#i know im answering the last first i'm sorry i just immediately had thoughts lmao

[hellofanidea]

and because I have BG3 on the brain, always

"Good morning, Thistle, sweetheart, last night was rather eventful! When were you going to tell us you're currently sharing a body with an ancient horror from the very depths of Umberlee's domain?"

Phaë's voice is sweet, maternal, but the look on her face is a decidedly frightening one of very controlled fury. Thistle immediately shrinks back in their bedroll.

"Didn't come up before," they say weakly.

"Didn't come up?" Shrieks Astarion from just behind Phaë, his hands on his hips and lips curled dramatically to bare his fangs in irritation. "Didn't-! Yes, I'm sorry, my mistake, 'are you currently possessed by anything other than the tadpole' really should have been an introductory question!"

[14dayswithyou]

Meowdy Saint! ^^ lolol hello hello o/ hope you are doing good!!

So this masterpiece of a game has been invading my mind with ZERO chill lately which directly translated to me coming up with a TON of questions orz I really didn't realize how many I ended up compiling lol

If you don't feel like answering this many please feel absolutely free to ignore this ask or only answer the ones you like the most, the last thing I want is for you to feel overwhelmed! ^^

ALRIGHT LET'S-A GO

-do Rendacted's memories remain intact when he resets the day or do his wipe too with everyone else's? Also is there an in-universe answer for why he has these glitchy powers or is he just Built Different™?

-if angel made it VERY clear that they would be mad asf and prolly even start hating and leave Ren/[REDACTED] if he were to hurt their friends(or killing people bc this man needs to chill fr), would he listen to them? Bc I know that if he touches Violet, Elanor, Kiara or god forbid Moth I'm personally deleting his kneecaps 🥰

-since it seems to me that Ren/[REDACTED] is only kinda meh at cooking I was wondering if he actually made the not burnt pancakes in day 3 or if he had some store bought ones that he passed off as his own lol

-does he know how to give massages? :00

-during day 1, how did Ren come up with a book on the local flora?? It seems like such a random topic to pick when put on the spot without already having a genuine interest in it lmao

-if I understood correctly Maple should be Jae's dog right?? Did you have a specific breed or age in mind when creating her? I got curious because in my head she automatically popped up as a young australian shepherd to match with Jae's hyperactive dumbass energy lol❀⸜(˶´ ˘ `˶)⸝❀

-staying on the dog topic lol, in day 1 when angel gets up from the couch to get Ren the inflatable mattress(iirc) and he follows right behind them i immediately thought he acted like a puppy lmao. So would he mind being called 'puppy' as a pet name?

(I am not sure if this⬇️ questions falls under character deaths, if it does I really apologize and absolutely feel free to ignore it ^^)

-from an ask from last year it seems [REDACTED] would ultimately kill angel if there was ultimately not way to enter in their life?? Gotta say I was very taken aback by this, would this still be the case after a year of building more to his character? (Ok I went back to check the ask again but I can't for the life of me find it anymore maybe I dreamt it up idk😭😭 im really sorry if that is the case jdkslajdl)

-uuhh I know there is already a lot in this ask(im seriously sorry orz), but I was wondering if we will eventually get an SFW alphabet for Ren/[REDACTED] for the folks who don't care about the nasty 👉👈

-THIS IS THE LAST THING I PROMISE 👹 will there be a guide to get all the endings? I'm not sure if there is one already and in that case I missed it 100%

Also I find it ironic how the fandom is trying to find out every single aspect of Ren/[REDACTED]'s character the same way he must do with angel lmao

ALRIGHT THATS ALL IM SO SORRY FOR ASKING SO MUCH THE REN BRAINROT HOURS ARE SO REAL IM LOSING BRAINCELLS orz Remember to take care of yourself drink water and take breaks!! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

(Also sorry if some phrases don't make sense, english isn't my first language as I am 🤌 lolol)

✦゜ANSWERED: Under da cut because this got long >:3

-do Rendacted's memories remain intact when he resets the day or do his wipe too with everyone else's? Also is there an in-universe answer for why he has these glitchy powers or is he just Built Different™? Ren's memories remain intact!! I mean... He remembers each time you get a bad end and sometimes says something different... >:3 There is also an in-universe reason as to why he has his abilities — I won't spoil anything, but his real name (along with River's and one other character) have a reeeeally big tell. But what this tell is is for me to know and you to find out >:3

-if angel made it VERY clear that they would be mad asf and prolly even start hating and leave Ren/[REDACTED] if he were to hurt their friends(or killing people bc this man needs to chill fr), would he listen to them? Bc I know that if he touches Violet, Elanor, Kiara or god forbid Moth I'm personally deleting his kneecaps 🥰 Ren (and by extension [REDACTED]) knows not to harm anyone if he knows you won't like it — and even then — he won't actively show that murderous side of him in the first place. To Angel, Ren is just a timid, normal guy.

-since it seems to me that Ren/[REDACTED] is only kinda meh at cooking I was wondering if he actually made the not burnt pancakes in day 3 or if he had some store bought ones that he passed off as his own lol Ren is actually good at cooking, he's just a bit out of touch since he doesn't normally cook for himself! It's normally microwave meals or takeout for him... ^^; And yes, Ren did burn and burn the pancakes in Day 3 — he was distracted by something on his phone :3

Bonus cut Day 3 content: I took out the scene where Ren started to profusely apologise for burning the pancake because he often had to cook when he was younger. Given the dynamic of his family and the environment he grew up in, Ren didn't have much room to make mistakes ;n; I cut this scene out because I felt bad ksgskd So y'all get to have flustered, happy Ren instead!!

-does he know how to give massages? :00 If that was one of Angel's interests or desires, then sure!! ^^

-during day 1, how did Ren come up with a book on the local flora?? It seems like such a random topic to pick when put on the spot without already having a genuine interest in it lmao Someone else likes flora too, and it sure would be funny if Ren (eventually) starts to mimic certain traits and interests of the person you have the highest affinity/relationship points with in order to make himself look more appealing… >:3c

-if I understood correctly Maple should be Jae's dog right?? Did you have a specific breed or age in mind when creating her? I got curious because in my head she automatically popped up as a young australian shepherd to match with Jae's hyperactive dumbass energy lol❀⸜(˶´ ˘ `˶)⸝❀ It was mentioned in Jae's lore post (I'll link it here once I find it), but Maple is a Labrador! (Leon would be Jae's Australian Shepherd hehe) In my mind, Maple is only 2 or 3 years old, but that wouldn't really fit the official timeframe... ^^; Jae adopted Maple during high school so he wouldn't feel lonely at home, and it's been over 6+ years since then.... hgdshjg

-staying on the dog topic lol, in day 1 when angel gets up from the couch to get Ren the inflatable mattress(iirc) and he follows right behind them i immediately thought he acted like a puppy lmao. So would he mind being called 'puppy' as a pet name? Angel affectionately calls Ren a puppy during the scene in Day 1 where they meet up after work, so that nickname definitely could work!

-from an ask from last year it seems [REDACTED] would ultimately kill angel if there was ultimately not way to enter in their life?? Gotta say I was very taken aback by this, would this still be the case after a year of building more to his character? (Ok I went back to check the ask again but I can't for the life of me find it anymore maybe I dreamt it up idk😭😭 im really sorry if that is the case jdkslajdl) aaa I think you might be mistaking that ask for something else? ;v; [REDACTED] would NEVER harm Angel in any capacity, and they're a very patient person. Even if it took decades for Angel to fall in love with him, they'll wait.

-uuhh I know there is already a lot in this ask(im seriously sorry orz), but I was wondering if we will eventually get an SFW alphabet for Ren/[REDACTED] for the folks who don't care about the nasty 👉👈 You're fine!! And I'm open to doing that! I'll add it to my list hehe

-THIS IS THE LAST THING I PROMISE 👹 will there be a guide to get all the endings? I'm not sure if there is one already and in that case I missed it 100% I've shared a spreadsheet that lists all the available choices, the points you earn from each of them, and the endings you can get — however it's only available on Discord and I don't really want to share it outside of the server and potentially put it in the hands of minors. Sorry!!

Also I find it ironic how the fandom is trying to find out every single aspect of Ren/[REDACTED]'s character the same way he must do with angel lmao Hehe >:3 There's a loooot of lore that won't ever be mentioned in the game (since it doesn't seem fitting/I don't see a reason to), so I'm happy to provide it here!

[hekateinhell]

Tell me abt preggers armand please. I have a fic im working on and need 2 hear other peoples opinions on this topic 😈

🥹🥹🥹

okay so first of all i'm so upset i didn't see this ask until i checked my askbox on my phone which i almost NEVER do anymore since i'm getting old and prefer to just answer things via laptop where i can keyboard smash at full capacity raw and unfiltered but like MY DMS ARE OPEN I'M NOT ALWAYS THE FASTEST RESPONDER BECAUSE I'M IN GRAD SCHOOL AND LIFE AND WHATEVER BUT I DON'T TRUST TUMBLR ANYMORE BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE THIS UNTIL YESTERDAY ON DESKTOP TUMBLR PLS DON'T DEPRIVE ME OF MY PEOPLE

now that that's out of the way:

it depends! you have to be more specific, like are we talking vampires? human AU? BECAUSE I'VE GOT SOMETHING FOR EACH

canon verse/vampire:

don't ask me to explain the science or whatever lol i don't care, i just skip to the pregnancy part!

i think armand would be SO FUCKING FERAL and defensive, like he's lost so much and been so traumatized in so many ways, the idea of anything happening to his baby would have him in full gremlin mode. imagine a feral cat hissing and spitting and clawing and biting (not for food but for violence)!

on the other hand, he'd be obsessively bonded to his baby daddy (daddies, if there's multiple babies). he is not letting them out of his sight (i default to lestat here LMAO listen i want them to knock each other up so bad--separate universes obviously)

HE WOULD NEST SO FUCKING HARD!!! i was going to say i apologize for my brain but then i realized that i don't actually but i want him to nest on a pile of lestat's clothes and give birth right there like a fucking cat 🥹

ALTERNATIVELY THOUGH: i also had this idea that's like louis impregnates lestat and armand at the same time and they get to go through their pregnancies together and it's every bit as horny, hellish, and sweet as you'd imagine 🫶🏻 i've said it before and i'll say it again--lestat would be the WORST pregnant person ever dead or alive!!

now for human AUs:

i guess my thoughts here primarily but not exclusively exist within the same universe as I Feel You (sorry idk if you read that fic but tl;dr- IT'S PWP OF TRANS!ARMAND 2/3RDS OF THE WAY INTO GETTING A TRAIN RUN ON HIM BY HIS BOYFRIENDS LESTAT, LOUIS, AND DANIEL AND HE'S YOUNG DUMB AND FULL OF CUM SO YOU KNOW IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE HE'S GOTTA PEE ON A STICK RIP BOYS)

i think each of his boyfriends would handle the whole thing differently! lestat would be so over the moon because he's careless (clearly) but also so damaged from his own childhood he would just see it as a chance for a do-over, reality and responsibility be damned. lestat's on sex and backrub duty, and he's good at it (the backrubs i mean, sex is a 50/50 but you know what, at least he's enthusiastic and good at manhandling armand so that's 70% of it right now and the 30% is absolutely ridiculous horny pregnancy hormones)

louis panics internally as he immediately starts creating a spreadsheet of their finances. outwardly though, he's very calm and supportive and he's the one who's most able to comfort armand the most and settle him down during his crazy mood swings. armand basically lives in louis's baggy sweaters during the last trimester

daniel panics outwardly (listen LOL the whole premise of Our House is that human!daniel molloy is not ready for children and i find it hard to budge from that mindset, but he could ease into the Cool Uncle role quite nicely). he handles distractions and food cravings, and he might not be down to be a dad yet but he does buy very thoughtful and sentimental baby gifts every now and then that make armand tear up

i was gonna add mermaid AU thoughts but then i remembered armand's laying eggs instead (he's feral during that whole process too so i guess it's similar to the vampire version. i just love him so much okay!!!)

