#i have to cancel my plans i really hoped id be on the other side of it by tomorrow night

[nandermoenthusiast]

Its finally my birthday and im still covid positive 🎉🎉🎉

[bloody-bee-tea]

Mingcheng Week 2022 Day 5 - Reluctance

Jiang Cheng lets out a deep sigh when the door closes behind him. Today has been an absolute shitshow and he’s more than glad to finally be home.

His relief only lasts for about five minutes though because before he even gets to change out of his work clothes, his phone rings.

The caller ID tells him that it’s Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng pinches the bridge of his nose.

He knows how this is going to go and while he doesn’t want to have a fight right after what happened at work, he also knows that Wei Wuxian is going to call him again and again until he finally picks up.

And Jiang Cheng decides it’s best to get this over with as quickly as possible, so he can enjoy the rest of his evening in peace.

“What?” he snaps out as he picks up.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Wei Wuxian starts with and suddenly Jiang Cheng feels tired.

So very tired.

He doesn’t say anything but of course Wei Wuxian has enough to say for both of them.

“Uncle Fengmian called and said you lost it at work today? How can you just yell at everyone and then leave? He said you dragged my project through the mud and it won’t be ready to launch, Jiang Cheng, what the fuck.”

“That’s not how it happened,” Jiang Cheng says, but he knows how this is going to go.

It doesn’t really matter what he says, as long as Jiang Fengmian said something different Wei Wuxian is not going to listen to him.

Still, like always, Jiang Cheng feels like he has to try. Somehow there’s still this grain of hope in him that one day Wei Wuxian will listen to him instead of Jiang Fengmian.

“You fucked up your calculations and I was just telling him about that. Instead of listening to me and finding a solution—which I also presented, because apparently I am the one to clean up all your messes—he yelled at me in front of the entire department and then told me to leave early. Early,” Jiang Cheng scoffs. “I was already well into over-time at that point, not that it matters.”

He knows he’s focusing on the entirely wrong thing here, but it annoys him to no end that his father seems to think that he works the same hours as Wei Wuxian. Which means he comes in late and leaves early which is not at all true.

More often than not Jiang Cheng comes in early and leaves late, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Sometimes he wonders if his father would even notice if he didn’t show up at all.

“That’s not what I heard,” Wei Wuxian says and Jiang Cheng can just imagine the pout on his face.

“Yeah, well, it’s what happened,” Jiang Cheng snaps out because he is so goddamn tired of this. “Now, if you could get your goddamn mess fixed then the project can launch like we planned.”

“No need to take such an attitude,” Wei Wuxian says and he sounds so much like Jiang Fengmian that Jiang Cheng has to fight the urge to throw his phone against the wall.

“You’d have an attitude, too, if you got yelled at in front of all your co-workers,” Jiang Cheng tells him.

“Maybe it was deserved,” Wei Wuxian mutters and something in Jiang Cheng simply shuts down.

“Good-bye, Wei Wuxian,” he mechanically says and hangs up before Wei Wuxian can say something else.

He already got yelled at by one family member today. He doesn’t have it in him to pick a fight with another.

Jiang Cheng is just setting his phone to silent when Nie Mingjue calls him.

Just the sight of his name warms Jiang Cheng and he picks the call up without hesitation.

“Mingjue, hey,” he greets him but he knows he’s not going to like what the other man has to say when he takes just a beat too long to respond.

“Wanyin, hello.” Nie Mingjue sounds tired and Jiang Cheng knows where this is going to lead.

He’s going to cancel on their movie night, and it’s not like Jiang Cheng is going to argue with him. Especially not today.

“Listen, work dragged on for longer than I wanted to, I’m still in the office, actually. Can we skip this week?”

“Sure,” Jiang Cheng says, very careful to keep his voice light. “Not a problem at all.”

There’s another brief pause on Nie Mingjue’s side.

“Is everything okay?”

“Of course it is,” Jiang Cheng straight up lies to him. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Just checking,” Nie Mingjue gives back. “You’re not mad, are you??”

“I’m not mad,” Jiang Cheng says. Just disappointed and hurt and tired and now missing the only good thing that happens to me once a week, he doesn’t say. “Honestly, I’m fine.”

“Alright, if you’re sure.” Nie Mingjue doesn’t sound completely convinced but of course he doesn’t push.

Sometimes, Jiang Cheng finds himself wanting him to, though. Not that he’s ever going to tell Nie Mingjue that.

“Next week then?”

“Next week,” Nie Mingjue agrees and Jiang Cheng nods, pretending that his eyes don’t burn.

“See you then, Mingjue.” He hangs up before Nie Mingjue can respond but Jiang Cheng is sure that if he has to say one more word his voice is going to break and that’s not something he wants.

But with the call done, that leaves him with nothing to do.

Nie Mingjue coming over for their weekly movie night was the only thing that made this day somewhat bearable and Jiang Cheng feels adrift now.

He goes through the motions of changing out of his clothes, but he can’t even bring himself to shower, so he simply puts on his sleeping clothes before curling up on the couch. He knows he could still watch a movie—no one is going to stop him after all—but it doesn’t feel right without Nie Mingjue.

Jiang Cheng spaces out, staring into nothing for a good while before a knock on his door startles him out of his thoughts.

Jiang Cheng freezes in fear, half-expecting it to be Wei Wuxian who came over to finish their fight in person but when no one starts to make a ruckus on the other side of the door, Jiang Cheng drags himself off the couch.

Wei Wuxian would have started to yell and shout for him like two minutes ago, so it must be someone else.

“Hello?” Jiang Cheng tentatively asks through the door and he was not prepared for the answer he gets.

“Wanyin, it’s me,” Nie Mingjue says, making Jiang Cheng gape in surprise.

“You said you don’t have time today,” he says as he opens the door only to come face to face with Nie Mingjue, who is still in his work suit.

He must have come over straight from his office.

“What are you doing here?” Jiang Cheng bites out but Nie Mingjue doesn’t rise to his temper.

“Can I come in?” he asks instead and Jiang Cheng has half a mind to tell him no, but of course he would never do that, so he simply steps aside and opens the door wider.

“Thank you,” Nie Mingjue says and toes off his shoes before he ventures deeper into the apartment, clearly feeling right at home.

Jiang Cheng valiantly tries not to let that get to him.

“Why are you here? You said you don’t have time today,” Jiang Cheng says and he knows how he sounds—rude and accusing, when all he really wants to do is cry and spend an evening with Nie Mingjue on the couch.

“Yes, and you said you are fine, but your voice didn’t match the words you said. So I thought I’d stop by to see what’s going on.”

“Nothing is going on,” Jiang Cheng says, bristling at the fact that Nie Mingjue picked up on that.

He always tries so very hard not to let Nie Mingjue see how fucked up he is and to hear that it’s not even working that well makes Jiang Cheng almost hate himself.

Nie Mingjue has enough on his plate. He doesn’t need to deal with the unfiltered mess that Jiang Cheng is as well.

“Something is,” Nie Mingjue shoots back. “And I’m here,” he says as he sits down on the couch and Jiang Cheng feels so goddamn helpless against him that he turns around and walks off to the kitchen.

His eyes are burning again and he’s torn between hitting something and curling up into a ball and cry but before Jiang Cheng can make a decision he hears Nie Mingjue coming after him.

Jiang Cheng is about to turn around, another blatant lie on his lips, when Nie Mingjue hugs him from behind, making Jiang Cheng freeze in surprise.

“My heart, why are you always hiding from me? Why are you so reluctant to let me love you just the way you are?”

Nie Mingjue sounds pained as he says it and Jiang Cheng never wanted this. He never wanted to let Nie Mingjue know about his feelings, to make him deal with all of this when he deserves so much better.

“Because there’s nothing to love,” Jiang Cheng snaps out and breaks out of Nie Mingjue’s arms, putting some distance between them and trying to get his composure back. “There’s nothing for you to love.”

It’s what he has been telling himself for months now; he is so fucked up, and his family is as well, why would anyone—and least of all Nie Mingjue—ever want him.

There is nothing loveable about Jiang Cheng.

“We seem to have very different opinions about that, then,” Nie Mingjue mildly says and he doesn’t move away, doesn’t allow Jiang Cheng to get the space he so desperately needs right now. “Because I love you just fine.”

“No,” Jiang Cheng whispers, “you can’t. I’ll—I have ruined everyone’s life. I refuse to ruin yours.”

“That’s not true,” Nie Mingjue vehemently says. “You have ruined nothing!”

“Ha, right,” Jiang Cheng scoffs. “My parent’s marriage is in shambles, both my parents hate me for different reasons, Wei Wuxian can barely stand me, a-jie likes Wei Wuxian way better but feels obligated to give attention to me too and you—at least you can still walk away.”

Nie Mingjue narrows his eyes at him.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Only the gods know why you’re spending time with me in the first place but you’re not bound to me, by nothing. You can simply walk away if I get too much. And you should, really,” Jiang Cheng tells him, because Nie Mingjue really should.

Jiang Cheng can still not understand how Nie Mingjue hasn’t run yet, but he’s not going to make him feel obligated to stay by dumping his stupid, useless feelings on him.

“Is that why you have never said anything? Is that where your reluctance comes from?” Nie Mingjue walks up to him, crowding him against the kitchen counter. “Because let me tell you, it’s already too late. I love you. I am already not going to walk away, so I don’t understand why you are denying both of us this.”

“Because you deserve better!” Jiang Cheng yells at him and tries to push past him but Nie Mingjue doesn’t let him.

“No. I decide if I deserve better or not, and I have decided that I deserve you. So why won’t you let me love you?”

Jiang Cheng opens his mouth to argue with him again but he finds that he’s tired. He is so, so tired and he doesn’t have any more arguments in face of Nie Mingjue’s steady reassurance and Jiang Cheng thinks that maybe once he can have what he really wants.

So instead of arguing further, he slumps forward, resting his head against Nie Mingjue’s collarbone.

“I don’t want to burden you,” Jiang Cheng whispers because that is one of his biggest fears, that he’s going to unload all of his bullshit on Nie Mingjue only for him to feel pressured by it.

To feel tied down when Jiang Cheng only wants to have him happy and free.

“You’re not burdening me,” Nie Mingjue softly replies and hugs Jiang Cheng close. “You’re relying on me and that is perfectly fine. It’s something I want you to do.”

Jiang Cheng lets out a shuddering breath at Nie Mingjue’s words and slings his arms around Nie Mingjue’s middle.

“I want to as well,” he admits. “I’m just scared.”

Scared that eventually Nie Mingjue will be like Wei Wuxian or even his own father, filled with more resentment towards him than anything else. Jiang Cheng isn’t sure he could stand that.

“I know,” Nie Mingjue mutters as he presses a kiss to Jiang Cheng’s head. “But I’m here. And I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Jiang Cheng finally allows himself to say and Nie Mingjue squeezes him a bit tighter.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Nie Mingjue asks but he doesn’t allow Jiang Cheng to give an answer and maybe that’s for the best because for Jiang Cheng that was one of the hardest things he ever did. “Now tell me what’s going on,” Nie Mingjue then says and carefully drags Jiang Cheng over to the couch but Jiang Cheng mulishly drags his feet.

“No. You’re still wearing work clothes. That’s not comfortable,” he says and pushes Nie Mingjue towards his bedroom. “You need comfy clothes.”

“Or otherwise cuddling is not comfortable, right?” Nie Mingjue asks with a wink and kisses Jiang Cheng’s cheekbone before he can say something. “Alright, I’ll go change. I still remember where the things are, you can wait on the couch.”

“Rude,” Jiang Cheng mutters under his breath but he does obediently walk off and now he finally allows the warm feeling that Nie Mingjue feeling almost at home here inspires in him to fill him whole.

Jiang Cheng is curled up under the blanket when Nie Mingjue comes back and Jiang Cheng’s heart thumbs heavily in his chest when he sees Nie Mingjue looking that cosy.

Nie Mingjue wordlessly sits down on the couch as well and before Jiang Cheng can feel self-conscious about what to do now, Nie Mingjue leans back against the arm-rest and pulls Jiang Cheng on top of him, securing the blanket around them.

“And now tell me about your day,” Nie Mingjue mumbles as he cards his fingers through Jiang Cheng’s hair.

“I think I want you to tell me about your day,” Jiang Cheng replies and Nie Mingjue chuckles under him.

“Fine. And because this is a mutual thing, you’re going to tell me about yours after,” he decides and before Jiang Cheng can say something to that, he starts to talk.

Jiang Cheng finds that he loves this very much and even when it’s his turn to talk about his day, he doesn’t feel too bad about it anymore. It’s very hard to feel bad about anything when he’s laying on top of Nie Mingjue like that.

And he especially can’t feel bad now that he knows his feelings are reciprocated.

Link to my ko-fi

[dasomlimie]

Heyyy! I hope ur doing okay if ur requests r open can l request reader asking if she can see whats under sanzu’s mask like that one scene in naruto where he tried so hard to see kakashi’s mask something similar and funny like that take ur time l love ur work <333

%% BEHIND THAT MASK! #!/

characters : aged up!—Sanzu Haruchiyo

a/n : i cant believe im rewrtiting this sorry if this is half assed tumblr didn't save my draft earlier, enjoy ig

Sanzu Haruchiyo..... your masked bf sometimes you were wondering what behind that mask but ofc you wanted to respect his boundaries and dont want to make him uncomfortable, but curiousity start to eat you alive so you have a little plan in your mind

sometimes there's a lot of idea in your mind on why Sanzu didn't remove his mask, maybe he have big lips that unmatched with his face future? or maybe he have crooked teeth? or even worse he doesn't have mouth! but you scratched the last idea since how did he speak if he doesn't have mouth? his nose? yeah that idea once stuck in your head but you decided to remove it because it doesn't make sense at all

you called Sanzu to meet you up infront of a restaurant which he agreed since maybe you were hungry and he is too, you greet Sanzu before taking his hand and walk into the restaurant with him

"today is my treat" you said smiling he raise an eyebrow you were cheerful more than usual "did something good happen?" he ask you shook his head "nope i just wanted to spend time with my lovely boyfriend" you said he nodded start looking at the menu

"are you ready to order?" he ask after a few minutes you nodded letting him call the waiter, you both said your order as the writer write down your order, you noticed Sanzu's order was a heavy meal he probably going to remove his mask

you smile to yourself before mentally patting yourself for coming up with this idea as soon as your food arrived you stare at Sanzu causing him to raise an eyebrow "whats up my love?" he ask you shook your head "nothing eat up" he nod "you too" you nod

you stare as he was about to remove his mask until your phone start ringing you look at the caller ID noticing it was your boss you look at Sanzu "eat first i have to answer this call" you said he nod as he watch your figure walking out from the restaurant

you listen to your boss rant about how her husband keep cancelling their date and how she think he was cheating on her while you were wondering why the hell your boss telling you all of this as she finally hang up you walk into the restaurant only to be greeted by Sanzu scrolling through his phone you blink

"oh baby! what took you too long? oh and im sorry i finished my food first i haven't eat since yesterday" he said giving you closed eyes smile you nod sitting "did you forgot to eat again?" you ask he nod "im very busy yesterday and just go to sleep as soon as i got home" he said you nod

attempt 1 : failed

"want some?" you ask offering your food he shook his head "im full already" he said you nodded visibly deflated "whats up pretty girl? you were all cheerful a while ago" he said chuckling you shook your head from side to side finding a reason and decided to use your boss phone call as your reason "she did it again" you said he pat your head

"did she start ranting to you again? what was is about?" he ask you sigh "about her husband this and that you know the usual why don't they just divorce?" you said leaning to your chair

"maybe you should find a new job if you were that sick of your boss personal life rant" he said you nodded "yeah i should" you said

the second attempt might make him mad but what is life without a little thrill and spice right? right.

you took a deep breath before apologizing gripping the tray in your hand you walk inside the room smiling at Sanzu you walk toward him then purposely trip yourself

you watch everything happen in slow motion how the juice flew and wetting his mask you cheer silently before your face kiss the floor you groan but being muffled by your carpet Sanzu gasp ignoring his wet clothes and mask

"y/n?! are you okay? oh my why are you suddenly become clumsy?" he ask as he help you to get up you have to swallow your image its not even 6 month into your relationship here you are doing stupid things just to what behind his mask

he hiss when he saw your red forehead with a little bloody lips "we should get that lips treated" he suggest you nodded "let me put this away your hoodie was in my closet along with extra mask" you said silently before walking out from the room leaving a little space for you to peak in

you feel your cheeks heat up as you watch his half naked body you silently cheer as he was about to remove his mask when your doorbell rang causing you to curse silent

you keep debating either to look and discover what behind your boyfriend mask or to answer the door you were deep in thought when Sanzu clear his throat his cheeks tinted with rosy pink just like his hair

"i didn't know you're that type of person" he said clearing his throat again you look up before cursing yourself "oh no you got the wrong idea let me go and answer the door ok?" you said walking a little bit too faster "be careful!" Sanzu called as he look you who almost tripped twice

attempt 2 : failed

you look at Sanzu as you keep following—more like stalking—him you tried to make sure you didn't lost him maybe he would remove his mask at the most random time especially when he's alone? yeah thats what you think ,you were now dressed in all black outfit paired with black cap and black mask

yup much like a stalker

you watch him keep turning and leading you to a dark hallways wondering what he was doing here, little did you know he noticed you following him but didn't have any idea it was his girlfriend

"fuck" you curse silently as you lost him you were about to take another turn when someone pull you to opposite turn you yelped both in suprise and pain when your back make a harsh contact to the cold and dirty wall you hiss from how strong someone's grip on your hands is

"who are you and why are you following me?" he ask you stay silent too scared to answer him, Sanzu chuckle "why are you all silent? acting all scared are we?" he said you shiver under his sharp gaze

"i ask you questions" he said you shut your eyes he sigh annoyed and start to loose his patients then decided to remove both your mask and cap you felt his grip on your hands loosening

"y/n?" he said in softer voice than earlier you still shut your eyes tightly slightly trembling "darling look at me" he said as one of hand slither to your waist while the other cup your cheeks thumb caressing your cheeks "open your eyes my love im not going to hurt you" he said you open your eyes slowly meeting his soften gaze

"why are you following me like that? i thought you were one of those people who tried to get me again" he said chuckling you didn't answer instead hugging him burying your face into his chest

"did i scare you that much?" he ask you shook your head as a no, you were actually embarassed of yourself for doing dumb thing to get him to remove his mask

"then why?" he ask hugging you close to him "im sorry" you said he raise an eyebrow "why?" "im sorry for doing dumb thing lately and following you like earlier" you said he chuckled you look up to him

"i get it now" he said removing you from him gently then cup your cheeks with both of his hands "you know you can just ask right?" you pout "i just dont want to make you feel uncomfortable" he shook his head

"you will never im actually waiting for you to ask me by yourself" he said you nodded "then can i uh you know" he nod letting you remove his mask

heart beating loudly Sanzu was prepared from any insult from you yet nothing came our from your mouth, does he freak you out? he was about to apologize when you whispered out a very unexpected word he expects you to say

"beautiful" you said he froze not believing what he just heard "what?" he ask for confirmation "i said beautiful" you repeat before caressing his scars with both of your thumb he sigh in relief

"really? i thought you were going to freaked out" he said you shook your head with confused face while your attention was still on his face "why would i?" you ask

"people always told me its disgusting i thought you would too but apparently not im relieved" you heart broke a little from his words "who the hell said your scars is disgusting?! let me beat them up" you said with determination he shook his head "its okay you were an absolute angel i cant imagine you beating people up" he said pressing a kiss on your forehead

"you look hotter without mask" you whisper he smile "is that so?" he ask you nodded then cover his face with his mask "and only me can see you my beautiful and handsome and hot boyfriend without his mask no one can see your full face they would fall for you" you said he chuckled before ruffling your hair

"whatever you say angel" he said you smile as he lead you out from the hallway just so your know he would use your silly attempt to tease you in the future

attempt 3 : successfully failed

!%! © HNEULWH— i did not allow my work to be used or adapted in any form without my permission !#//

[thefanficmonster]

Corpse Infested

Corpse Husband & Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Mentions of dysfunctional family, Family problems, Swearing

Genre: Humor, Comfort, Platonic fluff, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: When your friend disappears for a long time, seemingly having lost interest in what fueled the most passionate fire in their life, you cannot not worry about them. Even if you wanna give them space, you will reach out, you will offer your help. You will tell them they always have you to rely on and talk to.

Requested by Anon. Hi dear! I’m really sorry it’s taken me so long to complete and post your request, but here it finally is! Hope you come across it and if you do I hope you enjoy the read! Love, Vy ❤

For me, it’s never hard to find things to do. I’ve constantly got things on my mind and tasks to tend to, keeping me occupied and my mind focused at all times. I think that comes with living in a home as dysfunctional as this one. I honestly can’t recall a time when my parents got along nor can I think of a time where there was at least one second of peace while the two are both present in the house. It’s always a warzone up there. I’m saying up there because I tend to live out of the basement of their home. I know living in your parents’ basement is considered a peak loser point, or the bottom of the bottom, but you’d have to believe me when I say - I wasn’t always like this. In fact, I only recently came back to this hell-hole and boy do I regret it. I mean, it was a decision forced upon me by circumstances. Trust me, I tried every other option there was. When my dorm was to be closed down and demolished, we were given a notice to start planning our next move about a month early. You can bet I immediately started looking at places but my very tragic and miserable budget didn’t allow such a purchase. No rent was adequate for me and my near-empty wallet so my second option was moving in with my best friend who was also not in the greatest of situations but I thought I’d give that a shot too.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t work out. She lived in a tiny apartment with her boyfriend and his best friend at the time, so four people in one apartment was a nightmare. Still a lesser nightmare than this one but a nightmare nonetheless. Some unwanted and downright traumatizing events chased me out of that place after barely managing to pack my stuff. Therefore, finding myself on the streets again, I had no other option other than the obvious and least liked one: moving back in with my parents.

Making money during my first year of college hasn’t been easy. Working two jobs at once and also streaming video games on the side was what my time was filled with all throughout the first semester but then this damn pandemic started and now ruined everything for me. I had things going for me, I was slowly getting my life together and now it has all fallen apart yet again. The places I worked at closed down due to quarantine and I haven’t been able to steam, not only cause I’d be the victim of my parents’ comments but also cause my terrible home life would be exposed to all my fans and viewers. It’s not like I could cancel out the commotion going on right above my head, it’s a livestream and this house’s walls are cardboard thin meaning all the arguing I hear almost 24/7 will serve as background noise for my streams.

I haven’t reached out to my friends or fans to inform them of this which I feel slightly guilty about but I’m really not looking forward to having to lie to them, just as much as I’m not looking forward to having to tell them the truth so instead I’ve picked silence which is probably either worrying them or driving them insane. Either way, I’ll make my comeback soon.

Well....not very soon by the looks of it...

I have to gather the money, then I have to find a place, then comes the packing, moving out of here, moving into the new place...oh God, there’s so much to it that I don’t even wanna think about. Just that thought that I’ll be inactive for that long makes my stomach turn. Streaming’s where I’ve been channeling all my negative emotions, turning them into something positive and entertaining with the help of my friends.

Speaking of my friends, I should probably put emphasis on how amazing they are. Basically the older siblings I’ve always wished I had. I’m the baby of the group, the eighteen year old freshman in college, powering through life the best they can cause they are constantly getting tripped up by inconvenient occurrences such as this one for example. I tend to have the gang poke fun at me quite frequently - all lighthearted and with good intentions obviously - but they are also the ones to get super defensive if anyone gets the balls to talk shit about me. They’d never allow me to be the victim of any smack talk or online rumors and ‘cancel culture’ or whatever the hell people will come up with to leave others restless and wondering if they did something shady a decade ago. Well, to be fair, I didn’t even know about the concept of social media a decade ago and I’ve never been one to post much but I still have a protection squad in case anyone decides to come after me.

Little do they know the people I need protecting from are the very people that are supposed to protect me - my parents. Luckily, they don’t venture into to basement very often if at all and I have my own exit to the outside world so I don’t have to run into them unless I absolutely have to. The only time I emerge to the surface of the house - aka the ground floor - I do so to leave my share of rent money on the dining table and I usually do it when they aren’t home or when they’re asleep - that happens often with how many bottles they each knock back on the daily.

*sigh*...at least I don’t have to talk to them, right?

Anyhow, remember how I mentioned I always have things to do? Well, right now I’ve tasked myself with rifling through the large boxes containing random stuff I found in one of the basements down here to see if there’s anything I could possibly sell online. For starters, I’d like to hope there aren’t any severed body parts in here because this was one shady-ass basement before I moved in and un-creeped it a bit so I wouldn’t have to become an insomniac due to the paranoia of there being a homeless person down here with me or some paranormal entity. Regardless, old basements tend to be, apart from haunted, also filled with junk no one would find valuable despite it actually being worth something after all. That’s basically what I’m hoping to find at the moment.

As I dig through the contents of the first box, the YouTube playlist I have put on on my phone cuts off causing me to furrow my brows in confusion for a second before my ringtone pierces the silence the lack of music created.

