arms over his chest. Shit.

“Going home. Apparently, I was kidnapped, but if you let me go I won’t tell anyone about this little mishap.” He smirks down at you.

“And where would home be? I’ll drive you, so you don’t have to walk.” You glare up at him. “Because the way I’m understanding things, you don’t have a place. Why don’t you come back to the living room and have a nice conversation with us?”

“Why, so you can call CPS and have me sent to another shitty group home? I don’t fucking think so.” You do the only thing you can think of and head butt him in the dick. He chokes and grabs himself, giving you a chance to get up and run. If only your shaky legs would cooperate and the other guy wasn’t blocking the door. You stumble into him and growl. “Move!”

“No,” he says firmly. “We’re just trying to help you.”

“That’s what they all say,” you scoff. He’s holding you in a way so that you can’t hit him. The first guy recovers and turns to face you.

“Listen, kid, we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. Let’s chill out and start over. Okay?”

“Fine.” It doesn’t feel like you have much of a choice. Worse comes to worst you’ll just have to escape CPS and the group home. Again. “But I want food.” They both chuckle.

“I think we can handle that,” the one in front of you says. “Are you allergic to anything?”

“Bees. Also, have a slight dairy intolerance, but if you take cheese away from me I’ll murder you.”

“Noted,” he laughs. “I’m Dean by the way. Come on, I’ll make us all some breakfast and we can talk. Can you walk by yourself or do you need Benny to help you?” He nods to the man behind you. You look up at him and he smiles softly.

“I’ve got it, thanks.” Benny releases you, but his hands hover in case you stumble again. Thankfully you don’t as he guides you to a small table and pulls out a chair for you. “Thanks,” you mumble. He just smiles and nods his head at you before joining Dean at the counter to help with breakfast. You watch them curiously as they move around each other. They effortlessly work together, laughing and smiling as they prepare food. “Are you two… like together?” The words tumble from your mouth before you can stop them. Dean drops the pan he’s holding onto the stove in shock while Benny just chuckles. You slap your hand against your mouth and mumble an apology.

“It’s okay, kid,” Benny answers, looking over his shoulder at you. “No, we’re not together. Just good friends.” You nod before burying your red face in your hands. Luckily, the two men let it go. A hand on your back makes you look up from your embarrassment. Benny sits a plate in front of you. It’s loaded down with bacon, an omelet, pancakes, hash browns, and strawberries.

“This is… a lot,” you whisper. Dean and Benny join you at the circular table with equally full plates.

“Wasn’t quite sure what you’d like so there’s a little of everything. The omelet has green and red bell peppers, Colby Jack and pepper Jack cheeses, and spinach.”

“Wow.” You dig in and groan. You can’t remember the last time you had food like this. The restaurant shit the vamps brought you was good but this was something else. Dean smirks at your reaction.

The three of you finish eating in silence. You start to stand and take your plate to the sink but Benny places his hand on your arm, stopping you. “We’ll take care of that, darlin’. Sit back down and let’s have that talk.” You pick at a spot on your jeans and sigh.

“Do we have to?”

“Yeah, we do.” Benny looks at you sympathetically as Dean clears the table. When he returns he gestures for you to begin.

“I-uh…”

“Why don’t you start with the easy stuff?” Dean suggests when you freeze.

“Easy stuff?” He didn’t get it. Nothing about your story was easy.

“Mhm, like your name and just general things about you. We’ll work up to the hard stuff.” Oh.

“It’s Y/N. Um, I’m from Dulvey, but I moved to Lafayette a few years ago after- a few years ago. I’m allergic to bees, but I guess I already told you that. Um,” you pause, running a hand over your face nervously. “My favorite color is green. I used to play soccer when I was little. I like-I guess I should say I used to like to bake with my mom.” Benny can hear your voice starting to shake. He reaches across the table to hold your hand. You flinch at the contact. “Sorry.”

“No reason to be sorry, darlin’. Do you want to stop?” You pull your feet up into the chair and hug your knees, nodding. Dean crouches down in front of you.

“Listen, kid, life has handed you the shit end. I can see that without you even telling me what all has happened to you. I- we want to help you. Truly help you. I know you don’t know me yet, but I’ve got a place in Kansas. There’s plenty of space for you. Let me get you out of here. Out of this state that holds shitty memories and trauma. Let me take care of you.”

“I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” you protest quietly, trying to quell the hope blooming in your chest. It all sounds too good to be true.

“You do. You’ve been on your own for too long. You deserve to be a kid, to be loved, and to be cared for. You’re a tough-ass kid, but I can see the fear in your eyes. Wondering where that next meal is coming from, or if that shitbag client is gonna be a little handsy or worse, whether or not you’re gonna be safe. I want to get you out. Let me.” Unwelcome tears fall from your eyes. You angrily wipe at them and sniff. “Fuck it. I’m hugging you.” He pulls you up and into his arms. You stand stiff and shocked before latching onto him and sobbing. It’s been so long since anyone had just hugged you.

“Okay,” you whisper against his chest, so softly he almost doesn’t hear you. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

Tags: @leave-me-2-rot-among-the-flowers, @hobby27, @samfreakingwinchester, @akshi8278

#Dean Winchester #Benny Lafitte #Reader Insert #supernatural

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terribleco · 4 years ago

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Jim The Skin Interview

Jim The Skin is one of Coventry’s longest serving skateboarders, and has been skateboarding for the entire time I have been alive. As co-founder of the city’s skater owned shop Ride, he has been sponsored by Third Foot and Independent Trucks (even getting a double ad with his son Joe), and continues to skate a bowl better than people half his age. He has been influential for so many skateboarders in Coventry, running comps himself, or helping those who put events on in the city. His continued support of the work skaters do; from output like this very blog, to skater owned companies from the local area, and multiple skatepark improvement projects, makes him the godfather of modern skateboarding in Coventry. I interviewed him to get some more insight into the man who’s real name isn’t actually Jim.

Header Photo by Chris Johnson (@cj_photo)

As of 2020, you and your brother Darren have been running Ride for 21 years! When you first opened the shop, did you think the skateshop would still be going this far in?

Of course we did: we're down for life!! It does seem a bit unreal that it's been going that long, but we've had such good support from people. Having the bike side of the shop has made sure we had some income to pay the bills too.

How has skateboarding in Coventry changed in the 21 years the shop has been open?

I'm not sure it has changed that much - people are still shredding the town centre, and a few are more into transition skating the same as they always were. I guess the skate fashion has changed a fair bit: most people are on 8.25, 8.5 or even bigger boards now, and wearing slip-on shoes. When we started the shop, if you rode an 8" deck that was big, and most dudes were wearing silly baggy jeans and massive shoes too.

Photo by Ian Lawton (@mrianlawton)

I think you’ve been skateboarding longer than I’ve been alive! When did you first start and who got you into it?

I'm pretty sure I started somewhere between 8 and 10yrs old back in the seventies, so I've been skating for about 45 years. No one single person got me into it, skateboarding was just starting to happen: it was talked about a fair bit and you would see the odd thing on TV. I was always into going fast and doing silly shit on my bike so it looked very appealing. If any one person did help it would have been Steve Spain. When I was 13, I bumped into him at the brickworks in town, and we were still riding little plastic boards or anything we could get our hands on. He was there on this 10" wide thing that just looked amazing!! I said to him "I need one of those", and he took me back to his house and showed me a Surrey Skateboards price list. I went home, sold nearly everything I had over the next two weeks, and then went back to Steve's, and he ordered me a Dog town Jim Muir full setup… then it really started.

What was your first board?

My first board was a made up one, as it was for lots of people: just an old roller skate cut in half and screwed to some wood. After that I had a plastic polly prop rubbish board, even metal and fiberglass boards too, but I will probably say the Dogtown Jim Muir was my first "proper" board.

Your real name is Paul. Where did the name “Jim The Skin” come from?

Oh man this question haunts me! I was fully into Two-Tone: Cockney Rejects, Sham69 and other Oi music. I always had a shaved head, and used to go on all the scooter rallys, Northern soul all-nighters and that sort of thing. Think one of the first times I got in a mag, they must have asked what my name was, and Mon Barbour of SS20 said it was Jim The Skin and it stuck big time.

Photo by Daniel Soderberg (@fotodanne.se)

You are pretty much vert royalty in this country. Was vert something you always enjoyed skating or did you gravitate toward it later in your skating life?

Personally skateboarding was always about speed, long grinds, airs and definitely not pushing if you could help it. I always skated street because it was great fun, but if you could get to a good park with a pool or snake run or ramp, you could just charge. If you watch someone drop in Vert for the first time, they will tell you it was one of the biggest rushes they've ever had on a board just because the speed and the fear you experience, so once you conquer it and can do back to back tricks it rules!

How did Blockless Combat start?

Blockless Combat came around because there were no Vert comps, and hadn't been for a number of years. I just wanted to get everyone who skated Vert together so we could all go nuts! At the time block skating was massive, and it seemed like that was all a lot of skaters wanted to do. After you've grown up watching dudes go 10ft out of a ramps it just seemed a bit weak, hence the name.

I have said on multiple occasions that you have the best smith grinds in the west midlands. Who taught you to smith grind like that?

Haha, I laughed the first time I read that on here - "best smiths in the west… Midlands". When I first got front smiths, there were only two other people who could do them in the UK: Phil Burgoyne and Mark Abrook. I saw Mark do a few at the Banbury ramp and thought "I'm learning that bad boy!". It took a while but I got them in the end, and it became a bit of a trade mark.

Photo by Sean Goff (@seangoff_toddtwist)

How do you feel the landscape of new parks has improved over the time you have been skateboarding?

It's amazing how many parks are out there now! Don't get me wrong: there's still plenty of shit ones, but even some of them can still be fun. I think they are slowly getting better, the new one in Newquay is so good.

What’s the best park you’ve ever skated?

That's a hard one to answer: don't think I could name just one, because I've been to so many all around the world and they all have their own thing that makes them rad. Some of the California parks are so good, but there's some amazing ones in Europe too. I guess it must be Creation as I go there most.

You’ve got some air miles under you: As a skateboarder who travels a fair bit, what’s the funniest thing to happen to you on a skate trip?

The one funny thing that always stands out for me is when we were at Download Festival, and they had flown the big Vert soul bowl over for a comp. Christian Hosoi was over with Tony Alva to do demos. It got to the last few minutes of the comp, Slayer came on, and I was all ready to drop in and do some mad trick in my last run. I looked across to make sure it was clear and there was Sean Goff taking off his last item of clothing, so I had to let him go. He dropped in and did a full run completely naked. There were about 1500 people watching but I was just watching Hosoi's face!

Photo by Richard Styles (@styzee)

As someone who stays pretty connected to the Cov scene, who are some of the best up and coming skateboarders in Coventry at the minute?

I don't go into town now, as I'm far too old to throw myself down stairs and stuff, but local dudes keep me up on who's ripping. I see a fair bit on Insta: obviously Lucas Healey, Pip, Duffman and Ben Keegan are still killing it but I've seen some rad stuff from Lewis Guest, Charlie Kerr and Jack Taylor too… I'm sure I've probably forgot a few but that's just my age!

What do you think will happen in the Coventry scene in the next 21 years?

World domination!! Hopefully the War Memorial Park Campaign will succeed in their efforts to help us get a new park in Coventry, and we will continue to have a really strong scene. There's been so many people getting back into skating lately and new people starting up, especially girls. I would like to think the future looks good.

Anyone you want to thank?

Thanks to everyone who has ever made the effort to come and see us in the shop, and to all the Coventry skaters and BMXers: you all rule! Thanks to my wife Gayle for letting me disappear all the time to skate, and my children Charlotte, Joe, Izzy and Finn. Thanks to Mr Sean Goff for helping us set Ride up in the first place, and for his continued support. Thanks to all the people I skate with on a regular basis.

Thanks to Gary Taylor, Alex Haywood and Joe Atkins for working at Ride for so many years. And thanks to my brother Darren for making it happen.

#interview

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she-is-tim · 6 years ago

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I love hating you | Elu enemies to lovers AU | Ch. 5

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4

Lucas is an angry, closeted and frustrated gay teenager, while Eliott is the handsome, smart and popular guy in school. They hate each other… but not forever.

Also yes, new header for the fic! Yay! Get ready for some disgusting fluff! And don’t forget to tell me your opinions on the chapter!

All I want is you

Lucas was sitting in the small kitchen, on the table, wearing only a black t-shirt that was too big for his body. He watched Eliott, this godly looking man making breakfast for them. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a blue shirt, he looked stunning. His hair almost looked blonde in the bright light that was coming through the kitchen window. Sometimes he glanced at Lucas, having a soft smile on his face, then he turned back to the pan, making sure that whatever he was making is not burning down.