OH ONE LAST VERY IMPORTANT THING

pregnant!armand fics on ao3 I'M CRAZY ABOUT AND HAVE REREAD AT LEAST 10 TIMES:

shelter by @rainbowcarousels

it must be the clouds in my eyes and everything in that series by @its-ness-ness

[causenessus]

omg i hate that guy <- not really anymore,, he's a good teacher my grades shot up SO fast (D->A within three months of him teaching) BUT LIKEEEE HES BEEN TEACHING ME SINCE 8TH GRADE AND SAYS LIKE 1 GOOD THING EVERY 6 MONTHS

HE ARRIVED AS SOON AS I READ UR ANSWER

he said i did well today 😎 and if i study properly ill do the same in all my next exams !!1! i have to start a bunch of different coachings eww

ANYWAYS i woke up at like 5 today (us moment) !! idk why because i had online classes that started from 9

sleep early tho!!!!!!! i hate waking up and i hate sleeping i hate everything actually

i conked out at 11:30pm last night (omfg i did not know i could do that)

im doing so good (still high off the grades) but like lowkey panicking bc of the next exams !! my goal is to beat my sister's records <//3 basically she's pike crazy good and got 7 A* and 1 B </3 i alr got an A* in the subject she got a B in, and then i have like 7 more subjects to give exams of :[

but like she is ACTUALLY so good at studies n shit she got the highest grades in her batch in biology in this years board exams (wtf!) and when she gave her 10th grade boards she got like the highest marks in economics in 34 years/basically the whole school history i will cry .

the english teacher i have rn is fucking insane she told us callous and careless are the same thing i almost cried

she also spelled ajar as ajure

NOW YOU MIGHT SAY but lina thats hecking stupid !! its not her first language:( SHE HAS A DEGREE?? AND IS THE HEAD OF THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ??? and she took up four classes (4hrs) just talking about the SYLLABUS not even what we're learning

im aiming for like,, country highest at least in english so having her is a terrifying thought

ALSO A GIRL FROM THE BATCH ABOVE ME GOT WORLD HIGHEST IN HER MATH BOARD EXAM (100%!?!?)

okay anyways ill go erm sorry for yapping.. IM STARTING MY HEALTHY STUDY GIRL ERA AND STUDY NOW!!! honestly im quite proud of myself because like a year and a bit ago my grades were like,, 1 U, 3 Ds, 5 Cs and 1 B like wtf .. anyways the subject i got a U in back then,, i got 90% in boards this year ! and my lowest grade recently was 80% like chat we r eating ts up

IVE TALKED ENOUGH THANKS FOR LISTENING OR WHATEVER NOW I FEEL EMBARRASSED

STAY SAFE AND HYDRATED NESS ILY ILY ILY BYEBYE :)

DON'T FEEL EMBARASSED!!!!! I LOVE TO HEAR YOU TALK <3333 (sorry i got distracted and immediately read the bottom paragraph LET ME READ FROM THE START) LMAO I'M GLAD YOUR TUTOR IS GOOD AT TEACHING!! EVEN IF HE'S NOT NICE 😔😔😔 KNOW THAT YOU'RE DOING SO WELL LINA!!! I'LL COMPLIMENT U AND CHEER U ON IF HE WON'T <3

LINA SIDE TAGENT THAT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH i love how energetic your writing is!!! like it's rubbing off on me <33 i was feeling a little sleepy but now that i'm reading your ask i feel more like !!! awake!!!! this is all /pos I JUST WANTED TO SAY I LOVE THE WAY YOU TALK </33 BUT PLEASE 5 AM???? AND YOUR FIRST ONLINE CLASS IS AT 9??? PLEASE BRO WHY IS THAT THE USUAL?? 😭 WHEN MY FIRST CLASSES WERE ONLINE IN HIGH SCHOOL I FR WOKE UP AT LIKE 8 EVERYDAY (bc idk how they were for you but like google meets were once a week and optional bc they'd just record it anyway so i'd watch the recordings at like 2x speed while doomscrolling tumblr or something)

YOU SLEEP EARLY PLEASE!! or like sleep more idk 😭😭 i could never wake up at 5 am willingly you're amazing for that 😭 the "i hate everything actually" is SO real it made me laugh so hard PLEASE 😭

YOUR SISTER SOUNDS CRAZY??? LIKE GOOD LUCK BEATING HER RECORDS IG </3 BUT PLEASE DON'T STRESS YOURSELF OUT OR MAKE IT A BIG DEAL !! YOU DID AMAZING THIS TIME AROUND WITH YOUR EXAMS AND IK YOU'LL DO GREAT AGAIN BUT DEFINITELY DON'T STRESS YOURSELF OUT TOO MUCH PLEASE!! i cannot believe the thing about your sister having the highest grades in ECONOMICS in like 34 years because economics is NOT fun that class made like 0 sense to me like bro if the global market is crashing and economists don't understand it HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO UNDERSTAND IT ?????????

CALLOUS AND CARELESS ARE THE SAME THING????????? HELLO????????????? HOW IS SHE A TEACHER I'M SO SORRY BUT LIKE EVEN IF IT'S NOT HER FIRST LANGUAGE THAT MEANS NOTHING LIKE BEING AN ENGLISH TEACHER IS NOT THE ONLY JOB OUT THERE IF SHE CAN'T TEACH ENGLISH THEN LIKE MAYBE SHE CAN TEACH SOMETHING ELSE??? BC I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE LETTING HER TEACH IF SHE'S DOING THINGS LIKE THAT 😭 AND SHE'S THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT AND EVERYTHING??? EVEN CRAZIER???? good luck with your goals though!! i believe in u <3

WHY IS YOUR GRADE BREAKING LIKE ALL THESE RECORDS?????? LIKE I KEEP READING MORE PARAGRAPHS AND WITH EVERY WORD MY CONFIDENCE IN MY OWN SCHOLARLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS IS DEPLETING LMAO 😭😭 I DID NOT BREAK ANY RECORDS BUT GOOD FOR U GUYS!!!

amazing job with the better grades!! and i love your healthy study girl era!! please make sure to take care of yourself and keep your mind and body nourished <333 i hope you're doing alright!! i just saw something on your blog recently that made me want to make sure you're doing alright!!! please know that my dms are always open to you!! <33 take it easy and you're an amazing person <3 you're so sweet and talented please let me know if you need anything!!

[princelouisau]

hi, happy last day of ss messages, i've had the best time ever getting to know you!

sorry you had to choose :( i get it though, louis loves the uk and there's no pain like missing a tour of an artist you love and not knowing if you'll ever see them again 😭

it's snowing outside and i had a good night's sleep for the first time in decades (3 months) so im in a rare good mood! which means avoiding social media like the plague so nothing ruins it lmao

25 is so young omg don't do that to me. i'm 23 and i used to feel like my life as i knew it would end when i turned 30 but i hung out with my 30 y/o cousin and his friends recently and they still seemed so young to me,, idk why everyone feels the need to lie and act like 30 is old. like they have so much more fun than so many 20s ppl i know bc they're so much more financially stable 😭

i haven't had a chance to read your victorian one yet! the summary looks really good though 👀 i love a good protective harry so i'm going to put that on my tbr immediately!

any plans for christmas? enjoying the gloomy winter weather?

have an amazing day, see you tomorrow 👀

ahhhh hello!!! happy christmas eve and last day 😭 i have loved this so much and your messages really have been a highlight of my days :’) thank you for being so amazing

waaa snow and a good sleep sounds amazing right now! i’m glad you’re feeling good <3 i’m about to sleep (hopefully) so please excuse my sleepiness (i’m aware i’ve been in some sort of state when answering half of these, unfortunately i just live like this)

if you do read my fic i’d love to hear your thoughts 👀 no rush or pressure though!

i’m going to spend the day with family tomorrow and hopefully eat a lot and maybe have a little nap or two :’) we’re very chill and don’t really do much like maybe someone will crack out a game but it’s rare and will still be very chilled out and i love that ��️ and i’ve been looooving the weather, it’s not quite as cold here now as it has been this month but i was out of the house super early this morning and it was dark and cold and a little bit rainy and it was like my dream vibes lmao i love this time of year

i’m so excited to meet you properly tomorrow! i hope you have a good sleep tonight <3

[beacon-lamp]

Hey beacon long time no see!

I have a confession to make: Even tho I've followed you for ages I've avoided your hermitcraft propaganda posts so hard. NOT BECAUSE I DIDN'T LIKE THE HERMITS THO!! It's because I knew I wouldn't have the time to watch more than 1-2 povs (when I know I'll want to watch way more) or to catch up on previous seasons because I was already involved in watching dsmp streams and all their videos.