I quickly mute the ringing and take a look at the Caller ID to see a name I never thought would pop up on my screen as an incoming call - Corpse. I, as well as many of our friends, know that he’s not the biggest fan of talking to people on the phone so this is rather surprising. Still, I pick up the call in case it’s not a mistake and an odd chance that it’s somethin urgent cause Lord knows Corpse doesn’t call people willy-nilly. 

Thank God it’s quiet up there at the moment.

“Hello?“ I try my best to cover up the confusion in my voice but I can only assume I didn’t do the best job considering Corpse replies with a slightly awkward chuckle.

“Surprised you, didn’t I?“ He asks, getting my cheeks to redden a bit, “You can’t blame a guy for calling after up and disappearing on him and on the whole internet. Where’ve you been?“

I open my mouth to respond when I hear the sound of glass breaking a shouted curse from upstairs.

Oh for fuck’s sake!

“Um...you know, places?“ I’m aware the answer isn’t only nonsensical but also sounds more like a question, but I can hardly focus on that right now. I’m too buys praying to an entity I don’t fully believe in for the situation above to not escalate.

“Uh, is everything ok over there? Where even are you right now?“ The teasing tone to his voice is all but gone at this point, replaced with deep concern, having obviously heard the commotion that did the exact opposite of what I prayed for - escalated.

“Y-yeah, it’s ok. It’s just another Thursday, you know.“ I attempt a small laugh but it’s blatantly miserable, “I moved back in with my parents when they announced the quarantine so that’s where I’m at now. They’re not the quietest of folks as you can tell so...“

“I FUCKING HATE YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I HOPE YOU DIE“

Oh crap, here we go.

“...So I can’t really stream a lot...or at all.“ I mutter, cringing with all my might, “But it’s only temporary! I’ll get back in the saddle as soon as I find another place to stay.“ I don’t dare mention how long that’s gonna take me, it’ll be too disappointing and depressing for the both of us. “So yeah...um...thanks for showing concern but there’s really nothing to worry about. I’m ok, everything’s ok, things are just...a bit off the rails, but I’ll fix em no problem. Like I always do!“ I attempt to sound as cheerful as possible with little success due to the overwhelming anger I feel towards those people upstairs and the gut-wrenching nostalgia for the world of streaming I can no longer be a part of because of them. Actually, I put the blame first on the pandemic and second on my parents - if it wasn’t for Covid I’d probably still be in my dorm!

“Hey...um, I think I know an affordable place where you can take up residence. Only if you want to, of course.“ He sounds hesitant but I easily overlook that as excitement bursts throughout my entire being at the sound if an escape being offered to me just like that. Had I known I’d find the solution to my problem in the very people I spent time avoiding because I was afraid of their pity, sympathy and judgement.

“Oh please, it could be a rat and roach infested shoe box and I’d go running to it. How much is rent?“ I ask through a gasp of hurried laughter that’s a result of my inability to contain said excitement. Listen, I’ve been sitting here in Hellsburg for three months now and haven’t gotten a proper shuteye during that whole period, whatever Corpse is offering has to be better than this misery.

“Rent can be discussed once you move in...“ He trails off, “And it’s not rat nor roach infested but there’s a slight issue...“

“Which is?“ I’m honestly expecting the worst: in a bad neighborhood; faulty wiring with a high chance of being electrocuted; faulty piping with a high chance of flooding; people have died there; things get randomly moved around in the middle of the night etc. However, I don’t voice any of them to avoid getting laughed at for my wild imagination.

“Well, uh, it’s corpse infested.“ He says a little awkwardly, causing me to let out an inaudible sigh.

So my ‘people have died there’ guess was on point, huh?

“People have died there, huh? Well, I can turn a blind eye to that as long as I don’t find their bodies in the closet or meet their spirits at 3AM.“ I attempt to joke, now second-guessing my eagerness to accept the offer.

Corpse bursts out laughing his ass off at my statement, getting me to furrow my eyebrows in confusion and wonder what I said was so funny - it was a poor attempt at a joke, it in no way deserves that sort of reaction, barely a chuckle in my opinion.

“You’re golden, Y/N, I swear.“ He says once he forces the laughter to subside, “I meant corpse infested as in Corpse Husband infested.“ He breaks out in another fit as my brain slowly starts connecting the dots.

Oooohh he’s asking me to go live with him

“Wait. Wait, wait, wait, hold up for a sec. Are you aware of what you’re offering me? I mean, we’ve never met IRL, you barely know me and....and for all you know I could be the serial killer in this situation!“ I have no idea why I’m pushing my luck, don’t ask. I just don’t want him to make a decision he’ll later regret, I guess. “Like, I could kill you in your sleep!“

“Would you?“ He asks confidently, silently stating he already knows the answer.

I roll my eyes, “Of course not! But...” He cuts me off.

“Great, the offer stands on my end. I’m not a noisy nor nosey roommate so I suggest you start packing. If you choose to live in that hell-hole over living with me, I’m sorry but I’ll be hella offended, just so you know.“

Corpse sounds like he’s about to hang up on me, a decision already made, so I hurry to stop him. “Wait! What about rent?”

“Fuck the rent, pack your bags.“ And just like that, despite my efforts, he hangs up on me.

Well...this is a chance of a lifetime that I know refusing would lead me to not only remain stuck here but also put me in the hugest loser bin. There’s also the fear of being Corpse’s burden which I’ll try my best not to be - I mean, I’m a super independent person and Lord knows that if this offer came any other time or from any other person, I would’ve declined asap, no discussion.

But streaming

But sleeping properly

But having a normal life again

Yeah those are most certainly the reasons I get up and go into the closet in search on my emptied suitcase. Time to fill it up again, I guess. This time with a smile on my face and excitement fueling each and every movement of mine.

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[cringesideblog]

here’s my dnf playlist and a complete song by song track-list and why I put them on it.

heatwaves- on here for very obvious reasons. i don’t think I need to explain. but here are some lyrics anyway. “Sometimes all I think about is you, late nights in the middle of June.”

Jenny- again this is kinda obvious. “I wanna ruin our friendship, we should be lovers instead, I don’t know how to say this, cuz you’re really my dearest friend.”

TALK ME DOWN- this one just has the best friends pining for eachother vibe. “I wanna sleep next to you, and that’s all I wanna do right now.”

Dark paradise- kinda has dream smp vibes. but also you could argue heatwaves vibes. “Everytime I close my eyes, it’s like a dark paradise.” “There’s no relief, I see you in my sleep.” “There’s no release, I feel you in my dreams.”

Sweater weather- yeah you know why. you absolutely know why. “All I am is a man, I want the world in my hands. I hate the beach but I stand, in California with my toes in the sand.”

Drop the Guillotine- idk man just vibey. give it a listen you’ll get it. it’ll click. “You sure know how to drop that guillotine on me, though you would never wanna see me bleed.”

Can I call you tonight?- thats on their only for of communication being through the phone huh. (major heatwaves vibe) “powers out and I can’t turn the fan on, so can I call you tonight? trying make up my mind, just how I feel.”-“I hear your voice on the phone, now I’m no longer alone.”

Lemon boy- oh my god this song. geogre do be seeing dream as his lemon boy. “I helped him plant his seeds and we’d mow the lawn in bad weather.”

Yellow- DREAM IS LITERALLY GEORGES YELLOW SHUT UP RIGHT NOW. “Look at the stars, look how they shine for you.” “For you I’d bleed myself dry.”

Like you do- first of all I love this song, second, this has dream being a little too attached vibes. The whole song is just them. “Lost in the blue, they don’t love me like you do, those chills that I knew they were nothing without you, and everyone else they don’t matter now. You’re the one I can’t lose, no one loves me like you do.” “Since I met you, all the gloomy days just seem to shine a little more brightly.”

I saw you in a dream- mega heatwaves vibe. “When I’m awake I can’t switch off,” “I saw you in a dream, you came to me. You were the sweetest apparition, such a pretty vision.”

Maybe you’re the reason- did someone say pining best friend who doesn’t know that they’re in love ? this song. this song right here. “I keep looking for something, even though I know that it’s not there. Maybe you’re the reason. And anytime I try to figure it out, you’re the only thing I can think about.”

The king- DREAM SMP VIBE. “You like me, well obviously, so why you tryna leave when you know that I’m the king?” “Other lovers give you no luck, cuz I’m the only one who’s made you fall in love.” “Playing with your heart cuz you gave me the throne.”

Sweet- an adorable song truly that actually fits them so well. “Watching the, video that you sent me- you know that I’m obsessed with your body, but it’s the way you smile that does it for me.” “It’s so sweet, knowing that you love me.”

Apocalypse- um okay here me out, apocalypse au?? yeah i know it’s cute as shit you’re welcome. “Your lips my lips, apocalypse.” “When you’re all alone, I will reach for you, when you’re feeling low, I will be there too.”

Fear of the Water- don’t come for me this ones kinda sad, beautiful song though. “If this was meant for me why does it hurt so much, and if you’re not made for me why did we fall in love?”

Dreaming of you- two words, heat. waves. but also yeah good song for them in general. “Want you all the time, and now I’m dreaming, dreaming, dreaming, dreaming of you.”

Wires- uhhhhh dream smp vibe, dream villain arc n all . “If he said help me kill the president, id say he needs medicine.” “He said that I should take it in, listen to every word he’s speaking.”

Midnight love- it’s girl in love so, you already know how it issss. “I know I don’t want to, be the one that you run to, when you’ve got nowhere else to go, when you need some love.” “I always give in to give you it all.” “I can’t be your midnight love, when your silver is my gold.”

The beach- SUCH A HEATWAVES SONG JUST LISTEN. “I feel it burning me, I feel it burning you.” “I think I can see the beach, I know what’s underneath. I need you here with me,”

Cherry flavored- the neighborhood just.. they have a dnf vibe. “Cherry flavored conversations with you got me hanging on. Down to earth from all the waiting. Take me somewhere beyond.”

Pretty boy- geogre is a pretty boy. point blank period. “Even if my heart stops beating, you’re the only thing I need with me.” “Pretty boy, you did this with me boy.” “As long as I got you, I’m gonna be alright.”

Bad idea- girl in reddd... but like imagine them casually hooking up and not knowing their in love tho. also I feel like they would definitely think that their relationship is a “bad idea” bc they’re stupid. “It was a bad idea, to think I could stop, was such a bad idea, I can’t get enough.” “Darling your so pretty it hurts.”

Line without a hook- ICONIC!! dream definitely does not think that he deserves george. “You can hold my hand if no ones home.” “All my emotions feel like explosions when you are around” “Oh baby I am a wreck without you.” “She’s a, she’s a lady, and I am just a boy. She’s a, she’s a lady, and I am just a line without a hook.”

Say you hate me- mega dream smp vibes as of recently. with the whole removing geogre as king. “I guess that your friends where right, from the start when they thought that I was a bad guy.” “Can you just say that you hate me? Or that you will never love me?” “Never meant to make you leave, never meant to make you cry.”

Cherry bomb- reminds me of how dream cheated on fundy with geogre. “I’m too close to crushing, and I’m too close for comfort I’m rushing.” “I ask how shes so mellow, she tells me her shades are in yellow.”

This side of paradise- I mean, like, kinda heatwaves vibes, but also just them. “Ask me why my hearts inside my throat. I’ve never been in love I’ve been alone.” “If you’re lonley come be lonley with me.”

Linger- geogre literally has that boy wrapped around his finger and I can’t not see it in this song. But when you look into it HELLA dream smp vibes, lyrics can be switched for either perspective here. “You know I’m such a fool for you, you got me wrapped around your finger.” “I thought the world of you, I thought nothing could go wrong, but I was wrong,”

august- i don’t know what is but this song is for them. it just is. “To live for the hope of it all. Cancel plans just in case you'd call” “So much for summer love, and saying “Us” Cause you weren't mine to lose”

I was an island- i just love the idea of them being hardasses and not thinking they need anyone until the other comes into their life and rocks their world. kinda dream smp vibes “I was a fighter, and I was so brave, but I lowered my sword when you held me and swore you’d stay.” “I was a wolf, dear, apart from the pac But you answered my cries in the dead of the night and told me that you had my back,”

Golden- k this one feeds into the “you’re literally the sun in my sky I’m not worthy” feel “I know you were way too bright for me I'm hopeless, broken” “I know that you're scared Because hearts get broken” “I can feel you take control Of who I am and all I've ever known Loving you's the antidote”

Strong- ummm okay but the “we’re better together” dynamic is them “I’m sorry if I say I need ya, but I don’t care I’m not scared of love.” “when I’m not with you I’m weaker is that so wrong? Is it so wrong, that you make me strong.”

Fly out west- the whole, I need to see you, you’re all I think about, stuff gets me. also heatwaves vibe. “Well tell me do you know? You’re all I dream about. Take it from me I’m too dumb to recognize your doubt.”

Cruel summer- them and summer, you dig? “I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you.” “I love you and that the worst thing you ever heard?”

Nothings gonna hurt you baby- I put this one on here because of how protective dream is over geogre “Nothing’s gonna hurt you baby, as long as your with me you’ll be just fine. Nothings gonna hurt you baby, nothings gonna take you from my side.”

Cardigan- young love, the kind of lover that makes you feel like you are the most important thing in the world to them “when you are young they assume you know nothing, but I knew you-“ “and when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone’s bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite.”

Cry baby- them being in that weird stage where they recognize that it might be more than just senseless flirting and they might have feelings but also being paranoid that they’re the only one with feelings uh- “I can taste it my hearts breaking, please don’t say it. That you know, when you know.” “I know I’ll fall in love with you baby, but that’s not what I wanna do baby.”

Speak now- literally the fundy dream wedding. i rest my case. “I hear the preacher say speak no or forever hold your peace.” “Dont say yes runaway now.”

I love you so- this song is cute on the surface but kinda sad once you look into it. it’s kinda about a codependent love that isn’t going well. “I gotta get away and let you go I gotta get over, but I love you so.” “You were cool and I’m a fool so please let me go.”

In conclusion I’d really appreciate if you could check it out :) <3

[todorokibois]

{1} - Spring Day

Reincarnation AU - Part of the Spring Day Series

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Possible Smut (In later chapters)

Pairing: Itadori Yuuji X Reader X Ryomen Sukuna

Words: 5,059

A/n: I just recently got into Jujutsu Kaisen but I love it so much already! Ever since I watched episode four and five this little idea has been running around in my mind, and I've seen a few others do an au like this so I decided I'd give it a shot. I’m still learning all the rules and stuff of the world, so please bear with me. Some of the characters may be ooc for the time being, as well as for plot purposes. I hope you enjoy what I have planned, and please do let me know what you think of this. Feedback is always greatly appreciated!

Summary: Being Yuuji’s best friend? Piece of cake. However, you never expected to be the reincarnation of Sukuna’s former lover. - You promised each other forever, but forever came.

Note: The characters are all aged up for this fic, so now they will be in university.

You can still remember the first day you met Itadori Yuuji like it was yesterday. Nothing really eventful happened on that day, but you know that it’s one you’ll never forget, for he’s your best friend and you are his. In fact, having just entered middle school at the time, he was one of the first friends you ever made at your new school. 

He seemed impressed by how unafraid you were of the supernatural, the two of you spouting ghost stories to one another during lunch every day. Each day was a competition to see who could freak the other one out the most with an even gorier horror story every lunch period. So far, your record is thirty to twenty-nine in your favour, with more ties than you can count.

Soon enough, middle school came and went, and then the two of you found out that you were to go to the same high school. Both of you were excited that you would know at least one person, not to mention that that person is your best friend. At least you wouldn’t have to give up your daily routine with him. Needless to say, it came as quite a shock to Yuuji when you stopped coming to school about halfway through your first year.

Even though the two of you continued to text every day since your transfer, things never felt the same to either of you. Every time Yuuji asked what school you transferred to, you’d brush off the question, or give him a fake school name. He knows they’re fake since the one time he wanted to surprise you after school one day by visiting you, but when he went inside and checked the registry, your name wasn’t even close to being listed there.

That was a small rough patch in your relationship. Yuuji was hurt that you would lie to him like that, and it took about a week before you could cheer him up again. He just had to see you in person, that was the only way he would stop moping about. That, and he jokingly said it would be the only way he’d forgive you.

Again, as the two of you were walking around the shopping district, he asked you which high school you transferred to. Well, you couldn’t exactly tell him you transferred to a school that teaches you how to become a jujutsu sorcerer, now could you? So, you gave a vague description of the place, stating that you honestly always forget the name, but it’s hidden somewhere in the mountains surrounding Tokyo. Regardless, he made you promise that he could come visit at some point.

Every day, you miss him, just as he misses you, and every day you wish you could see more of him. Despite the amount of trips you plan together, nothing can replace no longer seeing each other every day. Oh well, at least you still keep in touch.

Yuuji never told you, but it was pure agony for him when you left without a clue as to where you’d gone. The fact that you couldn’t answer him for a few days made him go crazy. When he finally got an answer, it felt as if the world had finally started moving again, because to him, you are his entire world.

He doesn’t exactly know when his platonic feelings towards you turned more romantic, but he knows that they’ve never gone away, no matter how many years have passed. Perhaps it was that time in your second year of middle school when you tricked him into playing shogi with you, a game you had convinced him he could beat you at, only to be severely disappointed. How was he to know you were the best in the year when you had never mentioned it before that day? Or perhaps it was that one day during the summer break before the start of high school when the two of you were running through the park, laughing at each other as the sunlight reflected off of your hair, lighting up your eyes in a way he’d never seen before. Either way, he knows he’s been in love with you for a long time now, and he’d never do anything to jeopardize your friendship. He just hopes that someday, his feelings are returned.

Unfortunately for you, you didn’t get to spend as much time with Yuuji over the break as you wanted to, what with your duties and all. However, you’re hoping you’ll be able to soon. You wanted to see him one last time before he started university, but unfortunately you couldn’t. Weeks passed, and you finally made plans to visit him a few months into the semester, but you had to cancel due to a last minute mission you got thrown on. Little did you know what would happen that night.

Earlier that evening, you had gotten a voicemail from Yuuji, informing you that his grandfather had died. You managed to take a detour long enough to call him back, making sure that he’s okay and letting him know that you’re sorry for his loss. His grandfather was the closest family he had left, so you know that as soon as you’re done with this mission, you’re going to see him. He told you he was fine, but you want to make sure. After all, you know how he can get.

Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you focus in on the task at hand. Clearing this abandoned building will be easy for you, nothing you haven’t done before. All there are are two level two curses to take care of, piece of cake. You only wish it was located closer to where Yuuji is, that way you could get to him sooner.

It took a few years, but you managed to quickly work your way up to a grade one sorcerer. You’re a very quick learner, and the fact that you already had strong reflexes thanks to always competing with Yuuji helped a great deal. You’re only surprised your mother kept her family secret for so long. However, you’re grateful for how long she kept it secret, because if she had revealed it sooner, you might not have met Yuuji, and you don’t know where you’d be today without him in your life.

With a sigh, you enter the building. Shifting your gaze around, you begin to hunt the curses currently within the vicinity. It doesn’t take you long to find the first one, quickly disposing of it before it even has the chance to retaliate. Locating the second takes a little bit longer than anticipated, but eventually you find it, preparing yourself to take this one down just as you did the first.

“Man, you really are one ugly thing, aren’t you?” You tut, shaking your head.

The curse in question did not seem to like your words, letting out a screech and lunging for you in the next moment. Quickly dodging, you parry the curse’s attack, managing to sever one of its many limbs before jumping back and keeping a bit of distance between the two of you. You’re just about to jump in for another attack when you falter, a sudden wave of specialized curse energy pulsing throughout your entire body.

Taking advantage of your momentary loss of composure, the curse lunges at you. You just manage to block the blunt of the attack, still getting a small scrape on your cheek in the process. You curse.

Another two minutes pass by and you’re finally able to dispose of the second level two. Immediately, the air in the building seems lighter, and you know you’ve cleared all the required curses and purified the space. Breathing a sigh of relief you head towards the exit, ready to be clear of this building once and for all. 

As soon as you step outside, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket, signalling that you’re getting a call. Thinking it to be Yuuji, you don’t even bother checking the caller id before answering right away.

“Hello?” You say, just as you hear the door fall shut behind you.

“(Y/n)! So glad you answered on the first ring,” the voice of your personal teacher and trainer, Gojo Satoru answers in a chipper voice. “Listen, I have some news for you.”

“Listen, teach, if you’re just gonna tell me about the mochi you bought today-“

“Ryomen Sukuna has been released,” he cuts you off, and you can only freeze in your tracks as your breath hitches in your throat. “We currently have control of his vessel.”

“What happened?” You ask, steadying yourself with your back against the side of the building you’ve just exited.

“Ah, nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about,” Gojo assures you. “We had it under control.”

“We?” Your brow quirks slightly even though he can’t see it.

“Yeah, Fushiguro and I,” he replies. “Well, it was mainly me, but who’s keeping score?” You can faintly hear grumbling in the background and then a chuckle from Gojo. “Anyways, best return to campus as soon as possible.”

“I can’t,” comes your immediate response.

There’s silence for a moment until, “and why’s that?”

“I have to go visit Yuuji,” you bring a hand up to rub at your temples. This conversation is giving you a headache.

“You mentioned he lives near Sendai, correct?” Gojo inquires.

“That’s correct,” you confirm, “why?”

“The incident was near there, so you can’t come, it’s not safe for you,” he explains.

You scoff, “since when have you ever been concerned for my safety?”

“I’m offended,” he feigns hurt. “As your teacher, I’m always concerned for your safety.”

“Bullshit,” you huff, rolling your eyes. “Anyways, that’s all the more reason I should go and see him. Now I have two reasons to make sure he’s okay.”

You hear a deep sigh on the other end before Gojo is speaking once more, “listen, (Y/n), you know I’m not usually one to be a stickler for rules and such, and I hate enforcing things, but I’m going to need you to get back to campus and wait in your dorm until I come get you.”

“But-“

“That’s an order,” his voice is firm, and you know that there’s no arguing with him once he’s made up his mind.

“Fine,” you sigh, pushing yourself off of the wall in order to head to the train station. “Will you at least tell me the name of Sukuna’s vessel?”

“All in due time,” he says, sounding too cheerful for the current events which have just taken place this evening. “See you back at the academy!”

Without another word, the line goes dead and you know he’s ended the call to avoid answering any more of your questions.

Letting out another sigh, you tuck your phone away in your pocket. You sent a quick text to Yuuji beforehand, just explaining that something came up and you’re still thinking of him during this time. You hope you can see him soon.

The ride back to campus is spent thinking about the effects of Sukuna now being released. You know the elders will probably fight to execute whoever the poor idiot is that ingested his finger. Knowing Gojo, he’d fight against whatever the elders decide to do. You’re just hoping that whoever the idiot is that turned out to be Sukuna’s vessel is strong enough to both contain and control him.

Making it back to campus, you immediately head to your room, just as Gojo had instructed you to do. Figuring you have enough time before he comes calling, you take a quick shower, washing off the dirt and grime from the events of this evening. Once done, you change into some comfortable clothes and lay down on your bed, scrolling through your phone as you wait for Gojo to appear.

It’s not until noon the next day when Gojo finally shows up at your door.

“Took you long enough, I’m starving,” you grumble, noticing he’s carrying what looks like two prepackaged lunches in his hands.

“You could have gone out for food, you know,” he chuckles, already moving to sit down in your desk chair.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was told to ‘wait in my room and await further instructions,’” you cross your arms, allowing your door to fall shut as you return to sitting on your bed.

“Details, details,” he waves you off as you grab one of the lunches he hands you. “Anyways, I came to update my favourite student about what’s going on.”

You simply quirk a brow at him as you open your lunch, waiting for him to continue.

“Well, for starters I’ve delayed the inevitable,” he begins, to which you only give him a look. He goes on to explain that the vessel will most likely be joining the other first years in training to become a sorcerer until the proper time comes. “I’ve basically convinced the elders to allow the vessel to consume all of Sukuna’s fingers before being executed.”

“Okay, and?” You stare at him expectantly.

“Please, do hold your applause,” he grins, expression only faltering slightly when you continue to remain silent after a few moments. “Geez, tough crowd. Anyways, I thought you’d be more happy about this.”

“I only feel bad for the poor idiot who got involved in all of this,” you sigh, continuing to place food in your mouth while chewing thoughtfully.

“Oh, he’s an idiot alright,” Gojo chuckles.

“And who exactly is he?” You tilt your head slightly, looking at him expectantly.

Gojo lets out a deliberate yawn while standing up, stretching his arms above his head, “would you look at that? I’m late for a meeting with the principle. Toodles!”

Without another word, he vanishes from your room, only leaving you just as frustrated with him as you were before, with many more unanswered questions building in your mind. It’s just like him to do this to you, too. Always keeping information this important from you until you’re thrust upon a situation where you’re forced to confront the facts of the matter. You just hope that this is another one of his stupid training exercises and not him purposely avoiding telling you straight up who the vessel is. You also hope whoever the vessel is, is someone you don’t know since it’ll probably make it easier when the time comes. Still, knowing Gojo, he probably will come up with a plan to save the poor soul set for execution even after everything is said and done. If the poor boy even lives that long.

