#if you ran into me in some digital world this would be my walking buddy

[goldicthehedgefox]

my favorite little guy

[geminidentitycrisis]

The Scent of Leather and Hairspray

Present Mic/Hizashi Yamada x F!reader ONESHOT

(WARNINGS! - swearing)

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Sooooooo, I have a new favorite Pro, I guess haha

I hope you enjoy, and if you're underage, pretend you're older because I get it, I'd be Hot For Teacher too, but he's not a pedo sorry......

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You sighed as, upon exiting the store where you just purchased a frozen drink, the men you passed to enter that store started catcalling you. Just what you needed at the end of a rough day...

"Hey Honey, you'd be cuter if you smiled...!"

"Don't listen to that shit, babygirl, you're sexy as hell, c'mere and hang out a while...?"

Ignoring them the best you could, you kept walking, but they didn't take that very well. "You think you're too good for us, that it, stuck up bitch? Where you think you're goin'?"

You could hear their footsteps approaching behind you and turned to face them after sipping from your drink.

"Guys, please, I've had a hell of a day today and my quirk would probably scar you both for life and what do you say we just don't do this, huh?"

They exchanged glances before fixing you with threatening glares. "You think you're tough, babygirl? We'll see how tough you are when we get through teaching you some respect..." the first one said.

"HEY!"

A voice called from behind you and suddenly an arm was draped gently around your neck. You froze, being caught off guard tended to prompt a panic response when you were so tired.

You smelled leather and an overwhelming scent of hairspray.

"What's the trouble, my homies? Pretty sure ya heard the lady, she ain't jammin' to the vibe ya layin' down, ya dig? Beat it."

Heart skipping a beat or two, your eyes grew wide and a blush flooded your cheeks. "That voice...?!"

You whipped your head up to see the one and only Present Mic.

"Ah! I knew it! I knew I recognized your voice, I catch your radio show every day! You're the Sound Hero, Present Mic!" he flashed a grin down at you, winking.

"Oooh, you've got good ears, Listener! Thanks for Hypin' me up like that! Always great ta meet a FAAAN!" he responded in his commentator voice.

One of your would be tormentors interrupted angrily. "Hey, peacock head, why don't you mind your business?"

"PEACOCK...?! You boys best get ta steppin', aight?! Don't make me beat you up in fronta this pretty girl!" he replied in annoyance after his attention was so aggressively stolen from you.

The blush came back in full force and you couldn't contain a dreamy sigh as your lashes fluttered, eyes lidding contentedly now that you felt safe again.

*he said I was pretty~!* you thought.

"You believe this banana hair lookin' motherfucker? You're about to get your ass whooped, fruity!" the other threatened.

"Hey bro, watch your language! There's a lady here!" with the arm around your shoulders, Mic carefully raised it and guided you behind himself as the two started walking towards you both.

"Enough..."

Another voice came suddenly from the other side of the parking lot and everyone, with the exception of the blonde who was guarding you, turned to see Eraserhead.

Suddenly these jerks weren't so confident.

"Get lost, both of you, and go straight home or I'll bring the two of you in right now for loitering and harassment." he said calmly but with deep authority.

Mic crossed his arms, glaring at the duo as they ran off after a mere moment of hesitation, his cheeks puffed out slightly. "What a couple creepozoids! You okay, Pussy Cat...?" he quickly spun around to check you out, striking a dramatic pose while pointing at you, the trademark grin already back in place.

You smiled up at him with admiration sparkling in your eyes, clasping the cup you held in both hands and tight to your chest, stepping closer to him.

"Yes, thanks to you! You're my Hero~!"

Mic felt his own chest swell with pride a bit, the grin on his face getting bigger as he relaxed his stance and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets.

Usually by now the damsel has already flung herself on Aizawa, but not only were you praising him, you recognized him from just his voice and he was impressed at that.

"I can't believe I was just rescued by my favorite Pro, I am your #1 fan! Please, are you patrolling the city tonight? Please let me buy you a coffee or tea or something?? Just as a thank you...?"

Hizashi laughed rather loudly, one hand emerging from his pocket to be placed over his chest.

"HAHA! Aaaww, how can I say NO when you ask so sweetly?! Coffee sounds like a rockin' idea right about now!"

"Ugh, we don't have time for this, Mic..." Eraserhead complained tiredly.

Eyes rolling in exasperation, the blonde groaned twice as loud. "ugGHHH!! Don't be such a buzzkill, yo! I'll get you one, too, just chill!" with that, he trailed after you back into the store.

You watched as he doctored up the coffee you poured for him, blushing again when he threw a hint of a smirk your way, using the tip of his finger to lift the gold tinted shades he wore and showing you his emerald green eyes. "Don't worry, I'll pay for my boring friend..."

Smiling, you bounced on your heels. "Damn right you will, I'm not HIS fangirl, after all..."

This promoted a slight blush to his face, but he maintained that knockout grin. "Ha! Well, good thing his best friend is here at least, lucky for him I tagged along tonight, huh??"

"Lucky for both of us..." came your soft reply from over your shoulder as you turned to walk away, your hips swaying temptingly had definitely not escaped his notice.

He followed you to the checkout counter and placed some money beside yours, his ungloved fingertips brushing against your own when he does. Leaning down closer to you, he cocked his head, pushing his shades down his nose this time and raising a brow.

"Does my #1 fan have a name...?"

Your smile bloomed again, blushing up at him. "It's  _______...but I might prefer you calling me Pussy Cat...~"

Saying that last bit, you applied a sensual undertone which he picked up on instantly, making his blush spread over his face and grow darker as he chuckled in amusement.

When you guys walked out the door, you noticed Eraserhead seemed really annoyed but tried to ignore him, looking up at the Voice Hero hopefully.

"Listen, I know you're both busy, but if you have just one more second to spare, I can't tell you how much it would mean to me if I could get your autograph..."

Looking away awkwardly, he made a pained expression. "Aw, man, I dunno, we are kinda in a hurry here and stuff..."

You felt your heart sinking when he startled you with another loud laugh. "Hahaha, gotcha! JK! Of course I will, I ain't gonna leave ya hangin' like that, no way, that ain't my STYYYYYYYYLLLE!"

Giddy with excitement, you let out a tiny squeal, quickly fishing out a small notebook and pen from your purse as he set the cups down. When you handed it to him, his fingers brushed yours again, making you bite tenderly at your bottom lip.

They were so warm and soft...

He had started to whistle a cheerful little tune as he spun the pen between his fingers before starting to write in your book, it took longer than you expected, clearly longer than Eraser expected, too.

"Say goodbye to the girl, Mic, it's time to keep moving!" he didn't yell, exactly, too lazy, but he had raised his voice since last.

"YEAH, YEAH, I HEARD YA!!! Gimme a sec, ALRIGHT?!" the volume of the blonde's reply actually made your eardrums flinch and quiver this time, but you smiled anyway as he defended you again.

"There ya go! And hey, just to spite my buddy over there, I wouldn't mind walkin' ya home ta make sure ya get there safe."

The blush came right back, clutching the book to your heart, you gave a weak smile. "No, no, it's okay, really...I took up too much of your time already, and I only live around the corner from here..."

Eyes closing momentarily while you gathered yourself, you took a deep breath before confessing. "...I cannot express how grateful I am for you...not just for saving me tonight, but also for your talk show, hearing your voice over the radio gives me strength and motivation every week...it means the world to me...thank you..."

Beckoning him by flexing a finger, you stood on your tiptoes and pressed a sweet kiss against his cheek when he leaned in curiously.

Eyes widening, his whole face became scarlet red and his grin stretched from ear to ear. "AW, YEAH!"

He jumped, pumping his fists in the air and then proceeded to shoot you with his finger guns while  winking again. "Listen, I dropped my digits on that piece'a paper ya got there, Shawty...hit me up sometime if ya wanna chill! I'm down for whatever!"

You were caught off guard by that and checked the page he signed for you, finally reading what he wrote down as he rambled on as background noise about how he wasn't a creep like those other guys and you could say no without worrying about him making a scene, he just had to shoot his shot, I mean you DID kiss ME first ya know...

"For my #1 fan, _______...Thanks for the coffee and stay outta trouble! ...and maybe call or shoot a txt, if your feelin' this funky vibe, too? Live loud, Pussy Cat ;) don't ever let anyone try an put the mute on ya! XOXOX PRESENT MIC!!!"

Followed by his phone number, and there were little hearts drawn around the page.

You were already blushing when he surprised you again by returning your gesture and swooping in to plant a kiss on your cheek this time.

Reaching up to touch the spot, you smiled up at him shyly. "I can't wait...please be safe out there..."

"You got it! SEE YA SOON!" The Pro nodded vigorously, giving an enthusiastic wave of goodbye before grabbing his and Eraserhead's drinks, practically bouncing with every step.

It made you giggle, but you were trying not to get your hopes up too much. For all you knew, he gave his number out to every girl that asked him for a signature.

"Are you happy now...?" Shouta grumbled, taking the cup being offered as he turned to resume patrolling. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HECK YEAH I AM! I'M ON CLOUD NINE RIGHT NOW, I JUST MET MY FUTURE WIFE!!!!!!!!"

You heard him very clearly, the blush traveling all the way down your neck this time, and you couldn't help another small giggle, your heart fluttering with happiness like the wings of the butterflies in your belly.

He just had that effect on you.

Glancing down at the notebook in your hand as you sipped your quickly melting frosty, you noticed in the bottom right corner was a little arrow, below which was written the word "flip".

You looked up again but the two Pro Heroes were already gone.

Curiously, you flipped over the page.

MARRY ME?!?!!

a. YES!!!!!

b. a

c. b

That smooth sonuvabitch had you blushing and giggling all night.

[remmushound]

Curse of the clan Part 24! @scentedcandlecryptid @selfindulgenz

Raphael woke up. His muscles were tight from the hard stone, so the first thing he did was roll over onto his carapace so he could get the most leverage possible in order to stretch. He parted his maw in a long-lasting, pressure-relieving yawn. The nap couldn’t have lasted very long—Raphael could still see the artificial sun in the sky slowly making its way down. However long or short the nap had been, it was certainly refreshing! Raphael found himself able to breathe a lot easier! He was better off than when he had arrived, and the wounds sustained from his previous battle with the dragon had already started to heal! And they were healing fast, too; the scabs were starting to turn to scars.

He looked around at the surrounding mist. It hung heavy with the chill of approaching night and seemed to be thickening with every passing minute. Raphael certainly didn't want to be here after dark if that pattern continued. He still had a king to find, and a blessing to receive! So he started on his way— and immediately stopped.

“Hello?” He called to the silhouette in the mist. “Can you help me find my way back to the West part of the city?”

The figure was tall and incredibly skinny, almost like a bobblehead with oversized hands and feet. Raphael squinted to try and get a better idea of what the yokai could be, but he didn't have to look long before the yokai gladly revealed himself.

It was a frog. His skin was a greenish-gray color striped with streaks of black and vibrant green; bumps littered his skin, and on the end of each hand were four fingers, his feet having one extra digit. The yokai seemed to be almost wasting away, just like the frog Raphael had seen. His skin hung loosely around his bony frame, and the only parts of him that still seemed to store any fat were his thick, muscular thighs. His eyes, a dark murky brown color, were both unfocused and one of them was lazy and drifting to the right side no matter how often he corrected it.

“Hi. Little buddy…” Raphael said, crouching down and waving a hand at the yokai. The frog didn't react to the wave. “Hey— is there a town near here?”

The frog stared. His mouth fell open slightly, breathing in slow and lazy breaths.

“Where did you come from?” Raphael asked as slowly as he could manage, making motions to further serve his point, “Can you show me?”

The frog blinked impossibly slowly, like a video slowed down to the smallest possible framerate. Then the frog pointed back to where he had just come from.

“Uh. O’re there.” his voice slurred.

Raphael gave a patient attempt at a grin, gritting his teeth to avoid a violent interaction. “I mean before that.”

The frog narrowed his eyes. “How much before…?”

Raphael took a sharp intake of breath.

“Caaaaause I’ve just been watching you is all.” The frog went on.

Raphael fixed the frog with a wide-eyed stare. “You’re been watching me?”

“Yeah.” The frog nodded like a sloth.

“For… how long?”

The frog took a sudden deep breath. “Uh. Like… it was night when I started. Like… four nights ago…”

“WHAT?!”

The frog gave a dopey, drunken laugh. “Yyyyyyeeeeeaaaah…”

“How could I have been asleep for four days?!” Raphael had been tired when he went to sleep, sure, but not sleep for four days tired!

The frog laughed again and gave the barest effort needed to shrug. “The fog does weeeeiiird things to people who aren’t like, used to it.” Each word he spoke was slow, with a pause in between each one like he had to put actual thought toward the next. “Some people go to sleep and never wake up.”

“Never…?” Raphael gulped. He had a million different questions rushing through his mind at that moment, but he was finally able to settle on one. “W-what’s your name?”

The frog squinted his eyes and gave a deep, rumbling croak. “Errr… Napoleon…?” It sounded more like a question.

Raphael was half certain that the frog had just pulled out the first name he could think of from thin air, but he didn't bring it up. “Oh! That’s funny! I’m named after a famous guy too.”

Napoleon stared for a moment, and then turned and immediately started to leave. Raphael gasped and ran quickly after him; Napoleon didn't seem to care about either way, he was walking wether Raphael was following him or not.

“So— so you live around here?” Raphael tried, to no response. “Do you have like, a village? Or directions back to the main part of the city?”

Napoleon didn't seem to hear him. He was too busy weaving through the low hanging vines, letting them go so they would swing back and tangle Raphael. After the third time getting caught, Raphael learned to expect and avoid the scare. Going through the uneven terrain was difficult; one step would be planted firmly on stone, and the next he’d be ankle-deep in mud! Napoleon, however, seemed to expect and plan for these changes, using vines to cross over a bubbling bog and jumping a weird pattern to land on rocks hidden under soft quicksand. Raphael did his best to follow in the frogs footsteps, misteping countless times but managing to somehow keep pace with the swift yokai.

“Here.” Napoleon rumbled as he pushed aside a final clump of vines.

Raphael came up beside him, growling as vines got caught around his shell and tangled. He fought to rip them off and made a fool of himself in the process, like a dancer fighting off invisible attackers. He went too close to an embankment he hadn’t seen, stumbling as the soft mud collapsed under his weight and he fell into the shallows of a muddy swamp. There was a rush of several creatures fleeing at his disturbance and he sank in up to his waist in the mud; the mud was deeper than the water was, and much grosser.

Raphael gagged and struggled to pull free. The mud held him captive in its powerful grip, threatening to swallow him if he didn't get out soon. Was this quicksand? He sure hoped not. Whatever it was, he wanted it off of him! Napoleon waded into the water after him.

“Hey— little help, Napoleon?” Raphael asked, grunting with the strain of keeping his head above the water.

Napoleon drifted right on past him, as if the water was carrying him more than he was swimming. Raphael followed Napoleon’s path with his eyes and gawked at the sight he found. The marsh here was open and, with the fog, it looked almost endless. A large, swampy lake with houses in the middle, all build on docks just slightly higher than the water. And there were frogs. So. Many. frogs. More than Raphael could count, hopping lazily around the docks. Grown frogs similar to Napoleon, with starved bodies and empty eyes. Young tadpoles swimming around in the water, with arms and legs that were too weak to support them on land, so they were bound to the swamp. A few tiny frogs, identical to the grown frogs in all but stature, hopped about at their leisure equally between water and dock.

“You have to relax dude.” Napoleon nasaled. “Let the water take you.”

“Let the water take me—?!”

“Yeah…” Napoleon drifted circles around Raphael.

“Can’t you just tug me out?!”

“Errrrrrrrrr no. Listen man just… take a deep breath and the water will do the rest.” Napoleon started to drift away.

“Wait!” Raphael called after him, but the frog was already long gone with no intention of returning. Raphael tried again to yank himself free, but the sludge only pulled him down harder. He sucked in a gasp and whimpered as his head disappeared under for a moment before he was able to stretch out his neck to resurface. This thing was swallowing him! And he had no better idea than the one that Napoleon had offered.

He took as deep a breath as his shell allowed, and breathed it out slowly. An immediately relief washed over him; a calm that made the strain of his thoughts slow into easier to manage sections. The air tasted nice, and it made him feel warm in his chest and stomach. He was encouraged to take even more similarly deep breath to take advantage of the euphoric sensation that crashed over him.

The world changed between blinks. He was further out now, the shore getting more distant. Another blink, and his head bonked lightly against the wood of the dock. The pain didn't register. He wasn’t hungry anymore; his stomach felt pleasantly full of the warm air. That was all he needed; the warmth of this water could sustain him the rest of his life...

[primroseprime2019]

Con Job

"Alright! Chores are done! Now can we do some dune-bashing?!" Miko pleaded Bulkhead from her position on his shoulder as he walked into the command centre.

"I don't know, Miko. Last time, I spent a week picking sand out of my articulators. But there's a monster-truck rally in town," Bulkhead offered, causing Miko to light up.

"What is it with you and monster-truck rallies?" Paige asked as she leaned into Optimus, resting on his shoulder.

"They're awesome!" Miko answered casually.

"Optimus! I'm receiving a signal from a restricted band! It appears to be coming from a starship within the solar system," Ratchet reported, "It's an Autobot identification beacon!"

"So there are other bots out there?" Jack surmised.

"The masses scattered to the galaxy after Cybertron finally went dark. But 'Cons have been known to fake traps with false beacons," Arcee pointed out. Paige looked down at the mention of Cybertron but she was hiding her sadness at the fact that she was most likely the last Galatrian in the world.

And it hurt. Optimus, almost as if he sensed her sadness, gently brushed the girl's back with his digit before he looked back at the screens.

"Unknown vessel, this is Autobot Outpost Omega One. Identify yourself."

After some static, they got the answer they were looking for. And it made Bulkhead happy.

"I've had warmer welcomes from Decepticon combat grenades!"

"Wheeljack?!" Bulkhead exclaimed excitedly as he ran forward, causing Miko to nearly fall off his shoulder, "You old 'Con crusher! What are you doing all the way out here?!"

"Bulkhead? That you? What's with all the security?"

"The rock we're on is crawling with 'Cons. How soon can you get here and even the odds?" Bulkhead asked.

"Sometime tomorrow...if I put metal to the pedal."