The small boy enjoyed this a lot, being in the kitchen, wearing Eliott’s clothes while he’s cooking for both of them. He could live like this forever, it was so wholesome and peaceful. They spent the whole saturday together, only getting out of bed to eat, drink or pee. It was nice, watching movies and talking about stuff, sometimes just kissing and cuddling. It was actually weird not being in the other’s arms, not feeling his skin on his own, but watching him was really satisfying. Eliott had a nice body, slim, his skin was really pale, his veins were popping through it, especially on his arms. He had small tattoos, on his ankle, his forearm, his knee, his chest. Lucas loved all of them, especially the one on the chest, he kissed that multiple times.

When the food was ready, Eliott put it in one plate, which made the small boy giggle, he hopped off the table, sitting on one of the chairs, waiting patiently. Eliott put down the plate, holding a fork in his hand. His omlette seemed to be delicious, he even put some vegetables in it. He put some on his fork, navigating it towards Lucas’ lips. The boy opened his mouth, tasting the food slowly, smiling at Eliott.

“Is there anything you aren’t good at?” he asked after a few minutes of eating, the tall boy laughed.

“I live alone, of course I know a lot of stuff.” he said softly, stroking the other’s face now. “It’s good to use my skills to impress you.”

“Oh yeah?” Lucas mumbled, leaning his face into the soft touch, looking at the handsome boy with desire, begging for a kiss.

“You’re driving me crazy, you know.” Eliott whispered, rubbing the boy’s lips with his thumb. “We gotta stay out of bed, go out a little.”

“All I want is you.” he sighed, looking into the tall boy’s eyes. “Is that so bad?”

“It’s not bad.” he smiled, leaning forward, biting Lucas’ bottom lip, sucking on it before letting it go. “You know I feel the same... but we can’t stay indoors all weekend.” he said seriously, cupping the boy’s face now, giving him a gentle kiss.

“I like staying indoors... I don’t wanna go out...” the short boy was whining, looking at him with the biggest puppy eyes. Eliott sighed, touching their foreheads together.

“I swear, you are killing me.” he whispered, Lucas started smiling now.

“My intentions are very different from that, Sir. I’d like to keep you alive for selfish reasons.” he said on a very seductive tone, slowly licking the other’s lips before kissing him passionately.

Late afternoon on sunday, Lucas had no choice but to go home. It was hard to leave Eliott, but he couldn’t go to school from his place, wearing his clothes. Thankfully his friday outfit was dry by now, so he put that on, already missing the comfort of the tall boy’s clothing. They were standing in the bus stop, a few steps away, being careful now. The small one didn’t wanted them to be affectionate in public and Eliott seemed to understand that.

“I’m going to miss you.” Eliott said softly.

“It’s just a few hours, we will be seeing each other tomorrow.” the short boy smiled softly, but he felt the exact same thing. He so got used to laying in Eliott’s arms, kissing his neck, playing with his hair, sitting on his lap while they were eating or watching something. It was really hard to leave that behind.

“Not like I can kiss you in school.” he said now, rolling his eyes, hands buried in the pockets of his jeans. Lucas could feel the tension and slight disappointment in his voice, it made him sad, but he really wasn’t ready to come out to the world, even if he had Eliott by his side.

“Okay, let’s have a deal.” Lucas said which seemed to catch the other one’s attention. “We can meet twice, in a safe place, where no one can see us. We can kiss there.” he offered with a playful smile on his face.

Eliott laughed, looking at his lovely hedgehog with so much fondness. He ran his fingers through his hair, probably to stop himself from touching Lucas. It wasn’t easy, but they can try, he can do that. It’s more than nothing and the younger boy wanted those kisses just as much as Eliott did. They were thirsting for each other.

“Okay, little hedgehog. That’s a deal.” he said smiling which made Lucas’ face to light up.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, we will do that... but I will not take resposibility for my actions. I might be a bit too thirsty in those moments.” Eliott said smirking, his words made Lucas’ heart beat faster.

“It’s okay, I think I can deal with that.” the boy said, but he wasn’t really sure about it. Being with this beautiful person just made him do crazy things, like kissing him in the middle of the street on a friday night or ditching his friends and a party just to meet him.

“You’re cute when you’re lying.” Eliott chuckled, leaning to the billboard next to him. He looked so different from friday, no more red eyes, dark circles and he looked less pale this time. They still didn’t talk about what happened with his family, Lucas was really curious, but Eliott didn’t brought it up, so he wasn’t pushing it.

Lucas was about to say something when his bus arrived, he saw the unhappy look on Eliott’s face and felt the same. He waved with a soft smile and then got up before the driver could decide to leave him there. He sat down in the back, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He was looking at the few pictures he took during the weekend, he so wanted to use one as his lockscreen, but the boys would notice it right away. He couldn’t let that happen and all of this with him and Eliott was too fresh.

He sighed when he saw all the missed calls and unread messages, the group chat with the boys was blowing up, Manon called him 5 times and left several texts and voice messages. He got a notification that his dad finally sent him the money for the rent, an e-mail from the nurse that was taking care of his mother, it was a weekly report, he used to read it right away, but he was just so done with social life. He wanted to turn back and stay with Eliott, lay in his arms, forgetting about school, his family stress, his problematic flatmates, his struggles with his sexuality. Everything.

He startled to his phone buzzing in his hand, alarming him that he got another message. He let out a deep sigh, but couldn’t check it right away, cause he had to get off the bus. When he was on his way home, he looked at the screen, checking who was the sender and almost chocked on air. He quickly unlocked the phone, opening his instagram to see the message Eliott sent him.

srodulv My bed still has your smell I miss u

Lucas’ heart skipped a beat, he had to stop, leaning to a tree by the walkway, smiling like an idiot. Eliott was the most romantic asshole he knew and he loved that more than anything. These soft messages meant him a lot. By these he could tell how much the tall boy was affected by him and not just the other way around.

lucallemant I have nothing that smells like you So I will miss you more

srodulv I wanna go after you, but that would be a bad idea

lucallemant It would be But it would fit your romantic style a lot

srodulv Are you criticizing me, Mr. Lallemant?

Lucas chuckled, this guy was so impossible, but that was part of his charm.

lucallemant Maybe :P

srodulv Bold move Considering I can make you moan With just my fingers

Lucas now blushed deeply, burying his face into his palm, trying to breathe properly. How can he be affected by even text messages. He spent so much time with Eliott he knew very well how he says things, how he reacts, how he moves... His teasing was bringing up memories from saturday. Sweet, soft and even erotic memories. They didn’t go far, since this was Lucas’ first time to even kiss a guy, but some things happened. Both of them are young, horny teens, craving for each other, of course they wanna explore things with one another.

lucallemant Bite me, Demaury

srodulv I did At least 15 times just this morning I wonder if you’ve seen your neck...

Lucas gasped, turning on the front camera of his phone, looking at himself. He wanted to slap Eliott so badly when he spotted a bitemark on the spot where his neck meets his shoulder. He can cover it with a shirt that has a tighter neck, but still... Then his slight anger just turned into fondness, because now he had proof that the weekend with Eliott was real and that the boy wanted him, so badly that he had to mark Lucas. He moved his shirt up a little to cover the mark with it and continued walking home, leaving his handsome date on read for now. He deserve that for leaving marks without asking permission

When he entered the flat, he immediately had to face with a really upset Manon. She looked adorable wearing grey sweatpants and a lumberjack shirt, hair loosely tied up. She had a mug in her hand, probably her usual cup of tea before going to sleep. Lucas sighed, guilt growing in his chest now seeing his friend looking at him like that. He didn’t mean to worry anyone, he just went after his heart, turning his brain off for nearly 3 days. Manon was like his big sister, he cared about her a lot, so it was hard to lie to her.

“Hey, Manon.” that was all he could push out on his lying mouth. He had no idea what to say. He can’t tell her he was at Yann’s since she was there at the party with the boys, and his best friend is probably pissed at him. He has all the reasons.

“Explanation.” she said seriously, hand gripping tighter around the mug.

“I was with someone.” he mumbled, trying to find the right words. “It’s... Something was going on with this person, I had to go and meet... Then I stayed for the whole weekend.” he mumbled, trying not to use him or he in his sentences. He was kinda suspecting that Manon knew about his sexuality, but it wasn’t easy to talk about it, especially not when his someone was Eliott Demaury.

“Everyone was worried about you! I was worried, Lucas!” she raised her voice just enough to make the boy understand that he made a mistake. “You have that goddamn phone, use it! I called you several times. I texted. I was about to call the police, but Yann said you’ll be fine.”

“Fuck, I’m so sorry.” Lucas said seriously, he wasn’t thinking that Manon will freak out like that. He was so damn lost in Eliott that he had no rational thoughts all weekend, his mind was filled with one handsome boy. He shook his head, trying to close those thoughts out for now. “I really fucked up, big time.” he started, being totally honest, which actually felt good. “The truth is that I am really into this person... things were happening, one after another, then it was sunday. I wasn’t really thinking about anything.” he said and sighed. He really felt guilty, but seeing Manon’s look softening made him smile. She put the mug on the kitchen counter and pulled him in a tight hug. Lucas wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck.

“Don’t ever do this again, okay?” she whispered, clearly trying to hold back tears, which kinda made Lucas to tear up too. Fucking emotions.

“I promise.”

“Okay then.” she said, pulling back now, wiping off some tears that stubbornly rolled down her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt. “Let’s get you some food.”

“I had dinner actually, but it’s nice of you.” He said, feeling a bit awkward, especially as he remembers back that he ate his dinner as he was sitting on Eliott’s lap, facing him. He shivered. “I just gonna take a shower and sleep.” he said, and when Manon nodded, grabbig her mug to go into her room, Lucas let out a sigh.

He walked to his couch, turning it into a bed, trying not to think about how comfortable it was to sleep in a real bed, laying in Eliott’s arms. He missed it so much it basically hurt his body. He flopped down, searching for his phone. He had to answer the boys, but he wasn’t sure what to say. Telling the half-truth to Manon wasn’t hard, she knew when she had to stop asking questions, but with the gang... They would push him until he either tells the truth or snaps at them, none of that would be good. He needed the perfect excuse.

He decided to roll through instagram first, collecting the bravery to go into the group chat. He saw that Eliott had an active instagram story, it kinda surprised him, though it wasn’t unsual, since Eliott basically lived half of his life on the app, even talking to Lucas through it. He tapped the little icon to see the story. It was a short video, zooming slowly on Eliott’s messy bed, while the song Shape of you from Ed Sheeran was playing. Lucas almost screamed, shoving his phone under the pillows, wheezing like he just ran a marathon. This guy is going to be the death of me, I swear.

After long minutes of silent screams into his pillows, Lucas grabbed his phone, looking at instagram again. He closed the story for now, but he went to his DM’s, opening his conversation with Eliott. There was no new messages since the ones he left on read more than thirty minutes ago. He sighed, starting to type, needing serious self control to stay serious instead of being all lovey-dovey.

lucallemant You can’t be serious

srodulv I am dead serious, can’t you see the marks on you?

Lucas was confused for a half minute before he realized that they were talking about Eliott biting him before. He rolled his eyes, because he was sure that Eliott knew what he was talking about.

lucallemant Ed Sheeran, really? You are such a cliché

srodulv Oh that? Since I can’t post cute pictures of you I had to improvise

lucallemant Why do you want to be so damn loud on social media

srodulv Because I am fucking lucky You are hot, and mine I gotta share that with the world

lucallemant You are the worst

srodulv Oh, come on! I know you like it There’s probably two dozens of girls from our school being jealous of you And they don’t even know who you are Doesn’t that feel good?

Lucas had to admit that it did feel good. He always felt like an outsider at school, he was sure that his sexuality would only make him even more of a stranger. Now that he had Eliott, this handsome, generous, awfully romantic guy, who wanted to post about them so bad on social media. Wanting to shout out to the world that he has Lucas by his side. They didn’t even talk about what is going on between them, but it was affecting the younger boy deeply. His feelings were real and so was Eliott. The thing between them wasn’t a mistake, at least he couldn’t think of it like that.

lucallemant It does, of course it does

srodulv Now people know that I’m taken

lucallemant Are you really?

srodulv Are you serious right now?

lucallemant We didn’t talk about what is this between us...

srodulv I don’t spend a whole weekend with a boy I don’t like Kissing him, touching him Making him breakfast, dinner

lucallemant What do you call this then?

srodulv Well, since we can’t be official... Let’s settle with partners If that is okay to you

lucallemant More than okay I like being your partner

He was smiling like an idiot at his phone screen, the effect of Eliott being soft and lovely with him. It was just impossible not to smile at these messages. All of it seemed to be too good to be true, yet there was the proof in front of his eyes, written by his partner. Partner, wow.

Since he got no response for now, he decided to take a shower. After that he put on underwear and a shirt, going to bed. He checked his phone again, but still no new messages, Eliott probably fell asleep. With a big smile on his face he closed his eyes, letting himself sink into the safety of his dreams. Seeing a handsome, tall boy in it.