Finishing up your lunch, you decide to head towards the principle’s office. You are technically considered a first year in the university courses, so maybe you’ll have a chance to sneak a look at the vessel if you’re lucky. Besides, Gojo did mention something about Fushiguro and you meeting up with the other new first year tomorrow, so you want intel on what’s happening in regards to that.

Just as you raise your hand to knock on the principle’s door Gojo opens it as if he was expecting you. You attempt to sneak a glance past him but to no avail, only causing him to chuckle as he steps into the hallway and shuts the door behind him.

“How can I help you, my dear student?” He smiles, leaning against the now closed door.

“When are we meeting the new girl, and is the vessel accompanying us?” Your questions are direct and straight to the point.

“Ah, yes, Nobara,” Gojo nods. “Unfortunately, you won’t be accompanying us guys to meet up with her tomorrow, you have another mission to attend to.”

“Since when?” You scoff.

“Since now,” he singsongs. “Level one curse spotted at an old primary school. I would take care of it myself, but as you know, I care deeply about every single one of my students so I must be there to meet Nobara on her first day! Besides, you’re the only one I trust to do this assignment right now.”

Any protests you had soon die in your throat at his last statement. Though still ticked off you won’t get to go with them, you understand why he’s chosen you. Besides, this is your job, and you know it will help with your training.

“Fine,” you grumble, “but I still want to meet the new kids.”

“All in due time,” he waves you off with the same words he told you last night. “Now you better get planning before that curse gets too out of hand! I’ll text you the details!”

“Yeah, yeah,” this time it’s your turn to wave him off as you turn around and start walking back to your dorm to grab your stuff, muttering under your breath, “you old croon.”

The offended gasp you hear behind you is enough to drown out the sound of the principle’s door opening once more, two people stepping out to join Gojo in the hallway.

“Who’s that?” Itadori asks Gojo as they watch your retreating form disappear behind a corner.

“One of my best students,” Gojo hums proudly in response.

“Funny, she looks just like my best friend-“

“C’mon, I’ll show you to your dorm!” Gojo cuts him off before he can finish his sentence, leading him down the hallway in the opposite direction to which you disappeared in, Itadori not being able to do much else but follow close behind.

Sure enough, about twenty minutes later Gojo sends you a text with all the details you’ll need to exercise the curse tomorrow at the primary school. You plan to leave early in the morning since it’ll take you at least an hour or two to get to the location, and then another hour or two to get back. You also want to see if you can catch the guys before they leave, see if you can introduce yourself to one of the two newbies at least.

Unfortunately for you, it doesn’t seem like the luck of coincidence is on your side in the morning as you prepare to leave campus. Letting out a small sigh, you make your way to the train station, ready to begin your mission for the day and get it over with as soon as you can. Perhaps you can time things just right so that you get back to campus around the same time that they do. After all, this task should be a walk in the park.

Oh, how wrong you are.

Not only did it take you three hours to arrive to the primary school, but the curse, which was supposed to be one level one turned out to be two level one curses sharing the vicinity. They cornered you and you ended up getting thrown harshly against the wall, causing your whole body to ache all over once you finally managed to exercise the curses. You’re pretty sure you pulled a few muscles in the process, too, and the amount of scrapes and bruises you acquired since the other day has tripled. Damn Gojo.

Limping back to the train station, you check your phone. Speaking of your personal trainer, he’s been keeping you up to date with the newbies all throughout the day, though he keeps referring to the boy as ‘the vessel’. Furrowing your brow, you find it strange how he hasn’t told you the boy’s name yet, only making you believe that it probably is someone you know. There’s still a tiny sliver of you that’s hoping Gojo is just testing your deduction skills, but at this point, that’s probably not the case.

Sitting down in the first free seat you find, you text him back. Almost immediately you get a response, letting you know that the two newbies have just passed their first test and that you should be proud of your fellow students. You play along with his enthusiasm for the time being, being obviously sarcastic in your responses, but Gojo doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, it seems as if he’s amused by your reactions, only serving to irritate you further.

By the time you get back to campus, you’re drained. All you want to do is take a nice, warm shower, curl up in a ball on your bed and sleep. You don’t even care if you miss meeting the new students. That’s how your day is going so far. Besides, it’s getting late and they don’t seem to be back yet. There’s always tomorrow.

Except, you don’t get to meet them the next day, nor the day after that. It takes a full week before you even cross paths with Nobara, and even still, the meeting seems rushed. Luckily, you manage to properly introduce yourself to her the day after that one, but for some reason, Sukuna’s vessel just keeps eluding you. That, or someone is purposely keeping the two of you apart. It’s not until two weeks after that fateful day has passed that you finally get your answer.

The three first years have been tasked with handling a few curses at a juvenile detention centre while you accompany Gojo on one of his missions at the same time. You’re getting real tired of his antics, every time you ask him about the boy who’s Sukuna’s vessel he answers you either cryptically, or changes the subject. The worst is when he ignores your inquiries all together. You’re hoping to get some information out of him this evening though, otherwise you might just sneak over to ‘see’ Megumi one day and actually go to see his neighbour who just so happens to be the vessel.

Another reason why you’re in a bit of a grumpy mood recently is that Yuuji seems to be distancing himself from you. Your conversations are very dry as of late, and he doesn’t seem to want to tell you what’s going on in his life. There’s even been a few day where you’ve tried to sneak away to go visit him, but each time, Gojo has stopped you in some way or other. You’re convinced he’s hiding something, but you don’t want to accept the reality he’s been presenting to you as of late.

“(Y/n), I need you to focus,” Gojo snaps his fingers in front of your face, successfully startling you back to reality.

“Huh? Oh, sorry,” you blink a few times to clear your head, needing to focus since this is a serious task for the both of you.

“Everything okay?” He asks, the two of you now continuing to move through the labyrinth laid out before you, having yet to stumble upon any one of the four special grade curses you’re supposed to be exercising.

“Just fine,” you sigh before muttering out, “it’s not like I’m going to get answers anyways.”

“Now, now, you don’t know that for sure,” he grins, hands in his pockets as he walks beside you nonchalantly.

“Considering every time I bring up the new guy you avoid the topic, I’d say, yeah,” you peek around the corner before confirming the hallway is clear, turning back to face Gojo who already seems to be looking at you amusedly, “I do know.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet,” he hums.

“There’s not much to go on,” you reply.

“Oh, I believe there’s plenty,”

“Yeah, well, that’s cause you already know everything there is to know about this subject,” you huff.

“Oh, you flatter me so,” he chuckles, only causing you to roll your eyes at him in exasperation.

“Well, I suppose there is one question I have for you, teach,” you start to say, until you finally come across one of the special grade curses. 

The two of you quickly press your backs against the wall, preparing to attack. Gojo gives you the go ahead to attack first, and you do, using his quick distraction of walking out and gaining the curse’s attention to sneak up on it and destroy it. No more than two minutes pass and you’ve succeeded.

“What’s the question?” Gojo calls your attention back to him as you both continue on through the hallway.

“On the day he was released, I felt a sudden wave of specialized curse energy ripple through me, almost as if there had been a part of it dormant that had suddenly been awoken,” you say, turning to look at his face in order to gage his reaction. “Is that normal, considering how far I was from the main site?”

“Hmm,” he brings a hand up to cup his chin in his fingers, contemplating the new information you’ve provided him. He only wishes you would have told him sooner. “Considering the distance and Sukuna’s total power, it’s not that surprising.” You let out a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding. “However, since at the time it was only one-twentieth of his power over that great of a distance, that is very odd. Considering that you know our reputation with strangeness in this trade, this makes it even stranger. Has it happened at any other point in time after that?”

Your brow furrows as you contemplate his question. “Actually, yeah, now that I think about it. I think it was a day or two after the initial release.”

“Huh, interesting,” he hums once more, a slight frown pulling at his lips as he considers what this means. Looks like his original hunch was correct as both these surges you’ve felt correspond with Itadori ingesting one of Sukuna’s fingers.

“What, exactly, is interesting?” You stare at him expectantly.

“Nothing you need to worry yourself with for the time being,” he assures you, just as another one of the special grade curses jumps out at the two of you. In an instant, Gojo has eliminated the threat, neither of you faltering in your steps down the hall.

“You know, sometimes I swear you take the phrase ‘having blind faith’ too seriously,” you let out a long breath.

He laughs at this, “what makes you say that?”

You just raise a brow at him in response, the look on your face enough to convey your thoughts. He laughs once more.

“Nothing wrong with having a little faith in me, you know,” he jokes as you two near the centre of the building where you can feel major curse energy pouring out.

You say nothing, opting to shake your head at him in response as you ready yourselves to enter the main room. Slowly opening the doors, you walk in, the two of you scanning the room for either of the final two curses that have still yet to show themselves. 

All is silent for a few moments until you feel a pang reverberate through you, the familiar feeling of specialized curse energy flowing throughout your whole being. Your eyes widen as this one far exceeded the power of the first two.

“Hey, uh, teach?” Gojo pauses mid-step as he observes you, hearing the uncertainty in your voice. “It just happened again.”

As soon as those words leave your lips, the final two curses you’ve been hunting for pop out of nowhere and attack the both of you. The one closest to you manages to knock you into Gojo, him steadying you as the two curses near the both of you to attack.

“(Y/n), I’m sending you to where the first years are, I have a bad feeling something terrible has happened,” he says lowly in your ear.

“What? Right now?” You don’t even have time to look at him incredulously as you both jump in opposite directions to avoid the attacks of the curses.

“Right now,” he confirms. “Don’t worry about me, I can handle these two clowns.”

The curses growl at him as he says those words, with him managing to split one of them in half in the next moment.

“I wasn’t,” you reply, unamused.

“Well, best hurry, wouldn’t want Sukuna wrecking havoc,” he grins at you and something clicks in your mind.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you growl. “At least tell me the name of his vessel!”

“You already know it,” is the last thing you hear before your vision shifts, you now standing on a path outside in an unfamiliar area.

You mentally curse him as you collect your bearings, noticing Megumi standing across from you, facing towards you as another man stands between the two of you with his back turned to you. You’d recognize that back anywhere, not to mention the hair. Now you’re really mentally cursing your teacher.

You remain still, noticing how Megumi darts his gaze over to you as if to tell you not to move. Assessing the situation, you begin to plot your best course of action as you see drops of blood dripping onto the ground near Sukuna’s feet. A quick scope of the area has your eyes widening slightly, telling yourself to remain calm as you see a heart laying in the grass as if it was tossed carelessly off to the side.

Of course, Sukuna felt your presence before even bothering to turn to look at you. At the moment, he’s more focused on talking to Megumi, then he can deal with this newer secondary presence, no matter how familiar it seems. He can feel the eyes trailing over his back before he even sees them, but your voice has him halting his actions momentarily.

“Damn, Yuuji, I leave you alone for two weeks and you decide to get tattoos?” Your voice is light, playful even, despite the grim situation you know that you’ve been thrust into.

Megumi shoots you a cautious look as you both notice Sukuna tense slightly between the two of you, before standing up straighter and rolling his shoulders once. A chuckle escapes him, causing you and Megumi to share another concerned look between you both before his movements catch your eyes.

Sukuna would recognize that voice anywhere. Oh, how cruel fate can be.

Turning deliberately slow, he faces towards you, eyes roaming over your figure and nearly sending a shiver down your spine until they come to lock with yours. With a smirk on his features, he licks his lips, “(Y/n).”

[hockeyisit]

All I can think about is Amelia taking the twins to their first game and how much it would mean to Auston to see them in their little 34 jerseys.

Summary: Amelia takes Kai and Noah to the game.

A.N: Hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think and if you have any questions. Remember all of my pieces connect to each other so if you pay attention deeply you might notice some things 😉

Word Count: 3,941

Masterlist

“Shh baby,” I coed as I rocked back and forth holding a whining Noah. Auston had left earlier this morning for practice so it was just me and the babies for now. The season was just getting started and Auston had been really stressed with practicing and helping take care of the babies. Auston and I had gotten lucky because we had the boys back in April so we had the summer to get used to them. They were almost seven months old and it was so hard to believe. Now that we had made it back to Toronto and things were in full swing we were both stressed.

“I know baby,” I told him as I made my way out of the room so Noah couldn't wake up Kai. I had put them down for a nap the minute Auston had left for practice. I was hoping that I could bring them to the home opener tonight and surprise Auston. Because they were born in April and the season was close to the end I wasn’t able to bring them out to a game. I knew that Auston really wanted them to come tonight but I had told him I wasn't sure they were ready for the loudness that would come with the Toronto Maple Leafs arena. Auston had acted like he understood but he was definitely pouting when he left earlier.

I made my way into our bedroom and sat down on the bed as I kept rocking Noah. He had grown so much over the summer and I couldn-’t believe how much he resembled Auston and I. He was absolutely breathtaking just like baby Kai.

“Hi baby, are you hungry?” I asked when his cries kept getting louder. I pulled my shirt over so that he could latch on. His cries immediately stopped as he started feeding. I let out a soft laugh as I took in his relaxed face. I pulled my phone off to confirm my plans with Steph. We had agreed to get tickets to the front row, I was so excited to surprise Auston.

Once Noah was finished I stood up and made my way back into their bedroom. Kai was still sleeping peacefully but I knew that wouldn't last much longer. I set Noah down next to him and stared down at my two beautiful babies. Then I turned around and made my way out of their room. I heard my phone start ringing and I quickly ran for it so it wouldn't wake up the boys.

“Hello?” I breathed out.

“I catch you at a bad time?” Auston teased as he responded to me. I let out a light laugh as I shook my head.

“The boys are napping. I didn’t want my phone to wake them up,” I told him softly. He hummed in agreeance.

“Some of the guys want me to go get lunch,” Auston mumbled into the phone. Auston had been blowing his teammates off a lot lately to help me with taking care of the boys.

“You should go,” I said, cutting him off from continuing.

“Are you sure? I can come home if you want me to,” Auston asked.

“Don’t worry babe go bond with your team we're just napping here,” I told him as I laid myself on our bed.  

“Alright I’ll be quiet when I come back,” he told me before we both said goodbye. Just as I was about to slip into some much needed sleep I heard a cry through the baby monitor another cry joining in two seconds later. I let out a soft grunt as I laid there for a moment before pushing myself up and making my way back to the nursery.

When I made it into the room I reached over and picked up Kai first before reaching fo Noah as well. I started pacing back and forth as I rocked them.

“Were going to watch Papi play tonight,” I told them as I moved back and forth. Noah settled down once I had him wrapped in my arms but Kai’s crys grew louder.

“Bub it's okay,” I cooed as I rocked us back and forth. After a moment both twins settled down as we rocked. Kai was still whining slightly but another hour later I had both of them settled in bed and sleeping.

“I’m back,” Auston whispered as he pushed the front door open. I was sitting on the couch so I sent him a harsh look telling him to shut up.

“There sleeping,” I told him gently. Auston sent me an innocent look before taking a seat next to me on the couch. He wrapped his arm around me pulling me closer.

“Mitch and Steph want to get dinner with us soon,” Auston mumbled into my ear. I gave him a large grin as I nodded my head before leaning back into him. I had missed spending time with adults. Ever since the twins were born I hadn't done anything but take care of them. I hadn't left our house in almost three weeks.

“Do we need to get a babysitter?” I asked him as I relaxed further into his shoulder. His body relaxed against mine as he shook his head no.

“I got one of the rookies on babysitting duty. We just need to decide a day and which rookie we trust the most,” he laughed as he tugged me closer.

“What about tomorrow after the game?” I suggested. They had a back to back game. One tonight and one tomorrow, I would have suggested tonight but I wanted the day to be special considering I was going to be bringing the boys to their very first game.

He sent me a soft grin as he nodded his head. I let my eyes slip closed for a second only to be shaken lightly a few minutes later.

“Let’s go take a name,” Auston suggested. I nodded my head in agreeance but made no move to get up.

“C’mon you gotta get up babe,” Auston grinned down at me. I shook my head.

“I don’t wanna, I'm so tired. I'll just sleep here,” I told him cuddling deeper into the couch. Auston let out a soft laugh as he leaned over me. He reached out and wrapped his arms around me, picking me up bridal style. I let out a content sigh as I buried my face into his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck.

Once we were both under the blankets Auston wrapped his arms around me so he could be the big spoon. We were both out seconds later.

----

When I woke up I was alone in bed and I could hear some slight whining coming from the baby monitor. I pushed myself up into a sitting position as I looked around for my phone to check the time. When I turned it on I had three text messages from Auston. He fed the boy’s, he put some food in the fridge for me, and that he had to leave for his game and he’d see me after. I let out a soft smile as I read each message before pushing myself up and going to check on the boys.

“Hi guys,” I cooed as I made my way into the room. Auston had put them both in Noah’s crib and they were holding hands.

“Papi is going to be so surprised when he sees you little dudes tonight,” I grinned as I made my way to the closet to find the mini jerseys I had hidden. When I had given birth the Maple Leafs organization had sent us a little care package with two jerseys that had said Daddy 34. I knew that Auston loved them but I had asked Kyle if I could get two insead that said Papi 34. Kyle had immediately come through and had them made for me. I had been hiding them in the back of the closet so Auston wouldn't know.

“I quickly changed the two of them into the jerseys and then I set them down next to each other to take a photo. When I had one I was happy with I sent it to Ema. She responded almost immediately talking about how perfect they were.

Once we were all dressed for the game, me wearing a Leafs sweatshirt with a jersey over it and some leggings. I grabbed the diaper bag and then I made my way over to the front door. Felix followed me as I walked to the door.

“Alright buddy I’ll see you soon,” I said as I handed him a bone. He took it excitedly and sat down on the ground. I grabbed both of the carriers and brought them out to the car. Once they were strapped in I made my way over to the driver's seat and took a deep breath. I was slightly nervous that the loudness of the arena would be too loud for the boys. I had gotten noise cancelling headphones but I was still slightly anxious.

When I pulled up to the side door for family, friends, and staff Steph met me and helped me by grabbing Noah while I grabbed Kai.

“Hi honey,” Steph said as she pulled me into a side hug. I grinned back in response. Steph had become one of my biggest helpers in the past month when Auston was away on road trips. I appreciated everything she did for me so much.

“Hi how are you?” I asked as we showed the security our badges. The man looked at my ID before glancing at me and then Steph.

“I’ve been good,” she smiled softly. We quickly made it through security and then started our way towards our seats which happened to be front row. I had asked Kyle in advance if he could save us some seats and he happily agreed. Steph looked down at Kai with a softer smile.

“They are so cute in their jersey,” she exclaimed as she looked closer at their outfits. I laughed as I pulled my phone out.

“I know I took a million pictures,” I said as I opened them up to show her. About ten minutes later the crowd started filling more and Kai started crying in Steph's arms. The minute his cries became full on screams she looked to me in panic.

“How about we switch,” I told her as I held up the quiet Noah. She sent me a grateful look as we did the baby switch.

“Kai isn’t a fan of loud noises,” I told her softly as I tried to sway him. I reached into the diaper bag and pulled out the noise canceling headphones and slipped them on his head.

“Noah loves the noise though,” I continued as I glanced over the quiet Noah.

“Sometimes though if one or the other cries for too long then they both start crying and it’s almost impossible to get them to stop,” I glanced up at the countdown before looking back at Steph who was staring at me in awe.

“What?” I asked blushing a light red. She shook her head softly.

“Nothing, it's just you're like a whole mom now,” she grinned. I grinned as I reached out to poke her. Then not even three seconds later three different things happened. The sound of the horn going off announcing the arrival of the Maple Leafs causing Kai and Noah to both let out a sharp cry.

“I’m pregnant.”

I gasped loudly shocked by the news and the horn going off. I immediately continued my swaying as Steph started doing the same with Noah.

“Are you serious?” I asked excitedly. She nodded her head as she let out a soft laugh.

“I wasn’t supposed to tell you until dinner tomorrow,” she said laughing louder. I joined in as I turned to face the ice to see if Auston was out yet. Kai and Noah’s crying started to settle down just as Auston made his way out on the ice.

“Do I need to act like I don’t know or can I tell Auston?” I questioned just to make sure. She looked up from Noah and shook her head.

“You can tell him just try to act surprised when Mitch tells you at dinner tomorrow,” she laughed lightly. As I went to ask another question Auston’s gaze finally fell on us. He did a slight double take before making a beeline to us. He stopped right in front of me with the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face. He sent me a wave causing me to smile back as I waved back shyly. I started bouncing Kai slightly to get him to look up at his Papi.

“Kai look who it is,” I said knowing damn well that he couldn't hear me with his thick noise cancelling headphones on. Still his eyes lit up as they looked at Auston through the glass. I turned to Steph slightly.

“Can I have Noah?” she nodded her head as she handed him off to me. I moved Kai slightly so that I could hold both of them. Once I was sure that my grip on them was good I turned back to Auston. His smile softened lightly as he stared at the three of us. Noah glanced away from where he was pulling on my hair to Auston. His face lit up the second he saw him and he reached forward in hopes that Auston would take him. Unfortunately the glass was still between us causing his advances to be abruptly stopped.

I let out a light laugh as Noah banged his tiny fist against the glass. Auston took his glove off and then reached out and pressed a closed knuckle to the glass. A moment later Mitch skated over and made a face at Kai through the glass causing Steph and I to laugh again. After that they had to go back into the locker room because the game was going to start soon.

------

“Three fucking goals!! You absolute god,” I quietly shouted at Auston as he approached me and Steph. He let out a light laugh as he dropped his bag and made his way over to me and pulled me into a hug.

“I had motivation,” he mumbled before pressing a gentle kiss against my forehead. He pulled away and grinned down at our two babies.

“Hey Steph,” he said and then “I had no idea you guys were coming,” he reached out and grabbed Noah from my arms. I shuffled Kai around so that he could be more comfortable.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“I love the jerseys so much. Where did you get them?” he asked me as he rubbed his hand up and down Noah’s back.

“I asked Kyle if he could get them made,” I grinned. Kai started reaching out for Auston causing the three of us to laugh.

“I can grab your bag if you want to carry them both to the car?” I asked him. He sent me a soft smile.

“Yo Willy,” Auston called out as he noticed Willy walking by. He turned to face us, his face lighting up as eyes landed on Kai and Noah. He made his way over to us and pulled me into a hug.

“Amelia how are you?”

“I’m good. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. How are you?” I asked. He sent me a smile as he glanced over to the babies in Auston’s arms.

“I’m good. First game for Noah and Kai?” he asked. I nodded my head with a grin. It was their first time at a game and of course Auston had to be an overachiever and score a hattrick.

“That’s awesome what a great first game,” he grinned.

“Do you want to hold one of them?” I asked Willy when I noticed his eyes kept drifting back to Kai and Noah.

“Oh no. I didn’t shower I still smell pretty bad,” he laughed. I went to respond but we were cut off by Mitch approaching.

“Hey guys. Ready to go Steph?” he asked, glancing at her. She nodded her head as she reached over to hug me

“I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow,” she grinned as she pulled away turning to face Mitch, he slipped an arm around her waist.

“Oh yes absolutely wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I grinned before turning back to face Auston. Both boys were cuddled into his chest as he stared down at him.

“Are you ready to go superstar?” I asked him as I reached out and grabbed his heavy hockey bag. I let out a small grunt as I put it over my shoulder. I wasn’t expecting it to be this heavy.

“See you later Willy,” I waved to him, my voice sounding slightly strained. He rolled his eyes dramatically before reaching out and taking the hockey bag off my shoulder.

“Lead the way to the car,” he said then turned to face Auston.

“I’m a better gentleman then you,” he teased. I let out a small laugh as I shook my head. When we got to the car Willy threw Auston’s bag in the trunk as Auston handed me Noah.

“Thanks,” I told Willy when he was done. He nodded his head as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Anytime,” he grinned. As he started walking away I called out to him causing him to stop.

“Maybe sometime in the next few weeks we can get drinks,” I suggested. It had been awhile since Auston and I had hung out with Willy. He thought about it for a moment before nodding.

“Sounds fun just let me know when,” he then made his escape. I walked over to the other side of the car so I could slip Noah into his carseat.

“Aus, do you want me to drive?” I asked him as

“Nah babe I got it.”

We both slipped into the car and buckled up. I reached out for the Aux cord and connected my phone turning on my favorite song.

“Really babe you're going to play this song again?” Auston teased as he pulled onto the road. I let out a light laugh as I shrugged my shoulders.

“Shut up you love this song just as much as I do,” I squealed lightly as I reached out to tap his arm. He let out a loud laugh causing Noah let out a laugh from the back seat. I grinned as I turned to face the back.

“You think that’s funny, big guy?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. He let out another loud laugh as he kicked his feet. Kai then joined in as well causing me to let out a surprised laugh as I turned to face Auston.

“How’d the game go with them?” he asked, once the laughing died down. I shrugged my shoulders.

“It was really fun, they only cried a few times and they slept. It was really nice to catch up with Steph,” I said as I turned the music down so it was just a hum in the background.

