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mcleantriestowrite · 2 months ago

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Bad Idea - Pt 2

Synopsis: Your step-brother is in debt to Rafe Cameron. Knowing he won’t be able to pay Rafe back, you step up. What a bad idea.

18+

Series content warning – swearing, slow burn, depictions of aggression, jealousy, drug usage, violence, underage drinking, smut

Chapter content warning – mentions of drug usage, violence, aggression, underage drinking

pt 1

***

The Wreck was generally always slammed. It was reliable work and the owners were nice enough to guarantee you shifts when you were home from college. You never seemed to have a moment to relax on your shifts due to how busy it was.

Except for today.

Of all days, of course today was the one day it was slower than normal. Why wouldn’t it be? Obviously, life had it out for you.

It was so slow that your friends were able to come visit you at work. Even crazier, you had time to actually sit down and talk to them.

“I say you shouldn’t bail Carson out.” Lacey shrugged. “He’s always pulling you into shit.”

“You didn’t see him.” You shook your head at her. “It was really bad. I think his nose might be broken.”

Caroline took another fry from their shared plate before saying, “I’m with Lacey. Remember when he threw that party in high school and was ‘too hung over’ to clean up? You spent, like, the whole day cleaning so that he wouldn’t get caught.”

Lacey snorted and dipped her fry in ketchup. “Which time?”

You rolled your eyes. “He’s family.”

“He’s your step-brother.” Lacey deadpanned.

Caroline lightly nudged her. “Chill.”

“I’m just saying.” Lacey held her hands up in defense. “You didn’t know him like 3 years ago.”

“I didn’t know you back then either.” You pointed out. “I would do this for you guys, too.”

Lacey and Caroline were among the first friends that you met when you transferred to the private school. Your friendship with them solidified when all three of you decided to go to the same college. Lacey and Caroline were roommates.

“Oh shit,” Lacey laughed. She looked past you towards the entrance then back at you. “Guess who just showed up.”

Your first instinct told you that it was Carson, but when you turned your head you were met with an intimidating set of blue eyes. You immediately slid down in the booth hoping that he wouldn’t notice you yet.

“Maybe he’s just here for food.” Caroline suggested.

“Yeah, for sure.” Your voice dripped with sarcasm. “I’m sure him showing up to my place of work within the last hour of us being open has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I owe him money.”

“Sorry for being optimistic,” Caroline mumbled.

You groaned, bringing both hands up to rub your face. “I thought he was gonna show up to my house again after my shift. I didn’t think he’d come here.” Though, you had no idea why you never considered this possibility.

“Maybe he was excited to see you.” Lacey teased. She laughed a bit. “He just couldn’t wait.”

You couldn’t help but crack a grin at Lacey’s joke. “No one can resist my charm.”

You felt yourself tense up when you saw the host approaching you with an apologetic look on her face.

“Hey, sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, but you just got seated.” She told you.

You sighed and nodded your head. “Thanks, Elliot.” When the girl left, you turned to your friends. “I’m assuming he’s going to wait until the end of my shift when I get paid. You guys can go ahead and leave. I’ll meet y’all the Boneyard later.”

Caroline looked at you with a small frown on her face. “Are you sure? I wanted us all to ride together.”

You smiled at her. You appreciated that she was hesitant about going without you.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’d have to shower anyway. I don’t wanna make y’all wait on me.” You reassured her. “If you guys want, you can uber there and I can still DD on the way home.”

Lacey tapped her rings against the plastic cup. “Maybe Noah could take us.” She suggested. “That way we wouldn’t have to pay for an Uber.”

You stood up from the table, picking up your notepad and pen. “Sure, if you can convince him.”

In the 8 months you had been dating Noah, he only attempted to DD once. That attempt ended in you forcing him to leave his truck at the bar due to the several beers he had ended up having.

Lacey smiled at you, “Great.”

As your friends left, you turned to where Rafe was sitting. You felt dread settling into the pit of you stomach. He hadn’t seen you yet, since he was on his phone. You tried to remind yourself of Caroline’s optimism. Maybe he did actually want to eat something.

Doubtful. But it was a possibility.

You forced a polite smile on your face and walked to Rafe’s table.

“Hey, Rafe.” You greeted. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Rafe looked up at you, studying your face. You did your best not to let your smile falter. He watched you for an awkwardly long period of time. You began to shift uncomfortably on your feet.

“I can give you a minute if you want.” You offered.

“Do you honestly think I’m here for food?” Rafe asked.

You clicked your pen closed and dropped your arms in an exasperated manner. All pretenses of being polite were immediately dropped.

“I don’t know, Rafe.” You sighed. “I’m trying not to make any assumptions about your character.”

He slightly narrowed his eyes at you. “And what assumptions do you already have about ‘my character’?”

Jackass. Womanizer. Jerk. Spoiled. Dick–

“I try not to judge people before I know them.” You settled with.

He let out an amused chuckle. “Right.’

“If you’re here for my money you’re gonna have to wait.“ You told him. “I probably won’t be able to leave for another hour and a half. You might as well get something to eat before the kitchen closes.”

Rafe leaned his head back, scratching his neck like he was annoyed at the whole situation.

“I’ll just take some fries then.”

You blinked, not actually expecting him to get anything. You half expected him to make some comment about waiting for you at your house or outside or something.

“Oh. Sure.” You quickly scribbled it down to give to the kitchen.

“And I’m not tipping you.”

This time you did roll your eyes. “I assumed.” You clicked your pen closed and walked to the kitchen.

Fries were normally ready pretty much every moment of the day due to the popularity of it. You got them within 30 seconds of asking one of the line cooks. You could go back and give Rafe his fries quickly.

Or you could make him wait.

You slowly smiled to yourself, thinking about it.

You weren’t going to make him wait too long in reality. The kitchen was hot and the cooks were cranky, so you didn’t want to be back there. You were also still a little scared of Rafe. Not a lot, but enough to where you didn’t want to piss him off too much. But the few extra minutes of defiance for some reason felt so good.

You came back out to Rafe, placing his plate and water on the table. He picked up a fry, inspecting it.

“What are you doing?” You asked.

He shrugged. “Making sure you didn’t spit in my food.”

You crossed your arms, offended. “I wouldn’t do that.” You scoffed, then added, “And that’d be obvious on fries. If I wanted my spit to go unnoticed then I would’ve done it in your water.” You tapped your temple a couple times. “You gotta think about these things.”

Rafe looked at you skeptically. “Did you spit in my water?”

“I don’t know.” You shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to find out.”

Rafe rolled his eyes in response before eating another fry.

The rest of your shift dragged on. Eventually, Rafe moved to wait on the bench just outside the entrance. You were grateful that you didn’t have to delay any of your closing responsibilities for him.

After tipping out the bar, the kitchen, and the host, you had nearly $250 that you were able to give Rafe in addition to the $350 you had from the day prior. There was a very small amount you were allowing to keep for yourself, but he didn’t need to know that.

You frowned as you looked around the restaurant, wishing there was something else you could do to stall the inevitable. Sighing, you told the bar a quick “goodnight” and went outside to meet Rafe.

Irritatingly, he didn’t even acknowledge your presence. He continued to text on his phone. You held out the money in front of his screen wordlessly to get his attention.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Rafe drawled.

You opened your mouth to give a snarky reply, but you held back. You just wanted to be done for the day. Giving a tight lipped smile, you spun on your heel to leave.

“Hold up.” His words made you pause in step.

You shut your eyes in frustration when you heard him start counting the money to himself. You turned around to face him again.

“This isn’t even $600. Where’s the rest?”

“I’m working again Wednesday. I can pay you whatever’s left then.”

Rafe shook his head, laughing. “That wasn’t the deal.”

You crossed your arms, feeling anger bubble in your chest. Technically, you didn’t owe Rafe anything. This wasn’t your debt to pay. Rafe was only getting the money from you because obviously he wasn’t going to get it from your step-brother.

There was an extra $20 you could give him, but it was the principle that made you not want to. You knew you should keep quiet, or maybe even apologize, but you always had a thing with anger. After all, you were your father’s daughter.

“We never had a deal. Maybe if you did something better with your life besides dealing drugs then you wouldn’t be in this position in the first place.”

Rafe’s face went blank for a moment. It was a terrifying neutral that should’ve been your hint to start running, but you knew from experience that running from someone’s anger would only make it worse. You tried to keep your face passive, but you couldn’t help but to take a step back when Rafe stood up to tower over you. You stared at his chest not wanting to meet his eye.

“You wanna try saying some shit again?” He asked. You clenched your jaw and continued to stare straight at his chest. “Huh? You want me to get the rest from your brother?” Rafe pressed.

“I don’t have anything else. I can get you the rest Wednesday.”

“I’m not waiting until Wednesday.”

God, he was so impatient. You’d think someone like him would be fine waiting a few days for $150. It was almost like he actually needed the money.

You blinked, the sudden realization crashing down on you.

Did Rafe need the money?

If you basically shamed him for sounding desperate, would he back down? Your heart sped up as you contemplated trying out your theory. You swallowed nervously before speaking.

“I mean, if you really need the money, I can check my car to see if I have any extra lying around.” You tried your best to keep your tone as innocent as possible.

Rafe narrowed his eyes at you. “I don’t need anything, pogue.”

You felt a little more confident, feeling as if your plan was working. “Sorry,” you said. “Just trying to be nice.”

Rafe stared at you for a long, lingering moment. For a second, you were scared he would hear how loud your heart was beating.

You began to wonder if you had pushed your luck too much tonight. What if he ended up taking his anger out on Carson?

The silence was loud, the way he was watching you was even louder. After those deafening few minutes, Rafe left without another word.

You let out a loud breath you didn’t realize had been holding.

***

“There she is!” Noah cheered with a slurred voiced.

The Boneyard was in full swing by the time you had showered, gotten dressed, and driven over. Carson was at the house and there was no sign that Rafe had been there to harass him, so you considered your earlier interaction with the kook king a small victory.

You laughed at the way Noah was swaying a bit. “Yeah – you’re welcome.” You joked. “The party can officially start now.”

“Noah–” Lacey stumbled up to you and your boyfriend with a wide grin. Her smile slightly faltered when she saw you. “Oh, you’re here! I was just about to ask Noah where you were.”

“I’m here.” You smiled. “I like your top.”

“Thanks.” Was all she said in return. You had expected her to start talking about where she had gotten it from. She loved talking about that kind of stuff. Instead, the three of you stood in silence. You weren’t sure why, but you began slowly nodding your head.

“I’m gonna go get a drink.” You announced. “I’ll be right back.” You just wanted to rid yourself of the awkward atmosphere.

You greeted a few people on the way to the cooler you spotted upon arrival. You grabbed one of the water bottles for yourself since you knew you were going to be driving everyone home later.

“Hey, pogue!”

The familiar voice made you tense up, and you felt torn between rolling your eyes and shooting him your middle finger, or leaving the Boneyard all together to avoid confrontation. Unfortunately, your indecision gave Rafe enough time to catch up to you.

God, you just couldn’t get rid of this guy.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“Big word,” You mumbled low enough so that he wouldn’t hear.

“You still owe me $150, yeah?”

You didn’t really want to answer him. He already knew this. You eyed him warily.

“You’ll get the rest on Wednesday–”

“Here’s the deal,” Rafe interrupted. “I’m not waiting that long.”

You crossed your arms, shrugging. “Well, I can’t get you any more money until then, and my brother definitely can’t. So…” You trailed off.

“So,” Rafe began. “That’s where my proposition comes in.”

You continued to eye him, hesitantly. You weren’t sure where he was going with this.

Rafe continued, “There’s a party tomorrow night. If you show up and help promote the shit I’m selling, I won’t go after your brother for you not paying me the rest tonight.”

You stayed silent and tried your best to ignore the protest that was forming in your mouth.

This wasn’t fair. But he knew that. He knew it wasn’t fair — that this wasn’t even your debt to pay. Rafe just didn’t care.

“I don’t want to help you sell drugs–” You tried to say.

“You’re being dramatic.” He scoffed. “All you’d need to do is tell people where I am and what I have.”

“I really don’t want to be involved in that.”

“You’re already involved.”

“Rafe–”

“Everything good over here?”

Both you and Rafe turned your heads to see Noah quickly approaching. He had a hardened expression on his face. He made direct eye contact with you. “Is he bothering you?”

“None of your concern, Williams.” Rafe waved him off.

You eyes flickered between Noah and Rafe, concerned about where this was headed. Noah was obviously wasted already. He was always a tad on the aggressive side when drinking. Rafe was…Rafe. This could end very badly very fast.

“Nah, I think it is my concern, man.” Noah began to invade Rafe’s personal space. “Since I heard you’ve been harassing my girlfriend.”

Briefly, you wondered who had filled him in on the situation. You hadn’t told him about what happened the night prior.

“Noah, it’s fine.” You told him. “Let’s just go back to everyone else.” You lightly took hold of Noah’s arm to lead him away.

“Yeah, Noah.” Rafe grinned mockingly. “We’re good.”

You shut your eyes in annoyance. Rafe’s condescending attitude wasn’t helping anything. Without a second thought, Noah ripped his arm out of your grip.

“Oh, we’re good?” Noah stepped up to Rafe again.

“Noah–” You tried to protest.

“Yeah,” Rafe antagonized. He nodded over at you. “Your girlfriend thinks we’re good.” Noah clenched his jaw at the comment.

You rolled your eyes at the comment. “Stop trying to instigate. You’re really bad at it.” He was actually good at it, but you wanted to get under his skin. “Noah, let’s go.”

Noah continued to glare at Rafe, but when you tugged at his arm, Noah began to leave with you.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Rafe called out at the two of you. “Follow her like a bitch!”

Noah ripped away from you faster than you could process.

“Hey–”! You started to protest.

Your yell cut out with a startled gasp when Noah swung at Rafe. You stumbled back, not wanting to be in the area of impact.

A crowd started forming quickly from the commotion. Caroline caught up to you fast.

“What happened?” She rushed out.

An irritated expression formed on your face remembering the events leading up to this. You kissed your teeth. “Testosterone.” You tore your eyes away from the boys to look at your friend. “Where’s Lacey?”

“She went to get her sweatshirt out of Noah’s car.” Caroline told her. They both flinched when Rafe tackled Noah to the ground. Now on top of him, Rafe began punching Noah in the face with an open fist.

You looked around at everyone who was either egging on the fight or filming. Some were doing both.

“Is no one gonna do anything?” You asked, exasperated.

Caroline scoffed. “You mean, is anyone going to get involved in a fight with Rafe Cameron?” She threw back at you.

You grimaced as the fight moved towards the water. You began to take a step forward, but Caroline shot her hand out to stop you. “Terrible idea – truly.”

Noah suddenly broke himself free of Rafe’s hold. “What’s up, Cameron? Your daddy’s passing you over as president so now you’re acting out?” He taunted. “Is that it?”

Your eyes widened at Noah. He was definitely only making the situation worse.

Rafe lunged at Noah again, gripping his shirt in tight hold. He shoved Noah to the ground before slamming his fist in your boyfriend’s face over and over. Your breath hitched in your throat, you felt your nerves seeping into your lungs. This was going from bad to worse.

Lacey ran up to you and Caroline. “What happened?!” She exclaimed. “I left for literally five minutes!”

“What do we do?” Caroline panicked.

You brought both hands up to your face and ran them over the top of your head. You didn’t know what you were going to do. You had pulled Noah out of dumb bar fights before, but none of them were as bad as this one.

You tried your best to focus, but your head was going fuzzy. Noah’s movements became slower, filling you with dread. For a moment, you were legitimately worried that Rafe would kill him.

“Hey, Rafe! You did enough!” You recognized one of Rafe’s friends push forward from the crowd. “Hey – chill out!” His friend got a hold of Rafe. He must’ve been severely out of it. Rafe nearly swung at him.

“Stay out of this, Top!” He shoved his friend back.

Suddenly the sounds of the crowd were broken up by the louder sounds of sirens.

“The cops are here!” You heard someone yell. More people began to yell out the arrival the police.

You used the opportunity to rush over to your boyfriend.

“Noah?” You crouched to your knees so that you could get a better look at him. Noah slowly blinked his eyes, but didn’t address you. His face was nearly unrecognizable. Your heart dropped to your stomach. “Noah!” You raised your voice to get his attention. “Can you hear me?

He still wasn’t answering, no matter how much you pleaded. You cursed under your breath. You took his arm and slung it over your shoulder to try and pull him up, but he was too heavy for you.

“Hey, hey. Let me help.” You looked up to see a guy that you recognized from the private school. He got on the other side of Noah and helped you lift him up.

“Thank you,” You breathed out.

“Don’t mention it.” He grunted out.

“Lacey, do you still have his keys?” You asked as you approached your friends again.

“Yeah, I got ‘em.” Her voice was panicked. “Is he okay?”

“Can you unlock his car and push down the back seats? We’re gonna need to lay him down.”

Lacey shot you and Noah one more worried look before sprinting to where the car was parked.

You weren’t sure how long it took you to get Noah to his car, but you were scared out of your mind the whole time. Caroline opened the door to the backset and you laid him down with the help of the guy from high school.

You closed the door on him and ran to the drivers seat. You were going to have to leave your car here and hope for the best.

“I’m gonna have to take him back to mine.” You didn’t really say to anyone specific. You just felt like you needed to talk or you would start spiraling. “His parents can’t see him like this.”

“We can stay over, too.” Lacey offered.

You didn’t say anything in response, you only started the engine. You looked ahead down the street to see everyone running to their cars or into the nearby trees. You paused on the one person looking your way.

That pair of intimidating eyes you never could escape was holding you ransom.

#rafe cameron #rafe fic #rafe x reader #rafe #outer banks #obx #rafe obx #rafe outer banks #rafe fanfiction

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katethetank · 5 days ago

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Rating: 18+, minors gtfo Chapter Summary: Quality Stobin time, Robin is a good best friend, Eddie tells Steve about his sobriety CW: Slight angst, drinking, discussion of drinking, drug usage and overdose, sobriety Tags: Alternate Universe - modern setting, Rock Star Eddie, Counselor Steve, Eddie is gay, Steve is bi, slow burn, eventual smut Word Count:2,367

Chapter 3<<Masterlist>>Chapter 5

It’s not an exaggeration to say that was the best date of his life. The conversation flowed like he was with an old friend. The casual, gentle touches were like something you’d share with a long time lover. There was a connection happening that couldn’t be denied.

“It sounds like it was pretty perfect,” Robin says as she tops off Steve’s glass of wine. They’re on the living room floor of his apartment, picking apart every detail of his date with Eddie.

Their date ended several hours ago, and Steve wasted no time calling his soulmate in for reinforcements. “Ugh, Rob, it was! I thought for sure I fucked it up beyond repair with the whole ‘I had no idea you were a rock star, by the way I don’t like your band’ debacle, but he was so nice about it! He actually seemed to like the fact that I was so honest with him. And the chemistry? Babe I swear, it was…electric! Am I making a huge mistake with this though?”

Robin takes a sip of her wine and tilts her head in thought. “What do you mean? Men aren’t exactly my forte, but from what you’ve told me, he sounds pretty charming. A total nerd, granted, but charming nonetheless.”

“Nerds I can handle! I’ve been dealing with The Party for years. Eddie, though. He’s not your average nerd, he’s a fucking rock star, Robbie! They’re kind of notorious for being heartbreakers. Am I just setting myself up for getting my heart smashed to pieces?”

Defeated, Steve slumps back against the couch, scratching at the mud mask that’s drying on his face. Robin slaps his hand away and tsks at him. “Leave it! You need self care, so we’re doing self care! But I hear you, babe. Guys in his line of work don’t exactly have a great track record. They’re usually sluts, which, may I remind you, you’re kind of a slut yourself!”

“Hey! Not cool! I’m spilling my guts here, I need my best friend to support me, not insult me!”

“Not an insult, Dingus! Just stating facts. Look, I know you’ve got a big heart under all that chest hair, and you haven’t exactly had the best track record yourself. You’ve gone looking for love in everyone you’ve been with and it hasn’t worked out. Which is bullshit, because you’re amazing and all these idiots are clearly missing out! But from what you’ve told me, this guy seems genuinely smitten with you. Ask yourself this: did he try to get in your obnoxiously tight pants right away?”

Steve doesn’t even have to think about it. “No, of course not.”

“Excellent! And did he make the advance on you, or did you take the initiative and ask him out?”

“I asked him out…”

“Right! And despite the fact that you unknowingly shit on his profession-“

“Rob!”

“Am I wrong?! Despite that, did he still enthusiastically agree to go out with you?”

“Yes…”

“Great, let’s keep going! Was it then revealed on this date that he’s related to our sweet Southern belle Wayne?”

Steve laughs at the image of Wayne in a Scarlette O’Hara type dress. “Ok, I wouldn’t ever classify him as a ‘belle’ but yes. What’s your point?”

“I’m getting there, stick with me. Do you trust Wayne?”

Again, Steve doesn’t even have to think about it. Wayne has been nothing but kind to him from the start. “Absolutely, he’s the best.”

“So if Wayne saw you on a date with his nephew, and if his rock star nephew was a total scumbag, do you think Wayne would have been ok with this date in the first place?”

“I…guess not? He’s only ever had good things to say about Eddie.”

“So there you go! If you can’t trust yourself, then trust Wayne! Babe, I get that you’d be hesitant about this, and that you want to protect yourself. I do. But sometimes the risk is worth the reward. Just…don’t jump in dick first like you tend to do! Take your time with him, see how it goes. It could be worth it.”

Well. How can Steve argue with that? God, he loves this woman so much.

“Robbie. I love you so much.”

“I know you do babe. Now. Are we gonna Google him? Stalk the socials? What next?”

“Absolutely not! I kind of prefer not finding out anything that way. I’d rather hear his story from him, you know?”

Robin sighs and finishes her glass of wine. “You’re no fun.”

She’s got some good points, Steve has to admit. How many times did he jump into bed with someone hoping that it would lead somewhere, just for him to be sent home as soon as the fun was over, never to be called again? He doesn’t want to make the same mistake with Eddie. Maybe playing the long game is the best option here.

He’s pulled out of his thoughts by his phone vibrating on the table. Picking it up, he practically chokes on his heart leaping into his throat.

🎸Eddie🎸: Hey Stevie! I know you said you’d call, and I tried my best to wait, but I just couldn’t do it

🎸Eddie🎸: I’m packing up to leave tomorrow morning and I can’t stop thinking about you

🎸Eddie🎸: Thank you for giving me a chance to get to know you… that was probably the best date I’ve ever been on, and I’m really looking forward to coming back in a few weeks. Name the time and the place and I’ll be there! Maybe even with bells on, so I don’t scare the shit out of you again 😈

“Oh god. I know that look. That’s him, isn’t it?! You’re so smitten it’s disgusting. Should I start planning the fall wedding now?”

“Hey, we’ve been over this babe, I’m trying not to get my hopes up here, so don’t even start joking about weddings!”

☕️Steve☕️: I had a really great time too! And I agree, best date ever ☺️

☕️Steve☕️: Just told Robin all about it and she thinks so too

🎸Eddie🎸: Aw sweetheart, you told your bestie about me?? All good things I hope 🤞

☕️Steve☕️: Of course! Except for the pickup lines, those have been truly atrocious

🎸Eddie🎸: You’re charmed by them, admit it!