School was noisy on this bright monday morning, everyone was glad that the weather got warmer. Lucas felt good too, for the longest time ever he finally felt happy that he could go to school. He stopped at his locker, sorting out the books he needs for his morning classes. Then out of the blue the boys appeared, Arthur slapping a hand on the locker doors, making Lucas startle to the sudden noise, almost dropping the books he was holding. The only thing that sucked with this warm weather was that he had to wear a shirt with tight neck,so people can’t see the bitemark on him. He looked at his friends with wide eyes, remembering just now that he forgot to text them last night. Shit, I’m in big trouble.

“Morning.” Lucas mumbled, holding the books tight to his chest.

“Spill the fucking tea, Lallemant. Right now.” Arthur said without mercy, looking at him like he’s ready for murder.

“I swear... shit happened so fast.” he started, lies coming out without warning and he lets them take over. “My mom needed me, she sent a text when I was on the bus, so I had to go. I spent the weekend with her, trying to make sure she’s fine.” he was almost jabbering, but hoped that the boys can pick up what he is talking about. Yann seemed to understand pretty quickly, just like Arthur, but Basile was ready to start arguing. He just said one word before the blonde boy slapped him on the chest, not too hard, but enough to make him shut his mouth.

“Is your mom okay?” Yann asked softly, clearly worrying. Lucas felt the guilt burning his throat, screaming at him for using his mother as an excuse.

“If we can help somehow just let us know, okay?” Arthur continued, breaking down the small boy even more. He wanted to cry, his friends were so fucking nice and he still couldn’t bring himself to tell them the truth. I am such a horrible person.

“Okay.” he mumbled, trying to hold back tears, his voice was shaky. Basile didn’t say anything, understanding the seriousness of the situation, but he grabbed his friend’s shoulder, squeezing it a little.

And this was the exact moment Eliott decided to walk into school with Alex by his side. They were talking about something, laughing together. Then his eyes connected with Lucas’, tension sparkling between them, but Eliott’s smile quickly turned into something else. He probably saw the tears in Lucas’ eyes, because he barely could walk by them, needing Alex to snap his fingers in front of him, making him focus on his friend. Lucas was glad the boys were too busy stading around him like bodyguards, making sure he’s okay, so they didn’t witness that catastrophy.

As Eliott was out of his sight, he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, not just once, alarming Lucas that he has an incoming call. When he looked at the screen, he felt like throwing up. Of course it was Eliott, who the fuck would call him at 8:30 in the morning. He excused himself from the boys, walking a few meters away, picking up the call now.

“The fuck happened? Are you okay?” Eliott’s voice sounded really upset and it was echoing. He probably went to the bathroom just to call Lucas, which made the short boy’s heart melt. This guy was really too good to be true.

“Calm down. I am okay.” he said softly, smiling even. “I just got a bit too emotional. I hate lying to the guys.” he explained. In that exact minute he could hear a relieved sigh coming from Eliott, feeling a bit guilty for making him worry that much over nothing.

“Fuck, you scared me.”

“And you respected my request by not coming to me right away. I swear, you are just amazing me each and every time.” he said, voice full of fondness. He could hear a soft giggle on the other side of the line.

“It was fucking hard... you looked like a scared animal, begging me for help with those big blue eyes. I was ready to fight anyone that hurt you.” he said playfully, but still on a serious tone. Lucas wanted to melt into his strong arms now, kissing him with passion.

“No one hurt me, Eliott... Where are you now?” he asked after looking at the clock on the wall. They still had at least 10 minutes before class starts.

“Bathroom at the end of the hall.” Eliott said with excitement.

“Don’t move.” Lucas’ voice was serious, he hung up immediately, grabbing his bag after shoving the books into it and almost running to the bathroom.

As he opened the door, Eliott was standing there, leaning to the wall, hands in his pockets. His hair was messy, more than before, probably because he ran his fingers through it several times. Lucas knew he tends to do that when he’s frustrated or excited. They smiled at each other, softly and fondly. Eliott stepped away from the wall, slowly walking towards the small boy until just one step was between them. Lucas took a deep breath.

“Hey.” he muttered, voice quiet, full of emotions. He haven’t been this close to Eliott since like 13 hours and it was just so intense.

“Hey.” the tall boy let a soft smile spread on his face, placing his hand on Lucas’ cheek, caressing it with his thumb. “How can you be so damn beautiful this early?” he whispered, eyes filled with the passion the younger boy knew so well. He saw that so many times during the weekend, mostly before they started to wildly make out. He swallowed, grabbing Eliott’s shirt, pulling him closer.

“Are you gonna kiss me or what?” he mumbled, licking his lips in anticipation.

“Let me just take in everything.” he sighed, leaning his forehead on Lucas’. This started to become their thing, touching their foreheads, looking into each other’s eyes as they talked before kissing. “Were you serious last night?” he asked suddenly, Lucas blinked a few times, not believeing his ears.

“You mean the partner thing?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you were a smart kid, but turns out you are actually just as dumb as I am, huh?” he said smirking, touching his nose to Eliott’s, rubbing on it softly. “I wouldn’t say such thing If I didn’t mean it. You know how your presence affects me... Fuck, I had the best weekend because I was with you.”

“If you wouldn’t come... I don’t even wanna imagine how it would’ve been. I was struggling... So many shit happened last week and you just came to me, like a fucking hero in a romantic movie.” Eliott whispered, his breath was tickling Lucas’ lips. It was hard to focus on his words like this, but he tried to, hoping that his partner will finally tell him something. “I think that was when I decided to jump into this.” he added with a soft smile, lips slowly brushing over Lucas’.

Their kiss was slow, exploring first. Lucas was holding onto Eliott’s shirt, pulling him as close as possible, while the tall boy had his hands on the other’s face, cupping it gently as he kissed him with more passion. They didn’t needed a whole minute to lose it, Lucas suddenly found himself pinned to the wall, one of his legs lifted by Eliott who pressed his body on him completely. He wrapped his arms around his neck, enjoying the wild, needy kiss. It was like they were drowning, gasping for the last drops of oxygen in each other.

Lucas grabbed Eliott’s hair, pulling it just a little as he leant back into the kiss, making sure it’s him who leads. The tall boy let him do what he wanted, still holding up his leg by the thigh, fingers gripping into his flesh. Long minutes passed when they broke the kiss, wheezing, cheeks red, lips swollen, eyes sparkling with happiness and lust. They laughed, freely, carelessly. Eliott started playing gentle kisses on the younger one’s neck.

“I hate this shirt.” he mumbled, pulling away the material from Lucas’ neck. “You should be wearing one that is more loose... especially around the neck area. That’s my favorite.” he whispered into his skin, making the boy shiver.

“It’s your fault that I’m wearing this one... you shouldn’t be leaving marks on such obvious places.” Lucas mumbled, trying to hold into the last sane part of his mind. Eliott giggled, licking the boy’s jawline before placing a soft kiss on the lips.

“I guess you have no idea what you got yourself into when you agreed on being with me.” he said smirking, stroking the other’s face gently.

“Probably not.” Lucas mumbled, hands running up and down on the tall boy’s back. His heart was racing, he wanted more, but their classes will start soon.

“We have one more meeting today.” Eliott said with a playful smile on his face. “How about lunch time?”

“I can’t... I gotta spend time with the boys.” the short boy whispered, still holding into Eliott’s shirt, not wanting to let him go. It was so nice to be back in his arms, enjoying his kisses, his smell.

“Text me when you wanna meet up then.” he said softly, placing a quick, but gentle kiss on the other’s lips. “I will be free whenever you want me to be.”

“Stop being so cheesy.” Lucas said, gently pushing Eliott’s chest. The tall boy laughed, grabbing his wrist and pulling it up to his lips, kissing his knuckles one by one. Lucas gasped, not expecting this at all.

“See you later, little hedgehog.” he said, winking at the short boy before leaving the bathroom. Lucas felt like he’s drowning in emotions. Eliott was like a huge ocean wave to his poor heart, pouring feelings over him then backing out flawlessly. He slowly slid down on the wall, trying to get his shit together before his class starts.

It was wednesday, Lucas was chilling in the common room with the girls, trying to study for english class. He was sitting on the couch, crossed legs, frowning at the pages of his textbook. The girls were talking about something, he wasn’t really listening, since he tried to focus on the letters in front of his eyes, but his head perked up when he heard Eliott’s name.

“So this girl said that she spent the saturday at Eliott’s, can you believe?” Daphné said with that enthusiastic tone she always used when they were on a good gossip.

“Come on, you can’t just believe some random chick, Daphné.” Alexia said, rolling her eyes. She looked cute today, hair braided into two locks. “Eliott weren’t even in school last week, he probably had his girlfriend at his place.”

“He has a girlfriend?” Emma asked, now being interested in the topic.

Lucas swallowed, trying to act like he’s still reading, but he was actually listening carefully to what the girls say. He was glad that they had no idea that Eliott was actually interested in boys too, or that the person he spent the weekend with was right there with them in the common room.

“Can we just talk about something else?” Imane said suddenly, looking up from her chemistry book. She seemed to be really annoyed by this topic.

Lucas was clearly amused, he wouldn’t mind to listen to this silly talk for longer, but sadly the girls switched back to talking about vacations. The small boy sighed, trying to focus on his english studies when his phone lit up on the table in front of him with a little buzz. He got excited, thinking it is a new message from Eliott, but he was surprised to see a notification.

sofalaoui started following you

He raised a brow, clicking on the profile, it was actually private, but he noticed the familiar face on the profile picture. He smiled softly, remembering that he allowed Eliott to talk to his friends about them. He felt like since they were in a different school and also promised not to tell it to Imane, it was safe. Plus his soft and handsome partner was really happy about it, Lucas knew he needed someone to talk about them. He startled a little when the phone buzzed in his hand, he opened the message he got.

sofalaoui Hey, Lucas! It’s me, Sofiane I know this is really random, but you wanna come to the gym with me tomorrow?

lucallemant To the gym?

sofalaoui It’s not an actual gym, more like a Youth Center, I work there

lucallemant Why don’t you ask Idriss to go with you?

sofalaoui He has plans for tomorrow and I wanted to practice But I don’t like going alone

lucallemant Practice?

sofalaoui Yeah, I’m dancing, since 10 years now

lucallemant That’s pretty impressive

sofalaoui So you’re coming? I’ll send you the address

lucallemant Yeah, sure I am free tomorrow afternoon, Eliott is busy with a project

sofalaoui Great! See you tomorrow then

lucallemant Yeah, see you

Lucas smiled, putting away his phone. It was weird, but also kinda flattering that Eliott’s friend wanted to spend time with him, like he was also part of their little group. He found it extra relaxing that Sofiane knew about him and Eliott, so he had a clue that Lucas is gay, and he still wanted to go to the gym with him. That was something the boy could never imagined happening. He was glad that Eliott had such accepting and kind friends. He wished he could be sure that the gang would be the same if they’d known.

On Thursday Luas was both nervous and excited. He got a message from Sofiane, the address of the place where he was working. He got on the bus, holding onto the straps of his backpack the whole time. He packed shorts, a grey shirt and a pair of sport shoes. He wasn’t sure what they’re going to do, but he needed some exercise anyways. He only moved his body when he was in gym class and that wasn’t enough for such a young body. He was wondering if Eliott used to come here too. He didn’t really look like someone who’s been working out, he had a nice body, but not much muscles. Not like Lucas was so different, but he couldn’t picture his soft partner lifting weights or using a treadmill.

He got off the bus, walking to the address. The building looked nice, but it was really more of a Youth Center than an actual gym. Graffities on the walls, very artistic ones actually. He could imagine Eliott doing those with no doubt. Sofiane was waiting outside, being handsome and good looking as usual. He was wearing navy blue jeans and a grey hoodie. His face lit up as he noticed Lucas walking towards him, a beautiful smile spreading on it. He could kill people with that damn smile.

“Hey!” he said excitedly and when the short boy got close enough he pulled him in a bone-crashing hug. Lucas gasped for air, patting the back of the other.

“Hey! Wow, I wasn’t expecting this.” he mumbled honestly. Sofiane let him go and laughed.

“I’m sorry, the guys keep telling me to stop hugging people.” he said softly, smile brighter than the sun itself. Lucas was totally stunned by this guy, not just handsome, but also kind, gentle and the biggest dork he’s even seen.

“It’s okay.” the small boy said, smile appearing on his face. It was hard not to smile when Sofiane was being so damn adorable.

“Let’s go inside.” he said, walking towards the entrance. Lucas followed him without any questions.