“Good, I’m glad you got to get out of the house. It seems like it was good for you. Your beaming,” he pointed out as he made a lane change. Auston was right. I had quit my job and I spent so much time with the kids at home that I hadn't had much adult interaction lately. It was nice to get out and see Steph and the kids were so calm for most of the night.

“It was good. I almost backed out but I’m really glad I didn’t,” I grinned as I locked our hands together.

“Oh my god, you'll never believe why Steph and Mitch want to get dinner tomorrow,” he sent me a quick questioning look as he stopped at the stop sign outside of our neighborhood.

“She’s pregnant,” I continued throwing my hands up in the air. His eyes shot to me with a look of disbelief.

“What? Actually?” he asked, sounding extremely surprised. I nodded my head as I started speaking.

“Yeah and she was supposed to wait to tell me tomorrow at dinner but she spilled the beans early. We have to act surprised tomorrow when they tell us,” I warned. He put the car in park once he pulled into the garage.

“Okay I’m a master at acting surprised.”

I laughed loudly as we hopped out of the car. We both reached in to grab a baby and then made our way inside the house. When I pushed the garage door open Felix greeted us excitedly.

“Hi buddy,” I cooed as I reached down to pet his head.

“Babe can you take Kai? I want to take Felix on a quick walk,” Auston asked. Felix immediately perked up at hearing the word walk. I reached my arm out that wasn't holding Noah so Auston could settle Kai in my empty arm.

“Alright I’m going to put them in bed,” I told him as I started walking to our stairs. I pushed my way into the twins room and walked over to the changing table and set them down next to each other. I reached over to Kai first and started undressing him. Once he was down to his diaper I reached over for a clean diaper and started cleaning him up before changing him. He started crying at the sudden coldness of the air. I picked him up rocking him back and forth as I tried to get him to stop. I was worried he’d get Noah started.

“Hey,” Auston said, startling me and making me jump three feet in the air causing him to laugh.

“Hi,” I smiled tiredly at him. He walked in and made his way over to me.

“Want any help?” he hip bumped me to the side taking over and starting to change Noah.

“I think they are just really tired,” I mumbled as I started to redress Kai. Auston was quiet for a moment before glancing at me.

“Are you tired?” he whispered. I looked up from Kai making eye contact with him. I felt a rush of happiness run through my body.

“A little but nothing I can’t handle,” I teased leaning forward to place a kiss on his cheek. He blushed lightly before turning his attention back to Noah. When we both finished we put them in the same crib. At first we had been putting them in separate cribs but we realized that they cried less when they shared a bed. Auston wrapped his arm around my shoulder pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arm around his waist as I glanced up at him.

“Thank you for everything that you do,” Auston looked down at me with a soft smile. I grinned leaning forward on my tip-toes so that I could place a gentle kiss on his lips. His lips moved in sync with mine for a moment before I pulled away.

“I don’t think we should make out in front of the babies,” I whispered. He grinned as he nodded his head.

“Yeah maybe not. But they are sleeping and I scored three times tonight. Think I could score a forth?” he smirked. I let out a light laugh as I walked backwards to the door.

“Only if you play your cards right Matthews,” I smirked as I winked at him. He smirked following me to our bedroom.

“Mrs. Matthews how about you let me take care of you tonight.”

[thefallennightmare]

Vows [2/2]

Pairings: Sebastian Stan x Reader

Warnings: Angst, mention of death/suicide, alcoholism, and some swearing.

Summary: Could a weekend away be just what Sebastian and Y/N need or could it finally push them away for good? 

A/N: Here’s the long awaited second part! I’m not too sure how to feel about it but here it is! 

My heels clicked against the tiled floor of the hotel as I approached the check in desk, giving the lady behind it a small smile. 

“Hi. Reservation under Mr. Stan?”

Nails typed away on the computer and my heart dropped when I saw a look of slight fear appear on her face. “I’m sorry. Do you have a relation to Mr. Stan?”

“Yes, he’s my husband.” 

The word felt so foreign on my lips, not uttering it for months. 

“Can I see some ID please?” The lady hesitated. 

I cursed under my breath while reaching for my ID but groaned when I noticed it was missing. 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I-uh-seemed to have forgotten it.” 

Running a hand through my hair, I tried to think of ways to prove who I was but suddenly, felt a presence behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I tried to stop the increase in heart beat as a small smile peaked through his beard. 

“She’s with me.” 

“Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Stan. How many key cards would you two like?” The lady questioned, her attitude changing once she realized that I was in fact with Seb. 

“Um, there should be two rooms under that reservation?” Sebastian informed her. 

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, sir. I see a reservation for our honeymoon suite.” 

I scoffed while looking towards Sebastian. “Honeymoon?!”

“Yes, ma’am. It comes with a king bed, Jacuzzi tub, and fireplace.” 

“You planned this, didn’t you? A way to torture me?” I seethed.

Sebastian raised his hands up, saying that his assistant made the reservation for him. 

“Can we book another room?” We both asked at the same time.

She shook her head once more. “I’m sorry, Mr. Stan. We’re all booked up. But if you don’t mind me asking, why do you two need separate rooms? You’re married.” 

I wasn't too comfortable with the flirtatious eyes she was sending Seb’s way. I snatched up the key card before pulling him along, muttering a quick thank you to the lady. 

“I cannot believe you booked the honeymoon suite,” I exasperated while we waited for the elevator. 

“I cannot believe you were jealous of Susan,” Seb chuckled. 

My eyes squinted in confusion and he nodded towards the front desk. 

“Oh.” 

We fell in silence as we rode the elevator up to the 6th floor where our honeymoon suite awaited us. I felt my anxiety start to take over when the thought of Sebastian and I sharing a bed clouded my mind. 

We haven’t shared a bed in so long that I forgot how he was a human heater in the way his arms would wrap around me, engulfing me. Or the way sometimes in the night, his lips would brush against my forehead in a soft kiss. 

“Y/N?” 

“Hm?” I snapped from my thoughts and looked at Seb. 

He was standing outside our room with the door open. “You coming?” 

I nodded and followed him inside. If the situation was under different circumstances, I would have been floored with the room that he booked. 

The king bed was in the middle of the room covered with those pillows that you just knew felt like sleeping on a cloud. The balcony doors were opened, a soft California breeze flowing throughout the room. The smell of the ocean filled my senses and I made a mental note to take a walk on the beach later tonight. 

I took a quick peak in the bathroom and nearly gasped at the sight. The shower was double the size of the one in our brownstone, the tub could fit three people and was in front of a window that faced the ocean. 

“Okay, this room is amazing!” I gawked back to Seb. “Are you sure your assistant didn’t do this on purpose?” 

“I promise,” Seb smiled while crossing his heart. “She made this reservation so long ago she probably thought that we would appreciate this.” 

I mirrored my own smile and started going through my suitcases. “So the rehearsal dinner is at six right?”

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah. Tim said we don’t have to go but we’re invited. Free food and booze.”

My nose scrunched up. “I think I’ll pass on the booze.” 

For the next little while, we both unpacked our stuff deciding not to say a word. Things were still awkward between us and honestly, I wasn’t sure what to say. I could ask him how he’s been but was afraid of finding out the answer. 

“No fucking way.” 

Seb cursed while coming out of the bathroom, phone in hand. “Guess what?” 

I shrugged my shoulders. “What?” 

“Tim called off the wedding.” 

My mouth fell agape, surprised that our best friends had called off the wedding. We were friends with them for years, both traveling and spending time together when Seb and I were first married. Tim and Brianna would always say that they hoped they would be half as happy as Seb and I were. 

“What happened?” I sat on the edge of the bed. 

Seb ran a hand over his face and hesitated for a moment before answering. “He caught her in bed with someone else.” 

“Oh Tim,” I muttered, knowing the pain he was going through.  “What do we do now?”

Seb’s mouth opened to speak but a soft knock on the door interrupted his thought. I marveled in the way his back muscles tensed as he opened the door. Susan stood on the other side of the door and I couldn’t help the jealousy that ran through me when her eyes lit up when she noticed Sebastian opened the door. 

“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Stan, but I wanted to let you know that your and Mrs. Stan’s dinner reservations for 7 pm are all set.” Her voice was professional but I could tell it was bitter to come off her lips. 

“I’m sorry,” I interrupted while standing next to Sebastian. “Dinner reservations?” 

Susan nodded. “Yes ma’am. These reservations were made when the hotel reservation was booked. It’s a private table right on the beach.” 

Bless Seb’s assistant's heart. She probably thought that she was doing this romantic thing for us at the time. 

“Can we cancel?” Sebastian asked. “Our friends called off their wedding so we’re probably going to head back home.” 

Susan shook her head. “I’m sorry Mr. Stan. Since it’s within two hours of your reservation you will have to pay a fee for canceling.” 

Seb ran a hand through his hair before nodding a thanks to Susan and shut the door. 

“What do you say? Dinner before we head home?” Seb suggested. 

“I don’t know, Sebastian. Isn’t this whole thing awkward and weird for you?” I played with my fingers while sitting on the edge of the bed again. 

He leaned against the dresser in the room that was directly in front of me and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s only weird if we make it.” 

“We’re getting divorced and you want us to have dinner like we’re still a couple?” I tried to make sense of this whole situation. 

“As friends,” he stated. “We used to be best friends before we got married, why can’t we go back to that?” 

“What would Alessandra think?” I wondered. 

“I’ll give you sometime to get ready and I’ll meet you on the beach at seven, okay?” Seb said, completely ignoring my question. 

Before I could protest even more, he left the room leaving me alone to my thoughts. 

How could we go to this romantic dinner and pretend that everything is normal when it wasn't? Sebastian made it clear months ago that he didn’t love me anymore and it took all this time to get used to it and understand that he and I would never be where we used to be. 

I fought with my inner self wondering if I had enough time to find a plane ride back home before Seb even noticed I was late to this dinner. 

My phone buzzed in my pocket and the text message on the screen made the decision final. 

Please do this with me. It will be our final dinner together before we say goodbye-Seb

My toes brushed through the sand as I made my way down towards the ocean side where I could see a table with candles surrounding it. My skirt blew in the wind and the sun setting warmed my bare arms as I opted in wearing my gold silk halter top that I knew Sebastian liked at one point. 

I halted when I noticed that even though I was a few moments later, Seb wasn’t here yet. Doubt clouded my mind, wondering if he decided against this whole thing and he had gone home. 

“Y/N.” 

Turning at the soft voice, I could help the small smile that played at my lips. 

Sebastian stood in front of me, dressed in a blue suit, and my heart soared at that vision. He knew how much I loved the way he looked in this baby blue suit. 

He pulled out my chair for me and after giving him a small smile of thanks, we were sitting across from one another. 

“I hope you don't mind but I already told the chef what we wanted,” Seb said sheepishly.

I shook my head. “No, not at all. You were always good at knowing what I liked.”

Someone had come up to the table, ready to pour some wine into my glass and before I could speak up, Seb was already pulling away the glass. “Could we actually get some water?”

The young man nodded before placing two cups of water in front of us and quietly walked away. 

“You can have a glass of wine, Seb. It’s fine,” I informed him. 

“I’m perfectly fine with the water. How is sobriety going?” 

“Really good,” I admitted with a small smile. “I haven't had a drink since the night of my brother's funeral. It’s been hard sometimes but I found a way to deal with the urge.”

“How?” Seb questioned. 

“I actually started keeping a journal. It has some poems and my thoughts of how I’m feeling. It’s kind of stupid,” I muttered. 

Sebastian immediately shook his head. “No it’s not, Y/N. Whatever helps you with the urge to drink is not stupid.” 

We fell into silence after that, our food being placed in front of us, and we ate quietly. The sound of the waves meshing together with the sound of our forks scraping along the plates. 

“You know,” Seb spoke softly, “I never asked how your family is doing. After everything.” 

I could tell he didn’t want to utter the words ‘brothers death’ so I nodded. “They’re doing okay. My dad took it really hard. You should have seen him at the funeral, Seb. I thought he was going to have a heart attack.”

“I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there,” Sebastian apologized. 

A shaky breath fell from my lips. “I’ve tried too hard not to blame myself for not being there for him. Maybe if I tried to talk to him more, to figure out what was wrong with him. All he needed was someone to talk to, to listen to him, but we weren’t there; I wasn’t there.” 

Seb’s hand reached across the table and gently grabbed mine. “None of this is your fault, Y/N. Your brother was dealing with so many demons.”

I shook my head. “But I could have been there for him more. I was so wrapped up in our divorce and dealing with being alone that I didn’t even think of reaching out to my family because I was afraid of what they would say.” 

Hastily wiping a tear away with my free hand, my sad eyes looked at our tangled fingers and Sebastian hesitated before pulling away. 

Just the small touch of our hands together brought so much warmth. I had no idea how much I missed his touch until I felt it again. 

The sun was setting even lower and the golden rays brushed softly across his features, showering him in such a glow that made me want to climb into him, crashing our lips together. 

“I promised your mom I wouldn’t tell you this but she called me a few weeks ago,” Seb admitted. 

“She did?” My eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

He nodded. “She was wondering how you were doing and made me promise to look after you.” 

“Sorry, I haven’t told her about us. She still thinks we’re married.” 

“I promised her that I would make sure you were safe and happy. I wouldn’t let those same demons that your brother dealt with bring you down.” 

I let out a soft sob and averted my gaze from Sebastian, not wanting him to see how broken I actually was. 

It had been months since my brother's death and getting the divorce papers. No matter how hard I tried to bury away those memories and feelings of heartbreak, it still chipped away at my heart. I wasn’t happy anymore, the bright light behind my eyes was long gone. 

Sebastian was off with his girlfriend, happier than he ever was with me. He was living in the home we had built together, metaphorically, and I was the last thing on his mind.

I refused to show him that every night I cry myself to sleep, longing for the feeling of his arms around me, helping me deal with everything. I needed him so much but I couldn’t have him. He wasn’t mine anymore and it was so hard to accept. 

I wasn’t the same person I was when we met. Back then I was confident in myself and knew that I was enough for him. I trusted him when he would be gone for months at a time and knew that he would always come back to me. A few years into our marriage, however, everything changed. 

My self esteem dropped every time I saw Sebastian with his female co-stars. The thoughts of if I was pretty enough or if I was pleasing him enough flooded my thoughts constantly. Our shared moments of bliss started to disappear and after that one night, it had dissipated to nothing. 

‘Please Seb, don’t go.” I cried while reaching for his hand. 

He yanked his arm away from me before the look of hate pierced my soul. “Why should I stay, Y/N?! You clearly don’t need me third wheeling.” 

His stare landed on the man that stood frozen on our steps of the brownstone. 

“It’s not what you think,” I pleaded with a slight slur. “Please listen.” 

“Isn’t it?!” Sebastian's anger vibrated off the walls. “I thought I would surprise you by coming home early but end up finding you with some other guy in our home!” 

“If you would just listen to me,” I begged. “We weren’t doing anything. He was only making sure I made it home from the bar okay.” 

Seb scoffed. “Really? Then why were you half naked in front of him when I found you?” 

“Just let me explain, please.” 

I stumbled over my feet as I tried to follow him outside of our home. The alcohol was incredibly strong, making it difficult to see straight. 

“I’m done, Y/N. We’re through.” 

“Y/N?” 

Snapping back from my thoughts, I noticed that Seb was looking at me with a concerned face. 

“Are you alright?” 

The words stumbled from my lips before I could stop myself. “I never cheated, Seb. That night was a huge misunderstanding.” 

His body immediately tensed, being caught off guard by my words. 

“I’m not talking about this, Y/N. It’s done. It happened and that's it.” 

“Nothing happened!” I suddenly snapped. “I swear to God, you think you know what happened but you don’t!” 

“What is there to explain, Y/N?! I find you in your underwear with another guy!” Seb’s voice was now raised to match my own. 

“I thought he was you!” I admitted. “I got so drunk that I thought this nice guy that offered to walk me home was you! I know getting drunk was no excuse but I was so lonely that I drank that night away in a bar. You told me you weren’t coming back for another two weeks and I thought that guy was you. Turns out he was gay and was actually trying to get me into bed to sleep.” 

“Oh.” 

I scoffed. “Oh? That’s all you have to say?” 

“What else do you want me to say, Y/N?” Seb retorted back. 

“How about I’m sorry for assuming that you had an affair?” 

When he stayed silent, I shook my head with a look of disbelief. “This is why I didn’t want to have this stupid dinner. We can’t be together for more than an hour before screaming at each other!” 

I stood from the table but froze when Seb did the same. “Then why haven’t you signed the damn divorce papers?! You keep trying to keep me around and it’s selfish, Y/N. How can I move on if you won’t sign those papers?!”

“Because I still love you! I’m not ready to let you go. It’s not fair that Alessandra gets to spend time with you on those vacations and gets to see you so happy. It’s not fair that she gets to share the same bed with you, our bed. It’s not fucking fair that she gets your love when I don’t! So call me selfish, I don’t care. But if you want those papers signed so damn bad then I will sign them when I get back home.” 

I went to storm away, back to the hotel room, however the great feeling of finally being able to tell Sebastian my true feelings kept surging through me. 

“I’m not done yet,” I spoke while facing him again. 

He was standing a few feet away from me with his hands deep into his pockets. His eyes held confusion, trying to let the words ‘i still love you’ process in his mind. 

“In our wedding vows, you promised me that we would work through whatever issues we had. You would listen before assuming the worst. What changed?” 

Sebastian let out a deep breath. “Honestly, I knew we were growing apart and I was looking for an easy out.” 

Those words stung but I nodded, accepting it. “I know that I haven't signed the papers but you haven't either. Why?”

“I’m afraid,” Seb admitted. 

“Of what?” 

“Starting over, I guess. What we had was all I had ever known. A part of me knows that we were so in love and we had some amazing times together. We were passionate about everything together, our dreams were in sync and hell, even in the bedroom we were in sync.” 

My cheeks flushed at the thoughts of us in bed together but let Sebastian continue. 

“I think the reason why we grew apart was that we never had time to grow on our own. Y/N, I was the only guy you had ever been with and it put a lot of pressure on me to make sure you weren’t missing anything.” 

“You’re the only one I ever wanted, Seb.” I let the tears fall this time. “I had so much pressure on myself to keep you interested and happy. You knew all these beautiful girls and were around them all the time. Drinking was the only way I could deal with the jealousy. In the end, it only pushed you away.” 

“You were the only one I was thinking about when I was gone.” Sebastian coughed, trying to cover a sob. “I loved you so much, Y/N. I never wanted to be with anyone else.”

“What about now?,” I wondered. “How do you feel about me now? Do I still make your heart skip a beat when I walk into the room or does your stomach do those flips whenever I laugh?” 

I could tell that he was in deep thought, truly wondering what he felt for me. 

“Please be honest. I need to know the truth to move on.” I sobbed. “If you tell me that you never want to see me again and want me out of your life, then I will walk away from you right now. I’ll go back home tomorrow and deliver the divorce papers to your lawyer, signed. But if there is even a slight chance you want me, then please let me know.” 

For the first time in a very long time, I saw Seb break down and cry. His soft sobs broke me and I fought the urge to run into his arms. 

“I don’t know. I should have stayed away from you the moment I sent you the divorce papers but I couldn’t. I found myself making excuses to come see you, to be with you. I tried to move on, hoping being with someone else would make it easier to forget about you but it only made it worse.”

“Then why didn’t you stay with me?” I choked. 

“I was afraid,” Sebastian admitted. 

“Afraid of what?” I pressed on with the questions. 

However I noticed that Seb’s body tensed up, the topic suddenly coming to an immediate halt. 

“We should head back, it's getting dark.” He motioned towards our hotel room behind me. 

“Not until you answer the question. What were you afraid of?” I stood tall, arms crossed. 

Sebastian shook his head, the same sour scowl appeared on his face that I had become all too familiar with. 

“I need some space,” was all he said before leaving me alone. 

Yet again. 

My body thrashed against the bed sheets, tossing and turning, trying to let sleep take me. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore did nothing to calm my tired brain. Darkness engulfed the room, the only light casting on the wall opposite of my back from the moon outside. 

The throbbing knocking of a headache kept pressing against my skull and now matter what I could do, I couldn’t stop the tears from staining the pillow case. 

I had returned to the hotel room, alone, and after crying in the shower for over an hour, I mustered all of my strength to throw a tshirt and a pair of underwear on before crawling into bed. Seb hadn’t returned yet and the only thing that let me know he was still in town was that his bags were still neatly placed on the other side of the room, next to the mini bar. 

The mini bar that had called to me so many times since returning. I fought the urge, ignoring the temptation and only thinking of one thing that mattered to me anymore. 

My sobriety. 

Letting out a deep sigh, I clutched the pillow closer to me and as I heard the door click open behind me, my body tensed. 

Thinking I was asleep, Sebastian quietly undressed himself before softly climbing into bed not wanting to wake me. Our backs were to one another and the space between us was cold and alone. 

The space between us was a representation of how far away we had felt from one another, emotionally. 

It was made clear by me that I still selfishly loved him and refused to sign the papers because I had hope that we would work through this like we worked through all of our other problems. 

Sebastian made it clear that he was afraid of letting me go, he was comfortable with me and he wasn’t sure if love was the right word to express his feelings for me. He was afraid of telling me why. 

As the tears returned, I buried my face into my pillow to silence my cries, not wanting to let Sebastian know I was awake. 

There was a sudden shift in the bed, the mattress dipping low as Seb’s body rolled over towards me. Suddenly, I felt all the bad melt away as his arm wrapped around my stomach, pulling me into his bare chest. 

“Please stop crying. I can’t take it anymore knowing I’m the reason why,” he breathed into my hair. 

The familiar feeling of his chest against my back seemed to calm my sobs for a moment. 

“I know I need to move on and let you go but I can’t. I love you, Seb.” I cried. 

“I know sweetheart, I know.” Seb hushed my cries by pulling me closer to him. 

Turning to my side, I buried my face into him. The small hairs of his chest tickling my cheeks. My hands clutched his hips, afraid this was all a dream and that he would vanish at any second. His soft lips brushed against my forehead before I felt him take a deep breath. 

“I was afraid of not living up to the husband I vowed to be. I loved you so much, Y/N and I wanted to give you everything you deserved. That’s why I took as many jobs as I could, so I could provide for you and our future.” 

“I was afraid that you’d wake up one day and realize that I wasn’t worth fighting for. I thought that being away from you and causing you all this pain would make it easier for you to leave me but in the end it only brought us closer I think.” 

Pulling away from him, I looked into his eyes. “How so?” 

His soft fingers gently brush a stand of hair from my eyes. “We both needed time to grow and realize what we truly wanted.” 

Licking my lips, my gaze bounced from his plump lips towards the soft glow of love oozing from his eyes. 

“And what is it that you want?” I gulped. 

Our eyes locked and no words were spoken as Seb leaned down, his lips meeting mine for the first time in over a year. All the time apart meant nothing, both remembering the way our lips would move together in sync. His hand cupped my cheek, afraid that I would pull away, while my arms snaked around his neck, deepening the kiss. 

Unfortunately, we both needed to come up for air and reluctantly pulled away. Seb’s thumb brushed my cheek bone and I closed my eyes at the familiar touch. 

“What about-?”

Sebastian hushed the name from my lips with a soft kiss. “It’s been over for months. I tried to move on but nobody is you.” 

“I vow to remain sober and whenever I have issues with myself or I’m feeling myself pulling away from you, that I will talk to you about it. I vow that I will be the woman you fell in love with all those years ago. Just please don’t leave me. I need you so much more than you know.” I pressed my lips to his again, loving the way they tasted. 

Sebastian brushed his lips against my hairline, breathing in my scent. “I want you, all of you, now and for the rest of my life. This I vow to you.” 

“I love you, Sebastian Stan.” I breathed. 

“I love you too, Y/N Stan. More than you will ever know,” Sebastian mused. 

[yemilnisu]

I feel you too! when I’m on a road trip, my mind keeps on wandering 🙋🏻‍♀️

Can I request for Iwa? I miss this guy so much 🤧 Hmm.. where his gf is asking him a lot of questions because she saw him with a girl and it bothered her, Iwa became annoyed and it lead to a fight. U can change the scenario if u want hehehe sucker for angst to fluff here. Thank you!

Have a safe trip too!

nisu entries:

hi, bub! I apologize for the late response. I changed it a bit because I’m an idiot and taught that in the timeskip this was Iwa’s job ksjsjs I hope you’ll still enjoy this :>

DOUBT

Synopsis: there’s always something that will make you question your faith to your partner but the question is would the both of you work it out or break it off?

Pairing: gym instructor!iwaizumi x fem!reader

Genre: angst to fluff

Word Count: 1.8K

Having a professional gym instructor as your boyfriend is fun. You get to go to the gym as much as you’d like and you can stay as long as you’d like and you also get a hot instructor to guide you with no fees needed, just give him all your love and affection afterwards and it’s all good.

But there’s always something that you hate about his job. All these girls can take advances towards your boyfriend. Especially this new girl that seems to take her advances to the next level and you watched as your boyfriend seems to enjoy his time with her.