☕️Steve☕️: never.

🎸Eddie🎸: Yeah right, I bet you’ve got that pretty blush on your face just thinking about it

“Rob, come here. Selfie.” Steve drags Robin closer to him and he snaps a picture of their mud-covered faces and goofy grins.

☕️Steve☕️: No blush here, no idea what you’re talking about

🎸Eddie🎸: Fuck, you two are so adorable I wanna scream 😩

☕️Steve☕️: Record it, maybe you can use it for your next album

🎸Eddie🎸: oh you little shit!

☕️Steve☕️: 😂

“Steven Elizabeth Harrington-“

“Not my middle name!”

“-you are smiling like an absolute idiot! I haven’t seen you like this maybe ever!”

He hasn’t felt like this maybe ever. The butterflies, the excitement, the newness of it all. It’s exhilarating. He leans against his best friend, rests his head on her shoulder. “I think I really like him.”

Robin, always knowing what he needs, gets her arm around him and scratches at his scalp. It’s like an off switch for his anxiety. “It’s ok to really like him, Steve. It’s ok to get all excited and twitterpated. And it’s totally ok to be scared too. Take things slow. Guard your heart. But let yourself enjoy it too, ok? You deserve to have someone fawn all over you.” Steve can’t help but smile. Robin is the best. “Now let’s wash this shit off our faces, it’s starting to itch.”

A few hours and a few glasses of wine later, Robin heads back home and Steve curls up in bed. His skin feels amazing thanks to the mud mask, and he’s a little buzzed - not just from the wine, but from the whole Eddie of the day. He reaches over to his nightstand where his phone is plugged in and brings up their texts from earlier, smiling at the exchange.

☕️Steve☕️: Hey Eds?

He doesn’t expect an immediate response. It’s getting late and Eddie has a flight in the morning. He might already be asleep, but Steve wants to try anyway. Before he can type what he wants to say, he gets a reply.

🎸Eddie🎸: Yes Stevie?

☕️Steve☕️: I think I really like you

🎸Eddie🎸: Well that’s a relief, because I think I really like you too.

☕️Steve☕️: You’re back home tomorrow night, right? I can call you then?

🎸Eddie🎸: Shit, you can call me now if you want to! I’m happy to hear from you any time sweetheart

Without even hesitating, Steve calls. Eddie picks up immediately.

“Hello there handsome.”

“Hey Eddie.”

“Oh, you sound sleepy, angel.”

“Yeah, I just crawled into bed. Robin left a little while ago. Ubered home.”

“You two get a little wild tonight?”

Steve giggles like a damn school girl. “Yeah if by ‘wild’ you mean a few glasses of cheap Pinot Grigio, mud masks, and Drag Race. Not exactly the wild life of a rock star, but pretty close, right?”

Eddie’s deep chuckle coming through the phone sends a tingle down his spine.

“These days it’s not far off! I’ve chilled out a lot over the last few years. All the partying wasn’t worth it.”

“Yeah? So what’s a wild night like for you now?”

“Well, ditch the wine, and swap out Drag Race for Game of Thrones or something equally nerdy, and that’s pretty much it. The mud mask sounds nice though! Might give that a try.”

“So do you not drink at all? Or it is like, an occasional thing?”

Eddie lets out a small sigh and Steve realizes he might have just crossed a line.

“Shit, sorry, it’s none of my business! You don’t have to answer that. I shouldn’t have asked in the first place.”

“No, no, it’s ok. I guess I was just hoping to wait on this conversation. But I want to know everything about you…it’s only fair that you know about me too. I uh…took the rock star thing a little too far a lot too many times. When we first started out it was constant partying. Drinks every night, weed, whatever. But as we got more popular and the venues got bigger, the parties started getting crazier too. People bringing all kinds of ‘party favors’ and shit. Coke, pills, you name it. We all indulged in it…when in Rome, you know?”

Eddie pauses for a moment to take a deep breath, and Steve waits, knowing there’s much more to this story.

“God, this is kinda embarrassing…I didn’t even realize how bad it got until I ended up getting my stomach pumped one night. I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t actually an overdose, I just partied a little too hard. Fuckin stupid. Chrissy was there when I came to and she slapped some sense into me. Like literally! When I was coherent again, she came up to my hospital bed with tear stains in her cheeks and slapped me right across the face. Fuck, did I deserve it. She said I scared the shit out of her, and if I didn’t stop with the booze and the drugs, she was going to leave. No more managing us, no more touring with us, she’d cut me off completely. Said she couldn’t just stand by and watch me kill myself. So I stopped. Didn’t have to do rehab or anything like that…didn’t really need to with the wake-up call she gave me. So yeah. Cold turkey. Never touched the stuff again. At first it was for her. I didn’t want to scare her like that again. But as time went on, I realized how much better I felt. How much clearer my head was. The rest of the guys chilled out a lot too. They just have a couple beers after our shows or whatever, maybe a joint. And I stick to my caffeine and cigs. It’s a lot better for all of us.”

Steve is kind of stunned into silence. Not because he’s put off by any of it, he’s just struck dumb by Eddie’s honesty. He can’t believe Eddie already trusts him enough to share this with him.

“Stevie? Did I lose you? Didn’t bore you sleep or send you running for the hills did I?”

“No! God, no! Sorry, I was just…surprised by that.”

“Surprised that I used to be a borderline addict?”

“Surprised that you could trust me with something so big.”

Eddie nervously clears his throat.

“So uh…that’s not like, a dealbreaker for you? My history with this stuff, and that I don’t drink?”

“No Eds. Not at all. Thank you for being honest. Can um…can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Is that a dealbreaker for you? That I drink sometimes? I don’t like, get plastered all the time or anything! Just some wine with Robin every now and then, sometimes a night out with her and The Party when our schedules align. Stuff like that?”

“No, not at all honey. It’s not like…a wicked temptation for me or anything. I just don’t partake anymore. Don’t feel like you can’t enjoy yourself around me, ok? If we get to spend more time together, which I’m hoping we will by the way! I want you to just be yourself, have fun the way you wanna have fun.”

“Are you sure? I don’t ever want to put you in a situation where you feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh Stevie, you really are a sweetheart aren’t you? No honey, it’s fine. Seriously. The fact that you’re even concerned about that speaks volumes.”

“Ok…good.” Steve can’t control the tremendous yawn that escapes him then.

“Babydoll, you sound exhausted. You should get some sleep. I’ll talk to you soon, ok?”

“Yeah, I should crash. You get some sleep too, I hope you have a good flight tomorrow. Let me know when’s a good time to call, ok?”

“Absolutely. Sweet dreams, gorgeous.”

Steve absolutely does not blush. “Good night Eds.”

They hang up, his phone goes back on the nightstand, and Steve drifts off warm, happy, and hopeful.

Chapter 3<<Masterlist>>Chapter 5

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

Comments are cool, let me know what you think! Taglist is open!

@annachronisme @mrsjellymunson

#eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #steddie #robin buckley #rock star eddie munson #platonic stobin #stobin friendship

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cosmicanamnesis · 2 years ago

Text

everybody loves a(n as yet untitled) coffeshop au pt. 2

[part 1] [part 3] [part 4] [read on ao3]

“You’re late,” Keith said as Steve came in.

“What? No I’m not,” he said, confused, and pulled out his phone to check the time for good measure. “Yeah, I’ve got like, two minutes.”

“Yeah, I know. Hurry up, though, I need to take my break.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

He quickly hung up his coat in the break room and pulled his apron on so he could take over for Keith before he got yelled at some more. The second he was at the register, the door chimed.

“Hi, welcome in- Oh, hey Eddie. You… Hang on, don’t you normally come in, like, three hours ago?”

“I did, you just weren’t here to see me,” Eddie smiled, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

“Oh, um. Alright. What can I get you, then?”

“Just a small hot chocolate. Um… Did you know you’re wearing the wrong name tag?” He tapped his chest a couple times in the same spot Steve’s name tag hung on his apron.

“Huh? Oh, yeah!” Steve laughed, grabbing a cup to make Eddie’s drink. “I’m covering for Robin right now. We started doing this thing, ages ago, where if one of us covered for the other, we’d uh… We’d swap name tags. It’s kinda stupid.”

“That’s hilarious, actually,” Eddie chuckled.

“Yeah, we have fun with it. It’s funnier on her than it is on me though.”

“Oh, cause Robin is a kind of androgynous name,” Eddie guessed.

“Yeah, and Steve really isn’t. So, hot chocolate, huh?” Steve asked, changing the subject. “Didn’t expect that one to be yours.” He passed the drink to Eddie at the end of the counter. Eddie smiled, almost laughing as he took it.

“Yeah, I’m not really a coffee guy. Shocking, I know, based on the,” he gestured up and down at himself. He always dressed more or less the same, with big heavy boots and ripped jeans and an old leather jacket with a denim vest on top, covered in pins and patches advertising bands that Steve had never listened to. “Y’know, all of this.”

“Yeah, you don’t really look like a hot chocolate guy. So the whole huge order, that’s for everybody else in the tattoo shop, yeah?”

“Ah huh. I just started apprenticing there, which means I’m the store gopher.”

“The store what?” Steve laughed. Eddie smiled and sipped his drink, still standing at the pick up counter. Fortunately, there was no one else in the cafe.

“Gopher. Like an errand boy. Y’know, hey Eddie, go for coffee, hey Eddie could you go for lunch, stuff like that. Gopher.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever heard that before. That sounds like a pain in the ass.”

“Eh, it’s not so bad. I should probably get back, though,” Eddie said, tapping the counter. “It was good to see you, Steve. Got kinda worried when you weren’t here earlier.”

“What? Why?”

Eddie turned back to him, walking backwards, and shrugged. “You’re my coffee guy,” he said simply.

“Well, just a heads up then, I won’t be here at all tomorrow either,” Steve smiled.

“Alright, good to know. See you around, Stevie.”

Stevie?

“So did you get his number yet, or what?” Keith asked, coming back up to the front.

“Shut up.”

“So, no?”

“Isn’t it, like, unprofessional for you as my boss to be asking me that?”

Keith just shrugged and started wiping down the counters. The bell on the door rang again, drawing both of their attention as Eddie ran back in, drink still in hand.

“Wait, if you’re free tomorrow-” Eddie slammed his hand down on the counter to stop his momentum as he caught his breath. “Do you want to come to a party tomorrow night? It’s not a huge thing, but my band is playing and it’s like, a bunch of their friends, so it’d be cool to have somebody else I know there.”

“Oh! Um. Sure?” Steve said, trying to ignore Keith staring at him. “I didn’t know you were in a band, that’s really cool.”

“Thanks," Eddie smiled like he wasn't actually expecting a yes. "Here, can I put my number in your phone?”

“Yeah, of course!” Steve opened his phone and passed it over the counter.

“Phones are supposed to stay in the break room, Harrington,” Keith deadpanned. Eddie, apparently only just noticing Keith, giggled quietly as he added himself as a contact and handed the phone back to Steve.

“Okay, for real this time, I gotta get back to work. Just text me so I’ll have your number!” Eddie called, again walking backwards out of the cafe. As soon as he was gone, Steve immediately headed back to the break room to text him. He burst out laughing halfway there.

“What’s so funny?” Keith asked.

“Look what he saved himself as,” Steve passed Keith his phone to look at the new contact.

hot chocolate guy

“You want to kiss him so bad, it makes you look stupid,” Keith said, ever unimpressed.

“Appreciate the support, Keith,” Steve said sarcastically, ducking into the back.

He shot a quick text to Eddie as promised and immediately texted Robin after. He didn't expect a reply, assuming she was on her date, but she answered within seconds.

Got his #

who

Eddie, the guy none of you like.

WGAT

WHAT*

FR???

Yeah, he invited me to a party. Apparently he's in a band.

oooo sounds like a date ;)

Stop it. It's not a date.

could be a date ;) ;) ;)

Stop.

"Steve!" Keith yelled from the front. "Quit texting your boyfriend and get back out here! And leave your phone in the break room this time, please?"

Steve huffed and slipped his phone back into his coat pocket so he wouldn't have to listen to it buzz on the table his whole shift.

"I was texting Robin, actually," he said, coming back up to the front. "Dude. There's no one here, why the rush?"

"I like making your life hard," Keith shrugged.

The next time Steve got a chance to look at his phone, he had a text back from Eddie, two from Robin, seven from Chrissy and one from Dustin for some reason.

hot chocolate guy:

Hey, it's Steve!

hey there coffee guy

Robs:

Stop.

you love me

warning: i told chris so she might blow up ur phone

Chrissy (work):

Oh my god Robin said you got whats-his-face’s number??

And he asked you out?

And he's in a band? That’s so cool!!

I take back what I said about not knowing what you see in him.

I do NOT take back what I said about him being weird though.

Oh Keith made you put your phone away didn't he?

I ask as if you could respond if the answer is yes.

Lil Buddy:

hey Steve, what are you doing tomorrow night?

He decided to respond to Dustin's message first.

I'm going to a party. Why?

oh, that's cool. we're throwing a party at the house too, I was going to ask if you wanted to come but if you're busy then don't worry about it.

Let me find out what time the party is, I'll see if I can swing by your place too!

Honestly I'm not sure how long I'll be at the other party, I'm only gonna know the guy who invited me.

who invited you?

Just a regular at work.

the one you have a crush on?

Oh, fuck off. But yes.

;)

Stop. God, you've been spending too much time with Robin.

sounds like a you problem.

Steve rolled his eyes. He loved the kid but god damn was he a handful. He decided to move on before he got sucked into the text-based slapstick comedy that was a drawn out conversation with Dustin Henderson.

He moved on to Chrissy's messages.

Haha, yeah, I did. Don't listen to Robin, he didn't ask me out. He invited me to a NYE party.

How is that not him asking you out?

Because it's not a date!

;)

Jesus Christ, is Robin paying all of you to do that?

Do what?

Nevermind.

He'd see Robin later so he didn't overly feel the need to text her back, instead opting to stare at Eddie's text trying to think of something to say that didn't make him sound desperate or insane. It wasn't going well. Every time he got a free minute, he would type something, stare at it for a while, and backspace the whole thing. By the end of his shift, he still hadn't texted him back.

He and Keith had managed to get the whole cafe clean and ready to close without anyone coming in right after they finished cleaning the espresso machine, which felt like a miracle, and they actually got out on time. As he walked back to his apartment, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out to check quickly as if it were an emergency. It was from Eddie. A somewhat blurry photo of Steve, taken from inside the tattoo shop. Another message popped up as he looked at the image.

saw you :)

Haha, hey. Yeah, I just got off work. Sorry I didn't reply earlier, my boss made me put my phone away.

rude ass

Tell me about it.

so the partys tomorrow at 7. no dress code so just come as you are. i can come pick you up

If anyone asked, Steve wasn't blushing, it was just cold.

You don't have to, I do own a car. I just live so close to work it's not worth it to drive.

good to know. but apparently the neighbors get mad when theres too many people parked on the street so were trying to carpool as much as we can

also its gareths turn to drive the band van and his driving scares the shit out of me

Steve laughed to himself as he climbed the stairs to his third floor walk-up. He didn't know who Gareth was, one of Eddie's bandmates he imagined, but he had friends like that too so he understood. He let Max drive his car one time and one time only, and in her defense they did all get home in one piece, but never again.

Haha, alright, you can pick me up then.

He dug his keys out of his pocket and let himself into the empty apartment. It was a tiny little two bedroom thing, but it was just him and Robin living here, so they didn't need that much space. And despite being a walk-up, it was actually pretty nice. The living room had big windows, they had a balcony, they couldn't hear their neighbor's every move through the walls, it was great.

He tossed his coat over the back of the armchair in the living room, which was the chair's sole purpose, and flopped down on the couch. His phone buzzed in his hand. Text from Robin.

omw home, bringing a friend

if you don't want to hear anything you can't unhear then leave

Gross.

you've been warned. eta 15

Steve didn't really have anywhere to go on short notice. He had half a thought to text Eddie to see if he would be off work soon, but thought better of it. He didn't want to freak the guy out. His phone buzzed again. Speak of the devil and all that.

wyd

Trying to figure out something to do to get me out of the house in the next 15 minutes. You?

getting off work

why do you need to be out of the house in 15 minutes lol

Robin's bringing her date home. I don't want to listen to… Whatever they end up doing.

i thought you were dating robin?

Nah, we’re super platonic. We just live together.

wanna hang out?

Apparently Eddie didn't have the same reservations that Steve did.

-------

Well. That blew up.

Howdy? I'm Lichen. I shipped Steddie so hard it brought me out of a several-year-long writing dry spell. I have this fic in progress and a oneshot series that's like. Halfway done? But I am on AO3 as Lichen_Not_Moss and I've got a few complete fics up right now, so far all for Stranger Things

Ode to the Dungeon Master - <1k words, angst, not Steddie

I'll Come If You Call - 4k, angst, Steddie-adjacent

Brown Eyes, I'll Hold You Near - 132k, all over the place, longform Steddie fic

Tagging (everyone who replied to part one, whatever you asked to be tagged or not:)

@original-cypher @avacrebs @dangdirtydemons @rainydays35 @changenamelater @phantypurple @alienace @renaissan-vvitch @krazyperson @dreammetheworld08

#steddie #steddie fic #stranger things #stranger things 4 #text

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polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup · 1 year ago

Note

Five years ago, after a near-fatal construction accident, my doctor came to my hospital bed with the results of an ECG the night nurses forced on me because every single time they’d ask me how I’m feeling, I’d say “I’m fine” and then throw a dazed mini-tantrum until they’d all leave me to just- well, I did and didn’t know I was dying. However I was feeling, I wanted to feel it alone. Anyway, my doctor told me that if I did not get a blood transfusion within the next 2 hours, I’d die. He called me reckless for not being honest with the nurses. For the next hour they scoured every local hospital for my type (the rarest) and I was painfully alone in my hospital room. Dying really brought some contradicting feelings. I was ready to die, just kind of accepted it. I was panicked but also very welcoming about the prospect of death. I wanted my partner there so desperately that if my body had any energy I would have cried from how scared and alone I felt. I knew if I called she’d make the trip to the city where I was hospitalised. But I also refused to call her and keep her (honestly and accurately) updated on my wellbeing. I didn’t want her to watch me die (which I was so sure I would do because I was in and out of consciousness for three days, could actually hear my heart failing in my ears, and see the the gradual darkening of the peripherals of my vision). I knew she’d hurt, and I knew she’d beg me to fight, and I literally had neither energy nor desire to fight what I felt was a lost battle. I got my blood transfusion in the end and of course survived. I still waited a full day before I casually Whatsapped (yes, text, not even a call. I swear I’m a good guy) my partner telling her that I narrowly evaded death but she’s got nothing to worry about because I was watching Good Morning Britain while drinking OJ. She made that fucking trip, which I wanted and didn’t want her to make, and she stayed for the next four days until I was discharged.

I’m sharing this because while chapters 3 and 4 of Sea Glass Gardens could not go into much details of what it is like to be dying and know you’re dying in front of a loved one, and the internal conflict of wanting and not wanting to be alone as it happens (because this is all Yuuta’s POV), you did an excellent job of capturing what it would all look and sound like to a third party looking in. Even down to Tsumiki refusing to let go of Megumi’s hand. The nurses hand to change the location of my cannulas to my foot and my scalp because my hands were so bruised from them having been held by my partner for hours. Much like Megumi I also have an issue with emotional expressions and declarations. In chapter 8 when Tsumiki asks him how he is feeling and he redirects to asking her if she got home okay, I was reminded of when I woke up to find my partner, replying to her “How are you feeling” with “Why are you here? Did you request time off school?”.

Idk, I guess this is my longwinded way of saying “excellent execution of capturing what it feels like to be dying in front of a loved one, from all the different perspectives”.

So, this has been buried in my ask box for a while, which is unfortunate, because it's a very meaningful message I'm very grateful to have received. It sounds like you went through a lot with this, and I did want to thank you very genuinely for sharing this. I feel like with art we're just banging pots and pans in the wilderness seeing if we get some kind of faint clanging back sometimes.

It's really hard to share these kinds of vulnerable details like this, and I'm grateful you shared this with me. I wish you the best.

#sea glass gardens

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fountainpenguin · 1 year ago

Text

"Watch as he buckles and bends but never breaks... No mistakes!" (x)

---

New Dog's Life chapter today! Only the most expected Traffic SMP content in this 'fic <3

Chapter 7 - “Firebreak (Etho)”

Read on AO3

Start from Chapter 1

---

After dumping PiglinMyNose off at Jimmy's game night, Etho searches the portal hub for SnifferMyFeet. Pig may have laughed in his face over the whole "let me look at your code so I can rebuild Joel's vessel" thing, but maybe Sniff will take the bait?

AKA - The one where Etho drinks his Respect Camera Account juice, discovers he has a half-ex, and commits a crime.

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

Etho

Self-Taught Programmer

Full-Time Hero

💚 💛 ❤️

Etho doesn’t make a habit of frequenting Jimmy’s parties. Tango’s? Sure; he loves the guy. Tango knows how to play him like a note block, hitting all his greedy keys and collector’s instincts. Tango deals cards of his own making. He customizes every party like a snare. And he themes his snacks; that man does not cut corners. Which isn’t a slight at Jimmy; no, no, no! It’s just…

… My line of work never lends itself to drinking. Especially on nights like tonight. Oh boy. He’s got a whole lot of work to do. As he and PiglinMyNose approach the card shop, Etho pulls the communicator from his pocket and glances at the screen. Right, okay. Three things to note here:

One full Overworld day/night cycle has passed since Joel’s vessel started disintegrating.

He gets twelve before the Between dimension kicks him to his original soul spawner. If it’s still standing. It needs to be standing; Etho’s hearts can’t take another strand of pressure.

Three hours is not a lot of time to do the aforementioned ‘a whole lot of work.’

Well, this is why they think I pull off miracles. He’s never failed before… in a way that anyone would hold against him. But as they climb the outdoor stairs towards the roof of the card shop, Etho… presses his tongue against the inside of his cheek. So, Pig bailed. If I don’t find a new model, I’m dead in the water. Then Joel’s going back to spawn town.

Yeah. Because he totally wants to be the one to tell Lizzie her husband isn’t coming home.

Etho’s comm is still glowing blue. His screen displays a pulsing infinity sign, indicating his player’s still online (definitely fiddling around on the single-player). All the block updates are logged to the world file and since he’s playing solo, Etho technically doesn’t need to be there… though his neck twitches instinctively in that direction, and in his newbie days he definitely couldn’t have broken the pathfinding pull. That’s one of the benefits of dedicating your whole life to a couple single-player series, actually. Once you’ve been around long enough, you’ve got a system. You get a feel for when it’s okay to step away without everything crashing down.

But time ticks regardless. Once he passes into sunset hour, the screen in his hand will glow orange. And when it hits green… Well.

That’s phantom hour. And no one ever makes it to the end of phantom hour.