"Another bot's coming here! How cool is that?!" Miko gushed excitedly.

"Wheeljack... I know him by reputation only. Can you verify his voiceprint?" Optimus asked.

"He is 1000% the real deal, Optimus," Bulkhead nodded.

"Aw, y'all wouldn't forget about us so easily, would ya?" A mech's voice asked playfully. Arcee widened her optics in surprise, "Jazz?"

"Us?" Jack repeated curiously. "I'm here with Jazz and Wheeljack," Prowl chuckled.

"Don't leave us out, ya old mech," another voice said and Primrose widened her optics with joy and surprise.

"WhiteRain, Nightwalker!" She said excitedly. "Hiya Prim," the other femme said.

"Hey, Rosie," Nightwalker said excitedly.

"New bots! And they sound cool!" Paige said happily. Upon hearing that, Optimus and Ratchet softly glared at the girl.

"You're all cool too," Paige said quickly with a smile and the others chuckled. "Whatever you say, Sweetspark," Ratchet chuckled.

"Who's the little lady?" Jazz asked. "You'll see her soon," Ratchet chuckled.

"We will send landing coordinates, Wheeljack. Safe journey," Optimus bidded.

"See you soon, buddy. I'll make sure you get a proper welcome," Bulkhead promised before the transmission was terminated.

"So...who's the boyfriend?" Arcee asked casually.

"Me and Jacky go way back. We were part of the same warrior unit: The Wreckers. Which means the 'Cons are gonna wish he never found us," Bulkhead proclaimed.

"Oh boy," Primrose grimaced as she facepalmed dramatically, "And I thought we had enough male ego around here!"

"Try living with them for as long as I have," Arcee retorted with a smirk.

"I don't know how you survive," Primrose chuckled.

"Hey!" Bulkhead exclaimed in mock offence.

◊◊◊◊

"Wheeljack? You old 'Con Crusher! What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Bulkhead? That you? What's will all the security?"

"The rock we're on is crawling with 'Cons. How soon can you get here and even the odds?"

"A war hero, hmmm?" Ember pondered aloud.

"We haven't much time. Makeshift!" Starscream called out.

Makeshift approached the three Decepticons. As soon as Makeshift was close enough, Soundwave stuck out his clawed tentacle and stabbed Makeshift. Within moments, Makeshift wasn't himself anymore.

"Let us give the Autobots a proper welcome," Ember said with a soft yet dark chuckle.

◊◊◊◊

"Wheeljack's ship is approaching the landing zone," Arcee reported happily.

"You think he's here to visit?" Raf asked.

"Maybe he'll stay! Hm, has to find his own human, though," Miko mused, "How about Paige?"

"No!" Bulkhead, Primrose and Arcee protested and Bumblebee glanced at Optimus who's shoulders tensed up with protectiveness upon hearing Miko.

"GroundBridge cycling up," Ratchet reported proudly, before sparks flew from the controls, causing him to grumble as he whacked it with his fist, "Blasted Scraplets! The equipment hasn't been the same since the infestation." "What are they like?" Paige asked, looking to Primrose, "the new bots, I mean."

"Jazz and Prowl are complete opposites of each other," Primrose chuckled, "Jazz is a bit of a musical delight while Prowl is a little by-the-book. WhiteRain is sassy and creative although her personality says different and Nightwalker's just a cowboy- rowdy and rambunctious."

"Him, Cliff and I would get into all kinds of mischief," Arcee chuckled. Paige smiled softly and she leaned into Arcee's neck cables.

"So Wheeljack's gonna land halfway around the world?" Jack began, "and then you'll just bridge him and the others here?"

"We can't risk revealing the location of our base. Just in case the Decepticons are tracking Wheeljack's ship," Optimus explained the reasoning behind this action.

"Someone wanna calm Bulkhead's pacing?" Primrose asked as she gestured to the pacing Bulkhead.

"Allow me," Miko smirked before approaching the railing, "Dude! I've never seen you so stoked!"

"You're gonna love Wheeljack! We were like brothers! And tonight, we're gonna party!" Bulkhead proclaimed.

"Sweet!" Miko cheered. The alarms went off.

"Bogies! Closing fast on Wheeljack's position!" Arcee reported.

"'Con scum!" Bulkhead exclaimed in anger.

◊◊◊◊

Wheeljack's ship, the Jackhammer, flew through the air, being tailed by five Decepticons who shot at the Autobot ship.

The Jackhammer dodged every shot except one. A blaster shot hit the engine and the ship made a huge dent in the desert as it crashed and skidded for a few feet.

The Vehicons landed and transformed into their bipedal forms. One of them took a step forward only to be met with a blaster to the chestplates and it fell to the ground.

WhiteRain, Nightwalker, Jazz, Prowl and Wheeljack stepped out of the smoke. Nightwalker's blaster was out and smoking.

"You trying to ruin our day, you're gonna have to try harder than that," Wheeljack said before he activated his battle mask and the five Autobots charged at the Vehicons, drawing their weapons.

◊◊◊◊

Echo watched the scene on the screen, her wings twitching slightly. Ember turned to Soundwave, "swiftly now. Before the other Autobots arrive."

Soundwave only nodded in response.

◊◊◊◊

"Open the bridge, Ratchet! We're missing all the action!" Bulkhead pointed out.

"I'll prepare sick bay," Ratchet decided as he activated the bridge.

"Who for? The 'Cons? This is Wheeljack we're talking about!" Bulkhead scoffed in disbelief before running into the portal with Arcee and Bumblebee following him.

"Why do I get the feeling that something bad is about to happen?" Primrose suddenly asked.

"Prim, you worry way too much," Firestorm teased her affectionately.

"I can't help it, Fire. It runs in the family!" Primrose defended as she jerked her helm in Optimus' direction.

"I heard that," Optimus called out from the other side of the room.

"You were meant to!" Primrose called back. "It's strange that Bulkhead only talks of Wheeljack and not of the other bots," Paige said, tilting her head slightly.

"Well Bulkhead and Wheeljack have known each other since the War began," Ratchet said, "trust me, imagine how their reunion will look."

◊◊◊◊

When Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee arrived at the scene, they were expecting a fight. They were expecting to be attacked by the Decepticons. So they had their blasters ready to go. However, there was no need. Surrounding them were dismantled Decepticon warriors. Bulkhead could only stand and watch in pure amazement as Wheeljack ran his blade through the remaining Decepticon and he fell to the ground.

"I taught him that," Bulkhead chuckled proudly.

"Ever think we might need a hand here?" Nightwalker asked as he sheathed his blades and he and the others approached the three Autobots.

"What? And spoil the show?" Bulkhead scoffed.

"You missed one," Arcee said, placing her servo on her hip. WhiteRain unlocked her blaster and shot the remaining Vehicon right in the faceplates, taking care of it quickly.

"If this is all you got, then this planet is in much bigger trouble than I thought," Wheeljack remarked. Bulkhead widened his optics before he hurried up to the other two Wreckers and picked them up into a hug, laughing with joy.

Nightwalker chuckled as he and Arcee clapped servos together and patted each other's backs.

Jazz smiled as he rubbed Bumblebee's helm and Prowl chuckled. Arcee grinned as she watched the two Wreckers.

"Haha, watch the finish, you old wrecking ball," WhiteRain chuckled.

◊◊◊◊

The ground bridge opened and the Autobots ran into the base. Ratchet jumped slightly when the controls sparked and so did the ground bridge.

"Jacky, Rain, come here. Meet my other best buddy, Miko. She can wreck with the best of us," Bulkhead boasted.

"Hiya," Miko greeted.

"You keeping Bulkhead out of trouble?" WhiteRain asked as she leaned in closer.

"I try. But trouble finds us anyway," Miko answered. "More like you find trouble," Primrose chuckled as she hugged Nightwalker and WhiteRain.

"We're gonna get along just fine," Wheeljack chuckled and he walked up to Optimus, "Optimus Prime. It's a privilege."

"Likewise, soldier," Optimus said, "What have you to report from your long journey?"

"Been bouncing from rock to rock searching for signs of friend or foe. Now I find both," Wheeljack shrugged casually.

"We are few but strong. We have suffered losses. But we have grown. And we would relish welcoming a new member into our fold," Optimus said.

"I would be honored," Wheeljack smiled.

"Then let's get this party started!" Bulkhead cheered as he slapped Wheeljack's back and they bumped chests.

"Oh joy," Ratchet said sarcastically with a frown. Jazz looked around before he saw Paige hiding behind Arcee's pede.

Jazz smiled softly and he bent down on one knee and held his servo out. "C'mon out, Lil Lady. I won't hurt ya."

Paige looked up at Arcee who gave a reassuring nod and the girl walked over to Jazz before she climbed into his servo.

"You're a Galatrian," Prowl said, blinking in surprise, "I've heard of you but I didn't think there'd be one on Earth of all places." "She's so cute and tiny," WhiteRain said with a giggle.

Paige blushed and she waved her fist at the other femme, "I'm not tiny!" "Fiesty little thing," Nightwalker snickered.

◊◊◊◊

"The moment Makeshift passed through their GroundBridge, we lost their signal," Starscream announced, "the Autobot base is no doubt heavilly shielded to prevent us from locating it. No matter. I have complete faith in Makeshift," Starscream reassured himself as he and Soundwave walked into a prison cell with Wheeljack- the real one- hanging from energy-suspended shackles.

"Our inside man is already inside," Starscream said. Wheeljack looked at the two Decepticons with narrowed optics, "tell Megatron he's fragged in the helm if he thinks Bulkhead won't sniff out an imposter."

"Haven't you heard? Someone else leads the Decepticons now," Starscream said, a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"You? Ha!" Wheeljack scoffed with laughter. Starscream growled and raised his claws to strike the Autobot only for Soundwave to grab him by the wrist.

"Yes," Starscream hissed and he yanked his servo away, "yes he may be yet of use," he looked back at Wheeljack, "Makeshift is very good at keeping up appearances. He need only fool your friends long enough to open their ground bridge from within so that I may finally learn the location of the Autobot base and send in my strike team to stain its floor with the spilled energon of Optimus Prime."

◊◊◊◊

Loud electric guitar music filled the atrium as Miko played for the group, dancing a bit as she did. Paige and Raf sat nearby listening.

"Come on, Wheeljack! Show me what you got!" Bulkhead challenged as he caught the metal ball and threw it back, "Nice lob!"

"So...what's that about?" Jack asked.

"It's called lobbing. A favourite pass-time on Cybertron. Especially among the warrior class," Arcee clarified.

"Come on, Raf! Show us some moves!" Miko encouraged as the familiar beats filled the room.

"Oh, alright...," Raf sighed as he stood up...and did the robot.

"Of course. The robot," Jack laughed. Paige laughed as Bumblebee copied Raf.

"Oh the irony," Nightwalker laughed before he decided to join the two.

Paige watched Miko play her guitar and she walked away. "Hey Paige, can you sing something for us?" Miko asked, a smug grin on her face, "I'm sure Wheeljack would love to hear your voice for the first time."

Paige felt her cheeks warm up as everyone looked at her, even Ratchet. "U-um," Paige said and she glared at Miko, "you are so dead."

Miko stuck her tongue out at her. Paige sighed before she placed her phone on the amp and plugged it in.

"Said there's nothing that we can't do when we're dancing," Paige sang, "I can feel the music more when I'm with you. With your hands on me, I feel my heartbeat racing. Now."

"Had to let go of everything that I know," She continued, swinging her hips a little, "before, -ore, -ore. One, two, three, yeah, come with me. We can work it differently. One, two, three, and dance with me tonight! And maybe all our dreams are coming true. And, baby, I can feel you feel it too. So just let me move you. One, two, three, yeah, come with me. We can work it differently! Said one, two, three, and dance with me tonight. And maybe all our dreams are coming true and, baby, I can feel you feel it too. So just let me move you! Let me move you!"

"Yeah, little faster, little slower, it don't matter. 'Cause I never knew myself this good till now. And I hope you know this change in me forever. Forever," she did a little twirl, "had to let go of everything that I know. Before, -ore, -ore! One, two, three, yeah, come with me. We can work it differently. One, two, three, and dance with me tonight! And maybe all our dreams are coming true. And, baby, I can feel you feel it too. So just let me move you. One, two, three, yeah, come with me. We can work it differently! Said one, two, three, and dance with me tonight. And maybe all our dreams are coming true and, baby, I can feel you feel it too. So just let me move you! One, two, three, yeah, come with me. We can work it differently! Said one, two, three, and dance with me tonight. And maybe all our dreams are coming true and, baby, I can feel you feel it too. So just let me move you! Let me move you!"

She wasn't even aware Ratchet was staring at her with astonishment and the sudden applause startled her. She smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck as her cheeks turned red.

"You weren't kidding. She has an amazing voice," Jazz said, his visor glowing with delight. "I agree," Prowl chuckled.

Paige blushed more and squeaked in surprise when Ratchet scooped her up into his servo. Jack smiled and shook his head with amusement. "Where's Optimus?" He asked Arcee, suddenly noticing the absence of the Prime.

"Went for a drive. Primes don't party," Arcee answered with a smirk. "But I'll be sure to show him this when he gets back," WhiteRain said with a grin.

"Comin' at ya!" Bulkhead warned as he threw the lob ball...that Wheeljack missed and it smashed into the GroundBridge controls.

"You know, I am attempting to perform sensitive calibrations here!" Ratchet snapped, "and you almost hurt Paige!"

"Sorry, Doc. Guess we're a little charged up," Wheeljack apologized as he picked up the ball and he gently patted Paige's head with a digit, "sorry, Kit. You built this bridge from scratch, huh?"

"I did," Ratchet nodded.

"That's quite a feat of engineering," Wheeljack complimented.

"Yes. It is," Ratchet agreed.

"Something wrong with it?" Wheeljack asked casually.

"I didn't care for the way it sounded after that last jump. I put it in shutdown," Ratchet answered.

"What if you need to use it?" Wheeljack wanted to know.

"Oh, I can't disrupt the defrag process without causing irreparable damage," Ratchet shook his head.

"So...how long will the defrag take?" Wheeljack questioned, his expression darkening.

"A few hours...if we're lucky. Maybe longer," Ratchet shrugged. Paige watched Wheeljack, frowning. Something was off about the Wrecker and his aurora only fed her suspicions.

After a while, the party ended and switched to that of Bulkhead and Wheeljack telling everyone, minus Ratchet, their stories of the war.

"So there we were. No communication. Low on Energon. Surrounded by 'Cons. So what does Wheeljack do?" Bulkhead asked teasingly, noticing the excitement on the faces of Jack, Paige, Miko and Raf, "Tell them, Jackie."

"What I do best," Wheeljack said.

"He chucks his only grenade smack in the primary heat exchanger!" Bulkhead revealed.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time!" Wheeljack defended his actions with a good-natured laugh.

"The joint went SUPERNOVA!" Bulkhead recalled, spreading his servos to prove his point.

"Awesome!" Miko gasped excitedly.

"Yeah. I'm still picking shrapnel out of my backside!" Bulkhead said as he rubbed at his backside in demonstration.

"I'm not surprised given the size of your backside," Arcee smirked and Nightwalker and Bumblebee snickered.

"There it is. Jackie's signature. One grenade. One shot," Bulkhead finished the story before noticing the expression on Wheeljack's face, "Hey. You alright?"

"What?" Wheeljack stuttered.

"You don't seem like yourself," Bulkhead observed.

"What do you mean?" Wheeljack demanded.

"I don't know. You seem...quiet," Bulkhead said. "I've been stuck in a can too long. I should go topside before things go stir crazy," Wheeljack shrugged.

"I have patrol in the morning. You can come with," Bulkhead offered.

"Let's go now," Wheeljack suggested as he immediately stood up, causing Paige's suspicions over the guy's strange behavior to rise.

"And break up the party?" Bulkhead protested, "Come on! The gang's loving you! You've gotta tell them about the Battle of Dark Mount Pass!"

"You tell them. You're better at it. How about if Miko here shows me the rest of your base?" Wheeljack offered.

"Yeah. Sure, Jacky. Go ahead," Bulkhead agreed hesitantly.

"Tour starts now," Miko declared as she and Wheeljack disappeared into the hallways, "Do you play any instruments? Can you fly? Have you thrashed more Decepticons than Bulkhead?"

"Typical Miko," Primrose couldn't help but mutter, before noticing Bulkhead's forlorn expression, "Hey. You alright, Bulk?"

"Yeah. Just out of sorts I guess, Prim," Bulkhead muttered. "Don't tell me you're jealous," Arcee teased with a slight smirk amongst the concern in her optics.

"That Miko's making a new friend?! Come on! Something...something's just not right about Wheeljack," Bulkhead said.

"Bulkhead, really?" Arcee sighed, thinking that Bulkhead was just overreacting, "He's travelled for galaxies. You haven't seen him in centuries. He could just be rocket lagged or...well, bots do change, you know?"

"Not Jacky," Bulkhead protested. Firestorm and WhiteRain looked at each other.

◊◊◊◊

Inside his prison, Wheeljack strugged against the confindments. His grunts of determination and occasional frustration were heard by the Decepticon guarding him. It annoyed the Vehicon to wit's end. Eventually, he had enough. He walked up to Wheeljack with his blaster unfolded from his arm and held it to his face.

"You're not going anywhere, Autobot," he proclaimed.

That was when Wheeljack took his only chance. He wrapped his legs around the Decepticon's neck. Immediately, the Decepticon struggled against his tight grip and started shooting laser blasts from his blaster.

"Blah blah blah," Wheeljack grumbled as he guided the Decepticon's target with his legs.

Within moments, Wheeljack managed to make the Decepticon shoot the control panel that kept the restraints that were restricting him active. With the control panel destroyed, Wheeljack was able to free himself. He fell to the ground when the sparks died and the cuffs shattered.

◊◊◊◊

"So, that's pretty much it. Energon stock pile, powerboard generator, armory; everything you need to blow the joint sky high," Miko remarked as she wrapped up her tour with Wheeljack.

"Where's this bunker located exactly?" Wheeljack wanted to know curiously.

"If I told ya, I'd have to rip out your spark chamber," Miko answered dangerously before a happy smile appeared, "Kidding! Just outside Jasper, Nevada! Though I don't expect that to mean too much to ya!"

"Can't say it does," Wheeljack lied, "So, any way out of here besides bridging?"