The girl glanced at your direction, scanned you from head-to-toe and leaned towards your boyfriend’s ear and whispered something. The lad seems to become a little flustered for the reason that his cheeks flushed red then he peered to your direction, when you the two of you made eye contact, he weirdly avoided your gaze.

You waited patiently for this last session of his to finish, either listening to some music or simply scrolling through your feed but your mind was wandering somewhere else, whether what the girl’s relationship with your boyfriend was or what they were talking about earlier and right now. You trust your boyfriend with all your heart but the way his cheeks grew the hue of pink, made you question some things...

When the two of you got home, you contemplated on whether you’re going to ask him or not. Thinking he might get mad because that just means that you don’t trust him the same way he does.

But you can’t help it the memory of him blushing because of some other girl seriously made an impact to you. If he doesn’t love you anymore and find other girls attractive, you want to hear it from him.

“Uh, Hajime, who is she?” you asked trying not to sound like the ‘possessive’ girlfriend. You knew that it was his job and that was his client but you just can’t help to hear what she was to him.

“What do you mean?” he replied and quickly putting his attention back to what he was doing. He was arranging his schedule for tomorrow and he needed to finish it as soon as possible because a lot of people wanted to have a training session with him.

“The girl earlier...” you muttered under your breath as you sink into the couch, fidgeting with the hem of your shorts.

Iwaizumi’s gaze didn’t left the screen of his computer when he sighed, “you need to be a little more specific.” He knows you were beating around the bush and in that moment he was a bit irritated about it. Can’t you go straight to the point and tell him what’s on your mind? He’s a little busy you know? He really wanted to finish this ASAP.

You peered at your boyfriend and he side-eyed you, waiting for your response. “The one wearing the cyan sports wear,” you lisped.

“You mean Irina?” he admonished. “She’s the new client. Why?”

“And? Is- is that all? I mean- how would you describe her...?” you stuttered out as you swallow your nervousness to what his answer might be down your throat.

“She’s kinda cool I guess? She’s the funniest client I had,” he gushed. You were about to say something but the ringing of his phone cut you off. He looked at the caller id and answered the phone. “Hello, Irina?”

Iwaizumi stared at you for a second before standing up and walking to the balcony of your shared apartment.

You gawked at his back while he hold his phone close to his ear. Why doesn’t he want you to hear their conversation? Is it that personal? He said she was just his client but why would he be talking about private matters with her? Did he lie to you? Why would he lie to you?

You came back to your senses when he turned around to look at you, you avoided his gaze and stood up to walk to the bedroom. It was 10 pm so you decided to sleep already. You knew he would stay up until late at night arranging his schedule because that’s just how well known he his in this field.

An hour already passed by but you were still awake. Shifting your position every so often, trying to find yourself a comfortable position. But it was not that you’re not comfortable, the bed was soft, the blanket wrapped around you in such a cozy manner and the air conditioner was at the right temperature. Everything was perfect but those were not the reason to your problem, to why you can’t sleep. The problem was your constant overthinking about what happened and what Iwaizumi said earlier.

He said she was cool? And even funny? When a person finds someone funny they’ll get attached to them right? So does that mean sooner or later, he’ll get attached to her? What about you? What will happen to your relationship?

You wanted to talk to him but doing so might be his chance to break up with you. You felt hot tears stream down your cheeks and you slowly drifted into slumber.

When you woke up, the other side of the bed was already empty. You didn’t see him sleep beside you nor wake up beside him, it made your heart ache. Your guess is that he already left for work. You were disappointed, did he really forgot what day it is?

When you lift the covers off of you and placed your feet at the floor, the usual cold, hard floor felt soft. You caught sight a trail that is made of red flower petals. When and how did those petals come from? Did you slept at the wrong house?

You followed the trail trying to avoid stepping on anymore petals even though it was soft and the sensation of the sole of your feet with the mushy petals was adequate, you felt bad for stepping on them.

When you reached the end of the trail you were at the living room. There was fairy lights everywhere and the coffee table was full of snacks and sweets you love. There was also a fort made out of blankets and pillow, it looked extremely comfortable that you wanted to lay on them right that instant but there was still a lot of questions on your mind. Who made them?

You felt a presence behind you and you slowly turned around. There stood the culprit holding a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

“Happy anniversary!” Your boyfriend beamed. He gave you the bouquet and you confusingly accepted them.

“I thought you forgot- how did you even get them? These are so rare,” you were completely astound as how he got the flowers you were holding. You leaned forward to sniff the bouquet and the aroma from it lingers through your nostrils was so relaxing.

“How could I forget? I spent all night trying to move all the schedules I had today,” he grumbled but he wasn’t mad about having to move them, he was mad he didn’t spend anytime with you yesterday. “I had some help from Irina,” he observed your reaction when he mentioned that name once again.

He knew you were significantly vigilant about the girl. He knew how extra fidgety you were last night and how you sunk into the couch when you asked about her but he can’t tell you anything or it will ruin the surprise. “You see, it turns out that she owns a flower shop and to my luck they have the flowers you adores so much,” he explained.

“Oh? I didn’t know talking about flowers can make you flustered?” you bleated. Iwaizumi was confused for a second but it quickly turned into a smirk.

“Oh, so you were watching,” he snickered. It wasn’t his intention to make you jealous but he’s getting so much amusement from it. He wanted to tease you a little more but he didn’t because he knows that there’s a 50 percent chance it will turn into an argument and he didn’t want to risk it, he didn’t want to ruin you guys’ anniversary.

You bit your bottom lip as you just exposed yourself. Your heart was pounding out of your chest when he answered, “Who wouldn’t? When you’re talking about the person you love.”

You furrowed your eyebrows and tried to observe his expression.

“Yes, dummy. We were talking about you,” he bloated. You can feel the side of your lips arc upwards but you stop it before your boyfriend notices. “She said how lucky I was to have you and how extremely patient you were because you waited for our session to finish. She even said to never let you go because you were the type of girl that is one of a kind,” he elaborated.

You can see that he was sincere. Iwaizumi was never the type of guy to give you long paragraphs or tell you long speeches of how much he loves, he thought that those things are just too cringe for his liking and you completely understood. Even though he wasn’t the type to get cheesy with you he never fails to show how much he loves you.

Like he’ll try to fix his schedule just so he can pick you up and drop you off work, even though you have told him countless of times to not do that, he’s still doing it well you can’t really talk him out of things when he sets his mind to. And when he canceled all of his session for two whole days just so he can take care of you because you weren’t feeling well. That’s how the Hajime Iwaizumi shows affection, your Hajime Iwaizumi.

“And I don’t plan to. I’ll never ever let go of you, Y/n,” he continued, staring deep into your eyes and slowly leaning forward.

“You’re just saying that,” you huffed and shoved him the bouquet. You were completely messing with him. The look on his face when you pushed him away was priceless. His eyes wide open from your sudden rejected and lips slightly parted.

Before you can even take a step away from him, he grabbed your wrist and pulled you closer by the waist. You always knew how to tease him and Iwaizumi doesn’t mind, he doesn’t mind being teased by you. He found it kinda hot, how you can easily piss him off just because rejected his kiss or his hug. Only you have that kind of power and affect on him. “I don’t think so, princess,” he murmured, his voice deep and raspy. He leaned towards your face and kissed you slowly and with so much affection.

This time you let yourself smile. Who knew even after years of dating Iwaizumi never fails to make the butterflies in your stomach go feral.

[make-me-imagine]

Prompt: “Hey, want to help me get my parents off my ass about not having a date?” (from Christmas prompt list #3)

x Part Two Here x

Pairing: Greg Lestrade x Gen!Neutral Reader

Requested by: Anonymous

Triggers: None        Words: 1,543

Note: I’m not sure how I feel about this, but I hope you like it~ Let me know if I should do a part two. 

You sighed as you finally finished a long report on your most recent case. The report would have been simple, had Sherlock Holmes not been involved. Sure he solves the cases, but damn does he make it difficult sometimes. 

Hearing your phone begin to buzz you saw your mothers name on the screen. You had been expecting a call all week, and knew what it would entail. Taking a breath, you answered the phone with a cheerful greeting. 

“Hello darling” your mothers voice rang through the phone. 

“I can’t talk for long mother I’m still at work” 

“Oh I’m sorry, but I just need to make sure you can make it to dinner on Saturday”

You rolled your eyes “Mom I told you I couldn’t make it already, besides, even if I could you know I wouldn’t enjoy the incessant comments” you lied about having plans, you really did not want to have to deal with your distant family members. 

Your mother chuckled “But it’s family, and it’s Christmas, you must come.” 

“Christmas isn’t for another few weeks mom”

“But it’s the only time your relatives can make it. Now, what plans could you have that wouldn’t allow you to come?”

“I have a date” you spat out, immediately regretting it. That was the go to excuse when someone from work or a not-so acquaintance asked you out. But to give that excuse naturally to your mother would backfire. You heard your mother gasp on the other side of the phone. You brought your hand to your face in frustration, damning yourself for not thinking it through. 

“Well then bring them!” she yelled through the phone. 

“Mom, no. We haven’t been dating that long, to bring him to a Christmas family dinner would be ridiculous” you replied smoothly. 

Your mother hummed through the phone line “Are you lying to me?”

“What?” you asked incredulously. 

“I don’t think you have a date, let alone a boyfriend” You scoffed audibly, offended, as she continued “Prove it to me”

“What? Mom-”

“Who is it?”

“Mom”

“What’s his name? I’d like to talk to him”

“Okay!” you said, stopping her incessant questions “You can talk to him, briefly, and no interrogation, I don’t need you scaring him away” 

“Fantastic, when can I call to speak to him?”

You sighed “In twenty minutes, I’ll be having lunch with him then” you lied.

“Talk to you then, bye sweetheart” 

“Bye mom” you said as she hung up. 

You groaned as you slammed your face onto your desk, earning the glances of all your nearby coworkers. He was never going to let this go. 

He, of course, being Greg. Who was the person you were having lunch with, a business lunch technically. But you were friends, and he owed you more than one favor. You sat at your desk, thinking about what you were going to say to him once you went into his office. After about ten minutes you rose from your desk and made your way towards his office.

You and Greg had a not-so-complicated, yet also definitely complicated relationship. You were friends, very good friends. That flirted, and went to the other for everything. Both of you knew that you had feelings from one another, but neither of you seemed to deal with them. 

As you entered into his office, he looked up at you, his smile faltered as he quickly asked “What’s wrong?”

You were taken aback slightly at how easily he could tell how you were feeling. Moving past it you sat down in the chair in front of his desk. Not sure where to start, you spoke bluntly “Want to help me get my parents off my ass about not having a date?”

Greg stared at you in silence for a moment before he let out a hearty laugh “Oh my God, you told your mother you had a date to get out of going to that family dinner didn’t you?” he asked through chuckles. 

You sighed and rolled your eyes, annoying at how well he knew you “Yeah yeah, I just kind of blurted it out before I thought about it. And then she didn’t believe me and I sort of accidentally agreed to proving that I had a boyfriend by saying I was having lunch with him and that if she called he would talk to her briefly” you spoke quickly.

Greg laughed again as he shook his head “Wow, you certainly got yourself in it this time” 

“Come on Greg, please?” you asked through a laugh “You owe me”

He lifted his hand in the air “Alright alright, when is she calling?” 

You checked the clock “Uh, in about 10 minutes” 

“So do you have some elaborate backstory that I need to learn before talking to her?” he asked, clearly still amused.

“No, all I said was that we had only been dating for a short time, and that bringing him, you, to a Christmas family dinner would be ridiculous.”

“Hmm” he smiled as he leaned back in his chair “Sooo, what your saying is that whatever she asks on the phone, I can answer however I choose?” 

“Definitely not. Be vague” 

“Well I technically don’t have to lie to her do I? She already knows a little about me doesn’t she?” You nodded and shrugged your shoulders “So we can just tell the truth. I mean, more or less” he commented, which you nodded along with. 

A few more minutes passed as Greg made fun of the mess you got yourself into before you felt your phone begin to buzz. Looking at the ID and then Greg, who had a grin present on his face.

“Hey mom” you greeted, dreading what was about to happen as she already began to question you. Greg listened with amusement  “Yes, he’s right here. Greg. Yes, that Greg” he chuckled as he saw you roll your eyes before moving to hand him the phone. 

You leaned back in the chair, bracing for whatever was about to happen. Greg smiled at you as you heard the quiet excited chatter of your mothers voice on the phone as he answered. 

“Yes, that Greg” he chuckled at her questions “Yes, we are dating” he smiled as he looked at you, he liked saying that. Hearing him say that, with a smile on his face, you felt your heart jump in your chest. But trying to ignore it, you tried to hear what your mother was saying. “Oh, no, not long at all. Oh, dinner on Saturday?” 

You sat forward in your chair, motioning for him to say no “No, no!” you quietly whispered as he grinned at you. 

“I’d love to come to dinner”

You opened your mouth in shock as he agreed. “Oh, I’m sure I can convince her otherwise. We can always re-schedule our date” Greg spoke through a smile as he saw the shock and betrayal on your face. “No, I can’t wait to meet you either Mrs. L/n. Yes, alright, see you then, Bye”

As he hung up and set your phone down, he smiled at you “I think that went well”

You continued to stare at him for a moment before you spoke quietly “Why”

He chuckled before he sat forward “I like seeing you squirm” 

“I hate you” 

“No you don’t” he chuckled “But, to make it up to you, how about I treat you to that date I just apparently cancelled?”

Your heart jumped in your chest as Greg continued to smile at you, gaining control of yourself again you leaned forward slightly “You think I’d let you take me on a date after what you just doomed me to?”

He smirked “Yes, I do”

You let a smile finally grace your face “You certainly are confident aren’t you? You have no idea how horrible that dinner will be, not only for me, but for you too” you pointed at him. 

He chuckled “I’m sure I’ve been through worse. Besides, it’s about time we dealt with this” he motioned between the two of you “And if I can’t deal with your family that is a tell-tale sign isn’t it?”

You stared at him incredulously for a moment “So what, this dinner will be you testing the waters?”

He grinned “Oh no, this dinner will be me proving that we can do this”

“Do what?” you asked, even though you knew what he was going to say. But you wanted to hear him say it. 

He leaned forward “That we can, and should be together. We’ve been dancing around it for long enough. Half the precinct already thinks we are already together, might as well prove them right as well” 

You stared at each other for a moment before you smiled, standing and leaning over the table, taking your phone, which Greg still had. Your face was closer to his now. His eyes flicked down to your lips briefly before he looked back up to your eyes “Alright. How about this. You make it through that dinner unscathed, and successfully pulling off the lie that we are dating, and I’ll let you take me on that date’

His smirk grew as he leaned forward slightly, your faces even closer now “Deal”.

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

Let me know if I should do a part two to this (The Dinner) 

xx

[tommodirection]

Can you write one where you surprise Niall on tour? like its Niall's birthday and yn said he couldn't come bc of work you can do whatever you want at the end maybe put a smut 💗

Heylo! Thank you for sending in a request! Sorry this took so long! I hope you enjoy! Also, I don’t write smut, so it’s more implied at the end!☺️

Surprise

Niall Horan x Reader

Warnings: swearing, innuendos, spelling errors, brief mention of coffee addiction

Word Count: 2.1k

Masterlist

—

“Niall, I’m so sorry I can’t make it,” you apologized over the phone, probably for the thousandth time in the past week.

“Love, listen, it’s okay, you have to work, I understand, it’s not your fault,” Niall reassured you.

“I just feel really bad, I mean, it’s your birthday! What kind of girlfriend doesn’t make it to her boyfriend’s birthday?” You asked, clearly panicked.

“A girlfriend whose boyfriend has an abnormal job that requires him to travel around the world,” he said and you groaned. “Love it isn’t your fault, we can still FaceTime after the show, we’ll spend all night together then,” you heard the smile in his voice.

“I guess you’re right,” you sighed. “But I’d much rather just be there with you,” you bit your lip.

“Me too, but it’ll be okay, we can just celebrate when I come home, it’ll only be a few months late,” he joked and you giggled.

There was a knock on your bedroom, it opened a little to reveal Hailey, your friend.

“Listen, I have to go, but I’ll definitely call you tonight, okay bubs?” You asked, trying to hurry.

“Alright, love you,” he sang through the phone and you bit back another giggle.

“Love you,” you said, quickly hanging up and setting your phone down.

“You ready to go?” Hailey asked, a suitcase in her hand.

The truth was, you weren’t really going to miss Niall’s show. It was meant to be a surprise. You were going to fly down the night before his birthday, and then you were going to surprise him on stage, sounds simple enough to plan, right?

Not when your boyfriend’s show was in London, and you were in your shared LA apartment. Not when it was a ten hour flight.

It took off at 8 am in LA, so you’d arrive at 6 pm, LA time, but 4 am London time, so you’d basically have major jet lag and you’d get little to no sleep, but it was fine.

You grabbed your bag from under the bed, where there was no chance Niall could’ve seen it.

You popped up, grabbing your phone and carry-on bag.

Hailey practically shoved you into the car and hit the gas before your door was even closed.

You glanced at the clock, it was only 6:45, you had plenty of time.

“Hailey, why are you in such a rush?” You asked, shoving your bag in the backseat. You buckled your seatbelt and she huffed.

“This is why I’m hurrying,” she grumbled and gestured to the road. LA traffic.

Sometimes you forgot you lived in one of the busiest cities in the world, and not a small suburban area where there was rarely any traffic.

LAX was only a ten minute drive from your house, but the traffic tripled the time, you got there thirty minutes later, both of you running to the security check-in.

After clearing security, Hailey dragged you to the gate, clearly agitated. She stopped in front of the gate, seeing you had fifteen minutes left to board. She mumbled something under her breath and threw herself down in a chair.

You sat next to her, hesitant to touch her, but you still placed your hand on her arm. “H, are you okay? What’s going on?” You asked, keeping your voice low.

She looked away, clearly embarrassed. You tried to catch her eye but she kept looking away.

“Hailey,” you demanded, and she finally looked at you.

“I haven’t had my coffee this morning,” she admitted. You chuckled and stood up.

“That is definitely something we can fix.”

About fifteen minutes later, you were on the flight. Ten hours after that, you landed in London.

You and Hailey treaded into the hotel, both exhausted. Hailey could never sleep after drinking her coffee, so she didn’t sleep. You didn’t sleep because you were still a bundle of nerves.

It was mostly irrational fears, just little things that didn’t make sense, but still made you bite your nails. Your head was mostly just filled up with thoughts of him not wanting you there, but you knew Niall, and you knew he wasn’t going to be upset.

You and Hailey decided to book one room, you’d share with her tonight, and stay with Niall the rest of the time, she claimed you needed time alone, something you agreed with.

You settled into the bed, burying your head in the pillow. Excitement overwhelmed you, but your body was too tired to respond, so about three minutes later, you were out.

—

You woke up about four hours later, much more sleep than you thought you’d get.

Hailey was already up, sitting on her bed with a plate of food, her cup of coffee on the nightstand. She looked over at you, smiling when she saw you processing the surroundings.

“I got you breakfast,” she said, leaning over and grabbing another plate from the other side of the nightstand.

You groggily thanked her and began eating, the burnt toast leaving a bitter taste in your mouth, “Did you purposely burn the toast?” You asked.

She let out a low chuckle, “No, a little girl, a little toddler, insisted on making the toast, and I didn’t want to break her heart. Just eat the fruit when you’re done, it’ll cancel out the taste,” she suggested, and you squinted at her.

You didn’t think that was accurate, but you shrugged it off.

While you ate your burnt toast and bittersweet fruit, Hailey explained the itinerary for the day. First, you’d order lunch, and eat in the hotel room. Then, you’d stay in the hotel room until around five, then you’d drive to the stadium, Niall’s show started at five thirty.

You had to remain in the hotel room so your surprise wouldn’t be ruined. Dating a celebrity, meant you became a celebrity. You couldn’t go out in public without being recognized, so if someone had seen you, and posted it, word would’ve gotten to Niall that you were in London.

The day was pretty boring, Hailey ordered Nando’s, claiming she’d never had it before. You watched a few old rom coms on the cable television in your room, there weren’t many options.

Around four thirty, Hailey began getting you ready for Niall’s show.

You had chosen the look, and she was there to help you complete it. She had allowed you to get dressed in your own (thankfully) and even let you put on your mascara.

Instead of a fancy dress, you decided to wear a nice pleated short-skirt, a plaid black and white one. You’d chosen a red turtleneck, knowing Niall loved that color on you.

You stepped out of the bathroom, quickly taking a seat in front of Hailey. She grabbed her makeup bag and got to work.

You had told her to go light, it was Niall’s birthday, not a wedding, but Hailey liked to over exaggerate things a bit.

She had already put on the basics, including a perfect Smokey eye, something you still couldn’t accomplish. She had chosen a bright shade of red lipstick, one that matched your sweater perfectly.

After about six different styles, she decided to put your hair half up, curling it towards the ends.

You were surprisingly patient through the whole thing, humming and nodding when she spoke about nonsense at work, trying to hold still as much as possible.

She stepped away, a satisfied smile on her face. You stood up, and gave her a little twirl. She tapped her finger against her chin as if she was thinking.

“You know who you remind me of?” She asked, and you shook your head. “Heather Chandler,” she said confidently.

You have a confident smile, placing your hand on your hip. “Listen, if I look like the sexiest woman alive, I am completely okay with that,” you shot back and Hailey giggled.

She glanced down at her watch, her eyes going wide. “Shit! It’s 4:55! We were supposed to be on the road at 4:45!” She exclaimed, gripping your arm tightly. “Grab your shoes! Put them on in the rental!” She ordered, and you scurried to do what she said.

You both ran to the car, and you climbed in, not even getting buckled before she pulled onto the street. You looked around the car, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“When did you have time to pick up a rental car?” You asked, looking at her profile.

“I woke up two hours before you did, grabbed some good coffee from a café down the street, and ran back to the hotel. My cup ran out, so I grabbed a shitty hotel cup. That’s when I grabbed breakfast,” she explained and you nodded, then realizing what she had meant.

“You only got two hours of sleep last night?” You asked and she shrugged.

“Eh, I’m fine, just a little tired, but one more cup will help with that,” she said, and you shook your head firmly.

“Hailey, no, when we get there, I’m making you take a nap, and don’t even try to argue with me!” You ordered, pointing a finger at her.

She gave you a fake pout, then an exaggerated sigh, “Fine.”

You thanked her, and waited while she drove there, turning on her playlist. A few One Direction songs came on, ones she claimed she didn’t know how they got on that playlist, but you loved it.

About fifteen minutes later, you pulled up near the back of the arena. Hailey parked the car, shutting the engine off. She turned to you, “Got your ID?”

You nodded, pulling it out of your purse to show her. She stepped out of the car, you followed shortly after.

It was weird, having her take the lead, you were the one who planned it, but she did a much better job of running it, she was in charge of executing it.

You both made your way to the gates, ringing a buzzer. The man requested to see your IDs, and let you in after clearing you.

Niall’s manager ran up to you, giving you a quick hug before instructing you where to go. You told them what you had told Hailey, and you made sure someone was making sure she slept.

You stepped onto the platform, waiting for your cue. Niall was performing right now. It was a small show, so he didn’t bother with any openers, giving them a paid night off.

He was talking to the crowd now, meaning you were about to be lifted up. Your palms began to sweat, so you resorted to wiping them on your skirt.

“Thank all of you so much for coming out tonight! As many of you know, today’s my birthday, and it means the world to be celebrating it with you all!” He shouted into the mic.

You adjusted your mic, clipped to your collar, and braced yourself when the platform rose.

Niall and everyone else must’ve noticed, because he went silent, the crowd roaring in confusion.

The smoke cleared to reveal you, an extra effect Niall’s manager insisted on having.

“Speaking of who you get to spend your birthday with,” you said, smiling at Niall.

His jaw dropped, and he stood frozen for a few seconds. The audience was cheering, screaming and you swear you heard someone in the first few rows crying.

Niall nearly dropped his guitar, deciding to gently set it on the ground instead. He ran over to you, immediately sweeping you up and spinning you around.

He set you down and pulled you into a tight hug, burying his face in your neck. “You actually came,” he said, and you nodded.

“Of course, I can’t leave you all alone on your birthday,” you bit your lip, pressing a quick kiss to the top of his head. “Happy birthday, bubs,” you placed your hand on his cheek, and he leaned into it, beaming at you.

“I love you,” he whispered, and you smiled back at him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“I love you too,” this caused the crowd to let out a collective ‘aw’, making both of you blush. You gently massaged his scalp, pulling away from his embrace. “I’m going to go backstage now, you finish this concert strong, I’ll be waiting,” you had taken off your mic, and whispered the last part in his ear.

He grabbed your arm and pulled you back to him, “Don’t you dare start without me,” he growled and you smirked, pulling away.

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t,” you bit your lip and he let out a small groan, “I’ll see you backstage,” you sent him a wink, making your way back to your platform, where you were lowered back down.

You were in for quiet the hell of a night.

———

Permanent Taglist: @everything-is-alrightt

(Lemme know if you want to be added!)

[brywrites]

For A Living

A/N: Reid has worked hard to keep his job a secret from the Reader, who he’s been dating. But she’s a little more perceptive than he expected.