Correction: One person has. But that’s because Martyn pushes himself farther than his body can handle for the sake of his newest partner in crime. He’s stupid soft on them. Not Etho’s business; just a rumor he heard floating between Pearl and BigB a couple months ago.

Anyways. Yeah, he’s got time to be here. When the big boss logs out, the infinity sign will click over to a timer and start ticking down. Etho’s an oldie; he’s built up his stamina and he can last in Between longer than most. Maybe… six hours without a break? That sounds right these days. He’s pulled multi-play sessions before, and though they leave him exhausted, he’ll do it again. He’ll do it a thousand times for no one but himself. It’s relaxing, honestly. No one can need you when you’re the only one in the friend group left awake.

“Pig, can I see your comm?”

Piggy Boy moves like he wants everyone to know he’s a newbie, loud and clear. His mismatched shoes smack on every step. Jimmy always hosts his parties in the rooftop garden of Beef’s card shop and Pig skirts back and forth, peering over the stairs. They’re nice stairs; Scott put a lot of thought into picking a stone design that isn’t slippery. Pig leans so far that he drips blue slime droplets on the road below. He stares for a few seconds, then seems to register the question. His comm’s on his wrist. He extends his arm towards Etho without looking over. Etho glances at the screen. The timer’s steadily pulsing, orange glow undeniable.

I guess that makes sense. He’s Joel’s camera account… and Joel’s player would’ve been kicked when his vessel broke apart. That’s probably what this whole thing translates to in the outside land. A weird bug. Another glitch in the system. Overheated device, maybe. Nothing a little turning things on and off again won’t fix. Thoughts and prayers. Give it time.

Etho blinks, quietly, and tries not to envy Watcher Joel.

“Oh! Oh, what in the world? Dude, I’ve never actually seen the clock tower before! Any other day, I’d just go straight home. Sniff’s so fussy when I’m late; he’s just one of those silly gooses.”

“Pig, come on,” Etho calls softly. “Let’s keep it moving. You’re gonna drip all over the stairs. Let’s keep moving, okay?”

Pig bobs his head and sprints up the rest of the stairs to the garden. Oh boy. Etho keeps right on his heels. There’s chatter, but it’s pretty mild at this time of afternoon. Even with the break they took after the server glitch, Grian still let them out early and Jimmy’s got a couple hours to go before game night starts. As Etho crests the final step, he spots the canary-winged man hanging up a little ‘Welcome’ banner, chatting with BigB and Tango. Tango’s really into it, making wild arm gestures. His flicking tail could knock the feathers off a chicken. BigB sits on the railing with his moth wings twitching, glancing back like he’s watching for someone to pass through the streets below. And Impulse stands on Tango’s other side, rubbing his eyes with intent to kill. Geez. Somebody squirt hot sauce in them or something?

None of them pay any attention to the two newcomers at the top of the stairs. Bdubs and Martyn, however, snap around like they’ve been shot. They abandon the azalea they were looking at so fast, it’s like they were waiting for an excuse. Ah. They can smell Pig’s invisible sync cord ticking down through sunset hour. It’s what phantom hybrids do.

“Heeeey, gorgeous,” Bdubs crows, ducking forward. He keeps his hands clasped behind his back, his mossy cloak swishing like a cape behind him. Now that they’re off the Dog’s Life server, Bdubs isn’t using his battered, bruised skin anymore. His smile could sink a sandstorm. There’s light and dancing in his sugar-brown eyes, and Etho wraps a warning arm around Pig’s shoulders. Bdubs ticks his tongue and veers away at a slant. “You’re off spectator for the evening, huh? I see how it is! Well, you’re in luck. It’s party time tonight and you’re in the best part of town!”

Pig, oblivious, smiles back at him. “There he is! Well, hello there! And yeah, I’m doing fantastic, actually; we love to see it.”

Jimmy’s distant voice trails off. He turns. Etho catches one split-second of shock before Martyn’s head blocks his view. Martyn straightens, poised as though presenting himself before a king, with a glass of sparkling cyan balanced in his hand. “Aww, it’s baby’s first corporeal night, then? Come get a drink, Pig! It is ‘Pig,’ right? We’ve got 1s.”

“What’s 1s?” Pig asks, absently brushing Etho’s arm from his shoulder. Etho presses his lips together, but doesn’t replace it. He steps to the side, a little closer to Bdubs.

“You know! Numbers!” Martyn thrusts his glass in the air. The binary code sloshes around inside. “It’s the blue one. Tastes a bit like sushi and a li’l like chocolate. Give it a sip, if you’re up for it. You might like it. Though it’s a little flat this time of eve, if I’m honest… It’ll perk up once the night gets rolling.”

Pig reaches for Martyn’s glass, which sends Martyn backpedaling and spluttering, telling him to keep his mitts off and go fetch his own. Etho winces.

“Pig, you might wanna stick to 0s…”

“I want a glass of 1s,” he says, pushing forward, and Martyn, beaming, swings an arm around Pig’s neck.

“Well, you heard the guy! He maxes out experience points tonight. Let’s get him his 1s!”

[Cnt'd on AO3 - Link at top]

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softly-potter · 2 years ago

Text

Still Friends | Chapter 4: Worth the Wait

Summary: After a chance encounter at a party, Wanda and Bucky find they have more in common than they realized.

This fic is heavily inspired by 'Friends' by my lovely friend Poppy. She is aware of this fic and I've been given permission for this marvel-version retelling! If you haven't read her dramione fic 'Friends', I HIGHLY suggest it. I fell in love with the story and couldn't help but wonder, what if it was Wanda and Bucky instead of Hermione and Draco? Thus "Still Friends" was born. Enjoy!

Pairing: Bucky X Wanda

Word Count: 33,068

Warning: smut, drug use, depression

Chapter 4: Worth the Wait

May 6th, 2026

He had been dreading the night for nearly two weeks before its arrival. Bucky had known every time Sam sent out an invite text, that he would do the civil thing and attend. It didn’t mean that he wanted to.

He knew the moment he saw her, he’d want to bury his face in her hair and never let her go.

He arrived before her. Upon entering, Bucky was greeted by a lightly intoxicated Shuri, her once braided hair now loose and large, the curls covering her forehead.

“Where’ve you been, white boy?” She chirped, her smile wide. “The party started like an hour ago.”

“No, you just got here an hour early and instantly attacked my booze.” Sam called from somewhere in the kitchen and Bucky granted them with one of his rare smiles.

“It’s good to see you, I’m glad I could actually make it this year.” Shuri said as they entered the kitchen. Sam had a wash rag draped over his shoulder, intently attacking a block of ice with a pick.

“It's been a long time.” Bucky commented, and Sam laid down the pick.

“A long time?” He inquired, cocking his head. “I haven’t seen this man since my last party, and even then it was barely for an hour. What’s your poison tonight?”

Bucky shrugged, and gestured his chin to the bottle of Hennessy. “I’m a busy guy. And I’ll take that.”

Sam poured him a glass, handing it to him with one ice cube, before the door opened and more people entered. Bucky held the glass close, nodding politely to his coworkers, answering the uninterested ‘how are yous’ before he eventually made his way to his spot on the porch.

She still wasn’t there, and he wondered if she would be coming at all. He hadn’t heard much of her the last year. She seemed to be just as under the radar as him.

And when he saw the blur of orange hair, his face immediately heating up. She exits her car, this time she's dressed in overalls, a cream sweater beneath it, her hair in a pony tail, and she’s carry a plate of fruit.

They make eye contact a few paces before the steps, and she visibly swallows as she climbs them, pausing next time him, in front of the door.

“Happy end game.” She says, a tight smile on her face.

He can only nod in the awkwardness of it all, and she enters the house. The music has already started, the sound of Clints’ cheering and Sams’ laughing echos in Buckys’ ears.

He takes a sip, then another, gazing out at the porch, the water, the old sail boat moving like a lonely captain.

The screen door creaks as she opens it, then slams back into place as she releases it. She stands on the opposite side of the door, mimics his stance as she leans and its quiet between them.

Her shoulders are tight; he can tell when he looks to his right at her. She seems to be lost in thought, and his staring goes unnoticed. She’s the most beautiful when she thinks she’s alone. It looks like her hairs been cut, the tendrils not as long as he remembered. Her eyes, the green emeralds, are bright, unfocused, arms crossed over her stomach. The rays from the porch light bounce off her cheeks and hair, and she's almost shining. Lips parted, he stares at them unabashedly, wishing he could kiss them again, part them, nip them.

He stares at her but it makes him realize he’ll never have her; not in the way he wants. He’ll never be good enough for her, and he’ll never get to prove that fact otherwise. Won’t ever be able to hold her, cherish her. Never love her.

“Didn’t your mother teach you not to stare?”

His cheeks heat instantly, turning his eyes away and clears his throat, trying to find something new to look at.

Everything else is black and white.

“I know my mother did.” She continued, picking at her sweater. He nods, takes a sip. Doesn’t trust himself enough to engage in conversation. “She taught me a lot.”

She pauses, flicking lint off her sweater. Bucky takes another sip.

“You could’ve fucked me last year and you didn’t. Why not?”

He chokes on the liquor. He coughs, his mind whirly of what the fuck he was supposed to say to that.

A small candle of hope lit inside him at the fact that she remembered what had happened at all, much less mentioned it. The night he had stepped away from the brightest thing he’d ever encountered. Her commentary also answered his unasked question; she had wanted to fuck him too.

“You were drunk.” He says, trying to keep his voice even.

“So?” She counters, her tone puzzled. “What's that got to do with anything? You were drinking too I believe.”

He had been, and he’s surprised again at the details she recalls.

“You would’ve blamed the alcohol, said it was a mistake.” He says though gritted teeth. “If I fuck you, I want you to know it, to 100% choose it. To know you wanted to do that, and that it was me who had you sounding like that.”

She hums, her gaze aimed at the sea, and he takes a sip again, hoping it’ll calm the rattle in his chest.

“I wouldn’t have blamed the alcohol,” she comments, her finger tapping her chin. “I wanted it.”

“Guess we’ll never know.” Bucky mummers into his glass, aiming to sound impassive, before setting it down on the railing. He proceeds to stare at it just to avoid her eyes. The porch shakes slightly as she walks over to him, stopping so that she’s barely an arms length away.

Her green eyes shine, a determination boiling beneath the surface. Slowly, she takes his hand, gently squeezing before placing it on her hip.

“Don’t you want to find out?” She asks, her voice meek, not sounding nearly as brave as she looks and Bucky is certain his brain short circuits.

She’s very beautiful, especially this close. He wonders if she knows that.

Wanda is kissing him before he can think of a response, her mouth sliding over his in a deliciously slow movement. It’s patient and hopeful, mixed with a little fear, and he’s never been so relieved. His hand moves up from her hip, encasing her ribs and she takes a step closer, their chests brushing. The movements electric, and he encircles her back, making her flush against him as her hand goes to his neck.

He’s dreamt about kissing her again, about her cherry lip balm. About feeling her pressed against him, making her shiver.

It’s like dancing. He used to love dancing during the 40’s, before the war, before he’d been mutilated. He’d enjoyed it, the ease of dancing with a pretty girl in a low lit bar, and now it felt as if their mouths were moving in time with a beat.

Cupping her face, he tilts it, nipping her lip, then licking it softly. She seems to like that, her hands on his jacket lapel, pulling him to her. Her tongue brushes his teeth, twisting, deepening the kiss and he groans against her.

The hand on her ribs moves to the middle of her lower back, holding her, and he’s gentle as he walks forward, her front still pressed to him, until she’s backed against the railing. He breaks the kiss just for a moment, and holds her eyes as he bends slightly, gripping below her knees, pushing her to sit on the railing. She obliges quickly, pulling him between her legs and he steps into her like she’s home.

One hand still below her knee, he pulls it up slightly, and she hums, kissing him as her arms wrap around his neck. He’s hard, straining, and the sounds she’s making causes him to stiffen even more, if that were possible. With his free hand he holds her neck, the pressure light as he peppers her mouth.

He can’t help but shift, and she scoots closer, pressing her clothed core into him and he nearly yelps.

“Wanda…”

She moves her torso, grinding lightly, and bites his bottom lip, holding it there between her teeth and pulls. Bucky groans low, his grip on her neck tightening.

He pulls away just barely, sucking in oxygen, and she moves to his neck, teeth scraping. Her kisses are hot, damp against his skin and he hopes there will be marks tomorrow.

Her hips rock into him, and his hand drops her knee, tangling in her hair. Biting down, he winces slightly, before she licks over the skin gently, pressing a kiss to the spot, then up until she meets his earlobe, taking it in her teeth.

Pulling her head back, she stares at his face. “Please.”

He could combust.

Tightening his grip on her hair, he yanks, and she gasps as his lips press to her jaw, one hand holding the side of her face.

It’s rougher, and obviously that's how she wants it, as she rocks herself against him again. Groaning against her throat, he pulls hard, and sucks at a spot just below her ear.

Her body tenses, fingers frozen and her legs lock around his hips. He grins against her skin.

Pulling back, he grabs her face in one hand, her cheeks squished slightly between his thumb and index finger. “You have a choice to walk away right now.”

She pouts, tries to grab him, but he keeps her still, eyebrows raised in questioning. “I don’t want to walk away.”

Her fingers seem to work again and she’s pulling at his jacket, attempting to push it off his shoulders, but his grip on her face is hard. She glares, then her eyes soften, and she opens her mouth, her tongue pressing flat against the skin of his hand.

His eyes widen, grip loosening, and she takes his hand in hers before sticking his finger in her mouth. Eyes trained on his, she sucks, her cheeks slightly hollowed, and he can feel her tongue flick against his knuckles.

His brain fries, skin alight, and he damn near pants. He doesn’t want to stop, but he needs to hear her say it, needs to make sure she verbally confirms she wants him.

“Use your words, little witch.” He mummers as he watches her assault his hands.

“I want you to fuck me so well I forget how to spell my name.”

The sound of her voice vibrates against his finger, and he pulls it from her mouth, a wet pop! sounding before he leans down.

She’s grinning, knowing exactly how well she’s affecting him, prideful that he’s aching because of her. Gripping her thighs, he picks her up, her legs fasting around his hips, and he begins to walk them off the porch, down to his bike.

She laughs, her hair bouncing as they step, and he loves the sound.

The ride is quick, Wanda attempting to palm him as they drive and he weakly swats her hands, the action far too distracting for him to be able to navigate while feeling that.

She kisses his neck and the back of his jacket when he parks, standing before the engine has even cooled, and he slaps her ass as he gets off the bike. She’s hungry, starving, pulling at his shirt as he closes the door, pushing his jacket off his shoulders, successfully this time, and yanks at the bottom of his shirt. He slides the overalls down her shoulders, pulling her to him on his couch.

The apartment is dark, but she slides into his lap with ease, nipping and licking at him. She’s panting as he lifts his shirt off, nails raking down his chest, and he sucks on her neck. She moans, shifting against him, and Bucky cannot believe his luck. She’s half dressed, wearing only her top and panties, the thin cloth allowing her heat to become more tangible.

She smells like honey, and he wants to devour her.

He isn’t sure when she undid his jeans. He stands, lifting her with him, and she moves his jeans down roughly with her feet, her mouth still searching for his, still hungry.

It’s clumsy and fumbling and he’s blissful, caring about nothing but the redhead in his lap.

He plops back down, and she blows his chest. He grunts, sliding his hands into her hair as Wanda feelings down his front. She pulls back, eyes blown.

“What are you waiting for, solider?” She smiles, a childish grin on her face. He nips at her lip, dropping a hand down and giving her hip a squeeze. “Where's the bedroom?” He goes to answer but she cuts him off. “Fuck it, fuck me right here.”

His brows raise high, and she laughs before kissing him again.

They kiss hurriedly, hearts racing, blood pumping in his ears as he grips the hem of her shirt. Her hands are up and it's over her head in an instant.

His mouth waters. She isn’t wearing a bra.

He nearly buries his face in her chest, licking the skin on the left as his hand palms the right. Her head arch back, eyes shut, and he twists her nipple. She hums, fingers gripping his shoulders and he gives a tentative lick. Her skin is smooth as he takes her into his mouth, hands wrapping around her waist.

“James James James.” She hums, and he’s shocked at his real name. It sounds official in her voice, reverent, and his cock strains against her. She must feel it, because her hips move, grinding into him and he bites gently.

She gasps, gripping his face and pulling him away from the glory that are her tits, kissing him hard.

He gulps her, wishing he could inhale her. Her cheeks and chest are pink, her eyes shining as she removes herself from his lap, pulling at his hands to stand with her. Her fingers are on the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down before he’s fully standing. She grips him and he’s instantly dizzy.

She’s on her tiptoes, pressing her mouth to his, tongue poking and prodding as her hand strokes him slowly. He’s aching, submissively opening his mouth to her, and she pours herself into him with every kiss.

He stutters, and she pushes him back against the couch softly, releasing her hold on him. His cock slaps against his stomach as he looks at her with lust covered eyes. She smiles, before she bends and her underwear is gone. He drinks in her naked form.

Nipples peaked from exposure, her breasts are creamy, with a faded scar just below her collarbone. Her ribs poke through her skin, hip bones jutting, and she’s smooth all over. She watches him look at her, and cups her sides.

“I know, I know,” she sighs, taking a step forward. “I should eat more.”

He reaches for her, and she melts into his hold, legs on opposite sides of his thighs. Balancing herself, she holds onto his shoulders, and he grips her behind the knees, hands tracing up her thighs, hips, caressing her breasts before settling on her hips again.

“Nah,” he whispers, and she holds his eyes as she takes him in her hand, aligning herself. “You're perfect.”

She pauses, looking down and then back at him.

Fear is drawn so perfectly on her face it could be a famous painting, like The Boreas.

”You — you shouldn't want this, not with me," Wanda says, voice tight, her grip loosing. “I’ll burn you.”

He can’t believe what he’s hearing. A literal angel, thinking she could stain him. Impossible.

Bucky grabs the hand that's gripping him, and interlaces their fingers, before bringing it to his mouth. He kisses her knuckles. “I’ve wanted you since that first time I saw you on that front porch.” Kisses her hand again, this time shutting his eyes. “Don’t go telling me I don’t want this, cuz I do.”

“What will our friends think?” She whispers, her voice impossibly low.

He kisses her hand again. “Fuck ‘em.”

She cups his face and pulls him to her. ”Stop overthinking," he whispers. She places a chaste kiss on his lips. “Don’t let a few maybes take you away from me.” Her eyes are wet, and he kisses the corner of her mouth. “Not when I’ve been waiting so long.”

She’s staring at him, still bracing herself above him before she bends down, aligns herself and slowly sinks. She’s smooth, warm, her eyes closing as he bites down on his cheek to keep from completely coming undone.

Rocking her hips slowly, Wanda lets out a breathy moan.

He’s officially died and gone to heaven.

Knees settled by his hips, she looks down to where they are joined, before glancing at him and grabs his hand. Lacing their fingers, she rocks again and this time he doesn’t hold back. His groan is deep, parched. Like a man dying of thirst.

He watches her move, hands light on her hips, traveling up her abdomen to cup her breasts, feel her skin. She’s warm, blissfully so, and when she raises up instead of rocking, he misses the contact.

She slides back down easily.

Leaning forward, she kisses him as she rocks, her hands in his hair, pulling, and he nips at her. He tugs her lip and she lets out another sweet song.

“Keep goin’” he praises, squeezing her hips. “s’perfect, you’re doing so well.”

She smiles at his words, he can feel it against his lips, and her hands leave his hair to scratch lightly down his chest.

He needs to go faster, wants to see how well she can take him when he’s the one directing, but he holds himself back. Right now, it’s about her. And she’s doing a damn fine job at it.

Bucky kisses her throat, and she clenches around him. He nearly comes right there, nearly forgetting what it had felt like to be inside a woman. He grips her hips tightly, almost certain she’ll be bruised.

“One sec, one sec,” he practically wheezes and she gives him a quizzical look before realizing what he meant. “You’re too fucking good.”

“Says you.” She laughs lightly, and nips his earlobe. She’s sweating, a light shine on her brow and her cheeks are rosy, hair sticking to the back of her neck.

Bucky grins, placing his hands back on her hips tightly and thrusts up into her. She gasps, her surprise so clear, and her lids flutter.

He does it again and again, his grip bruising, pace quick but timed, and Wanda arches as he moves under her. Her tits bouncing in his face, he reaches for one, licking the side.

“D-don’t stop,” she says, head tipping forward until her cheek is against his temple. Her hair falls into his face and he inhales deeply, reveling in it.

His core muscles are tense, hands rigid on her, lips sore. Happiest he’s ever felt.

The couch makes a bumping sound as it moves on the floor in time with his thrusts. The apartment smells like sex, and he thinks he should probably get a candle. Or better yet, leave the smell and get turned on every time he sits on his couch.

She moves her head back from his temple, smashing their mouths together. They’re a mix of teeth and spit and sweat. The kiss is messy, slightly sloppy, the type of kiss you have with someone special. It makes his insides flip.

Gripping her tightly, he stands, flipping them so that her back is laying on the couch and he hovers above her. His dog tag comes into view, hanging between them. He completely forgot he had it on.

“Why two?” She questioned, nodding at it. He sinks into her, and she moans, gripping his bicep.

“One’s mine,” he grunts, thrusting again. “The others is Steve’s.” He moves again, and she mewls, legs wrapped around his hips.

“O-oh?” The word comes out more of a question, and Bucky grins, sinking in again. Her eyes roll back.

He jackhammers himself into her, the pace maddening, the grip deathly, and she takes it all. His core burns, right arm aching, but he doesn’t quit. Not when she’s looking so lovely like that. She flutters around him, biting the inside of her cheek, and he nearly comes himself when he realizes she’s close. Her mouth opens, and then shuts, her eyes blown. He slows slightly, easing his grip, and she grabs his dog tags, yanking his face close.

“Don’t fucking stop,” she sighs, her breath fanning across from him. Her eyes go wide. “Please don’t.”

He can feel a bit of his old 40’s playboy-self peek out, his ladies-man charm spiking at the fact that she was pleading with him to let her come.

He was, in fact, a gentleman. And a man makes such a lady always comes first.

He kisses her gently, her mouth opening to him, before slamming into her. She all but screams.

The pace is punishing. His head falls next to her jaw, and he kisses the junction between her neck and shoulder as he moves, hips snapping.

She’s humming against him, saying something low and he strains to hear.

More, more, please more.

She flutters, clenching him, and he’s aching, his sides burning. Reaching down, his thumb finds her most delicate area. Her legs jerk, and she locks around his hips, eyes screwed tight.

He wants to tease her, wants to draw it out longer but hadn’t she asked so politely? He presses his thumb against her, and her mouth opens, lips slick with spit.

She looks blissful as she unravels.

“Look at you,” he mummers as her breathing returns. His head drops to her shoulder. He’s grunting into her neck, his own release rapidly approaching. “So good for me.”

“Yes, look at me.” She says, and he leans up from her neck, eyes taking in her face. He comes almost immediately.

Bucky collapses, his arms exhausted from an activity its not used to, and Wanda wraps her arms around his shoulders, hugging him. He slides out of her gently, his cock empty and satisfied. By the look on her face, so is she. He pulls her hand so that she’s sitting up, and they lay against the back of the couch, chests heaving, catching their breath.

