#i don't know. i don't know why i'm just. going through it rn.

[a-simple-imagine]

Moonlight across the Windowsill

requested by anonymouses: "reader sneaking teen Van in through her window, and just trying to have her over without getting caught by reader’s parents"

combined with

" Teen Van Palmer thinking that reader and Tai are dating,(into each other) reader has to knock some sense into Van that she likes her"

pairing: teen!van palmer x fem!reader

words: 5.2k

A/N - I'm not sure about this one or maybe I'm just insecure about my writing rn idk. this is my 7th van palmer fic, you guys not getting sick of them yet??

WARNINGS - Swearing, vague allusion to a volatile home life, homophobia and confusion about feelings

Nine PM. That is what the clock says as you slump further down in your seat. An array of paper paired with the books you had borrowed from the library, scattered across the small desk space, illuminated by the harsh yellow of a desk lamp. It feels like you have been sitting here forever. Trapped in an endless discussion about the themes and symbolism within old Shakespearean plays and how best to present them. Taissa had always been very bossy regarding school projects, but it's outweighed by her innate desire to be right. Her opinion held more value than anyone else's. So, no matter what you suggest, the other will simply tell you that it is a good suggestion before explaining how her idea was superior. At this point, you would much rather escape to the comfort of your bed, but you had to finish your half of the work before tomorrow, or Taissa would have your head on a stick.

"I just don't think-" An abrupt bang against your window almost makes you drop the phone. Pausing the conversation to look around your otherwise empty bedroom.

"Think what?" Taissa questions.

"Sorry, uh," You turn back to your work, raising the phone to its correct position against your ear. "that we need to go into that much detail if we want-" Another bang makes your heart leap. "one sec," dropping the telephone down onto the desk, you cautiously approach the window. Peeking out slowly in case it was some weirdo or a mass murderer. Even more surprising, you find Van Palmer standing in your garden. Butterflies immediately start to flutter low in your stomach. This couldn't be real. Why would Van be at your house this late? She waves up as you push the window open, hands perched on the sill as you lean out.

"Van?"

"Hey," She whisper yells.

"What are you doing here?" You yell back, trying to be as loud as possible without disturbing your parents. The girl just shrugs. "How did you even find my house?"

"Asked Shauna." What? Was Shauna just giving out your address willy-nilly to the other girls on the team? "Can I come up?"

"I don't know- give me one second." You rush back to the phone, hauling it to your ear. "Tai?"

"Hello?"

"Can I call you back?"

"Why? What's happening?" She wonders. "We need to finish this project."

"I know- I'll be quick."

"You better call me back," Tai insists. "You know how easily distracted you can get."

"Alright- yep, bye,"

"Bye-" Words cut off as you drop the phone back down against the receiver. Going back to the window, you now find Van clinging to the windowsill for dear life. Did she climb up the wall to your room? Was she insane? You hadn't even said she could come in.

"Jesus, you're fast,"

"Can you... help me- up?" Reaching for her upper arms, you take some of her weight and awkwardly assist in her dumb decision to scale the side of your house. Hands slapping against the floor, legs dangling outside, she crawls slowly onto your bedroom floor. You take a few steps back to give her space, unable to hide the confusion on your face.

"What are you, Spider-Man?"

"Maybe," Van says, standing up and brushing herself off. "This would be the part where you patch me up and we ignore the unbridled sexual tension as you so lovingly take care of me."

A joke that makes your cheeks burn. "Are you hurt?" Her head shakes. "Then what are you doing here?"

"Oh, so if I were, you would take care of me?"

"I mean... yeah, probably." Was she expecting anything different? "Wouldn't want you bleeding out on my floor."

"Good to know,"

"What are you doing here?" You ask again. "What if my mom came to the window instead?"

"Your parents are downstairs. I could see them when I walked past," Van explains. "The light was on up here, so had to be you."

"What if it had been the wrong house?"

"But it wasn't," Van insists, a flash of her pearly whites. You search her face for some kind of explanation. Like her eyes would tell the story of why she was climbing through your window at nine at night. They were red around the rim, a little bloodshot. Puffy cheeks with a hint of a shine in the dim light.

"Have you been crying?" It was obvious she had been, but what was the cause? Your eyes narrow. Inspecting further, but the red head spins sharply on her heel, breaking your view.

"Can I... stay here tonight?" Your heart beats a tad faster. Ambushed by the question. Could you really say no to a girl who needs help? Someone, you just said you would help if she needed it? Smart. Sneaky.

"I don't- I'm not sure my mom will let you. It's so late and a school night, so..."

"She doesn't have to know." Van takes a few steps around your room. Eying the walls. Judging your space.

"Van-"

"I'll sleep on the floor and leave real early."

"Van." It was one thing to hide a person for a couple of minutes, but all night? That was work. You were never particularly sneaky. And if your parents asked, you weren't sure you could lie convincingly.

"Please, "A frantic plea with a sharp turn. She is no longer smiling. You see sorrow in her eyes. Sincerity. Desperation. "I can't..." You wait for her to continue, but she doesn't. She won't. Swallowing down any sort of confusion. You cannot send her away. It would be cruel.

"Okay," you nod a little. "But you have to be quiet." You don't know what your parents would do if they knew you were letting people sneak in through the window. They obviously wouldn't throw Van out on the street, or at least, you hope they wouldn't. You would probably be in trouble, though, and you didn't want that. The corner of her lips curl up ever so slightly.

"I can do that." Your gaze lingers on her as she continues her journey around your room. How long had she been wandering around? And why did she decide to come to your house, of all people? You weren't exactly super close. Not in the way she is with some of the other girls.

"Are you hungry?" You ask. It felt like the best way to help right now, but she just shrugged. "I'll go see what we have. You stay here. You can borrow some clothes if you want."

It's a relief to exit the room. Hesitating against your closed door like you've trapped some kind of monster inside. Your stomach is surely making it feel that way. Anxiety like an endless pit. Fuelling every step as you navigate the halls of your home as quietly as possible. It was weird to think of the girl upstairs. Van Palmer was in your house. In your bedroom. Admiring your possessions. Looking through your things. You had always found Van to be a particularly interesting case. She wasn't quite like the other girls you knew from the soccer team. She was clumsy; imperfect. No desire to hide the messy parts. With bright red hair and the style of a teenage boy, you've always admired her. Wasn't afraid to express herself. Make jokes. Tease the guys. Van was special, but being around her made you nervous. Perhaps that's why you weren't as close as you might like. She makes your stomach churn. Your cheeks flush. Your heart beats that little bit faster. As you enter the kitchen, you half expect to hear your mom's voice. Each slow step in anticipation of your inevitable capture. But all is well as you open the cupboards and search the fridge. You find a sandwich that was probably for your lunch tomorrow and decide to take it. You could just make another in the morning. Grabbing a plate before sneaking back up the stairs and into your room. Van is still wondering about although she seems to be particularly interested in your mirror.

"This you?" You find a space on your desk to place the sandwich as you walk over. Your mirror was decorated with decade-defining stickers of varying electability alongside different photographs. Van has honed in on one in particular and is offering it out. It shows two kids standing on the sidewalk at night. One was dressed as a blue and red robot. The other is a yellow robot. They both had jack-o'-lantern-shaped plastic buckets in their hands.

"Yeah, that is," you point to the little yellow one, "and that's Shauna, believe it or not."

"Shipman?" You nod, looking down at the picture. It's a really old photo, but adorable.

"Mhmm, don't ask why we're dressed as Transformers. Probably my dad's idea." You express fondness.

"I didn't know you two had been friends that long,"

"Oh yeah, for as long as I can remember," You and Shauna had a long history. Your parents, as far as you were aware, had been friends before you were even born, so it's no surprise that you two ended up friends. You spent a lot of time together growing up. Always at each other's houses. Holidays spent with each other's families. You weren't together as much as when you were little. Jackie Taylor probably played a part in that, but you were still close friends. Your moms were still friends. "My mom has whole albums of us together." You step forward to take the picture back up and admire the rest. They ranged from when you were small to the present day. Photographic evidence of your growth.

"Cute," Van comments. "Where's that from?" She points to a small strip you got from a photo booth. It had three photos in succession of you alongside Taissa. You were just messing around. Killing time. It was one of the more recent additions to your collection.

"A while ago. She was staying over, and my mom dragged us to the mall." You shrug. "We look cute. I really like how they came out."