The building looked nice, lot’s of space, paintings and pictures on the walls. He could swear that one of the arts belonged to his lovely partner. Sofiane walked to a locker room with him, it was small with a bunch of lockers in it, one door leading to probably the showers. He put down his backpack on one of the benches next to the lockers. Lucas did the same, but he felt nervous now, since it seemed like he has to change clothes in front of this perfect looking guy. With Eliott he had no problem being just in underwear, but this case was a bit different. He took a deep breath which made Sofiane to look at him.

“Oh, damn. You want me to leave? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or anything.” he said, basically reading the young boy’s mind.

“That would be great.” he admitted with a shy smile.

“Okay, I’ll wait outside.” he smiled gently and walked out of the room, leaving there his backpack.

Lucas took a deep breath, taking out his “gym outfit” from his bag. He took off his clothes, changing into the more comfortable ones. He was already putting on his shoes when Sofiane knocked on the door, then peeking in a little, smiling still like the ball of sunshine he was.

“Ready?”

“Yeah, you can come in.” Lucas said softly, being a little nervous in his stupid outfit, He wasn’t sure what he should be wearing, so he just ended up with the stuff he wore on gym class.

Sofiane walked inside and without any warning he started to take off his clothes, changing into more comfortable ones too. Lucas had to look away, it was really too much for him at once and he wasn’t sure that he can survive seeing this guy just in briefs. After a few minutes he turned back, seeing that now the boy was fully dressed, wearing grey sweatpants and a really tight blue tank top.

“We can go now.” he said smiling, leaning down to roll up his pant leg on the right side up to his knee. “Maybe start upstairs with a little exercise. Then I can show you some dance moves.” he said, Lucas choked on air.

“You want me to dance?” he asked, eyes widen in disbelief.

“Yeah, of course.” he said smirking, grabbing the boys wrist and pulling him upstairs where all the gym stuff was.

They spent an hour doing squats, jogging on the treadmill, lifting some weights and even doing pushups. Lucas was totally done by the end of the exercise, laying on the lifting bench under some lights weight Sofiane put on for him. His hair was wet, falling into his face, his body was shaking, but it kinda felt good. He haven’t thought that working out can be such an enjoyable thing, but it actually was, especially with such a sweet company as Sofiane. He was always there to help him, teasing him even. Lucas felt like they’ve been friends forever, it was so natural being around him, talking about school and stuff.

“You okay?” Sofiane asked, leaning over him as he tried not to die on the spot. The boy still had that bright smile on his face, it looked like someone just glued it there.

“I’m gonna die.” Lucas mumbled, trying to control his heavy breathing.

“Let’s take a short break then. You will need your energy for the dancing.” he said smirking, while Lucas let out a whimper.

“I don’t wanna dance.”

“It will be fine. I’m going to help you.” the older boy said softly, squeezing Lucas’ shoulder before he walked away, probably to get a drink.

The short boy slowly sat up, taking a deep breath. He decided to go to the lockers, just to see if anyone called or texted him. They were so busy in this one hour that he totally forgot to bring his phone to the gym room with him. When he checked the screen he wanted to punch himself in the face. Three missed calls and five unread messages from Eliott. He totally forgot to tell him that he’s going to the Youth Center with Sofiane.

srodulv This project is killing me, my head hurts You have time to talk? Are you mad at me? Why don’t you pick up your damn phone? Lucas?

He swallowed, feeling extra guilty for making Eliott worry about him again. He thought that he won’t have much time to talk anyways because of the project. Well he was really wrong. He should have known that this romantic bastard can’t last for thirty minutes without talking to Lucas. Which was actually super sweet.

lucallemant I’m so sorry. Don’t freak out I’m at the Youth Center with Sofiane And no, I am not mad, but I forgot my phone in the locker room

srodulv What are you doing with Sofiane?!

lucallemant He texted me yesterday if I can come And I said yes

srodulv I’m going there

lucallemant What? No Why would you come here?

srodulv Is there anyone else in the building?

lucallemant No, it’s just me an Sofiane

srodulv Then I’m coming

lucallemant Eliott!!

Lucas walking up and down in the locker room waiting for a reply, but after five minutes he decided to look for Sofiane. He stepped out to the hall when he heard the music, bursting loud in the empty building. He followed the sound, finding himself at the doorstep of a dance room, one of the walls was covered in mirrors from the floor to the ceiling. Lucas recognized the song, it was Ghost Town by Adam Lambert. He wanted to roll his eyes, knowing that Eliott’s friends are just like him when it comes to cheesy music, but then he saw how Sofiane was dancing to the melody.

His eyes widened seeing the flawless moves, not breaking the rythm for a second. Sofiane had full control over his body, knowing which part of it should he move in the following moments. He was totally impressed. When the boy said he’s dancing since 10 years he wasn’t expecting anything like this. When he thought about dancing it was either that silly jumping up and down he saw at parties or the slow dancing people did in balls and romantic movies. This was something different, modern and athletic.

“Okay, that’s enough.” he suddenly heard a familiar voice and long fingers slid on his face, covering his eyes. A strong arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him to a warm chest he knew so well. He sighed, leaning his back to Eliott, smiling softly.

“Hey there.” he muttered with so much love in his voice it was basically disgusting.

“I should be punishing you right now.” Eliott whispered into his ear, biting it softly, which made the boy let out a soft moan. The music was still going on the background, so Sofiane didn’t witness this. Good, because I would die of embarrassment.

“But why?” he asked innocently, it was really flattering to know that Eliott was so jealous he came all the way here.

“You know exactly why.” he kept whispering and even with the loud music playing, Lucas got goosebumps from it. “I don’t like that you are checking out another guy. You are mine.” he bit Lucas’ earlobe, sucking it a little before letting it go. He still had his left hand on the boy’s eyes, but Lucas had nothing to complain about, he loved to be pressed to Eliott, feeling his hands on him.

“I wasn’t checking him out, Eliott. He just have impressive skills.” he said, chuckling a little. This guy was so unbelieveable sometimes.

“Yeah, and also abs.” he could feel the bitterness in the tall boy’s voice which amused him even more. “Can you just not...” suddenly the music stopped and Lucas heard footsteps coming to their way. He slowly pulled Eliott’s hand away from his eyes which made the other boy letting out a grumpy sound. Sofiane was stading in front of them now, smiling brightly, like always.

“Eliott, I didn’t know you’re coming too.” he said excitedly. “I was about to find Lucas to teach him some dance moves.” he explained.

“Yeah, thanks, but I will take him home for now.” Eliott said, voice a bit sharp. Lucas squeezed his hand gently, intertwining their fingers. Calm down, I’m here with you.

“You always ruin the fun.” Sofiane pouted, looking at the short boy, hoping that he will say that he wants to stay. Great, how did I end up in a situation where I have to choose between two hot guys?

“I have no intentions to ruin anything... but Lucas is mine.” he said seriously, pulling the boy even closer to himself. Sofiane chuckled, rolling his eyes at his friend’s behavior.

“You have nothing to be jealous about. You know that I like someone and that person is not your lovely boyfriend.” he said smiling, winking at Lucas. That is not helping, fuck.

“I’m not jealous.” Eliott said, leaning his chin on Lucas’ shoulder, breathing slowly. “Fuck, I’m jealous.”

Lucas and Sofiane chuckled. The short boy raised his hand that wasn’t holding Eliott’s and slid his fingers into the boy’s messy hair, playing with it. Sofiane watched them with happiness and amusement on his face. He seemed to be glad that his friend has someone that is being so caring and soft with him. Lucas couldn’t deny that with Eliott, he turned into a stupid, smiley idiot, heart fluttering in his chest.

“Let’s go home then.” Lucas said softly, planting a gentle kiss on his big child of a partner. Eliott’s face was lighting up in seconds now, wide smirk spreading on it, catching the short boy’s lips for a longer, passionate kiss.

“Okay, love birds, I’m going back to training. Just don’t have sex here, pretty please.” Sofiane said playfully, which made Eliott show him his middle finger while still kissing Lucas.

Music started to play again and they finally break apart, smiling at each other fondly. Lucas put his hands on Eliott’s face, caressing it with his thumbs. He could never get enough of this guy, every kiss was like diving into the ocean of feelings then coming to the surface victoriously. Eliott leant down, biting on his bottom lip, pulling it a little, then letting go. He giggled, feeling his face heating up. This was so incredible, so special.

“We should leave before I do something we both would regret.” Eliott mumbled in the short boy’s soft, swollen lips. Lucas looked into his eyes, only nodding, because he wasn’t able to form understandable words at the moment.

Lucas managed to text Manon that he will be home late before he and Eliott got into the apartment, kissing wildly. They spent two hours on the couch, making out while listening to soft music in the background. Clothes were kept on just for safety. If any of them started to undress, they would’ve end up in bed, probably not leaving it until the morning and they had school tomorrow.

It was hard to separate once again, but the thought of seeing each other the next day made things easier. Eliott only walked him out of the building, standing in the doorway with a soft smile. The short boy couldn’t resist, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a gentle kiss before walking away, leaving Eliott behind with wet lips and a dazzled look on his face. He was smiling like an idiot on his way home.

When he entered the flat, Lisa and Mika was sitting on the couch, watching some stupid tv show. Manon was probably sleeping in her room already. He tried really nicely ask his flatmates to go and fuck off of his couch. Since he couldn’t have his own room or bed, he had all the rights to take over his couch whenever he wanted. When Mika or Lisa tried to complain he kindly reminded them that they were the ones making him sleep here, so they can’t say shit.

When he was finally alone in the living room, he switched channels to watch some criminal series. He kept his phone close to him and only left for a quick shower. He didn’t got any messages, but it was fine. Eliott was probably back to working on his project. All Lucas knew about it that he tried to get into cinematography, making movies in the future. He was amazed by the fact that he was dating such an ambitious and incredible human being.

Friday went on really slow, Lucas got a message early in the morning from Eliott that he is not really feeling well. He got worried, asking if he should come over, but the boy said he’s going to be fine, just needs a little rest, that’s all. Of course that didn’t make the short one less worried. He had an english test just before lunch break and he barely could focus on the questions, his mind was going around Eliott all day. He really wanted to see how he was doing, making sure he’s eating and drinking enough. It was a terrible weather lately, so he probably catched some stupid sickness that is going around in the school. Lots of students disappeared this week, coughing, nose dripping, all of them got sick. It was just that time of the year that spared no one from this bullshit.

After classes Daphné walked to him when he was packing out from his locker. She had her hair let down with a pink hairband in it, she was wearing her bordeaux coat, a light red scarf wrapped around her neck. She seemed to be really excited, kissing the boy on the cheeks as she greeted him. Lucas smiled at her softly.

“What’s up, Daphy?” he asked.

“See, I was wondering... You remember that Eliott offered to repaint the mural, right?” she asked excitedly, which Lucas answered with a nod, not knowing where she is trying to go with this conversation. “So, I wanted to ask you to... maybe talk to him about it? You know that I get nervous around him and you are also a guy, so he won’t suspect anything...” she said, blushing a little. Lucas wanted to tell her the truth that Eliott is taken and that she should stop crushing on him, but he couldn’t destroy Daphy’s fantasies.

“Listen, Daphy... You know I am not a fan of that guy. First of all you should stop crushing on him, you can find yourself a much better guy.” he said, softly squeezing the girl’s shoulders. “And second, I think he was just joking when he said that. The dude is not that generous to help us in the common room. He didn’t even come there since the very first meeting.” he continued, looking at her seriously. He tried to be convincing, though he had no idea if Eliott was lying or not about the mural.

“Yeah... you must be right.” she sighed, trying to hide her disappointment. Lucas pulled her in a gentle hug, rubbing her back.

“Don’t be sad, Daphy. If you need help, I can gather up the boys and we can paint the damn mural, okay?” he offered softly which made the girl smile.

“Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you, Lucas.” she said, kissing him on the cheek again before walking away.

He spent his friday afternoon and saturday morning worrying about Eliott. The boy didn’t reply to his messages, the last sign of him was an insta story, a screenshot of spotify. He was listening to Goner by Twenty One Pilots. He had no idea Eliott knew that band, he liked them a lot personally. But that was the only sign of him during the weekend. It was slowly killing him that he didn’t know what is going on with him. He wanted to make sure that Eliott eats, sleeps, drinks. He wanted to be next to him, cuddling as he falling asleep.

It was getting late, almost 20:00 on saturday when Lucas just got sick of the radio silence. He told Manon that he goes on a walk, putting on his shoes and jacket, leaving the flat as quick as possible. He got on the bus, luckily catching one as he arrived to the stop. His legs were bouncing as he sat down, waiting to get to the right place. He needed to see Eliott, even if it’s just a glimpse.

He walked towards the building with a weird pain in his chest, not knowing what to expect. Maybe Eliott will send him home, not wanting Lucas to catch whatever sickness he had, maybe he will let him in and they can spend the night together. He wasn’t sure. He was almost there, passing by a tree when he saw the door opening, for some reason he hid behind that tree, peeking out to see who is coming out. He gasped for air when he saw Eliott, wearing a black leather jacket over his hoodie, smiling. He was confused for a second but then another person followed him through the door.