“Could've had that last year.” She says when she finally catches her breath. He gives her a raised brow before chuckling.

“Was worth the wait.”

She bites her lip, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Yeah, it was.”

He shows her where the bathroom is, gives her a towel to clean off. Ten minutes later she calls his name, pulling him in with her and he fucks her against the tile wall.

#winter witch #bucky barnes x wanda maximoff #still friends #ao3 crosspost

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technetiumai · 2 years ago

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15 Questions | 15 People

Thank you for tagging me @raenestee and @cutestkilla! These are so much fun! I love learning more about you guys!

Oh, I’m supposed to tag 15 people? 😬 Do I even know 15 people?

1. Are you named after anyone?

My legal first name was my father’s grandmother’s name, but the only people who have ever called me that were people reading it off of official paperwork. My mom liked that my initials could also be a name and decided, before I was born, to call me that.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I seriously cry so much. I probably cried a little bit like half an hour ago because of a song I was listening to or something. But I guess that was like, I’m at work and I’m holding it together crying, not full on crying… I’m like 90% sure I was fully crying because of either a vlogbrothers video, a Rush song reaction video, a Glass Onion or Knives Out reaction video, or maybe a Dimension 20 clip either yesterday or the day before…

3. Do you have kids?

Yes, twin eight-year-olds.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Hmmmm. I think so? It used to be one of my defining characteristics, but I don’t really know if it is anymore. I definitely use snark fairly constantly. The sass flows freely.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

How the heck would I know? I don’t keep track... I’m sure it can’t always be the same thing, but I have no idea. Everything and nothing.

6. What’s your eye color?

Green. A it’s a true green in the center part and the outline of the iris, then most of it is like a turquoise with gold flecks in it that looks green when you zoom out. Not that anyone but me has ever looked close enough to notice 😂. That may be what all green eyes look like, I don’t know.

7. Scary movie or happy endings?

Happy endings, I guess. I usually find scary movies mostly boring. Not that I don’t ever get scared or anything, it’s just… just being scared isn’t very entertaining for me I guess. Also scary movies tend to very quickly break suspension of disbelief so usually it’s hard to a stay in a brain space that’s really open to being scared. I think there’s just something I don’t get about the genre, and maybe a campiness that’s not really my thing. The Ring is the only “scary movie” that jumps to mind where I was like in it. I know there has to be more though, my brain is just empty. What was the question? Oh, I mean… happy ending still has to a have a good journey though, right? And I’m not opposed to tragedy. I guess my point is that I don’t like either for either’s sake, but if it’s a good movie, it’s a good movie.

8. Any special talents?

Define special—Ummmm… No, I’m gonna go with no. I have no idea. Throwing themed parties? Maybe?

9. Where were you born?

Des Moines, Iowa. I read an article once that ranked Des Moines as the #1 metro area in the US to live in, in terms of something, but I can’t remember what... I think that pretty much sums it up.

10. What are your hobbies?

Craft stuff. None of it is actually interesting to talk about.

11. Do you have any pets?

We have an ancient, calico Manx cat; she’s roughly 130 years old in cat years (factoring in the comparatively short lifespan of her breed). We have a four year old black cat, who a former coworker found abandoned by his (the cat’s, not the coworker’s) mom in the garage of a Masonic lodge soon after he was born. So we’ve had him since he was the size of a like a peach or something, and now he weighs like 15 pounds. We also have two sweet little Guinea pig ladies, who are six years old and were already four when we adopted them. They’re so cute 😖🤗. I’m getting some baby-fever-style urges to get more pets though… more cats, or maybe rats… I want a pot bellied pig, but I don’t really think I could give it enough attention. I also want a goat, but that’s not legal where I live.

12. What sports do you play/have you played?

Lol, I wish.

13. How tall are you?

5'5"

14. Favorite subject at school?

Always math. I was never good enough that I got into super advanced classes, but it felt like I was just spending a bunch of time solving puzzles and getting rewarded for it; seemed like a great deal to me. Plus it didn’t have as much of the social weight that the rest of them did for me.

15. Dream job?

I really want to keep part of Raen’s answer 😅 “Anything that I don’t dread going to every day, something that doesn’t feel like it’s sucking the life out of me.” That really is the dream. I really would just like to constantly be doing something creative collaboratively with other people. I’m not really picky about what it is though. Or if I could solve intermediate algebra problems all day—that’d be amazing. That’s not very realistic though. That’s what computers are for. If I could get paid what I’m paid now to like organize things or file things or something, I would love that.

@onepintobean @ivelovedhimthroughworse @captain-aralias @fatalfangirl

I can’t do tags; you know the drill.

#tag game

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logicalstansadvice · 2 years ago

Note

No new blinds because all those other ones were very clearly “fan”-submitted when some in fandom were becoming unhinged about Ale / just like others posted in 2022 and 2023 (15 days into this year and here we are already lmao). The most ridiculous one was in June, when Annabelle posted a video of helicopters with Sebastian's voice on the background. Just a few hours later we had a blind about it. And an insider in comments saying his actual non-celeb gf was there too and was upset with Annabelle's antics.

Anon 2: they still keep coming. And you know it's not the guy who writes them, right? It's submitters. Enty actually briefly mentioned it on a podcast with DeuxMoi, saying he receives tons of messages about SS and AW. Evidently, some of these messages end up posted. There was a pause after late 2021, but as soon as that birthday party pic dropped in May 2022, the jealous ex-fangirl came back.

Anon 3: you're veeeery wrong, unfortunately. The same people who submitted their fanfic in 2020-2021 keep doing it now, we get a new blind every time smth happens. The last few were in December when he was papped with Annabelle and a few days ago, about him trying to pick up women at GG by offering them drugs at his place😭

Anon 4: There was a blind suggesting he was trying to pick up women at the GG party by saying he had coke at his place…but clearly bullshit as he was photographed there with his girlfriend. A lot of weird anti stans submit bullshit.

Lady Danger - We lost one anon’s ask who submitted a link to the latest fake AF blind (sorry! Tumblr just turned the entire thing into a link automatically 😭) but ultimately, I’m very glad to not know about these unless their brought to our attention. I hope that everyone realizes these are written by some unhinged ex-fans.

#logical stans advice #logicalstansadvice #opinion blog #sebastian stan #anonymous

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sublimecatgalaxy · 3 years ago

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la vie en rose- Part 4 (of many)

-Pairing: Fezco (Euphoria) x reader (eventually); Elliot (Euphoria) x reader

-Summary: Reader and Elliot have a minor breakthrough. Elliot has a slight change of heart for the better and it has reader in tears. Fez and the reader have a bit of a cramped, cute discussion. Lots of butterflies. Cliffhanger at the end, sorry y'all.

-Warnings: Swearing, mention of drugs, mention of violence, angst.

-Word Count: Only 4.2k

A/n: I've literally been waiting to get through this chapter just to be able to get to the next one. The next one is so good and I think at the end of this chapter, you guys are going to be so mad at me. Good luck.

Playlist Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Making my way into Elliot’s room, I throw myself down on the bed with a loud sigh. He chuckles at me softly from the doorway, his sweatpants hanging low on his hips as his wet hair drips onto his shoulders. It’s been two months since the night at McKays. It’s also been two months since I drunkenly told Nate that I was in love with Nate. I wasn’t upset that he knew but it still wasn’t my finest moment. He hasn’t used it against me or brought it up since I told him. So maybe he was right.

“You still stressed?” He asks gently, stepping forward to shut the door, the lock clicking as I nod with a soft groan. “Fez is still busy on that deal?” He sits down at the foot of the bed, his hands gently taking my feet to place them in his lap. His hands dance over the skin of my calves, my cheeks heating up at the contact. I give him a gentle nod, gazing down at him. “He’ll be okay.” He whispers reassuringly, gently lifting my leg up to place a kiss right below my knee.

Fez texted me a few days ago saying that he had a huge project coming up for a drug deal and that he wouldn’t be the easiest to contact for a few days. He’s always been the easiest person to contact, so the lack of him within the last few days have been torture. I’ve been silently begging for him to text me and even call me kid, anything.

But nothing. Zero.

I’ve sent him a few messages, checking in, just telling him that I hope he’s okay and safe and everything’s been fine. This morning, though, he messaged me that the actual deal was happening today and that he was nervous, so was Ashtray. He’s typically so calm and collected when it comes to deals and the fact that he voiced he was nervous to me freaks me out.

“He’ll be okay. He knows what he’s doing and I’m sure he’ll message you with an update. He knows how worried you get.” Elliot adds, gently laying down next to me to pull me into his arms. I cuddle into him, my mind calming down at the proximity. My mind still wanders to the older boy, his eyes, his lips. The way that he was looking between Elliot and I at that party, his angry gazes and squared shoulders, makes my head pound. Why he was so angry was beyond me and still is. He’s typically protective in general but specifically with Elliot, it’s even worse.

Coming back to reality, I look at Elliot, a small smile on his lips as he grins. “Distract me?” I offer quietly, his hands slipping under my shirt to rest on the smooth, bare skin of my back.

“Oh was the hour long, hot shower not good enough?” He asks teasingly, his lips gently pressing against mine as he whispers. “It’s a good thing I don’t pay the water bill.” He chuckles, his lips moving to my cheek as he leaves gentle kisses all over. “Relax.” He coos, his hands soothing over my back as I manually relax every muscle in my body. “Good girl.” He praises, the words making me shiver as he snickers, feeling the movement throughout my body. “This is why you have me. Distracts you from the guy you’re in love with until you can legally tell him, and you’ve been so addicting that I’ve been sober for almost three months.” He whispers, my grin growing at his positive words.

“I’m so proud of you.” I whisper, my fingers winding through his hair as he hums happily. “Maybe you won’t need rehab after all if Fez falls in love with me.” I chuckle as he snorts, his forehead resting against mine.

“We’ll see.” He responds simply, my lips in a smile that mirrors his. Both of our cheeks are warm and red, the cold room from our wet hair now rising in temperature. We gaze at each other for a few moments, both of our phones discarded on the floor, his cat resting on the chair next to his dresser. It’s so safe. So warm and so comforting. “I hate to see you so upset over him.” He admits, his hands gently settling on my waist. “Je te garderais pour toujours si tu me laissais faire.” He coos in a quiet voice, my eyes flickering back and forth between his eyes. “I would keep your forever if you’d let me.” He smiles as I blush, my head leaning forward to tuck into his neck.

“You’re too sweet.” I whisper, my phone buzzing from the ground as Elliot pulls away from me. I gently lean down, my hand fumbling as I try to find my phone. Eventually my fingers grasp around it, seeing Fez’s contact on the screen as it buzzes. Elliot sits up with a smile as I answer the phone.

“Fez, are you alright?” I ask, my heart pounding in my best as I wait anxiously for his reply.

“I’m alright, mamas.” I hear him let out a sigh of relief, the sound of a car door closing indicates that he called me immediately after leaving. My heart pounds at the subtle, kind thought of him thinking of me. “Shit, sorry I got you all worried ‘bout me.” He whispers, huffing as the car starts in the background.

“It’s okay. Elliot literally has been forcing me to distract myself or else I probably would’ve had a panic attack. Past few days have been hell for me. Not knowing sucks.” I admit, Elliot’s hands reaching over to gently rub over my bare knee. Fez sighs sadly, and I can picture his face falling, his lips dropping in disappointment.

“I’m sorry, ma. I’ll do better next time. Keep you in the loop while I’m on the clock.” He promises, a hum of acknowledgement leaving my lips as Elliot sends me a smile. “At least you can relax now.” He adds but I shrug, shaking my head at how untrue his words are. “Do you need anythin’? I was startin’ to miss you if I’m being honest.” He laughs sheepishly, my cheeks heating up as I snort.

“Yeah? Well I’ll have to stop by the store, hmm?” I offer, picturing that he’s just excited at my words as I was at his ‘I miss you’. “Let me know whenever you’re there. I’ll stop by, okay?”

“Yo, alright then.” He chuckles softly, my eyes closing as I fall back on the bed. “See you later then, Y/n.” He whispers, my heart bumping loudly against my chest at the sound of my actual name and not a nickname or kid. The phone call ends, my phone being once again tossed onto the bed next to us. Elliot chuckles at my excited expression, my legs kicking up and down in excitement.

“He wants to see me!” I giggle happily, covering my face with my hands as the bed shifts under me. Peeking through my fingers, Elliot pulls my legs straight so he can swing a leg over my waist, straddling my hips as he looks down at me. “What?” I ask with a nervous smile, his smirk making my tummy swirl.

“He wants to see you, sure, but so do I. So good luck getting out from under me because you’re mine for a bit.” He whispers, his fingers wrapping around my wrists to pull them away from my face, next to my head where he pins me down gently. My eyes widen up at him, gulping. “He’s gonna have to share. Especially because he’s the one you’re gonna end up with anyways.” He winks but I can see the insecurity behind his eyes. My wrists pull out from his hold, my palms gently resting on his cheeks as he leans down.

“You jealous?” I ask quietly, less teasing than I intended it to come out. His eyes flicker away from mine, his cheeks heating up as he nods. “Awe, honey!” I coo, leaning up to gently capture his lips in mine. He lets out a quiet sigh, his lips parting as his hands gently rest on my waist. Pulling away from the short kiss, his eyes open, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout.

“You’re my best friend. That’s all. It’s hard to watch you love someone else who doesn’t even realize how lucky they are.” He confesses, my heart breaking at his words. “I wish Fez could realize how amazing you are. And I wish I wasn’t so selfish that all I want is for you to stay here and never leave.” He whispers, his face leaning forward to tuck into my neck. His weight falls on me, my legs wrapping around his waist as my fingers tangle into my hair. We sit in silence, his words running through my mind as guilt consumes me.

“Maybe we should stop having sex and stuff.” I offer, his head shaking gently at my words. “I just don’t want to feel like I’m leading you on. Especially if you feel that way about our whole situation.” I add but he continues to shake his head in disagreement.

“I’m happy you’re in love. Fez is a great guy. I’m not saying I’m in love with you, Y/n. I’m just afraid that once you and him live happily ever after that I’ll be a second thought. To go from where we are now, to nothing, scares me.” He explains, pressing a kiss to my cheek as I smile.

“You’ll always be my best friend. We’ll always do stuff and I’ll always love and appreciate everything you’ve ever done for me.” I explain with a smile and I can sense him calming down. “But you can’t use me as an excuse to be sober forever, Elliot.” I whisper, my fingers cupping his cheeks to force him to look at me. He frowns, his lip tucking in between his teeth as he nods knowingly. Thoughts run through his mind, his eyes focusing on a spot on my nose as he ponders.

“I don’t want my sobriety to depend on you. And right now, I don’t know if I could safely stay sober if you and Fez got together and this,” he points between us with a sigh, “stopped.” I nod, understanding what he means but not getting his endgame. “What if we, uh, looked into rehab programs?” He offers, my eyes widening at him in shock. “Don’t look at me like that.” He chuckles, sitting up and sliding off of me. “Don’t make this a big deal.” He warns but I laugh loudly at his words. Like it isn’t the biggest deal in the world.

“It is a huge deal, but I don’t want you to do this for me. I want you to do it for you.” I whisper, sitting up to place my hands on his shoulders. He nods gently before leaning forward to press a kiss to my nose.

“I want to do it. I’m done with this shit. And I’ve been relatively okay without drugs the last few months. Obviously.” He says with a small smile. Excitement fills me, leaping into him as I bury him in hugs and kisses. He laughs loudly, his head thrown back as I kiss all over his cheeks. “Okay! Okay! Let’s find a rehab and then you can go see your man.”

The next few hours were spent on his computer, searching through the best and longest rehab programs for teens. We looked within forty miles and we actually found one. It was set over eighteen to twenty four months, methadone used to control the addiction and relapse issues. He would also have a therapist and psychiatrist that would help with any mental health issues that came about. While he went and talked to his cousin, informing her of the good news, I stayed in his room and looked further into the strictness of the program. He wasn’t allowed visitors unless they were family members and was not allowed to have his phone. It made sense, the only people that he would be speaking to are doctors and fellow addicts. Maybe it would be better off for him to get a good break from everything in this fucked up town.

He eventually brought the computer out to his cousin, needing his legal guardian to sign off and it was official. He would be entering the rehab program in a week at the end of March. I’m gonna be honest, it hurts my heart to think of him going away for that long. He’s the only real comfort I’ve known for the longest time. But this would be good for him. He’d finally be okay.

Making my way down the street, my heart thumps at the thought of seeing Fez and telling him the good news. He texted me a little while ago, letting me know that he opened the door and he needed help unpacking drinks since Ash was preoccupied. Typical. My feet clap against the concrete of the parking lot, my dress dancing in the wind. Apparently Elliot had blown my secret in and told his cousin my feelings for Fez. Saying that, she let me borrow the flowery dress in hopes that it would help make me look older and, not that I needed it, but to look prettier.

Stepping under the carport, I peek around the counter to see him nowhere to be found. Faye sits on the floor, her ankles swinging as she turns to me, a grin on her lips.

“Hi!” She grins, patting the ground next to her as I send her a wave, my eyes darting around the store. “I’m on watch. Fez is in the back.” She nods towards the door, my eyes fluttering over to it as Fez makes his way out of the backroom. A grin spreads across his lips as he sees me, his eyes trailing down my body, taking in the dress. Faye notices the look, clearing her throat as he snaps out of his gaze. Bingo. That’s exactly what I wanted. He steps up to me, scratching the back of his neck as I smile up at him.

“Hi Fez.” I whisper as he laughs sheepishly. “Elliot’s cousin leant me the dress since you seem so interested in it.” I snort, watching as his cheeks heat up, his head tilting to conceal his embarrassment.

“Shut it, kid. Whattya up to?” He dismisses with a nervous smile, my bones rattling as I remember why I came. A bigger grin spreads across my cheeks, my cheeks aching at the pain of happiness.

“I have good news.” I whisper, shifting my weight as he waits expectantly. Looking to Faye, realizing I really just want to have this conversation with Fez, he notices. He takes my hand gently in his, pulling me away from Faye’s gaze and into the entrance of the back room. It’s cramped, his legs slotted in between mine as I rest my head against the wall. “Elliot is choosing to go to rehab. He goes next week.” I grin, Fez’s eyes widening as his jaw slacks. “He specified that he’s done depending on me for sobriety so he’s checking himself in about an hour away and it’s an 18-24 months program. He’s serious.” I whisper, hope in my eyes as Fez grins happily.

“Shit, that’s really good, kid. I’m happy for the both of ya.” He coos, his hand not leaving mine as I smile, happy to have told him. His thumb brushes over the back of my hand as I blush, hoping that it’s concealed by the right lights above us. We sit in silence for a few moments before a frown appears on his lips. I patiently wait for him to speak his mind, my hand giving him a subtle squeeze to egg him on. “Uh, what about him bein’ your distraction and shit?” He asks, deciding that’s probably a fair point. “What about the shit with you being in love with someone else?” He adds, my cheeks heating up as I look to the ground.

“Well, it’s gonna be harder cuz now I won’t have the whole having him when I’m sad and crying.” I huff, my heart heavy as I think about it. It’s selfish of me to think of how much I’m going to need him and miss him. In his absence, the fact that Fez is so close yet so far could seriously mess me up. Again. Before Elliot, I was crying daily, getting myself hyped to go see Fez only to have it destroyed by the distance between the two of us.

“You have me.” He whispers, my eyes flickering up to look at him as he smiles softly. Sincerely. I scoff sadly, shaking my head. “You always got me, kid.” With a smile, he pulls me into his arms, my eyes tearing up at his words. But I don’t really have you. “You got me so much that I’ll take you two. We’ll drop ‘im off and go stuff ourselves or some shit.” He offers, my chin rising to rest on his sternum as I look up at him. When he notices my glistening eyes, he frowns. His hands still hold my waist, a tear tumbling down my cheek as I pout. “Com’ere.” He mutters softly before reaching up to hold me tighter against his chest. His heartbeat thumps under my ear, the fingers on the back of my head rubbing circles into my hair as I let it out. I know he might believe, that under my tears, that the source is Elliot. In reality, it’s his utter stupidity to not see that it’s about him. Everything is about him. My relationship with Elliot, as odd as it might be, is about him. Why I cry without having Elliot in my life, that’s about him. Why I dress up and wear makeup everywhere that he might be. Everything comes back to him and he doesn’t see it.

Sometimes I like to imagine telling him. Just coming out of nowhere and saying, hey remember when I did that one thing? Yeah it’s because I’m in love with you. I’m sure it would make everything that I do make so much more sense in his mind. It would make a lot of sense to a lot of people. I hate that to some people I’m so obvious, like Elliot. He knew that I was in love with Fez before I even came clean to him. When I told him, he just shrugged with a smile. When I asked why he shrugged the news off so easily he said that it was because, not only did he know, but he could recall specific incidents that happened that solidified his belief.

“Aye, did you hear me?” Fez’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts, tears still streaming down my face. Sniffling, I reach up to wipe my tears. “I said you can’t be crying no more. I won’t allow it.” He chuckles, his chest rumbling beneath me as I let out a small laugh. His hands gently rub up and down my back as I huff, stepping away from him. I think the proximity actually makes me sad because I realize how much I miss it when I’m not in his arms. Nate was right. I am like the walking definition of being in love.

“I guess I didn’t realize the fact that now that he’s gone, I’ll have nothing to take my mind off the depressing fact that I’m in love.” I chuckle, rubbing my eyes as I lean against the wall once more. At least a foot of space is in between us now, his eyes watching me softly as if I’ll break in a moment's notice.

“I’m not sure if bein’ in love is supposed to make you feel like that.” He chuckles softly, my eyes rolling at his teasing. “I mean it. Aren’t there ‘posed to be butterflies and shit?” I giggle, my head bobbing in a nod.

“There are butterflies and all the good stuff.” My cheeks heat up, my eyes flickering down to the floor once more, afraid that he’d see right through me. “The physical and mental divide between the guy and I is bigger than any good feelings, though. That’s why Elliot was good for me. Because I could just be with him and near him.” I explain softly, only my voice and the sound of the coolers buzzing around us can be heard. “I also have never been in love before and I was talking to Nate about it and he says that this is what it’s like, so.” I laugh, trying to get off of the more serious aspect of my words, but Fez shakes his head.

“Whaddya mean physical and mental divide? What’s that mean?” He quizzes, his eyebrows furrowed and lips pouted. God he’s so cute. His eyes are still soft and concerned, one of two looks that he typically gives me. The other is pure annoyment.

“Uh…” I trail off, my feet shuffling against the floor as I try to come up with something to say other than, well you don’t love me and I’m a kid to you so. Clearing my throat, I continue. “He doesn’t feel the same way about me. And I’m like 90% sure of that. There would be some issues if we were to be together. I’m not sure if it’s worth risking my friendship with him if it means telling him my feelings.” I shrug, a hum coming from him as he thinks over my words.

“I don’t get why he wouldn’t want to be with you, kid.” Fez sends me a slight shrug and I can tell he feels badly that I’m in this situation. A scoff leaves my lips at his words.