"Why? You're not planning to leave already, are you?" Miko asked nervously, "Come on. I'll show ya."

◊◊◊◊

"Almost there," Ratchet proclaimed as he continued working the damaged GroundBridge controls.

"Look. I know Wheeljack better than anyone," Bulkhead boasted.

"Hey," Wheeljack said as he walked into the room with Miko, "What are you guys talking about?"

"I was just telling the guys about you and me...at the Battle of Dark Mount Pass," Bulkhead answered casually.

"That's a heck of a story," Wheeljack remarked.

"Yeah. Tell it," Bulkhead requested with narrowed optics.

"Talk, talk, talk. How about after we go off-roading?" Miko suggested.

"Miko, stay out of this," Bulkhead warned. "Bulkhead, easy," WhiteRain soothed.

"I'm not sure I-," Wheeljack began to protest.

"Tell it!" Bulkhead persisted.

"Fine. If you wanna live in the past, Bulkhead," Wheeljack shrugged casually, "The Wreckers were trapped between a Decepticon patrol and a smelting pit. The 'Cons were vicious. Raining down on us with everything they had. Me and Bulkhead engaged the enemy. Left them for scrap. Then I made us a way out using their backsides as stepping stones to cross the molten metal. Isn't that how it happened?"

"Yeah. That's exactly how it happened...except for one little thing. I wasn't there," Bulkhead revealed, causing everyone to stare at the two of them in pure alarm.

"I'd already left the Wreckers to join up with Optimus. But you would know that if all you did was access Wheeljack's public service record," Bulkhead said as he poked Makeshift's chest, challenging the Decepticon.

"Bulkhead, what does that have to do with-WHOA!" Miko screamed as Makeshift picked her up suddenly.

"Miko!" Nightwalker and Bulkhead shouted as Makeshift stood near the ground bridge.

"Stay back. Or I'll squeeze her into pulp," he growled, holding Miko in a firm grip.

"Wheeljack! What are you doing?!" Miko exclaimed. "Decepticon coward," Bulkhead growled, "let the girl go and face me!"

"Don't fret," Makeshift said, "plenty of fighting to come."

"Is there a real Wheeljack!?" Jack demanded. "Oh indeed," Makeshift said with a smirk, "and I'm sure Mistress Ember is making sport of him." Primrose froze and her optics widened.

"You Pit-Spawned fragger!" Nightwalker snarled.

◊◊◊◊

"Are you certain we are at the coordinates we supplied to Makeshift?" Starscream asked Soundwave, which earned him a nod in response.

"Then what is taking him!?" The other Seeker snapped with impatience.

"Maybe they gave your boy such a hero's welcome, he got the warm and fuzzies and decided to switch sides." Starscream whirled around to see Wheeljack walking towards them, his optics blazing with bridled fury and his battle mask on.

"Do you not see you are vastly outnumbered?" Starscream taunted.

"I see fellas who might vastly enjoy me pound some dents into you," Wheeljack growled.

"Destroy him!" Starscream commanded and the Vehicons shot at Wheeljack who took out his katanas and charged at the Vehicons.

◊◊◊◊

"About time," Makeshift huffed as he activated the ground bridge. "You won't get away with this!" Primrose snarled.

"I already have," Makeshift remarked with a smirk.

◊◊◊◊

Wheeljack was having an easy fight with the Vehicons. And he was getting too close to Starscream. Said Seeker fired a missile at Wheeljack. The force of the explosion was enough to knock the Wrecker back but he managed to land on his pedes, slicing and dicing any Vehicon who tried to attack him. That was when Wheeljack jumped onto Starscream, putting the Seeker down for the count.

Wheeljack heard the sound of the ground bridge opening and he turned towards it. "Well, well," he murmured as a plan formed in his mind.

◊◊◊◊

Makeshift stepped back towards the ground bridge with Miko still struggling in his grip. "Let's get this party started," he said with a dangerous grin.

Wheeljack suddenly jumped into the base and kicked Makeshift hard. Miko flew across the air and Bulkhead quickly caught his charge. Makeshift hit the wall and was unconscious for a few moments.

"I'd shut that hole before the stink comes through," Wheeljack remarked. "Couldn't have said it better myself," Nightwalker said.

◊◊◊◊

Starscream coughed as he got up. Energon trailed down his jaw and he looked towards the ground bridge with wide, angry optics. "Enter the ground bridge now!" He shouted.

The Vehicons hurried towards the ground bridge only for it to close. Starscream let out a yell of anger.

◊◊◊◊

Makeshift took out his blades and he and Wheeljack circled each other. Bulkhead stepped forward, but Wheeljack stopped him. "Ugly's mine," he said.

That was when the fight began. The two went at each other. Swords clashed and sparks flew. Everyone watched, ready to intervene if needed.

Paige pulled Raf close to her in a sisterly fashion and Raf clung to her. "Which one's the real Wheeljack?" He asked.

"I lost track!" Miko exclaimed. "The one with the bright grey aurora," Paige said. Jack looked to her in confusion.

Makeshift slashed at one of Wheeljack's swords and charged at him. Wheeljack managed to claim one of the Decepticon's swords, using them both to knock him to the ground. He won.

"That's my Jacky," Bulkhead boasted proudly. Wheeljack deactivated his battle mask and looked to Ratchet, "you, hit the switch."

Ratchet nodded in response and turned to activate the ground bridge. "It's time to take out the trash," Wheeljack said and he smiled at Bulkhead, "all yours, buddy."

◊◊◊◊

The ground bridge appeared before the Decepticons once again. The Vehicons backed away for a moment.

"What are you waiting for?! GO!" Starscream shouted. The first few Vehicons quickly ran into the ground bridge.

Bulkhead held Makeshift's defeated form in his servos before he spun around and threw the Con right into the ground bridge. The first few Decepticons saw Makeshift hurling at them and they quickly turned tail and ran.

Starscream saw them and before he could even reprimand them, Makeshift slammed into him and the two fell to the ground.

Wheeljack smiled at Bulkhead, "nice lob."

◊◊◊◊

At the Decepticon warship, the Autobot ground bridge closed. Starscream got up and glared at Makeshift, "please tell me that you at least learned the location of their base."

"Indeed Commander Starscream. It is in a hidden bunker just outside of-" Makeshift's explanation was cut off by the familiar beeping sound. Starscream glanced at the bomb that was attached to Makeshift's hip.

"Whoa! Back! Back! Back!" He exclaimed as he hurried away. Makeshift stood where he was and he looked down at the bomb on his hip. "Oh no," he murmured before the bomb exploded, eliminating him and any Decepticon who stood too close.

"MAKESHIFT! YOU FOOL!" Starscream shouted in anger as he and Soundwave flew away.

In the control bridge, Ember and Echo stood in the control bridge. Ember frowned as she felt the ship rock from the explosion. "Starscream better not have ruined this ship," she muttered.

◊◊◊◊

In the Autobot base, things had returned to normal. Miko was playing her guitar while Bumblebee, Nightwalker, Jazz Jack and Raf were dancing. Paige hadn't joined them as she was leaning on the railing, watching them with a smile.

Ratchet groaned in annoyance, "it's like a recurring nightmare." WhiteRain and Prowl chuckled softly.

"Now that you're part of Team Prime, we need to pick out a vehicle mode for you," Bulkhead said, gently bumping Wheeljack's arm, "I have some ideas."

"Uh... about that, Bulk," Wheeljack said hesitantly, "now that my ship's repaired, I'm itching to know what else I might find out there."

"Wait! You're leaving? Why!?" Miko pouted. "Well... because some bots never change," Bulkhead said with a soft chuckle. Wheeljack smiled softly.

"Wheeljack, know that you will always have a haven here," Optimus said.

"Jacky never stays but he always comes back," Bulkhead said proudly and he and Wheeljack did a fist bump. "Feels like you just got here, Sparrow," Paige said with a playful smile.

Wheeljack chuckled and gently ruffled her hair, "yeah, well I'll be sure to let you know if I find any more Magic Users out in the galaxy, Kit." Paige smiled softly and she hugged his digit, "thank you, Jackie. That... that means a lot."

"Anytime Paige," Wheeljack said with a soft smile. "We'll see you off," Firestorm said with a soft smile.

◊◊◊◊

In the desert, the ground bridge closed up. Wheeljack turned to Bulkhead, "there's room for two Bulk. Even with a backside like yours. Who knows what we might find out there? Some of the old crew?"

Bulkhead furrowed his optic ridges and he glanced at Miko who looked down sadly. The wrecker looked back at his friend, "sounds like fun, Jacky. But my ties are here now. With them. With her." Upon hearing that, Miko smiled up at her guardian.

Wheeljack gave a respectful nod to his friend and he looked to Miko. "Anything happens to my favorite wrecker, I'm comin' after you," he threatened playfully.

"I'll take good care of him," Miko said reassuringly with a smile and she pulled out her phone, "now say cheese." With that, she took a picture of the two Wreckers.

Bulkhead and Primrose looked to Wheeljack. "WhiteRain," Bulkhead said, a spark of hope igniting in his optics.

"I'm here to stay, sweetspark," WhiteRain said and she kissed Bulkhead on the cheek. "And if I find any wreckers, I'll be the first to let you know," Wheeljack promised. "What's special between you and WhiteRain?" Miko asked curiously.

"She and Bulkhead are boyfriend and girlfriend," Primrose, Firestorm, Nightwalker and Arcee chorused. "Aw," Paige said with a smile as Bulkhead and WhiteRain blushed and Wheeljack chuckled.

The white Wrecker shook his helm with a smile before he saluted everyone and went into the Jackhammer. The door closed and the Jackhammer flew up into the air, disappearing through the clouds.

[to44y]

39 Role-Play Fantasies Every Gay Couple Should Try

By Alexander Cheves

39 Role-Play Fantasies Every Gay Couple Should Try

I snuck into the bedroom on all fours. I was tired. It had been a long day. My boyfriend at the time was sleeping on the bed. I started sniffing his neck until a sleepy grin formed on his face. When I knew he was awake, I licked him — a long, sloppy, wet lick up his cheek — then ran to the living room. 

I heard him behind me. “Where are you going, puppy?” I was being bad. I was on all fours, shaking my ass on the sofa in his direction. He pulled out his dick and said, “Here boy.” 

This is role play. Specifically, this is “puppy play” — a form of role play I love the most. Role play can be spontaneous or pre-planned, and as elaborate as you make it. At its simplest, role play happens when two adults consensually engage in an eroticized pretend game, a shared sex fantasy. And it is not limited to two adults — group role play offers some of the hottest sex experiences imaginable.  

Everything in the world can inspire role play. You could do sofa role play and have someone sit on you. The most iconic gay role play scenarios have been done and redone endlessly by gay porn companies because they work — “Daddy and Son” will never get old — but that does not mean you can’t try them out for yourself. Try these 39 role play scenarios for the adventurous gay couple. Use your imagination! 

A Word of Warning From Writer Alexander Cheves

My name is Alexander Cheves, and I am known by friends in the kink and leather community as Beastly. I am a sex-positive writer and blogger. The views in this slideshow do not reflect those of The Advocate and are based solely off of my own experiences. Like everything I write, the intent of this piece is to break down the stigmas surrounding the sex lives of gay men.

Those who are sensitive to frank discussions about sex are invited to click elsewhere, but consider this: If you are outraged by content that address sex openly and honestly, I invite you to examine this outrage and ask yourself whether it should instead be directed at those who oppress us by policing our sexuality.

For all others, enjoy the slideshow. And feel free to leave your own suggestions of sex and dating topics in the comments.

Hungry for more? Follow me on Twitter @BadAlexCheves and visit my blog, The Beastly Ex-Boyfriend. 

1. Construction Workers

As I write this, the house next door is being renovated. If you listened to them, you would think a gay porno was being shot outside my window. Lots of laughing and group camaraderie with one poor guy (the sub) making pained, grunting noises. He’s being paddled with what sounds like a wooden paddle wrapped in sandpaper. Just when I think the mean top is about to ease up, the sound of an electric drill starts, and the guys start laughing again. They’re playing old school country music and I imagine there’s lots of spitting. One of them literally says, “It’s a bitch.” 

Construction worker role play is a great group role play to get into if you can conjure up some buddies and orange vests — and you can even redo your kitchen in the process.

2. Sports Teammates

There seems to be more “locker room” gay porn than any other sub-genre. You know the scenario: a young freshman walks in the locker room among the beefy seniors on his football team, who have a nasty initiation ritual planned for him after practice. 

Accouterments of this play involve sports gear (a fetish all on its own), knee-high socks, gym shorts, copious amounts of sweat, and that wonderful camaraderie that forms when the group’s submissive guy gets bent over a bench press. 

3. Frat Boys

The gay porn site Fraternity X has capitalized on the fantasy of frat boy hazing. All their videos have the same basic narrative: a group of horny college guys are sitting around in a trash-strewn commons area drinking beer and watching TV when one bro starts running his mouth. Before long, his hands are tied and his mouth stuffed with someone’s underwear while everyone takes turns fucking him in a swivel chair. “Come on bro, it’s not gay if it’s with your brothers.” 

4. Brothers

When my ex-boyfriends and I visited new cities where no one knew us, we would sometimes say we were brothers. It was funny sometimes, a lark — other times, it was really sexy. At the local gay watering hole, we would tell the guys interested in us that we were related and see how many of them believed it. I’m not sure many did — especially when we got a little drunk and started making out on the dance floor — but they wanted to. Many guys have a brother fantasy. This is an easy one to role play in the bedroom, and there are endless imagined scenarios available to you: Big brother is visiting home from college and has to share your bedroom for a night. You two are close and like to wrestle, and one day the wrestling goes a little too far when one of you gets excited.

5. Strangers

Anonymous public hookups are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Our mediated, digitalized hookup culture has all but replaced discreet staring contests in the gym and public cruising in parks and bathrooms. Many formerly cruisey places are more heavily watched now, and your success rate is inevitably lower. 

Also, some guys have some discomfort with completely anonymous sex. The risk of sexually transmitted infections is a factor — although, to be sure, someone who says they love you poses the same risk unless they’ve been rigorously tested. 

One solution to all these is to do anonymous role play with someone you know. If you want to play in public, plan to meet up somewhere that you are fairly certain will offer some privacy. If your fantasy is to anonymously pick up a stranger and take him back home, this is easier: just plan to meet somewhere (the gym, a bookstore) and watch him from across the room. Pretend you don’t know each other, and when the time is right, make that classic, subtle head nod — “Let’s get out of here.” 

6. Coach and Player

Another common gay porn scenario: the gruff, frustrated football coach tells his star quarterback to stay after practice for some additional training. For obvious reasons, this scenario works great for group role play as well. Who says the coach only has one MVP? 

7. Pup and Handler

Like many scenes in the world of kink, puppy play at its simplest is a form of role play. It falls under a broader category of role play types called “pet play.” In pet play, humans act stereotypically like different animals before and during sex. 

Like all forms of role play, puppy play is as simple or complex as you make it. Some pups — myself included — love the pup headspace and extend it past the bedroom into daily life. We do this by wearing collars, barking at/sniffing guys on the dance floor, and sitting/kneeling whenever our handlers/boyfriends say, “Sit.” 

There is an inherent power dynamic in puppy play, and many pups would say there is a Dominant/submissive relationship. Pups are automatically submissive to handlers. A good pup loves getting scratches, treats (sexual or otherwise), and led around on a leash by a handler. And while this is certainly not always the case, handlers are typically tops and pups bottoms (alpha pups being a common exception — see number 11). 

Puppy play is implicitly, if not explicitly, a sex role play, but some pups and handlers have removed the sex aspect of it and turned puppy play into a practice more akin to yoga — a de-stressing activity that frees them from the daily rigor of life. While I’m certainly not one such pup, I think that reveals something important about role play itself. There can be a therapeutic aspect to adult pretend games, if only because they remove you from your daily headspace and allow you to be imaginative. We know the positive effects that playing has on children, but few cultures have spaces for adults to do the same. 

8. Kitty and Cat Owner

This is like puppy play, but the submissive guy acts like a cat. This features of this role play are endless: rubber or latex cat suits, tail plugs, and felt mice dangling on a string. 

9. Pony and Rider

Pony play follows the same basic form as the other pet play types. Human ponies love neighing, wearing bits in their mouths (ones designed specifically for human pony play, as actual metal bits will break teeth), and being taken for a ride. The rubber, latex, and leather gear for pony play gets pretty elaborate and very costly, but I know some guys who have an almost quasi-religious dedication to pony play and are willing to fork over the cash. If Equus and all the endless bestiality porn on the internet reveals anything, it’s that horses inspire something very carnal and sexual in us humans. 

10. Pig and Farmer

In modern gay lexicon, a “pig” is a guy who loves bareback sex and male bodily fluids (cum, piss, spit, and sometimes scat), so it should come as no surprise that pig play has evolved as a form of pet play that typically involves all these things. Say “oink” when the farmer comes around with his fisting gloves — you’re in for a wild night. 

11. Beta Pup and Alpha Pup

There is nothing more fun than pupping out with another pup, which means barking, roughhousing, wrestling, licking, and rolling around on the bed with another guy that shares the pup headspace. If you’re a beta pup (submissive), you hope to pup out with an alpha — one that gets dominant when you start sniffing his groin. 

12. Slave and Master

The range of power dynamics in the world of kink can be explained by placing them on a spectrum. On one end, you have puppy play — a mild role play with a relaxed Dom/sub dynamic (some guys say there is not a Dom/sub dynamic at all). On the opposite end, you have Master/slave. Although extreme, Master/slave is still a role play — one that typically involves hardcore BDSM, leather, rubber, extreme bondage and restraint, temporary imprisonment, and long-term domestic service (washing, cleaning, yard labor, etc.), all in service of the Dom/Master. 

13. Doctor and Patient

You’ve undoubtedly seen these scenarios in porn. The restrained male patient needs an anal exam from the rugged doctor, who is conspicuously naked beneath his white coat and stethoscope. Doctor and patient role play is enhanced by a plethora of sex toys and kink supplies that fall under the “medical fetish” umbrella — speculums, metal douching nozzles, anal probes, white latex gloves, etc. 

14. Soldier and Drill Sergeant

This is a clear Dom/sub role play where the sergeant barks orders and the sub — I mean, the soldier — obeys. When sergeant tells you to drop down and lick his boots, you better drop down and lick his boots, private. Atten-shun! 