And then my interests in the dsmp start drifting and by May I've started binging some animes and mangas my friend was recommending me and I'm about halfway out of mcyt at that point

BUT THEN I start seeing double life fanart appear on my dash, and I realize there's a new life saga series (Does. Does anyone know what to call it? I know it's trafficblr but like. life saga makes the most sense right? It's what I'm calling it anyways). And I'm like "oooooo, third and last life were fun, I should watch the first episode of this!" (I came last to the party for the previous series so I really wanted to be on time for this one)

And so I watch Grian's first episode because he's the hermit I'm most familiar with and. it's so fun. It's got me hook, line, and sinker. I remember how much of a blast is it to watch Grian, I have to watch more.

So I binge Grian's season 8, then catch up on season 9; I realize I'm having such a great time every time Scar's on screen, so I binge his season 9 and am about to finish binging his season 8- and beacon. I'm ASHAMED I didn't find Scar sooner. I almost had a cow seeing he only had 1.8 million subs when I was subbing to him because WHAT. I've banned myself from eating or drinking while watching his videos because I've almost spat on my laptop multiple times from laughing. His kindness and positivity and wise words have made me emotional too many times to count, and reminds me how much being kind is worth it. I would literally fistfight gods on a sea of broken glass for Scar- Alright I have to shut myself up or I'll write a college thesis about that man.

I still haven't read those propaganda posts btw lmao. But I do want you to know I've been kidnapped into being a hermitcraft fan and I'm so happy about it (I was literally kidnapped against my will tho I swear; I was trying to get into a manga SO BAD but then my brain saw double life and said "mmmm, these minecraft men. I want more of these guys, screw everything else" and then I completely forgot about any other interests alskdgh)

ANYWAYS, sorry for such a long ask! I just thought you'd be interested in knowing that I'm in the hermit and trafficblr community now!

You don't have to post this ask if you don't want to btw, but if you do, quick question: who's your favorite hermit? (I ask this like I know who all of them are alsdgh, I wish I did but there's just so many of them, I'm trying so hard tho)

squish!!! hallo!!!

hahaha this ask made me smile so much, hope it's ok i'm only just now answering it

im very glad you're in the hermitblr/trafficblr community now i'm sure everyone is happy to have you hahaha what'd you think of the double life finale, if you've watched it?

grian is fantastic and the Grian Effect is so real; you start off just watching him and then you blink and suddenly you're trying to keep up with 5 different people's upload schedules.

and i agree, scar is criminally underrated/under-subscribed; i remember watching him hit 1M subs and just being So Happy for him. i need that man to hit 2M subs immediately, he's at 1.92M now. (honestly a lot of the hermits are just under-subscribed i've watched so many of them hit 1M subscribers since the end of season 6 and i am so happy for all of them)

i don't know if i could pick one hermit as a favorite bc i follow pretty much all of them; i watch them based on like the ~vibes~ i'm feeling that day. bdubs almost never fails to bring a smile to my face tho and he interacts with so many hermits so if you haven't checked him out already, you should.

[falcqns]

Falling

Pairing: Henry Cavill x Reader

Summary: You struggle with a breakup, and Henry helps.

Warnings: Smut, fluff, mention of heartbreak, past cheating, a lot of mentions of Harry Styles music

A/N: All classes mentioned are classes I’m taking this semester in college, and I’m already exhausted lmao. I failed my Child Development class last semester, so I have to retake that on top of the rest. I am ready for death. Also, I modelled the whole ex boyfriend thing around what happened in 2019 with my baby’s father, but I didn’t leave him then (bc im and idiot) and stayed with him for another year until he knocked me up LMAO. I added the link to my playlist that I mention in here as well! all the songs mentioned are linked below as well.

I'm in my bed And you're not here And there's no one to blame But the drink in my wandering hands

When you had answered his ad in the paper for a roommate, you definitely weren't expecting it to be Henry Cavill.

All you were looking for was a place to stay while you were studying abroad in England, and his place was cheap, and close to your university, so you answered.

You had gotten accepted almost immediately, and moved in less than a week later.

It had been 2 weeks since then, and Henry was going to work for the first time since you moved in, having to take two weeks off due to someone on set contracting covid, even though he tested negative. 

You only had one class today, which was your Psychology class, but you had homework for the rest of your 9 classes to do. So, when Henry told you he’d probably be home late, you weren't too upset. 

You had managed to finish your essay for Modern History and Diversity In The Early Years, and was working on your assignment for Stress and Resiliency.

You felt your stomach grumble, and glanced at the clock that read 5:49 pm.

You didn’t know how you allowed yourself to work for almost 6 hours without a break, but you had. 

You grabbed your phone and the screen lit up. You had a few messages from your friends back home and here, but nothing from Henry. He had told you he’d text you and keep you updated on when he would be home, but he hadn't messaged. 

You knew he was busy so you didn't message him, and instead turned to make dinner. You opened Apple Music on your phone, and pressed shuffle on your music. 

You heard the beginning notes of Habit by Louis Tomlinson begin to play, and began pulling out the materials and ingredients that you’d need to make your favourite dinner.

Your music continued to play, playing the occasional One Direction or 5 Seconds Of Summer song. 

You heard another song begin to play, but didn’t recognize it until halfway through the first verse. 

“Forget what I said It's not what I meant And I can't take it back I can't unpack the baggage you left”

You knew the song was on your playlist, you had downloaded it when Fine Line came out, but whenever it played it hit you like a ton of bricks.

It had been your go to song when you had broken up with your ex, and you usually only listened to it when you were very upset, even though it was a beautiful song. It was just too hard for you to listen to on a regular day.

You tried to ignore the feeling of sadness that washed over you and continued to make your dinner, until the first lines if the chorus began to play.

“What am I now? What am I now? What if I'm someone I don't want around?”

You felt the tears prick your eyes, and you didn't stop them from falling down your cheeks.

All the thoughts of your past relationship came to the surface, and you concentrated on making your dinner because you knew if you didn't, you’d succumb to your emotions and you didn't want that.

You heard a ping on your phone, and wiped your tears to clear your eyes before looking. 

Henry had texted you, so you unlocked your phone to look at the message.

‘Hey filming’s running late so I probably won't be home until late, sorry :(’ The message read.

You sighed in relief, you definitely didn't want him seeing you like this.

‘It’s totally okay! I probably wont be awake when you get home anyways, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow :)’ You responded.

He answered immediately. ‘Can’t wait. Have a good night :)’

‘You too,’

You plated your food, and made a plate for Henry too before wrapping it up in Saran Wrap and placing it in the fridge with a note with his name on it.

You ate your food quickly while scrolling through TikTok, and tried to stay happy.

But, as you were cleaning up your dishes, you gave up, and let your emotions take over.

What if I'm down? What if I'm out? What if I'm someone you won't talk about? I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling

You flopped on the couch, and turned on Spotify on the tv, before picking up the book you were reading for your Ethics class, ‘What We Owe To Each Other’, by T.M. Scanlon.

You heard Ever Since New York come on, and did your best to ignore it, but you soon found your sight become blurry with tears.

You sniffled and blinked them away, attempting to focus for a few more minutes before giving up.

You placed your bookmark in your book, and tossed to beside you, before pulling the blanket your great aunt had knitted for you before you moved around you.

For the second time tonight, you did nothing to stop the tears from falling.

Two Ghosts came on, and you silently cursed Spotify for somehow sensing your mood, not realizing you had clicked on your sad songs playlist.

You said you care And you missed me too

You thought back to your ex, and to why the relationship ended. It had been almost a year now, and you couldn’t seem to be able to move on.

You had known your ex since you were a baby, and had grown up with them. When you turned 18, you started dating. You had dated for two years, and for a year and a half, you were in love, and you thought he was too.

Then, you and your best friend had decided to buy tickets to your hometowns fair that’s held every year, the second weekend of August. So, you had texted him and asked him if he wanted you to buy him a ticket. He said no, and that he had to work, so you didn't buy him a ticket.

Two weeks later, you were walking to the fair, and you got a text from one of your mutual friends, asking if you were coming, to which you said yes.

Then she dropped the bombshell. That your boyfriend was there with another woman.

You weren't angry, you were in disbelief. You texted him and had told him that you two were done, and for him to delete your number.

You blocked it out of your head, and tried to enjoy your day for your best friends sake.

And I'm well aware I write too many songs about you And the coffee's out

Eventually, he found you, and apologized. You accepted, and you got back together. At least until you were eating a funnel cake with him, your mutual friend, and best friend, when he proudly proclaimed that he had slept with the girl he had brought. 

You dropped your fork, and you and your best friend immediately stood up before walking away from him.

You managed to make it out of the fair grounds before breaking down. 

He didn't love you the way you loved him.

You heard the music change from Harry Styles to Demi Lovato, specifically Skyscraper, and you lost all hope of salvaging your night.

You cried your eyes out, sobs filling the empty room, until you felt drowsy and laid down on the couch.

The last thing you remembered before passing out was how much you wished Henry was home to help you feel better. He was good at that.

At the Beachwood Cafe And it kills me 'cause I know we've run out of things we can say

Henry entered the house, and heard the music of Maddie and Tae floating through the ground floor from the living room.

He let Kal off the leash, who darted upstairs to go to bed after his long day, and headed into the living room.

On the tv, he saw the title ‘Die From A Broken Heart’ on the tv.

He had heard it before, when you were moving in. You had been on FaceTime with your best friend, and had played the song for the two of you to listen to.

He enjoyed the song, but, decided to shut it off when he saw your sleeping figure draped under the blanket on the couch.

Just before he turned off the tv, he noticed the playlist name, which was ‘god i wanna feel again.’

He knew something was wrong, so he clicked the off button before turning to you, and kneeling down.

He gently turned on the lamp on the table beside the table, ad let out a tiny gasp.

Your eyes and nose were bright red, and it was painfully obvious you had been crying your eyes out.

He pulled the blanket off of you, and lifted you up. He carried you to your room and laid you down gently on the bed, before covering your body with the comforter.

What am I now? What am I now? What if I'm someone I don't want around?

He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. As he reached for the Brita filter to get you a glass of water for the morning, when he noticed the saran wrapped plate with a note on top, his name scrawled in your beautiful hand writing.

He smiled, knowing you had been thinking of him. You had moved in two weeks ago, and he’s already started to fall in love with you. You have treated him with nothing but kindness and love, no matter how you were feeling.

He grabbed the filter, making a mental note to come back and eat the food you had prepped for him.

He grabbed some Tylenol for you in the morning as well, and headed back into your bedroom.

You woke up as Henry entered the room with the cup of water and medicine.

“Henry?” You questioned, as you sat up.

“Hey, it’s me.” he said, giving you a smile as he set the cup and meds down on the bedside table, before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He ran a hand through your hair, a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?”    

You nodded, and gave him a weak smile. “Yeah, I’m okay.”    