“Nate and Elliot both said that. Elliot said ‘it’s hard to watch you love someone else who doesn’t even realize how lucky they are’.” I frown, his words resonating in my head and they have for a while. “Nate said that Elliot was lucky and then called me hot. Different sentiments, both important.” I giggle and Fez’s jaw squares as he rolls his eyes. The mention of Nate’s name definitely pisses him off, but honestly, after this conversation, I’m not allowed to be the only uncomfortable one.

“Well, they’re both right. You’re great.” He adds, my cheeks heating up as he grins. I shake my head with a small smile, his words making my heart throb and break at the same time. “Honestly, kid. Whoever this guy is, he’s lucky as fuck. You know that.” He chuckles, his eyes flickering away from mine nervously. He reaches up, scratching the back of his neck, a tic of his that indicates his nerves.

“I guess those things just don’t matter.” I shrug, my tears tearing again. “I mean, if I actually thought that this guy would give me any chance in hell, I would say something, Fez. I’m not just walking around waiting for his feelings, or lack thereof, to fall in my lap.” I sniffle, wiping my tears away as he sighs, taking my hands in his again. “It’s fine. I just need to get over it and deal with Elliot leaving.” I brush his concern off, now feeling claustrophobic. He nods, understanding my discomfort, moving on. “Can I just hang with you for today? Be your shadow?” I offer, his eyes lighting up as he nods, a grin evident on his lips.

“I got a deal in a little bit but if you stay in the car, you can go.” He offers in return, my head bobbing in a nod. “Then we can get food or somethin’.” The urge to say, like a date?, consumes me but I push it aside, a smug smile on my lips. “Ash isn’t going with me on this one but it should be quick.” He shrugs, looking out the door to see a customer at the front desk. “I’ll be back.” He reaches over, messing up the hair on the top of my head as he leaves the hallway.

A little while later, I sit in the front seat, my head bopping to the music. The deal wasn’t that far away from my house, only ten minutes, so I let myself try to be comfortable. He didn’t tell me what he was dealing, the people he was seeing, or the meaning behind it, but I trust that whatever may happen, that he’ll be safe.

The dark sky around me makes me nervous as my eyes search around the apartment complex, looking in and out of the broken and battered windows. Spotting a man in the upstairs window, my head backs back down as my heart pounds, hoping he didn't spot me. Sneaking another glance through the glass, he’s gone.

Turning the radio down and opening the window for some fresh air, I take a deep, calming breath in. I’m not even the one in the dangerous situation yet I can’t help but feel that even just being here, whether it be the neighborhood or something else, is dangerous. My leg bounces nervously as a door slams in the distance, my eyes flickering around to see where it came from. Not seeing anyone, I let out a brief sigh of relief, wishing Fez would hurry it up. He said ten or twenty minutes tops but it's turning into an anxious thirty.

Suddenly, the door opens to my right, a brief scream leaving my lips as a hand covers my mouth. Feeling myself being ripped from my seat and the seat belt, I thrash against the grip as tears fill my eyes.

Fuck, Fez is gonna be so mad at me.

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A/n: Surprise! So this was an absolute trip. The next part is like way more crazy and I think you guys are gonna be jumping out of your skin. I'll post a teaser probably tonight and depending on how you guys feel after this one, maybe I'll post part 5.

In the meantime, send in requests if you guys want!!

Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @alex--awesome--22 @grxnde-dwt @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @genuisohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @distantsighs @nystyles4299

#euphoria series #fez #fezco #elliot euphoria #rue bennett x reader #fezco x reader #fez x reader

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strangelysamantha · 3 years ago

Note

Hi! Can I request a jj x reader where they’re dating but have a massive fight right before a kegger so they’re ignoring each other all night. And then during the party her drink gets spiked and jj and the others take her home and look after her. Then the next morning jj is crying and apologising for not looking out for her. Thanks

scared for you ☆

jj maybank x reader.

warnings: swearing, underage drinking, spiking of drinks, blacking out, verbal arguments.

words: 2,649.

summary: when a fight breaks out between you and jj, he can’t help but be petty and ignore you. this causes you to be left alone at a kegger.

request? yes, and my requests are still open!

a/n: hi hi hi, more stories coming tonight! thanks for the request, and if you enjoyed please like and comment! i appreciate it. they/them pronouns are used for the reader. <3

my masterlist

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“jj, why are you so upset?” you questioned jj, and he hesitated, before finally speaking up. “really? why am i upset?” you nod, waiting for his response, but he doesn’t continue. you roll your eyes, “yes. why are you so upset?” you continue tying your shoes, preparing yourself for the kegger that already started thirty minutes ago. “i wasn’t that upset, but the fact you don’t even know why i’m mad just annoys me more.” he looks away from you, avoiding eye contact. you look up at him. “are you serious? you can’t just tell me what i did?” he stays silent.

you finally stand up, standing in front of him. his eyes look down at you, “i’m upset because you blew me off, claiming you had a family issue.” you frown. “j, i did have a family issue.” he shakes his head as if to say he didn’t believe you. “you really don’t trust or believe me?” he shrugs. “no i don’t fucking trust you, especially after all the shit you’ve done.”

“are you fucking kidding me? it really was a family issue. i should be the one upset here since you don’t even believe me.” he crosses his arms together. “you believe you should be the one upset?” he questions. you scoff, “yes! you don’t believe me, and you are blowing this whole situation up.” you try to continue but he interrupts you, “i’m not blowing anything up, stop acting like this is all on me. god, you are the one being secretive and shit.” you frown, “instead of automatically getting angry, why don’t you talk to me about it?” he shakes his head. jj storms off not answering you, the door slamming shut behind him.

you sit in silence, trying to even understand what had just happened since it all happened so fast. you contemplate going to the kegger alone, finally deciding to go. you assumed that jj would be going, and you thought it would be best to try and go so you could fix what just happened as soon as possible.

jj had left you, and he took the car. luckily, the beach wasn’t too far, and you could easily walk. you walked for about five minutes before you arrived. you eagerly search around, trying to find any familiar faces but you fall short. you didn’t recognize anyone around you. you approach the party closer, having people occasionally greet you, but none you were genuinely close too.

you see jj hanging out with john b and pope. you smile softly, glad that he was here instead of doing something reckless. you look over at him, and he looks at you, before immediately redirecting his eyes. jj had made a vow to himself that he would ignore you tonight. he didn’t want to blow up on you, but the biggest reason was he just didn’t want to talk to you anymore. you frown at the realization. since jj was ignoring you, you decided to do the same. you walk towards a small group of people, randomly introducing yourself.

they applaud you on your boldness, immediately letting you inside their small group. “so what are you up to?” a guy with brunette hair smirked at you. you smile, “i’m just here.” you shrug, not entirely sure what you were actually doing at a kegger, practically alone. usually if you went somewhere where you had no one to hang out with, you would leave. today was different though. you avoided looking at jj, and jj did the same. his eyes never even looked your way, too focused on john b’s lame attempts of trying to flirt with sarah.

the group you settled yourself into was slowly dying down. one girl in particular decided she had enough and headed home, her girlfriend going with her. the other two guys left, going farther down the beach to play football. that left you alone with the brunette guy, and his best friend. you hadn’t drank anything, not wanting to have a horrible hangover.

“are you sure you don’t want us to get you a drink? i mean, it would seriously loosen you up, and you could possibly get your mind off your current issues.” the brunette smiled, you had actually become his acquaintance. you bite your lip slightly, thinking. “i mean sure. why not.” you laugh slightly and he chuckles, “right on. i’ll be back.” you nod, watching him walk away.

his other friend smiled down at you, “are you from around here?” you nod. “yeah, what about you?” he smiles, “just here for a trip. we are actually heading back home tomorrow morning.” you frown. “ah, that sucks. did you enjoy your time here?” you ask, making conversation. he nods. “pretty fun town. the water was the best part. the ocean view was always so beautiful.” you nod at his response, silence falling over the two of you.

his friend came back, three solo cups in his hand. “cheers, to your guys on the last day.” you take the red solo, clinging it with theirs. “cheers.” they say together. you bring the drink to your lips, swallowing it. “it was so-.” your mind became clouded, and you couldn’t even think about what you were trying to say. “guys?” your eyes widened as your voice felt hoarse. your mind felt empty, and confusion washed over you. before you knew it, your eyes were closing, and your body began to feel limp and light. the last thing you heard were the two boys laughing. “too easy.”

the boys held you up, grabbing you by the waist. whispering amongst themselves while they carried you to their car. before they even made it halfway, john b stopped them. “what are you two doing?” he stared at you, limp in his arms. his heart hurt seeing you like this. he stared as they stood in front of him, silent. pope joined john b, “what is going on?” popes eyes set on you, anger boiling inside of him. “oh you know man, just had too much to drink.” john b shakes his head. “no. we know them. they hardly ever drink.” the boys raise their eyebrows, “is that so?” john b nods, walking towards them. “who even are you? never seen you before. and since i don’t know you, that leads me to believe that they don’t know you either.” the boys glanced at each other for a moment. “your right. we don’t know them.” they swiftly push you into john b, john b falling back at the sudden movement.

the culprits ran towards their car, hopping in and driving off. john b held you up, pope joining in, making it easier to lift you. john b looked at pope, pope already thinking the same thing. “how the hell are we going to tell jj?” pope shook his head. “let’s just get them back to your house. then we can think of ways to break the news to jj.” john b nodded in agreement. john b and pope carried you to the twinkie, pope getting in the front seat, john b held you close to make sure you still had a pulse and they hadn’t done anything yet. “they are knocked out for sure.” john b spoke up.

“it’ll be a few hours before they even have a chance of waking up.” john b frowns, he just wanted you to wake up now so he knew you were actually okay. once pope had made it to john b’s house, the two of them carried you inside, placing you on jj’s bed. you laid limp on the bed, the two boys watching you in horror. “shit! reposition them! that looks so uncomfortable!” pope scrambled to the bed, immediately straightening you out. he took your shoes off, placing them at the end of the bed. pope took the blankets, tucking you inside the bed.

“are you ready pope?” john b looked at pope, seeing his eyes widened. “what do you mean, are you ready pope?! i’m not calling jj!” pope glanced at john b, bewildered. john b rolled his eyes. “fine but i’m putting it on speaker.” pope nods, patiently waiting for john b to grab his phone.

john b dials jj’s number. it rings twice before jj answers. “yo john b! what’s up.” john b frowns. “jj, you know how you left the party?” pope sighs while he watches this whole situation unravel. “yeah, i wanted to get out of there. i couldn’t stand watching everything, well y'know.” jj laughed, “so glad i left though. i’m doing good.” pope interrupted him. “john b! just tell him already.” jj stopped, “pope? tell me what?” jj held his breath, waiting. his mind was spiraling with every bad thing that could have happened.

“uhm. jj it’s bad. pope and i, we were at the beach. we noticed these two boys… and they drugged-.” before john b could even say your name, jj cut him off. “no.” pope rolled his eyes, seeing jj immediately shut john b down. “no, guys. this isn’t funny. you can’t say this shit as an attempt for me to come home.” john b groaned, slamming his hand on the kitchen table. “jj! will you stop with the shit! this isn’t a joke bro. that would be fucked up.” jjs breath gets caught in his own throat. “you mean…?” john b frowns, “yeah.” jj immediately hangs up, getting ready to go to john b’s house.

when jj arrives, john b and pope give him the rundown on what had happened. they decided to wait to invite kiara, since she had to work. jj slowly walked to his room, scared of what he would see. when he saw you, passed out on his bed, his heart shriveled up. water glistened in his eyes. he couldn’t help but blame himself. he wasn’t there for you. he didn’t protect and watch after you.

he immediately leaves the room, pulling pope and john b into a hug. “thank you. thank you for protecting them when i couldn’t.” john b frowned. “jj- you can’t put this on yourself.” pope nodded. “how could you have known?” jj shakes his head. “i should have been there, i should have stayed.” john b smacks him on the side of his head. “get your shit together jj.” jjs mouth opens in shock. “this isn’t the time for you to spiral. you need to go in there. wait for them to wake up, and you need to make sure they are okay.” jj nods, heading to his room.

jj hated seeing you like this. he sat on a chair in the corner of his room. occasionally checking your pulse to make sure you were still with him. he prepared you water, and was already thinking of what he should make you for breakfast. at around four am, jj had fallen asleep. he didn’t mean to, in fact he wanted to stay awake so he could be there for you when you woke up.

jj woke up at seven am, he immediately looked over at you, seeing you in the same position, and still asleep. his heart hurt. john b and pope weren’t there to ground him, so his thoughts took over. how could he leave you alone? how could he even let this happen? why was he fighting with you in the first place? was it really worth it? these questions continued to invade his mind. he couldn’t hold back the tears as he was silently sobbing in the corner of the room.

the outer banks sun was shining through jj’s thin window curtains. you stirred, waking up. when you were fully awake, you heard faint crying. this caused you to turn your head to see what was going on. “jj?” you frown, seeing him in such a distressed state. you immediately sit up, and become light headed. you didn’t know exactly what had happened. the last place you remembered you had been was at the beach, but somehow you woke up in jj’s bed. you smile, hopeful that jj wasn’t mad at you anymore.

“jj?” you say once more, louder so he could hear you. his head turns towards you. his face was stained with tears, his hair wild as you assumed he ran his hands through it multiple times. before you could ask any questions, he’s already bombarding you. “are you okay? do you remember anything?” you shake your head, your mind going back to last night. “the last thing i remember is going to a kegger, and meeting a group of people because you were ignoring me.”

he stayed silent. he was right. he was the reason, he- “jj? what’s on your mind? was it your dad again?” you frown. your arm reaches out to cup his face. he pulls you into a hug. “no. not my dad. last night… uh.” he pulled away, giving you some space. “last night you were drugged.” your eyes widened. “what?” the tears began to fall from his eyes once again. “look. i’m so sorry. i should have been there for you. i could have prevented this. i’m so sorry. i didn’t want this to happen to you. if only i had stayed, if i was there i would have punched those two guys in the jaw.” his eyes shut, you take your hand to wipe away his tears.

“jj. it’s okay. nothing happened to me, did it?” you wait, slightly scared at what his response would be. “no. nothing happened, john b and pope saved you in time.” you nod, relieved. “jj. i’m okay. nothing happened to me, please. john b and pope saved me. it's not something you should work yourself up about.” he slowly nods, not entirely agreeing. you open your arms, hugging him. “okay. i was really scared for you.” you frown at his words. “jj-,” he cuts you off. “i just… i can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if john b and pope weren’t there.” you shake your head. “you can’t think about that. jj, im here. i'm fine, we are okay. we shouldn’t think about the past, it’ll only make matters worse.”

he listens, a frown still hung on his lips. “okay. well i want to make you a special breakfast!” your eyebrows lift at jj, “you?” he smiles, and you continue. “you want to make breakfast?” he nods, “yes!” you stare at him, “okay. sure.” you get entirely out of bed, his hand immediately finding your waist to ensure you were steady. “first let's get you changed.” he pulls a t-shirt of his from his closet, and a pair of shorts you’ve left over. he hands you the clothes before turning around to let you change.

you put the outfit on, handing him your outfit from yesterday. he puts them in the dirty laundry hamper, walking you to the kitchen. you watch amused, seeing jj pull out a bunch of different ingredients and spices. “what are you trying to make?” he turns around, shocked that you even have to ask him. “duh, i’m making us pancakes.” he smiles up at you, as he holds the carton of milk. “oh right. okay. i’ll let you do that then.” john b walks out of his room, joining the two of you in the kitchen.

“why are you guys so loud when it’s literally eight in the morning?” you laugh, “hey!” you call out to him and he jumps at your loud voice. “what?” you stand up, pulling him into a hug. “thank you.” he smiles. “i’m glad you are okay. we are always going to be by your side, regardless if we are all fighting or not.” you nod. your attention from john b shifts to jj, seeing him as he is dancing around the kitchen with a bowl in his hand. “oh. jj is cooking?” john b smiled, “this will be good.” you nod in agreement, “definitely.”

#jj maybank #jj maybank obx #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank story #jj maybank x reader angst #jj maybank angst #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x gn!reader #gender neutral reader #gender neutral imagine #outer banks fanfiction #outer banks one shot #jj maybank one shot #jj #maybank #jj maybank outerbanks #jj maybank outer banks

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clayticklish · 2 years ago

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Life Update

I haven’t written anything in awhile so I thought I’d sum up some things that have happened recently! There’s been some pretty major developments and it’s always fun to look back on everything that has happened. Scrolling back through my blog, the last major event that I talked about was NEST back in May, so let’s use that as a starting point.

1. I started seeing someone new! We met on OkCupid and actually started chatting back in March but weren’t able to meet up until end of May. He lives about a 50 minute drive away, but we’ve managed to hang out once every 2 weeks since. This connection is a lot of new things for me - I’ve played with guys before but this is the time I’ve been with a guy in a dating type of scenario. It’s also the first time having a poly relationship that goes beyond casual play, and I’m super excited that he and Jess get along and we can all hang out together sometimes. It’s also my first time being in a kinky relationship where we don’t both share a tickle kink (though it is still fun to mix in a bit of tickle play every once in awhile 😉). It’s been amazing, and also a lot of new feelings to process. I’m super excited about it!

2. I’ve been exploring my local kink scene! Surprisingly, my little city has one of the most active kink munches in all of southern Ontario. Jess and I have been having a ton of fun going to the park munches, rope socials, and Littles munches. We’ve met some really cool people and learned a ton. I’m super excited to be able to include rope work more regularly in scenes now. I’m also excited to have some great new friends, and maybe introduce some tickle play to people who otherwise may not have considered it. There’s also a cottage weekend coming up that sounds like it’s going to be amazing.

3. I’ve made some more progress on the garage! This project continues to take far longer than I thought it would, but I’ve got it to a point where the loft area is a somewhat usable play space so that’s a plus. Next steps are to finish the drywall and install a heat pump for the winter. Hoping to have the main area ready to host a Halloween party in October!

4. We went to the P99 tickle gathering in Pittsburg back in June! There were a few people that I’ve been hoping to meet up with since before Covid, and it finally happened. Teleportation needs to be a thing so I can see all the wonderful people in the world more often 💕

5. We went back country camping for the first time! It was a great introduction to it - we only had to hike about an hour in from our car, and we were right next to the beautiful waters of Georgian Bay. I did mushrooms for the second time, and overall it was an amazing experience but I think I prefer doing them in a house instead of camping. Everything was augmented - the good stuff like the beautiful scenery and the good company, but also the bad stuff like the pesky flies and less than comfortable tent and sleeping pad. Can’t wait to plan another trip (both camping and mushroom 😉)!

6. I made some new content for OnlyFans! This is actually a pretty cool story. I have a friend on Facebook that I’ve known since high school. We were never super close but she always posted really funny, cool, and sexy content over the years so the Facebook algorithm would always keep her in my feed. Back in January she started posting about starting an OnlyFans and was looking for content ideas, so I thought I’d reach out and tell her about the garage I’m building. We started chatting and eventually I told her about my own OF account for tickling content. She hadn’t heard of tickling as a kink before but was interested enough to try! So we met up a couple weeks ago and filmed some stuff. I’m just finishing up the editing now so I expect we will be releasing that in the next week or two. She also wants to meet up again which is super cool. I may have helped convert another tickle kinkster?!

7. I started looking for a cottage! It’s been a major goal of mine to get some property outside the city to try to live a little closer to nature, and I’m almost at a point where I can see a pathway to get there. Years of saving, living below my means, some fairly significant help from my parents, and a few key moments of good luck might just make this possible in the next year or so. Hoping to have more to say about this soon!

Alright, that’s enough for now. I’m always amazed at how much stuff happens over time, when day to day I’m pretty focused on the current thing. I like writing stuff like this to help zoom out and see a bigger picture. I’ll have to try to remember to do this more often, but if I’m honest it’s very likely that it will be several months before I get to it. Until next time!

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watchmegetobsessed · 4 years ago

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Failed, Faked, Fallen - Harry Styles

a/n: this story was a pain in the ass, not gonna lie and i really thought i would just end up deleting the whole thing but I MADE IT TO THE END YAY so now please take the time to read bc it literally made me want to jump off a cliff lol

special thanks to @pastequeharry for putting up with me throught the writing process, she is the reason i didn’t just delete the whole thing haha

pairing: Fratboy!Harry x Reader (fake dating AU)

word count: 16.6k

masterlist

Tonight has been in the making for ten years. Every fiber in your body is protesting against it, but you just can’t carry this massive secret around any longer. You need to tell your best friend that you are in love with him, have been since middle school when you first met him. It’s a scary thing to come clean about your feelings for someone, but you feel like it’s now or never.

Your friendship with Oliver has been always a little… blurry. You were just regular friends when he was dating someone, but whenever he was single, he seemed to seek comfort and intimacy with you. It always starts with him getting a little more touchy and cuddly with you, then comes the kissing and hugging, his hands wandering to places friends shouldn’t explore and you somehow always end up in a bed…

Then it would immediately change once he got himself a girlfriend and you figured he has just been confused about his feelings for you. It has to be that, right? These past few weeks the situation was the same. He broke up with this girl he was seeing all summer before you all came back to school and you think this is the perfect time to finally talk about what’s really going on between the two of you.

Your roommate, Sandra has helped you with your makeup for tonight’s frat party and now you are deciding on the dress. You want to look your best so when Oliver confesses his love for you tonight, you’ll look as dreamy and pretty as you always dreamed about.

“The black one is fucking mint,” Sandra points at the black bodycon dress lying on your bed. “I can give you my red leather jacket,” she offers, finishing up putting her hoop earrings in.

“The red jacket?” you eye her in surprise. Sandra loves that jacket more than her own life. The two of you have been sharing your clothes since you became roommates last year, but the jacket has been off limits always.

“I know how important tonight is for you. The occasion deserves the red jacket,” she chuckles, stepping to her wardrobe to get the jacket. It’s the most badass leather jacket you’ve ever seen, looks so perfect on Sandra every time she wears, you feel honored she is letting you take it for the day.

“Oliver won’t be able to keep his eyes off of you,” she smiles at you excited once you’re all dressed. The jacket looks amazing, pulls the look together perfectly, you can’t deny that.

Soon enough, the two of you leave the dorm and head in the way of Kappa Chi, that’s only a fifteen minute walk away from your dorm. They are having a party almost every other week, those boys would celebrate the stupidest shit just to fill their house up with people and booze as much as possible. You and Sandra have been attending their parties since first year, it’s always a great way to unwind after a tiring week at uni.

“When is he coming?” Sandra asks over the music once you two arrive and head to the kitchen for a drink.

“Um, he texted me ten minutes ago that he is about to leave soon. He’ll be here shortly,” you tell her and thank her when she hands you a beer in a red solo cup.

The house is packed, just like always. Most of the football players from school are member of Kappa Chi, so naturally, all girls want to be around when they are throwing a party. You could say they are the popular guys, but it’s not like in the movies. They are just some particularly handsome guys living together, attracting a lot of girls. They are not at all unreachable, you are kind of friends with a few of them as well even without being a sorority girl yourself.