Lucas felt like he’s going to faint right then and there. It was a girl, around the same height as Eliott, wearing a long, grey coat over her short, black skirt and brown blouse. Her hair was short, barely touching her shoulders, with light curls in it. She barely wore any makeup, but she was stunningly beautiful. Eliott laughed when she said something and wrapped his hand around her shoulders, pulling her closer as they walked away to the opposite direction where Lucas was.

He leant his back to the tree, looking away from them, trying to hold back his tears. He couldn’t believe Eliott lied to him. He lied so he could be with this girl... probably his actual partner. His girlfriend. The world around him seemed to fall apart, his vision was fading, getting blurry from the tears. He was gasping for air as he slid down to the ground, grabbing his hair. Then as a lightning struck, his phone started to buzz in his pocket. He didn’t wanted to check, but hoped that it can distract him from what was happening in his head now. He got a message from an unknown number, it was no text, just a photo. A photo of him kissing Eliott.

#Skam France #I love hating you #Elu enemies to lovers AU #Elu #Eliott Demaury #Lucas Lallemant #Eliott x Lucas #Sofiane #Lucille

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choiceslife · 6 years ago

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When Worlds Collide: Part Five (Limited Series)

Disclaimer: Based upon characters in Choices - Endless Summer, It Lives in the Woods, The Royal Romance, #LoveHacks, Home for the Holidays, and The Elementalists series. All characters presented are the property of Pixelberry Studios. I claim no ownership. This story is purely the work of the poster as fanfiction.

Overall Series Rating: 18+

Warnings: Adult Language, Adult Content, Sexual Discussions. Future chapters may contain SMUT and Gratuitous Sexual Descriptions

Overall Series Summary: The sisters are together again and Ava Cunningham believes only they can help her.

Author’s Note: This Limited Series is a companion/sequel to Divided By Circumstance. I suggest you at least read that series in order to understand this one. As with most of my stories, this is a crossover and is part of my interconnected Chromatic AU. My MC’s are as follows: Carrissa Monroe (TRR), Abby Bennett (#LH), Scarlett Joy (HFTH), Taylor Reed (ES), and Donovan Bailey (TE). Previous Chapters can be found in my Master List located in my header.

Tag List: @cinnamonroll-duffy @darley1101 @debramcg1106 @brightpinkpeppercorn @katurrade @ladynonsense @luxurylives @regrettingnathan @teamtomsato @akrenich @riseandshinelittleblossom @kinkykingliam @jlouise88 @eileendannie @marshmallow-ortega @littlecrookedheart @i-choose-liam @tmarie82 @bobasheebaby @boneandfur @europeanguy @walkerismychoice @pixieferry @sstee1 @endlessly-searching-for-you

***

New York City, New York

Carissa, Abby, and Scarlett removed their hands from the amulet that Ava had instructed them to hold. They couldn’t believe the visions the ornate piece of jewelry projected into their minds. As sad as the three women felt to learn of the terrible price their mother paid to bring them into this world; just knowing the lengths she went to protect them gave the sisters some closure.

“So our mom knew about the powers we possessed? And she knew that birthing us would kill her?” Abby wiped a stray tear from her eye. Knowing the sacrifice her birth mother made broke her heart.

Ava placed the amulet back into the black velvet bag which Cora kept it stored. She could have told the sisters the lengths Cora went to hide them from the world, but Ava thought it better for the three to see for themselves. “From what I could gather from the amulet and Cora’s journals, Anastasia figured out sometime after the first trimester that she was carrying babies with extraordinary abilities. It was Cora that let your mother know the likelihood of her surviving the birth was extremely low. Carrying three of the most powerful beings in the universe takes a toll on the human body.”

“What about the fact that the late Senator Vega is our father?” Carissa questioned. “Mom clearly feared him finding out about us.”

“Thankfully we won’t have to worry about him.” Abby placed her hand onto Carissa’s shoulder to calm her worries.

“Are either of you upset that everything we have is because Cora set things in motion to keep us apart as her way of keeping us safe?” Scarlett questioned. Tears were also in her eyes as she looked at the tall woman standing before her. “Why couldn’t she find us when we became adults and tell us about our birthright?”

“I think Cora did what she felt was best. She certainly nudged some things, but you three are where you are because of your own strengths.” Ava took a seat across from the sisters. She took a deep breath, knowing that the trio had a lot to process. “Perhaps we should...”

Carissa rose from her seat on the couch, which immediately silenced Ava mid-sentence. “It seems that Cora went to great lengths to keep my sisters and I apart. Fate of the world and all that. But you’re wanting us to use our powers for some purpose that you haven’t quite explained. Why risk something that Cora worked so hard to prevent?”

“Fate actually brought you together with your sisters after Cora’s death, Your Majesty,” Ava answered. It was true. Without Cora Pritchard around, the universe set in motion to bring The Sisters back together. “When you three came together, you felt something. A spark. You broke Cora’s binding spell. My original plan was to come tell you about your powers and then re-engage the binding spell with some tweaks so that mere touches between each other wouldn’t break it again.”

“Original plan? What changed?” Carissa asked.

___

The groups stepped away to mingle, giving Ava some private time with Carissa, Abby, and Scarlett. The shaggy haired pilot found a corner of the room that gave him a vantage point to watch the others while he got lost in his own thoughts.

Cade mingled with Griffin and Zeph, taking a moment to feel the former’s biceps, while Lucas teetered on the edge of the group. Stacy seemed to marvel at Shreya’s fashion, while Donovan and Beckett snuck flirtatious little finger grabs with each other. Mara checked up on Eagle Eye stationed outside the door, as Dan pulled up a seat beside Jake.

“You’re never much for group chats are you?” Dan questioned as he playfully punched Jake on the knee. The pilot smiled back with a low laugh that caused Dan to tingle inside. Something kept pulling him back to the gruff smart ass he’d known for all of a few days, despite Jake’s attempt to steer him towards Lucas. Dan liked Lucas for sure. He’s smart, attractive, and a phenomenal friend. Yet something was missing. Dan didn’t feel that spark. His breath didn’t hitch in his throat like it did the first time he saw Jake. It was wrong to feel this way. Dan knew he was here to help Jake get Taylor back; but part of him imagined a future involving the brash, ex-military guy with a penchant for nicknames.

“Not particularly Mop Top, but I don’t mind talking to you.” Jake flashed that underwear dropping grin of his and Dan swore he felt himself tighten against his jeans. Jake noticed, but before he could give his new friend grief, he spotted the Queen approaching out of the corner of his eye. “Your Majesty,” Jake said jumping to his feet and pulling Dan up with him in the process.

“Please, you don’t have to do that. Sit, sit. Call me Carissa. You’re Jake, right?” The Queen inquired, extending her hand to the shaggy haired man before her.

“Yes ma’am...err...Carissa. And this here is Mop...Dan.”

“Pleasure to officially meet you both.” Carissa took a seat beside the two men, gesturing for them to sit back down. Although she didn’t know him, the dog tags around his neck gave her some confidence that Jake would be trustworthy and honorable enough to be forthright with her. She had been through so much in Cordonia before marrying Liam and her emotions were on overdrive the past week after meeting her sisters. And now she had a gaggle of strangers telling her that she was part of a powerful witch trio. To say that her mind was blown would be an understatement. At this point, Carissa was beginning to doubt her sanity. The scariest part to her was that she believed them. Hell, someone could show up next week and tell her that Justin was abducted by an evil corporation and replaced with a murder prone robot and she’d believe it. “So Jake, tell me something. What made you believe Ava’s words? I have to think a military man like yourself isn’t someone that is easily swayed by simple stories.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair as he contemplated Carissa’s question. Why did he believe Ava? His very first interaction with her, she used her friend Dan as a thirst trap. Yet it worked and after speaking with the two, Jake felt a level of comfort that was quite rare for him. The last time he trusted that quickly was the day he met Taylor. “To be honest Carissa, I wasn’t swayed by Ava’s words. Something inside told me that I could trust her and Dan.”

“She believes that Taylor left a bigger impression upon you and your friends than Vaanu expected. The feeling Ava got from her interactions with Taylor was that he was supposed to fade from your memories in short order after he left, but the love you all have is willing him back into existence.”

“Sounds like Taylor,” Jake chuckled. “Things happened on La Huerta that nobody will ever know. Taylor saved the world, but he also saved me as a person.”

“Thank you Jake,” Carissa said as she clasped his hands between her own. She left the two men back to return to their conversation while she rejoined her sisters.

“So? What do you think?” Abby asked with baited breath. Her mind had been made up rather quickly. Abby thought it would be super fun to experience magical powers. It must have been Ben’s comic book imagination rubbing off on her. Scarlett was a little more reserved, but was willing to try if precautions were in place. All that remained was Carissa.

___

Griffin gathered his friends beside Ava. It was time for them to return to Penderghast. The had work to do on their own mission. “I wish we could stay cousin, but circumstances beckon us back home.”

“Yeah. Donovan has Thief practice tomorrow and he’s gonna need to focus. Especially since he missed the first game,” Zeph remarked.

“Thief practice?” Stacy arched an eyebrow at Zeph’s words.

“It’s like flag football,” Donovan answered. “Just with magic.”

“Yes. Well, while you all entertain yourselves with sport, I’ll be studying in the library,” Beckett scoffed.

Shreya and Zeph chuckled at Beckett’s expense before the two groups said their goodbyes. Cade hugged Griffin just a little longer and tighter than the others, much to Stacy’s chagrin. Ava watched her girlfriend forcefully whisper to their friend after his embrace as Griffin��s friends made their way back through the mirror portals.

“So you’re all going to forget about this as soon as you go through?” Ava questioned as she hooked Griffin’s arm before he could depart.

Griffin nodded to his cousin. He knew she was slightly sad that he’d forget seeing her again after so many years apart. “It’s for the best. The Sisters need to stay safe. Just remember what I told you about the potions and the talisman. If they agree to help you, the talisman will keep your location hidden. I imagine magic that powerful will be sensed by many attuned beings rather quickly. Once you’ve completed your task, use the potions for binding and memory alteration.” Ava hugged her cousin one last time before watching him disappear through the mirror to rejoin his friends.

___

The Queen and her sister’s gathered the attention of those that remained. “I’m surprised to see your cousin leave us so soon Ava,” Carissa said, a hint of dejection in her voice

“He and his friends have some matters to handle back in their realm, but I assure you that Griffin put precautions in place to keep your secrets safe. He also provided me with a few items that should assist with the spell if you, Abby, and Scarlett are willing to help.”

Carissa looked between her two sisters, both of whom were smiling greatly before confirming to Ava their willingness to try and restore Taylor to the timeline. “We were talking between ourselves about what to do. Something you and Jake mentioned struck a chord with us. You said Taylor has been trying to will himself back into existence. And Jake mentioned that lots of things went down on La Huerta. If we are going to have the best chance of being successful, I think we need to go where Taylor’s Earth presence was strongest.”

“You’re saying we need to go to La Huerta,” Jake grinned.

“Precisely.”

“Well then Your Majesty, I’m sure you’ve got access to a Royal jet. Think you can take this motley crew with you? I need to make some phone calls and arrangements for some others to join us. If we are going to be successful, then we won’t only need La Huerta. We’ll need those that still have Taylor in their hearts.”

The Queen nodded in agreement while Stacy practically bounced off the walls, excited no doubt to get to fly on a luxurious royal airplane replete with every amenity imaginable.

“Excellent,” Jake replied. “I’ll send you the coordinates and let Malfoy... errr, Aleister know we’re coming so arrangements can be made for your arrival. La Huerta here we come.”

***

(To be continued)

#playchoices #choices fanfic #choices fandom #endless summer #the royal romance #it lives in the woods

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tkmedia · 3 years ago

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Cupra’s Azcona wins inaugural Pure ETCR event

It was a landmark victory for the Spaniard, who become the first winner of the new all-electric, multi-brand, touring car race series. Azcona was one of six drivers put in Pool A for Saturday’s two rounds of ‘Battles’ on the short circuit, and led the standings following a pair of victories. But a puncture-induced spin during Sunday morning’s Time Trial A - which set the grid for the SuperFinal A later in the day - meant he started the longest race of the weekend last. A stunning fightback brought him victory after the Hyundai Motorsport N Velosters of Augusto Farfus and Tom Chilton suffered punctures of their own while lying first and second. “We made history, coming to the first weekend of Pure ETCR and winning it,” said Azcona. “I’m super happy because after free practice I was confident for the Time Trial, but I had really bad luck when I had a puncture at the rear and I had to start the SuperFinal from the rear. "It was really hard starting with five fast cars in front of me, but I received good information from the team for how to use the Power-Up and I’m just so happy. “The Cupra has been fast all weekend and the team did a really great job. I’m sad for my team-mate, who had really bad luck with the penalty. This is a great way to start the season.”