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

For once in his life, everything seems to be good. He is sitting in a coffee shop drinking a mocha full of sugar, talking about the previously unpublished Hemingway short story to a girl whose eyes light up with every word. She is just as excited about “A Room on the Garden Side” as he is, and he can’t help but smile to himself. Everything is perfect.

Until she asks him what his plans are for next week, and he responds that he’s not sure yet.

“Well, my old roommate, Rimsha, is coming into town. She wants to stay at my place, and she was hoping to meet you. If that’s okay with you,” she adds, looking a little embarrassed.

“No, of course, I – I would love to meet her,” Reid stammers, though meeting new people isn’t his favorite thing in the world. But it matters to her, so he’s willing to try. “I just, uh, I’m not sure what my week will look like.”

Y/N pauses, looking down at the muffin in front of her. She teeters on the edge of speaking, and he’s trying to figure out what she’s so afraid to say. Is there something he should know about Rimsha? Is she worried their meeting won’t go well? Despite his analysis of her behavior, nothing could have prepared him for what comes from her mouth next.

“When are you going to tell me what your real job is?”

Reid blanches. “Wh-what?”

She sighs. “We’ve been dating for three months. I know you’re not just a college professor, Spencer.”

“I – I am a college professor.” He crosses his arms under his chest, trying to keep calm.

“I know that’s what you told me when we met. And when we started dating, you were teaching full-time, but you only taught for a month. So what is it you do the rest of the time?” she asks. Oh no. No, he’s not ready to answer this question.

“I do research.” Reid hopes the slight telltale crack in his voice isn’t noticeable to her. If it is, she says nothing about it, only stares at him with focused eyes and a slightly quirked eyebrow.

“Your research requires you to leave suddenly and travel to different time zones?”

She’s more observant than he thought. “I told you before, I guest lecture at other universities and I… I go to, uh, conferences.”

“Where you’re so busy you can’t talk to me?” When they get a case, he always try to talk his way out of it if he has to cancel plans, but when he’s away he never calls her. It’s too risky. With her, he lets his guard down. It’s too likely he’d end up mentioning something that happened at work, so he sticks to a strict text-message only policy.

“Um – I, uh…” he can’t find the words and now he’s tapping his foot in patterns of three and he can feel the anxiety building up in his chest. What is he supposed to say? What is he supposed to do? Is he about to lose the woman who has been the light of his life since he met her five months ago?

But one gentle look from her calms his racing heart. Her eyes are soft and she gives him a reassuring smile. “Hey, it’s okay.” She slowly reaches out to place her hand over his, and he can feel his body relax. “I’m not mad at you. I know you, and I know that there’s a reason you haven’t told me, yet. But I want you to know that you can trust me. I can’t be there for you if you don’t let me in.”

When she has a rough day at work or when something comes up with her family, he’s always there to comfort her and listen to her. All she wants is to do the same for him.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” he starts. “I just – there’s… it’s more complicated than that.” He can’t find the words to explain, but he knows that he has to. He really likes her. This beautiful girl who loves books as much as he does, and doesn’t mind his rambling. Who asked him about the book he was reading three weeks in a row at the coffee shop they both frequented before he worked up the nerve to ask her about her book; after which they ended up in a four hour long conversation, during which the barista brought them free refills of their lattes (“because it’s about damn time you two actually talked to each other,” she’d said).

He adores he kindness and her laugh and the way a hug from her makes the world feel right again. Her patience with his quiet cover-up has lasted this long, and he’d begun to think she hadn’t noticed. How had he fooled himself into believing that? She’s so smart, of course she knew.

At that very moment, his phone buzzes with a familiar ringtone. Reid digs into his bag and pulls out his cell, only to be greeted with a message from Garcia: ALL HANDS ON DECK MATEYS, WE HAVE ARR-SELVES A CASE. When he looks back at Y/N, she nods, and he wonders which one of them is the profiler.

“Research conference?” she asks, a little coy.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I have to go.” He quickly shoves his things into his satchel, and reaches over to squeeze her hand. “But I promise, when I get back, we’ll talk.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon.” And she flashes him that smile he loves so much. What would she say if she knew where he was off to? That each call meant running into danger?

All through the case, that question comes back to him. Something could happen to him while he’s away, and she would be left to navigate a field of questions on her own. Wondering why he didn’t tell her what he did, and why it was so risky, and why he couldn’t trust her with that.

The truth is he would trust her with everything, anything. He’d give her his heart tomorrow if she asked for it, but he’s trying to keep hers safe.

Reid is gone for three days, and he doesn’t call her once. She only sends him one text – call me when you’re home.They catch the man killing women in a small Missouri town, and the case is closed without anyone on the team getting hurt. The whole plane ride home he’s on the edge of his seat, mind racing with all the things he wants to say to her. He goes home and paces his living room for an hour and a half before finally calling her, and asking if she’ll come over to talk.

“So, how was the conference, professor?” she asks, taking a seat on his couch.

He sighs. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. The last few days were hard and I didn’t want to say the wrong thing.”

“The only wrong thing you can say is nothing.” She bites her lip, and when she looks up at him he shivers under the intensity of her gaze. “Spencer, I love you.” It’s the first time she’s ever said it out loud and it takes his breath away to hear those words from her. “And I want to keep loving you, but I can’t do that if you can’t open up to me. Why do you keep trying to hide this from me?”

“I’m not trying to keep anything from you,” he says, sitting down beside her. “I was… I was trying to protect you. Because I love you, too.”

“What could be so bad that you can’t tell me? Where do you go all the time? What are you doing?”

Reid swallows hard. “Y/N, it’s not that I don’t think you can handle it. I know you’re strong. But when you came into my life, it was like this – this bright light. I see so much darkness, and I just don’t want you to have to deal with that. I don’t want what I’ve seen to ever make you worry more or smile less or dim that light you bring to every room you go into.”

She puts her hand on his. “And I don’t want to leave you alone in the dark.”

Her eyes are pleading with him, and he’s never been good at saying no to her. He can’t keep this up. He can’t hide this part of his life for her forever. Acknowledging it means acknowledging all the harm that comes with it – the loss of colleagues, the trauma, the drugs… everything. But she deserves to know.

He takes a deep breath. “I work for the FBI.”

Y/N narrows her eyes. “Spencer, I’m being serious.”

“So am I!”

“I’m supposed to believe that my bookworm boyfriend who abhors physical activity is a secret agent?”

Reid jumps up to grab his messenger back from its hook, fumbles briefly in the pockets, and returns to the sofa with a small black holding case in hand. He gives it to her and adds, “Technically, it’s supervisory special agent.”

He watches as she opens it up and stares at the badge and ID inside. Her mouth falls open and her eyes widen as she stares up at him and if he weren’t so nervous he’d find the expression on her face absolutely adorable. Y/N looks between him and the badge before asking, “What’s BAU?”

“It’s the Behavioral Analysis Unit. That’s the division my team works in. We use psychology to profile repeat offenders.” He winces at the words that sound straight out of his orientation manual.

Her eyebrows knit together. “Profiling? Like… Silence of the Lambs or something?”

“More or less,” he says. “My team is a specialized unit. When local law enforcement has something on their hands that they can’t handle, they call us in. It might be a terrorist threat, a child abduction, or a serial killer – though it’s usually the latter.”

He can see the pieces starting to come together for her.

“So that’s where you go when you leave.”

He nods. “We fly out to wherever we’re needed and consult. And if we’re lucky, we catch unsu- um, the suspect, before they can hurt anyone else.”

Y/N runs her fingers of the edges of his badge, staring at it as if it can make sense of all of this. “So when you say you’ve seen things…”

He figures it’s best to keep being honest. “Yeah. Bodies. Crime scenes. Death. The most depraved human beings on the planet. It’s an abyss. There are a lot of things that haunt me. And there are things I’ve done that I’m not proud of. And I’ll answer any question you want, I just need you to know that I wasn’t trying to hide this from you because I didn’t want you to know. I just didn’t want to weigh you down with it. I wanted to pretend, for just a little while, that I’m not the person who gets in the mind of monsters. Because when I’m with you, I can forget all of that. I feel better when I’m with you. And I guess I was afraid that if I told you what I did, that something bad would happen.”

“What do you mean?” she asks.

“This job is dangerous. I know friends who have lost loved ones – either because the job is too much or because someone we’re trying to catch makes things personal. I thought I could protect you from all of that by hiding my job from you.”

“This is a lot to take in,” she says quietly.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Is the only thing you’ve lied to me about?”

“Yes. There are things I haven’t told you about yet that have happened because of this job, but I don’t want to keep any more secrets from you. I’ll tell you everything, I swear. But everything else is real. I’m still me. I do teach when I’m on sabbatical. I’ve read every book by Tolstoy in English and Russian. My mom does have schizophrenia. And I do love you.”

Y/N sets the badge down on the couch between them and puts her hand over his. On instinct, he twines their fingers together. She keeps him grounded, tethered in the midst of all the madness.

“So you’re a genius and a hero, huh?”

He chuckles. “To be honest, I don’t really care about being either of those things. All I want is to be the man who gets to love you.”

She brushes his hair back from his cheek, her touch so soft he could melt. “No more secrets?”

“I promise.”

“Good. I can handle the dark. I can be strong. But you’re the one who makes me smile. And I don’t want to stop loving you.”

He can’t help but grin. What he has with her is better than anything he had ever dreamed of, and he doesn’t know how he got so lucky, but he swears he’s not going to mess this up. The BAU is his job, his team, the way he makes a living. But with her, he has a chance to build a life. “I took next weekend off, by the way. So whenever Rimsha is here, I would love to meet her.”

The smile playing at the corner of her mouth is mischievous. “Oh don’t worry, there’s going to be plenty of time for that, Mr. FBI Man. But for now, I kind of want you all to myself.” She leans in to kiss him, and he knows – that for once in his life everything, everything is good.

[sanchosammy]

It wasn’t a mistake.

Description: You and Frankie have been best friends for years, which is why you’re shocked to wake up in his bed after a night of drinking together. Too scared he’ll push you away after this, you push him out first. Too bad the two of you are forced to deal with your feelings on a camping trip with the guys.

Warnings: Cursing, talks of sex, drinking, I think that’s all?

NOTE: This isn’t my best work, I am not going to lie. but it is a fun read if you’re interested. Enjoy babes!

Word Count: 5,038.

“Fuck,” You moaned out. The pain from your splitting headache made for a rude awakening from your slumber. A familiar smell of cologne surrounded you as you breathed in, and a coolness lingered over your exposed skin causing you to stir further.

Your eyes slowly lifted open as you looked around your surroundings. Frankie’s bedroom... 

Oh God, Frankie’s bedroom. You noticed his arm loosely hugging your waist as he slept. The alcohol filled memories started to flood your brain and the night came back to you.

You found out about your promotion yesterday, which was kind of a big deal to you. It was something you worked your ass off for and to be recognized with a raise was everything you wanted. The boys wanted to celebrate with you truly, but it all fell through. Everyone had something come up last minute.

It wasn’t something taken personally by you, you didn’t know about the promotion until the last minute yourself. However, that did not stop Francisco Morales from wanting to celebrate this moment with you. The two of you were the closest out of everyone, a friendship that was filled with so many stupid stories and wonderful memories.

With the pictures to prove it.

Frankie was there no matter the situation. The man simply had balance to him, he would be there when you needed some to wrap their arms around you for comfort but he would also spend his weekend helping you with house projects. He does it all. The problem was he was too good of a man. Which left you madly in love with him. It started off throughout your time in the army together. You had only grown closer as time went on. Him and you spending more time together than anyone else within the last three years. 

You thought over the night before to remember how you found yourself in Frankie’s bed. The two of you had never even kissed before, how did it escalate into sex so fast? 

You carefully sat up trying not to disturb Frankie’s sleeping figure. The side of his face was pushed against his pillow as his arm hung around you. He looked so peaceful when he slept. A small smile formed as you noticed his bedhead, you loved his shaggy hair.

You looked around the room as you once again thought over the memories. Frankie wanted to celebrate the promotion no matter how much you told him it wasn’t a big deal. He knew you wanted to acknowledge your hard work deep down so he pushed on anyway. It started off with a small cheers with a couple of beers, and that turned into full blown drinking after Frankie decided to teach you an old drinking game he played as a teenager.

Truthfully, it was a simple game. You needed a shot glass and a bottle cap. The both of you had to take turns attempting to get the bottle cap into the shot glass from a distance, and if you missed then you had to drink. And if one of you actually managed to get the cap into the glass, the other person had to chug their drink.

The both of you knew you were too old to be drinking like this, but the game became a friendly competition between the two of you. The small example round turning into a full blown game and after a while the both of you were equally fucked up.

You don’t know why the mood shifted. At some point Frankie’s touch seemed to light a fire on your skin, and he must’ve felt it too because he was the first one to lean in for the kiss. Which somehow turned into the two of you having sex in his bedroom. You could remember it and you knew Frankie would too. The both of you knew how to handle your alcohol, but the judgement of sleeping with your best friend seemed to slip away with a little help from liquid courage.

Your cheeks burned at the details flashing through your mind. You had fantasized about the idea of sleeping with Frankie countless times, seeming you’ve been in love with him so long, but the real thing was so much better than you could’ve expected. He was focused on you the entire time and dammit… Francisco was a giving lover. 

The picture of him between your legs was now burned in your mind. A shame lingered behind though. You slept with your best friend. How could you do something so stupid? You managed to not openly flirt with the man for over several years and it all came crashing down after the both of you knocked back a few drinks? 

The realization of how this changed everything creeped in. The two of you probably wouldn’t be the same after this. From the silence of the house you could hear your heart shatter if you listened hard enough. All of your time together stripped away from you within a night. 

Your eyes burned at the sudden presence of hot tears. You just wanted to leave at this point, it was overwhelming. How could something feel so right, and somehow end up being so wrong? 

You shifted from the bed removing his arm as gentle as you could. Finding your clothes scattered on the floor and you hurriedly put them on. You were for sure a little hungover, but you’d have to pick something up on the way home because you didn’t have the balls to face him and have the ‘This was a mistake’ talk. You just couldn’t, it would absolutely crush you.

You closed his door and made sure to lock it behind you. The sun was too bright today as you forced yourself into the car faster than usual. The light from the sky and your sudden sky rocket of emotion causing the headache to feel so much worse.

As you backed out of his driveway, you found tears streaming down your face silently. You weren’t one to just burst into tears but this felt like a death suddenly. A death in friendship and a passing of the best part of your life so far. You looked at his house once more before pulling off and heading home.

+

The phone beeped again. You looked at it across the room before turning the TV louder. At this point you simply ignored your phone at all costs. It had been a week since you last saw Frankie, and to be honest you’ve been purposefully ignoring the man. When he did finally wake up after you left, there was no hesitation on his end to call you but you didn’t answer. And then there were several texts throughout the week. 

You tried not to read them. A few you happened to catch a glimpse of because out of a sickened curiosity you wondered if he hated you after what happened. The few that you caught said ‘(Y/N), call me please.’, ‘Can we talk about what happened?’, ‘Please talk to me.’. 

In your mind, all Frankie wanted to talk about was how this wouldn’t happen again. That it was a mistake, or maybe that drunken mistakes happen and he didn’t see you in that way. No matter what he had to say, it was somehow going to hurt you and you couldn’t bring yourself to face it. You were brave in the direct aim of live bullets shooting straight at you on operations, and somehow you found yourself being such a coward at the idea of emotional pain.

The phone rang out again and you found yourself annoyed at this point. Not at the fact Frankie was attempting to reach you all week, but that you were being forced to face emotional baggage of your failed love life. You pulled yourself off the couch and snatched the phone off the counter to silence it, that was until you saw the caller ID. 

You swiped to accept and put the phone to your ear. A part of you was nervous Frankie had told him, but you knew he wasn’t that kind of guy. He didn’t kiss and tell, or so you hoped so. 

“Hey Santiago!” 

“Hey, where you been cariño? You’re usually blowing up my phone more.” He teased you, but he was serious somewhat about the question.

You talked to all of the guys throughout your week, some more than others but that was kind of your thing nonetheless. All of you left the army with a brotherhood, and though they weren’t saps about it. Those boys were emotionally attached to you, and somewhat even adored you.

You sighed out a huff pulling some excuse out your ass about work and the promotion. He brushed the topic forward to what he really called for, “This isn’t going to be a problem for the trip, right?

You paused in your spot as you reviewed his words in your mind… Fuck, the camping trip. Your silence wasn’t the answer Pope wanted to hear. 

All of you planned out this camping trip so everyone could meet up somewhere that wasn’t a bar. It was some idea you had thrown out carelessly one night, and you were actually excited when everyone came around to the idea pretty fast. Even old grumpy ass Tom was willing to join in after a little persuading of drinking beers in the woods away from all his stress and worries. Needless to say, that sold him pretty easy.

However, this was before you drunkenly hooked up with your best friend. You ignored Frankie all week and the trip was in less than three days. You couldn’t possibly face him for several days in the literal woods without any escape from your embarrassment. No, absolutely not.

“I don’t think I can, Santi… I’m going to be pretty piled up with work now.” You lied. You felt awful doing so, but you lied your ass off.

“Listen, you’re not getting out of this trip unless you’re dead or kidnapped.” Yeah, that sounded like Santiago. You tried to cut in with a but before he continued, he brushed off your plea to escape this. “You’re not cancelling on us, (Y/L/N). I don’t care if I have to pull you out of bed Saturday morning, you’re coming with us.”

Fuck me. You have to be kidding me. You internally groaned.  “Alright, alright! No need to threaten me, sheesh. I’ll be ready.”

In much Santiago style, he teased you with a “Don’t pretend like you don’t like it,” which pulled a chuckle out of you in response as you rolled your eyes.

You said your goodbyes before hanging up the phone. The home screen goes back to reveal the five missed text messages and two missed calls from Frankie from this week. You guiltily put your phone back down to once again pretend you didn’t see the unopened messages from him.

You had no idea how you were going to get through this trip without wanting to throw yourself off a cliff. This was about to be torture.

+

You pulled into Frankie’s driveway noticing several men gathered around a van, all of them filled with laughter about something. All of you pitched in to rent a travel van instead of driving two separate cars. Unsure on who decided that bright idea because six of you in a van sounded like possibly the best and worst experience all in one.

The group turned towards you as you shut the car door behind you. “Finally, the pretty one has arrived.” You chirped in as a joke. Will replied before anyone else had a chance to, “Oh please, you know that’s Pope’s title.”

You would’ve smacked him on the arm jokingly, but Will picked you up in a bear hug before you could. You hadn’t seen him in nearly two months, and so the hug was extra special this time. You laughed in his tight hold before he released you back on your feet.  You made sure to hug the rest of the guys as you always did.

The comfort of their hugs is something money couldn’t buy.. After you hugged Tom you noticed Frankie wasn’t around. As awful as it sounded, a part of you hoped he would cancel out on the trip because of the awkwardness between the both of you.

“Catfish is inside, he’ll be out in a second.” Will commented as he noticed your wandering eyes. You just nodded before going back to your car to pull out the cooler. Benny followed behind to help without being asked. 

You purchased half of the food for the trip. Everyone had agreed to pitch money in for different parts of the trip. Food, supplies, gas, and so forth. You pulled your backpack from the backseat before locking the doors, fully ready to start your little adventure.

“Hey,” Frankie’s voice came from behind you causing you to jump. You turned to look at him before mumbling a quiet hey back. You noticed how he looked at you in a way that seemed like he was studying your face rather than simply looking at it. His brown eyes scanning over your features.

You knew he wanted to say something about your disappearance the past week. You could see it on his face. He was fully ready to confront the situation, and he would’ve if your mutual friends weren’t standing behind him.

You looked at each other silently for a moment. Frankie was looking at you like a kicked animal, and he felt like one too. The emotional and physical distance you placed confused and hurt him more than you knew.

You shifted your stare past him to break the uncomfortable eye contact only to find Santiago watching the moment unfold. You pushed past Frankie without a word before heading to the van.

Normally, in any situation, you had unspoken rights to sit beside Frankie. It was just an unofficial rule that everyone naturally followed by now, and that’s probably why Tom and Santiago stared at you suspiciously as you crammed yourself in the back seat with Will instead.

The hurt in Frankie’s face wasn’t something you were blind to. He sat down with a huff coming from his chest as he found a spot in front of you beside Ben. The whole situation was becoming ridiculous and you knew that, but you couldn’t find the strength to talk it out with him. You found it so much easier to avoid the situation completely as selfish as it was.

Will wrapped his arm around you and snickered, “Looks like I stole your girl, fish.”

You cringed in response to his words. Frankie crossed his arms as he adjusted in his seat. If someone didn’t know Frankie well, it seemed like he just ignored the statement completely. A joke that he didn’t find funny possibly. However, you could read his body language. His shoulders remained tight as they often did when he was stressed out.

You wanted to shrink under the vision of Tom who looked at you from the sun visor mirror. It was only a small moment of eye contact before he lifted the visor back up. This was going to be a long three days… 

+

The rest of the car ride wasn’t terrible. The conversation moved to different topics like Benny’s upcoming fight, which you promised to go to. Sunset was already in motion once you arrived at the location and so the six of you carried stuff down the trail as a team.  It kind of reminded you of the past and it was a little heart warming of a thought.

You all agreed on a spot that was far out from the other campers. It could have been the bitterness of a grumpy old man but none of you wanted to deal with people on this trip. It was meant to be total isolation with friends.

“Wait a minute, what’s this?” You asked as you picked up the box. A tent labeled for four to six people. No, he did not. “Will, you seriously expect everyone to sleep in the same tent for three days?”

All eyes shifted to Will. Tom letting out a dramatic huff with a ‘isn’t that fucking great.’ and everyone else let out some sort of complaint at the thought of being squished together for several days.

“What?” Will shrugged as he pulled the box from your hands. He walked back over to where the tent was supposed to go  soon as he snickered out. “You guys scared I’m gonna cuddle you or some shit?”

You rolled your eyes. “No, I’m more scared you’ll get the wrong idea. I don’t think you’re our type, sorry Ironhead.”

The joke earned a few chuckles from the rest of the guys. Will hardly looked over at you as he replied, his focus remained too busy on pulling out the tent materials. “Apparently nobody’s your type. I mean, seriously, when was the last time we’ve seen Ghost date somebody?”

Your face felt warm from embarrassment. He wasn’t wrong though, it had been nearly two years since you’ve been on an actual date. Tom chuckled as he looked up from the little travel grill he was setting up for dinner “He’s got you there. You batting for the other team or something, (Y/N)?”

Everyone pretended to continue their tasks but you could feel their attention on you. You handed him the supplies for dinner as you mumbled out, clearly unhappy by the question “No, I just… haven’t found someone is all.”  

A certain pair of eyes were burning in the back of your head. A pain in Frankie’s heart as he heard the words. It was not only a confirmation that you regretted the week before, but that you weren’t interested in him at all. He wanted to go home already, this was a stupid idea.

There was a weird shift in the air before Will returned to the original topic at hand. “There’s another tent over there. Walmart only had two left in the camping section,” 

And sure enough there was. The second tent was much smaller and by the time you helped finish setting them both up, you realized one of them would only fit two people inside. You fell back into the chair looking at the work you accomplished in the thirty minutes. 

“So, who is sleeping in the peasant tent?” You joked.

“You and Frankie.” Santi commented casually as he helped Tom. The both of them focused on the burger’s he attempted to cook on the small travel grill. Frankie watched you to see your reaction.

“What? Why us?” You mumbled popping the top off your beer. 

Santi continued “Why not? The two of you have already shared a bed before at the rental house. That is unless you’re trying to sneak me into your tent, (Y/N).” He winked before looking back at the food. He flirted mindlessly but it was never serious with Pope, he saw you as a sister at the end of the day.

 “Frankie it is then.” You laughed but inside you wanted to die. You had to sleep next to Frankie for three nights after the awkward tension of sleeping together. What did you do so wrong in the world, you wondered.

Time had passed by pretty quick. Everyone was full from dinner and sitting around the fire with a beer. You found yourself next to Will once again. At this point it was simply to avoid putting your chair next to Frankie to put some distance between the two of you. 

Benny was talking about some girl he was seeing for the last two months. “Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s going to work out.” He sipped his beer as he stared into the fire.

“What, why?” You asked.

“I think she’s more into the idea of hooking up more than anything.” He shrugged. 

You hummed in acknowledgment before Tom chuckled. “I can’t believe you’re complaining about having sex with someone.”

“Leave him alone, Benny is a teddy bear. He needs a little more care with his lovin’” You mumbled with a teasing smile as you pulled your jacket tighter around you. Benny let out a small ‘whatever’ while laughing, not caring to explain himself further.

“Hey Fish, whatever happened to that girl you were seeing?” Tom looked over at him and everyone followed the action to watch Frankie now.

He looked a little surprised at the sudden attention. When the conversation wasn’t on him, he liked to sit back and listen in silence for the most part. He tended to be a quiet person like that, not wanting to put forth too much.

He shook his head as he looked back down at the fire. His words coming out nonchalant and not interested in the topic, “Tina? That was over two years ago.” 