"You have a lot of pictures." She declares, looking entirely around herself as if your entire room was just covered in photographs. It wasn't. But there were quite a few. You like having little moments of the past scattered about. They transport you back to a happy instant.

"I'm sentimental," You giggle a little.

"And yet none of me," Van adds casually. "Must not like me." A bold question as she takes the plate from your desk and sits on the edge of the bed. Placing it down in her lap.

"I- I wouldn't say that." You respond quickly. It wasn't a result of not liking Van. Quite the opposite in fact. You didn't really have any pictures together anyway.

"Seems like it," She takes a big bite

"Van,"

"I'm just messing with you," Mumbled out through a mouthful of bread. Thankfully, she swallows before continuing. "There's so many of you and Tai."

"Well, we're friends, so,"

"That's all?"

Your brow furrows. "What do you mean?"

Van shrugs, taking another bite. "Thanks for the food."

You debate inquiring further, but decide not to dwell on it. Some things were better left unknown, and maybe she did mean nothing by it. "No problem. Sorry, it's not more. I couldn't find much."

"This is fine." You let her enjoy tomorrow's lunch. Awkwardly standing in the middle of the room with no idea where to go from here. What does one do when a stranger seeks comfort in their room at what is now almost ten? Should you ask? Do you even have the right to? Her showing up like this surely gives you that right.

"So..." Hummed softly as you took a seat next to her on your bed. "Do you wanna tell me why you just showed up at my house?" Van's movement stops, dropping what's left of her sandwich onto the plate. You're looking at her, keep her head down.

"I was just wandering about." She eventually responds. Voice especially reserved.

"So late?" It was nineish when she arrived. Your parents trusted you, but they would never let you wander the streets alone at this time of night.

Van turns to you. "Sorry."

All you can do is sigh. Not exactly the answers you were looking for. "Don't apologise. I'm just worried about you." You watch Van finish off her food. They really were such a mystery to you. It's only now, as you sit in silence, do you notice the addition to her outfit. A navy blue hoody with the school mascot on it. You're pretty sure she was only in a T-shirt before. "Is this hoodie mine?"

"Yeah, you said I could borrow something, but nothing was really my style. Found this in the back." Must be an old hoody, you don't even remember ever wearing it. "That okay?" You nod, getting up, and you decide to return to your project. You had wasted about an hour dealing with Van. Valuable working time. "What are you working on?"

"Homework," You tell her. "Tai and I have a project due, and before you interrupted, we were discussing my part. I don't have much left."

"Oh, I will stop being a distraction then." Your eyes survey the work you left spread out, trying to recollect your thoughts from before. Trying to remember what you and Tai had been discussing. You should have been finished by now. Could have been in bed. It's harder to focus with another person in the room. It feels like you're being watched, but you get to work as best you can. You can hear van rustling about behind you like a restless puppy. You try to ignore her. Tai will be mad if you don't finish.

"Are these all yours?" You glance back to find Van leaning over the edge of your bed, rooting through a box she'd half dragged out from underneath. "You have so many." She has pulled out a black VHS tape. Most of them are probably your parents, you weren't much of a collector. Your parents bought you films you really liked.

"Some are my parents, they get mixed up easily- why are you under my bed?" She puts the tape back but continues looking through the others.

"Bored." Van declares.

"It's only been like five minutes," Maybe ten, but the point still stands that it hadn't been very long.

"That's basically forever." She pulls out another tape, opening the case briefly before examining the back. "Can we watch one?"

"It's a little late," You insist. Van drops the tape and pushes the box back under the bed. Dangling over the edge, you turn back to your work. "Can you stop?"

"Why? What are you hiding down here?"

"Nothing- I don't know- just stop." You hear her chuckle. Peeking back as she sits up.

"You're so silly," Van comments. You wonder if that's a compliment or not. "Can we do something fun?"

"You can sit quietly while I finish this." You propose. "That's fun."

"Boring," She sing songs loudly.

"Shush," You huff. "My parents are gonna hear us." Van sighs loudly this time and you do the same. "Van, I really need to finish this. Tai will kill me if I don't."

"Always about Tai." Van hums. "What about me?"

Gosh, she was relentless in her pursuit of disrupting your workflow. You glance back at her, sitting cross-legged in the middle of your bed. Why was she so bothered by your friendship with Tai? "I'd also like not to fail." You express. "Why don't you try going to sleep or something?"

"You hate me."

"I don't hate you,"

Van smiles playfully. "Can I have some paper or something?"

"Why?" You question. Knitted brows.

"Something to do while I wait," She shrugs. A piece of spare paper and a small pencil from your case, you offer them out. Van crawls across the bed to collect the items.

"Can you let me finish now?"

"Course," Thankfully, Van Palmer seems to be a woman of her word this time around. As quiet as a mouse as you flip through pages and scribble things down. You're tempted to call Tai, but it's late, and with Van here, it would just feel awkward. You manage to finish, but not before the clock shows eleven. You should probably head to bed. If your parents come upstairs and find your lights still on, they'd probably tell you off. Turning back to Van, she's now lying down on the bed with all her attention on whatever she is working on. You stand up and walk on over. Lying down on the bed right beside her. Looks like she was drawing a picture. You reach for the paper, and she stops, but doesn't stop you; you pull it away to inspect it. It was clearly a person or an attempt at one, at least. Rough lines of graphite intersect much softer strokes.

"Whose this?"

"You," answered plain and simple. Suddenly, the lines come together in your brain, creating an image as she describes. A picture of you. Messy and imperfect, but she still chose to draw you.

"Me?" You question quietly, although it was mostly rhetorical. "Why did you draw me?"

"You looked pretty." Heat rushes to your face. The thumping of your heart. Van rolls over onto her back, looking up at you now. "It's not very good. I was just messing about."

"I..." All the words you can think of die in your throat. A testament to the power of a compliment when it comes from the right the right person. Lucky for you, Van changes the subject.

"So you're done with your work?"

"Uh," You place her drawing down, looking over at her. "Think so."

"So now what?"

"Bed." Answered plainly. "We have school tomorrow, and my mom will probably come in at any minute."

"Boring," She groans, but at least it's quieter than before. You ignore her, grabbing a pillow off your bed and tossing it on the floor alongside your blanket.

"Sorry, you have to stay on the floor. I'm just worried about my parents seeing,"

"It's fine," The redhead rolls onto her front before getting off the bed.

"Do you need another pillow or more blankets? I probably have some somewhere." You offer. Van is already making herself comfortable on the floor. Fluffing up the pillow and wrapped herself up in the blanket. You watch her for a moment. The blanket was pulled all the way up to her shoulders. A soft smile on her lips. A bad feeling about the fact that you're making her sleep on the floor. It can't be very comfortable, but if your mother comes up and sees her, you'd be in a lot of trouble. Getting down, you switch off the light before climbing back into bed. An eerie stillness envelops the room as you lie snuggled up in your bed. This wasn't how you saw your night going. Didn't expect to have Van Palmer sleeping on your floor. You wanna know more. Worried about why she'd be walking the streets at night, but you also don't wanna force her to talk about it. It feels awkward having her down there. You wonder if she is feeling it too.

"Van?" Asked quietly. Cautiously. "Are you okay?"

"Yep, it's not so bad down here. I can see all the secrets you keep under the bed." She teases. Ever the jokester. It's off-putting to your true intentions.

"Did..." Was it even your place to ask? What if she takes it the wrong way? Your fingers tighten around the fabric of your duvet. Holding it like a protective shield around your body. "Did something happen at home?"

The silence that follows makes your stomach churn. Had you overstepped? Did she get you now? "Everything's fine." She bites. "We should sleep."

"Okay," You say quietly. Sinking further into the bed. "You... you can talk to me, y'know? If you ever want to." Van doesn't answer. You don't bother her with it anymore. But you can't help but peek over the side of the bed. She's turned away from you. A strip of moonlight made the deep red of her hair almost glow in the darkness. You really should have shut the curtains or something. You linger a moment. Admiring her in her calmness.

"Do you like Tai?" She questions abruptly. Catching you in the act of staring as she moves to lie on her back. Immediately, you retreat back to safety.

"W-What?"

"I won't tell anyone, I swear," Van declares rapidly. "Just kinda seems that way."

Does it? Is that the impression your friendship gives off? "No," said a little too defensively. Too sharp not to seem offended. "No. Why would you say that?"

"Tai is beautiful and cool? You have like a million photos of her and you're always around her," Van explains. "Like I get it. Better than anyone."