Photo by: ETCR Azcona’s SuperFinal A win over Cupra team-mate Jordi Gene meant that the third Cupra driven by Ekstrom, who qualified on pole for SuperFinal B, was the only driver capable of beating him to overall victory. Unfortunately for Ekstrom, he was disqualified from the results of the Time Trial after the Zengo team worked on his car in pitlane during the session and breached parc-ferme regulations. While Azcona charged to victory, Ekstrom scythed through the field; ultimately falling less than a second short of winner Jean-Karl Vernay, whose results brought the Hyundai man to second overall, ahead of Ekstrom. Gene was fourth overall with Romeo Ferraris - M1RA drivers Luca Filippi and Rodrigo Baptista - both of whom completed the podium in their respective SuperFinals - fifth and sixth overall. Britain’s Oli Webb (Romeo Ferraris - M1RA) and Chilton hold eighth in the standings after the opening event. The series continues in three weeks’ time at Motorland Aragon, Spain, as part of a double-header with sister series the FIA World Touring Car Cup. shares comments Read the full article

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atlafan · 7 years ago

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The Game: Part Five

Rucas au multi-fic. Lucas and Riley have been best friends for as long as they can remember. They finally tell each other how they feel, and are able to get together, but some friction occurs when Riley’s Uncle Shawn introduces everyone to his new wife and daughter.

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

Riley got home around five. Her parents usually didn’t get home until around five-thirty. There was a not for her to get dinner started from her mom. They were having chicken, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.

Auggie came into the room to greet his sister. She told him he could help if he wanted. Riley pre-heated the oven, and took the defrosted chicken out of the fridge to season, and start cooking. Auggie started boiling the water for the broccoli so it could be steamed.

“Are we having mashed potatoes from real potatoes, or the powdered kind?” He asks.

“Powdered, so that can be done last since it only takes a few minutes.”

“It’s funny, we’re cooking for our parents.”

“Only for these first few days of school that we get home super early. Dad is usually swamped with faculty meetings. So, what did you do with your half day, Mr. Seventh Grade.”

“Ava and I got to take the train together alone for the first time.”

“That’s exciting! I remember when I got to do that, best day of my life.”

“Really?”

“That’s the day I met Lucas.”

“That’s right, you fell into his lap, and never separated after that.”

“You know Auggie, it’s okay if you ever want to branch out from Ava.”

“I know. There are other girls that I’m friends with, but it’s different with her now. She’s not as crazy as she used to be. In fact, I saw some eighth graders eyeing her. We always joke around about how we used to think we were married. I wish she still thought like that. I don’t want her falling for someone else.”

“If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I never thought Lucas and I would actually end up together.”

“Yeah, and that took five whole years.”

“Hopefully the two of you will have more courage than we did.”

They set the table, and Auggie makes the mashed potatoes. Cory and Topanga get home at the same time, a rare occurrence.

“Something smells good!” Cory says.

“Yeah, way to go team.” Topanga says, putting her briefcase away, and joining the others at the table. “So, how was everyone’s first day of school?”

“Good, although, I wish I got to have dad as a teacher like Riley did.”

“Don’t worry buddy, only a couple more years. Riley, great job on this kitchen.”

“Thanks Dad.”

“So, how was first day of senior year?” Topanga asks.

“Please tell me the day got better with you and Maya.” Cory says.

“Look, everything was perfectly fine this morning until Lucas caught her eye again. Then she got into something with Smackle, which is never good. I continued to be nice to her throughout the day. I have to be honest though, I really don’t want to be good friends with her.”

“Alright sweetheart, nobody said you two had to be close. We just wanted Maya to have a familiar face to turn to.” Cory says.

“And I’m totally fine with that.”

“Other than the Maya drama, what did you do with your half day?” Topanga asks.

“Oh, a bunch of us grabbed smoothies at the bakery.”

“Then what?”

“You couldn’t have been at the bakery all day. What else did you do?”

Riley got a little nervous. She wanted to say she spent time with Lucas, but she knew her mother would want to know every single detail. How could she say she basically lounged around all day. They’d think she did something wrong.

“We hung out together.” Said Auggie.

“Really, how nice.” Topanga says in a proud tone.

“Yeah, Riley took me to the arcade. It was great, there was barely anyone there because it was the middle of the day, no lines or anything.”

“Did you win any cool prizes?” Cory asks.

“I told him to hang onto his tickets, so next time he goes he can get something really big. In fact, we might go again tomorrow.”

“Really Riley?” Auggie asks excitedly.

“Of course.”

That was probably the first time Auggie covered for Riley, without Riley having to ask or prompt him to do so. It was the least she could do to actually take him to the arcade.

“I don’t want Riley spending all of her own money. Remind me later and I’ll give you some cash.” Topanga says.

“Thanks mom.” Auggie and Riley say in unison.

“Riley, you should ask Lucas to come too.” Auggie says.

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun.”

“Great, I’ll text him later to see what he’s doing tomorrow.”

*******************************************************************************

Maya sat down at the small, round kitchen table. Her mother had ordered pizza for dinner. It was just Maya and Shawn there, as Kitty needed to work a late shift at the bakery.

“So, kiddo, how was the first day at school, and first day on the job?”

“Good, and good.”

“Did Riley show you around this morning?”

“Mhm.”

“Are things getting a little better between the two of you?”

“Are we gonna play twenty questions every night? Because if we are I will gladly eat in my room.”

“Maya, I’m just asking because I care. I really think of you as my own, and I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Okay, sorry. As far as the me and Riley thing goes, I don’t see us being close friends. I’m not really sure where I stand with her and her friends. I pissed her off, and then I pissed her off some more. I think she’s insecure about her relationship, but that’s just me. I don’t think she appreciates that maybe there’s a little competition.”

“Please don’t go after Lucas, she’s waited a long time to be with him.”

“So I’ve been informed. Don’t worry, just because I think he’s incredibly attractive doesn’t mean I like him like that. Besides, how great could he be if he’s into a girl like that.”

“Riley is a really great girl, Maya. She’d do anything for her friends, and is always putting others before herself. I’ve seen her go on service trips, she’s really gonna change the world.”

“I see, so you want me to be friends with her so I can go down the same path.”

“No, not at all. I want you to be you. I love that you love art, and I fully support you going to Mass Art. You’re the best Maya there is.”

They both eat in silence for a few minutes. Maya never had this much support before. Just then Kitty got home, and said her hellos, and sat down at the table with a couple of slices of pizza.

“Long day, doll?”

“Yup. Some of those college kids can be so rude, but they sure do tip well. How was your first day of school Maya.”

“I’m sure hubby here can recap my day for you. I’m going to my room to relax. I also had to work today in case anyone forgot.”

Maya puts her dish in the sink, and goes to her room.

“I told her she didn’t have to get a job. I told her it was okay to focus on school.” Kitty says.

“It’s alright. For so long that’s what she felt she had to do. Habits don’t always die so easily.”

“I hope she’s able to make some friends. I hated her circle of people in Queens.”

“Kitty, we live here now, put it all behind you.”

Maya flops onto her bed and grabs her laptop. She goes onto Facebook to see what her friends were doing back in her old city. She only missed a couple of people, the rest were actually very bad influences. She had a few pending friend requests from some of the people in her art classes. Maya was surprised that so many people want to Facebook friends already. She accepted most of them. She somehow came across Riley’s page. Her profile picture was her leaning against a fence post with a huge field and bright sun behind her. She had a button down crop top on, jean shorts, and cowboy boots on. She was looking off to the side, clearly a candid photo.

Maya clicked on it and saw that it was from about a month ago, in Texas. Lucas had taken the pictures. In fact, most of the pictures, that Maya could see, were taken by Lucas. Maya went to Lucas’ page, and lo and behold, most of his pictures were taken by Riley. His profile picture was a picture of the two of them, also from Texas. Maya clicked on it. Riley was up on a horse, and Lucas was standing next to them making sure everything was secure. Maya clicked the arrow to see what his previous picture was, as he changed it to this fairly recently. It was another picture of the two of them, from what looked like their junior prom. It was them laughing as Riley pinned the rose to Lucas’ jacket. The one before that was a picture of him giving her a piggy-back ride.

Maya went back to Riley’s page to see what her previous pictures were. The one before her current was a picture of her and Smackle from junior prom, and the one before that was a picture of strolling through the park on a snowy night.

Maya was extremely confused. Riley seemed to be the one who had the crush on Lucas longer, but he was the one always including her in his profile picture. Maybe it was different because he was a boy. Maybe she thought if she put him in one of her pictures, he’d think she had a thing for him. Maya clicks to add Riley, Lucas, Smackle, and Farkle as friends.

*****************************************************************************************************

Riley was writing in her journal and listening to music when she saw the notification pop up on her phone. Maya wanted to be friends on Facebook. At first, Riley ignored it, and then she got a little curious. She opened up the app and started creeping on Maya’s page.

Her name still said Maya Hart. Her profile picture was her covered in paint, laying on a giant tarp. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were closed. It looked like she was dreaming. Her header was a picture of one of her paintings. Guess she was serious about the whole artist thing. Riley couldn’t see much after that due to the privacy settings. If she accepted the request, she’d be able to creep more, but that would also give my the ability to do the same. Riley sighed, and tossed her phone on her bed. She went back to her journaling; there was a tap on the window. She turned around to see that it was Lucas.

He crawled through and sat in the bay window, she went over and joined him.

“Lucas?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s nine, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“You saw me all day.” She said jokingly,

“I know. I was just thinking about you and I really wanted to see you.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“How pretty you looked today. And just how awesome it was to basically spend an entire day with you as my girlfriend.”

“Aw, that’s sweet.”

“Can we hang on your bed?”

“Sure.”

They both go over and sit on her bed. Lucas moves her phone out of the way.

“Weird question, but did Maya send you a friend request?” He asks.

“Yeah, did she send one to you?”

“Yup, and to Farkle and Smackle.”

“Hmm, what’s her game?”

“I don’t think it’s a game Riley, I think she might actually want to be friends with us.”

“No, she wants to get close to you. She burned a bridge. I’ll be nice, but I don’t want to be friends with that girl.”

“Not even on Facebook?”

“Well, I guess I just don’t want to give her the chance to creep through my page. That’s what I would do to her once given access.”

“We all decided we wouldn’t accept unless you did.”

“Oh really? I need to think about it some more. Let it stay pending. She wants to be our friend? Let her prove it.”

“Let it be known that no person should ever cross Riley Matthews.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

“Would you be this annoyed if the situation hadn’t started with me?”

“I don’t know.”

“Riley, you could never lose me to anyone else.”

“For all I know, she could have walked in there, and you could have gotten excited about someone new and fresh.”

“Yeah, maybe. Or I could be even happier being with someone I’ve known, been able to watch grow, and be totally in love with.”

There was silence. Riley looked at him wide eyed. He just said the thing she was feeling, again.

“You love me?” She asks.

“Yes...I know it’s a little soon to say that in this portion of our relationship, but-”

“I love you too.” She kisses him. “I’ve loved you for a long time, but was so scared to say anything because I thought it would freak you out.”

“I’ve loved you for a long time too, but in a different way. But now, this love, is like the completely head over heels smitten kind.”

“How did you love me before?”

“In the way that someone loves their best friend. I loved you, but now I’m in love with you.”

“You’re just now feeling this way?”

“No...I probably realized it at the beginning of the summer.”

“Oh, nice.”

Riley flops onto her back and covers her eyes with her arms. Lucas leans down next to her.

“Hey come on” he says softly, “Look at me.” She uncovers slowly. “There are those beautiful brown eyes.”

“Lucas, I’ve had feelings for you for a long time, and it’s hard knowing that I’ve those feelings longer than you.”

“Well, if we’re talking about just normal feelings, a crush style, I’ve probably had a thing for you since freshman year.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yeah. I just didn’t really know if I was ready for a relationship so early on with you. I didn’t want us to get together, break up, and then become strangers.”

“Okay, it was eighth grade for me, and I felt the same way. I didn’t want to do anything to risk losing you.”

“See, so we kind of have felt the same way about each other. Do you think we can start to move on from the past a little now?”

“Yeah, seems like it’s the best thing to do.”

He leans in and kisses her.

“Everything’s all good now Riley.”

#rucas #rucas fanfic #liley #liley fanfic #riley x lucas #lucas x riley #riley and lucas #lucas and riley #gmw #rucas au

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thisdaynews · 5 years ago

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Berlin E-Prix: Lucas di Grassi wins but Jean-Eric Vergne keeps title lead

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/berlin-e-prix-lucas-di-grassi-wins-but-jean-eric-vergne-keeps-title-lead/

Berlin E-Prix: Lucas di Grassi wins but Jean-Eric Vergne keeps title lead

Lucas di Grassi also won the fourth race of the 2018-19 season in Mexico City

Brazil’s Lucas di Grassi won the Berlin E-Prix as Formula E Championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne of France finished third.