15. Ransom Victim and Kidnapper

Ransom/kidnap scenes typically involve a lot of bondage and duct tape. The full parameters of the play should be discussed before starting. Some guys might think the idea of being kidnapped and tied up is hot, but after three hours in a closet with duct tape over your mouth, you might feel differently. In the pre-play negotiation talks, you should set clear limits and boundaries. This role play is one that can be taken to extreme lengths — some guys love getting abducted from a public place and thrown in the back of a car — so you should only play with someone you know and trust (not a stranger or someone you met online). 

16. Daddy and Son

Many tops like being called “daddy” in the throes of sex, but daddy/son role play scenarios go a bit further. There is a lot of written and video daddy/son porn online, so explore the internet for ideas, because the scenarios are endless: Daddy sneaks into his son’s room at night while mommy is sleeping. Son comes home from college one day and catches his dad in the shower and decides to join. Son sneaks into his dad’s room one night to see his dad jerking off. Son forgets to clean his room and daddy decides it’s time for a spanking. Daddy and son are washing daddy’s car and they both get soaked and have to strip off their wet clothes. The fantasies are unlimited! 

17. Merman and Fisherman

Don’t lie, you’ve fantasized about walking down the beach and coming across a poor mer-boy washed ashore who needs help getting back out to sea. He will do whatever it takes. You might need to carry him. But first…. 

Aretwork courtesy of Fred Lammers. See more of his work here.

18. Baby and Parent

Baby role play commonly overlaps with diaper fetish and sometimes scat (feces) fetish. An adult baby will crawl around, cry, and eventually need someone to change his diaper.

19. Intern and CEO

For all its wincing misrepresentation of BDSM relationships, Fifty Shades of Grey touched upon a longstanding role play with a clear Dom/sub dynamic — low-level intern and executive CEO. Business tycoon and office boy. “Cancel my 3:30 meeting and crawl under my desk, boy.” 

20. Porn Star and Director

This one works great if you and your boyfriend like to film yourselves having sex. Strip for the camera as he directs you. He may eventually decide that this shoot really needs a second man, at which point he’ll begrudgingly have to step in as an actor/director. This role play obviously lends itself to groups, especially if you like to watch and direct others and be in control. 

21. Santa and Naughty Child

Christmas role play! When Santa finds out how bad you’ve been this year, he’ll have something more than coal to fill your stocking with. While a santa hat and some black leather boots should get you started, a hefty amount of playfulness and creativity is all you need to get on the naughty list this year. 

22. Cousins

This is like “brothers” role play, but considerably easier to accomplish if you do not, in fact, look anything like your boyfriend. Some guys are wigged out by immediate-family incest scenarios, but cousins? No problem. It’s perfectly acceptable to disappear off to the basement or woods during family reunions for some quality time, right?

23. Batman and Robin

The dynamic duo has been the source of superhero role play for much of the caped crusader’s long career. Their whole setup is kind of obvious, and pretty gay in itself: a wealthy older bachelor takes in a poor young house boy just to fight crime (in spandex and black rubber) every night? Please. 

See more of Philip Bonneau’s great photography here.

 

24. Batman and Superman

This power couple has inspired a plethora of gay fantasies (who’s the top? who’s the bottom?) and if you’re into cosplay, this role play is an easy one to get into. Unsurprisingly, a gay porn parody of the recent Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice movie just hit shelves.

25. Uncle and Nephew

There’s a lot of gay porn modeled after the proverbial “gay uncle” that comes by the house and messes around with his in-the-closet teenage nephew. As you can see, anyone into incest fantasies has unlimited role play options to choose from.

26. Married Couple

This is only role play if you are not, in fact, married. Everything under the sun — including the sun — can be fetishized and inspire eroticism, especially a married couple (as opposed to boyfriends or simply two gay men who play together). This milder role play involves acting like a married couple before or after sex. If you’re non-monogamous, go out and introduce each other as your husbands the next time you’re in a new city, and interested guys will flock to you. Many guys, myself included, love being the third (or forth, or fifth) for a married couple.

27. Pirate and Cabin Boy

All hands on deck! This more imaginative role play goes great with costumes and props. What submissive guy has never fantasized about being the lowly cabin boy on a ship full of rough and restless pirates? The group scenarios are very sexy, and the role play necessitates a lot of rope and a gag — opt for a torn strip of cotton cloth instead of a ball gag. 

28. Teacher and Student

The handsome, bespectacled professor needs you to stay after class. You’ve been misbehaving and it’s time for a lesson in manners. If you want to paddle your student’s bum over a wooden desk, do not use an actual yardstick, because they break easily. Invest in a good wooden or rubber paddle designed for the job. 

29. Firefighter and Rescue Victim

You do not need to light your house on fire to enjoy this role play. It will simply require some creativity, and perhaps a firefighter’s costume, which you should be able to find at your nearest costume store.

30. Policeman and Criminal

“Officer, please don’t give me a speeding ticket. I’ll do anything.” 

“Anything?” 

This old-school role play scenario is not complete without a good set of handcuffs and a black police baton — or, even better, a baton dildo. Thanks to Tom of Finland’s Kake Comics, homoerotic group police scenarios will always be part of the gay canon. 

31. Warden and Inmate

There is a lot of “prison” and “psych ward” porn on the Internet that typically involves groups, handcuffs, straight jackets, cages, and intense BDSM and ass torture (one particularly intense enema porn scene comes to mind). These should give you some inspiration when it’s time to teach your unruly prisoner a lesson. 

32. Hitchhiker and Motorcyclist

This is another Tom of Finland inspiration — one that old-guard leather enthusiasts will be familiar with. Grab a pair of daisy dukes and stick your thumb out on the side of the road — your leather-clad biker boy will surely come along and take you for a ride. 

33. Priest and Sinner

The darkly kinky undertones of penitence and adulation, glory through suffering, and asking for forgiveness on one’s knees has created an massive fetish sub-genre in which religious iconography is integrated beautifully into sex play. This darker role play can get very raunchy with a priest’s robe, a rosary, robe, anal beads, a good leather flogger, a gag, and an unbridled imagination — crown of thorns not required. 

34. Rape Fantasy

Many forms of role play involve overpowering someone or being overpowered, but as soon as you add the word “rape” to any label, it pushes the descriptor into uncomfortable territory, and in the case of “rape fantasy,” intentionally so. “Rape” is a socially and politically charged word that automatically evokes something ugly and violent — as it should. While the kinky community has always embraced pushing the sexual envelope, we draw the line at consent. We stand by three tenets: play must be Safe, Sane, and Consensual.  

That last tenet, “Consensual,” is one that does the most work combating the still-heavy stigma and misunderstandings that people seem to have for kink — namely that it is a culturally condoned form of abuse and rape. While this misconception is not true, at least for not the international majority of kinky men and women, it is simply a fact that many people fantasize about non-consent scenarios. Talking about them and addressing them goes into murky territory. If you engage in “rape fantasy” role play, it must be role play — that is, it must be consensual, a carried-out fantasy, a sexual pretend game. While you and your boyfriend can pretend that your play is non-consensual, and use bondage gear and other kink supplies to enhance that idea, you should also use safe words and establish and respect limits to make sure that what your are doing is safe and healthy.

35. Interrogator and Prisoner

Interrogation typically involves some degree of bondage and BDSM. We’ve all seen hot interrogation scenes in action movies, where the hero is tied in some kind of predicament while the bad guy and his thugs question him. He always escapes at the last minute, but while he’s tied to the chair, guys into interrogation scenes are intensely aroused. This role play may seem more like a performance than a sex play, it can also get pretty intense. Some questions can strike a painful and emotional chord in someone, especially if they are hooded and blindfolded. You should discuss beforehand emotional limits as well as physical ones: What “no-tread” topics can the top/interrogator not ask?

36. Home Invasion

You’ve see it in porn: the handsome thief in a black ski mask breaks in and sees the muscular home owner sleeping in bed (with an all-too-obvious erection beneath the sheets) and decides to take what he wants. Sometimes this scenario gets flipped on its head — the home owner knows Jiu-Jitsu or something and handcuffs the thief to the bed: “You’re going to pay for this, punk.”

While it certainly nudges closer to “rape fantasy,” some guys into home invasion are not aroused by the sex aspect of it. Some guys get off on being held up or mugged, and their fantasy may simply involve someone entering their home and stealing their money. 

37. Airport Security

If you’ve ever had a fantasy of traveling to Berlin and being stopped by the German airport personnel, strip searched by seven muscular men in uniform in a sterile backroom, and rectally examined on a cold chrome table, you might be into role play scenarios involving airport security. 

38. Fantasy Characters

The idea of being fucked by a minotaur is in the upper echelon of my hottest fantasies (their pantheon includes getting fucked by an faun, getting fucked by Rocco Steele, and being stranded on a desert island with all the guys from high school and seeing who makes me his bitch first). Fantasy and its counterparts — anime, comics, video games, mythology — are playgrounds of hot role play. Carried out, they might seem pretty elaborate and require some dedication, and probably some makeup and prosthetics, but what better weekend pastime could you have? Imagine the refusal texts: “Sorry guys, Danny and I can’t come downtown tonight, he wants to role play as a satyr so I’m dressing up as an orc and fucking the shit out of him.” 

Orcs, by the way, are so hot. 

39. Daddy-Home-Early and Yard Boy

This is one of the oldest in the book. Bill comes home from work, loosens his power tie, drops his briefcase by the door, and sees the new yard boy his wife just hired through the kitchen window — young, shirtless, and bent over transplanting sod. Bill gets stirrings he never felt before, and before long he’s stroking his enormous penis in the window when the young man turns and sees him. The two have an uncomfortable five-second staring contest, then Bill calls him in — perhaps for a glass of lemonade — and the young man struts and sweats across the yard and closes the screen door behind him. 

And that, gentlemen, is how gay porn was made.

[sebastianshaw]

@starbucks-redcups Here is the “Toad in Tabletop Games I Like” post you requested! Also tagging @toadlingscentral and @brotherhoodofm and @awkward-snake-girl because Toad... @acaprioglino, you still like Toad? Okay, so I said I would pick a vampire clan or a werewolf/other wereanimal breed, or a DnD race class...but for Toad I am doing ALL of them because I immediately knew which I think he’d be for each. For a vampire, he is absolutely a Nosferatu. In the “Vampire: The Masquerade” setting, each clan of vampires has a curse, a weakness. For the Brujah, they enter Frenzy (a state of uncontrollable bloodthirsty rage) twice as easily as other clans. For the Lasombra, they do not appear in mirrors or photography, a fitting punishment for their pride, and more of a problem than it used to be in this modern age of cameras everywhere. For the Toreador, their same of beauty that makes them artists can also hypnotize them, making them stand still staring enraptured at whatever has captured their aesthetic appreciation...a big problem if the sun comes up or someone is attacking them. And Nosferatu....the poor Nosferatu are all so hideously deformed that they cannot ever mingle with humans, they must remain hidden so as to preserve the Masquerade (the system that keeps humans from knowing vampires exist and walk among them)  No matter what a Nosferatu looked like before their Embrace (becoming a vampire) they become horrible in death, often unrecognizable as their former selves. Many look like Count Orlok in the movie that bears their clan name, but many others have a more “individual” appearence---all of them, however, are too hideous to ever pass as human, and even the other clans look at them with revulsion (especially the beauty-obsessed Toreador) So, like Toad, they’re outcasts for their appearance, both from humanity and often looked down on by other vampires, just like Toad is rejected both by humans and often by other mutants. Yet, just as Toad has been a valuable underling to Magneto, so too are the Nosferatu very valuable to other vampires. The fact that they have had to learn how to stay hidden has made them masters at going undetected (having the power of Obfuscate helps---it can make you invisible or ignored!) and have become spymasters and intel-gatherers without peer! When you need info, you go to the Nosferatu, and they always have it---for a price.  Toad isn’t really an information-peddler at all in canon, but he is very tech-savvy, and that’s where I think he works as a Nos. In the digital age, Nosferatu have kept up very well with using computers and the internet, and some have become truly extraordinary hackers. Toad’s more of a machinery/inventor guy, but I could see Nos!Toad taking the Internet spymaster route instead. I could also see him using his inventing talents to make modern solutions to vampire problems---helping preserve the Masquerade, dealing with hunters, etc---and earning his value to other vampires that way. Nosferatus also have the power of Animalism, letting them control critters. A lot of them seem to prefer rats, but Toad can sometimes control or communicate with amphibians in canon depending who is writing, so I imagine Nos!Toad has a bunch of little frog and toad buddies that act as his eyes, ears, and living security systems.  Finally, Nosferatu are super strong, posessing the power of Potence, and while Toad’s never been a real brawler, his kicks can definitely kill a man! Toad’s werewolf tribe would be a Bone Gnawer. Bone Gnawers are the “mutts” of werewolf society, the outcasts, the poor, the downtrodden, the ill-bred. Their human forms are often homeless bums or filthy runaways, their wolf forms look more like scrawny junkyard dogs, and other tribes look down on them, especially the aristocratic Silver Fangs. They get no respect and have to earn every scrap they get, but they’re innovative and clever since they have to rely on what little they have, and they’re tough as nails despite not being as big and strong as the other tribes. They’re tragic figures, but also smart, scrappy underdogs, just like Toad.  Toad would also be a metis. See, a peculiarity of the wereanimals in “Werewolf: The Apocalpyse” is that they can’t mate with each other, they must mate with humans or animals in order to reproduce. If two werewolves mate, their offpsring will be sterile and deformed, and this is called a metis. As a note, the term “metis” is also unfortunately the name of a real-world Indigenuous Canadian ethnic group, and while I hope there is no connection (the werewolves use a lot of their own unique language that was invented for the game---crinos, ahroun, theurge, etc.---) this game company (White Wolf) has done shitty racist things before, so like...it’s a possibility. But like, regardless of what the NAME for such a creature is, that’s what Toad would be.  Anyway, MOST werewolf tribes shun the metis, and it’s against their laws for Garou (werewolves) to mate with each other for the exact reason that it produces metis. A metis has to earn their place normally, and a lot of them spend their whole lives trying to do that. But the Bone Gnawers are different. They not only embrace their own metis, but they will adopt the metis from other tribes as their own, not blaming them for the sins of their parents or being what they are. But other tribes will still be nasty towards them. So, Toad has a place among his own people, but will still face persecution from others, which I think fits. Many metis and Bone Gnawers both often become angry and bitter because they’re fighting for the same righteous cause as other Garou (just as the Brotherhood wants to protect mutantkind, the werewolves want to protect Gaia) but get treated like dogshit, which I think also fits Toad. They keep fighting the good fight, but they’re often snarky and distrustful of others because they always expect to get kicked once they’re not useful. For a werebeast, I think he’d be a Ratkin. The Ratkin are wererats, and they’re my FAVES. Not just because I love rats, but because they’re honestly SO MUCH FUN. It’s kind of hard for me to describe if you’re not familiar with the setting, but in a world where a lot of the other creatures are all very formal and serious, the Ratkin are like...honestly, I could read their entire breedbook with Toad’s voice from the X-Men Evo cartoon and it would sound PERFECT; one of the rats in it talks about how a Stargazer tribe werewolf tried to impress him with a haiku about cherry blossosm, so the Ratkin recited half a limerick then hit the wolf on the nose with a stick and ran away. I love it, I love them.  Like the Bone Gnawers (the only werewolf tribe they get along with) they’re scrappers and survivors who live on the fringes of society, using their brains to fight for a good cause even if they’re not as big and tough as others, and even if those others don’t appreciate them.  There are different “Aspects” of Ratkin, basically different castes, and Toad would ABSOLUTELY be an engineer. Engineers use their shocking intelligence to salvage and devise ingenious devices from rubble and garbage to fight against the Wyrm and its servants (the Wyrm is like...the big bad evil spirit that all the wereanimals are fighting to save Gaia from, basically) Metis are a thing with wererats too, but the rats treat them equal, unlike werewolves. I would still have Toad be one, though, to keep his odd appearance; his rat form would probably be hairless, poor guy, and he’d probably have an unpleasant smell. As a note, Ratkin HATE humans, but the Ratkin metis will often have sympathy for humans who are downtrodden and outcast by other humans (which can make their fellow rats sneer at them)  Finally, for DnD, his class would be either a Rogue or an Artificer. A Rogue is one of the original classic DnD classes, they’re sneaky cunning thief-types who live by their wits and rely on skills and stealth and cunning and trickery instead of brute force. They pick locks and pick pockets, and I think they’d be a great fit for X-men Evolution Toad specifically. They can be very acrobatic, and are great at avoiding danger, which also fits for Toad’s leaping abilities and how he can be cowardly ( speaking of that, the Ratkin, while ultimately willing to die for Gaia if they must, would definitely always prefer to live another day if they can, rather than die a noble death if they don’t have to) So you could totally go with Toad as a Rogue, someone who has been cast out by society and thus has become a thief and a scoundrel to survive. But the Artificer, a new class, works even better when you consider Toad’s mechanical genius. Artificers, like the Ratkin Engineers, merge science with the supernatural. They’re inventors extraordinaire who unlock the magic in everyday objects, and channel arcane power with tools and tinkering! For his race, either a Grung or a Kobold. The Grung are little frog-people. They’re agile, they’re amphibious, they jump really good, and their skin secretes a substance that is harmless to them but poisonous to other creatures. By using a small amount of this poison, they can mentally enslave other creatures, and depending on the writer (Toad’s powers fluctuate around a lot due to his unstable genetic structure, as I’m sure you know)  Toad can also secrete chemicals from his tongue and fingertips that allow him to influence, manipulate, and control the minds of others to a limited extent, so there’s that similarity. Different colored grungs have different castes/roles in their society, and I think Toad would be a green or blue.  Green grungs are the tribe's warriors, hunters, and laborers, and blue grungs work as artisans and in other domestic roles. Green because, even though he’s not the bravest, he is often used as a grunt or canon fodder in fights by the Brotherhood, and blue because “artisan” could also cover being an inventor. Kobolds are little lizard-people who often serve dragons as the dragon’s minions (and Toad is usually in the minion role) and are noted for their skill at building traps and preparing ambushes, which I think Toad’s engineering skills would make him good at, plus I think he’d far prefer trapping an enemy than having to fight them. Like Toad, Kobolds are often dismissed as cowardly, foolish, and weak by others, but actually they’re clever and can be quite aggressive, as is the case with Toad too.  I hope you enjoyed this and that at least some of it was accurate/fitting!