Standing in the kitchen you get into a conversation with a few girls from your dorm, that’s when you see Harry Styles storm through the house, Naomi Saddler following behind him, seemingly very much in the middle of a fight he doesn’t want to take part in. You know Harry, but you couldn’t say you two are that close. You did a group project last year together and he is actually a really smart guy despite the gossips about him just being a dumb womanizer. He surely is a ladies’ favorite, but you wouldn’t say the description fits him. You haven’t actually seen him with more than three girls since freshman year, unlike some of his other teammates that hook up with a different girl every weekend. He and Naomi have been in this on-off relationship for a few months now, but you don’t know much about them. You don’t run in the same groups to know the details.

The two of them disappear upstairs and you are pulled out of your thoughts when someone asks you a question, so you forget about Harry and Naomi in a blink of an eye.

An hour passes and still no sign of Oliver and you start to feel anxious. You shoot him a text, struggling a little with the typing thanks to the alcohol you’ve been consuming to keep your cool. Surprisingly, he answers right away.

Oliver: Be there in 3. Meet me outside?

Y/N: Sure!

“Alright, wish me luck,” you tell Sandra as you fill your cup again and head outside.

Kappa Chi has a nice backyard with a decent sized pool, some beerpong tables and lots of lounge chairs. You walk past the beerpong games, paying no attention to them at all as you go for an empty lounge chair. You sit down, fix your dress nervously and wait while you try to think through what you’ll tell him.

You can’t believe you are finally telling him how you are feeling. Your teenager self would be peeing herself is she knew what you are planning to do now. All those years of pining and crying whenever Oliver had a girlfriend in the past, now is your chance to finally be that girl and you’re actually quite convinced he’ll say he feels the same way about you.

Fidgeting with one of the zippers on Sandra’s jacket, you nervously wait for Oliver to show up. You look in the direction of the backdoor right when he appears from the crowd inside. Your heart skips a beat as you stand up quickly, a smile tugging on your lips. You are just about to wave in his way to catch his attention when you see some brunette by his side… holding his hand. And then she kisses him shortly right before they step out of the house.

What the fuck?! This cannot be true. Who is she? And why do you know nothing about her? Did Oliver keep it a secret that he is dating someone? But why?!

For a moment you actually feel like you are about to faint. Blood rushes out of your head as you see the couple walk their way around the beerpong tables, Oliver obviously looking for you, but you can’t bring yourself to move.

“Y/N! There you are!” he beams happily, pulling the brunette with him when he finally spots you. You need a moment for yourself to get over the first wave of your shock.

“Oh, yeah! Hi!” you smile awkwardly, eyes meeting with the girl’s. She is so pretty and actually seems nice. You hate her for that.

“Y/N, I want you to meet Lexi,” Oliver introduces the brunette. “Lexi, this is Y/N.”

“I’ve heard so much about you, Y/N!” she smiles, pulling you into a hug that catches you off guard for sure.

“Wow, I… wish I could say the same,” you bitterly reply, eyes meeting Oliver’s once Lexi lets go of you. He is clearly uncomfortable at your comment, but tries to mask it quickly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I haven’t had the chance to tell you about Lexi. But it’s kind of new.”

“How new?”

“We’ve been going out for about three weeks,” she answers your question, her hand finding his pretty quickly as she smiles up at him with so much adoration.

“Oh,” is all you manage to get out for a moment. You still haven’t completely processed that your plan just went straight out the window and that once again, Oliver chose another girl over you.

But then, the more you think about it, the angrier you get. You are tired of this stupid game you two have been playing, but you also have no idea what to do about it.

“I thought that Y/N, if you have a boyfriend, we could maybe go on some double dates! Would be so much fun!” Lexi suggests, but her words make your stomach churn. You have always wanted to go on double dates, but with Oliver being your date. Not someone else’s…

“I uhh… I don’t…” You are so frozen, you can’t even think of an answer, you just want to leave as soon as possible, so you can cry yourself to sleep. Oliver brings an arm around Lexi’s shoulders, looking down at you as if he wasn’t cuddling you just not that long ago. As if he wasn’t preaching your beauty a few weeks ago, making you feel like the only girl in the world. This is so not fair.

“Y/N is not a fan of double dates.”

Suddenly, an arm swings around your shoulders and a tall body stands next to you, pulling you to his side. Turning your head you are shocked to see Harry standing there, smiling at Oliver and Lexi as if this discussion was completely his business.

Oliver seems just as shocked as you are. He is staring at the football player by your side with wide eyes.

“Wait, you two are… dating?”

“It’s pretty new, but yeah. Y/N and I have been going out for a while. Right, baby?” He squeezes your arm, glancing down at you and when your eyes meet, he gives you a look that says ‘just go with it, I’m saving your ass’ and you decide to play your part.

“Oh, umm, yeah. We’ve kind of reconnected when we got back after the summer,” you nod, hoping that your voice doesn’t give you away.

“That’s amazing!” Lexi cheers, clearly eating up the impromptu lie, but as you glance at Oliver, you can tell he is sceptic.

“I didn’t even know you were friends in the first place,” he comments, eyebrows furrowed a little as he eyes Harry’s hand on your shoulder.

“We were! We had a great time working on a group project last year and then later I asked for her number. But the summer was so busy for both of us, so we kind of fell out, but then we met again in September and I finally manned up to ask her out.”

You are impressed by how easily Harry is lying. If you didn’t know it wasn’t true, you would eat it up just as easily as Lexi is doing right now. Especially because his body language matches up with what he is saying so well. He is keeping you close, fingers dancing on your upper arm and shoulder, anyone would think he actually has a thing for you, but you know that’s not true. You two are barely even friends.

“That sounds so nice. We definitely should meet up sometime, the four of us!” Lexi suggests again and you stop yourself from rolling your eyes.

“We’ll see about that. But I’ll have to steal Y/N away now, I have something to show her.” Harry bids his goodbye quickly, pulling you away before Oliver could even say a thing and you just blindly follow him inside the house.

You don’t even process what’s happening. Harry takes your hand, pulling you through the crowd and you catch Sandra’s gaze who is still standing in the kitchen, her eyes widening when she sees you with Harry. You just shrug in confusion, following Harry upstairs until he leads you into a room that, you assume, is his.

When he shuts the door closed, the noises of the party gets muffled and you look at him with probably the stupidest look ever.

“Alright, let me explain myself,” he breathes out. “I’m sorry if I stepped over some boundaries, I just… I was outside and heard the conversation. Thought I would help you out.”

“But what made you think I needed help?” you ask. The conversation was very innocent for an outsider. He couldn’t know what you were planning to do, so why did he think you needed his help?

Harry gives you a tight-lipped smile, cocking his head to the side.

“Y/N, we might not be close friends, but I’ve seen you around with Oliver. It’s written on your forehead that you have the fattest crush on the guy.”

“What?!” you snap, feeling your cheeks heating up. “Is this really that obvious?!”

“Don’t worry, seems like he is one of the few that don’t seem to notice it. I saw how uncomfortable you were when he introduced the girl. Seemed like you needed the help.”

Nodding you take a few seconds to process everything that just happened. You shouldn’t have drunk that much, because now your brain has to work even harder to put the picture together.

“Alright, but… now they think that we are dating. Lexi will want to meet up with us and it will look stupid if we never even show up again together.”

Harry nods, his lips rolling into his mouth and you know just from his look that there’s more.

“Yeah, about that. I might have had some selfish reasons behind my actions as well.”

“What do you mean?”

Harry walks past you, over to his bed and sits on the edge, leaning forward to rest his arms on his thighs. You’re not sure what to do with yourself, if you should sit next to him or somewhere else, he has a few beanbags in the corner of his room, but you decide to just keep standing.

“So, I don’t know if you know this but I had this thing with Naomi Saddler.”

“Harry, everyone knows it.”

“Right, yeah,” he chuckles awkwardly. “So the thing is, we have broken up a long time ago, but she keeps coming after me and I’m just so over it. So when we were fighting earlier today I told her that I’m dating someone else so I would appreciate if she left me alone.”

He doesn’t need to say more, you finally see the whole picture. He helped you because he felt sorry for you, but also because he thought it would benefit him as well. You could be his new girlfriend so Naomi would finally let him be. You have to admit, it’s a lucky coincidence, but still, the situation is a little absurd for your liking.

“So… what are we supposed to do now?” you ask, tilting your head to the side. Harry looks up at you, seemingly surprised you haven’t snapped at him.

“Well, I know it sounds crazy, but I think we both would benefit from it if we just… pretended to be a couple,” he clears off.

“Like, a real couple?”

“Well, obviously not real, but it would look real to others,” he chuckles, standing up and taking a few steps closer to you. “I know it sounds stupid, but I’m convinced we could pull it off.”

“We barely know each other.”

“We’ll have plenty of time for that, won’t we?” he asks with a boyish smirk. “Look, we just have to appear together here and there. I’ll pick you up sometimes, we can go for lunch or dinner sometimes, and I’ll get you tickets for some of my games. That’s it. People will see us out together and that’s gonna be perfectly enough. Or do you actually hate me? Now is the time to tell me.”

“I don’t hate you, I don’t know you that well,” you reply with a soft chuckle. “But I’m not convinced enough this is a good idea at all.”

Harry sighs and walks closer until he can rest his hands on your shoulders. You look deep into his green eyes as he smiles at you warmly.

“Let’s make a deal. You can use me as an excuse whenever Oliver and Lexi wants to hang out with you, or if they actually force you to meet them, I’ll go with you so you won’t be the third wheel. And you’ll just have to say that I’m your boyfriend and spend some time with me so Naomi believes I’m dating you. I think it’s a fair deal for the both of us. And you can call it off anytime, I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

You chew on your bottom lip, thinking hard to figure out what to do. Judging from this short conversation with Lexi, you’re sure she’ll try to keep you around often, but you are not in the mood to watch Oliver be all lovey-dovey with someone else, so you could actually use a solid excuse, which Harry just offered you on a silver plate. You just have to spend some time with him in exchange and tell people he is your boyfriend. It’s not that horrible and you always thought Harry is nice company, you two just never was in the same friend group to get closer. You can’t really bring up anything against his plan.

“Okay,” you finally nod, Harry’s eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“Really?”

“Why are you so shocked? Your points were valid, I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Yes! Thank you!” he cheers, arms wrapping around you as he hugs you tight in excitement. “I’ll be the best boyfriend you’ve ever had, you won’t be disappointed!”

You want to say how it’s easy to be the best because you’ve had none so far, but you decide to keep this information to yourself.

“We need to get our story straight though, so we don’t mess it up when someone asks.”

The two of you go over an elaborate timeline of your nonexistent relationship so you’ll be able to tell the same story. It’s the same he told Lexi and Oliver outside, you just agree on the details, like when you started dating, how he asked you out, what you’ve been doing as a couple lately.

When you leave his room a little later you’re still a tad bit shocked where this evening ended up heading. You really thought tonight would be the turning point for you and Oliver, but now you are in a fake relationship with Harry Styles, ready to fool everyone around you.

Walking down the stairs Harry takes your hand and laces your fingers together. You agreed on no kissing on the lips for now, but other touching is allowed, you’re just not used to have someone other than Oliver touch you like this.

“Want another drink?” he asks as the two of you walk into the kitchen. You’ve already caught some wide-eyed look upon your arrival, but you’re trying your best to ignore them.

“I surely need it,” you nod, making Harry chuckle.

Sandra and the other girls are still in the kitchen and she immediately pulls you to the side when Harry lets go of you to get drinks.

“What the fuck?!” she snaps, clearly a little drunk, but not enough to ignore the fact that she has seen you now two times holding Harry’s hand.

“Sandra, don’t freak out, I’ll explain it all when we go home, alright? But… as far as you know, Harry and I are dating.”

“You what? You better fucking tell me everything when we get back to the dorm!” she demands right when Harry appears, two cups in his hands, giving you one of them.

“Here,” he smiles warmly.

“Thank you. Harry, this is Sandra, my roommate.”

“Hi, I think I’ve seen you around, but we just never met.” Harry holds out his now empty hand and Sandra shakes it with a dramatic smile, clearly still confused about the situation.

“Yeah, but I guess we’ll be… seeing each other more?” she implies, telling Harry she knows something is up without using those words.

“Ehm, I guess,” he nods, a little uncomfortable before he turns to you. “Alright, I’ll get out of your hair. Let me know when you want to go back to the dorm.” “Sure,” you nod, Harry squeezes your hand gently before moving away.

Sandra is dying to know what the situation is with Harry, but you don’t really have the chance to talk in the middle of the party, so it’s postponed to later. You and Harry do your own thing through the rest of the night, occasionally interacting whenever you cross paths. When that happens he makes sure to touch your arm or face, have a few words with you so people see that the two of you have a thing going on.

It’s a little past one am when you and Sandra decide it’s time to head home. As promised, you shoot Harry a text that you’re planning to leave and he replies with one saying he’ll meet you outside at the front. By the time you and Sandra step outside, he is already there waiting.

“Ladies, let me walk you home,” he smirks charmingly, offering his arm for the both of you, so this is how you head home: you, Sandra and Harry walking side by side with linked arms.

“Mm, Harry, I hope you know you won’t be spending the night in our room,” Sandra sighs, clearly a little too lost in her drunk thoughts. Harry chuckles, finding it amusing that Sandra is so blunt.

“Weren’t planning to.”

“Good. I’m not gonna listen to you guys have sex all night.”

“Sandra!” you snap at her, gasping. It’s funny how she also believed the little act you and Harry put up tonight.

The walk back to the dorm is short and it’s mostly filled with Sandra’s babbling about whatever catches her attention. Arriving to the building Sandra says her goodbye to Harry, heading up to the room on her own so you can have a minute with Harry.

“I’ve had at least ten people coming up to me tonight, asking about you,” Harry tells you, an excited sparkle in his eyes.

“Really? And what did you tell them?”

“What we agreed on. That you’re my girlfriend.”

“Sounds so weird,” you admit with a chuckle.

“You’ll get used to it,” he nods smiling. “Well, I’m gonna head back. I’ll talk to you later, okay? We’ll discuss the dates and all.”

“Very romantic,” you point out smirking, but Harry just laughs before he gives you a quick hug.

“Good night, Y/N. Or should I say, baby?”

“Bye!” you sing waving in his way as you walk into the building.

It’s no surprise that Sandra is already out when you walk into the room. Her clothes are in a pile next to her bed, but she managed to throw on at least a t-shirt before she passed out. You just smile at her before doing your quick night routine and go to sleep yourself.

“So… you are fake dating Harry, because Oliver introduced you his new girlfriend and also because he is trying to get rid of Naomi? Am I getting this right?”

Sandra narrows her eyes at you over her morning coffee the next day, though it’s already past noon. Waking up was a little painful for the both of you, but especially for her, the two of you decided to treat yourselves for a very late brunch while you tell her everything she needs to know about last night.

“Yeah,” you nod, taking a bite from your waffles. “I know, it sounds stupid, but… it can easily work great for the both of us.”

“I can’t believe he just came up with it. You guys are not even really friends.”

“I know, I was shocked when he appeared all of a sudden and called me baby. Almost fainted,” you chuckle.

“I hope you know you’ll be one of the most envied girls in school if the news spread and I’m sure it will, because even I heard people talking about you and Harry last night.”

“I know, but there’s not much I can do about that,” you shrug.

“I feel like it’s the plotline of some teenage rom-com,” Sandra huffs. “Just be careful, Y/N,” she sighs, finishing off her coffee.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that pretending can easily turn into reality. If you’ll spend so much time with Harry, there’s a chance you’ll develop real feelings for him. Just make sure you won’t end up with a broken heart.”

“That’s silly, I won’t fall for Harry. I…” You cut your words, thoughts wandering over to Oliver right away, and how you felt when he introduced you to Lexi.

“I hope you’re right,” Sandra tells you, stuffing the last bits of her muffin into her mouth.

The weekend flies by fast, you busy yourself with doing laundry and finishing a paper you need to turn in soon. Harry text you on Sunday that he’ll walk you to class on Monday morning and you agree to meet up a little earlier so you can actually talk it all out.

Sandra is still in bed when you leave in the morning. Just as Harry promised, he is waiting for you in front of the building, wearing his usual black skinny jeans and a loose grey shirt and a zip-up hoodie. His curls look untamed, a little all over the place, but it looks good on him. You have to admit, that he is definitely handsome, you understand why so many of the girls at school are after him.

“Good morning, girlfriend,” he smirks, holding out his hand for you that you take, still feeling a little weird about walking around campus hand in hand with him.

“Good morning. How was your weekend?”

“Pretty boring, we had to clean up after the party,” he chuckles. “Wanna grab a coffee?”

“Sounds perfect.”

You swing by the little café that’s on campus before aiming for a bench under one of the pergolas near the main building.

“So, you still haven’t changed your mind,” he speaks up. It’s not a question, more like a comment.

“Not yet,” you chuckle softly, sipping on your cappuccino.

“I meant it that you can tell me whenever you want out. I don’t want to force you into it in any way.”

“I know,” you smile at him. “I’m fine for now. It’s just still a little weird.”

“I know, but I’m kind of happy you are the one I’m doing this with.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know, you seem like a cool person. I actually enjoyed working with you last year on that project, you are funny and smart, I think we’ll get along pretty well.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” he smirks at you, taking a sip from his coffee. “You know, if I’m being honest I never understood why you and that Oliver guy were so close anyway. You’ve known him for a long time?”

“Yeah, met him in middle school and we’ve been friends since then.”

“And how long have you been… you know,” he implies, seemingly very careful not to ask something that would upset you.

“Pretty much ever since I’ve met him,” you admit with an awkward chuckle. It sounds so embarrassing to admit that you’ve been in love with your best friend for so long and never worked up the courage to do something about it.

“You never even tried to tell him?”

“I was too afraid of his reaction. I was planning to come clean at the party finally, but then he arrived with Lexi and… you know the rest.”

“I’m sorry. I know how shitty it is when you have feelings for someone and they don’t feel the same about you.”

“So what’s the situation with you and Naomi then?” you ask, thinking it’s only fair if you also know his story now that you confessed him how ridiculous you’ve been with Oliver all your life.

“We dated at the end of last semester, tried to keep it up in the summer as well, but it didn’t work. It made me realize I don’t even want it to work so I told her that we should just go our separate ways when I got back after the summer, but she wasn’t a fan of my idea.”

“She’s still in love with you?”

“I’m not sure if she ever was,” he truthfully answers. “I think she liked the idea of dating someone more than she liked me.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be,” he smirks at you playfully. “I’m all good. I just wish she could accept that I want to move on. It’s not ideal that I have to fake date someone to get rid of her.”

“She always seemed like a nice girl to me, I wouldn’t have guessed she can be so stubborn.”

“Well, she is a nice girl,” Harry nods. “We were just not compatible on the long run, you know? I couldn’t see it work in the future, so I didn’t want to waste more time on it.”

You just shyly nod, even though you don’t really know about it. You can’t, because you’ve never been in a similar situation. You’ve had a few attempts at dating in high school, but they never turned out the way you wanted and you always ended up pining after Oliver at the end, so you eventually gave up. But you’re not willing to admit that to Harry. It’s pathetic enough that you’ve been so hung up on Oliver your whole life, he doesn’t need to know that you gave up your whole dating life for the wait for him.

“Well, aren’t we a nice pair then? Two ridiculously failed love stories, how tragic,” Harry chuckles softly as he finishes up his coffee and throws the empty cup into the bin next to him.

“Yeah, pathetic,” you agree with a tight-lipped smile.

It takes some time for word to travel, but by the end of the first week of your fake relationship, it becomes a well-known fact that you are indeed dating Harry Styles. You don’t overdo it though, only meeting up once or twice a day, Harry usually walks you to your classes in the morning if he doesn’t have a lecture himself, you’ve had lunch together twice and you went to the library on Thursday together. It’s been pretty casual and you’ve been actually enjoying spending time with Harry, especially because it seems like Oliver has fallen off the face of Earth lately, barely even talking to you.

The more time you spend with Harry the more you realize he is nothing like others try to make him look like. You’ve heard many gossips about him being an empty-headed womanizer, but he is a lot smarter than people assume him to be, but he has proven it before as well. He actually has a great point of view of life and it’s nice to discuss basically anything with him.

Friday brings another party and though you didn’t plan on going, you had Sandra and Harry convincing you this time. Then later Oliver texted you asking if you’d be there and it angered you a little. He barely spoke to you and is now asking if you are coming to the party where he’ll probably keep ignoring you for Lexi. So you told him you and Harry would be there. He didn’t reply to that.

You and Sandra call an Uber, the Omega house is a little farther away from the dorm than the Kappa house. Harry called you to tell you he’d be a little late this time because they are having a double practice today, but he would come and find you when he arrives.

“Isn’t it a little weird you can’t hook up with anyone because of the Harry situation?” Sandra asks as the two of you make your way through the spacious living room, heading to the empty loveseat in the corner.

“As if I did a lot of hooking up before,” you scoff, taking a sip from your drink.

“Okay, but you could be doing it now, but you can’t, because people would think you’re cheating.”

“It’s a good thing then that I’m not into hooking up,” you point out with a shrug. You were never a fan of just hooking up with someone and then move on the next morning, that’s just not for you. It’s not a big deal that you are kind of out of the dating scene because of your arrangement with Harry, you don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything.

The two of you are joined by a few peers from one of Sandra’s classes and you barely even notice when Oliver and Lexi arrive, however, they immediately spot you.

“Y/N! Hi! So good to see you again!” Lexi greets you, pulling you into a completely unnecessary hug.

“Oh, hi. Good to see you too, I guess,” you chuckle awkwardly. Oliver gives you a side hug as well, but it seems like he is not entirely present in his head.

“Where’s Harry?” Oliver questions.

“He’ll be here soon, he just had double practice today,” you tell him and he nods shortly, but something feels off about him.

Lexi makes you come to the kitchen with them so she can get a drink and you can’t really think of a reason why you shouldn’t, so you find yourself listening to her nonstop chatter while Oliver is mixing them something to drink.

Y/N: Harry, SOS! When are you getting here?? I’m stuck with O and L…

You really hope he is somewhere close, because you’re not sure how long you can put up with their company.

“I know last time you said you’re not a fan of double dates, but I really think we should give it a try!” Lexi begs you, she even puts her bottom lip at you and it annoys you how she can’t just leave you to be.

“Yeah, I would love to get to know Harry better,” Oliver chimes in.

“You do?”

Relief washes over you the moment you hear Harry’s voice coming from behind you, a moment later you feel his palm on the small of your back and you’re finally rescued. He smells like fresh body wash, he surely just had a shower right before he came here. You let yourself lean into his side, curling an arm around his waist.

“Harry, nice to see you again,” Oliver smiles at him dryly and now you’re sure something is up with him, but what is it?

“Sorry I’m so late. Everything alright?” Harry looks you in the eyes and you know his question is more than just him being nice. He wants to know if Oliver and Lexi has driven you up the walls.

“I’m… fine, yeah,” you nod and he holds your gaze for another moment before nodding to himself.

“We were just talking about how amazing a double date would be. I’m sure you could convince Y/N to come, right?” Lexi smiles at Harry and you catch a small frown on his face before he returns the smile to Lexi. You find it funny, but you push down your laugh.