You table your suspected crush on Tai to pull the focus back to Van. "What do you mean better than anyone?"

"Are you serious? Half the school thinks I'm a dyke. I don't really try and hide it."

You'd be lying if you said you had never heard rumours about Van, but that was just childish gossip. This was Van actually confirming it.

"How did you..." You hesitate. Voice quieter. "Know?"

"I think I've always sorta known," Van replies. "Also, the first time I saw Jessica Rabbit was crazy," You laugh a little at the thought of a very young Van Palmer being in love with a cartoon. It was cute. "I've never really met anyone like me, though, but then I saw how you are with Tai. Got me thinking. I'm nothing like Tai."

"Van, I don't like Tai," You state. Tai was really great, but you've never really thought about her that way. It had never been crossed your mind. Then again, maybe that was more because you didn't like to think that way at all. It seemed almost shameful to think of girls that way. Like you're doing something wrong. The only time those thoughts seem to get loud is when you're around Van. She makes them harder to push down with her cute, stupid little face. Her stupid, infectious smile. Every time she makes a dumb joke or makes a clumsy mistake.

"My bad," Van interrupts your thoughts. A faint creak hits your ear. "I-"

"Wait," You shush her. A tense silence. Maybe you misheard? Your bedroom door creaks open a crack. Your parents must be heading to bed. They always check. Lucky for you, it's not a very thorough one tonight. Your door closes again, and you let out a relieved sigh. You had gotten away with it. Peering over the edge, Van's eyes are closed tight. "Van," You whisper. She doesn't respond. You wait. She doesn't respond. Guess the conversation is over. You don't want to continue probing. She looks so peaceful, but there's no way she was asleep yet. "I think... I might like you," You admit quietly, expecting some kind of reaction. Any kind of reaction. But she doesn't so much as flinch. So you move back and settle back into bed for a good night's sleep.

You wake up early the next morning, disturbed by the gentle pitter-patter of footsteps in your room. Rubbing at your sleepy eyes before they flicker open, squinting in the premature morning sun. "Van?" Her name is but a sigh from your lips.

"I should go before your parents wake up," Van insists. "Thanks for letting me stay."

It's too early. How was she so awake? She's lingering by your window, and you're suddenly worried about her falling. "You can use the front door, Spider-Man."

A noticeable smile. "You sure?"

"I'll walk you out." You push up, struggling to stifle a yawn.

"No, it's cool," She replies. "Sleep, I can see myself out."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," She heads for the door. "I'll see you at school."

"Okay. The spare key should be on the hook, just make sure you put it back."

"Will do, MJ." And with that, she exits the room. It's not hard to fall back asleep after Van leaves. You were plenty tired after last night.

The morning is relatively uneventful. You keep expecting your parents to bring up the secret girl you had in your room, but they don't. Everything progresses normally. You even manage to arrive at school with plenty of time to spare. The minute you step through the door it feels like you're immediately greeted by a very intense Taissa Turner. Bright-eyed and ready for a full day of school before the weekend.

"So?"

"Good morning to you too, Tai," You mumble sarcastically. She falls into step as you walk through the building.

"Did you finish or not?"

Of course, that's her main concern. "Yes, it's done."

"And it's actually good?"

"Tai," you groan loudly, an abrupt stop as you turn to face her. "Can we do this later? It's too early."

"What even happened? You never called me back," Her eyes search yours for an explanation, you sigh and continue walking.

"Yeah, sorry,"

"You're the one who wanted to call," She follows, now a step behind. "said it'd help you work better, then you just hang up on me."

"Gotcha." An arm flung over your shoulder drags you flush against another person. Its Van. She's caught Tai in the other.

"I just had something come up," You tell Tai, offering Van a little smile.

"You're here early," Tai comments. You know it's aimed at Van as she steps out of her grip. You pat Van's hand before removing yourself, too.

"Yeah, I was ready early, so I walked today." You eye her suspiciously. "You coming to homeroom?"

"Yes," You agree eagerly. You just wanted to get away from Tai, honestly. She was easier to handle after the first period. "I need to go to my locker first. I'll see you later, Tai."

"It better be done," Tai urges. You just roll your eyes, paths diverging down different corridors. Now you walk alongside Van.

"So did you actually go home or just wander about and come to school?"

"I went home,"

"Van," Stated firmly. A warning to tell the truth.

"I went home," She urges, a little more defensively. "I grabbed some stuff and came here. She shows you her backpack as proof.

"Okay," You're reassured by her bag. She didn't have that last night, so she must have gotten it from somewhere. "If you need somewhere to stay over the weekend, I'm sure my mom won't mind if I actually ask this time,"

"Nah, it's cool," she waves away your concern like it's unwarranted. Like she didn't show up at your window last night. You approach your locker. "Maybe we can do something, though?"

"Oh," Such a blunt question. You purse your lips, turning to unlock the metal door.

"No pressure," Van adds sharply. "I didn't mean like..." Her words trail off, but you know exactly what she meant. Her inability to finish her sentence confirmed that. She was asking you out like on a date. Twisting on your heel, you find her eyes cast down. Part of you knew she was awake when you confessed, but the other part hoped she wasn't. That you could just continue on like you didn't have a conversation at all.

"Should we... do we talk about it?" Her eyes flicker up to yours and you turn away, shoving books into your locker.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Van wonders cautiously. Did you want to talk about it? Talking about it would make it real. " I can pretend I was asleep- didn't hear a thing. I'm good with that."

Somehow, that makes you feel worse. Like leaving her with a secret she should never have known. You don't want to do that to her. You can't do that to her. You just needed to be brave like she was. "You... don't have to," You insist, turning around to face her. "I meant what I said." Your eyes meet. Heat rushes to your cheeks, making you glance away. "My tummy always feels funny when I'm around you. I get all hot and like flustered. I just... I don't know."

"You know, last night all I could think about was seeing you," She admits. "Everything was really shitty but you always make me feel better. You're just... so nice and kind to everyone and fucking beautiful. Even when I thought you were into Tai, I was just happy being around you."

"Van,"

"I know it's scary, but I really like you," Van admits. She takes a step closer. "Can you look at me?" she presses, and your eyes flicker up. "I really fucking like you."

A squeeze in your chest. You're not sure if it's good or bad, but you kinda wanna throw up right now. "I just don't want to disappoint you,"

"You could never,"

"But I'm not sure about how I feel," You admit. "I think I like you, but what if I'm wrong? I don't wanna hurt you."

"I get it." She's hurt. You can see it in her eyes. She's putting on a brave smile, but the rejection stings. You didn't even mean to do that. Hurt her. You wanted to protect her from that until you could figure it all out. "Don't worry. Friends still?" You shut your locker, and a sigh. Why can't you just be like Van? Courageous. Fearless. True to yourself. Was there really anything stopping you other than yourself? That desire to stay hidden. To shove the feelings down instead of facing them. "Or not..."

"Let's do something this weekend," a spur-of-the-moment thing. A quick decision. "Yeah."

"Really?" The switch-up is jarring for her. "Like a... date or?"

"I... don't know," Her eyes search your face. It's confusing. Her brow is knitted together, trying to understand. "I get it if you don't want to. I think I like you- I know I like you and you're right. It's... scary but I shouldn't push you away because of it."

"Maybe we can like figure it out together?" Van suggests. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Like you've given her the world, but in reality, you have barely moved an inch. You're still confused. "If you want to?"

"You're not worried?"

Van shrugs. "I'm willing to try. It's worth it to me. You're worth it."

You swallow hard. Mouth running dry. Your whole body fills with indescribable warmth. "We can figure it out... together," you repeat her words back to her. An attempt to reassure yourself more than here, but it has that effect anyway.

"Together," Van confirms.

"We should... get to homeroom before we get marked absent." You offer a smile. Small but genuine, which she returns. You go to walk away, when Van takes your hand in hers. You freeze. Heart beating that little bit louder.

"Is this okay?" Van queries. You take a deep breath, glancing around the hallway. Nobody was paying either of you any attention. Nobody cared. And in that moment of realisation that you're not the centre of attention, you're just a little less scared.

"Yeah. Yes, it is." You express warmly. A gentle squeeze of her hand as she leads the way down the hallway.