[cakesunflower]

There’s No Way It’s Not Going There [Roommate!Calum] One Shot

Summary: From the moment they met, there was an unspoken fact that Reese and Calum could never just stay roommates. They were pretty alike--especially when it came to their attraction for one another. But roommates had that unspoken rule as well: they couldn’t cross that line. Except rules were meant to be broken, and no matter how hard they tried to keep their feelings a secret, neither of them realized they were only pushing themselves right into each other. Loosely based off the song There’s No Way by Lauv ft. Julia Michaels.

A/N: this is 26,969 words long which is a whole lot longer than i had anticipated. I swear. it wasn’t supposed to be this long. yet here we are. it’s also @sweetcherrymike‘s fault. happy reading y’all!

The single car alarm sounded behind Calum as he walked away from his vehicle, his duffel bag hitting the side of his thigh as he made his way towards the front of his apartment building. His pace wasn’t rushed, the familiar and welcome soreness in his muscles keeping him at bay as he returned from soccer practice, though Calum figured he shouldn’t be taking his sweet time and hop into the shower as quickly as he could. He’d recently put out an ad for a wanted roommate, given that Ashton had moved into his own place with his girlfriend, and while Calum wasn’t strapped for cash, he knew he’d eventually need a housemate to help cover the costs. To his pleasure, someone had responded, a dude named Reese, who was supposed to be coming by today to take a look around before closing the deal. Calum just didn’t want his first impression to his new potential roommate to be that he was some sweaty, smelly athlete.

Not that Calum quite cared what other people thought of him—he just figured it’d be better if he didn’t get off on the wrong foot with whoever he lived with next.

As he approached the front door, Calum caught sight of a figure leaning against the wall next to the door, eyes narrowing slightly behind his sunglasses as he saw the girl busying herself on her phone. He hadn’t seen her around before, especially since Calum knew of or had seen almost everyone that lived in this complex, and as he walked up the few steps he wondered if she was visiting someone.

The closer he got, the more Calum couldn’t seem to break his gaze from her. She was pretty—gorgeous, actually—with sun kissed skin shown off in the T-shirt dress she wore, dark brown hair only just grazing her shoulders in loose waves as a single earbud dangled from her ear and a passenger bag hung from her shoulder. She hadn’t noticed his presence, too busy with whatever she was doing on her phone and lost in the music she was probably listening to, and Calum couldn’t help but admire the stranger in front of him. He was never one to not appreciate something—or someone—worth praising, and this girl was no exception.

Reaching the top step, Calum raised an eyebrow as he found himself asking, “Are you waitin’ for someone?”

She looked up at the sound of his voice, and if Calum was someone else, he would’ve taken a step back at the sight of her eyes. Even behind the shade of his sunglasses, Calum could tell they were some kind of, almost mystical, combination of blue and green, maybe even speckles of gold that danced under the sunlight, appearing utterly translucent. He also noted the gold ring pierced at her nostril, dainty and thin but prettily noticeable. To call her gorgeous would be an understatement, Calum decided within that moment, reminding himself of who he was and that he did not gawk like an idiot in front of women he couldn’t look away from.

Calum, ever the observer, noted the way her own eyes took in the sight of him, from his scuffed up Vans and athletic shorts to the muscle tee and hair he’d only recently buzzed for the start of the season. He wondered if she liked what she saw, almost as much as he did, the dainty rings on her fingers glimmering under the sunlight as she held her phone and said, “Yeah, but they haven’t answered me, so—”

She shrugged, as though the action was an end to her sentence, and Calum stepped towards the door, eyes still on her as he said, “I can let you in.”

He saw the corner of her glossed lips quirk up briefly as he brought his hand up to the keypad, hearing her say a sincere, “Appreciate it,” as he put in his four digit code and she pushed herself off the wall.

Calum opened the door, gesturing for her to walk in, and she did so with a quick smile, eyes landing on the elevators before walking over to them, Calum following after her as she pressed the button to go up. The doors opened up right away and they stepped in, and as Calum took off his sunglasses and hung them at the neckline of his shirt and pressed the button to his floor, he asked her, “Which floor?”

Her eyes dropped to the panel, lips quirking up with an assuring nod when she saw he already pressed the button as she told him, “Five.”

He raised his eyebrows, hand dropping from the panel before gripping the strap of his duffel. The two of them stood side by side, his height easily towering over hers as she stood with her arms crossed and eyes on the digital numbers that slowly increased as they made their way up. Calum glanced at her from the corner of his eye, took in the multiple piercings on her ear, thinking in the moment how the three small hoops, helix, and industrial piercings looked quite nice on her.

As they crept past the fourth floor, Calum found himself musing, “Are you new around here? Haven’t seen you before.”

She glanced at him, green eyes meeting brown, and Calum watched as she decided his inquiry wasn’t invasive. “I’m hoping to be,” she answered as the elevator stopped at the fifth floor, the doors opening as they stepped out. “I’m meeting with a potential new roommate.”

Calum paused in swinging his keys around with a finger through the keychain, eyebrows twitching into a thoughtful frown as he looked at her in mild confusion. And if her words weren’t damning enough, just as Calum stopped in front of his apartment door, 504, so did she, her own expression turning into one of surprise as she looked at the door number and then at Calum, the pieces putting themselves together in both their respective minds at the same time.

She raised her eyebrows then, an amused smile quirking at her lips as she checked, “Calum?”

He was really fucking confused, and he knew he probably looked like an utter idiot gaping at her in bewilderment before pointing at her with his keys and asking, “Reese?” When she let out a short chuckle, nodding in confirmation, Calum laughed in quick realization as he gave a shake of his head. When it finally clicked in his head what was going on, his thoughts catching up to his mouth, he let out another huff of laughter as he told her, “Shit, my phone’s dead.” He patted his pocket where the device was, as if offering evidence to support the truth behind his statement. Then, with a gentle but still surprised scoff, Calum added, “I’m sorry, I didn’t—I thought you were a guy when you responded to my ad.”

Calum watched as an amused and understanding smile tilted at Reese’s lips, as if this sort of thing happened to her all of the time, getting confused for a guy because of her name. The smile remaining on her pink mouth, Reese raised her eyebrows and asked, “Does that mean you’ve rescinded your offer?”

He bit the tip of his tongue, his quick mind suddenly reminding him what this would mean. When he read Reese’s response to his ad, telling him that she fit the criteria of what he was looking for in a roommate while also telling him that she loved cleaning—since it helped her destress sometimes—had a sleep schedule that surprisingly went along with Calum’s own fucked up one, and most importantly was okay with him having over his three best friends whenever so long as she could do the same with her friends, Calum thought he’d hit the roommate jackpot. He also thought she was a he.

But the woman in front of him was not at all what he was expecting, and it would be an absolute lie to say that Calum hadn’t felt that familiar primal reaction at the first sight of her. If they were to live together, all possibility of acting on it would be thrown out the window as soon as she moved in, and while that wasn’t the end of the world, would it be pathetic to say that it was disappointing?

Looking at Reese, Calum noted the subtle hopefulness that made itself known in her eyes, wondering if her gender really was enough for Calum to tell her he was, in fact, taking back his offer. Except Calum truly had no preference if his roommate was a guy or a girl, and living with someone as gorgeous as Reese. . . Calum figured there might be some perks in there that he wasn’t yet considering.

So he unlocked the door, pushing it open as he shot her a charming grin, “’Course not. Come on in.”

Reese grinned at that, eyes lighting up as she walked into the apartment, Calum’s eyes never leaving her as she walked past him and he shut the door behind them. The sound of paws pattering on the sleek floor could be heard from the end of the hallway, and Calum grinned when Duke came running into the room, the dog’s attention only on Calum as he ran towards him with his quick barks and name tag clinking against his collar.

Calum crouched down to greet his pet, running his fingers through Duke’s black and white and grey fur, the smile on his face instantaneous as Duke licked at his chin excitedly. “How you doin’, buddy?” Calum murmured as Duke’s paws patted against his arms and knees. Aware of the person standing beside them, Calum looked up at Reese, hands still petting Duke, catching sight of her looking down at them with her arms crossed and a small smile on her lips. Remembering her response to his ad, Calum checked, “You like dogs, right?”

Letting out an amused breath through her nose, lips quirking a bit wider, Reese answered without pause, “Love them,” as her eyes went back to Duke, who was now looking at her with curious dark eye.

For a brief moment, Calum wondered how Duke would react to Reese, found himself hoping it’d be a welcome reaction given the possibility of Reese living with them. His small dog took some time warming up to people, so Calum didn’t expect for Duke to be all over Reese, but that thought was instantly thrown out of Calum’s head as he watched, blinking in surprise, when Duke trotted over to Reese and sniffed at her blue painted toes before letting out a chipper bark and propping himself up on his hind legs and pressing his front paws at her calves while looking up at her.

The smile returned to Reese’s face, crouching to her knees and rubbing at Duke’s head, her expression growing soft as the dog nosed at her chin and jaw and gave her a few licks. Calum watched them, transfixed and a bit thrown off, not at all expecting for Duke to show that kind of affection towards a complete stranger. Calum tried not to smirk then; clearly it was a sign that he’d found his new roommate, watching as Reese murmured and cooed at his pet.

He watched as she glanced at his name tag, letting out an amused laugh as her green eyes met Calum’s brown and she asked with a quirked eyebrow, “Baby Grandpa?”

Calum chuckled, the name tag a gift from his mother as he gripped his knees before pushing himself up to his feet. “He looks like a baby but he’s old,” he told her. “His name’s Duke.”

Reese hummed, looking back at the dog who was still enjoying her fingers running through his shaggy fur. Tilting her head at him, Reese murmured, “Hi, Duke. You think we’d be good roomies?”

Duke let out a bark, as if actually responding to Reese’s question, which only made the two humans let out laughs as Calum’s eyes once again met hers. He was sure he’d be able to put aside whatever physical attraction that hit him the moment his eyes landed on her to the side to make this work. With an agreeing smile, he sided with Duke, “I think so, too.”

Reese’s smile told him she was on the same page.

                                                    *****

“So,” Luke spoke up, his voice curious and excited as he settled on the couch next to Calum, while Michael and Ashton claimed the two-seater diagonal of them. Ankle crossed at his knee and arms spread upon the top of the couch, Luke raised an eyebrow at the soccer player and asked, “Where’s your new roommate?”

“What? My company not enough for you?” Calum retorted through a mouthful of cereal, still in his pajamas, as Luke gave a roll of his eyes accompanied by a dismissive scoff. The TV was on opposite of them, playing a rerun of Friends since that’s the channel the TV turned on to and Calum was too lazy to change it. He’d woken up at eleven to texts in his group chat informing him that his buddies were coming over, all of them surprisingly already up for the day—though, Calum figured it was because they wanted to meet the person who was now residing in Ashton’s old bedroom. They would’ve come over the last two days, but Calum had told them to wait until Reese was settled in. “Reese brought someone over last night. Isn’t up yet.”

Michael raised his eyebrows, letting out an impressed chuckle after swallowing his mouthful of water and capping the bottle. “Already? Good on Reese.”

Calum chuckled before shoving another spoonful of Cheerios in his mouth. She had gone out with friends the night before after she finished the last of her unpacking and had invited Calum along to celebrate, but he had some assignments to complete and promised her there would be plenty of celebration over the weekend, promising to throw a party with his and her friends to properly celebrate, and Reese had smiled in appreciation before leaving.

It wasn’t until hours later did Calum hear the front door open, still awake behind the closed door of his bedroom as his ears picked up the sounds of two pairs of footsteps stumbling through the apartment, as well as heavy breathing mixed with appreciative moans. They were soon silenced by the sound of Reese’s bedroom door shutting, across the hall and towards the left of Calum’s room, and he let out a breath at the knowledge of someone getting to do to Reese what he’d wanted to do since he’d met her the near week ago.

But Calum pushed that away, reminding himself it wasn’t going to happen now that she was his roommate, that he had to keep those thoughts to himself. Maybe get rid of them by finding any of the girls ready to jump into bed with him. Dwelling on the one girl he couldn’t have wasn’t going to do him any good, so he pushed aside whatever pathetic spurts of jealousy he was possibly feeling and put in his headphones, drowning out the sounds he already wasn’t able to hear but felt like the music was needed to drown out the thoughts that had made themselves known.

Only a few minutes had passed and Calum heard the distant sound of a door opening from down the hall to his left, and he knew his friends did too judging by how all three of their gazes turned towards the hall—even Luke, who craned his head to look. Calum suppressed his amused yet unimpressed chuckle; it was like they’d never seen another person before.

As the footsteps grew less faint, Calum glanced over as well, grip on the bowl and spoon tightening at the sight of Reese emerging from the hall. She only wore a pair of night shorts and a sleeping tank, waist length dark hair hair loose around her shoulders and just a bit frizzy and messy from her slumber, and Calum was frustrated as he felt his muscles tighten when he took her in. The septum ring was a permanent fixture in her nose, the jewelry fitting her achingly well. Her legs were shown off in those shorts and the image of them wrapped around him planted itself in his mind before he could even stop it. Fucking hell. The faint marks on her neck didn’t help, not when his head taunted him for not being the one to put them there.

Reese paused when she noticed that it wasn’t just Calum in the living room, fingers halfway through her hair as she pushed them back, before she began walking once again towards the kitchen connected to the room while offering a greeting, “Morning.”

His dark eyes followed her as she entered the kitchen, appreciated just how short her shorts were, absently returning, “Morning,” before forcing himself to look away.

When he did, Calum noticed the rest of his friends, each watching Reese with their own bewildered expressions on their faces. He could hear her messing around in the kitchen behind him, oblivious or uncaring to the boys’ stares, as she asked, “Anyone want pancakes?”

Instead of answering her, Ashton raised his eyebrows at Calum while Michael and Luke exchanged blinking, surprised expressions. Leaning forward a bit, Ashton whispered to Calum, “She’s making breakfast?”

Next to him, Luke asked, “Where’s Reese? Is it your job to kick out his one nighters?”

Calum looked at his friends, taking in their confused and incredulous expressions, before his mind caught up and the laughter threatened to choke him with the cereal in his mouth. Quickly, Calum swallowed, though the laughs still escaped him as he coughed a bit, sitting up. The amusement their questions in combination to their expressions brought was too much, the laughter flowing out of Calum easily as he began shaking his head, especially when the three guys watched him like he had just grown another head at the unexpected reaction. Oh, man, breaking the news to them would be hilarious.

“Guys,” Calum finally spoke up through a final breath of laughter, standing up and positioning himself so he could see his friends as well as Reese, who glanced up from where she was at the counter, short hair now tied, mixing the pancake batter. One hand holding the bottom of his empty bowl, Calum gestured towards the girl in the kitchen with his free hand as he introduced, “This is Reese. Reese, these are my buddies Luke, Ashton, and Michael.”

Calum caught Reese’s small smile on her too soft looking lips from where she stood, offering a friendly, “Nice to meet you,” before he quickly turned his gaze to look at the reactions he’d been waiting for.

He saw it play across each of their faces; the confused frowns transitioning into surprised gapes that melted into widened eyes and raised eyebrows to show the moment the realization clicked in their heads. Calum felt himself smirk, still completely amused as he realized he never actually told his three best friends that his new roommate was a girl. How that slipped Calum’s mind, he wasn’t sure; maybe he was still trying to get over his own surprise at the discovery, while trying to consistently remind himself to keep whatever unsavory thought he was having about Reese to himself. In this midst of all that, he’d forgotten to disclose the surprising discovery to his friends.

“Oh, shit,” Luke let out a startled laugh, the first to recover as he turned around on the couch to look at Reese. She was at the stove now, going about her business, as Luke blurted through his grin, “You’re a girl.”

Ashton let out a quiet, contemptuous groan while Michael scoffed, “No shit.” All the while, Calum pursed his lips and closed his eyes, giving a resigned shake of his head at his friend’s tendency to just blurt out whatever was in his head. When he looked at Calum, he was a bit relieved to see the amused smile quirking at her lips as she looked to her right to look at them, one hand holding a spatula while the other rested on her hip.

“Last time I checked, yeah,” Reese easily responded, and Calum was glad to see she was more amused than insulted by Luke’s dumb comment. Realizing what he’d said, Luke flushed a bit and let out a sheepish chuckle, stammering for an apology until Reese waved him off with the spatula. “Don’t worry about it—you’re not the first to assume otherwise. Apparently not a lot of people have heard of Reese Witherspoon.”

When she said that, her eyes slid over to meet Calum’s gaze pointedly, prompting the tattooed man to let out a huff of laughter while rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. He may have assumed as well, but at least he hadn’t said something as obvious as “you’re a girl” to her.

Ignoring the snickers from his friends, Calum walked around the couch to go into the kitchen, approaching the sink as he glanced at Reese and inquired, “The dude’s gone?”

“Yeah,” Reese responded with a relieved chuckle, picking up a done pancake and putting it on her plate before reaching for the bowl of batter. Calum put his dish in the sink, turning to lean his lower back against it and cross his arms over his chest as he watched her. He kept his gaze on her profile rather than the sight of her slender, marked neck, the thin chain of her pendant almost melting into her skin, but even looking at her face was a sight of its own. “Thankfully he had the right mindset of not sticking around.”

Calum’s lips curled into a smirk as she turned over a pancake. “Not a fan of the awkward morning after kick out, huh?”

Reese snorted tiredly, shooting him a look. “Is anyone?”

Letting out a small laugh, Calum offered a shrug as he said, “If you ever need, I’m more than happy to do it for you.”

Okay, so maybe his offer had more to do with working through his inane jealousy by kicking out whatever dude got to spend the night with his roommate than to keep her from doing it herself, but Reese didn’t have to know that.

She smiled at him, the amusement dancing in her dark green eyes quietly as she gave him a once over. Calum felt himself still under the scrutiny of her sharp gaze, though he was careful not to let it show as he kept the small smirk on his lips as a way of decievement. It seemed to work as Reese let out a breathless chuckle before nodding. “Got it. Offer’s mutual.”

God, there was so much more he wanted to offer her. But Calum stayed quiet, constantly reminding himself the line that had been drawn when she agreed to be his roommate could not be crossed.