Di Grassi claimed his first Berlin win, having finishing both second and third on two occasions, and trails Vergne by six points after moving up to second.

Sebastian Buemi was second, with Antonio Felix da Costa fourth.

British drivers Alexander Sims, Oliver Rowland and Sam Bird came seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.

Formula E: BBC TV coverage, race calendar & results

Formula E – the cool kid on the block?

“It was an amazing race, super tricky but we managed to do it and get the victory at home,” said Di Grassi, driving for the Germany-based Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler team, who moved up from third in the race for the drivers’ title.

“We’ve worked so hard, we managed to qualify well and everything went very good.”

Vergne, the reigning Formula E champion, climbed from eighth to third in the race to extend his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship by five points. He said: “It was a very good race and I have to thank the team.

“Yesterday I had a lot of problems and couldn’t be fast, but the team did very well. To come from eighth to third was a lot of fun.”

Vergne’s DS Techeetah team-mate Andre Lotterer started the day second in the title race, one point behind Vergne, but a tactical error in qualifying when he failed to complete his fast lap in time saw him qualify 22nd.

The German got himself up to 11th but a battery issue late on saw him fail to finish the race.

There are full replays of the Berlin E-Prix available on the BBC Red Button on Sunday, 26 May – at 03:25, 05:25, 07:25 and 20:00 BST.

The series has its final European race of the campaign in Bern, Switzerland on 22 June before the season-ending double header in New York on 13-14 July.

How they finished in Berlin

Sam Bird’s ninth-place finish was the first time he had gained any points in five races after he had been top of the championship earlier in the year

Drivers Championship standings

Jean-Eric Vergne has a six-point lead with three races of the season left

#keeps #Vergne

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flaicons · 6 years ago

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shebe67 · 8 years ago

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A Weekend in Paris

Yes it’s a different header pic than I normally use for this story, but this chapter is really different. I felt challenged to write this chapter because of how wrong GMW portrayed the city of Austin, Texas. I have a friend that lives there and this was written with her help. This is dedicated to Kayla. The above pictures were taken from the internet with the exception of the State Capitol and UT Austin pics, those were provided to me by Kayla. Thank you and I hope you enjoy. If you need links to previous chapters I will update this later tonight with those links. A Weekend in Paris

Riley and Lucas do a bit of sightseeing in Austin. I’m doing this in hopes you can get a feel for Austin. The show got it so wrong. Austin is a city full of art galleries, museums, live music and amazing places. As a friend said, “It’s the least Texas-like city in Texas.” So hopefully you will get a sense of that.

Chapter 7

Thursday, June 13, 2023 in Austin, Texas

Riley and Lucas had been at the ranch for a week and so far, and they hadn’t left Pappy Joe’s property. They had spent days helping with chores on the ranch and spending time with Lucas’ Aunt, Uncle and cousins. They had taken the horses out. She was rusty, but it came back to her pretty quick. They had walked all over the ranch, checking out the cattle and goats that Pappy Joe had just added. Cows and goats were interesting, but not Riley’s favorite thing. She did like the calves and kids that had just been born a few months before. All in all, they were having an enjoyable time, but Riley was anxious to explore Austin and had been planning their trip to the city for a week. Lucas had promised her a day in Austin because they had never really been to the city. They had driven through when they came from the airport on her previous trips and had explored the small-town Pappy Joe lived in, but she was a city girl at heart and wanted to see what Austin had to offer.

Today was the day and they had gotten up extra early and left the ranch at 7 a.m. Pappy Joe was more than happy to loan Lucas his old truck for the trip into the city. As they piled into the truck for the hour-long trip, Riley snapped a picture of her and Lucas and uploaded it to her Facebook with the status, Headed to Austin for a day of sightseeing with my favorite guy! She had done some research on places to visit in Austin. She didn’t want your normal run of the mill touristy places. She wanted to go to places that were unique to this city.

Lucas was glad to take Riley into Austin and see the sights with her. He was afraid it would pale in comparison to New York City though. They had only been on the road for 10 minutes when Lucas looked over to say something to Riley and noticed she was asleep. She needed the rest, she was trying to pack so much into each day. He had to remind her on multiple occasions that they were here for a few months and that she needed to pace herself. He loved her enthusiasm and how excited she got about things. He knew today would be one adventure they wouldn’t ever forget.

Lucas had Riley’s sightseeing map pulled up on his phone’s GPS. There’s no way he would be able to find his way around otherwise. He hadn’t lived in Austin in quite a while and everything looked strange to him. Their first stop was to be Jo’s Coffee on South Congress Street. Lucas followed the directions and they ended up in a parking lot near the shop. After he parked, he reached over to tap Riley on the shoulder to wake her up. “Babe, wake up, we’re here.”

Riley woke with a yawn, “where are we?” she asked. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. She wanted to see the city when they drove in. She took in her surroundings and would have sworn that they were in New York City. The only telltale sign that they weren’t was a man walking by wearing a cowboy hat. “Sorry, I fell asleep, I wanted to stay awake so I could see everything as we drove in. Are you sure we’re in Austin? With the exception of being surrounded by tall buildings, this looks like New York,” she said.

“You wanted Austin and that’s where we are,” Lucas informed her. “We are at Jo’s Coffee. Why’d you want to come here?“ He asked.

"Well, I read about it online and saw pictures of it and thought it would be a cute place to visit, plus they have breakfast tacos and I’ve never had a taco for breakfast.” She informed Lucas. “Besides there is something here I wanted to see. It’ll make for a great photo op.”

“Oh, breakfast tacos. Your dad would love this place.” Lucas said with a smile. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go check it out.” He opened the driver’s side door and got out. He stretched a bit before he closed the door. Riley took the opportunity to check out his backside in his jeans. She smiled and bit her lip as she continued checking him out. He turned around and looked at her and smiled. She had been caught!

“Riley Matthews, did I just catch you checking out my backside?” He asked with a smile.

“Maybe. What if I was?” She asked. “I was just admiring the view.” She could feel the heat in her cheeks. “Just doing a little comparison. Sam the cowboy, has nothing on my cowboy. She slid over towards the driver’s door and grabbed him by the shirt. She pulled him to her and kissed him. "I was so foolish to get caught up in his good looks. No one else could ever measure up to you.”

He smiled and pushed his hat back on his head, “I could stand here and kiss you all day, but you mentioned tacos and my stomach is letting me know it’s hungry.”

She could hear his stomach and if truth be told hers was letting her know she needed to feed it soon. She looked in the rear view mirror to check her makeup and hair. She decided she looked presentable, grabbed her bag and got out of the car. “Lead the way, cowboy.” She said.

With a tip of his hat, he said, “Yes ma’am.” He took her hand and led the way to Jo’s coffee. They walked the two blocks to the shop. It stood on the corner and wasn’t a very large building. It was painted yellow green with dark green trim and a red stripe around the top. On the very top of the building was a large red ball that said Jo’s in white letters. The order window was kiosk style and there was a covered patio to the right with tables. Riley and Lucas looked over the menu. They both decided on Potato Tacos which was eggs, potato and cheese on a flour tortilla and cups of black coffee. The smells coming from the shop were heavenly. They walked to the patio with coffee cups in hand to wait for their food. They made small talk while they waited and after a few minutes the server brought their tacos. They ate in silence. Things around the coffee shop got busier as some of the other shops started opening. This was a good spot to just sit and watch people go by.

“How’s your tacos, Riles?” Lucas asked, he had all but inhaled his. He too, was enjoying watching people walk by the shop.

“It’s delicious. My dad would love this. Maybe someday he’ll get to Austin and be able to enjoy his own breakfast taco.” Riley said.

If she only knew what was in the works. He had been getting texts from their mothers regarding plans for the proposal and it was hard keeping secrets from Riley. “Maybe we can talk your mom into serving them at Topanga’s. It would be a great item on the menu. A taste of Austin in the big city. That way we could have them anytime you we want.” He knew her dad would love for Topanga’s to serve tacos all the time. He and Maya did love their tacos.

They finished eating and threw their trash away. As they were walking away from the shop, Riley turned down the side of the building, pulling him along with her. She suddenly stopped and was just staring at the side of the building with a smile on her face.

“Riley, why did you stop?” he asked.

She looked up at him with a smile and pointed at the side of the building. He looked up to see what she was looking at. There on the side of the building someone had spray painted in red lowercase cursive letters was, i love you so much.

“Isn’t this the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” she asked. “I want us to have our picture taken here. Would you be willing to do that with me?”

Of course he would do it. it may be the cheesy, tourist kind of thing to do, but he could never deny her anything. “Yes, Riley. I would love to have our picture taken here.”

She asked a lady that was standing near them if she would mind taking their picture and she said she would. They went to stand in front of the wall to pose. Lucas leaned against the wall and wrapped his arms around her waist and bent his head toward her shoulder. She was standing in front of him. The woman snapped a couple pictures and smiled at them. As she handed the phone back to Riley, she said, “the two of you are the cutest couple.”

Riley smiled that mega watt smile of hers and thanked the woman for taking the picture and the compliment. She looked at the picture and smiled. Even though Lucas wasn’t showing his face it was a really cute picture. She showed it to him and he just smiled at her. Taking her hand and leading her back to the truck, he asked her, “where to next?”

As they walked back to the truck she told him about the next stop. “It’s not very far from here and it’s really just a mural on the side of the building. I thought we could get our picture taken there and send it to everyone. It’s the greetings from Austin mural. What do you think?”

“I think that’s another real touristy thing to do.” he laughed. “I thought you didn’t want to do that kind of stuff?”

“Well, I am a tourist and so there has to be one touristy thing on the list.” she added.

They got in the truck and Lucas pulled out his phone to set the GPS. “What’s the address?”

“1720 South 1st Street.” she answered.

Lucas set the GPS and started the truck, “That’s just southwest of here. It’ll only take a few minutes to drive there.” Once they got close Lucas started looking for a place to park. he found one just in front of the building where the mural was. “Roadhouse Relics, that sounds cool. Look at the neon signs. What do you think this place is?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Let’s check out the mural first, then we’ll see if it’s open and explore for a bit. Is that ok?” she asked.

“Of course,” he answered.

They got out of the truck and found the mural on the side of the building. No one else was around, so they couldn’t get a picture together. They took pictures of each other and Riley took one of just the mural. They walked back to the front of the building and looked to see if it was open. “Lucas, it’s an art gallery. Original art from neon signs, how cool is that. We have to check this out. I promised Maya we’d check out some of the local art.” she grabbed his hand and they walked into the gallery. There were a couple of other people looking around. She saw a man that appeared to work there and asked him if it was okay to take photos of the artwork. He told her it was and that they needed to check around the back of the building. There was more are out there. They looked around inside for a few more minutes as she snapped a few more pictures. They walked outside and went around toward the back of the building. They couldn’t believe their eyes. All kinds of old neon signs turned into some kind of art. Riley snapped a few pictures while they walked around. She’d send those to Maya later. It was a fascinating place for sure. She never knew someone could take an old neon sign and make such beautiful and interesting things with it. They walked around for about 30 minutes or so. Riley went back inside, as she saw some t-shirts hanging in the window and bought one for Maya. Telling Lucas that she did promise to bring something back to her.

They went back to the truck and Lucas asked what the next stop was and Riley said. “The boardwalk at Lady Bird Lake. It’s just a short drive to the closest access point. I’ve read so much about it, we have to do it.”

“As you wish,” Lucas said. He entered the address she gave him on the GPS and off they went.

Lucas followed the directions on the GPS as they drove along. He found a place to park. Riley grabbed a hat she brought with her to keep the sun out of her face and they set off to the boardwalk. They walked along the sidewalk until they reached the access point for the boardwalk. Riley wasn’t expecting the sight that was in front of her.

On all the maps she had looked at Lady Bird lake looked more like a river and it kind of had that feel. It was beautiful to be sure. The boardwalk went all the way around the lake and the views she could see of down town Austin were breathtaking. As they walked along the boardwalk Riley would spout facts about the lake and boardwalk project to Lucas. “The lake used to be called Town Lake. It was renamed for former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson. The surface area of the lake is 416 acres. It was created in 1960 during the construction of Longhorn Dam.” “There’s a Hike-Bike Trail that surrounds the lake as well as this boardwalk.” The boardwalk wasn’t overly crowded as it was a weekday, “can you imagine how crowded it gets on the weekends?” she asked.

“I’ve heard that ever since they built this boardwalk, the lake has really become a center for activity in the city.” Lucas responded.