“No, not that one.” Tom said without much thought. Frankie stiffened as the realization washed over him. He never thought the situation would be brought to light. Tom continued on, “That one hookup a couple of months ago. You two didn’t have anything going on?”

Frankie found himself frozen under your sudden stare on him. His eyes caught yours, and he wanted to die in his seat.

It was a mindless one night stand… That happened twice, funny enough. It was the one thing he never mentioned to you in fear it would ruin his future chance. The whole thing happened seven months ago. Someone close to him passed suddenly and he wanted to forget it for a moment, and a woman he knew from high school happened to be in the bar two weekends in a row. 

“You never told me about that.” You tried to sound uninterested, but the look in your eyes spoke loudly. 

He cleared his throat. The ability to say anything helpful in this situation left him, and he just looked at the bottle in his hand. “It was a mistake anyway.” He said before pressing his lips to the top of the bottle and swallowing a mouthful.

You didn’t know why you were this upset. You sat miserable watching Frankie avoid your stare. 

Your jaw tight from anger building up inside. Not only were you hurt by him keeping secrets, but that wasn’t the part that hurt the most. Jealousy had washed over like some sort of fire. A painful and filled with an unstoppable burning inside. 

“Whatever, I’m going to go piss.” You muttered under your breath as you walked away from the men. You just wanted to be alone and away from him.

Santi shook his head as he stood up from his chair, “You’ve really done it now, Fish.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Frankie muttered as he crossed his arms and leaned into his chair hoping to sink into the ground.

Santiago ignored him as he followed you into the woods. He knew this was just some lame excuse to walk away from the situation. If sexual tension was ever in the air, the first person to find it would be Pope. He knew what was going on with the two of you, he figured it out after spending the day watching the both of you interact.

“So, when did you and Frankie sleep together?” 

You jumped at the sound of his voice. Santi matched with your now slowing steps as the both of you stopped completely. Far enough out of view from the boys. You recovered from the small scare before rolling your eyes, “What are you talking about Pope?” 

He chuckled with a small smirk on his face. The moon was the only reason you could see his face considering you forgot your flashlight in your hurry. “Oh, come on. You don’t think I know?”

You considered not answering because you didn’t want to admit out loud. The situation is humiliating enough already. A small sigh left your lips before you nodded in confirmation, your tone sounding defeated. “Alright, yeah. We slept together last week, but we were pretty drunk… It was a mistake.”

“I don’t think it was.” Pope commented as he found a tree to lean against. He watched you for a moment before continuing. “I know this isn’t my place to say this, but… Somebody needs to because Frankie won’t grow a pair. You know the real reason him and Tina broke up?”

You shrugged, “Something about not liking me around.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, that was a part of it.” You watched as he chewed on his lip for a moment. He wasn’t nervous by any means, but deep in thought about what he was about to reveal. “They were in some argument one night, she asked him if he loved you… And he couldn’t say no.”

“What?” You were left stunned. Your mouth felt dry as you processed the information. 

Santi walked over laying a hand on your shoulder, “I’m telling you, (Y/N). It wasn’t a mistake.” He patted your shoulder as he walked past you and continued back to the campsite.

The talk was short and sweet, but it left you more confused than before. Did Frankie actually love you? He mentioned she didn’t like you in the past, but you didn’t know that was the reason. What if Frankie really stayed single this long because he was trying to find a chance with you?

You walked back in silence to the spot you came from. Frankie focusing on you as you walked into view before sitting down again. Nobody mentioned the situation with Santi, or how long you had been gone. It wasn’t worth ruining the conversation over. 

You found yourself leaning on Will’s shoulder sleepily. The chatter of friends filling your ears as you sat there quietly. You didn’t know if it was the emotions draining you or the day of travel. The longer the night went on you found yourself more and more tired.

You closed your eyes to rest them. It was supposed to be a second, but it must’ve been much longer because you opened them again and you were safely in the tent now.  You could tell Frankie was in the tent, his body as far away from you as possible as he slept. When did you fall asleep? When did everyone call it a night? You wondered silently.

You shivered in the drop of temperature. You didn’t think it would be this cold tonight, the weather throughout the day was so warm on your skin and now you had goosebumps. 

“Are you cold?” Frankie’s quiet voice scared you. He shifted from his side onto his back as he looked over at you.

“Shit, you scared me.” You let out a quiet laugh before clearing your throat awkwardly, your voice thick with sleep. “Yeah, I’m sorry. Go back to sleep.”

He paid no attention to your comment as he moved his extra blanket on you instead. You attempted to make out his features as he moved to lay back down in his spot away from you, the darkness of the tent made it impossible though. A moment passed as you listened to the sound of his quiet breathing.

You swallowed hard trying to settle your nerves before speaking up in a whisper. “I’m sorry by the way.”

“For what?” He asked, turning his face towards yours. He wished he could see your beautiful face.

“Everything… I shouldn’t have avoided you, you know?” 

He heard you, but he didn’t reply. The soft sound of crickets outside filled your ears instead. You decided to continue even if it wasn’t the ideal location to do so. “Do you regret sleeping with me?” 

“No…” His voice croaked from whispering. He cleared his throat after a bit before asking “Do you?”

“No,” You admit and although you couldn’t see it, a small smile formed on his face. A chance of hope flashing through his eyes. 

“Can I tell you something?” You breathed out.

“Yeah, of course.” 

Frankie stiffened when he felt your hand brush against his. When he realized you were reaching out to hold it, his fingers automatically linked between yours and he squeezed your hand softly.

“Don’t laugh at me, okay?” Your voice broke with emotion before you let out a breathy chuckle. His thumb subconsciously began to stroke your hand in an attempt to soothe you. “I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you since the first time we went on a helicopter ride.”

He stopped to recall the memory. Both of you were still in the army together when Frankie wanted to take you on your first flight. You were so nervous in the beginning, he had spent half the flight talking to keep you distracted. “That was over five years ago.” Frankie commented, the shock was noticeable in his voice. 

“Yeah, I know.” You laughed.

Frankie moved closer to you. His movements slow and careful in case you asked him to stop. He was leaning above you now, you didn’t realize how close he was until you could feel the warmth of his breath. Your fingers moved to run through his hair similar to the way they did the night you slept together. He was hesitant to move in as if he wasn’t sure if he should kiss you, so you leaned in pressing your lips to his. 

The kiss was slow and drawn out this time as if Frankie was soaking in the moment. Unlike the night before when the two of you were nearly falling over each other. He pulled away pressing his forehead against yours “I’ve known since the time you made me a cake for my birthday.”

“Frankie, that was our first year in the Army?” 

He chuckles as he pecks your lips, repeating the same line you used, “Yeah, I know.”

“Why did we wait this long?” You asked out loud. Your arms wrapped around him before he pulled you down to lay on his chest instead. His body heat warming you up within seconds.

He shook his head. He should’ve done this so long ago. A smile settled on his face as the realization settled in he finally got his girl.

[luhlust]

Hey, uh idk if I asked this already but can you do a Hatsuharu x Reader based on episode 4 season 2 of Fruits Basket? Because, in that episode Hatsuharu had his meltdown. But instead of him having a meltdown because of Rin it’s because you two and dating and had an argument? And uhm basically instead of him grabbing Tohru, he grabs you. And Kyo like punches him bc y’all are good friends~ and the ending is all fluffy and him apologizing for the argument or whatever. (Sorry if this is confusing)~~

Choose Me

Anime: Fruits Basket

Pairing: Soma Hatsuharu x Reader

Overview: Hatsuharu has been spending a lot of time with Rin making you, his girlfriend, jealous ending up with a huge rampage.

Note: I KNOW YOU SAID INSTEAD OF RIN IT SHOULD BE THE READER BUT I THINK IT'S CUTER THIS WAY. I hope you don't mind~ PLUS IM DONE WITH ALL THE REQUIREMENTS AND IM STILL STUDYING BUT THIS IS SUCH A CUTE REQUEST AND I CAN'T HELP BUT WRITE IT. I love Hatsuharu so much.

•-–-•

You really understand Hatsuharu's relationship with Rin. Maybe, a little too much. You were there for him afterall, helping him cope up with her behaviour, letting him cry on you, you supported Hatsuharu. You love him.

You grew to love him just by being together with him was enough for you so when Hatsuharu confessed he too, fell for you, you couldn't believe it, until his lips touched yours, cloud of smoke blinded your eye, laughing as you stared at his Ox form.

You knew Hatsuharu would need a lot of time to fully move on from Rin so you were okay with letting Hatsuharu settle the phase for your relationship.

Lately, Hatsuharu has been spending less time with you to take care of Rin who once again, escaped from the hospital. You didn't mind how he would abruptly go to her side, you didn't mind how he called you to cancel your plans with a short apology, you didn't mind if he kept choosing her over you.

That is before you reached your tipping point.

When Hatsuharu went back to your shared apartment, he really just wanted to sleep. Rin's words continued to ring in his ear, he is beyond exhaustion. He is not in the right state to hear your complaints.

"So, I just want to have your time! I bought us some tickets to th-" "God, can you just please shut up!"

Hatsuharu glared at you, slamming his bag across the room. Your throat suddenly became dry, hands balled into a fist. Hatsuharu immediately wanted to punch himself for bursting on you like that, he was just so annoyed but even he, himself knew it was not a good excuse.

"(y/n)..." He fumbled on his words, what can he say in a situation like this? He wanted to comfort you, his hands were shaking. Wiping the tears from your eyes, you walked passed him and entered the bedroom, leaving Hatsuharu to contemplate on his actions.

"Fuck.." He clicked his tongue.

Hatsuharu grabbed a bottle of water and drank to calm himself down. When he heard the door opened, he turned around and was ready to apologise but his eyes trailed to the duffel bag you were carrying.

"Where are you going?" He questioned softly, even if he already knew the answer. He was hoping it wasn't what he was thinking. "Away." You smiled at him, masking your emotions like you always did.

"Let's break up, Haru. No, Sohma-kun." Hatsuharu's eyes widened, speechless. You took his silence as a que to leave. Mustering up all your strength, you grabbed the doorknob, twisting it to open the door. Hatsuharu acted fast, he slammed the door close, trapping you against it.

"No. You're not going anywhere! C-Can't we fix this?" His voice cracked, he can't let you leave him. You were the only one who understood him, only one who accepted him as a whole! "Please...(y/n)..." Tears streamed down his face, the sight of him broke you more, you had to be strong. Cupping his face, you wiped his tears, trying to soothe him.

"I'm sorry Haru. You kept on choosing her and I kept on choosing you." Biting your lip, you kissed his forehead, Hatsuharu melted against your touch.

"Let me choose myself this time."

Hatsuharu felt like time slowed down as you slipped away from his grasp.

The door closed and he broked down.

He hasn't heard from you for a week.

It was difficult to be away from him, everything just screamed for you to go back and wrap your arms around him. You stayed with Kyo for the mean time, telling them that your apartment was undergoing a few construction and Hatsuharu decided to stay at the main state.

They really didn't question you a lot, you were that good at lying and hiding plus they are your friends too. You continued on with your life, trying to distract yourself. You were currently asked to bring some materials to Tohru's room. "Oh, (y/n)! That looks heavy!" She mused, standing up to help you settle the materials on the teacher's desk.

You stayed for a while, laughing at how they teased Kyo with Tohru. Sometimes you just want to smack the two at how oblivious these two are to their feelings. Seeing them, reminded you of Hatsuharu. Your heart dropped, spacing out of the window, you wondered if he's doing well.

There's something off about the day, you just felt anxious, like something bad is going to happen.

"Oh, Haru turned dark and is currently on a rampage during the homeroom!" Momiji grinned. "What? Why didn't you say earlier!?" You and the others dashed out of the room, bumping towards several people.

You could hear him breaking the windows, the other students and teacher were ourside frightened. You entered the room, everything was a mess.

Kyo immediately tried to talk some sense into him. "Shut up stupid cat. You're very existence causes trouble for us, all! Stupid cat!" His remarked annoyed Kyo immediately.

"Haru, I don't know why you're causing a rampage, but you shouldn't do that here." Hatsuharu clicked his tongue. You knew this was your fault, you knew why he was angry. Seeing him at this state, made you doubt if your decision was right. "Princess Yuki is such a worry-wart. Afraid I'll accidentally transform on my rampage?" His eyes met yours, a frown replacing his smirk.

"What? You're here? How lame." You stepped closer, hands up in surrender. "Haru, stop it. Calm down." Your voice angered him even more. "Stupid. Stupid. So damn, stupid! You're so twitchy, you'll feel a lot better if everyone would know." He reached out to you, grabbing your arm roughly.

"H-Haru...it hurts..." His grip around you tightened, pulling you closer until Kyo punched him. "I don't care what's your problem but is that how you should treat your girl?!" Kyo placed you behind him, shielding you from Hatsuharu.

"What's it to you? She's not my girl anymore." Hatsuharu's words struck you, you felt yourself losing your composure. "Oh I see. You went for the kitty cat didn't you? I shou-" You cut him off with a slap. His cheeks immediately became swollen, everyone stood shocked at the scene. "Enough, Haru..." You walked out of the room, eyes following you everywhere.

Your steps became faster as the time passed, slowly turning into a full sprint. You didn't know where you were going, you just wanted to get out of there.

The teacher managed to settle the issue down by pouring water to both of them, calming Hatsuharu in a snap. After some counselling, Hatsuharu met up with the others, apologizing for his behavior before noticing you were not there. "Where's (y/n)?" He managed to choke out, it was clear to them that he was very anxious.

"She ran out and we haven't seen her since earlier." Tohru answered, fidgeting, not knowing how he would react.

Hatsuharu excused himself, wanting to look for you. You couldn't have gotten that far, he knows you enough to know where you would go. He reached the door to the rooftop, staring at it blankly. You were crying, he was sure of it, so why can't he just open the damn door?

He was scared.

Scared of what you would say to him, scared to lose you more.

"Triple shit." He cussed, letting the door open, hands shielding his eyes from bright rays. He immediately saw you sitting down, music blasting through your phone.

Your eyes were closed but you knew he was there, a shadow loomed over you. You refused to open your eyes, you too were afraid.

Is this what happens when you fall inlove? Is this what love really is? To be afraid of one another yet still want to cling to one another even knowing the fact that they can hurt you anytime?

Hatsuharu doesn't care about anything anymore, he can't let you go, he could never let you go. You were more important to him, he was just selfish. He couldn't let go of the past but he wants a presen and a future with you.

Hatsuharu is more than willing to put his past behind and put you first, that's what he realised during those days of solitude.

He grabbed your arm, pulling you closer to him, still being wary of not hugging you to close in order to prevent himself from transforming despite how startled you were. "Haru...?" You whispered, hands automatically finding its way around his body.

"Ah, I know now.." He smiled, enjoying the way your body tangled. "Home. I never realised it before. (y/n), you're my home." He buried his head against your neck, letting himself succumb to your scent.

"I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry for not being a good boyfriend. I know, I don't deserve you but you can count on me to make me deserve you, if you let me. Will you let me back?" You stared at him, nodding softly, before leaning in for a kiss.

Hatsuharu pulled you closer, his hand behind your head, deepening the kiss. It was desperate but passionate, the two of you missed each other. You love him, even if it hurts.

But is it really love if it doesn't hurt at all?

Your back was against the concrete, Hatsuharu straddled you, pinning you down as he continued to place kissed along your neck. "H-Haru! We can't do this he-ahh." Smirking upon seeing the purple hue on your neck, you smacked his chest. "But (y/n), let me show you how much I love you." He pouted, why did he have to be cute. Your fingeres played with his two-colored hair, you're really an idiot to this idiot.

"Yeah, yeah. Save it in closed doors will 'ya?" You stiffened, seeing Kyo and Yuki in the other side with a small tint of pink dusted on their cheeks. You immediately became flustered unlike Hatsuharu who calmly complained. "You guys are a cockblocker."

Tohru peered in, confused at why they are standing si stiffly. "Kyo? Yuki? Did you find the-" "IDIOT! DON'T LOOK!"

Hatsuharu had to leave to continue talking with his parents. He got suspended for a week while you were "sick" for a week as well.

Hatsuharu made it up to you for a whole week, assuring you that you will now be his first choice. You didn't have to worry about Rin anymore becuase everytime he needed to visit her, it was with you. He would always shield you if things became a little complicated, covering your ears when she said spiteful words, making me drag you out. That was the last time he visited Rin.

Now he's very clingy to you! Devoting his time and energy to you and only you. "(y/n), why are you too close with Yuki. I don't like it." Hatsuharu held you close, glaring at Yuki who just let out a sigh.

"Love birds."

[havethetimeofyourstyles]

here it is! the first part of UTCM!

wc: 4.8k

taglist | story masterlist

͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧

With clothes flying across the room, trying to make each article of clothing land in the target of a rectangle, you rummage through your closet, trying to find the specific piece of your most treasured clothing. 

One that meant something special to you. 

As you dig through your drawer, trying to find the thick, vintage tee your dad had given you (more like you stole it and never gave it back), your hand finally feels the familiar material that has brought you comfort and lots of compliments if you do say so yourself. 

With a proud ‘bingo’ escaping your lips, you’re not surprised that it’s the only shirt you folded and gently put into your suitcase. You looked around your room, finding the hurricane of clothing sprawled out on the floor and your bikini top on your lap shade. Laughing a bit, you drop to your knees and begin to pick up your clothes, stuffing it into the suitcase. 

You check the time and see that it’s five minutes to 9 AM and your phone rings on your bedside table, knowing you’re behind schedule. You quickly grab your phone, placing it between your shoulder and your ear, and continue grabbing your clothes. 

“Yellow?” 

“Honey, quit answering the phone like that.” You take the phone from your shoulder and put it at arms reach before sighing, knowing you should’ve looked at the caller ID. 

“Hello, mother. How are you on this fine morning?” Your voice changes from playful to proper tone only to tease her. 

“Oh, quit it. I was just calling to see if you were all packed and ready.” 

“Yup!” You say confidently, looking around your room as it says otherwise. Obviously, packing wasn’t your greatest talent. 

It was your best friend’s parent’s anniversary. Minny has informed you a month ago, knowing that you would procrastinate on packing, and to be fair, she was right. Packing wasn’t your favorite, and she knew that. Aww, my best friend knows me so well. 

You and Minny have been best friends since you were 7. You two met at school and were in the same class. Because of the two’s last names being right next to each other on the roll call, you were assigned to sit right next to her. Throughout the years in school, you had always remained close. Sure, you two have met other people and became friends with them, but nothing came as close as the bond you have with her. 

It was 20 years of eating at lunch together, never missing a day. Sleepovers. Day and night calls to gossip or vent. Laughs. Petty arguments. Crying over stupid boys and girls that broke your heart. Monthly ‘glo the fuck up’ day. Jogging in the park. Living life. And most importantly, love. 

Damn, we’re getting old. 

“I’m sad I can’t make it to Dan and Lina’s anniversary trip.” Your mother sighed over the phone. 

Yours and Minny’s family had practically become one big family when you both turned 10. With occasional sleepovers and meet ups at the mall, your parents had become really great friends with hers. 

“I know, Mom. But you practically see them everyday, so it’s fine. They understand why.” You try reasoning out with her. 

“I hope so.” She sighs sadly on the phone, and it makes your heart hurt. 

“They do understand. Trust me.” 

“I wish you were here-” She immediately cuts off. 

“Mom, I can go with you. I don’t have to go on Dan and Lina’s trip. Let me call Minny so I can tell her to not come by.” 

“No, no!” You pause. “Please, don’t miss out on having fun for me. I want you to have fun. You deserve it.” You nod, even though she can’t see you. You check the time, and know you’re running out of time to finish packing. 

“You deserve it too, Mom.” She doesn’t say anything, but you know she’s smiling on the other side of the call.

“Hey, Mom. I gotta go. Minny is almost here to pick me up, so I just wanna double check everything.” 

“Of course, honey. I’ll call Lina later. Say hi to Minny for me. I love you.” 

“Will do. I love you too.” The door knocks once you hang up the call. Curses scolding yourself for being so lazy and procrastinating fly from your lips as you get the door. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” The last person you were expecting was seeing your ex boyfriend on your doorstep with keys in his hand. He wore rust color corduroy pants, a stripe shirt, and a turquoise jacket that’s stitched on the side. His hair was pushed back by his black sunglasses and he was wearing his pearl necklace. You hate to admit that he looks good and can possibly rock anything he wore, and you despised him for that along with other reasons. 

“Wow. No, hi or how are you Harry? I’m doing great, thanks for asking.” He says sarcastically and you roll your eyes, walking back to your room to finish packing. “Well, I see you’re still not that great with organizing your time, or your clothes.” You don’t say anything because you really don’t want to speak to him at the moment, or at all. “I’m assuming Minny didn’t tell you.” Your eyes perk up into confusion. 

“Minny didn’t tell me what?” You ask, continuing to fold the last pair of clothes. 

“She asked me to pick you up. You know, to take you to the lake house.” If it were possible, steam was coming out of your ears. Why hadn’t Minny told you? You huff loudly for Harry to know that you’re clearly annoyed before grabbing your phone and immediately dialing Minny’s number, and waiting for her to pick up. 

Harry looks around your room, seeing as things haven't changed with you, and you want to kick him out as soon as you're done talking to Minny. 

“Hey, girl! Are you on your way?” Her voice is high and she clearly is not prepared for what you’re about to give her. 

“How can you have Harry pick me up? And why didn’t you tell me that you couldn’t pick me up?” 

“Clearly, you’re the best at greeting people anymore.” Harry says, leaning against the door frame as he wears a smirk, and you immediately flick him off. He puts his hand on his chest with an exaggerated jaw drop, pretending to be offended. 

“I’m so sorry. I meant to tell you, I promise. But my dumbass of a brother decided to come last minute because his plans got cancelled, and so we were all rushing out the door and putting everything in the car.” You hear Minny’s brother, Jackson, say ‘hey!’ and you sigh. 

“It’s okay, I understand.” Not wanting to be annoyed anymore, you brush it off. 

“I can find someone else to pick me up, no worries.” Harry raises his hands up as if he’s saying ‘I’m literally here to pick you up.’ 

“No! Just take the ride from Harry. After all, he is staying at the house too.” Your eyes widen. 

“What?! Why would you invite him?” 

“You know, you’re doing a lot of talking like I’m not here in the room right now.” You mouth ‘shut up’ to him.

“Please, just go with him. We’re almost there anyways and I don’t want you guys to be late because you want to be difficult. Just ride with him. It’s only like a 3 hour drive and you can sleep on the way, and then not talk to him for the rest of the trip.” She persuades. 

Minny was always good at persuading people. In college, both of you were commuting from home and didn’t stay at the dorms, so you didn’t know that many people, especially not in the frat or sorority houses. She had convinced her parents that they needed a weekend to get out of the house and take a nice getaway trip, laying out the pros and cons so she can throw a party. And they really thought her pros outweigh the cons. 

“Ugh! Okay, fine.” 

“Thank you! Love you! Bye!” She gets off the phone quickly, and you turn to Harry. 

“Shall we get on the road?” He smiles. You were finally finished with packing and rolled your luggage to the front, ignoring him. He comes out of your room with your bikini top in his hand, and your eyes widen, forgetting to take it from the lampshade. “Think you forgot this.” He holds it up and you snatch it quickly. And you’re both out the door and possibly going on the worst trip. 

Two weeks and I’ll be home. 

͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧

Two hours down. One more to go. 

The entirety of the car ride had been filled with awkwardness and silence. If music hadn’t been playing, you were sure you were going to explode. Harry had asked you if you were alright about a million times or if you were too hot or cold. You kept your responses to a minimum, replying with ‘yeah, I’m good’ or ‘I’m okay’. Harry was gripping the steering wheel so tight, that he was sure his hand would cramp up when he tried to unlatch. The tension and awkwardness was getting to him. He hated that things had ended up like this between the two of you, but he was willing to change that. He wants to change that. 

“R. E. D.” He says suddenly after minutes of not talking, and just listening to the sound of the music and the engine of the car. 

“Pardon?” You turn to face him. 

“C’mon, you don’t remember the game we used to play when we would go on road trips?” He asks hopefully, looking at you quickly before turning his head back on the road. 

Of course you remember. Hours on the road with him, going to the next destination when he was on tour or outside of the city to get away from everything, led you both to play road trip games that included saying 3 random letters and finding it on a license plate. It’s what made traveling fun and the hours on the road much more interesting. Especially with Harry. 

“Yeah, I remember.” You say softly, not showing emotion. 

“Okay, well, start looking.” 

“You weren’t very good at this game.” You say, but quickly close your mouth, not realizing that you’re thinking out loud. 

And Harry’s surprised. He knows that your comment was a teasing one, and he was worried that he would t get a single sentence out of your mouth without you yelling in his face. “I’m very good at this game!” 

“I mean, considering that my board was filled with tallies, then I would think you’re bad at it.” You let out a chuckle and Harry has a big smile on his face, thinking it’ll hurt his cheeks later on. 

“You literally gave me impossible letters to work with!” 

“They’re license plates, not people’s names!” You tease. 