Henry gave you a knowing look. “No, you aren’t.” You looked down at your hands in your lap. “What’s going on? I’ve never seen you so upset, Y/N.”

You sighed and explained what had happened, tonight, and in your past relationship.

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling

By the time you finished explaining, Henry had climbed into the bed, and pulled you into his lap, cradling you against his chest.

“Angel,” He said, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “It’ll be okay. I’ll help you through this, okay?”

You nodded, and sniffled, before wrapping your arms around his neck.

He adjusted you, so you were straddling him, and began to rock you back and forth slowly. He pressed a small kiss to your shoulder, and you let out a tiny moan.

He smiled, and did it again before you could say or do anything. You shifted yourself against him, your hips grinding into his, before moaning again. His head fell back against the headboard, and bit back his moans. This was about you, not him.

He laid you on your side, laying on his side too. He lifted your left leg over his hip, and pulled you close to him. 

His kisses moved from your shoulder to your neck, causing you to moan, and rock against him harder.

He smiled, and tilted your head up to look at him. He pressed a kiss to your lips, and that's when he let out his first moan, after biting them back.

“Does that feel good?” He mumbled after breaking the kiss.

You nodded your head, and made eye contact with him. 

“Y-Yes!” 

Henry smiled, and slid his hand over your hip and up your back. 

“Do you want me to help make you feel good, baby?” 

You nodded, and he brought his hand back down from your back, and up your shirt. He pushed it up, and you unraveled your arms from him to peel off your shirt before wrapping around him again.

What if I'm down? What if I'm out?

He slid his hand to the top of your sweat pants, and pulled them down, your underwear coming with.

Your hands drifted to his shirt, and lifted it up, and off his body.

Less than a minute later, you were both naked, your hands touching him, and his touching you.

“Mmm,” Henry moaned, his head in your neck, hips grinding into yours, and his hands roaming your back. He then ran his right hand over your hips and in between your legs.

His thumb brushed over your clit and you cried out in pleasure.

“H-Henry, more,” You moaned, and he smiled, before slowly sliding a finger inside of you, causing you to buck your hips as fast as you could.

“You’re so turned on, aren't you, my baby?” He whispered in your ear, and all you could do was nod vigorously. 

He removed his hand and brought it around his hard cock, pumping it a few times before lining it up at your entrance.

What if I'm someone you won't talk about? I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling

Henry made eye contact with you once more, and then slowly pushed in.

He wrapped his arms around you again, and pulled you tight against his body. You moved your arms up around his neck and pulled his forehead against yours.

“You okay?” You breathed out, seeing him close his eyes and calm his breathing.

He nodded. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” He sniffled, and opened his eyes to look at you, tears brimming on his lower lash lines.

“I just- I’m falling in love with you,” He admitted.

You smiled, and pressed a kiss to his lips, tears brimming in your eyes as well.

“Me too,” 

Henry smiled, and moved his right hand from your hip to your face, before moving his hips against yours, thrusting in and out of you.

You moaned, and pressed another kiss to his lips, and gripped his biceps.

“God, you feel so good,” He groaned out into your ear. He pulled you on top of him, before pulling the blanket to keep your naked form warm. “Need you closer,”

Your head fell to his chest, and you began moving your hips.

“W-Wanted this so long,” You whimpered out. Henry nodded, and pushed the hair off your shoulder, before pressing soft kisses to your shoulder and arm.

“Me too, baby, me too.”

And I get the feeling that you'll never need me again

Henry flipped you on your back, and buried his head in your neck again.

You ran your hands up his muscular back, and into his hair, while pressing kisses to his soft skin on his neck.

He began to speed up his thrusts, and his moans became louder.

“’m so close,” He moaned out.

“Oh, fuck, same, baby,” You cried out. Henry lifted his head up to look you in the eyes, his hand travelling in between your legs and thumbing over your clit once more, causing you to squirm violently.

“Such a pretty baby,” He breathed out, as you writhed and cried out underneath him in pure pleasure. “All mine, not his. He didn’t deserve you. You’re way too good for him, my sweet angel.” He said sweetly.

You gripped his biceps, unable to talk. 

“Yeah, you're close, aren't you my little girl?” 

You nodded vigorously which caused him to move his hand and hips faster.

“This pretty little pussy is all for me, right?” He growled out, as he felt his high approaching.

What am I now? What am I now? What if you're someone I just want around I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling

“My perfect little baby,” He cooed, causing your head to fall back and hit the pillows.

Henry kept going, his thumb speeding up. 

“Such a pretty little baby,” he said, and you were thrown over the edge.

You came on Henry, and cried out, his name the only intelligible thing coming out of your mouth.

Henry hit his high seconds after you did, stilling, and filling you impossibly full.

He let you squirm out underneath him, riding out your high.

He dropped forward, and nuzzled his nose into your cheek.

You wrapped your arms around him, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He lifted his head and pressed a sweet kiss onto your lips. You smiled into his kiss, and ran a hand through his sweaty curls.

“I love you,” You said, once you broke away from the kiss.

Henry smiled big, and grabbed your hand, intertwining your fingers with his.

“I love you too, my sweet baby,” He whispered, before pulling you onto his chest and the two of you drifted off to sleep.

What if I'm down? What if I'm out?

The next morning, you woke up to Henry running his hand through your hair, and admiring your features.

You gave him a sleepy smile. “Thank you, Hen.” 

He smiled, and gave you a loving kiss. “Anything for you, my angel,” He said, and nuzzled closer to you once more.

What if I'm someone you won't talk about? I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling...

Links to all music mentioned:

Habit - Louis Tomlinson

Ever Since New York - Harry Styles

Two Ghosts - Harry Styles

Skyscraper - Demi Lovato

Die From A Broken Heart - Maddie and Tae

[goldencuffs]

I'M HORRIBLE AT PROMPTS. laurent trying to do something really nice for damen&it kind of goes to hell but damen loves him so much&can't quit loving on him for it all? or laurent goes to some university&everyone thinks he's gorgeous but he's kind of a bitch&when he tells them he has a boyfriend everyone is like yeah right then damen comes to pick him up, looking hotter than anyone has any right to be&laurent melts with him? i'll read literally anything you write, it could be a n y t h i n g

@marrieddorkss​ im so so so sorry this took so fucking long lmao my god. im a mess. hopefully you still like it?? and it isnt such a fucking disaster lol?? 

Summary: Laurent decides to do something nice for Damen – and then immediately regrets it.

When Laurent comes back from his last class of the day, it’s to find Damen standing outside his dorm room, wearing a nice, oversized tank top and fraying shorts. The duffle bag by his feet is packed full; Laurent can see the sides of it are lumpy.

 “Hey.” Damen’s smile is pleasant. It transforms his face and makes him look younger, despite the stubble growing across his face.

 Laurent smiles too. “Hello,” he says, and when he’s close enough, he rests his hands on Damen’s hips and goes on his tiptoes to kiss his nose.

 Damen’s smile widens, the creases by his eyes deepening. He scans Laurent’s face intently. “I’m guessing that your presentation went well?”

“It went well,” Laurent says. He pauses. “Actually, it went very well. I managed to answer every single question at the end.”

 Damen wraps his arms around Laurent’s shoulders in a tight squeeze. “Fuck yeah!” He cheers. His enthusiasm is genuine, and it makes Laurent’s face heat.

 “It’s not that big of a deal – I’m sure there are other people who did way better.”

 “Stop that,” says Damen. He kisses Laurent’s forehead. “You killed it; I know you did.”

 Laurent doesn’t answer. He just tips his head up in a silent request. Damen’s smile softens around the edges, and then he leans down to kiss Laurent fully on his mouth.

 The kiss heats up quickly, as usual. Damen licks inside his mouth with vigour, his hand moving down Laurent’s back to grip his ass. Laurent moans into it, tugging on the front of Damen’s shirt to pull him closer.

 Damen’s cock is already hard; it presses up against the inside of Laurent’s thigh in a slow, teasing drag. Laurent shifts his own hips forward, his body tight with anticipation.

 A door slams shut at the end of the corridor and Damen detaches himself from Laurent in a measured pace, realising at the same moment Laurent does, that they’re in a very open, public setting.

 “Come inside,” Laurent tells him.

 Damen squeezes his ass again. “Here?” His smirk is sharp and arrogant.

 Laurent hates how much he likes it.

 He doesn’t let Damen know that though; instead, he rolls his eyes and drags Damen inside to his dorm room. It’s far from its usual pristine condition; Laurent hasn’t made his bed in a week, his dirty clothes are in a pile by the door and his desk is overflowing with papers, textbooks and plastic wrappers from food he’s bought lately.

 Laurent grimaces at the mess. Damen doesn’t seem to mind, or even acknowledge it; he flings himself onto the single bed with as much ease as he can, hauling his duffle bag up with him.

 “What’s in there?” Laurent asks.

 The duffle bag is an expensive, leather one. For years, it had sat alone and dusty in the Revere’s garage, until Laurent had gifted it to Damen over the summer. Now, it’s used constantly; Damen takes it with him to classes and football practice and is rarely seen without it. He takes good care of it too: he diligently cleans it once a week and keeps it stored in his closet, away from sunlight.

 Damen waggles his eyebrows in response to Laurent’s question. He sits up again and opens it with an exaggerated amount of fanfare, slowly inching the zipper in small tugs.

 It’s amusing; it shouldn’t be, but almost everything Damen does makes Laurent laugh. He likes that.

 Inside the lining of the bag, the tag is visible. It used to simply read ‘Revere’, but someone – probably Nikandros – has added, with marker, an apostrophe and the word ‘bitch’, so the entire thing says: ‘Revere’s bitch’.

 Laurent also likes that.

 Laurent doesn’t focus too long on the tag. The contents of the bag are much more appealing: there’s an assortment of treats packed haphazardly inside. Laurent can see chip packets, chocolate, tubs of ice cream and a four pack of Krispy Kreme donuts.

 Laurent taps the lid of one of the ice cream containers; it’s sea salt, his favourite. “Did you rob a grocery store? Is this your first step into the tantalising world of crime?”

 Damen’s shrug is uncharacteristically shy. His fingers are still toying with the zipper, but he still manages to look Laurent in the eye as he says, “They’re for you. I figured – depending on how your presentation goes – they’d either be celebratory snacks or conciliatory ones.”

 Laurent smiles. There’s a sudden, pressing warmth in his chest. “Really,” he says, touched.

 Damen is still shy; it’s a strange yet endearing look on him.