“Um, not sure. Y/N always has a strong will, not sure I want to go against it.”

“Oh, come on! It’ll be fun!”

“Y/N doesn’t like PDA, I’m sure double dating is a lot for her,” Oliver comments and your eyebrows shoot up at his words.

“How would you know if I disliked PDA?”

He has no valid information about it. He wouldn’t know, because the only person you ever wanted to get touchy and lovey in public was him, but he only let you get physically close to him when no one was around. When he felt like he needed someone in his bed so he didn’t feel too alone. When he let his hands roam your body under the blanket when you were watching a movie. He never let it happen with others around though, so how would he even know what you like? Hell, even you don’t know it…

Oliver’s eyes meet yours and it’s clear that your question caught him off guard.

“You told me,” he simply answers.

“I don’t remember,” you retort, not letting him get away with it this time.

“This is how you’ve always been.” He is clearly pissed that you are going against him.

“You know what? Let’s do a double date next weekend, alright? But we have somewhere to be now, if you’ll excuse us,” Harry cuts in, taking your hand as he pulls you away from the happy couple. You glance back at Oliver one last time before turning around.

Harry walks you out to the backyard and the cool air hits you hard in the head. You haven’t even realized how hot you were getting in there, but you’re not entirely sure it was because of all the people, rather of because Oliver’s behavior.

“Okay, what the fuck was that in there?” Harry questions.

“What do you mean?”

“Y/N, I’m not dumb or blind. Lexi might be oblivious to whatever you and Oliver have going on, but I’m not. Something has happened between you and him, right?”

You chew on your bottom lip, crossing your arms on your chest, not too keen on admitting it. You have never told anyone about it in details, not even Sandra. She knows you and Oliver get a little too close at times, but she has no idea you’ve slept with him on several occasions. You always thought you were a fool for sleeping with him and then watching him date other girls.

Unfortunately, your silence is enough for Harry to draw his conclusion.

“Wait, what? Did you two…?”

“Yes,” you shortly nod, feeling uncomfortable, but you can tell you can’t dodge this conversation this time.

“You’re telling me he has the nerve to sleep with you whenever it’s convenient for him and then drop you when he starts dating someone else?”

“It sounds worse than how it really is,” you mumble, but you don’t truly believe your own words. It’s pretty bad either way.

“Y/N, this is fucked up. A friend wouldn’t do that to you. It’s one thing to seek comfort at your friends, but using them for your own physical needs is just way beyond the line.”

You have nothing to say. Deep down you know he is right, you’ve always known, but you never knew what to do against it. Before you could even stop yourself, you feel your lips trembling, tears bubbling in your eyes as you glance at Harry. You expect pity from him, an act that tells you that you brought it all to yourself, but that’s not what you see. He gives you an apologetic look and he is quick to pull you into a tight hug, exactly what you need right now.

“I know, I’m so stupid,” you mumble into his chest.

“You’re not. He is just an ass,” he corrects you, earning a small chuckle from you. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?” he asks, pulling back so he can look into your eyes.

“You just got here.”

“Yeah, but I’m not really in the mood to party. Want to have a bite somewhere?”

“That would be… great,” you nod with a small smile, sniffling a little before you wipe your cheeks.

You let Sandra know you’re leaving with Harry and she can tell something has happened, but you just tell her you’ll talk later and she doesn’t push it further. Harry takes your hand as the two of you make your way through the people and you spot Oliver near the kitchen, one arm around Lexi’s shoulders as his gaze meets yours. You see him clenching his jaw when he sees your hand in Harry’s hold, but you don’t pay much attention to him, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

Luckily Harry drove to the Omega house so now you don’t have to wait for a car or take a long walk, you can enjoy the comfort of his Rover as the two of you leave the party behind. It’s silent in the car, you fold your arms over your chest, your head resting against the car door, not even questioning him where you are headed.

About ten minutes later Harry pulls up at a little diner, the two of you walk in and it’s not surprising there are just a few people lingering around at this time, though you know later they’ll have quite a few drunk students that are on their way home and in desperate need of a late night bite.

You take an empty booth and a waitress arrives immediately, handing you each a menu.

“Do you go here often?” you ask quietly, eyeing the options.

“Sometimes. They have great fries.”

You nod and decide to have just a cheeseburger with fries and a lemonade while Harry gets the veggie burger and a milkshake. The waiter takes the order shortly and leaves you alone. You’re not sure what to say, but you feel like you need to say something.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble, staring down at your arms laying on the edge of the table, your right hand covering your left.

“For what exactly?”

“For… I just feel so stupid about this whole… Oliver thing. I know I shouldn’t have done what we did, but I just… couldn’t say no. I know, sounds ridiculous.”

“No, not at all,” Harry shakes his head. “You fell for him and he used you. If there’s anyone to blame it’s him, he shouldn’t use a friend for his own selfish needs. I’m not judging you, it’s easy to fall into holes like this.”

“I just really thought that he came to me because I meant something for him, but I can tell that… it wasn’t anything like that. The way he acted today was shockingly sobering,” you chuckle bitterly. “I think he is mad that I’m not available for him anymore and he is trying to play us down,” you say pointing at him and yourself. “So when he breaks it off with Lexi he can count on me, but it’s not happening.”

“I am happy to help you teach him any kind of lesson,” Harry grins just as the waiter arrives with the food and you start the feast. “I know you despise the idea of going on a double date with them, but I think we could have a lot of fun,” Harry points out while eating.

“How?”

“It’s obviously bugging Oliver that you are dating someone, we could give him the extra happy couple act, make him question why he was always such an asshole to you.”

“You think it would bother him?”

“Absolutely,” he chuckles. “We would serve him all the sappy, lovey couple shit from movies and get under his skin. I think it would be fun.”

“Okay, let’s do it,” you nod and Harry grins at you from across the table.

“Yes! Fake dating on maximum level!” he cheers, punching into the air, making you laugh.

As the two of you eat Harry talks your ears off and you know exactly why he just keeps on talking. He wants to take your mind away from everything about Oliver and he succeeds. He tells you stories about what it’s like to live in the frat house, all the funny things they’ve done with the boys and you just keep laughing and laughing until all the food is gone, the table is cleared off and it’s nearing one in the morning. Just as you expected, people from around the campus start dropping by for their midnight bite so the two of you slowly head out, not really wanting to run into someone you know. Harry drives you back to the dormitory and walks you up to the entrance.

“Thank you for tonight,” you breathe out, still feeling a little helpless and pathetic, but he definitely made it better with his company.

“No worries. After all, this is what boyfriends are for,” he chuckles lightly. “But I hope you are not gonna sink into self-pity over that douche.”

“Just a little?” you peek up at him with a scowl.

“Nope, not even a little, Y/N. He doesn’t deserve your time. If he is really gonna let you slip through his fingers, he is the biggest idiot on Earth. And he also has to be blind.”

For some reason, Harry’s words bring a blush to your cheeks, even if there’s a chance he doesn’t really mean them.

“Thank you,” you breathe out and he pulls you in for a hug without hesitation. You wrap your arms around his waist and inhale his sweet scent, melting into his warm embrace before you force yourself to let your arms fall from around his frame.

“Have a good rest of your weekend, girlfriend,” he smirks, backing towards his car. “I’ll see you on Monday!”

“Bye Harry!” you smile in his way before making your way inside.

Not too willingly, but you talk to Oliver the next week about the double date. He sounds clearly surprised that you brought it up yourself and he tries to talk you down, but you’re now way too curious about what would go down, so he has no choice than to say yes. You fix the date to Saturday and Harry says it’s fine for him and that the two of you can go over to the frat house later, they are gonna have a small get together for one of the guys’ birthday. Not a party, more of a beer and pizza type of evening since Clyde, the birthday boy is not that big of a party animal.

The week passes by as usual, you spend some time with Sandra and a little more with Harry. Since you’ve started this whole dating thing, you’ve found yourself getting used to have him around. It doesn’t feel forced anymore, you actually like hanging out with him, have him beside you in the library even if you’re not even talking and whenever you spot him waiting for you in the morning or after one of your classes, you have this stupid smile on your face walking up to him, especially when he calls you girlfriend. Sandra’s warning words pop up in your head time to time, telling you to be careful with having actual feelings for Harry, but you keep telling yourself the two of you are nothing else than just good friends.

Saturday morning you get your nails done with Sandra, have some much needed girly time since you’ve had little of that lately, even a fake relationship needs a lot of time and energy, if you’re being honest.

Sandra catches you smiling down at a text that’s from Harry, he just joked about wearing a tux to the roller-skating rink and you imagined it right away, the picture of everyone else dressed casually while he is dressed for a royal ball is just hilarious.

“So how are things with Harry?” she asks from the chair next to you.

“What do you mean?” you ask, eyes fixed on your nails as the lady is carefully painting them a light pink color.

“You two are like glued together.”

“Yeah, I like spending time with him. And like, we are dating,” you smirk, finding it funny to just casually say it.

“You do know you don’t have to keep the act up with me, right?”

“I know, but we really are friends,” you nod.

“Just friends? Because sometimes being friends with someone is a bit more to you,” she comments and your face falls. She right away realizes it was a little harsh. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t mean to be a bitch. I’m just trying to look out for you. I don’t want to see another guy taking advantage of you.”

“He is already taking advantage of me in a way, but it’s mutual,” you shrug, trying to mask the fact how much her words hurt. You’re still trying to get over the whole Oliver thing and though it’s been easier with Harry around, you still feel hurt over how badly he has been using you in the past years.

“And… you don’t have feelings for him?”

“We’re friends,” you tell her again.

“Yes, but you can have feelings for a friend too, Y/N.”

“I don’t really want to talk about it. We are doing fine, I enjoy being with him, that’s all.”

“Alright, I believe you. Just want to make sure you are not getting yourself into another Oliver situation.”

“I’m not. Harry is not him,” you firmly state and it’s the truth. Even if things go south with him, you can never see him do the things Oliver did. He is not him in the best possible way.

For the double date you choose to wear your favorite pair of light-washed mom jeans with a tank top tucked into it and a colorful cardigan under your jacket. Harry texted you that he would pick you up at six and because you are ready by half past five, you sit around in your room a little anxiously. You honestly have no idea what’s gonna happen tonight, where it’s gonna head but you can only hope it won’t be scandalous. People already talk enough about you for dating Harry, you don’t need to be known about being the girl who made a scene at the roller-skating rink with her boyfriend and best friend. It wouldn’t do good to your reputation.

When Harry finally texts you letting you know he has arrived you rush down the stairs, still haven’t been able to shake your nerves off, but as soon as you spot him standing by his car, you kind of forget about everything else. He is wearing his usual skinny jeans with a black shirt, of course, the first few buttons left undone. His hair is getting longer, curls constantly falling into his forehead, but you love it. Makes him look soft and like… like a prince.

“Hey, ready to have fun?” he smirks at you, opening the door to the passenger seat to you.

“I don’t think I will ever be ready for this kind of fun,” you admit with a soft chuckle before getting into the car.

“I’ll be right there with you, okay? We’re gonna crush them,” he grins at you driving. “And we can just leave whenever you want to.” Reaching over the console he takes your hand and squeezes it gently. The gesture sends a shiver running down your spine. It feels so good to have his support, you wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else than him.

Oliver and Lexi are already at the arcade that’s connected with the skating place when the two of you arrive. She looks ecstatic about tonight and it’s almost kind of cute, you’re convinced you’d actually be friends with her if the two of you met under different circumstances.

“Hi! Thank you so much for coming! I know it’s not really your thing, but I’m so happy we can finally hang out!” she cheers, giving you a hug. Oliver and Harry shake hands and Harry gives Lexi a short hug while you just awkwardly nod in Oliver’s direction, already feeling anxious in his presence. Harry takes your hand walking in and squeezes it gently. Peeking up at him he gifts you with a warm smile that tells you: it’s gonna be alright, I’m here with you.

Once all four of you have changed your shoes to your skates and put your belongings to the lockers you head to the rink, you and Lexi in the middle, Harry on your other side while Oliver is on Lexi’s other side.

“Y/N, Oliver has told me a lot about you. What was it like, growing up with him?” Lexi asks as the four of you roll around. You’re not the worst at roller-skating, you can move confidently, but it seems like Harry is the best out of all of you, easily moving around, as if he were on his feet.

Thinking back at your time with Oliver now at Lexi’s question, it’s quite bittersweet. Because you are starting to realize things you didn’t see back then. Like how you were always in his shadow, he was always the guy everyone liked and you were just the girl that tagged along.

“Um, not sure what you want to know about,” you chuckle awkwardly as you watch Harry throw his ball for the first time.

“Was he a womanizer? Tell me the truth! He says he barely dated a few people,” she chuckles, taking Oliver’s hand. He is pretty much avoiding to look you in the eyes as you glance over him and you really wish she didn’t ask you about it.

“He had quite a few… flings,” you say, not entirely sure how to phrase it. He wasn’t a womanizer, but he did start to hook up with you between girls a while ago, making his reputation a little questionable.

“I knew you were downplaying it!” she playfully smacks his chest and you just bite into your bottom lip. This is already so awkward.

“I think Y/N is just exaggerating,” Oliver chimes in, seemingly not a fan of the conversation either.

“Sure, it’s always me,” you mumble under your breath.

Harry takes your hand and gets a little ahead of you before turning around so he is facing you while skating backwards.

“Hey baby, want me to teach you how to go in zig-zag?” he smirks, clearly wanting to ease the tension. Nodding you let him take both of your hands as the two of you stay a little back from Oliver and Lexi. “Don’t let him get under your skin. He is a fucking asshole,” he tells you when he knows they can’t hear him.

“Was he always like this? I have no idea how I could put up with his act,” you mumble with a scowl.

“Fuck them. Come on, let’s have a good time,” he grins before taking the lead.

Harry makes your forget about them so easily, like it’s not even a double date, just the two of you hanging out. He keeps teaching you moves, laughing together whenever you get wobbly. He catches you every time when you’re about to lose your balance, he doesn’t let you fall and every time his arms circle around you, keeping you on your feet steadily, you find yourself blushing at how close he is getting to you. His hands holding yours, small touches on your arms and back, he takes every chance to connect the two of you and you enjoy every second of it.

“Harry, no!” you laugh as he holds your hand, still going around.

“Come on! Just try it! Just a little jump!” he encourages.

“Do you want to see me fall?”

“I would have let you fall a long time ago if that’s what I wanted,” he smirks. He gets ahead of you again, both his hands taking yours and you still can’t get used to how soothing his palms feel against yours. “I’ll catch you this time too, don’t worry.”

“I swear you are trying to kill me,” you groan as you try to figure out how to do a little jump without breaking a bone. “But just a little one!”

“The tiniest one,” he chuckles nodding.

You let him take the lead and he starts pulling you again, skating backwards like he did all evening and when you feel like you’re stable enough, you give it a go.

Unfortunately, what happens is exactly what you were expecting. When your skates meet with the floor again after the little jump, you don’t find your balance and immediately feel your feet rolling out from under yourself. Harry reaches out for you, just like he promised, grabbing onto your arm with one hand while the other one presses into your back, but this time he can’t save you and you pull him with yourself as well. The two of you end up falling to the ground in a laughing mess as Harry is partially lying on you, an arm stuck under you while the other one is across your chest.

“I told you!” you cry out but it turns into laughter pretty fast.

“I’m sorry, baby, are you okay?” he asks laughing and your heart skips a beat at how he called you baby again and Oliver is not even around.

“I-I’m fine,” you breathe out as he peels himself off you, helping you up with him as well. He is so close to you as you finally stand on your feet again, your noses almost brush against each other as you blink up at him nervously.

It would be so easy to kiss him. You want to know what it’s like to feel his lips against yours. Maybe if you move just a little…

“Are you trying to break a bone, Y/N?” Lexi rolls up to you, totally breaking the moment as you both turn to her. Harry leaves an arm around you, hand resting on your waist and you lean against him to steady yourself on your wheels.

“It was Harry’s idea, but I knew I would terribly fail,” you chuckle slightly. Oliver appears behind Lexi, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and you clench your jaw at the gesture. Harry must have noticed the shift in you, because he tightens his hold around you, his hand soothingly running up and down your side. And just like that, Oliver is long forgotten, you can only think about how it feels to have his fingers dancing on you.

“You were never really into athletic things, Y/N,” Oliver comments and you grimace.

“Just because I didn’t play any sports in high school, doesn’t mean I can’t try things now.”

“I think you did great,” Harry smiles down at you. “You just need a little more practice and you’ll be better than me, baby.”

Baby, there’s that pet name again. It’s doing things to you for sure.

Glancing over at Oliver you catch what looks like an eye-rolling and he genuinely looks annoyed by you and Harry and it’s making your blood boil at this point. Why can he be the only one to date someone? Why can’t you have a good time with someone? Now that you are thinking about it, he did it not only with guys, but also with anyone who tried to be friends with you. Oliver wanted him to be your only friend and sneakily ruined every friendship you ever had. Sandra is your first real friend other than Oliver, only because he couldn’t do anything against you forming any kind of relationship with your roommate. But you are now getting quite fed up with his little games and Harry might not be your real boyfriend, but you are friends with him and Oliver can do nothing about that.

Soon enough you decide you’ve had enough of the skating, so you move to the side and start changing back to your shoes. Lexi runs out to the restroom and while you are putting your sneakers back on Harry spots someone he knows, working at the buffet so he steps aside for a minute, leaving you and Oliver alone.

“Are you really dating him?” you hear him speak up and you can’t help the scowl on your face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He is just so not the type of person you hang out with,” he comments with a shrug and your eyebrows shoot up.

“First of all, how would you know? My friends were always kind of more your friends, never really had the chance to find my people. And second, what’s the problem with him?”

“The problem is that we all know what he is like. Everyone on campus knows that Harry is famous for going after a lot of girls.”

“And you believe what others say? You know nothing about him. He is not what people try to make him appear to be, but you wouldn’t know, because you don’t know him like I do. And for the record, yes, I really am dating him and I’m very happy about it.”

You can tell he doesn’t like your reaction and he is probably fighting back to snap at you, but Harry soon returns, oblivious to the scene that just went down, however he can sense the shift in the atmosphere immediately.

“Everything alright?” he asks, seemingly innocently, but you know he is asking if Oliver has done something.

“Yeah. Can we leave?” you ask, not too keen on staying with Oliver any longer. It’s getting hard to imagine how you could ever put up with him and his act.

“Are you guys leaving? We could grab a bite together!” Lexi chimes in arriving back from the restroom. You are about to decline, but Harry speaks up before you.

“Oh, we have plans already, but maybe some other time,” he politely says, a hand on your lower back as he pulls you to his side and you’re thankful for his close presence now. If he weren’t there, you would have already jumped at Oliver’s throat probably.

“Oh, okay! I’m glad we got to do this though,” she smiles warmly, taking Oliver’s hand while you just chew on the inside of your cheeks, very keen on leaving as soon as possible.

Your force a smile on your face, bidding goodbye before Harry takes your hand and the two of you head out to his car.

“Hey, everything okay?” he asks when it’s finally just the two of you. Staring down at your hands on your lap, you bite into your bottom lip.

“Just… let’s leave. I had enough of Oliver for a life today,” you mumble and luckily, Harry doesn’t try to keep asking around, just starts the car and leaves.

On the way he asks if you still want to come over to the frat house and you say yes, because you feel like you could use the distraction. You’d rather spend some more time around him than go back to your dorm room and be alone with your thoughts.

Just as he promised, it’s nothing big, just a few close friends of some of the frat boys, pizza boxes are piled in the kitchen, music is playing in the background but it’s not blasting like when it’s a party. A big group is playing UNO in the living room using two deck of cards so the rounds don’t end too soon.

You and Harry get a slice of pizza, already starving after the skating and when you’re done with that, the two of you wander into the living room. There’s no more room left on the mismatched couches so Harry plops himself down to the ground and you stop for a moment, because there’s someone sitting on both of his sides, leaving not much space for you, but he is quick to solve the problem by taking your hand and pulling you down so you sit between his legs, your back pressed against his chest.

“Oh,” you breathe out from the sudden contact, but it feels nice. You cross your legs so his legs can bridge over them with his knees bent as he looks over your shoulders to see the game unfold.

“You guys want to play?” one of the girls asks.

“There’s not enough cards for the both of them to join!” another warns.

“We’ll just play together,” Harry speaks up from behind you and in the next round you join the game.

Harry rests his chin on your shoulder as his arms come around you, holding the cards so you can see them as well. It’s the closest he has been to you, basically wrapped around you and it’s definitely doing things to you. The way his chest warms your back, how you can feel every breath he draws because his face is so close next to yours, how his arms cage you gently, you are suddenly aware of even the smallest things.

“Pick one,” he murmurs when it’s your turn to throw a card in. You’ve been so occupied with him that you have no idea what color or number you should pick so you quickly check the deck in the middle before pointing at a red card. “Throw it in,” he tells you, pushing the card up with his thumb so you can take it and put it to the top.

Sitting here, on the floor of his frat house, his arms around you feels so much better than anything you’ve experienced with Oliver and the realization hits you hard in the chest. Turning your head to the side you let yourself take a good look at his perfect side profile, his chiseled jawline, the bridge of his nose and the little wrinkle between his eyebrows as he knits them together in focus, staring down at the cards in his hands. He catches you looking, his green eyes meet yours and a soft smile spreads across his face.

“What?”

“Nothing,” you shake your head.

“Everything alright?” he quietly asks and you nod.

“Yeah,” you breathe out turning back, but you still feel his lingering gaze on you for a few more moments before he turns away too.

You keep playing as the night moves on, drinking some beer, making you relax even more, though Harry’s closeness does the job just perfectly. Even when you are not sitting on the ground anymore, he always keeps close to you. Curling an arm around your waist when you stand in the kitchen talking with others, he keeps giving your hands and hips assuring little squeezes and you can’t help but lean into his touch every time. You want him close, you want to feel his touch, you love it when your eyes meet and he always shoots you a small smile, it makes your heart flutter, like you’re a little school girl with a silly crush.

Because now you are more than sure that you’re crushing on Harry. How can you not? He has been so good to you, did more than Oliver has ever done and you’ve been friends for just a few weeks.

You leave him for just a few minutes while you use the bathroom and as you return, you catch some of the conversation he is having with one of the boys, Jake.

“Dude, can’t believe the ladies’ favorite Styles is taken,” Jake laughs and it makes you scowl as you stop at the corner, listening on them.

“Jake, I told you to stop calling me that,” Harry huffs.

“I’m just telling you the truth. Every girl on campus is after you.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with me being in a relationship.”

“I just thought that the womanizer Harry Styles wouldn’t settle again for a while.”

“Jake, I’m not a womanizer, stop this bullshit. Just because girls try to get together with me, doesn’t mean I want the same thing.”

You choose this moment to walk in, knowing well Harry must be losing his patience with Jake and his irrelevant accusations. Walking in you smile warmly at Harry, curling an arm around his waist as you lean into his side. His arm comes around your shoulders and he pulls you close. Jake eyes you with an unreadable expression before his gaze returns to Harry.

“Hope you know what you are doing, mate.”