“It opened in June of 2014, but it was 20 years in the making.” Riley snapped some photos of the Austin skyline as they walked along. They encountered several people walking and running along the boardwalk. There were even some people fishing off the edges. They saw lots of turtles and birds, as well as lots of people canoeing and kayaking on the water. They walked for quite a while taking in the beautiful surroundings and just being together. They would stop every so often to just look at the water and enjoy the views. At one point along the way Riley noticed a western style belt on one of the railings. “Huh, I wonder what this is?” she asked.

Lucas, ever the funny guy, “It’s a belt, Riley.”

She squinted her eyes at him and tried to make herself look mad at him, “Ya think?!” she said. “I wonder what they mean?”

Before she even got the words out of her mouth, Lucas had his phone out looking it up. He was good that way, always trying to answer her questions.

“It’s part of a public art project commissioned by the City of Austin. The project is called Belting It Out and artist Ken Little created them, using lyrics from songs by well-known Texas singers and songwriters. That’s pretty cool.” Lucas said. The one they were looking at said ‘Crazy for cryin’, crazy for tryin’. “That’s from the song Crazy, written by Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline also had a hit with it.

“This is so cool.” Riley said smiling at Lucas. The guy did have a vast knowledge for country music. She looked at her watch and noticed the time. They had been roaming around the boardwalk for almost two hours. It was noon. No wonder her stomach was growling. They hadn’t eaten since 8 a.m. “Lucas we should head back the truck we’ve been out here for two hours.” she informed him.

Lucas looked at his own phone, as well. “You’re right. We better go. You still have more sights for us to see and I’m hungry.” They made their way back to the truck and decided on McDonald’s for lunch. They ate in the truck in silence. Once they were done and ready to head out again. Lucas asked Riley, what was next on her list.

“We’re going to check out some more art. Graffiti Park is our next stop. We won’t have too much time there but we can still check it out.” she told him.

Lucas entered the address and off they went. Graffiti Park or HOPE Art Gallery was about 2 miles from where they were. He had heard about the place as a kid. It’s an outdoor art gallery that occupies the remains of an old building foundation. “Locals call it Castle Hill. It sits on three stories and anyone can come and paint, it’s totally free and pretty cool to look at.” He told her.

“Have you been here before?” she asked.

“No, but I remember Zay’s older brother, Gordon, talking about it when we were kids. You can go and look at the art or just watch artists paint.” he told her.

Riley was in awe of what she saw as they walked into the park. It was beautiful. There was a sign that said, ‘Hope Outdoor Gallery.’ She could see the artwork as they entered. It reminded her of Maya’s Hope Mural that she painted in that little park when they were high school freshman. There were some people painting and a lot of people just milling around looking at all the different works of art. “Maya would love this!” Riley said as she pulled out her phone and took some pictures. She started taking video of an older man painting. He noticed her and asked if this was her first trip here. She told him it was and asked if she minded him taking a video. He told her that he didn’t and kept painting. She asked him why the owners of the land just let people come paint on the walls. He explained that the owners thought it was a chance to do something for the city and saw it as a way for local artists to use it as an inspirational message board of sorts. She thanked him for answering her questions and watched him paint for a few more minutes before shutting off the video and moving on with Lucas.

They headed back to the truck, walking hand in hand in silence, when she spoke, “Can you believe that there is a place that just allows people to come paint whatever they want? That’s really cool. It’ll be there forever and it will always change.”

Lucas smiled at her, “Yeah, it’s really cool when you think about how long it’s been here and how many people have painted here over the years.” they waked back to the truck, Lucas looked at her and asked what she wanted to do next.

“I’d like to see the State Capitol building. We don’t have to go inside for a tour or anything. I read it’s the sixth tallest state capitol and that it’s one of several that’s taller than the U.S. Capitol building in D.C. I think that deserves a look see, don’t you?”

“I’ve been to the State Capitol building, Riley. We used to go every year when I was in grade school. So, I’ve seen it many times. But, we can go. It is a pretty spectacular sight.” He answered. “We’re less than a mile from there now and you can see it from here. Do you want me to stop and park somewhere are do you just want me to drive by?”

“Actually, our real destination is the University campus. I want to see where you almost went to college, is that ok. You can just drive by and I’ll take a picture of the capitol building and then we can go explore the campus for a bit, then we can get dinner. How does that sound to you?” she asked him, apparently very excited.

“You want to see the University of Texas?” he asked.

She shook her head yes and asked again if it was okay. He seemed in disbelief that she wanted to see the campus. She had been in tears for months their senior year when she thought there was a possibility that he might leave for college. He had applied and gotten into UT Austin and NYU. He had a choice to make at the time. In his heart there was no choice to make. He would always choose her.

He set the GPS again and chose the route that would take them by the capitol building. He couldn’t wait to get to the campus. “Is there any certain place you want to see on the campus or are we just going to walk around?” he asked.

“The only place I would like to go for sure is the Blanton Museum of Art. Seems like this trip has kind of been about art today. We’ve seen so many wonderful things, I’d like to top it off with an art museum and it’s open til five so we have a little time to explore. Then maybe we can get dinner somewhere nearby, is that ok?” she asked.

“That’s a great idea Riley. I was going to suggest a great BBQ place, but it takes forever to get food there,” he said.

“No offense to Ellie or Pappy Joe, but I’ve had enough barbecued food to last me a life time and we’ve only been here a week,” she said, laughing.

“I understand completely. Maybe we can get some Thai food if there is something nearby.” he suggested. Thai food had become a favorite of there’s over the years. The rest of their friends didn’t care to much for it, so it had become their thing.

“Sounds good to me.” she agreed.

As they got close to the capitol, there was a bit of traffic so Riley was able to get a good look at it and some great shots with her phone. The building was impressive to be sure. Why did everything seem bigger in Texas? As they drove along, Riley kept looking at everything they were passing. This is an amazing city she thought. A city full of things to do and see. A lot like New York, but so far removed. She could fall in love with this city if she spent enough time here.

They made it to the campus. It was huge, Riley thought. Lucas found a place to park, they got out and started walking. Riley knew that UT Austin and NYU had roughly the same enrollment. But this Campus was nothing like NYU. It was amazing it seemed to sprawl on as far as her eye could see. There was a beautiful fountain and the buildings were amazing, there was even a tower. She got her phone out and started taking pictures. NYU felt very much like any other place in the city. “Lucas how big is this campus?” she asked with wide eyes.

“The campus sits on 5,000 plus acres of land, why?” he asked with a curious tone.

“Do you know how big NYU is?” she asked again.

“I think NYU buildings, excluding Washington Square Park, sit on about 240 acres. that’s smaller than Pappy Joe’s ranch.” He explained.

“NYU doesn’t even feel like a college campus. It’s so much apart of the city, I don’t even feel like I’m on a college campus. This is a college campus.” she explained.

“What do you think of it Riley?” He could tell she was in awe, he felt the same way when he first set foot on this campus as a senior in high school.

He had dreamed of the University of Texas at Austin for so long that he was so sure if he was accepted that this is where he would go, no question. It was home for him after all.

“I love it.” She said quietly. She was being completely honest with him. She loved the feel of the campus. Yes, it was large and overwhelming to the eye, but everyone they passed was friendly and welcoming. She felt right at home. It wasn’t scary at all.

“You love it?” he asked, very curious. “You really like it?”

“What’s not to like. This place is beautiful and all the people are so friendly. I can understand, why you wanted to go to school here so badly. This is your home and this campus just fits you.” she told him. “Lucas we never discussed why you chose NYU over UT. Why did you? It wasn’t because of me was it?” This was a burning question for her. She was a wreck for months over the possibility of him going away for college, yet he chose NYU.

“Riley, I had a choice to make. Both New York City and Austin are apart of me. Both places made me who I am.” he explained to her. “But home for me isn’t a city or a building. Home is you and wherever you are. I chose NYU because my first and only choice will always be us.”

She looked at him with tears in her eyes, “Really?”

“Yes, really. I will go wherever you are. I love you and I want us together. If you had gone to school anywhere else, I still would have followed you.” he was holding her hands and looking into her eyes. He needed her to understand what he was saying.

“I’m sorry for being so selfish about college. I tried hard not to be, but I just couldn’t bare the thought of you leaving. I was even considering applying at UT if you had made the decision to leave.” She had never admitted that to anyone. Not to Maya, her parents or Farkle, Izzy or Zay. “So, it seems I choose us too.”

He pulled her to him and kissed her gently. He rested his forehead against hers and smiled, “I guess that makes us a package deal then, huh?”

“Yes, I guess it does?” she replied. “Come on let’s go explore.” She took his hand and they took off down the sidewalk.

Riley feels like they walked all over the campus. They did make it to the Blanton Museum of Art. It’s one of the largest university museums in the country. It houses a vast collection of different kinds of art and Riley thought if her and Maya ever got to Austin together again, that Maya would love it. She would get lost in here for hours. Riley looked at the time on her phone and noticed that it was almost 5 p.m. The museum would be closing soon.

She walked back to where Lucas was interested in a piece of contemporary art. He seemed to be trying to figure out exactly what it was supposed to be. “Hey, we need to go. The museum closes in 10 minutes.”

“Okay, I’m right behind you.” he said.

They exited the museum and found a bench nearby to sit on. Lucas did a search for Thai food on his phone and found a restaurant that sounded like fun. “How does ‘Thai How Are You’ sound, Riley?” Lucas asked her. “I think you’ll love the place. It has a mural of a frog on the wall.”

She looked at the information he found online and decided it seemed to fit with the rest of their day. “Sounds good to me, I’m so hungry, anything sounds good at this point.” she said.

They walked the short distance to Pappy Joe’s truck, they to the restaurant, went in and placed their orders. Riley had to admit it felt good to sit down. She didn’t realize just how tired she was until that moment.

They restaurant was on Guadalupe street near the campus. Lucas asked her if she wanted to go for a walk after they had eaten to check out some of the stores and things in that area. Lucas explained to Riley about the street being referred to as ‘The Drag’ by locals.

“Why is that?” she asked.

“Well, the story is people used to drag race up and down Guadalupe Street, so locals and students refer to it as ‘The Drag’.” he answered.

“I guess that’s cool.” she remarked. There food arrived and they spent the next hour talking about everything they had seen during the day and there thoughts about it. She was glad that they got to spend the day together. She wanted more days like this in the future. Just the two of them spending time together, doing things they both enjoy.

After they finished their food, Riley mentioned taking a picture of the ‘Hi, How are you?’ mural outside. They decided to take a walk down the street and see what else this area so close to the campus had to offer. They walked for a few minutes when Riley saw a shop that interested her.

“Lucas, can we stop here?” she asked. “They have ice cream and cookies.”

Lucas looked at the shop that they had just passed. it was a place called Moojo’s. According to a sign in the window, they made homemade cookies and ice cream and made ice cream sandwiches and milkshakes. “Sure, why not, some ice cream sounds good.” he answered.

The shop was just about the cutest place Riley had ever seen. One of the walls was brick and the other was brown with white cow spots on it. They had a slogan painted on that wall in green, pink and yellow. It said, I Found My Moojo in Austin. There were cute little tables and stools lIning both walls when you first entered the store. As they headed toward the counter where you placed your order Riley noticed some other tables toward the back of the store. They were swings with little tables in between them.

She tapped Lucas’ arm to get his attention, “look at those tables over there. Aren’t they the cutest thing ever?” she asked.

He smiled at her taking in their surroundings while they waited their turn in line, “that is pretty cool.” he said. Everything about this place screamed Riley to him, only thing missing was her favorite color of purple.

They finally got to the counter to place their orders. They each ordered a sidekick. He ordered vanilla bean ice cream and snickerdoodle cookie and she ordered butter sugar cookie with chocolate chip ice cream. The cookies were warm and the ice cream was melty. Riley had never had anything so delicious in her life. Lucas thought it was pretty good, as well. They sat at the tables that had swings for seats and ate their ice cream sandwiches.

“You know who would love this place?” Lucas asked her.

She looked at him and smiled, he had ice cream running down his chin. She picked a napkin up off the table and wiped his chin off for him. “Who?” she asked. knowing the answer before he even said it.

He smiled and they both answered at the same time, “Zay!”

They both laughed and Riley said, “You think they would put ice cream between two of his Grandma Gandy’s cookies?”

Lucas said, “If Grandma Gandy has a say, you can bet they would.”

“You know this is something my mom could sell at the bakery.” Riley said. “I know you want her to consider breakfast taco’s, but she already has cookies and ice cream.”

They finished their treats and decided it was time to call it day. They had an hours drive back to the ranch and were both pretty tired.

“Did you have fun today, Riles? Was the city everything that you thought it would be?” Lucas asked her.

“I had a wonderful time today. Thank you for indulging me and yes, the city is amazing. I think this would be a wonderful place to live some day.” she told him.

“You liked it that much?” he asked. It made him happy to hear that she loved the city and wouldn’t mind living there someday.

#a weekend in paris #rucas fanfic #sheila's fic

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