 Laurent’s smile doesn’t waver. He pushes the duffle bag a little, so it ends up against the wall, rather than between them. He crosses the now empty space, shifting closer to Damen until Laurent manages to straddle his lap, knees digging into the hard mattress below.

 He presses a soft kiss to the corner of Damen’s mouth. He keeps his mouth there, against the stubble across Damen’s jaw, and says: “Thank you. I love how thoughtful you are.”

 Damen swallows, eyes darkening. His hands rest on Laurent’s hips. His touch is deceptively light.

 This time, Laurent initiates the kiss. He keeps it slow, the way he favours, and Damen lets him. His hands begin to wander over Laurent’s body; even when they’re not fucking, Laurent has come to learn that Damen likes to touch him constantly.

 When Damen’s hands settle on Laurent’s ass once more, Laurent shifts his hips a little. Damen’s other hand drops to cup Laurent’s ass cheek.

 Laurent’s gasp is a quiet sound; most of it is swallowed by Damen’s mouth.

 They begin a slow, steady rut. It reminds Laurent of the first time they did this, a few months ago in a secluded booth in Route, the small club down the road from their campus.

 Laurent didn’t know Damen too well at the time, but he was always petering around the Student Life office, where Laurent had been volunteering on and off throughout the semester. He wasn’t sure what Damen did there: sometimes he volunteered to help with administrative tasks, but mostly, from what Laurent saw, Damen seemed to just want to hang around him.

 They formed a tentative, shallow relationship that consisted of very poor flirting on Laurent’s part and a lot of unprecedented confidence on Damen’s.

 It was obvious to everyone how much Damen wanted to fuck Laurent; he always looked half crazed every time Laurent so much as looked at him. Laurent found that he didn’t exactly mind it; Damen was attractive, receiving his attention was heady, and it wasn’t as though Laurent was swimming in proposals.

 So, when Damen had asked him to hang out at Route with him on a Saturday night, Laurent had said yes, fully expecting the outcome of the evening.

 Still, Damen had seemed surprised when, after two drinks, Laurent climbed into his lap. Their first kiss had been relatively innocent: just a short, chaste peck. Then Laurent, spurred on by the alcohol, deepened it. Damen responded eagerly, pulling closer Laurent and licking into his mouth with a shocking amount of indecency.

 After a while, he’d pulled back. His eyes had been so dark, and he’d gazed at Laurent with awe.

 Laurent had said: “If you’re going to keep looking at me like that, you might as well just fuck me here.”

 Damen had inhaled sharply; even with all the noise around them, Laurent still managed to hear it.

 Twenty minutes later, Laurent had been pressed down into his mattress as Damen licked him open for his cock.

 As he’d pushed into him for the first time, Damen panted into his ear, “Fuck, I don’t usually do this on a first date.”

 Laurent had laughed.

 Afterwards, Laurent had thought he wouldn’t see much of Damen anymore. He knew how one night stands worked. He suspected that now that Damen had been inside him – more than once, actually – he would stop loitering around the Student Life office.

 That didn’t happen. Instead, Damen seemed more persistent to hang around Laurent. Laurent let it happen. By this point, he’d grown fond of Damen, the way someone might feel fond over a stray puppy that constantly showed up at their door.

 Besides, as the weeks wore on, Laurent discovered that as well as being extremely sexually compatible, Damen and he were also compatible outside of bed; they became fast friends, much to the bemusement of everyone else.

 It’s amazing how far they’ve come, Laurent thinks. He doesn’t think he’s been so comfortable with anyone in his entire life.

 Now, in the silence of his bedroom, Damen’s lips drag across Laurent’s neck. Laurent shivers, fingers running over Damen’s shoulders. He’s careful as he tugs off Damen’s shirt. Damen’s chest is marvellous – it’s all sculpted pecs and hard planes. There’s a tattoo of a lion roaring on his right pec. It’s the most obnoxious thing Laurent has ever seen, and the first time Laurent had seen it, he’d licked it. He might’ve felt stupid about it at the time, but that feeling quickly evaporated when Damen’s hips stuttered, and he’d spilled his release inside Laurent.

 Once Damen’s shirt comes off, the need to get naked becomes a priority for both of them. Damen rolls Laurent onto his back after Laurent takes off his own shirt, mouthing over his collarbone, his nipples, his bellybutton, and then his hipbone.

 Laurent is quick to unbuckle his belt when Damen kisses the waistband of his jeans.

 Damen is always meticulous in preparing him. It doesn’t matter if it’s been five minutes or five days since they last fucked, Damen never rushes. Laurent’s given up on trying to coax him to be faster.

 Laurent’s knee jerks a little when Damen’s fingers, covered in cold lube, circle around his rim in sure strokes. Damen kisses the inside of his thigh, then the crease of his groin as Laurent pants. When his finger breaches Laurent, Laurent turns his head into the pillow, moaning against the silk fabric.

 “Please,” he says quietly, and Damen groans, long and loud. He likes it when Laurent begs, a fact that makes Laurent flush.

 Damen continues fingering him. The sounds are disgusting, wet and sloppy. Laurent doesn’t understand why he likes it so much.

 Finally, finally, Damen pulls away. Laurent’s fingers twist the bedsheets in anticipation. He knows he’s flushed all over; he can feel the colour vining across the bridge of his nose and down his chest.

 Damen’s cockhead drags down his crease. It makes Laurent delirious.

 “Yeah?” says Damen. His hand grips the base of his cock and his eyes are fixed on Laurent, like he can’t bear to look away.  Laurent knows the feeling; Damen looks so good like this.

 “Yes,” says Laurent, in Veretian.

 That makes Damen groan again. He only gets louder as he pushes into Laurent. Laurent’s eyes go cross eyed at the initial stretch. He loves this: the initial pain of Damen’s cock entering him.

 “God, Laurent.” Damen grunts as he starts thrusting, biting down on the column of Laurent’s neck.

 “Yeah, fuck me,” Laurent says. His hands slide down Damen’s sweaty back. “Harder – please, I need it.”

 “Fuck,” Damen gasps as he complies. He lifts his head from the crook of Laurent’s shoulder and kisses him.

 Laurent keens into it. He wraps his legs around Damen’s waist, murmuring encouragements in Veretian against Damen’s mouth.

 Damen’s thrusts start to get shallow; his rhythm isn’t synced, but it still makes Laurent’s toes curl.

 “Good?” Damen says. His biceps are straining with effort.

 “You know it is,” Laurent says.

 “I like the confirmation,” Damen says with that terrible smirk, and Laurent closes his eyes and lets himself take it.

 Damen comes first. He’s loud when it happens; Laurent is sure his neighbours hate him.

 His cock is straining against his stomach when Damen pulls out. Laurent flushes when he feels the wetness inside him, and he darkens further when Damen pulls his ass cheeks apart, watching in awe as his come dribbles out of Laurent’s hole.

 “Don’t touch your cock,” says Damen.

 “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Laurent arches his back when Damen’s mouth seals over his hole.

 Damen slips his tongue in easily, licking into Laurent with enthusiasm. Laurent shakes under his grip. Damen’s stubble rubs against his skin, and Laurent knows it’s steadily pinkening.

 He feels on edge. His cock is so hard it hurts. He pulls on Damen’s curls desperately, and Damen buries into him deeper.

 Laurent’s mouth falls open. His quiet panting fills the room, joining the cacophony of sounds Damen’s mouth produces as he eats him out.

 Laurent feels like crying. He almost asks Damen to stop because it’s too much, too much, too much.

 Then Damen slows down to short, tiny licks. When he resurfaces, he gives Laurent a filthy wink. His chin is wet.

 Laurent comes.

 *

 Every Thursday, Laurent and Damen have lunch at a small brunch place just outside campus. It’s usually packed, but Damen always manages to secure them a table. Laurent suspects this is because Damen has slept with one of the baristas. Damen has never explicitly denied this detail.

 Today, their table is outside, along the gravel path leading to the campus gardens. The weather is nice; a rarity in Marlas, and Laurent enjoys the sunshine on his face.

 Initially their weekly lunch meetings had been a habit borne out of practicality: last semester, one of the only days they could meet up was on Thursday mornings. After a good, thorough fuck, Damen always needed a cigarette, and Laurent always got hungry, so their solution was to head out to this particular brunch place.

 Now, though, it’s become a fixed tradition between them. Damen also refers to it as their place – which Laurent still doesn’t quite understand.

 Damen orders his usual – the everything breakfast – and Laurent, pleasantly reminded of this morning’s activities when he moves in his seat, decides to order the same thing.

 Halfway through their meal, they’re interrupted by Nikandros, one of Damen’s teammates. Nikandros is wearing his letterman jacket, but he shrugs it off as he pulls up a seat at their table. He steals a chorizo sausage off of Laurent’s plate, despite Laurent’s protests.

 Nikandros starts talking to Damen about the statistics of their latest game while Laurent finishes up his food. Once he’s done, he pulls out his pack of cigarettes. He manages to finish half of it; he offers Nikandros the rest. Nikandros eyes fall on the cigarette, then Laurent’s mouth, before he forcibly tears his eyes away and shakes his head.

 He addresses Damen again, his voice slightly hoarse, “Hey! I just remembered – guess who I saw coming out the law library today?”

 “Who?” Damen takes Laurent’s cigarette.

 Nikandros pauses for dramatic effect. His smirk is not as attractive as Damen’s. “Lykaios.”

 Damen drops his cigarette. He doesn’t pay it much mind; instead, he leans forward in his seat, eyes alight. “Wait – seriously? You’re not messing with me?”

 “Nah,” Nikandros shakes his head, looking pleased. “Asked her what she’s doing here, apparently she’s starting postgrad law this semester.” Nikandros pauses again. “Like you.”

 “Wow.” Damen’s expression is brittle with disbelief. “What are the chances?”

 “Seems like fate.”

 “Who’s Lykaios?” Laurent asks.

 “Oh,” says Damen. “She’s an old friend from when I still lived in Ios.”

 “A friend,” says Nikandros. His expression is amused. “Oh, come on, you two were practically together.”

 “That’s not true,” Damen says quickly. He casts Laurent a reassuring look. “It honestly isn’t.”

 Laurent doesn’t understand why Damen is being so defensive; it’s not news to him that Damen has been with other people.

 “You were pretty much in love with her, dude.” Nikandros picks a sausage off Damen’s plate this time.

 “Oh,” Laurent says before he can help it. The statement takes him by surprise. One of the first things Damen had told him when they’d first started hooking up was: I don’t know what it’s like to be in love. In the stillness of the night, Damen had been vulnerable and open; it was the first time Laurent realised the person in his bed might be more multifaceted than he let on.