[runningincircl3s]

Sinematic

Vinny Mauro x Reader

Chapter 12

chapter warnings: smut again i just can't help myself lmao (and this is kind of a filler chapter haha, and i wrote it before i changed the plot so sorry if it feels kinda out of place!)

a vinny drum stream would fix me rn i've had a week from hell, and i haven't even had the time to write which always makes me feel better :( anyways i kinda love this chapter it's pretty chaotic, editing it felt like a fever dream lmao

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Neither of you talked about what happened after that night. You pretended it never even happened, not to each other, but it always played on both your minds. Neither of you wanted to talk about it out of fear. You knew it shouldn’t have happened, but you both enjoyed it, so why was it such a problem?

You could hear Vin watching something on his phone, assuming he must be sat on the couch, as you walked down the stairs.

“Where are you going?” Vin asked, stopping you in your tracks as you reached for your keys.

You glanced up to see him sprawled out on the couch- in the very spot it happened- one arm behind his head, the other holding his phone. His eyes were still glued to the screen, like he was only half-invested in the conversation, but you knew better.

“Grocery store.” That got his attention. His head snapped up, a smirk on his lips. 

“Finally.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You asked, your eyes narrowing. 

“Nothing… Just that you’ve been living off my food for days now.”

You rolled your eyes, grabbing your keys. 

“Whatever, asshole. I'll text you when I'm on my way back.” You laughed, turning to the door. 

“Can I come?” Vin asked, sitting up. 

That made you pause. 

“To the grocery store?”

“Yeah.” He stood, stretching his arms over his head, his shirt riding up just slightly to expose a sliver of skin. “I’ve got nothing better to do.”

You hesitated, knowing full well that letting him tag along would mean constant distractions and a cart full of junk food, but the way he was already grabbing his shoes like it was a done deal made it clear you didn’t have much of a choice.

“Fine.” You sighed, though a part of you was happy to have him join you. "But we can't be too long, I've got plans tonight."

Vinny grinned, pulling his hoodie over his head and slipping his shoes on.

…

You regretted it immediately.

The moment you stepped into the store, Vinny was like a kid let loose in a candy shop.

“Do we need these? I think we've run out of this flavour.” He held up a pack of pop tarts. 

“No, put it back.”

He dropped it into the cart anyway.

“Vinny!”

“What?” He grinned. “You’ll eat them too.”

You let out a dramatic sigh, pushing the cart forward as he trailed beside you, tossing in things you definitely didn’t need. Chips, cookies, some different flavoured energy drinks. Every time you tried to put something back, he’d snatch it away from you and toss it back in with a look of pure defiance.

“You realise all this stuff is bad for you, right?”

“Yeah, and?” He shrugged, popping open a bag of gummy bears and throwing one into his mouth before you could stop him.

“Vin! You can’t eat that before paying for it!”

He only smirked. 

“What you gonna do about it?”

“I should’ve left you at home.” You groaned. 

As you made your way through the store, Vinny found ways to make it as annoying as possible- suddenly stepping in front of the cart so you had to stop, grabbing random items and insisting you needed them, playing obnoxious tiktok audios on his phone way too loudly.

It was like going shopping with a child. 

It was worse than going shopping with a child.

You turned the corner and immediately slowed your pace, recognising the aisle.

Vinny followed behind, but stopped when he saw where you were headed.

“Wait. Is this…?”

“Yes,” you sighed. “The period aisle.”

He blinked at the endless wall of pastel packaging like it was an alien language.

“Christ. Don't they all do the same thing? Why are there so many options?”

You scanned the shelves, before muttering,

“Shit- I forgot painkillers. Can you grab me the night time pads? It should be a purple pack, and make sure it's the one with wings.”

“Purple pack. Wings. Got it.” He nodded like he’d just been given a military mission.

You took off toward the pharmacy section while he turned back to the shelf, immediately overwhelmed.

Ten seconds later, your phone buzzed.

Vinny: I’m sorry but this is possibly the only time I'm going to get the opportunity to actually say this

Vinny: Babe I'm in the pad aisle what size pussy you wear

You stared at your screen, horrified and laughing all at once.

You found the painkillers you needed, then returned to the aisle to find him standing there with five different packs in hand, looking like a lost child.

“Vin...”

“I panicked.”

You took the right one from him and dumped the rest back on the shelf.

“You had one job.”

“I tried! But they all had different numbers and I had too google what it meant, then suddenly I was knee-deep in absorbency levels and wondering if I needed a menstrual engineering degree.”

You shook your head, biting back a grin.

“You’re the worst.”

“I’m the best,” he corrected. “Also, wings? Fancy. Your vagina deserves air travel.”

“Vinny.”

“What?”

You rolled your eyes, pushing the cart again.

“Come on. And don’t say ‘vagina’ in public again. Or anywhere-”

“VAG-”

You smacked a hand over his mouth before he could finish, laughing anyway.

You tried to avoid the seasonal aisle after spotting a giant teddy bear. You hoped Vin didn't see it, but when you heard his gasp and saw him point at something, you knew what it was going to be.

“I’m getting this.” He picked it up, it was almost as big as him.

You stared at him, deadpan. 

“Vin. You’re a grown man.”

“And? You still sleep with stuffed animals.”

You sighed- he had a point. And you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t cute.

“Fine. Put it in the cart. But that's it.”

Vinny grinned victoriously, tossing it in like he’d just won a battle.

By the time you made it to checkout, the cart was a disaster. Half your items you actually needed for the week were buried under bags of chips, candy, and now the giant teddy. 

“You’re paying for all your shit.” You informed him as you started packing it away into bags.

Vinny raised an eyebrow. 

“But you invited me.”

“I did not. You invited yourself.”

“You let me come. Same thing.”

You groaned, shoving the bag of open gummy bears at him. 

“Then at least hold your own junk.”

Vinny only laughed, throwing an arm around your shoulders as he grabbed the bag. 

“You love me.”

“I tolerate you.” You smirked, but didn’t push him away. 

As you loaded everything into the car, an idea crossed your mind.

You weren’t done shopping just yet. 

“I’m not ready to go home yet.”

Vinny leaned against the car. 

“So where to next?”

You thought for a moment, then grinned. 

“Wanna go to the mall?”

“Are you buying me something?”

“No.” You snorted. 

Vin sighed dramatically, but still opened the car door and got in. 

…

The mall was packed, full of couples, groups of teenagers, and parents wrangling their kids from store to store. You weaved through the crowd, Vinny trailing behind you, holding your bags for you after you bought something.

“Look at you, being a gentleman.” You teased.

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. “Just don’t make me hold anything embarrassing.”

You smirked. 

“Define embarrassing.”

Vinny gave you a wary look, and you decided now was the perfect time to take things up a notch.

The moment you passed a lingerie store, you stopped.

Vinny, who had been focused on his phone, didn’t realise where you were leading him at first. But when he noticed you weren’t walking anymore, he turned, following your gaze to the store.

“Oh, no. No way.”

You glanced at him, feigning innocence. 

“What?”

He gestured vaguely to the store, looking mildly horrified. 

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” he said, already taking a step back, “I should not be in there with you.”

You tilted your head. 

“Why? Friends can shop for lingerie together, right? Me and Ang do it all the time!”

Vinny squinted. 

“You are evil.”

You didn’t wait for him to come up with another excuse. You just grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside.

As you walked in, you were met with displays of lace and silk. Vinny stiffened beside you, eyes darting everywhere except at what was hanging on the racks.

“You can wait outside if you want.” You offered, knowing full well he wouldn’t.

He scoffed, still continuing to follow on behind you.

“Okay. Suit yourself.” You smirked.

You took your time browsing, running your fingers over delicate fabrics, considering different sets. Every so often, you glanced at Vinny, who was clearly uncomfortable and a little flustered but trying to act like he wasn’t.

At one point, you held up a black lace set. 

“What do you think?”

His jaw tightened. 

“I think I’m in hell.”

You laughed, setting it back down, before grabbing a dark red set (his favourite colour, if you remember correctly) and holding it against your body, tilting your head as you inspected yourself in the mirror.

You pretended not to notice how Vin bit down on his lip as he watched you in the mirror.

“That one’s pretty.” You heard him say, and you pretended like you couldn’t feel your cheeks heating up. 

“You think I should get it?”

“And who would you be wearing it for?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“For me,” you scoffed. “Can’t a girl want to look hot for herself?”

You meet his gaze in the mirror, and something in his eyes made butterflies flutter in your stomach. 

It lasts for only a second before Vinny clears his throat, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Are you done torturing me yet?”

You bite back a grin. 

“Yeah, I think so. I’m buying this one.”

As you make your way to the checkout, Vinny follows close behind, and as you are about to take out your card to pay, he stops you, handing you his own. 