*****

“Hey, Reese, come here! You and Cal need to take a shot together!”

She barely had a moment to register Michael’s words before his hand was grasping hers to pull her towards the kitchen, stumbling only slightly over her Converse clad fleet as she let him tug her along. Not that Reese had much of a choice; she was already pretty tipsy, the pregame and the party calling for lots of drinks, and the thought of drinking more did nothing but bring a too wide happy grin to her face that she kept otherwise at bay when sober.

There were loads of people at the apartment, all Reese’s friends and people that Calum and the boys knew, a bunch from Calum’s soccer team, who she was meeting for the first time. With the alcohol making its way through her veins, Reese didn’t quite care that all of these people were here, though the next morning when she was sober and hungover, she knew she would moan and groan about the mess left behind that she and Calum would have to clean up. But for now, she enjoyed the music playing throughout, the people dancing and having a good time, and the abundance of drinks she and Calum had bought along with a bunch that some of their friends brought along, too. She deserved a proper way of celebrating her new home, especially after a somewhat hellish week of getting settled while staying on top of the endless assignments her professors threw at her.

She and Michael got to the kitchen, right at the counter ridden with bottles and cups where Calum, Ashton, Luke, their girlfriends, as well as Reese’s best friend Katherine were gathered waiting for them. “Hey, there she is!” Ashton grinned as Reese came to stand next to Calum. Ashton reached for the bottle of Fireball as well as two clean plastic shot glasses, the dimples on his cheeks deep as he uncapped the bottle and said, “This is a must.”

Reese managed to mutter out a reluctant, “oh, God,” at the sight of the drink she would have to take a shot of, not the biggest fan of the fiery whiskey Ashton was pouring out for them. Calum’s gaze met hers as he heard her, his lips quirking up into an amused smirk which she elbowed his side for. Calum merely chuckled, raising his left arm and draping it around Reese’s shoulders effortlessly, tucking her into his side as the silver chain bracelet hung from his wrist.

She wasn’t sure if she was already warm or if Calum’s body was supplying her with a new heat that made her want to press herself against him more. The skin of his arm, thanks to his short sleeved shirt, could be felt against her bare shoulders thanks to her spaghetti strapped bodysuit, and Reese hoped the smile on her face didn’t falter at the sensation of being so close to him.

The twist of her stomach was an unexpected reaction, neck tensing as she silently swallowed while her gaze met that of Kat’s, who was watching her like a hawk with her blue eyes. Reese easily picked up on the look in Kat’s eyes, suggestive and teasing, and even through the lightness of her head, Reese hoped Kat got the silent message of getting that look off her face.

Her roommate was hot. Plain and simple. In fact, calling Calum hot seemed like an understatement; he was dangerously attractive, a fact that slapped her in the face the second her eyes landed on him for the first time outside of the building. And when they’d sealed the deal about her moving in, there had been a moment where Reese asked herself how she was going to handle living with a guy who looked and sounded like Calum. But she didn’t have much of a choice, because this apartment had been the only one near by her campus that she could afford and was really fucking nice, so she buried whatever unhinged desires stirred in the pit of her stomach and promised herself she would look at him as just a roommate.

It wasn’t her fault she’d already, in the week she’d been living there, gotten so used to his fresh, foresty scent that clung to him deliciously.

“There you go,” Ashton said, handing a small cup to each of them, filled to the brim with the brownish-orange drink that Reese wanted to gag just smelling.

“Right,” Calum spoke up, sounding a lot more sober than everyone else. But Reese had drank with him during the pregame and saw how much he had drank since the party began, and she realized he wasn’t truly sober. He was just keeping it together long enough to deliver a speech, of sorts. Holding the cup with his thumb and index finger, Calum straightened against Reese and blinked a couple of times before drawling, “To Reese—who’s a lot prettier than my last roommate.”

Laughter erupted at Calum’s teasing toast while Ashton, through a grin of his own, exclaimed, “Hey, fuck you!” as Calum pulled away from a grinning, flattered Reese. She looked up at him expectantly, shot ready in hand, and Calum held his arm holding the cup out as he grinned, “Here.”

She was quick to realize what he wanted to do, grinning as she locked her arm with his at their elbows, and Calum had enough sense to crouch down ever so slightly so the height difference wasn’t too awkward. His dark eyes locked with her green ones, the smile on her face contagious and beautiful, before the two of them brought their hands around to bring their cups to their mouths before simultaneously taking the shot.

The cheers of their friends mixed in with the beat of the music playing, and Reese squeezed her eyes shut as the stinging, fiery whiskey rushed down her throat in a blaze and settled in her stomach. It left an awful and familiar taste in her mouth as she clenched her eyes and bared her teeth, sucking in a breath as she vaguely heard Kat laugh at her expense, knowing Reese’s disenchantment with the drink.

“Oh, my God,” Reese groaned, her arm absently unhooking with Calum’s as she felt her forehead come in contact with something soft yet firm. The familiar scent that invaded her, a welcome change from the Fireball, told Reese it was Calum’s shirt as she pressed her forehead against his chest, feeling the effects of the whiskey a bit too quickly as she tried to fruitlessly get rid of the taste lingering on her tongue. Against her, she felt Calum chuckle, the sound a deep rumble from his chest, his arm hooking around her neck loosely to keep her in an embrace she could melt into. She let out a shuddering breath, telling herself it was because of the drink and not because of the proximity to Calum. “That was fucking disgusting.”

“There’s plenty of drinks to wash it out with,” Calum reassured her.

“Augh, I need a Malibu,” Reese shook her head, face scrunched at the taste she could still experience in her mouth as she pulled away from Calum. Maybe a taste of her favorite drink would rid of the disgusting whiskey.

“I got you,” Calum said before turning to the counter, and she watched as he began making her drink, reaching for a cup and the appropriate bottles to create it.

Reese tuned into the conversation their friends were having, but soon enough Calum was handing her the cup and Reese took a sip of it, eyes widening at the delicious taste as she turned to Calum. “Holy shit,” she grinned, her praising tone upturning Calum’s lips as well. Pointing to the cup with her free hand, she said, “If you can make drinks like this, I’m never fucking moving out.”

Calum came to stand next to her, a cup in his own hand, and Reese felt something flip in her stomach at the wink he gave her. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, Reese.”

His arm returned around her shoulders, casual and innocent, and Reese’s heart jumped to her throat as she leaned into him, ignoring the smirk Kat was shooting her way as she sipped at her drink. Calum’s body was lean and sturdy against Reese’s, and she suppressed the content sigh threatening to escape. She felt him laugh at something Michael said, and Reese bit the inside of her cheek as Calum’s adorable laughter practically vibrated through her.

Yeah. She wouldn’t have it any other way, either.

                                                    *****

Reese’s frappuccino sat half finished and forgotten between her feet, her attention too focused on the match going on in front of her. Truthfully, Reese had no idea what was actually going on, never one for any kind of sport, but soccer wasn’t too difficult to follow if she knew who she was rooting for. The field was bright, the lights surrounding it focusing everyone’s attention to the players and not the stars beginning to glitter in the sky. Her eyes kept drifting over to Calum, running around the field in his red and black jersey, the number 25 underneath his last name on his back.

No matter how many times she told herself to follow the ball, to watch the game in its entirety, Reese kept finding her gaze being dragged back to her roommate, the sight of him on the green field a bit too entrancing. The look of concentration on his face never ceased, only being replaced by a quick victorious smile every time their team scored a goal, though the concentrated frown returned on his face even when he clapped once when their goalie blocked the other team trying to score.

Calum was effortless on the field, handling the ball with agility when it was in his possession and always being involved in the goals they scored, whether he was the one scoring them or assisting another teammate. Reese was well aware that she was pathetically entranced watching Calum, yet she couldn’t seem to pull herself out of it as the game went on.

“He’s fast,” Kat murmured as they watched, and Reese hummed her agreement as she tracked Calum running to where the soccer ball was. He was incredibly light on his feet, like his cleats weren’t even touching the turf, quick to get to where he wanted to be. Kat nudged Reese, her quiet voice turning teasing as she added, “You’re drooling.”

Reese was quick to pull back, straightening her back as she shot her best friend an unimpressed look with a quiet intake of air, gaze telling Kat to shut up, to which she was responded to with a grin. Reese was pretty sure she wasn’t the only one admiring the sight of her roommate—but she was the only one who got to go home with him one way or another. Not that she would want to in any other context. Nope. Definitely not. Reese didn’t have time for something as messy and complicated as that.

It’d be best if she got that thought out of her head before it even started.

The game ended, with Calum’s team winning by one point, their side of the bleachers erupting into roaring cheers as Reese joined everyone on their feet as they clapped. According to the boys, everyone was meeting up at a bar near the campus for drinks, and since Reese and Kat had Ubered to the field, Ashton was kind enough to have them hop in the back with Michael before driving to the bar.

Reese kept it light, ordering herself a cranberry vodka while they, along with a bunch of other people Reese didn’t know, waited for Calum and whoever else from the team to show up. So she kept herself entertained with the people she did know, chattering with the boys and Kat until slowly some of the soccer team boys started showing up, all greeted happily, before in stepped the captain that was greeted with a round of cheers saved especially for him.

She’d been sitting tucked into the corner of a couch next to Kat, eyes on the way Calum entered the bar, a triumphantly arrogant grin pushing up his cheeks as he did the bro-handshake with whoever was greeting him. Reese watched him, silent and observing, at the way everyone approached him, like he was some kind of king, with dark eyes bright under the red and yellow lights of the bar, his uniform traded in for a pair of dark jeans, a black tank and his leather jacket on top. Calum walked in like he owned the place, and Reese couldn’t help but think how frustratingly hot that was.

Calum did that bro-handshake with his buddies, a grin on his face that alluded to the happiness and triumph from the win. Reese watched as Luke dropped his arm around Calum’s shoulders, the two chatting animatedly as Luke clapped at Calum’s chest while leading him towards the bar, probably wanting to be the first to buy the man of the hour a drink.

“Seriously—stop eye fucking him.”

Kat’s snickering comment had Reese blinking out of her reverie, turning to look at her best friend, who was watching her with an expression teeming with amusement. Shoulders shifting, Reese huffed, “Fuck off, I wasn’t doing that.”

“It’s okay to be attracted to him, y’know,” Kat hummed knowingly, innocently, and Reese could hear the smile in her voice without even having to look. “Just ’cause he’s your roommate, doesn’t mean you can’t—”

“I’m not gonna fuck him,” Reese cut in, almost incredulously, though she kept the even tone she often spoke in, a mechanism of not giving away her true thoughts or intentions. Though, why she even bothered with Kat, Reese wasn’t sure. Her best friend was fortunately the only person who could read her like a book.

The smirk was evident in Kat’s tone as she hummed lowly, though Reese could hear her over the heavy bass of the music. “I was gonna say be attracted to him. Good to know where your mind’s at.”

Reese pursed her lips, shooting a side eyed glare at her giggling friend, who looked to be having too much fun in pointing out things Reese would rather she didn’t. Regardless of what Kat meant, Reese was being honest—she wasn’t going to hook up with Calum. She couldn’t. The guy was her roommate—her ridiculously hot, toned, gorgeous roommate—and crossing that line with him wasn’t something she could take a step back from. She finally found a nice apartment with a great roommate to live in, and Reese wasn’t about to jeopardize it just because she couldn’t keep her hormones in check. If she wanted to fuck, she’d find someone else.

Her eyes once again found him through the people lingering in between where either of them were. Calum was at the bar, leaning against it with his profile in Reese’s view, shadowed by the lights above, chatting with Luke and a bunch of other guys Reese recognized by face. As she sipped at her drink, Reese’s cool gaze remained on Calum as the beat of the song drummed in her chest, unable to tear her eyes away from him. It was kind of unsettling, if she gave herself a moment to think about it, how her eyes seemed to keep drawing towards him. No doubt if she got caught, Reese would feel her skin overheat in embarrassment.

So Reese tried to distract herself, dragging Kat over to an available pool table to play a quick round and chatted with a few people she knew before eventually finding herself sitting back down on the couch so she could pull out her chapstick. As she reapplied, Reese felt the leather couch dip next to her as a familiar voice asked, “So what’d you think of the game?”

Reese rubbed her lips together after capping the chapstick, turning to face Calum and noticing the way his gaze flickered to her mouth at the slight movement. She wondered if it was a trick of the light when she saw his smile falter, though she kicked that thought out of her head quickly in order to keep up her own mask. “It was awesome,” she told him truthfully, because she really did think so. With a reminding smile and a raise of her eyebrows, Reese leaned back on the couch with her left shoulder so she was facing Calum, whose right arm was resting on top of the couch behind her. “But, then again, I told you I know nothing about sports, so—”

“Hey, you still showed up,” Calum cut in with an easy grin, holding up his hands in acceptance as his dark eyes met her green. “I appreciate it—I know you’ve been swamped with papers and shit.”

Reese’s lip curled into a smirk, trying not to focus too hard on the subtle dimples he got when he smiled. “I’m nothing if not supportive,” she told him, nails tapping against her now empty glass as her gaze dropped to the one Calum was holding. Looking at him, she tilted her head towards the bar and said, “Lemme get your next one.”

Calum glanced down at his nearly finished drink, gaze flickering to meet Reese’s with a quick smirk of his own, and Reese had to shove aside the feeling that his gaze was holding more than he was saying, before he lifting the glass to his lips and tilted his head. Calum downed the contents, making Reese look away so she didn’t openly stare at the firm line of his jaw. Calum nodded his head and the two of them got up, taking the few steps towards the bar right in front of them as Reese flagged down the bartender.

Once giving their drink requests, Reese faced Calum, resting her elbow on the bartop as she raised her eyebrows. “So, what’s it feel like? Winning?”

She admired the red lights against his skin, how it reflected against his dark eyes that glimmered when he let out a breathless chuckle. “Like the blood, sweat and tears were worth it.”

His response had Reese’s lips quirking up as the DJ played a French Montana song. “That’s how I feel when I get an A on a paper I had twelve breakdowns over.”

Calum’s eyebrows shot up, a half smile tilting at his lips. “Is that why Duke disappears into your room sometimes?”

Reese nodded, adopting a serious expression as the bartender brought over their drinks. “He keeps me sane.” As she grabbed her glass, cool under her touch, Reese easily shot Calum a quick wink as she added, “It’s why he’s my favorite roommate.”

A jokingly affronted scoff escaped Calum at her words. “He doesn’t even cook for you. I don’t see you obsessing over his vegetable stir-fry.”

This time Reese scoffed, free hand playing with the black straw of her margarita, not yet taking a sip, as she told him, “Don’t try to compete with Duke. His kisses and cuddles are unmatched.”

Calum’s eyes flashed for a moment, a hint of mischief being chased out by something Reese couldn’t quite put a finger on, as the amused grin on his face lessened into something more secretive, promising, in a way that had Reese’s stomach fluttering. He shouldn’t be looking at her that way. Not when the red lights of the bar splashed across his skin threatened to draw her closer than she was already standing.

Reese saw the brief flicker of his eyes to her mouth, her breath stilling for that second, until Calum’s gaze finally met hers and he said with a ghost of a smirk, “I’m willing to take that challenge.”

He followed his words by clinking his glass to hers, prompting Reese to raise her eyebrows as he took a sip of his drink, and she kept her gaze on his smirking face while bringing the straw to her lips and absently sipping at her margarita. Not even the bittersweet taste of her drink could distract her from the promising words Calum had spoken, sending her into a type of frenzy no alcohol could hope to achieve.

It didn’t help that his eyes were still on her as he lowered the glass from his mouth, the red lights only making him all the more alluring as he licked his smirking lips just as a couple of guys from the team came up to where they were to chat. Calum turned to face them, but his eyes remained on Reese for a few seconds too long, and she desperately wanted to wipe that smirk off his lips. Preferably with her own.

She half listened to what the guys were talking about during the minute it took for her to down the rest of her drink. And then, putting the glass back on the bar, Reese pushed away and made her way to the bathroom, needing to put some space between herself and Calum. It didn’t fucking help that she could feel his gaze burning into her back, and if she were to glance back over her shoulder, her green eyes would meet his brown. So she kept walking.

The small bathroom was surprisingly empty, the sound of the music in the bar muffled by the thick black door as she let out a sigh and looked in the mirror. Behind her, she could see the grey stalls littered with graffiti and writing, but Reese’s focus was on her reflection and the damned flush on her cheeks she knew wasn’t from the drinks.

Reese licked her lips before letting out a breath, tasting the lingering bittersweet margarita. She cursed herself, raising a hand to run through her wavy hair, wondering why the hell she could feel herself come undone because of Calum. No man had ever come close to having an effect on her the way he did. It was like one look from him was enough to spark a fire in her blood, and while Reese loved living with him, it only made it harder to do so, too.

It was only a matter of time until she came undone.

Emerging back into the main area of the bar, Reese dried her damp hands against her jeans thanks to the lack of paper towels in the bathroom, weaving past dancing and mingling bodies as she made her way back to where her group was. Some people had left, others still enjoying their drinks, and as Reese recognized every face, her eyebrows lowered into a frown when one seemed to be missing.

Approaching the bar where Kat and Ashton stood talking, she stepped up to them and, as casually as she could, wondered, “Hey, where’s Calum?”

Something flashed across Kat’s eyes, Reese noticed, but before her best friend could respond, Ashton replied after lowering his beer bottle, “Went back home with some girl. Dunno if he’s at her place or yours, though.”

His words had Reese blinking once in realization before pressing her lips together in unjustified disappointment. Her gaze flickered to Kat, who was looking at her knowingly, and Reese quickly averted her eyes because she despised the way her stomach twisted uncomfortably at Ashton’s words. Why did she feel her chest tighten at the thought of Calum going home with some girl? He was free to do as he pleased, and Reese had no reason to feel dismayed at him doing just that. She had no right to have feelings over that.

Calum was a grown man who wanted to have fun with some girl. Reese had no fucking right to be upset, to hate his decision, like she was right now. She didn’t have a say in how he lived his life, but Reese couldn’t help the way her throat dried as the image of Calum having his way with a faceless girl crawled into her mind before she could stop it. A shudder threatened to rip through her body, and Reese silently cursed herself for being so overdramatic.

She turned to the bar. Maybe a drink would help wash the image out. And as her green eyes scanned the bar, looking at the faces she did and didn’t recognize, Reese also figured some guy here could help erase any unwanted images from her head, too.