 “No,” Damen gives Laurent another reassuring look. His foot presses against Laurent’s underneath the table. “I wasn’t.” His voice is firm. “There was a time I thought I was, but I was wrong.”

 Nikandros clearly doesn’t believe him. He rolls his eyes and utters a small, “Whatever.”

 Laurent pulls out another cigarette, thinking.

 *

 Later that night, Laurent is contemplative. It’s late: almost two in the morning and the rain outside is a welcome, soothing noise.

 Laurent is so sore, he almost regrets the last round, as short as it was. It doesn’t keep him from draping himself over Damen’s chest, fingers lazily tracing over the tattoo on his pec.

 Damen keeps running his fingers through Laurent’s sweat soaked hair, his fingernails gently scratching against his scalp. It’s so relaxing, Laurent feels like he could fall asleep like this. Practically, he knows he shouldn’t: there’s dry come on his stomach and between his thighs. He’s also sweaty, and Damen is too.

 But instead of getting up, Laurent asks into the stillness of the night: “What is she like?”

 Damen jerks a little; his eyes have been closed for a while now.

 “Hm?”

 “Lykaios,” Laurent says. “I want to know what she’s like.”

 There’s a small pause. Damen shifts again. “Why?”

 “I don’t know. It seemed like she means a lot to you – and I’m interested.”

 “She meant a lot to me. As in, past tense.”

 “It didn’t seem that way during lunch,” Laurent points out. He doesn’t know why Damen is being so evasive and why it’s bothering him so much. “You seemed excited to hear about her.”

 “Well yeah,” Damen says. In the darkness, it’s hard to read his usually expressive face, but Laurent can still sense a growing tightness in Damen’s body. “But that’s only because it’s been a while since any of us have heard from her. She sort of disappeared after first year.”

 Laurent pinches Damen’s bicep. “Tell me.”

 Damen sighs. He rolls over, so Laurent is unfairly jostled aside. He turns on the lamp on the bedside table. As the room is washed in a dull yellow light, Laurent can see how matted Damen’s hair has become, as well as the fingernail indentations along his shoulders.

 “There’s honestly not much to say,” Damen says. His voice is very quiet, mindful of the neighbouring dorm rooms. “We were family friends for years, and in my senior year I realised I liked her a lot – more than I thought I did. But she had a boyfriend, so I never did anything about it. And then she dumped him because she liked me, but this time I was seeing someone. So, in the end, nothing happened.”

 “That’s it?” Laurent frowns. In his mind, he keeps replaying Damen’s reaction at lunch; surely, there must be more to the story. Damen huffs. It almost seems like he’s pouting. He pokes Laurent’s stomach, hard. “You’re being very annoying.”

 Laurent swats his hand away. “Are you still in love with her?”

 “I already told you I never was. I just thought I could be because I was a horny eighteen year old.”

 That makes Laurent laugh. It’s an unintentional sound, but it makes Damen smile.

 “I’m not interested in anyone but you,” Damen says, too sincerely. The words hang heavy in the air.

 Laurent doesn’t know what to make of it – not just the words, but Damen’s tone as well. It makes his stomach clamp up. He thinks Damen is making a point about how attractive he finds Laurent; in bed, the subject of Laurent’s body is always a welcoming topic.

 So, Laurent says, a little awkwardly, “Thank you.”

 Damen snorts. He looks fond. He kisses Laurent, and Laurent gladly welcomes it.

 It’s a slow, sensual kiss. Damen keeps mapping out Laurent’s body with his hands, fingertips tracing over the veins across Laurent’s wrist, his chest.

 “Think you can go again?” Damen says against his mouth. Pressed to each other like this, Laurent can feel Damen’s erection. It’s hot, he thinks to himself, how Damen physically reacts to him, even when Laurent hasn’t done anything to particularly excite him.

 He’s still sore, sweaty and gross, but Laurent says: “Yes.”

 *

 Laurent is late to his study session with Damen on Wednesday. They normally don’t study together; tonight is an exception. Damen is apparently tired of being cooped in his room alone as he pours over his essays.

 Outside the study room, Laurent pauses. Through the clear glass, he can see Damen is already seated, textbooks placed carelessly over the wooden tabletop. But he’s not alone. There’s someone seated on the edge of the table, in the one corner free of Damen’s things.

 It’s Lykaios. Laurent knows it must be; Damen’s face is exuberant, creased with warmth. His smile is filled with teeth, white and straight, and there’s a lingering softness there. Laurent’s chest clenches with a foreign feeling. He’s unsure what it is, but then deduces it must be relief at seeing Damen so happy.

 Laurent almost turns back. He wants to give Damen and his not-quite ex-girlfriend time to catch up. The thought of intruding on them with his presence fills him with anxiety. But he remains rooted on the spot because, for some strange reason, the thought of leaving them alone also fills him with anxiety.

 Luckily – or perhaps, unluckily; Laurent still hasn’t made up his mind – Damen spots him through the glass. His smile, now directed at Laurent, changes instantly; it dissolves into a steady kind of fondness. His eyes seem to shine brighter.

 It completely baffles Laurent.

 His chest tightens again; this time, it’s much more pleasant.

 Laurent supposes he should enter now. Damen seems to have forgotten about Lykaios; his eyes remain on Laurent as Laurent fumbles with the doorknob and steps into the room.

 “Hey,” he says. His smile – and voice – wobble. “Sorry I’m late.”

 “Don’t worry about it,” Damen’s smile, impossibly, widens even more. Laurent’s gaze is helplessly drawn to it.

 They stare at each other for a few moments longer than necessary until Damen seems to remember they’re not alone. He fumbles over the introductions, face flushed.

 Lykaios is unbelievably gorgeous. Like most Akielons, she’s very tall; even wearing flats she’s a few inches taller than Laurent. Laurent tries not to be bitter about it. Her hair isn’t as blonde as Laurent’s, but it’s long and shiny. Her eyes are amazing; long lashed and an intriguing colour, somewhere between green and blue.

 Standing next to Damen, the two of them look like a regal painting. They look good together. They complement each other.

 Laurent – unexpectedly, painfully – feels inadequate.

 Lykaios rounds the table and shakes Laurent’s hand with vigour. Her smile is kind and open; her enthusiasm is genuine. “It’s so nice to finally meet you! Damen has managed to mention your name about a hundred times in the last half an hour.”

 Damen flushes at that, suddenly busying himself with rearranging his textbooks.

 Laurent smiles. He can feel the heat travel across his face. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

 “I’m sorry for interrupting your study session.” Her voice is so sweet, Laurent thinks he could listen to her talk all day. “I was literally just walking past and saw Damen in here. I almost couldn’t believe it.” She turns to Damen and gives him in an assessing look. “It’s been what – six years?”

 “Fuck off,” Damen says, with little heat. “I don’t want to be reminded of how old I am.”

 Lykaios laughs at that. Her laugh is sweet too.

 Laurent says, “You guys will probably see more of each other now. You’re in the same course, right?”

 Lykaios beams. “Yep! Another weird coincidence.”

 “Or fate,” Laurent points out.

 Damen gives him a strange look. “Definitely just a coincidence.”

 “Ah, who knows the mysterious ways of the universe,” says Lykaios. She gives Laurent a wink.

 Laurent decides he likes her, despite the twisting in his gut.

 It’s why he says: “Did you want to stay and study with us? We were also going to grab some dinner afterwards. You could join us for that too.”

 Damen gives him another strange look; this one is brittle with disbelief.

 Laurent ignores it. He keeps his eyes on Lykaios, who smiles at him.

 “Thank you for the very kind offer, but I’ve already got plans tonight, I’m afraid.” She seems genuinely sorry, and it makes Laurent like her even more.

 “Maybe next time,” Laurent says.

 Damen frowns.

 Lykaios doesn’t stay too long after that; she claims she needs to start getting ready for her night out. When she leaves, she kisses Damen’s cheek. Laurent bristles a little at that.

 But his annoyance morphs into pleasantness when she hugs him goodbye – like Damen, she is very touchy, Laurent notices.

 As soon as the door closes behind her, Damen kisses Laurent, hard and open mouthed. It’s a terrible kiss; Laurent isn’t expecting it, and he almost topples backwards with the force of it. Then he starts laughing, so Damen’s mouth mostly meets his teeth.

 The second one is much, much better.

 “I’ve been wanting to do that for the past ten minutes,” says Damen. “Next time, kissing first, and then we move on to having a conversation.”

 “Shut up,” says Laurent. He pulls out his textbooks, trying not to laugh. After a few moments, he says, “She seems really nice. I can see why you liked her so much.”

 He imagines Damen at eighteen, maybe a little naïve and cocky, completely enamoured by Lykaios’ sweetness.

 Damen rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” He squints at Laurent. “You’re not still hung up on that are you?” His mouth deepens into a smirk. He waggles his eyebrows. “Need me to prove my loyalty, baby?”

 Laurent flushes. It’s not the first time Damen has used that endearment – he mostly says it in bed – but it still catches Laurent off guard every time.

 His mouth is suddenly very dry. The only thing he can manage to say is: “Shut up.” And then he gets to work, smiling into his shoulder when Damen’s foot wraps around his underneath the table.

 *

 Lykaios’ Instagram is an explosion of colour: she likes wearing a lot of red and green and purple. Her entire profile is filled with her travels, charity work, her friends, and some shots of her eyelids coated in glitter. The more Laurent scrolls, the more careful he is not to like anything.

 There are plenty of pictures of her from high school; Damen is in most of them, fresh faced and youthful. It’s strange to look at: nothing about Damen is boyish, but these pictures prove otherwise.

 Laurent comes across a photo of Lykaios and Damen from six years ago. In it, Damen has his arm around her waist while Lykaios rests her head on his shoulder.

 The caption is: hbd to this guy aka my soulmate #finally18

 Soulmate, Laurent thinks. His mouth purses.

 Damen’s comment is the first comment. It reads: love u ly!

 Laurent puts his phone down.

 His thoughts come too fast: he starts to think of all the ways Damen and Lykaios fit together, how connected they seemed even after so much time apart. He thinks of how nice they looked together.

 Then, Laurent starts thinking of all the nice things Damen has done for him over the last few months. The duffel bag full of his favourite snacks comes to mind, as does the time Damen took him to a fancy restaurant when Laurent had averaged a high distinction last semester. Damen had even driven him almost forty minutes to the dentist once, even though he had an assessment due in the afternoon.