You feel your heart skip a beat as he pays for it, pretending you don’t notice the way his gaze lingers on the bag as you take it.

…

“The guys are coming over for dinner, right?” You asked Vin as he walked into the kitchen, filling his glass up with water.

“Yeah, we could order takeout though if there isn’t enough-”

“No! I’ve made plenty for everyone.” You laughed, stirring the pan of pasta. 

“D’ya need any help?” Vin asked after a pause. 

“No, it’s fine. You’re streaming anyway, I don’t want to steal you away from the fans.”

“I just ended it actually,” he said, leaning against the counter as he took a sip from his glass, “They’ll be here soon so I thought I’d get off early.”

“Well if that’s the case, I could do with some help…”

By the time dinner was done, the kitchen smelled incredible. You were just plating up when the door knocked. Vinny shot you a glance as he wiped his hands on a dish towel.

“That’ll be the guys.” He said, walking to the door in no rush.

He opened it, letting his friends in as he greeted them.

“Hey, chef!” AJ greeted, as he passed the kitchen. 

You waved at him, but then you suddenly spotted the pink bag in the hallway that you had forgotten to put away. You had been too caught up in cooking to even take it up to your room after coming home… and AJ noticed, and followed your gaze. 

His smirk was instant.

“Ooooh, what do we have here?”

Your stomach dropped.

Before you could move, he grabbed it, holding it up with an exaggerated wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Someone went lingerie shopping.”

Vinny, who had just reached into the fridge, froze. His eyes darted to you, then to the bag, then back to you. You could practically see the gears turning in his head.

“AJ. Put that down!” You warned.

AJ, of course, did not put it down. Instead, he turned to Vinny, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“So? Is this for you, or should we be concerned about some new mystery man in our life?”

“Oh, she’s got one,” Emil piped up, grinning. “Ciaran.”

Vinny scoffed, finally moving again as he grabbed a few beers from the fridge, and handed them out.

“Please. He’s a fucking joke.”

AJ’s eyes gleamed with mischief. 

“You sound pretty confident about that.”

Vinny cracked open his beer, shooting you a look. 

“Tell them. Tell them how fucking boring he is.”

You frowned, taking the bag from AJ and shoving it aside. 

“No! He’s nice.”

Emil leaned forward. 

“So when are you next seeing him?”

“Tonight actually." You admitted, grabbing your own drink, and ignoring how Vin almost choked on his beer. 

“Since when?” Vin’s eyebrows furrowed, but AJ butted in before you could say anything.

“Perfect. We’re coming too!” He grinned. 

You blinked. 

“Excuse me?”

“Oh yeah,” Emil nodded. “We’re gonna check this guy out, make sure he’s good enough for you!”

Vinny’s expression changed, and now his smirk was downright evil. 

“Oh, we should absolutely do that.”

You glared at all of them. 

“You guys are the worst.”

“It’s called caring.” AJ smiled innocently. 

As dinner went on, the teasing didn’t stop. Every time you thought they’d moved on, someone would drop another sly comment, and Vinny, the little shit, just kept adding fuel to the fire.

And then by the time dinner was finally over, you were seriously reconsidering your life choices.

Vinny leaned back in his chair, beer in hand, and smirked at you. 

“So, what time are you meeting him?”

“In about an hour.” You said, checking the time. 

AJ wiggled his eyebrows. 

“Plenty of time for us to get ready and tag along. Are you dressing up? Should we dress up?”

You groaned. 

“You guys are not coming.”

“Too late,” Emil grinned, stretching his arms behind his head. “We’ve already decided.”

Vinny chuckled, clearly loving the chaos.

“Come on, y/n. It’ll be fun.”

“For who?!” You shot him a glare.

“...For us.” He said simply, taking a sip of his beer.

You huffed, standing up to take your plate to the sink. 

“You guys are the worst, y'know that?”

“And yet, you still love us,” AJ teased, nudging Vinny after you had disappeared. “So, what do you think? We show up, sit at the bar, and keep an eye on things?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Vinny nodded, feigning seriousness. 

…

You sat opposite Ciaran at a small table in the corner of the bar, hoping that the guys wouldn’t spot you when they inevitably turned up. 

The night was going by very well so far, you were getting to know Ciaran better, and he was nothing like what Vin painted him out to be. He was fun, he was kind, he was attractive. 

But then again, he wasn’t Vinny. 

“...So that’s when I said nah I can’t do this anymore and I had to leave.” 

“And then did the band break up because of that?”

“No,” Ciaran sighed, sitting back in his chair, beer in his hand, “I think everyone was just ready to move on, do their own thing.” 

That was when you spotted them. 

Vinny, AJ, and Emil strolled into the bar like they owned the place, they already had a few drinks back at home so they were louder than usual, laughing and nudging each other as they scanned the room. You froze, trying to sink into your seat before they could spot you, but it was no use. AJ’s eyes landed on you first, and his grin was instant.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” You muttered under your breath.

“What?” Ciaran asked, glancing over his shoulder.

“I apologise for anything they say or what they do, they have good intentions I swear.” 

“Who?” He laughs. 

Before you could answer, Emil was already waving, and AJ, because he was the absolute worst, gave an exaggerated gasp and pointed at you like he’d just uncovered some grand conspiracy.

Vinny, of course, was the last to look. When he did, his smirk was lazy, teasing, like he’d been expecting this exact moment. 

Ciaran turned back to you, brows raised. 

“Are they friends of yours?”

“Unfortunately,” you sighed. “Just… Please ignore them.”

Like he could possibly ignore them.

Vinny led the charge, striding over, AJ and Emil right behind him.

“Y/n!” He grinned,  pulling out the empty chair next to you and sat down without asking, draping an arm over the back of it like he belonged there.

“Vin, you’re drunk, go home.” You muttered under your breath, but he didn’t listen.

“Well, well, well,” AJ mused, giving Ciaran a once-over. “Look at this.”

Ciaran blinked, clearly thrown off by the sudden intrusion. 

“Uh, hey?”

AJ and Emil pulled up chairs and joined the three of you. 

“So you’re Ciaran.” Emil nodded slowly. 

Ciaran shot you a questioning look, and you groaned. 

“Ignore them,” you repeated, shooting Vinny a glare, “They’re idiots. And they’re drunk! And I told them to stay at home!”

“Nah, we’re just looking out for our girl. Making sure you’re, you know… up to standard.” Vinny just smirked, picking up the cocktail menu and flipping through it like he had all the time in the world. 

Ciaran let out a small chuckle, clearly trying to keep things light. 

“Well, that’s sweet, I guess.”

“Isn’t it?” Emil grinned.

AJ turned to you. 

“So, what do we think? Any red flags yet?”

“No! You’re my red flag.” You shot back, earning a laugh from Vinny.

Ciaran, to his credit, handled it well. 

“I promise I have good intentions, I like y/n a lot and I promise I’m nothing but kind and respectful,” he said, looking at you with a small smile. “No need to interrogate me.”

Vinny scoffed. 

“Oh, this isn’t an interrogation.”

“Oh?” Ciaran raised a brow. “What is it, then?”

Vinny smirked, tilting his head slightly. 

“A test.”

You groaned again. 

“I hate all of you. Ciaran I’m so sorry.”

Ciaran smirked. 

“You seem to know me, but you guys haven’t introduced yourselves.” He chuckled, sipping his beer. 

“I’m AJ, this is Emil and Vinny. We’re y/n’s full time besties, part time wingmen.” He grinned. 

“Not after tonight you’re not.” You groaned. 

“Oh… I thought I recognised you,” Ciaran nodded at Vin, “You left with him the first time we met.” 

Shit.

“Uh, yeah that’s Vin…”

“The guy you live with?”

“Yep.” Vinny smiled, leaning back in his chair like he didn’t have a care in the world. “That’s me.”

Ciaran nodded, seemingly unfazed. 

“Cool. I figured.”

You didn’t like where this was going. You could practically feel Vinny’s smugness radiating off of him.

AJ, trying to keep things light, leaned forward. You could tell he genuinely wanted to get to know Ciaran, to make sure he was good enough for you. 

“So, Ciaran, tell us more about yourself. What do you do?”

Ciaran shrugged. 

“I work in the music industry, I heard you guys do too… I’m a writer and producer. I used to play in a band, but that fell apart a couple years ago.”

Emil’s eyes lit up. 

“Oh, nice. What did you play?”

“Guitar,” Ciaran said. “I did some vocals, too.”