                                                   *****

Calum wondered how rude it would be to just push the girl, Paige, out the door and slam it in her face so he could get on with his morning. Pretty rude, he knew, and not at all the kind of behavior his mom would be proud of. So instead he leaned his side against the door frame, arms crossed and joggers hung low, wondering when the concept of one night slipped the minds of some people. All he wanted to do was make himself some breakfast and join Duke on the couch, not be stuck on the receiving end of Paige’s fluttering eyelashes and coy smiles. She was pretty and he’d had a good, satisfying time with her last night, and he could only hope she got the message that’s all it was. One night.

“So,” she hummed, finger lightly grazing the bare skin of Calum’s bicep, his shirt forgotten somewhere on his bedroom floor as his brown eyes met her dark blue. He wondered if he noticed the somewhat bored expression on his face or simply ignored it. A corner of her lips turned up as she finished, “We should do this again sometime.”

Apparently the concept of one night was forgotten.

Calum took a breath, preparing himself to spew the same rejection he uttered during instances like this. “Listen—last night was fun and you were great, but—” His gaze had began wandering as he spoke, noticing the realization that flickered across her face upon hearing his tone of voice, but Calum was distracted by the sight appearing before him at the hallway that led to the bedrooms inside his apartment. He cut himself off, eyebrows raising as he stupidly questioned, “Reese?”

His roommate stopped where she stood, wearing her night shorts and a loose, silky tank top, mildly surprised green eyes on Calum rather than the man standing next to her. Calum’s gaze flickered to the unfamiliar man, taking him in with a critical narrow of his eyes, taking in the dark grey jeans and plain blue shirt, the jacket he held in his hands and his somewhat disheveled red hair.

Paige, upon hearing the other name, frowned before following Calum’s gaze to the two other people in the apartment. She let out a scoff, raising an eyebrow as she all but sneered, “Oh, nice. They kicking you out, too?”

It took a moment for Calum to register her words, and the only way he did was by looking at Reese, who blinked at Paige in confusion before her lips parted with a drawn out, “Uhh,” as she glanced down at herself. In that moment, Calum realized Paige had been talking to Reese and not her companion of the night, pressing his own lips together to keep the ill-timed laughter inside. It’s only happened twice but Calum found it a bit too funny that Reese got confused as the girl who didn’t live here. She, however, didn’t find it as amusing. Reese ran her fingers through her wavy dark hair and rubbed at the back of her head before snorting. “No?”

She gave a roll of her green eyes before grabbing the arm of the guy, who just stood there with raised eyebrows as he understood exactly what was going on between Calum and Paige. Reese brought them over to the door purposefully, forcing Paige to step away so Reese could practically drag the guy over—not that he was entirely unwilling. Calum watched him with sharp eyes, took in the mild discomfort the stranger was failing to hide.

No longer holding the guy, Reese gripped the doorknob and leaned against the edge of the door, shooting the guy a close mouthed, not entirely sincere smile as she said flatly, “Get home safe.” Then, her gaze flickered to Paige. An expectant and impatient look crossed over Reese’s face, and Calum had to stop himself from letting his gaze drop to the loose and low neckline of her tank as she ticked her head towards the building hallway. Reese kept her eyes on Paige as she said with a click of her tongue, “You too, blondie.”

Now standing at his right, Calum just barely noticed the affronted look that crossed over Paige’s face, or the uncomfortable frown on the guy still lingering in the hallway. Instead, his eyes were on Reese, who looked utterly unapologetic as she smiled humorlessly at Paige. Reese’s smiling lips looked a bit too soft and pink for them to go unnoticed by Calum, and the thin chain of her necklace rested daintily against her unmarked skin, which forced Calum to push down a scoff. He never let a girl walk out of his—or her own—bed without some kind of physical mark to remind her of the night she had with him, finding it so damn satisfying when they arched into him every time his lips and teeth grazed against their neck, and at the moment Paige was an example of that with the few purpling marks decorating her skin.

What desire was greater, Calum wasn’t sure; did he want to knock the guy upside the head for not giving into Reese’s enjoyment of feelings lips on her skin—he’d seen her with hickeys before, so Calum knew she enjoyed it. Or was the urge to show her just how well he knew how to use his own lips stronger?

A combination of both, maybe, mixed with the disappointment of not being the one she’d spent the night with. But then again, Calum had been the one to leave the bar first last night.

Then again, Reese was his roommate.

Unsurprisingly, Paige and the guy didn’t feel the need to stick around a place where they were no longer welcomed, and Reese was all too happy shutting the door as soon as Paige stepped out into the hallway. The mild slamming of the door was followed by a tense silence in the apartment, only broken by the distant sounds of the awake city outside, and Calum looked at Reese once more—only to see that her green eyes were taking him in just as he had done with her before; taking in the sight of his bare chest and tattoos on display. Calum wondered if the sight of his skin did the same thing to her as hers did to him.

A fucking dangerous game they were trying so hard not to play.

When Reese’s gaze snapped up to meet Calum’s, as if suddenly aware that he’d caught her looking, she didn’t give him the chance to peek at the blush that threatened to spread across her cheeks as she dismissively stated, “I need breakfast,” before turning around to go to the kitchen.

Of course, Calum followed her a second later, his own stomach growling for sustenance as he entered the kitchen. He caught sight of Duke trotting in, his name tag clinking around his neck, and Calum crouched down to greet his buddy while Reese moved around the kitchen. Calum tried not to look at her, giving her and himself some space for a moment as he filled up Duke’s bowls, getting up with a rub at Duke’s head as the little dog dove into his breakfast.

Calum found himself frowning as he eyed Reese, wondering where this tense, awkward energy was coming from. He thought it’d leave with Paige and that guy, the awkwardness emerging from that unexpected encounter, yet Calum could still feel something off between him and Reese. Looking at her, he watched as she looked up at the cabinet that was filled with snacks and cereals and the like, lips parting to break the silence until she beat him to it.

She turned to look at him, a confused frown on her face as she asked, “Are we out of Coco Puffs?”

He blinked, stupidly caught off guard as his gaze flickered to the open cabinet before he answered, “Uh, yeah. I was gonna get more today.” Gesturing to the cabinet, he added, “We’ve got Froot Loops, though.”

Reese’s confused frown turned into a displeased one, lips twisting unhappily as she grumbled, “Froot Loops make my stomach hurt.” Then, she reached for that very box with a huff. Calum suppressed the smile threatening to grow at the sight of her tired and somewhat irritated frown as she moved towards the cabinet by the sink to pull out a bowl. Once she had everything she needed, placed on the center island, she glanced up at Calum briefly where he was on the other side and almost hesitantly said, “So, uh, I didn’t know you’d be here last night. With company.”

At that, Calum let out a short chuckle, moving so he could grab a bowl and spoon for himself as well. He returned to the opposite side of the island, facing Reese as he poured himself some cereal and milk as well. “I can say the same for you,” he returned easily.

Neither had any idea that the other was home, which Calum found a bit amusing, all things considered. Yet as he gazed at Reese, who ate her cereal quietly, the only sound emitting being the crunching of the food in their mouths, Calum felt as though she was keeping something from him. Something that was slightly off, which he couldn’t figure out, and it only served to bring a furrow in his eyebrows as he gazed at her. She was avoiding his eyes, though, and it only confused him more.

“Yeah, well,” Reese cleared her throat after swallowing a mouthful of cereal, eyelashes fluttering as she briefly met his gaze and stood straight. Calum wondered if she was trying to avoid looking at his bare chest, the same way he was trying to avoid staring at the perky nipples peeking through the thin material of her tank. Because, fuck, if he looked, he’d be in desperate need of a cold shower. “I got bored and Henry seemed nice enough.”

“So that’s the redhead’s name?” Calum couldn’t help but smirk, despite feeling his stomach twist in discomfort at having a name to the face Reese had brought home last night. Fuck, Calum was already growing tired of being bothered by this shit. How was he supposed to get over someone he’s living with? Calum didn’t even want to think if what he felt was just physical or something more. That was another can of worms he wanted to keep buried. “Henry?”

He probably shouldn’t have sounded so derisive when he said the guy’s name, complete with the unimpressed smirk on his face and a raise of his eyebrows that had Reese looking at him with a scrutinizing narrow of her green eyes. When she saw the teasing glint in his eyes, more prominent than the contempt for the guy Calum was hiding, Reese huffed as she swirled her bowl of cereal with her spoon. With a jeering tone of her own, she childishly rebuffed, “I’ve met more Henry’s than I have Calum’s—what kind of name is that?”

That only made Calum’s smirk widen into a grin, feeling some ease slip back into him as he lifted his chin proudly. With that arrogant, soccer-star tone, he told her, “I’m one of a kind, sweetheart.”

Reese rolled her eyes, a small yet unimpressed groan escaping her as she shot back, “At least he’s a natural redhead. Yours looked like she’d burnt her scalp trying to get her hair that kind of platinum.”

Honestly, if Calum thought there was any future for Reese with this Henry guy, he’d be anything but amused at her defense of him. But he could tell, even if Reese was trying not to appear that way, that she was only taking shots at him and Paige as a roundabout way of proving she had a better night than him. And, in some weird as fuck way, Calum found it entertaining, which is why he rebutted, “Mine actually spoke.”

Pursing her lips, Reese gave a shake of her head as she picked up her still full bowl. Something flipped like a switch in Reese, Calum noticed, though he didn’t know what as she shot him an exasperated glare. It held no real malice, though he didn’t miss the pink in her cheeks that was a bit too damn adorable.

As a way of ending the conversation, and getting one last desperate attempt to win a non-argument, Reese began making her way out of the kitchen and towards the bedrooms as she said with a quick and sharp, “Mine was taller!”

Calum’s eyes widened in amusement, mouth dropping to let out a disbelieving laugh as his eyebrows shot up, hand going up as well as he loudly sputtered his defense, “Mine was a girl!”

                                                            *****

When Calum stepped into the living room before Reese had the chance of gathering her things and moving into her room, she remained on the couch. She sat cross legged, typing away on her laptop as she glanced at the highlighted and annotated notes of her book, using it to work on her paper. Frankly, Reese found herself more productive when she worked in the living room, a mug of tea on the table and Duke resting comfortably next to her, and she wasn’t about to disrupt everything just because of her roommate.

Of course, it was Reese herself who’d take it upon herself to move and not something Calum forced upon her, but still, she kind of wanted to fight him because of it. He was in her head, all the damn time, with those dark eyes and inked skin and lips that looked perfect for kissing, and Reese was fucking tired of him taking up residence in her mind when she could be more focused on her school work. Midterms were coming up; those were important, not her attractive roommate who Reese felt her stomach drop of upon sight every damn time.

“Hey,” Calum greeted and Reese looked up at the surprised tilt in his voice. She watched as he stood with hunched shoulders to tuck his black and white shirt into his pants, his chain necklace peeking out from under the neckline and the bracelet clinking. His dark eyes took her in as she stared at him from where she sat, fingers frozen over the keyboard, as he let out a breath. “Haven’t seen you around for a few days.”

Damn straight, and that was because Reese had been adamant on keeping her distance from him. It was perhaps a bit childish and immature, but it worked. Reese submerged herself in her job and her school work, which wasn’t hard to do, given that the assignments kept piling on as midterms drew near. She would either stay locked in her room or at Kat’s or at the university library—anything to avoid Calum. The only times they’d see each other is very briefly in passing within the apartment, but apparently that didn’t count as seeing each other.

Of course it didn’t. But Reese was okay with that because that’s the most she could handle where Calum was concerned.

“Been busy,” she responded, lazily gesturing to the mess around her consisting of the books she had out to finish this assignment. She wasn’t the only one busy; Reese knew Calum had his hands full with his own schoolwork and job and soccer, and she hoped he was distracted enough to simply think they didn’t see each other because of their busy schedules and not because of Reese actively working for it.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Calum responded as he finished adjusting his clothes, an outfit he looked a bit too good in. His eyes took in her things before he said, “I was gonna ask if you wanted to come out with me and the guys—”

Reese killed that idea before he could even complete it. “I’ve got a big paper due so no, uh, I’m good. Thanks.”

Her words were curt, quick to brush off Calum’s invitation without letting him even complete it as she finished her rejection with a quick, close mouthed smile. Calum pressed his lips together, raising his eyebrows as he looked at her with an unreadable expression, and Reese met his gaze evenly, coolly. He didn’t look hurt by her quick rejection, but Reese knew that look in his eyes, knew that he was probably trying to figure her out. To see if there was something more than just an assignment she needed to get done. There was, but she wasn’t about to let him know that.

“Alright,” Calum relented with a breath, giving a nod with a twist of his lips as he glanced towards the kitchen, catching sight of his leather jacket resting on the counter separating the two rooms. He walked over, picking it up and putting his arms through the sleeves. Reese could feel his gaze on her as she heard the leathery material shift on him, though she kept her eyes on the screen. She felt unnaturally rigid, and she was all kinds of disgruntled that he had such an effect on her. Calum grabbed his keys, the metal jingling, and Reese’s eyes shifted to the right to see his hand reach out to rub his fingers through Duke’s fur, the small dog leaning up into his touch. God, she could feel him behind her, could smell the faint scent of his familiar cologne, and it was taking all of Reese’s willpower not to turn and look at him. His hand disappeared as he sighed. “I’ll see you later.”

He was gone after that, the door shutting to sound his departure, and Reese let out the breath she’d been holding once he was out of the apartment. No doubt Calum was probably wondering what the sudden attitude Reese adopted was, but she couldn’t entirely help it. It’s the way she was programmed—Reese often shut down in the face of those she was hiding from, her face wiping of any expressions and slowly pushing away to keep herself safe. It was a defense mechanism, one that often worked, and Reese could only hope it wouldn’t fail her now.

About two hours later, when Reese finally finished and edited and submitted her essay, she responded to Kat’s text about going out. And with the way her brain was hurting, Reese didn’t see any harm in going out for a couple of hours as a way of winding down. Despite what she told Calum.

                                                        *****

“I don’t know what’s goin’ on,” Calum frowned down at red solo cup, half way full of the vodka heavy mixed drink. He sat on the arm of the couch in the living room, the music upbeat around them and the party lively. But Calum wasn’t feeling it entirely, shoulders a bit slumped as Luke sat next to him on the couch, listening to Calum’s disgruntled musings. “I think she’s avoiding me.”

Luke glanced up after lowering his beer from his mouth, raising an eyebrow as he tore his gaze away from his girlfriend on the other side of the room having a conversation with some friends. “Did you piss her off or something?”

Calum’s frown deepened, head tilting with a lift of his chin as he looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. Had he pissed her off? Calum didn’t think so—he didn’t remember doing anything, intentionally or not, that would anger Reese and it only confused him even more with the shift between them. Frankly, they hadn’t even seen much of each other for a while for there to be any proper cause for tension, in Calum’s opinion, so yeah, it didn’t make much sense to him.

She’d barely looked at him early tonight when he’d invited her out, and Calum would normally write it off with Reese being focused on her work, except he couldn’t help but feel like there was something more going on. Calum didn’t care if he pissed people off, yet with Reese, he couldn’t seem to ignore it. Besides, she was his roommate; living with someone who apparently suddenly sprouted some kind of problem with you wouldn’t be the easiest thing.

“I don’t think so,” Calum responded to Luke, slowly and a bit unsurely, still looking up with a frown and lips parted as he pressed his tongue to the back of his lower teeth.

“Really?” Luke asked warily, not convinced. “Because you said she didn’t wanna go out tonight and that’s not what I’m seeing right now.”

Calum looked at Luke, his confusion returning, but instead of looking at him, Luke was looking straight ahead with a surprised raise of his eyebrows. Following his gaze, Calum’s eyes flickered between the several people around that were mingling and dancing and drinking, until the frown lines on his forehead smoothed when his eyes landed on Reese through the entryway into the kitchen.

He blinked at the sight before him, the frown furrowing his eyebrows once again as he watched her laugh with Kat and some other people he didn’t entirely recognize, and a disbelieving scoff escaped Calum as his back straightened. What the hell? Calum looked down at Luke, whose eyebrows were raised and lips were puckered because he knew Calum wasn’t going to like what they were seeing.

“Is she serious?” Calum laughed humorlessly, glancing back and forth between Reese and Luke. Calum was irritated, no doubt, and without much thought, he stood up and handed Luke his cup as he grumbled, “Hold on.”

He ignored Luke’s call of his name, drowned out by the music, as he weaved past the people around him and approached the kitchen. His Docs thudded against the wood paneled floor until he got into the kitchen, ignoring the way Kat’s eyes shifted to him as he came to stand next to Reese and announced his arrival by asking, “How’s that paper going?”

Reese, who’d been taking a sip out of her cup, forced down the sip and lowered the cup as she looked at Calum, who was watching her with almost challenging raised eyebrows and arms crossed over his chest. He felt warm in the house with his leather jacket on, but Calum didn’t care. Not when he caught her in a lie. It irked him, being lied to, and that he felt hurt over it too. But he was justified to feel that way, right?

“Submitted it, actually.” Calum suppressed the scoff threatening to escape at her cool response, not even looking the slightest bit uneasy at his presence. She was good at that, Calum noticed, keeping things to herself. So was he, except right now, he didn’t quite care for being so secretive. “Otherwise I’d still be home right now.”

Bullshit. “I’m sure,” Calum drawled, eyes narrowing ever so slightly, ignoring the other people Reese had been talking to. He took a step towards her, his height towering over hers as he tilted his head, feeling the warmth of her body seep into his at their proximity. Reese didn’t move away, instead met his gaze firmly, and Calum lowered his voice as he said, “I think we should talk.”

Reese’s lips parted as she sucked at her tongue, eyes on her friends who were kind enough to continue their conversation while trying not to eavesdrop, before looking back at Calum once again. His eyes remained on her, on the subtle freckles on her cheeks under the makeup, her long lashes and the septum ring at the bottom of her perfect nose. Her green eyes, though—even when he was annoyed with her, she still managed to take his damn breath away.

“It can wait for when we get home,” Reese told him, her tone of voice leaving no room for argument.

Calum pressed his lips together before his jaw clenched, eyes slightly narrowed as she took a sip of her drink once more. If there was any doubt in Calum’s mind that Reese had some kind of issue with him, it was confirmed with the irritated look she cast him once she noticed that he was still standing there, still staring at her. “Seriously, Calum—it can wait.”