 Damen is always doing nice things for him, and Laurent realises, guiltily, that he’s never quite returned the favour. His own gestures have often been small and unnoteworthy; they’ve never possessed the grandeur of Damen’s actions.

 Laurent knows exactly how to change that.

 *

 Laurent isn’t the most forthcoming person. It takes him an embarrassingly long time to gather enough courage to message Lykaios on Instagram. But once he makes it past his awkward introduction – hey this is laurent in case you don’t remember me – to which Lykaios had responded ofc i do silly!, their conversations are light and easy.

The more Laurent talks to her over the week, the more he’s convinced of his plan. Lykaios is everything Damen needs and vice versa. It’s crazy how similar their personalities are: they’re both incredibly sweet, intelligent and interested in almost all the same things, from okton to hiking.

 The next week, Laurent invites Lykaios to his and Damen’s weekly lunch outing.

 Damen smiles when he sees him. He doesn’t lose the smile on his face when he sees Lykaios, but his eyes snap to Laurent’s in confusion.

 “This is a nice surprise,” he says, although his tone is dry.

 Laurent pretends not to notice it. Lykaios kisses Damen’s cheek in greeting and Laurent scratches at his chest as he sits down.

 Damen leans over the table to kiss him, but Laurent quickly picks out the menu and starts to read it, even though he’s practically memorised it by now. He doesn’t want Damen to kiss him now – especially in front of Lykaios – and ruin his plan before it’s had the chance to even formulate.

 When he puts the menu back, Damen is openly frowning.

 It disappears as Lykaios begins talking. The transformation is amazing; Damen is instantly captivated by her. Laurent swallows. This is good, he reminds himself.

 Laurent waits about ten minutes. He’s started to notice that even though Damen is laughing along to all of Lykaios’ jokes, he’s still shooting Laurent glances every few seconds.

 The question on his face is clear: why is she here?

 Laurent plays with his phone for a while. He tries to make it look like he’s texting something important; he keeps his brows furrowed in concentration.

 Laurent isn’t the best actor, but even he’s proud of himself as he lets out a small gasp.

 “What is it?” says Damen, instantly alert.

 “Nothing,” Laurent waves him off. “It’s just that I completely forgot I had a study session right now.” He stands up, grabs his bag. “I should go.”

 “Wait –” Damen’s face pinches. “You’re leaving?”

 “I’m sorry, but this is really important.” Laurent turns to Lykaios and smiles. “You two stay and have fun.”

 “But –”

 “Bye!” Laurent says it too enthusiastically, cutting Damen off. He walks out of the brunch place with hurried steps. He turns back at the end of the gravel path just to check if –

 His chest tightens with pleasure – yes, pleasure, although he’s not sure why it doesn’t feel like it – when he sees his absence has made little disturbance. Damen and Lykaios are laughing together, mouths open in delight.

 Over the next few days, Laurent organises more and more outings with Damen and Lykaios. Damen never seems to stop looking confused whenever Laurent invites Lykaios, but he also seems happy to see her, so Laurent counts it as a win. During each outing, Laurent manages to come up with a different excuse each time as to why he needed to leave early. Damen always looks disappointed. Laurent is weak for it; he can’t count how many times that look has almost made him stay, but he doesn’t, because it would be detrimental to his plan.

 Laurent makes sure to text Damen whether or not he enjoyed his time with Lykaios. Damen’s responses are pretty much the same every time: Yes, but it would’ve been better if you were there too.

 It frustrates Laurent. Damen isn’t supposed to still be thinking of him while he’s hanging out with his potential soulmate.

 Lykaios is the first to grow suspicious. She confronts him at the next outing. They’re in an idyllic little bar in the city, with a cosy atmosphere. It’s a perfect date venue.

 Damen heads to the bathroom, and Laurent stands up, ready to leave, when Lykaios stops him with a hand on his arm.

 “Laurent,” she says. “Is there a reason you keep depriving us of your company?”

 Laurent manages a sheepish smile. He wonders if he should say anything at all. Then, he decides he should: he feels like Lykaios would appreciate his directive.

 Laurent plays with the little sugar packets on the table. “I’ve been trying to get you and Damen to spend more time together. Alone,” he adds, when he sees her confusion.

 “Why?”

 “Well…” Laurent hesitates; he’s just now beginning to realise how awkward this is. “I think you two would be good together…romantically.”

 Lykaios raises her eyebrows.

 Laurent continues, fingers still fidgeting. “It’s just…Damen mentioned how much you two liked each other a few years ago. And I think Damen still regards you very highly. Plus, you two are so alike – I just think it makes sense.”

 Lykaios’ eyebrows don’t lower, but she casts a backward glance towards where Damen has disappeared to.

 “I can’t say I haven’t thought about Damen and I…” she begins, and Laurent’s gut twists with…relief? Yes, he’s sure it’s relief. It’s a good – great – thing that Lykaios is interested in Damen. “But I thought –” Lykaios pauses for a few seconds. “I mean, I was under the impression that you and Damen were together.”

 Laurent laughs, and then he realises she’s being serious. “You – no. We’re not. We’re friends.” Friends who spent a lot of time sleeping together, sure, but Laurent doesn’t think mentioning that now will do him any favours.

 Lykaios’ face instantly changes. Her smile takes up her entire face; it’s stunning. She’s stunning.

 Laurent shifts in his seat. He clears his throat. “So – you…you want to date him?”

 She flushes, and it only makes her look more beautiful. “Like I said…I’ve definitely thought about it.”

 “Oh – good. That’s awesome. Damen will be so happy.” He stands up. “So, I’ll leave you two alone?”

Lykaios nods. “Thank you, Laurent.”

 “Don’t mention it.”

 He turns around to leave. Everything in his body is screaming not to.

 He keeps reminding himself that he’s doing something nice for Damen: that Damen will appreciate the fact that Laurent set him up with someone like Lykaios, a brilliant woman he has a past with. His mouth is dry, and Laurent’s palms are suddenly sweaty. Briefly, he wonders if this is always what happens when people do nice things for another. If it is…he might have to limit his niceness.

 *

 Laurent doesn’t mean to start ignoring Damen’s calls or texts. It just happens. He isn’t in the mood to listen to Damen go on about Lykaios; Laurent already knows she’s amazing.

 He’s also confident that they’re dating now – or at least getting there. Lykaios posted a lot of snaps from the last night Laurent left them alone, and all of them had been of Damen smiling, drinking, smirking at the camera. They’d been there until three in the morning; Laurent knows because he’d stayed up until then, refreshing his Instagram feed to see any updates on Lykaios’ story.

 What had they even been doing for so long anyway? Damen had called him until eleven, before he presumably gave up. Had Lykaios pulled a move on him? Had they gone back to Damen’s room, fucked on his bed? Had Damen thought of how he’d fucked Laurent on that same bed just last week? Or had he been so consumed by Lykaios and her pleasantness that Damen hadn’t even thought of Laurent?

 Laurent had had the worst night of sleep.

 And then a few nights ago, Nikandros had posted an image of the football team hanging around at his dorm room. (Laurent vaguely remembers being invited to that). In the photo, Laurent’s eyes had immediately been drawn to Damen in the corner, his head bent down as he said something to Lykaios, who had been smiling widely. It had looked very intimate. Laurent had turned his phone off when he saw it.

 Alone in his room, Laurent lies on his bed, heart constricting. He should be happy for Damen. It’s frustrating him that he isn’t. And worst of all, he doesn’t know why.

 He thinks it might be because he’s gotten so used to having Damen around all the time. If Damen starts seeing someone, then he’d obviously start spending less time with Laurent.

 Laurent doesn’t want Damen to spend less time with him. If anything, they should be spending more time together. He only sees Damen about four times a week! That’s too little. Laurent should talk to Damen about that. He should tell him, Damen, even though you have a girlfriend now, I still want you to spend all your time with me, and I still want you to take me to fancy restaurants and then fuck me hard when we get home.

 Horrified, Laurent rolls over and screams into his pillow.

  *

 A few hours later, while Laurent is trying to clean out his desk drawers, there’s a knock on the door. It’s a rapid set of knocks, loud and urgent.

 Laurent frowns. He opens the door and his heart jumps when he sees Damen there, wearing a shirt Laurent had gifted him in the summer. Damen’s face is annoyed; it’s not an expression Laurent has seen often on Damen - and even rarely directed towards him. 

 Damen pushes past Laurent into the room. He takes up most of the space in it. Laurent’s heart still hasn’t calmed down. 

 “Tell me,” says Damen.

 “What?”

 “Tell me what I did wrong. I don’t like this passive aggressive bullshit.”

 “What?” Laurent says again.

 Damen crosses his arms in front of his chest. “You haven’t returned a single one of my calls or texts. You don’t want to hang out with me anymore. And I waited all night for you to show up to Nikandros’ and you didn’t.” When Laurent doesn’t say anything, he presses on. “Well? What did I do to piss you off?”

 “I – nothing,” Laurent shakes his head, shocked. “I’m not mad at you.“

 "Please,” Damen scoffs. “You -”

 "I’m not,“ Laurent says. “I was just giving you some space.”

 ”Space. Why?“

 "Well…” Laurent finds himself hesitating. “So you and Lykaios can spend more time together.”

 “Why the fuck would I want to do that?”

 “Um. She didn’t tell you?”

 Damen’s eyes harden. His mouth presses into a tight line. “Can you please just give me a straight answer?”

 “I’m – I’ve been trying to set you and Lykaios up.” Damen’s mouth drops open. Laurent quickly adds, “I talked to her about it and she said she’s been thinking of dating you too! So you know…” He trails off weakly.

 There’s a sudden, pressing silence. It engulfs the small space of Laurent’s room.

 In a very quiet, measured voice, Damen says, “What makes you think I would want to date Lykaios?”

 “She really likes you Damen. And I think you two would be a good match. I mean – you’re so compatible.”

 “No.” Damen’s voice is hard. “I meant: why the fuck do you think I would want to date Lykaios when I’m already dating you?”

 Laurent’s eyes widen. His breath stutters in his chest. There’s a strange ringing in his ears. “We’re not dating.” His voice is too quiet; he can’t bring himself to repeat himself any louder.

 Damen’s eyes bulge. It would be a comical expression if the atmosphere in the room wasn’t so deadly.

 “Not. Dating.” Damen repeats between his teeth. “You – You really believe that?”

 Damen’s mouth loosens around the edges. He looks like he’s received the worst news of his life.