“Sick,” Emil grins, “I play guitar too.” 

“Well, you probably already know but I’m a drummer,” Vin brags, sitting back in his chair, legs slightly spread, “I play for Motionless in White actually, you might've seen us play at Wrestlemania last year... What band were you in?”

You could feel him getting competitive so you shot him a look. 

“Vin, stop.” 

“What?” He said innocently, taking another sip of his drink as Ciaran talked about his old band.

“...I just like making music. I wasn’t really happy in the band but it was all I knew.”

Emil, who was actually interested now, asked,

“You still play?”

“Yeah, just for fun.”

AJ nodded approvingly.

“That’s cool, man.”

You relaxed a little. Okay, maybe they were going to behave. But you weren't so sure about Vinny.

Then he leaned in. 

“So, Ciaran,” he drawled, “if you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?”

You groaned. 

“Vin, oh my god, seriously?”

But Ciaran played along, tilted his head in thought. 

“Uh… chill, I guess? Thoughtful. And… I dunno, easygoing?”

Vinny smirked. 

“Sounds riveting.”

AJ elbowed him. 

“Dude.”

Vinny held up his hands. 

“I’m just saying. This is a test, remember?”

Ciaran just laughed. 

“You really don’t like me, do you?”

Vinny took a long sip of his drink before answering. 

“I don’t know you.”

It was a very Vinny answer, cocky, a little dismissive, but mostly just because he liked messing with people. You rolled your eyes.

Emil, trying to keep the peace, jumped in. 

“You know, I think you’re alright.”

Ciaran raised his beer. 

“I’ll take that.”

AJ smirked. 

“Yeah, you’re not bad. Pretty brave, actually, putting up with this one.” He gestured toward you.

You gasped. 

“Wow. Okay. I’m leaving.”

AJ grinned, throwing an arm around your shoulders before you could escape. 

“Nah, you love us.”

Ciaran laughed, but Vinny just tapped his fingers against the table, eyes flicking between you and Ciaran.

You weren’t sure why, but something about it made your stomach flip.

“Look, man, if you’re just trying to get in her pants-” 

“For fuck sake, drop it, Vinny!” You raised your voice, “Stop!” 

“You weren’t saying that last night-” 

“You’ve got a cool accent, where are you from? Scotland?” Emil asked, ignoring whatever Vin and you were doing. 

“Northern Ireland,” Ciaran nodded, “Belfast.” 

“We’ve been there before!” AJ nodded, “Very cold… What brought you over here?”

“I moved to join the band and just never left I guess. I was originally living in LA but then after the band split I moved in with a friend over here.”

You could still feel Vinny’s eyes on you, even as the conversation moved on. His comment still burned in the back of your mind.

Ciaran, to his credit, didn’t react. You were praying he hadn’t heard. Or maybe he was just choosing not to. Either way, you could feel the shift in the air, like something was about to snap.

“...So now that’s why I’m just writing, producing, and working with smaller artists. It’s a lot more fulfilling than what I was doing before.”

“Sounds like a step up,” AJ smiled.

“Debatable.” Vinny scoffed under his breath. 

You turned to him sharply. 

“Vinny, you’re being rude.”

“What?” He feigned innocence, swirling his drink. “Just saying. Going from being in a band to just producing? Kinda sounds like you gave up.”

Ciaran frowned slightly, but his voice remained even. 

“I didn’t give up. I just figured out what made me happy. And I didn’t feel comfortable on stage performing.”

Vinny tilted his head, smirking. 

“Right. And what makes you happy now?”

Ciaran glanced at you before answering, but Vinny didn’t miss it.

“Writing music,” Ciaran said simply.

Vinny let out a low chuckle. 

“Right,” He took a slow sip of his drink before adding, “Well, at least it’s not someone else’s girl, huh?”

You could feel the rage burning beneath your skin. 

“Oh, you’re one to talk, Vin.” You growled, raising an eyebrow at him. 

AJ and Emil exchanged uneasy glances.

Ciaran tensed slightly, exhaling through his nose before setting his drink down. 

“Right.” His tone was calm, but you could tell Vinny’s words had landed exactly the way he wanted them to. “I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

“Ciaran, no, wait-” you reached for him, but he was already standing, grabbing his jacket.

“Thanks for tonight,” he said, voice still level, but there was a tightness to it. He turned to you, offering a small smile. “I’ll see you around, yeah?”

You swallowed, nodding.

And just like that, he was gone.

…

“What the hell was that all about, hm?” You shouted at Vin as you walked through the door, finally home.

“I got weird vibes from him. I didn't think you liked him anyway.” Vin shrugged, shutting the front door behind him like this was the most casual thing ever.

“Well, I did!” You spat. 

“Yeah, right. He's not your type at all.” He scoffed. 

You turned around, facing Vin with an anger in you that you haven’t felt in a while. 

“Oh you're not serious, are you?” You seethed, stepping closer, your chest rising and falling with frustration. “You don’t get to decide who my type is, if I even have one!”

Vinny smirked, leaning lazily against the wall like he wasn’t the reason you were seconds away from losing your mind. 

“I don’t have to. You just proved my point.”

Your fists clenched at your sides. 

“Oh, enlighten me, asshole. What point is that?”

He took a step forward, closing the space between you.

“You didn’t run after him.” His voice was low, almost smug. “You could’ve chased him down, apologised, told him I was wrong. But you didn’t. You stayed. With me.”

Your breath hitched.

Vinny tilted his head, watching the way his words sank into your skin. 

“You didn’t go after him, y/n, because deep down you didn’t like him. Not the way you wanted to.”

Your heart pounded, anger twisting into something else, something more dangerous.

“You’re such a fucking prick.” Your voice was shaking now, your body thrumming with adrenaline.

“And you love it,” he taunted, voice dripping with arrogance, "Which is why you're not really into him..."

Your jaw clenched, your breath shallow as you stared him down, pulse roaring in your ears.

God, you hated him when he got like this.

You hated how right he was, and he could see it all over your face.

The tension between you was suffocating, your body practically vibrating with rage. Vinny stood there, so goddamn smug, so pleased with himself, and it made you want to scream.

Instead, you shoved him.

It wasn’t hard, just enough to get him away from you, enough to create space so you could think. But Vinny barely stumbled, just laughed under his breath as if you were proving something for him.

“What’s wrong?” He taunted, his voice dripping with amusement. “Mad that I see right through you?... I know you better than anyone, y/n.”

Your blood boiled.

“You don’t.”

He hummed, stepping forward again, instantly erasing any distance you’d tried to put between you.

“Don’t I?”

You glared up at him, swallowing hard. His face was way too close, his scent way too familiar, his presence way too intoxicating.

“You’re a fucking child.” You spat.

Vinny just smirked, his voice dropping lower. 

“And yet, you’re standing here with me instead of him. He never even got to fuck you, did he? We did it the fourth day of knowing each other, what does that say about you, about us...”

Your hands twitched at your sides. Your nails dug into your palms. Your heart pounded against your ribs.

Your hands moved before your brain could catch up, shoving at his chest again, harder this time.

But Vinny didn’t stumble. He barely even budged. Instead, his hands shot out, grabbing your wrists, holding them firm. His grip wasn’t rough, wasn’t cruel, it was steady and controlled. A silent challenge.

You should’ve pulled away. You should’ve kept fighting. But the way he was looking at you? Amused, infuriating, dark eyes drifting between yours and your lips like he already knew how this was going to end? It made your whole body burn. You had never seen him get like this before.

“You don’t want him,” Vinny murmured, voice low and certain. “You never did.” 

“Fuck. You.”

He grinned, leaning in, the heat of his breath ghosting over your lips.

“You’d rather fight with me than fuck him,” he whispered. “That’s how I know.”

You hated that he was right, and he knew it. And you hated how badly you wanted to prove him wrong.

Your pulse pounded in your ears, the heat of Vinny’s breath on your lips making your entire body tense. You hated him. You hated him. The smug way he stood there, the way he thought he knew you better than you knew yourself. The way he was so fucking sure of himself, so fucking cocky.

You wrenched your wrists from his grip and shoved him again. This time, he took a step back, but only because he let himself. His smirk deepened, and fuck, that just made you angrier.

“You don’t know shit.” You seethed.

Vinny tilted his head, mock-considering. 

“Don’t I?”

You wanted to scream. You wanted to punch him. You wanted to-

“Let’s break it down, shall we?” Vinny stepped forward again, slow and deliberate, backing you up until your spine hit the wall. His hands braced against the surface, caging you in. “Your friend sets you up to meet some guy, some nice guy, and what? You think that’s what you want?”