“Just look for R.E.D!” He ends the conversation. Although he didn’t want to, he knew that you’re most likely going to blow up in his face if you two acted like a happy couple again. He knew that you would overthink about the bad things overlapping the good, and you would go back to resenting him. 

And he was right. 

After he ended the conversation, you were thinking about what could’ve been between you; what could still be if he weren’t an asshole. The laughs and teasing you two had just a minute ago were replaced with deep breaths, not knowing if one of you should say a thing again. 

There were only a few cars on the same road for you; going to different places. You wondered if people going on a road trip had the same situation with you and Harry: the sharp tension that can be cut like a knife or wanting to jump out of the car. 

You must have blanked out for a while because Harry had gotten off the highway and onto a secluded street that leads to the lake house. 

The drive through the woods with high boulders and tall trees had you speechless. You got as close to the window as possible, looking up like you’ve just seen a shooting star. Nature has always been such a fascination to you. You’ve always loved camping trips and hiking; so much that you’re currently an environmental scientist. 

You don’t notice with your head practically sticking out the window, but Harry is having such a hard time keeping his eyes on the road. He thinks that it’s admirable how passionate you are, especially about nature and animals because it’s rare that people end up doing what they love. And he loves seeing you so passionate about what you love. 

The drive surrounded by the forest didn’t take long; about 20 minutes, and Harry had already pulled up into the gravel driveway in front of the lake house. 

The famous lake house that Lina and Dan have owned for 30 years; ever since they got married. It was a rather large lake house; able to fit two families of four. With brown wood hammered onto the sides and evergreen border along the windows, the house was generally very comfortable and homey. They had kept renovating throughout the years to keep up with the times changing, and they’re loving how modern it looks as of now, but very welcoming at the same time. 

“Well, we’re finally here.” Harry says, cutting off the ignition and getting out of the car. You do the same as well and meet him where the truck is popped open, Harry grabbing his bags. You went to reach for it, but Harry slaps your hand away.

“Hey!”

“Don’t worry about the bags. I got them.” 

“Thanks.” You give him a soft smile. 

“And besides, you’ve packed for like a month when we’re gonna be here for two weeks, and you were barely able to carry it out of your house.” He teases. 

“For a matter of fact, I happen to be very strong.” You cross your arms. 

“Okay, whatever you say, Captain.” The pet name slipped out. When you and Harry were together, he started calling you Captain because sometimes you can be so aggressive and demanding, but passionate, that it felt like you were the Captain of the ship, which technically you were. You were always in charge, always right, and always planning everything. Captain just stuck, and he thought it was so perfect for you. 

The pet name had definitely startled you. You haven’t heard that name come from his lips in forever. And admittingly, you missed it. But you don’t tell him that, of course. 

Harry notices your shock and just smiles instead of pushing it. He instead walks towards the car once his hands are full. 

“Hey, Harry?” He could’ve sworn that his head got jumbled up at your call for him because of how fast he turned around. 

“Yes?”

“R.E.D.” You pointed towards Minny’s car with a smirk on your face. Harry looks at her license plate and his jaw drops, but you see the corners of his lips turn up. 

“How did you-”

“You think I don’t know my best friend’s license plate when she’s had this car for 4 years?” Your smile is amusing and Harry has missed this side from you. 

“Well done.” He drops the bags and starts clapping. 

“Make sure to mark my tally.” You walk past him and towards the house. Harry turns around, watching you walk. Specifically landing his eyes on your hips and watching them sway like you own the fucking world. It’s endearing and he loves it. He loves how sometimes you can walk the whole universe and own it, but he always loves how you shy away from things and look for reassurance. He loves it. 

You don’t turn around because with the smile and hint of blush that crept onto your face, it’s bound to be a disaster if he sees it. 

“Aye, aye, Captain.” He chuckles before picking up the bags and following your footsteps. 

͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧

The inside of the house was opposite of what it looked like from the outside. While the outside was rustic and dark looking, the inside was light and provided very much needed natural lighting due to the big window that overlooks the lake. Sun shines bright through the window and into the house that it almost hurts to look out, but that’s Mother Nature at her finest. 

You head up to your usual bedroom that you claimed when you were younger, having taken trips to this house for so many years that your feet just subconsciously took you to your room. 

It remained the same: big window that led to a small balcony, wooden frame bed, and a mattress that is the perfect size and comfort for you. The walls were white, and with the light coming through, it made the room look even bigger. 

Usually you and Minny would sleep in the same room, but there were enough rooms so you two can have your own. But there were some nights where you would spend the night with her, and her, you. 

You hadn’t noticed Harry following you to your room, but when you hear bags drop onto the floor, you jump and turn around. “You scared me.” 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to. Thought you heard me following you.” 

“No, I didn’t. I was just distracted with my thoughts.” 

Harry leans against the door frame and crosses his arms. “What about?” He asks curiously. 

“Just… haven’t been here in a while, and I miss it.” He only nods, and it quickly goes back to silence. “Thank you for bringing my bags up.” This time, he smiles. 

“Not a problem. Let me know if you need anything else, Captain.” You chuckle. 

“Will do.” He leaves your room and shuts the door close, knowing you’d probably want to settle in and change into more lounge clothing. 

You sit on your bed, facing the window, and look out at the lake. You don’t know what you’re feeling. Before you saw him today, you would just get mad that you’re thinking about him, but that car ride broke every anger that clung onto your body. It was like your mind naturally reacted to Harry in a way that you couldn’t control. You can control anything else, but not with Harry. You naturally felt a pull towards him, and no matter how much you wanted to cut off the string you couldn’t. 

You had definitely missed the feeling of being around him, and that makes you angry. Angry at yourself because he hurt you. 

You try not to cry with the thoughts swirling in your head. You take in the beautiful view from your bedroom and tell yourself that you shouldn’t be sad because you’ve got a long trip ahead of you. 

As you changed into your lounge clothes, you headed downstairs to greet the family that was just back from the backyard. 

“Oh, sweetheart! I’m so happy you’re here!” Lina greets you with a warm hug. Dan does the same, giving you a bear hug. 

“Happy anniversary! How are you guys?” You ask the married couple. 

“We’re doing great! I’m excited this time has come again! We’ve got so much planned.” You smile at their excitement. They turned to look at each other and you can’t help but admire their love for one another, even after all these years. 

Yours and Minny’s parents’ love was like no other. You were pretty blessed to grow up around healthy relationships, and can’t help but feel so fond of the love they have for each other and wanting it for yourself. 

“The kids are still outside.” Lina kisses your cheek and Dan pats your shoulder before they head to the kitchen. 

You walk through the glass slide door that leads to the stunning view of the water that the sun reflects onto. You take a deep inhale in, breathing in the world’s scent. The outside is such a beauty that some people take it for granted. 

“Ahh!” The famous screams come from no other than Minny. “You’re here!” She runs to you and you engulf her into a big and hard hitting hug. Jackson also hugs you and runs his hand on top of your head, messing up your hair. 

“Dickhead!” You slap his chest. 

“How are you, other little sister?” 

“Oh, you know, here.” You say, not knowing what to say, so ‘here’ is usually your backup for not really wanting to say how you feel. 

Minny rolls her eyes, knowing you all too well for your liking. “How was the drive?” 

“It was…interesting.” 

“Well, that’s my cue to go.” Jackson walks back to the house, and leaves Minny and I to talk. 

“Was it that bad?” Minny asks worriedly. 

“No, it wasn’t bad. It was just awkward and there was tension between us. But then we started playing our famous road trip game and I started teasing him, and ugh! I smiled and laughed a little and I hated it.” You huffed and looked down. 

“What, why?” 

“I-I don’t know. I just… I was expecting to have the worst trip when he showed up at my doorstep, but my mind is taking over.” 

“Your mind or your heart?” Minny tests. You don’t reply. You just look at her, not knowing if she genuinely wanted a response or she was just testing you. 

“Why did you invite him?” You ask at the wrong time because you don’t hear the sliding door open, revealing Harry. 

“Hey, Minny.” He smiles softly at her and steps out of the house to hug her. Your breath was hitched in your throat, feeling guilty about your question because you didn’t hear him. 

“Hey, Harry.” She smiles back and hugs him. Once they let go of their embrace, Harry turns to you. 

“If you don’t want me here so bad, then the Captain shall be obeyed.” He teases, but you know that he’s more hurt than what he puts on. He puts on a brave face, but really you see it in his eyes that he’s hurt. You know that your question had hurt him and it was just the wrong timing to ask that. 

“I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Didn’t you?” His head turns slightly, knowing he’s trying to keep his annoyance intact. His voice is different and sarcastic. Minny senses the shift of tension, so she breaks it. 

“I invited him because he’s been my friend as long as you have, so he’s practically family too. He’s been to every trip as well, and besides, my parents love him.” She places her arm on Harry’s shoulder, and you can’t help but feel like they’re teaming up against you. Harry walks ahead of us and goes inside while you and Minny trail behind him. You know you shouldn’t think of it like that because they’re not, but you feel like such a downer once you found out that Harry was tagging along. “Let’s go in and eat lunch!” Minny changes the subject, feeling like that’s what they really needed. “By the way, which letters did he ask for?” Minny asks. 

“R.E.D,” you smile amusingly and roll your eyes, giving your best friend the ‘I know right?’ look. She laughs loudly, throwing her head back and clutching her stomach. 

“Well that was an easy win for you.” She says and you nod, before putting an arm around your shoulder, walking inside the house for lunch. 

Lina had prepared salad, homemade garlic bread, Brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes. Dan had cooked his famous ribs, one that was his specialty ever since he was a young adult. They didn’t want to cook right when they got to the house, so they prepared it beforehand and took it with them. 

The six sat down at the table that was set in front of the window. Dan at the end of the table, Lina on his right, Minny right next to Lina, you on the other end, Harry next to you, and Jackson next to Harry. Everyone was loading food on their plates before passing it around or across the table, Lina making sure everyone got one of each. 

“Alright, eat up!” 

The conversation flowed throughout the table. The parents asked the kids how work was going, to which everyone responded that it was going well. 

“Harry, honey, is your mom and sister planning to stay as well?” Lina asks. 

Harry clears his throat and wipes his mouth before replying, “they might come at the end of the week—probably the weekend. Gems couldn’t get out of work, so they’ll only stay for a few days.” She nodded and turned to you. 

“Has your mother changed her mind? About coming?” She gives you a sympathetic look. 

“I don’t think so. She said she would call you later.” Lina smiles at that. Your eyes naturally gravitated towards Harry and he has a confused look on his face looking back at you, but you look down at your plate before picking up your ribs and taking a bite out of them. 

You listen to the conversation while you eat; Dan telling the table a story about a cliff diving incident that happened to Lina when they were in Greece, and the whole table was laughing their ass off, even though they’ve heard it a million times; it never gets old. 

You finished your rib and set it down on your plate before wiping your hands down, and before you went to wipe your lips, you felt a napkin, one that’s not yours, wipe your cheek. You turn and see Harry trying to get the stained sauce from your skin. 

“Thank you.” You say awkwardly once he’s done, and he gives you a smile followed by a chuckle. He didn’t mean to do that. He knew you were a messy eater and it was a habit that he wiped stuff off your face. A habit that worked well for the both of you, like you were a team. A natural born team. 

Once everyone was finished with lunch, it was nearing 2 p.m already, and the group decided to split and do whatever they please as they were going to be all together tomorrow and the rest of the trip. 

After everyone helped clean up the table and kitchen, you decided to take a nap before watching the sun set for the day. 

Your body hit the mattress and soft pillows that made you feel like you were on a cloud. The room was dark, thanks to the thick curtains that hung from the metal rod. The only light that was shown was a strip of it coming from the curtain not being able to close all the way. You snuggled your pillow, happy you’re finally getting some rest after a long day. 

When you woke up, it was still light out, but not as sunny as it was prior to your nap. You stretched your limbs out, relieving the feeling of any tense muscles from your sleep, and walked downstairs and to the backyard.

“Good nap?” Harry says from the lawn chair that is set on the grass. You rub your eyes, nodding while closing the sliding door. There’s a vacant seat next to him, and you’re not quite sure if you want to sit next to him or watch the sun disappear when your feet are in the water. “Want to sit here?” He asks as if he read your mind. 

“I-”

“I can see that you’re debating if you want to sit next to me or not, so I can leave and you can sit here if you want.” He says, and you feel bad a bit. He already thinks that you don’t want him here, and he’s simply here for Lina and Dan. 

“It’s okay. You can stay. I’m just going to go by the water.” He only nods and you walk away. 

The water softly hits the shore and you feel the coldness of it hit your feet. It’s refreshing and cooling, hoping it’ll cool down your nerves and your mood. 

You cross your arms as you watch the sun slowly begin to set. The fascination you have with the sun is like no other. It reminds you of the feeling of hope and a new beginning; how the sun setting resembles the end of a story, a day. And tomorrow is a new day. 

You can’t help but think about your situation with Harry and how it’s hypocritical to be talking about a new story when you’ve been clinging onto his story. You feel a little stressed keeping the grudge and anger towards him bottled up because he hurt you bad, but you’re also still in love with him. 

As the sky turned from light to dark, you turned around to go inside, and to see if Harry was still sitting on the chair. But when you’re walking away from the water and towards the house, you see the chair empty, and you don't know why you have a sad feeling in your chest.

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[itsmelaurel]

Begin Again

Summary: When your best friends move away for college, you think life is officially over. However, you find yourself making new friends including the blonde surfer from the other side of the island.

one

—————————————————

two.

The last three weeks of summer went by way too fast and it was finally your last first day of high school. You were currently out on the front steps of your home with a sign that said Senior. It was a tradition your mom went all out for every single school year.

“Looking like a snack before 8 am should be illegal.” Sarah shouted from behind your mom which caused you to roll your eyes.

“Oh, perfect shot. Probably going to use that for the Christmas card.” Your dad clapped sarcastically at your attitude being caught on camera.

“Alright, now all the kids on the steps.” Your mom directed. You and Sarah sat down first. Wheezie sat next to you and Katie, Kelce’s sister, sat on the other side of Sarah. Knowing it was only four of you this year had your heart sinking a little. These steps typically held seven Kildare Prep students. Now it was down to four and next year there would only be two left.

“I’ve got to send this to the boys. I tried to get them to take pictures on their first day of classes, but I was told they were too grown for that.” Kelce’s mom said while huddling next to Rose.

You had been successful in keeping busy these past few weeks in order to keep your mind off your best friend's physical absence in your life. All of you still texted every day in the group chat, but the promised daily FaceTime calls were slowly fading.

While you were busy with cheerleading and hanging out with the pogues, the boys had joined a frat and started classes two weeks ago. On top of that, they started partying several nights during the week and getting blackout on the weekends.

They still had no idea you were hanging out with the pogues. When they asked what you were up to, you would always tell them just hanging out with friends. Surprisingly, they never asked who. Just assuming you would never willingly hang out with the pogues.

You weren’t technically lying to them, but you constantly felt guilty about it. Then Sarah would remind you that they were living their best life at college, so why couldn’t you?

“Okay my sweet little babes, it’s time to head to school.” Your mom finally stops the photo shoot and pulls you from your thoughts. Her and your dad kiss your cheek goodbye, both of them tearing up when you get in your Jeep. They were so dramatic and you freaking loved them for it.

“I’ll see you at school after I drop these two off. Wait for me?” Sarah asked while leaning in your window. You promised to wait for her before leaving the driveway.

Arriving at school early was new for you. Last year you, Sarah and Kelce typically rode together in the mornings when Rafe had football and Topper had lacrosse. Kelce and Sarah were never on time which resulted in you running to first period with minutes to spare.

The song changed in the car, a soft country melody flowing through the speakers. The only person who listens to country is Topper and you roll your eyes at the fact he snuck this onto your playlist. Thinking of him made you realize that they really won’t be walking the halls with you today. It made your throat tighten with emotion at how different this year is going to be. The anxiety that you’ve done such a good job of hiding these past few years comes bubbling up unexpectedly.

Before you can stop yourself, you dial his number hoping it will calm your nerves. It rings a fourth, fifth and sixth time before it goes to voicemail and you hang up before you even hear the greeting. A dark, little voice in the back of your head says that he’s in college now and wouldn’t want to be bothered before 8 am about you're pathetic feelings.

The phone ringing through the speaker startles you and you immediately answer it without looking at the caller id thinking it’s Topper.

“Morning sunshine” JJs sleepy voice rasps through the car speakers.

“Morning punkin” a smile graces your face at the sickly sweet nicknames. It’s become a little joke between the two of you, mostly making fun of John B and Sarah’s overly sappy relationship.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, his voice sounding more alert than just a few seconds ago.

“Nothing, why?” your teeth capture your bottom lip and bite down.

“Somethings up”

“Nothings up-”

“Nu uh, don’t do that. Don’t lie to me. What’s wrong?” He prods hoping you let him in.

“I’m just really nervous about the first day, that’s all.”

“You’re going to have a great day, y/n. And if you don’t there’s nothing ice cream can’t fix.” His words are simple, but it causes you to giggle and your anxiety to melt away.

“How’d you know something was wrong?” You question.

While hanging out with the pogues these last few weeks, you and the blonde surfer had gotten close. When the couples would break off from the group, the two of you would hang out alone.

“I could just sense it and your voice cracked a little when you answered.” You imagine him giving you a shrug as if it wasn’t that big of a deal. But it was.

“Thank you, J.”

“Anytime buttercup. Do you have cheer practice today?” Now he’s the one who sounds nervous.

“I don’t. Why?”

“I don’t have work today either. Do you wanna hang out?” He all but rushes out the last sentence.

“Yeah, i'd like that.” You work out the details and he promises to bring ice cream just in case.

“Hey, you gonna sit out here all day?” Sarah knocks on your window causing you to jump. She gives you a weird look, but doesn’t question it. You climb out of the car and grab your backpack.

“How do I look?” You ask your tall blonde best friend as you head inside, motioning to your makeup and hair.

“I can’t believe you would wear that.” Her eyes scan your body and she grimaces playfully.

“We are wearing the exact same thing.”

“Shit, do you think they will notice?” She looks around at the sea of bodies all wearing a similar version of our private school uniforms.

“You’re so stupid.”

“But you love it.” She sticks her tongue out and you playfully return the gesture, all anxiety from this morning completely gone as you enter first period.

——

When you get home from school, a beautiful floral arrangement of your favorite flowers are sitting on the kitchen counter. A card is folded neatly next to them.

We hope you had a great first day. Wish you were here with us already.

xoxo,

Rafe, Kelce & Topper

Your hand dances over the petals softly as you lean in to smell them. The flowers are beautiful and you snap a picture to send the boys.

Y/n: thank you for the beautiful flowers. kildare prep wasn’t the same without y’all today.

Not even a few seconds after you hit send, your phone is lighting up with a FaceTime call from Rafe.

“There’s my little senior.” His voice is teasing as he comes into view. He looks the same as the last time you physically saw him. Hair gelled back and blue eyes bright as the sky.

“Thank you for the flowers.” You know it was him who specifically ordered them from the cheesy xoxo. It was something he started using after he watched a couple of episodes of Gossip Girl with you.

“I’m glad you like them. How was your first day?” He questions and you give him a quick rundown, laughing when you tell him about Sarah falling asleep in 2nd period with drool coming out of her mouth.

“Did you miss me?” He asks playfully, but there's a twinge of something else there too.

“Of course I did, Rafe.” You tilt your head as you watch him lay back on his bed.

“I miss you so much.” He admits softly and it catches you off guard. Rafe isn’t one to share his feelings or be vulnerable in any way.

“I miss-” you begin to tell him how much you miss him, possibly even admit how your heart aches when you think of all of them, but you're cut off quickly by someone busting through his bedroom door.

“Cameron! Are you ready to get lit?” His new roommate Parker comes into view when Rafe sits up in bed.

“Dude, I’m on the phone.” Rafe gestures to the obvious FaceTime call.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry.” Parker leans down and waves at you. “Hey y/n! How was the first day of kindergarten?” He laughs obnoxiously at his own joke and you wrinkle your nose in return. Parker wasn’t the worst person they could be roommates with, but he was pretty annoying most of the time. He lived for the frat life and everything college stood for. If you weren’t in college, he only referred to you as a child.

“Knock it off.” Rafe gives him a look, but Parker just flips him off.

“It’s okay Rafe, I have to go anyway.” You glance at the clock knowing JJ would be there any minute.

“No, don’t go. I’ll go down the hall.” Rafe says in a panic clearly not ready for your call to be over.

“I really do have to go, maybe we can talk another night this week?”

“Why can’t we talk later tonight before bed?” He questions.

“Because apparently you are about to get lit.” You let an impassive mask slip over your face.

“Oh, right.” He says as if he forgot he already has plans. “I could cancel and we could have a FaceTime movie night?”

“Dude, you aren’t cancelling. The four of us have had this planned since Sunday.” Parker chimes in with a look of mock disgust at his roommate. Thankfully the doorbell rings providing you with the perfect excuse to get off the phone.

“Rafe, I have to go. Text me later.” You blow him a kiss and hang up before he can say anything else.

However, your dad beats you to the door and let’s JJ in while you're still in the kitchen.

“My man. I didn’t know you were coming over today.” You hear your dad's voice followed by JJ saying something you can’t quite hear. They share one of those bro hugs making your eyes roll.

JJ and the rest of the pogues have been over to your house a lot the past three weeks. While your parents loved each of your new friends, they were especially fond of the blue eyed boy that would come over by himself sometimes.

“I promised the princess some ice cream.” He winked at you when he walked into the kitchen.

“Why does that not surprise me?” Your dad smirked with a shake of his head. “Wanna stay for dinner? We’re having steaks.”

“Uh, if that’s okay?” JJs eyes look to you to make sure you are okay with this and you nod.

“Perfect, I’m going to get the grill ready.” Your dad walks out leaving the two of you standing alone in the kitchen. JJs eyes roam over your body and he lets out a low whistle.

“Wow, this uniform is something else.” His words cause you to blush.

“I know you're jealous that you don’t get to wear it every day.”

“Caught me.” He laughs and you join him. Your phone starts ringing and you check to see who it is.

Rafe

You let it ring out only for it to start ringing again with Kelce’s name.

“The powerpuff girls seem eager to talk today.” JJ comments as he takes in the flowers and your phone ringing off the hook.

“Hey, don’t call them that.” You squint your eyes at the nickname.

JJ scoffs “Like they don’t call me worse names when you tell them we’re hanging out. Do you correct them?” He questions as he steps closer to you. You bite your lip and watch as his eyes darken.

“You do correct them, right?” He asks again when you hesitate to answer.

“Well, they would have to know we hang out in order for me to do that.” You admit sheepishly.

“We’ve been hanging out for three weeks. How do they not know?” His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. You can see his train of thought even though he hasn’t said it out loud.

Surely she’s told them about me.

“When I tell them I’m hanging out with friends they don’t ask who. They just assume it’s not the pogues and I don’t correct them.” You watch as he deflates a little at your words.

“That- Uh, I-” He stumbles over his words, hurt dancing across his eyes.

“I’m going to tell them. I was trying to avoid all the kook versus pogue bullshit they are going to spout off.” and you're not sure why you do it but you let your hand slip into his, offering a gentle squeeze hoping it comforts him.

His eyes look down to your hands, his signature smirk back on his face and all the tension in the air slowly disappears with it.

“If you wanted me to be your little secret all you had to do was ask.” His cockiness is back in full swing and you let go of his hand to shove him playfully.

“So, what type of ice cream did you bring?” You ask effectively changing the subject.

The both of you head up to your room to watch Ozark. He asked if you wanted to watch it the last time he was here. You’d never seen it before so it wasn’t a problem to put it on. A little more gore than what you were used to watching, but it was a pretty good show overall.

Next thing you know, you hear your mom hollering that dinner is ready. Your eyes flutter as they try to adjust to the setting sun shining through your window. A hand lightly caresses your arm and you snuggle a little deeper into the bed.

Your eyes pop open when you realize you're actually cuddled into someone and not the bed. The thought causes you to jerk straight up and look over at the boy laying in your bed. His blue eyes are staring back sleepily and a soft smile graces his face.

“I- I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry.” You rush out feeling that predictable blush rising on your cheeks. He reaches over and grabs your hand. His fingers linking with yours much like earlier.

“I didn’t mind it.” He admits honestly.

“Me either.” Your words are barely a whisper but he hears you. Sitting up, his eyes flick down to look at your lips then back up to you making his intentions clear. You nod, giving full permission for him to lean in. His breath hovers over your lips as he gets closer, causing your eyes to flutter shut.

“Y/n! JJ! Let’s go!” It’s your dad's voice that bellows from downstairs this time and both of you jump apart feeling like you’ve been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to.

He stares at you for a moment longer before getting up “Come on, I don’t want to upset your parents.”

You follow closely behind him heading downstairs, head still spinning over what almost just happened.

Never in a million years did you think you and JJ Maybank would be cuddled up napping together or about to share a kiss. It was a lot for you to grasp. So, you push all thoughts of what just happened out of your mind for later and try to play it cool in front of your parents.

Too bad your mom sees right through it.

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