 “I –” Laurent fumbles with his words. The back of his neck prickles with discomfort. “We’re friends.”

 “Is that what we are?” Damen scoffs. “My mistake, then.”

 Laurent still feels wrongfooted. It’s almost like he’s not even experiencing this conversation, just watching himself have it.

 “I don’t understand,” says Laurent. “I was just trying to do something nice for you. I thought it’d be good for you if you had a girlfriend like Lykaios.”

 “For fuck’s sake, Laurent.” All of Damen’s anger melts away. His tone now is sullen.  “I’ve literally been obsessed with you for the last six months – are you seriously just realising this now?”

 “I’m –” Laurent swallows. “But you’ve never asked me out or called me your…boyfriend.” His tongue dries up around the world.

 “I asked you out to Route all those months ago!” Damen says.

 “No. You said: ‘do you want to go out with me to –’” Laurent cuts himself off. Now that he thinks about it, he’s sure that Damen did ask him out on a date. He’d also said, I don’t usually do this on a first date while they’d been in bed together, hadn’t he?

 The realisation stumps Laurent.

 “Oh,” he says.

 Damen sits down on the edge of the bed, groaning. He buries his head in his hands. “Oh my god, Laurent. How can someone so smart be so stupid?”

 Laurent supposes he should feel offended by that. He isn’t, though, because he genuinely feels stupid.

 “You still didn’t make anything official.” Laurent says after a while.

 Damen looks up. “Fuck you.” His eyebrows furrow. “What was stopping you from asking me?”

 “Why would I say anything?! I thought you were only interested in fucking me!”

 Damen groans again. He sounds like he’s dying. “If that were true, then why would I –” He gestures around the room. Laurent knows what he means. He thinks of all the…dates Damen has taken him on, all the gifts he’s been given, the fact that Damen doesn’t leave his side when they go to parties together.

 Laurent closes his eyes. This is too much. He’s shocked by the anger that overtakes him – anger at himself.

 “I’m sorry,” he says. “I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been.”

 Damen looks at him steadily. He gathers his thoughts. “Do you still think I should date Lykaios? Because you seem pretty invested in the idea and I –” Damen sighs. “I don’t want to – I don’t think I can be with you if you don’t feel the same as I do.”

 “How do you feel about me?” Laurent asks softly.

 Damen’s gaze is burning. Laurent is pinned beneath it. “Laurent, I love you.”

 Laurent gasps. It’s a soft sound, but in the stillness of the room it rattles against the walls. His throat closes.

 When a few silent moments pass, Damen sighs. He stands up, mouth drooping and fingers tense by his thighs. “Alright…That’s.” He stops. He gives Laurent a small nod. “I’ll just go then.”

 Laurent blocks his path with a shrill, “Wait!”

 Damen stops.

 Laurent’s fingers twitch. He wants to touch Damen. But he knows he should – “I don’t want you to date Lykaios. I don’t even know what the fuck I was thinking, alright? You just – you seemed so into her Damen, and I thought it would be nice if I did you a favour and set you up with her because you’re always doing nice things for me but then I got so sad and angry and confused every time you were together and then I felt guilty for feeling those things and I just –”

 “Okay, slow down,” Damen’s hands grip his shoulders.

 Laurent shakes his head. His chest is bubbling with all these emotions he’s refused to acknowledge. “I don’t want you to date Lykaios,” he repeats. “I want you to date me.” He pauses. “Only me.”

 Damen snorts. “Easy. I’ve already been doing that.”

 “I’m sorry I didn’t know,” Laurent says. His throat is still tight with emotion.

 “We’ll work on communicating better,” Damen says. He peers down at Laurent until their eyes meet. “I only want you, Laurent.”

 Laurent collapses into Damen. He buries his head against Damen’s chest, weak in his relief. He even sniffles a little, something Damen thankfully ignores. “I only want you, too.”

 Damen’s body loosens; he exhales and squeezes Laurent in his embrace. He kisses Laurent’s temple. “That makes me so happy.”

 “Me too,” Laurent says.

 Guiltily, he thinks of Lykaios. He remembers her excitement at the thought of being with Damen. Laurent needs to make it up to her, somehow, if she’ll let him. Maybe he could buy her flowers? Laurent has never bought flowers for anyone in his life, but he thinks Lykaios might like roses – unless that’s too romantic? Or maybe he could –

 “Hey,” Damen says, interrupting his thought process.

 Laurent looks up at him. Damen’s smile is radiant; it’s all white teeth and creased eyes. “Yeah?”

 “Do me a favour.”

 “Anything.”

 Damen kisses him. Laurent smiles into it as his entire body fills with an unparalleled warmth. He’s not sure if he loves Damen back…but he’s confident he’s getting there.

 Damen pulls back. He assesses Laurent with a stern frown. “Don’t ever do anything nice for me.”

 Laurent huffs. He hides his face in Damen’s chest again. “Shut up.”

[gidleboo]

Sleepless

an imagine where Minnie is shocked to see her night owl girlfriend awake early in the morning.

not requested

Word Count : 1,229

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

After watching horror documentaries by yourself until 1 am, every little sound in your shared apartment with Minnie drove you crazy. Even the slightest water droplet from the bathroom would cause you to jerk your head in that direction or when the ticking of the clock seemed to grow louder and louder as if it was the only thing you could hear in the room.

'I should have just watched those in the morning with Minnie.' You thought to yourself in regret. You turned around and faced Minnie's back to wrapped your arms around her waist, burying your face in her hair that smells of orange.

Just as you finally thought you were about to doze off, the cold wind runs up your spine and you quickly turn your head to see if there was someone behind you. You let out a sigh when you see nothing.

The room was way too dark. When you tried to relax as you stare up at the ceiling, a creepy image pops in your mind and you had to blink several times before it disappears.

You softly whine as you struggle to fall asleep. As much as you want to shake Minnie awake and have her comfort you and tell you everything's fine, you love her too much to wake her up for some lame reason.

Besides, you care about your pride too. It would be too embarrassing to tell Minnie the reason why you can't sleep. She'll be teasing you all day!

You sigh hopelessly and decided to reach for your phone. You flinch at the sudden brightness so you lower it down to the lowest setting. You check the time and it read 3:44 am. It was almost 4 in the morning and you were still wide awake.

You returned your phone back on top of the drawer and decided to wrap yourself in your blanket which somehow made you feel safe. After a few minutes, you started to doze off once again.

When you finally thought that you've fallen asleep, you felt your legs growing numb from the lack of space which made it uncomfortable for you to sleep. You slowly woke up once again for what seemed like the 6th time that night.

You untangled yourself from the blanket which seemed to be the reason why your leg became numb. The soft light that came through the window helped you see much better than the other times you've woken up. You look up at the clock by the doorway and it read 5:28 am.

You sighed in defeat as you fall back on the bed. In the end, you didn't sleep at all. But to be fair, it was also your fault for watching scary documentaries.

Deciding that it was probably best to just wake up now, you gave Minnie a soft kiss on her shoulder before quietly making your way outside the bedroom. It felt really new to you as you moved around the house at such an early time when usually, you moved around the house late at night.

You walk over to the big window next to the living room and pushed the curtains aside. The sun greeted you with a great view of where you were. It was your first time seeing the city in the morning again after a long time when usually you would wake up around 1 in the afternoon.

You unlocked your phone to take a picture of the view and decided to do your morning routine. Opening your Spotify app, you put (G)I-DLE's album on shuffle with 'Maze' as the first song to play.

You quickly showered to wake yourself up and cleaned the living room a bit before heading to the kitchen to cook breakfast for you and Minnie. Minnie was a morning person and would usually wake up between 7 or 8.

You checked the time and it read 6:35 am. You quickly hurried to make breakfast knowing that your girlfriend could wake up at any moment now. You wanted to surprise your girlfriend and see her reaction to the fact that you didn't sleep you waking up early.

As you finished frying the eggs, you heard her feet shuffle and gasp. "Y/N?! Why are you awake already? What's going on?" Minnie asked as you placed the eggs on a plate.

Although she was very shocked, Minnie was very happy to see you finally join her in the morning. She walked over to you and hugged you tightly as she swayed you both from side to side.

"Why is my love already awake at 7 in the morning?" Minnie cooed at you as she showered your face in kisses. You giggled nervously and just hugged her saying, "I had something to do today so I set up an alarm. I got it done now though." You lied smoothly.

"Oh, okie babygirl." Minnie gave you one final kiss on the forehead and looked at the table. "Wow, Im hungry! Thanks for cooking." Minnie gave you a wide smile which immediately melted your heart. "Its nothing."

You and Minnie ate breakfast together and once you were both done, Minnie suggested that she would take care of the dishes.

. . . . .

Minnie joined you on the couch after she was done doing the dishes. Minnie gave you a quick peck before grabbing the remote. "Wanna do a movie marathon for the whole day?" Minnie asked you, not really bothering to wait for your answer as she started searching movies on Netflix.

You stifled a yawn before answering, "Sure baby." Minnie had already picked a movie and went to close the curtains and turn off the light switch. "Now it's like a theatre in here." Minnie giggled and went back to cuddle with you.

The dark living room and the soft sounds from the TV started making you drowsy. Minnie cuddling you only added to your drowsiness. You look at her perfect face concentrated in the movie and studied every detail. Her sharp jawline, her pretty eyes, her small nose, everything about her was amazing.

You cuddled closer to Minnie and press a soft kiss on her neck and before you know it, you started drifting off into dreamland.

. . . . .

"Baby..." Minnie's soft voice filled the now quiet living room as she started shaking you awake gently. You suddenly widened your eyes and remembered that you and Minnie were doing a movie marathon.

"Omg babe, I'm so sorry I fell asleep!" You looked so guilty that Minnie giggled and held your face and kissed you passionately. You melted in the kiss but she soon pulled away.

"Let's do a movie marathon next time, okay? First, we gotta get you to bed baby." Minnie said softly and grabbed your hands. At times like this, you can't help but fall deeper in love with Minnie. She leads you to the bedroom and laid you down before showering your face with kisses.

You giggled as you slowly started to feel sleepy once again. Minnie gave you one last kiss on your lips before standing up to leave.

You then reach out a hand and tugged at her shirt, silently telling her to stay with you. Minnie smiled and being the whipped girlfriend she is, there's no way she can say no. She goes under the covers and spoons you as she hums soft melodies in your ear.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

lmao fun fact : this imagine was based from this morning when I couldnt sleep and so i ended up not sleeping at all

sorry if the grammar is a bit bad since my english sucks sknchb

anyway thats all thanks for reading❣