You swallowed hard, trying not to react to how close he was, to how warm he was, how you smell the alcohol on his breath- but you guessed he could with yours too. You both had a few drinks at the bar.

“I do want that.” You hissed.

Vinny’s smirk didn’t waver. If anything, it grew.

“No, you want to want that,” he corrected, voice just above a whisper, leaning in close, his lips a breath from your ear. “But that’s not what gets you all riled up, is it? I know you, baby, you don’t want simple or easy, it’s not… Thrilling enough, is it? 'Cause tell me... What happened last year? Why did you want me more than him?”

“Go to hell.”

His mouth brushed your jaw as he hummed, a low, knowing sound that made your stomach clench. 

“M’ already there.”

You should have shoved him away again. You should have walked away, locked yourself in your room, done anything but this.

But then his nose skimmed along your cheek, slow, teasing, deliberate, and your resolve snapped.

You turned your head sharply, lips crashing against his, and everything fucking erupted.

The moment your lips crashed against his, Vinny groaned into your mouth, his hands instantly finding your waist, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. It wasn’t a sweet kiss. It was messy, all clashing teeth and pure frustration.

You hated him. You hated him. And yet, here you were, clawing at him, pulling him impossibly closer, needing more, needing everything.

Vinny pulled back just long enough to smirk down at you, lips swollen, breath heavy. 

“Knew it.” He panted.

“Fuck you." You spat, your hands fisting in his hoodie, yanking him back in.

Vinny just chuckled against your lips, but there was something darker in it now, something that made your entire body light up like a live wire. 

“That’s the plan.” He murmured, his teeth grazing your lower lip before he sucked it between his own, biting down just hard enough to sting.

You gasped, your fingers sliding under his hoodie now, nails scraping against bare skin. He growled, and suddenly his hands were on your ass, lifting you up as your back hit the wall.

Your legs wrapped around his waist instinctively, and fuck, the way his body pressed into yours, his hardness pressing between your thighs, you felt dizzy- and it wasn't becuase of the cocktails.

“You’re such a fucking asshole.” You hissed against his lips, grinding down just to prove a point.

Vinny groaned, his grip tightening, his head dropping to your neck. 

“Yeah?” he rasped, teeth scraping against your pulse point. “But you love it."

You've never hated him more.

Vinny’s breath was ragged against your neck. His fingers dug into your thighs as he pressed you harder against the wall, his body pinning you in place. You could feel him smirking against your skin, and it infuriated you.

You shoved at his hoodie, desperate to get it off him, and Vinny let you, only to immediately retaliate by gripping the hem of your own shirt and yanking it over your head. He didn’t even look at you before his mouth was back on yours, like he couldn’t waste another second without kissing you.

Your hands tangled in his hair, pulling hard enough to make him groan into your mouth, his hips instinctively grinding up against you.

It was all so fast, so messy, so angry.

“Still thinking about him?” Vinny muttered, voice dripping with jealousy as he kissed his way down your jaw.

You laughed, short, breathless and mean.

His mouth crashed back to yours before you could fire off another insult, silencing whatever smart remark was about to leave your tongue. The kiss was rough, all teeth and hunger, like he was trying to devour the last word right off your lips.

You whimpered despite yourself, nails digging into his shoulders. You hated how good it felt, how natural, how right... like your body was made to fight with his and fuck with his and fall apart underneath him.

Vinny groaned, his hands skimming along the curve of your waist, thumbs grazing just under your bra.

“Say it,” he growled against your lips, his voice barely above a whisper. “Say you don’t want him.”

You bit his lip in response, making him hiss, your breath ragged.

“I don’t want him.”

“Say you want me.”

You hesitated, not because it wasn’t true, but because it was too true. Because saying it out loud made it real, and that was scary. But Vinny waited, his grip unrelenting, his breath hot and heavy on your cheek.

And you broke.

“I want you,” you said, voice trembling. "Always want you..."

Vinny made a low, guttural sound, half growl, half moan, before his mouth was on you once again, even more desperate and unforgiving. He kissed you like he’d earned it, just by being right.

You hated that he was right.

He pulled away just long enough to nod towards the stairs, and before you know it he's stumbling towards his room like a man possessed. Your legs tightened around him, impressed at his strength and how he had carried you up the stairs, and your hands tangled in his hair, dragging your mouth across his jaw, biting just to leave your mark.

He kicked the door open, didn't even bother with the light, and dropped you onto the bed like you weighed nothing. You barely had time to gasp before he was on you again, pinning you beneath him, undressing you with a maddening urgency.

“I fucking knew it,” he muttered against your collarbone, kissing and biting his way down your chest. “Knew you were full of shit the second you said you wanted a nice guy.”

You arched beneath him, hands clawing at his back, gasping when his fingers slipped beneath your waistband, tugging hard.

“And you’re what?” you panted. “The opposite of a nice guy?”

Vinny smirked against your skin, sliding your leggings and panties down your legs, his mouth following close behind.

“No,” he said, kissing the inside of your thigh, voice dripping with arrogance. “I’m the guy who actually knows what you want... what you need... how to fuck you.”

Your breath hitched, your head falling back against the sheets.

You wanted to deny it, you should’ve, but when his mouth finally met your cunt, you couldn’t do anything but cry out his name.

“You still wanna tell me I don’t know you?” he rasped, voice low and rough as his hands slid up your thighs, spreading them wider, holding them open for him as his tongue licked a stripe up from your core, teasing your clit with the tip. "That's what I thought."

You couldn’t speak, not with his mouth on you like that, not with the way he devoured you like he had something to prove. Your hips jerked up, chasing the feeling, gasping when he flattened his tongue against your clit and groaned like he needed the taste of you to survive.

Your fingers tangled in his hair, pulling, grounding yourself as heat coiled low in your belly. He knew every inch of you too well, every twitch, every sound, every way your body begged for more, and he knew exactly what to do with you.

He didn’t stop until you were writhing, the orgasm tearing through you so fast and hard you cried out his name like it was the only thing you knew.

And then he was on you again, kissing you messy and desperate, the taste of you still on his lips, his cock thick and hard against your entrance. He didn’t tease, instead he pushed in all at once, a guttural moan ripping from his throat as he buried himself to the hilt.

You choked out a gasp, clinging to him as he began to move, slow at first, then rougher, frenzied, all restraint unravelling as the alcohol and adrenaline surged between you. You rolled your hips up to meet his, your eyes rolling back as the tip of his cock brushed just the right spot.

“You make me crazy,” you whispered, voice shaky. “...I hate how you mess with my head.”

Vinny’s hips stuttered for a beat, and when he looked down at you, his eyes were darker, sharper, like your words hit deeper than you intended.

“Yeah?” he rasped, thrusting harder, deeper, dragging a gasp from your lips. “I hate when you do it too.”

He kissed you, bruising and hungry, swallowing the rest of your thoughts. But they poured out anyway, your brain too foggy and your body too wrecked to filter the truth.

“I know we’re more than friends,” you panted, your voice cracking as he fucked you harder, angrier, like the words lit something in him. “I know you feel it. You can’t fuck someone like this and pretend it doesn’t mean anything-”

“I don’t,” he growled, cutting you off with another deep thrust. “Fuck, I don’t, baby… I feel it.”

Your eyes fluttered shut at the sound of it, the way his voice broke around the words like it cost him something to say them.

“I want you,” Vinny said, breathless, forehead pressed to yours again. “I want you all to myself.”

You whimpered, hips bucking up into his.

“Then have me.”

It came out ragged, almost a challenge, but Vinny didn’t need telling twice.

He let out a low, wrecked groan, burying himself deeper inside you with a sharp thrust that stole the breath from your lungs. His hands gripped your hips like he was anchoring himself, like if he let go, the moment would vanish.

“Fuck,” he muttered, head dropping to your shoulder. “You feel... shit so fucking good.”

You couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe. Your body was still shaking from your first orgasm, and now he was dragging you into a second, fucking you with everything he had, every thrust a wordless confession.

It wasn’t slow. It wasn’t gentle.

It was messy. It was rough and real.

He fucked you like he needed it, like he needed you, your skin, your breath, your mouth on his. Like if he couldn’t be inside you, he’d fall apart at the seams.

“You don’t get it,” he groaned into your ear. “I hate how much I want you.”