“I surely do,” Harry firmly answers and it makes you smile, especially because you know what they’ve been talking about.

When Jake walks out you turn to face Harry, playfully poking his tummy as you glance up at him.

“Hey,” you smile up at him, your arms wrapping around his waist as his hands fall to your shoulders.

“Hey,” he chuckles. “Why are you so smiley?”

“I can’t smile?”

“Of course you can,” he smirks. “Want to go back a little more?” he asks nodding towards the living room where there are still quite a few people. You nod and let go of him, turning around you are just about to walk ahead but you didn’t see that a girl was coming inside and you bump right into her, the liquid from her cup spilling down your shirt.

“Shit!” you gasp jumping back, colliding a little with Harry’s chest and his hands immediately grab your waist in case you might lose your balance.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry!” the girl stutters, reaching for paper towels right away, but it helps nearly nothing.

“It’s fine,” you breathe out pressing your lips together.

“Come on, I’ll give you a shirt,” Harry tells you, taking your hand, walking you upstairs. The fabric of your shirt is turning cold against your skin and you really want to get rid of it.

Harry pulls out a simple black shirt for you and shows you the way to his little bathroom. Changing into his shirt you make an attempt to wash yours out, but it doesn’t do much to the sugary spill.

“Do you mind if I stay in it for the rest of the evening? I promise I’ll give it back next time we meet.”

“Sure,” Harry smiles and you catch his gaze wandering down your body, his shirt hanging loosely on your frame. “Do you still want to stay or do you want me to give you a ride back to the dorm?”

“Uh, maybe I should head home,” you nod to yourself.

“Is it okay if I take a quick shower? I feel so sweaty after the skating, just five minutes.”

“Sure, go ahead,” you nod smiling before he disappears in the bathroom.

You hear him turn the water on and walking over to his bed you lie down for a little, feeling the tiredness coming over you all at once. It’s been a long and exhausting day and listening to the soothing voice of the running water you find yourself drifting off to sleep before you could stop yourself.

When you open your eyes again the room is completely dark, but you quickly realize it’s not your dorm room; you’re still at Harry’s. Turning to the side you see him sleeping peacefully on the other side of the mattress, lying on his back. Still groggy with sleep, you realize you fell asleep while he was in the shower and he probably didn’t want to wake you so just went to bed next to you.

He looks like an angel sleeping, his green irises hidden from the world, thick lashes fanned over his cheeks, his pink lips slightly parted as his chest rises and falls peacefully. Sleeping in his bed, wearing his clothes, seeing him next to you, he is all you can think about and it brings a smile to your face.

Gently, you scoot closer to him, but still don’t touch him, however the movement makes him huff in his sleep and turning to his side his arm falls across your waist, making you gasp in surprise. You freeze, thinking that he might wake up any moment but it doesn’t happen and you’re stuck in his hold, not that you mind it. You push yourself a little closer, your nose almost touching his chest as you make yourself comfortable and closing your eyes you go back to sleep without a worry in the world.

Waking up you find yourself curled up to Harry’s side, one of his army around you while the other is holding your hand on his stomach. Blinking your eyes open you look around and take a few seconds to fully wake up. Harry feels so warm against you, but you think he might not like to find you all melted against him so you try to move away but his hold tightens around you.

“Mmm, stop movin’ around,” he mumbles sleepily.

“Sorry, I just thought that… you might feel hot,” you lie in a whisper.

“I am hot,” he smirks with his eyes still closed and his comment makes you laugh.

“And so full of yourself!” you chuckle and try to pull away once again, but he locks you to his side, not letting you break the position you are in.

“I said stop movin’! I like being warm in the morning,” he murmurs, snuggling you more to his side and you bite into your bottom lip as your smile stretches wider with each passing second.

Yeah, you definitely have a crush on Harry and you can’t even act like you don’t.

“Sorry for falling asleep in your bed,” you mumble, closing your eyes as you let your head rest on his chest.

“Y’ looked cute,” he huffs with a soft smile. “S’alright. Give me five minutes and I’ll be awake to drive you back to the dorm.”

You hum a response and just enjoy it while it lasts, not wanting to let him go anytime soon. But you have to. Slowly, the two of you get ready to leave, you want to change back to your stained shirt, but Harry tells you to just keep the shirt, he has two more of the exact same one so you walk out of the frat house wearing Harry’s shirt, holding Harry’s hand and get into Harry’s car. He is everywhere and you absolutely love it.

“So we have this game next weekend and I thought you might want to come? You don’t have to if you absolutely hate football, I just thought—“

“I would love to,” you say cutting his rambling short as he smiles with his eyes staring ahead at the road.

“Cool. Bring your roommate if you want.”

“Sure,” you smile.

Football has never been your thing, but watching Harry is, so the game turns out better than you expected. Sandra tags along and luckily, she knows a little more about the game than you do, so you can ask her questions whenever you are completely lost about the happenings. Though you don’t know much about what a good player should be like, but it’s still clear to you that Harry is one of them. He scores half the points of his team and you are guessing that’s quite fascinating.

“Am I just dreaming or does he keep looking your way?” Sandra questions after you also just caught Harry’s gaze on you a moment ago.

“So what if he is?” you ask with a shy smile, eyes glued to his running frame on the field.

“Are you guys like… really together?”

“No,” you shake your head. “We are just friends,” you add, the term tasting a little bitter on your tongue.

“But you want more.” It’s not a question, Sandra can see right through you. Glancing at her you let out a huff before turning back at the game.

“It’s hard not to,” you truthfully admit, your eyes following Harry’s every movement on the field. Looking around you see that you are probably not the only one. Half of the girls on the bleachers are staring at him and you can’t even blame them. You have to be blind and stupid at the same time not to like him and apparently, you’re neither.

They win, no surprise. The whole team goes crazy as they score their last point and it puts them in the lead in the last minute. Everyone is cheering and screaming at the boys as they are celebrating their victory, along with Harry.

Jake starts running up and down the bleachers shouting that they are throwing a victory party at the frat house so now you know what you’re gonna do for the rest of the evening. As the team makes its way back towards the locker rooms Harry runs up to you, all sweaty and grinning crazily.

“Hey, you coming for the party, right?” he asks, still breathing heavily from the game.

“Sure,” you chuckle.

“Yes! You guys want a ride?” he asks in excitement glancing at Sandra beside you.

“That would be nice,” she nods happily.

“Alright, meet me at my car in fifteen,” he breathes out and before he runs away, he leans down and presses a kiss to your cheek, then leaves in a rush, catching up with the other guys. Suddenly, it feels a lot hotter than before…

“Okay, there’s no way he is not into you too,” Sandra mumbles to you as the two of you head out to the parking lot.

“You think so?”

“Oh, I know so,” she laughs, folding her arms on her chest. “That guy is like a puppy in love around you.”

“What if it’s just his normal?”

“I don’t know, is it? You’re the one who spends every possible minute with him,” she points out and she is right. This wasn’t like this before and as far as you know, he was never like this with anyone either. The only person you saw him act similarly was Naomi when they were dating, so could this be a hint for you that he feels the same way?

You’re still chewing on it when Harry emerges from the building, carrying his huge sports bag on his shoulder, his locks still wet from the shower he must have taken, his smile is still as wide as it was after the game.

“Ladies, fancy a ride?” he asks and as he walks past you he squeezes your hand gently before rounding the car and sitting behind the wheel.

By the time you arrive to the frat house the party is already on, music blasting in the living room where not so long ago you were playing UNO, sitting in Harry’s arms, booze is piling in the kitchen and more and more people are showing up.

“Hey, can you come up with me to drop my bag off and change?” Harry asks upon walking into the house and you nod. Sandra gives you a look that says ‘man up and talk to him’ before you take Harry’s hand and the two of you head upstairs.

“Be honest, did you bore yourself to death at the game?” Harry asks when you’re in the safety of his room.

“It wasn’t that bad, though I definitely need to learn more about the rules,” you chuckle admitting as you sit on the edge of his bed while he moves around, putting away his stuff. You watch him with a fluttering heart as you think about your conversation with Sandra. Even if she is right, how do you bring it up? You can’t just simply drop that you would like to turn your fake relationship into something real, you are not ballsy enough for that anyway.

“I’ll change quickly and we can head out,” he smiles, grabbing his usual skinny jeans and a white shirt from his dresser before disappearing in his bathroom.

While he is in there, you try to build your courage up to have the talk with him. Now seems like a good time, you’re alone in his room, no audience in case he rejects you painfully so no one would witness your breakdown. Chewing on the inside of your cheeks you stand up and start pacing the floor, stopping when the door opens and he walks out, smiling at you warmly as he fixes the dog tag around his neck.

“Everything alright?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.

“I, uhh… I wanted to talk about something,” you start shyly, fidgeting with the hem of your shirt.

“Okay, go for it,” he nods walking closer.

“I just, I’M not sure how to bring this up, and I hope it won’t sound weird. But I’ve been thinking about, um—I thought about this, what we’ve been doing and I realized that I—“

Your rambling speech gets interrupted when Jake bursts into the room without even a knock or warning word.

“Dude, come down! We need you on our beerpong team!” he urges Harry who gives him an annoyed look.

“Jake, don’t just fucking barge into my room without knocking!” Harry snaps at him.

“Like I haven’t seen your dick before,” Jake snorts and you feel the heat crawling up your neck at even just the thought of Harry naked.

“I don’t fucking care, knock!”

“Okay!” Jake growls rolling his eyes. “But you gotta come down now!”

Harry looks back at you, knowing well you two were in the middle of a conversation, but Jake’s arrival threw you off completely.

“Go, we can… talk later, it’s not that important,” you smile at him weakly.

“Are you sure?” he asks, his hand taking yours.

“Yeah, totally. Just go and celebrate your win,” you chuckle and with that, the moment is already gone.

You return to the party and while Harry gets sucked into an epic beerpong game, you join Sandra in the living room, who eyes you with a curious look, but you just shake your head.

“Don’t even ask,” you mumble and grabbing her drink from her hand you take a big swig from it, hoping the alcohol might help you with your anxious thoughts.

An hour later you feel the buzz, but you’re not at all drunk, just a little… braver than usually. You’ve moved to the kitchen with Sandra and a few girls, you’re sitting on the counter, nursing another drink as you listen to one of the girls rage about her asshole ex. Glancing out of the kitchen your eyes find Harry standing in the living room and for your surprise he was already watching you. You catch his smile, his focus completely on you when the guys are talking to him in his little circle, but he doesn’t seem to care. His gaze brings the heat back into your body, he can make you go nuts with just a look and you want to hate him for that, but you can’t. There’s nothing you hate about this guy.

“Stop eyefucking your man and just… fuck him for real” Sandra chuckles leaning closer to you, so only you can hear her words.

“Sandra!” you gasp, smacking her in the boob knowing well she hates it when you do that. She just cackles, returning to the discussion with the girls.

Soon enough, you see Harry moving towards your little group, creeping his way into the kitchen, stopping right beside you, leaning on one arm, his hand placed dangerously close to your thigh on the counter.

“Hi,” he smiles with his rosy cheeks, he surely has drunk some as well, but he doesn’t seem drunk either.

“Hi,” you breathe out, feeling flustered by his closeness again, a smile stretching across your face as he keeps eyeing you grinning. “What?”

“Have I told you how cute your smile is?” he asks and now you’re sure you’ve turned into a tomato.

“No,” you mumble shyly and almost gasp when his hand moves from the counter to your thighs as if it was the most natural thing, but it sends a shiver down your spine.

“Well, it is cute,” he chuckles, before turning his attention at the conversation in the little circle, but his hand remains still on your thigh.

From there, the situation escalates pretty easily. All it takes him to get between your thighs is to reach for one of the drinks on the counter next to you, his hand still resting on your thigh, and as he is done with the drink, he places it to the counter, his other hand coming to your other thigh, now standing facing you between your legs. Before you could say anything, he pulls on you a little, so you press up against him, your hands instantly coming to grab onto his shoulders to steady yourself in the movement.

“Hi again,” he smirks with glistening eyes.

“You didn’t go anywhere,” you chuckle quietly, your fingers dancing up to the back of his neck, playing with his curls.

“I know, but it made you smile and that’s what I wanted,” he smirks, so proud of himself. He licks his lips and you catch his gaze wandering down to yours, instantly making you nervous as you think back at the failed conversation you had with him not so long ago. This feels like a moment that could head into a direction you are dying for, but without the talk, you’re not sure if you should take the risky step.

Good thing that Harry is not shying out of it. Pressing forward his forehead meets yours, noses muzzling together as his lips linger so close to yours. You suck on your breath, arms curling around his neck as you wait for him to move the last millimeters between the two of you, and seeing that you are not pulling back, Harry makes the final move.

His lips move perfectly against yours, so warm and welcoming, soft and intoxicating, kissing him feels like a gift from above. He is taking his time with you, tasting and savoring you and you’re definitely not complaining. You could spend the rest of your life kissing him and you’d be fine with it.

One of his hands stays on your thigh, keeping a firm grip on it while the other one moves up to cup your cheek as you angle your head to reach him perfectly. He licks into your mouth without warning and you almost let out a moan at the sensation, but you’re just too busy returning his kisses.

You have absolutely no idea how long you stay like that, kissing and touching each other, but when he pulls back, you can’t help the stupid grin on your love drunk face. Harry’s expression kind of mirrors yours as he pecks your swollen lips once more before getting back to his previous position, his hand never leaving your thigh and you hug his strong, tattooed arm, needing to touch him in any kind of way as the two of you reenter the discussion that never stopped. Sandra gives you a wide-eyed stare and you just bite into your bottom lip, turning into a giggly teenage girl all of a sudden.

For just a few minutes you are absolutely convinced the kiss was real, but that’s all you got. As you look into the living room you catch Naomi’s burning stare and it tells you right away she witnessed the whole scene and to make it even worse, Oliver was standing not too far, glaring at you firmly and they make you think.

What if Harry saw them near and kissed you just to mess with them? What if it was all just part of the act? You should have pressed more earlier and have that damned talk with him, how are you supposed to ask now if he meant it or not?!

The more you think about it, the more painful it becomes and the little evil voice in your head convinces you that he didn’t mean it. It’s not like you want to believe it, but you can’t ignore the possibility that slowly grows into reality in your clouded mind.

You lose both Harry and Sandra at one point after going to the bathroom and though you know they are somewhere around, you feel like you can’t stay any longer at the party. Before anyone could stop you, you sneak out of the house and head back to the dorm, hoping that a good night sleep would get your head straight.

Harry tries to call you, but you ignore them all, heading straight to bed when you arrive. You feel guilty for leaving without a word but there’s just too much going on in your head, you need time to process and figure out what to do.

You’re still up when Sandra arrives back but you pretend to be asleep, not feeling like dealing with her investigating questions about the kiss and why you left so suddenly. It takes over an hour for you to finally fall asleep and escape your buzzing thoughts.

Waking up you see no sign of Sandra and you remember she mentioned that her brother is visiting town so they might spend the day together. Amazing opportunity to bury yourself into your deep loneliness and try to figure out what to do.

Harry has been nonstop texting you, asking if you even made it back to the dorm safely and you just shoot him one message to let him know you’re still alive and then ignore him again. Thinking back at the kiss last night your heart flutters every time, you can still feel the touch of his lips, the way his hand cupped your cheeks, it’s driving you crazy. But then you remember seeing Naomi’s and Oliver’s face and you’re convinced Harry saw them too and you always get to the same conclusion: the kiss was just part of the act.

You barely leave the bed the whole day, lying under your covers and watching Netflix until your mind feels numb enough to stop torturing you with your thoughts. And then, there’s a knock on the door. You freeze, knowing well that whoever is on the other side, you don’t want to see them.

“Y/N, I know you’re in there, I heard you watching The Vampire Diaries,” Oliver’s voice calls out from outside and you let out a shaky breath.

Dragging yourself out of the bed you open the door and stare back at him with a blank expression.

“What do you want?” you simply question.

“I broke up with Lexi,” he answers and your eyebrows shoot up. Without asking for permission he pushes his way into the room, stopping in the middle with his hands on his hips. “Last night, I broke up with her.”

“I uhh—I’m sorry, I guess, but why? She was so sweet.”

“I miss you, Y/N,” he blurts out and your shock just raises. Did he just admit to breaking up with his girlfriend because of you?!

“What?”

“Lexi is a nice girl, but I miss you, I miss what we had.”

“And what is that supposed to be?” you ask with a bitter chuckle as you fold your arms on your chest. “You miss fucking me whenever it’s convenient for you? Because I certainly don’t miss that.”

“We both know it was more than that, Y/N,” he smiles warmly, but it makes your stomach churn. Nothing about that smile is friendly or nice, he is trying to manipulate you like so many times before, but it’s not working now. He lost his power over you.

“It wasn’t. You were using me, Oliver.”

“That’s not what it was. We were having fun!”

“I wasn’t! I had feelings for you and you used them for your benefit!” you snap at him, not in the mood to play by his rules any longer. You’ll not let him bring you down again. “A friend doesn’t do that.”

“You could have spoken up against it, but I didn’t hear you complaining,” he retorts and it feels like a slap across your face. “I know you miss it too, Y/N. You don’t have to act like you are into Harry, I can see through you.”

“Oh really?” you snort, finding his words rather comedic. He knows or sees absolutely nothing and he just proved it. “Tell me then what you see!”

“I see that you’ve been trying to make me jealous and I’m gonna give it to you, it was successful.”

“Amazing, only problem is that I never wanted to make you jealous. My feelings for Harry are more real than the ones I had for you and I would really like it if you just left right now.”

Grabbing the doorknob you hold it open for him, wanting nothing more than to get rid of him for once and for all. You’ve had enough of his toxic, manipulating ass for a lifetime.

“Are you really kicking me out and just gonna choose him over me?” he huffs in disbelief and you can tell you’ve hurt his ego pretty badly.

“I’m choosing myself and doing what’s best for me. Now leave,” you demand and he finally moves. Walking past you he stops and looks down at you one more time.

“You’re a fucking waste of time,” he sneers before walking out and you need every ounce of power in you not to go after him and punch him in his arrogant face. How could you ever consider him even a friend, let along sleep with him?! He is the most disgusting and degrading asshole you’ve ever seen and you’ll work on forgetting about his whole existence for the rest of your life.

You shut the door behind him and leaning your back against it you slide down to the floor, feeling your chest tightening at the intensity of what just happened. You lost the person you loved the most just weeks ago and realized that he was never who you thought him to be.

You feel like crying for a little, but the tears never come. Instead, a soft sense of relief washes over you, like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders, finally setting you free. One less thing to worry about.

As you push yourself up from the floor you hear fractions of a heated conversation outside and when you recognize both voices, your heart stops beating for a moment. Opening the door you hear the conversation between Oliver and Harry now fully clear.

“Stop fucking acting like you are the center of her world, Styles. She has no fucking idea what she wants,” Oliver snaps at Harry, clearly upset about something he said earlier.

“No one thinks that but you! Stop harassing her like a fucking psycho!” Harry fights back and your lips part at how he stands up for you.

“You’re the one harassing her! Don’t think for a moment you have a chance with her, she wants me, not you! You’ll never get into her pants like I did—“

Just when you’re about to barge out of the room to end whatever parade they are having, Oliver’s groan fills the hallway and as you step out, you see him fall to the ground after Harry’s has punched him right in the face.

“What the fuck?!” you snap in shock and they both turn to look at you in the middle of their fight.

“Your fucking boyfriend punched me for no reason!” Oliver spats, pushing himself up, holding a hand to his jaw that’s already turning red.

“Stop making yourself the victim, Oliver, no one buys it!” you groan at him as you step to Harry. He seems ashamed, even scared of your reaction about the fact that he just punched Oliver, but you are not gonna blame him. He did God’s work in this case.

“I can’t fucking believe you’re still taking his side!” Oliver snaps angrily. “You know what? You two deserve each other.”

“Shut up and leave!” you shout at him before grabbing Harry’s wrist and pulling him towards your room.

You hear Oliver mumbling something under his breath, but you couldn’t care less, shutting the door at him once again, this time with Harry in the room with you.

“Y/N, I’m sorry, I just fucking lost my temper and—“ You wave him off, taking his hand in yours softly, taking a look at his knuckles.

“It’s fine,” you smile at him. “Does it hurt?” you ask, gently running your thumb over his reddened knuckles.

“No, it’s alright,” he murmurs, standing so close to you again. His green eyes search yours as his other hand reaches under your chin to lift your head. “You have been ignoring me since last night.”

“I just… had a lot of stuff to do,” you awkwardly answer clearing your throat.

“You sure it’s not because of what happened between us?”

“What? Of course not!” you huff. “I get it, you were just trying to make it convincing because Naomi and Oliver were both watching a-and so you just—“

“What?” Harry asks tilting his head to the side.

“I mean, that’s why you did it, right? I saw them after we—uhh after we you know, kissed.”

“Okay, I didn’t see them and that’s not why I did it,” he admits with a nervous chuckle as he rubs the back of his neck. “I thought we were on the same page, but apparently not. Y/N, nothing I did recently was because of Naomi or Oliver. If I’m being honest it hasn’t been about them for a while. I really like you and I know I should have talked to you first about it, because now it was all kind of confusing, but I wasn’t faking it. I meant everything I said and did.”

You stare back at him in awe, heart pounding against your chest as his words sink in. He wasn’t acting, the kiss was real and you’ve been acting like a lunatic since last night, completely ignoring him instead of just talking to him, you are such a dumbass!

“Really?” you breathe out, barely more than just a whisper.

“Yeah,” he chuckles softly. “And I kinda thought you feel the same way, but then I came here and ran into Oliver who told me you two just had a chat about… possibilities between you and him?”

The hurt is clear in his eyes and your hatred towards Oliver is not on maximum level. You can’t believe he tried to ruin it all one last time even after you told him you want nothing to do with him.

“That’s not what we talked about,” you shake your head. “He came here, told me he broke up with Lexi and that he misses me, but I told him that’s too bad because I don’t miss him and his stupid little games anymore.”

“Oh!”

“And he tried to convince me to choose him over you, but I already chose you, so he had no chance,” you add, a wide smile spreading across your face as you see him realize what you just said.

“What, does this mean…?” he questions with sparkling eyes as he starts inching closer to you.

“Last night, when Jake barged into your room, this is what I wanted to talk to you about. That I’m not really faking anything anymore, but we were rudely interrupted and then… you kissed me and I thought things were finally going right, but then I somehow convinced myself that it was just because you saw Naomi and Oliver around and tried to upset them.”

“Fuck them!” Harry laughs, his hands finally reaching to grab you by your waist as he pulls you against him. “I don’t care about them anymore. I just want to be with you, no faking, no acting, just… you and me.”

“That sounds… perfect,” you admit with a tired smile before he finally leans down and presses his lips against yours.

“I have a warning for you, Y/N,” he mumbles between kisses, his lips moving against yours.

“Yeah? What’s that?” you hum, melting into him.

“I will not stop kissing you. It’s my new favorite thing,” he giggles, hands pulling you even tighter to him.

“Oh, how upsetting!” you chuckle without a care in the world before the two of you fall to your bed, a mess of kisses and giggles, but not an ounce of faking.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

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