Your nails bit into his back, your legs wrapping tighter around him.

“Then stop pretending you don’t,” you gasped, your voice a wreck of need and desperation. “Just… fucking stop.”

And maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was that everything between you had been building for too long, but something in him cracked wide open.

“I think about you all the fucking time,” he breathed, hips losing rhythm. “You don’t leave my head.”

You whimpered, overwhelmed- by his words, by the way his cock kept hitting that spot that made you see stars, by the weight of everything you’d both buried for too long.

“I want you too, Vinny,” you whispered, the words slipping out before you could stop them. “So bad, it fucking terrifies me.”

Vinny’s thrusts turned frantic, wild, like the words set something off inside him.

He kissed you then, deep and unrelenting, and when he pulled back, his voice was raw.

“You’re mine tonight.”

And that was it. You came again, harder than before, your whole body shaking beneath him as he followed you over the edge seconds later, spilling into you with a broken curse, your name on his tongue like a prayer.

You stayed tangled like that, both of you breathless and trembling, your foreheads pressed together, your fingers still curled tight in his hair.

And in the silence that followed, your heart pounded with the echo of everything that had been said, everything he wouldn’t remember tomorrow.

But you would.

Every word. Every breath. Every crack in his voice.

And it would haunt you forever.

...

The morning light streamed through the cracks in the blinds, waking you.

Your head throbbed with the dull ache of too much alcohol, but it wasn’t the hangover that was making you feel nauseous, it was the weight of everything that was said last night, pressing down on you like a secret you couldn’t shake.

Vinny was still asleep beside you, half on his stomach, arm slung over your waist. His hair was a mess, his lip still slightly swollen from where you’d bitten it. He looked peaceful. Undisturbed.

And completely unaware.

Your eyes lingered on his face, wondering if he'd remembered what he said... "I want you all to myself", "you don't leave my head", "you're mine tonight."

You swallowed hard and slowly peeled yourself away from him, careful not to wake him as you sat up, pulling the sheets around your bare body. The soreness between your thighs was a cruel reminder of how real it had all been. How raw. How honest.

And he didn’t remember.

You knew it the second he stirred and blinked up at you, hair in his face, brow furrowed like he was still piecing the night together.

“Mornin’,” he rasped, voice thick with sleep. “What time is it?”

“Almost noon,” you said, your voice steady even as your chest caved in a little. “You were out cold.”

He groaned, stretching with a wince.

“Jesus… I haven’t been that drunk in a while.”

You forced a laugh, light and nonchalant, like your heart wasn’t twisting in your chest.

“Yeah, you passed out after we… you know.”

Vinny smirked, rubbing a hand down his face.

“Bet I was great though.”

He didn’t remember.

Not the way he’d begged to have you. Not the way his voice cracked when he said he hated how much he wanted you. Not the way he’d confessed that you were in his head all the time.

You stared down at the sheets, fingers knotting them up between your hands, and managed a small smile.

“You were.”

He yawned, sat up, and ran a hand through his hair.

“Cool. I’ll make coffee. Want anything?”

You shook your head.

“I’m good.”

Vinny kissed the side of your head as he got up, like it meant nothing. Like you meant nothing. And maybe last night hadn’t changed a thing for him.

But for you, it changed everything.

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

this ended up being so much longer than i intended lmao

@collapsedglasshouses @miss570 @dominuslunae @sunshine-lvrr @death-ofpeace-ofmind @blade-dressed-in-red @amelia-acero @kait16xo @oobleoob @pipidoll @justdamnpeachy @bluehairpunklol @renegadebirch @devilsfuckingdance @darkwhisperswolf

[moe-broey]

"I didn't really raise either of you in a gendered way" When I was like 10 or 11 maybe 12 but definitely not 13 yet, one day you asked me if I wanted to try on the wedding dress you married my dad in. I liked playing dress up and I liked hanging out with you, so I said yes. We're in the living room that you would (already have?) marry my stepdad in. You button up the back of the dress, I don't know why this becomes a core memory. You married my stepdad in a sundress, very casual, very small "event", only the barest of minimum people required to officiate and witness the wedding were there. You tell me, "Maybe one day, when you get married, you can wear this dress. Oh, but you don't have to if you don't want to! But, do you want it?" I still have the dress. I'm a man. And I don't think I'll ever marry. "You can get rid of it, you won't hurt my feelings." I can't.

[merlins-strawberriesandroses]

The thing no one ever considers while writing up character analyses about Merlin is that. he must have been sooooooo sleepy.

[sincerely-sofie]

Thinking about @gehtsis’s children and how terrifying it would be to get their team assigned to help you escape from a mystery dungeon.

If these are what my heroes look like I'm 99% certain I'd be screaming and running the other way. Menacing cryptid-looking grim reaper and cursed psychic clay doll. I love them.

[chimerafflesia]

re-maxed out yugo and yuri on duel links and finally maxed out ruri :D these three have my favorite decks to play so I'm happy I finally leveled them all :) I'm working on serena and rin next :3

[bell-swamp-fitzjames]

mcdonald goodsir talking scene but its like an hour bc i just would like to see them talk more

[rapidhighway]

dad just sent me an ominous text to intimidate me ig

[scarlettfevor]

Finally got ahold of the audiobook of Penance by Eliza Clark and I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand I love the premise and I feel like it's written well enough to where I feel like the author isn't going to clumsily stumble through her own story and fall on her face at the end like the majority of popular thrillers. But also this story suffers from having someone who hasn't been in school for a long time attempting to write teenagers. The funny thing is that whenever I see a horrible portrayal of teenagers, specifically of zoomers its never like, inaccurate portrayals of slang and trends that most teenagers cringe at, it's extremely unnatural dialogue that I don't understand how even a 30 or 40 year old can't see how awkward and cringe and flat out bad of a portrayal they're doing. You can claim that it's regional differences, even if we were all teenagers once I still don't know what it's like to be a popular mean British girl, but I'm fairly certain that actual popular mean British girls don't go around describing themselves as popular mean girls. The funny thing is that they've mentioned several times that these girls (ok it was actually like one girl but she introduced too many characters and I got confused so I can't even remember the name of the girl who said it) are trying to imitate the mean girls in popular American shows/movies. But I think that it's SO funny how instead of going for the obvious Regina George or maybe the more posh Blair Waldorf, they chose Sharpay Evans....I'm very familiar with the popular mean girl trope because I always love the girls who fall into this category and I can say with 100% certainty that none of these girls act like this either. I don't know what the author is going for but it's very painful to listen to.

[camellcat]

I KNOW there is a pipeline from teen wolf to doctor who (or the other way around) but I haven't figured it out. I just. I see you. I see stiles stilinski pop up far too often for there not to be one.

and I don't even like most of you bc it's the same fuckin sterek hating scott mccall lovers (me) vs scott mccall hating sterek lovers (you), but in a completely different fandom. it's absolutely tragic.

[iceeericeee]

I wonder how many tags i can add on to this

[kasumingo]

coming back to "Leo wouldn't have PTSD after the movie" because it keeps bothering me

I keep seeing these takes from people that simply dislike angst or anything more serious happening in the fanworks saying that the characters wouldn't feel strong negative emotions if something serious happened nor they would dwell on them because the show is lighthearted?

Which, first of all, is ridiculous and even the show had them break down and show snippets of those darker moments to the extent they could in a show with this kind of atmosphere

Second of all, fanworks are exactly for depicting things that weren't shown or could not be shown in the canon material - because it's interesting and enriching to do so

And thirdly, it feels so, idk, invalidating when people constantly go "oh he wouldn't react like that" "oh in reality he would power through this" "oh we don't need to put them through this"

How about we don't

[dazais-guardian-angel]

delighted that i'm so much more fond of chuuya at this point than i was just a couple years ago. it took the stormbringer play, the cannibalism play, and the fifteen manga (still haven't gotten to those two novels in their entirety, I Will Soon I Promise), it took 6ish+ years, but i can confidently say I Get It Now. Now i just need asagiri to break him (affectionate) in the manga and actually give him a character arc already <333

[as-rare-as-trees]

Repost of a Wang Yibo in watercolor I did in 2020 taking ispiration from my favourite photoshoot of his

[arielmagicesi]

said it before and I’ll say it again, nothing will shred your self-esteem up like a tissue in the jaws of a wolf like trying to get teacher certification. especially if you have shitty executive functioning abilities sometimes and you’re going through Some Time-Consuming Shit in your life

[snapbackslide]

bit in my feelings this week