It couldn’t, though, and Calum wanted to tell her so. He was annoyed that she told him she couldn’t hang out and he looked like an idiot seeing her at the same party as him. He was also annoyed that she had some kind of problem with him and instead of talking to him about it, she was keeping to herself. They were roommates; if they didn’t figure their shit out, living together was only going to cause more problems.

So he pursed his lips, offering a slow nod as Reese looked away to pay attention to whatever conversation her friends were having. She was blowing him off and it only served to annoy Calum more. Especially when he didn’t understand where any of this was coming from. Especially when he didn’t know if he was genuinely at fault or if she was just projecting.

“Fine,” Calum relented, taking a step back. He noted the way her jaw worked briefly, glancing at him before taking a sip of her drink again, hair falling forward to form a feeble curtain from his gaze. Calum gave her a once over and an almost dismayed shake of his head. “I’ll see you at home.”

Only, she didn’t come home.

Calum had returned from the party sometime around midnight, not entirely in the mood to stick around after all but receiving the cold shoulder from Reese. So he returned home, just barely buzzed, and changed into more comfortable clothes as he waited for Reese to show up. He stayed up with Netflix playing on the TV and Duke resting next to him on the couch, checking the time every now and then and the frown deepening when each hour passed and there was no sign of Reese. She had said she’d be home so where the fuck was she?

His annoyance with her kept growing when she didn’t call or text to let him know where she was. Sure, Calum knew Reese didn’t really owe him an explanation or anything, but it’d be nice if she dropped a dime on her whereabouts, especially when she told him they’d talk at home and there was no sign of her. It was kind of fucked up, frankly.

When it was nearing three in the morning and Calum was still on the couch, waiting for Reese to show up, he got a response from Kat after his messages to Reese went unanswered. She should be home soon. Was with some dude.

A wry laugh escaped Calum, dropping his phone on the couch. Of course she was too busy to let him know. Maybe he had no right to be so annoyed about this situation, but it didn’t help that Calum was already bothered with how Reese had been avoiding him for days now. This was just irritating him even more.

Only a few minutes had passed since Calum received Kat’s text when the apartment door opened, and he was instinctively on his feet when he heard the keys and watched as Reese entered. His jaw was tight as she stumbled ever so slightly on her feet, and Calum fought the urge to walk over and keep her upright. But Reese seemed to have a handle on herself, locking the door and turning around only to stop when she caught sight of her roommate looking at her.

Reese looked at him, blinking once as she raised her eyebrows. Palming her keys, she let out a gentle scoff. “You realize how creepy you look just standing there in the dark?”

All the lights were off in the living room, save for the light above the stove in the kitchen and the bluish glow of the TV that was still on. Calum huffed, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. She didn’t sound too drunk, and if she was sober enough to unlock and lock the door, then she was sober enough to get an earful from him. “You realize how fucked it is telling me you’d be home and not letting me know where you were?”

“Sorry, dad,” Reese returned dryly, dropping her keys on the table behind the couch before running her fingers through her hair. Calum’s jaw tightened once again at her words, taking a breath. He knew he sounded a bit too paternal for either of their liking, but was it wrong for him to be worried? With a careless shrug and raise of her hands, Reese continued, “I told you I’d be home and I am—I just never said when. Relax.”

Calum’s lips curled into a sneer, feeling himself grow more and more irritated. He was probably tired, too, with how quickly his temper was rising. As Reese began walking in the direction of the hallway, Calum followed her with his eyes and almost sneered, “So getting dick was more important than letting me know you were good?”  

Reese waved him dismissively, not even bothering to look back at him as she lazily continued towards the hall. “Getting dick is better than dealing with the one you’re being right now.”

An affronted, surprised noise escaped Calum before he could help it, eyebrows shooting up as he took a few steps towards her. “How am I bein’ a dick?” he exclaimed, his raised voice causing Duke to lift up his head. He wasn’t trying to be a dick—he was just irritated, for fuck’s sake. “Jesus, Reese, I was just worried if you were okay, even though you’ve been avoiding me like the plague and lied to me about going out.” With a scoff, Calum added, “My bad for giving a shit when you clearly don’t.”

That caused Reese to stop in her tracks, and Calum watched her shoulders sink with a breath as she tilted her head back. There was a brief silence in the apartment following Calum’s words and maybe he got through to her because Reese finally turned around, her green eyes meeting Calum’s brown. She searched his eyes for something and Calum stayed quiet, letting her try to find whatever it is she was looking for, trying his best to ignore the way she licked her pink lips.

He wondered if she found whatever it is she was looking for because she let out another sigh and said, “I do. . . Give a shit.” Reese briefly pursed her lips, averting her gaze from Calum as she ran her fingers through her shoulder length hair. A frown drew together her a made eyebrows as she took a breath. “Look, I’m sorry about how I’ve been acting lately. There’s just—” she paused, gaze meeting Calum’s. “There’s a lot going on with school and work, y’know? Lots of deadlines I had to make with midterms coming up and I’m sorry if I made you think it had to do with you. I really hadn’t planned on going out tonight but I finished the paper earlier than I thought and Kat insisted. I wasn’t, like, purposefully lying to you. But still—I’m sorry.”

Calum took in her words, her apology, with a gentle frown on his face. Crossing his arms, Calum quickly licked his lips as he processed what she said, feeling some of the tension leave him. Her reasoning made sense; Calum was no stranger to the stress and pressure of course work piling up during midterm season, especially when jobs were involved and, in his case, his commitment to soccer. Or changing your mind about plans at the last minute. It was normal. It happened. Calum shouldn’t have jumped to overthinking conclusions.

He sucked in his lower lip, feeling a bit ridiculous for kind of overreacting and accusing Reese for going out of her way in ignoring him, a prickle of guilt shooting through Calum. How conceited of him to just assume her distance had to do with him.

She probably thought he was a freak. And not that Calum particularly cared for what people thought of him, but with Reese, it fucking mattered.

“Yeah?” he checked, eyebrows furrowing slightly. He believed her but he just wanted to make sure everything was good, that there was no more room for misunderstandings. “We’re good?”

“Mhm,” Reese nodded, lips tilting into a reassuring smile, pretty as always as the glow of the TV washed her in a mixture of white and blue. She raised a hand, tucking back a lock of her hair behind her ear, before clasping her hands behind her back. “We’re good,” she repeated in confirmation. Then she let out a breathless laugh before saying, “I’m gonna head to bed. I’m sorry I made you wait up.”

Calum gave a dismissive wave of his hand, returning the small smile. He wondered if he was imagining the subtle uneasiness that was still present. Wondered if he was conjuring up the feeling of things not entirely being settled between them despite Reese telling him so. “Don’t worry about it,” he told her. He’d been annoyed before, but Calum desperately wanted to believe Reese.

He wanted to believe that things between them were, in fact, okay. That school and work and soccer really had been the reason as to why they hadn’t seen much of each other and he hadn’t done something to anger her. Calum hated that he could still feel the subtle uneasy twist of his stomach. Though he still offered a smile. “Night, Reese.”

She nodded, turning to continue down the hall as she shot him a brief smile in return. “Night.”

Even when Calum heard the click of her bedroom door shut, he remained standing in the middle of the living room, inhaling deeply as he clasped his hands at the back of his neck. Despite Reese’s apology and reassurance, Calum still felt that twist of discomfort in the pit of his stomach, though now it was smaller—yet still present. As if on the surface, everything was solved but if he dug deeper, he’d find a bigger problem he wouldn’t know the answer to.

He wanted to completely believe Reese, and he would try. It was better than living in a state of lingering confusion, like walking on egg shells, with the person he shared a home with.

                                                             *****

The warmth of the sun disappeared from her face, prompting Reese to click her tongue in annoyance as she opened her eyes. From behind her sunglasses, she saw Calum standing over her, eyebrows raised as he looked down at her with an amused smirk, beanie covering his head and duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. The sun shined brightly behind him, his silhouette practically glowing, and Reese pulled out one of her earbuds, Cigarettes After Sex still playing from her playlist, as she raised an eyebrow.

“Finished?” she questioned knowingly, lowering her music as she sat up. The metal bleachers no longer felt cold under her body as they had when she first sat down, given that she’d been laying for a while.

“Yeah,” Calum responded, his smirk widening as Reese lowered the hood of her very on-brand Harry Potter hoodie and she raised her arms over her head to stretch. “You looked so comfortable, almost didn’t wanna wake you.”

Reese scoffed, grabbing her backpack and standing up, forcing herself to take a step back to put some distance between her and Calum. “I wasn’t asleep,” she told him pointedly as she put her arms through the straps of her backpack. “Too fucking cold for that.”

Calum chuckled as the two of them began making their way down the bleachers, her boots and his cleats thudding and clanking as they went. “We’ll stop by Starbucks,” he promised as they reached the bottom and began making their way to the parking lot.

Reese smiled at the compromise, humming in approval as they walked. Her car was in the shop, some part or another fucked up that needed replacing, so Calum had offered for her to carpool with him. Their class schedules didn’t exactly line up, but Reese would rather be on campus an hour or so early and leave later than usual than pay for public transportation. And she didn’t mind resting on the bleachers while he had soccer practice, even if she was forcing herself by doing homework as a way of not staring at her stupidly hot roommate get sweaty on the field. She was perfectly fine with him giving her a ride when needed. Even if it did mean being in Calum’s car and being completely overwhelmed by his familiar and rich smell that tickled her nose and stomach inexplicably.

She kept reminding herself she was saving money, that she’d told Calum her attitude towards him hadn’t had anything to do with him but her work. Reese needed to keep that believable, and needed to remind herself not to act that way again because it was childish and only putting herself in a more compromising position. All in all, she needed to get a fucking grip because pretending that she wasn’t into Calum was easier than forcing herself to keep her distance. No questions were asked that way, and even if it drove her crazy, Reese couldn’t lie—she enjoyed Calum’s company. Adored it, even. Depriving herself of it only made her a bitch towards the one person she didn’t actually want to be a bitch to.

“Mm,” Calum mumbled as he swallowed his sip of his coffee once they left the Starbucks drive through, putting the cup in the holder as he glanced at Reece. Music by the Wallows played through the car as Calum asked her, “You’re coming out tonight, right? We gotta celebrate the end of midterms.”

Reese’s eyebrows drew together in a frown that showed her ridicule for Calum’s words. “Hell yeah; I got my ass kicked and I deserve a night out,” she told him with a laugh before sipping her own drink.

“You survived, though,” Calum reminded her with an all too charming grin thrown her way. He fixed his beanie with his free hand, the other on the steering wheel as he looked out at the road. “We’ll get some drinks in you and it’ll be a good time.”

Reese’s lips curled into a smirk, speaking before thinking. “You’d like that wouldn’t you?” she teased and within the next second, wished she could swallow those words. Her flirtatious nature slipped out before she could help it, and she rolled her lips into her mouth as she felt her stomach drop at her carelessness. This was exactly the type of shit she wasn’t supposed to say to Calum. But, fuck, it had just slipped and now Reese couldn’t take it back because Calum’s eyebrows had raised and a smirk was threatening to grow on his lips. She needed to put an end to that insinuation right away. Grip tight on her cup, she quickly asked, “Do you have a costume for tonight?”

The end of midterms, coincidentally, also fell on Halloween, so the bar near campus they were going to tonight wanted anyone who came tonight to be dressed up for the occasion. Reese really wasn’t one to dress up for Halloween, but she figured she’d try this year with a simple costume.

She saw the way the smirk dropped from Calum’s face at the mention of costumes, lips pursing as he let out a slow, deep breath through his nose. “Yeah,” he grumbled distastefully. For a moment, Reese wondered if she had said something that bothered him, until Calum glanced at her and said, “Don’t ask what it is. You’ll see later.”

She raised her eyebrows at the vagueness, curiosity replacing her previous embarrassment from that stupid comment she’d dropped just moments before. “Why so secretive?”

Calum scoffed, looking completely resigned to the thought of Halloween as he turned onto their street. “You’ll find out,” he promised before changing the conversation around to her. “What about you? What’re you being?”

Reese shrugged as she took a sip of her coffee. “Keeping it simple. I’m gonna be Tom Cruise from that Risky Business scene.” Something clicked in her head, a reminder, as she lowered her cup. “Speaking of which—do you have a white button down I could borrow?”

Instantly, the image of Reese in just her underwear and his shirt flashed through Calum’s mind and his grip on the steering wheel tightened, throat drying at the very thought of her dressed up in such a way. It was a dangerously teasing thought and Calum knew he probably wouldn’t be able to keep it together to see her in his shirt. And as much as he didn’t want to see her in his shirt like that, he also did. His stomach churned at the thought and, fuck, he knew the reality would be so much better than the image playing through his mind.

Adopting a dry tone, Calum drawled sarcastically, “You put a lot of thought into your costume, didn’t you?”

Reese didn’t find him amusing, rolling her eyes at his dig as she feebly smacked his arm. “Shut up,” she huffed before she began lightly hitting his bicep with the back of her hand. “But do you? Can I please borrow one?”

“Fine, fine—stop hitting me, woman!” Calum relented easily, jerking his arm to get her to stop with a grin, earning a laugh from Reese. He glanced at her, the grin still on his face, no chance of disappearing at the sound of her tinkling laugh and the sight of her bright smile. There was a rosiness in her cheeks due to the cold weather, the only color on her face as she went free of makeup, occasionally licking her lips whenever she took a sip of her drink. Calum would stare at her continuously if he didn’t need to keep his eyes on the road.

                                                      *****

“Come on, Calum—I’m about to call the Uber!”

Her call was responded by Calum grunted out an incoherent response from his room, causing Reese to raise her eyebrows, unimpressed, towards the hallway as she waited for him to come out. She was all ready to go to the bar, where Kat and the boys and players from Calum’s team were already headed, but Calum was taking forever.

She stood in the living room in one of Calum’s full sleeved white button downs, the sleeves a bit cuffed due to their length, and she paired it with a white lace bralette underneath and the shortest pair of white shorts she owned. It worked well, because Calum’s shirt was pretty long on her, covering her shorts and making it seem as though she truly didn’t have anything on underneath, and white Adidas were paired with long white songs on her feet. The sunglasses rested atop her head, which she would wear eventually at the bar despite the nighttime, and Reese also had her coat ready to wear once they stepped outside into the chilly October air.

Reese was trying hard to put it out of her mind that this was Calum’s shirt covering her upper half, but that was proving to be difficult because of the scent clinging to the clothing material. It smelled heavily of Calum; of his favorite Calvin Klein cologne and that distinct scent that was just him, and it was sticking to Reese without fail. She knew what she was in for the second she had asked Calum to borrow a shirt, so really it was her own fault for putting herself in this position, but it was too late. She was quickly getting dizzy off the intoxicating smell, and Reese hoped the various smells in the bar would overpower the delicious one clinging to her now.

With an impatient shake of her head, mostly to get that thought out of her mind, Reese let out a huff and began, “Calum, seriously, let’s—”

Only she didn’t get to finish because she cut herself off at the sight before her emerging from the hallway. She froze, lips parted and eyes widened, as Calum finally stepped up in his Halloween costume, and for a moment Reese wondered if she was actually seeing things right. But when she noted the pouty, disgruntled expression he wore, Reese knew this was, in fact, reality, and all of a sudden she couldn’t keep herself from doubling over in laughter, the sound ringing in the otherwise quiet of their apartment.

“Oh, my God—is that—are you kidding?” Reese managed to get out through heavy, never ending bouts of laughter, hands coming up to cover her mouth as she felt the tears sting her eyes. Fuck, her stomach was already starting to hurt, but the laughter showed no signs of stopping. “Oh, my God, Calum!”

Seriously, she couldn’t stop laughing as she stared at him through a teary eyed blurred vision, hands pressed against her mouth. He wasn’t at all amused by laughter, dark eyebrows drawn together in a pouty glare. But how was Reese expected to stop? Her body trembled because of her laughing state, taking in the sight of Calum dressed in a fucking head-to-toe Elmo costume. He was in a full on bright red Elmo onesie zipped up from the front, complete with a head that he put his own through, face peeking out from the mouth of the costume. Holy shit.

Reese couldn’t quite form any words, uncontrollable laughter uttering bemusing a blank faced Calum, and she managed to straighten despite the ache in her stomach as she shook her head, wiping at the tears as she asked a simple, “Why?”

He huffed, eyebrows drawing together once more to form a glare as he grumbled, “Lost a bet with the team, alright? Didn’t score enough goals in a row during practice and this is what they came up with.”

She shook her head in awe, the wide grin on her face beginning to hurt her cheeks as she mused, “Amazing.”

Calum crossed his arms over his chest, the angry pout returning to his face, and he shouldn’t look as adorable as he did, as opposed to ridiculous. He clearly wasn’t happy with his costume, and despite the laughter still threatening to escape, Reese admired him actually going through with it. “Can you call the fuckin’ Uber?”

The driver, once he showed up, got a kick out of Calum’s costume, too.

When they got to the bar, Reese shamelessly snickered when the bouncer out front checking I.D.’s gave Calum an unimpressed look, who in turn clenched his jaw and shot an all too amused Reese a withering stare. Of course she couldn’t take him seriously, not when his face was in Elmo’s mouth. He should just get used to it—the entire night, Reese had a feeling, would consist of Calum receiving all kinds of reactions for his costume. And that was confirmed when they entered the bar where a majority of their group already was, and everyone burst into a round of laughter and cheers upon Calum’s arrival.

Reese smirked. It was wildly different than the soccer superstar walking in after winning a game. Luke, Michael, and Ashton especially were getting a kick out of Calum’s costume.

“I feel like he’s gonna kick your asses during the next practice,” Reese hummed. Eventually, she found herself at the bar, nursing her second drink of Henny and Coke, sitting on the stool as she talked with one of Calum’s team mates.

Raj, the goalie, laughed. He was dressed up as the Joker. “Oh, definitely,” he grinned, eyes casting towards his captain, who was on one of the couches chatting with others. “I’m surprised he actually did it, though. He’s nothing if not a team player.”

Reese felt a smile tug at her lips at Raj’s praise, looking over her shoulder where Calum was. He was chatting with Luke’s girlfriend, Sierra, and a bunch of other people, and Reese sucked in her lips at the sight of him. He wasn’t too far away, leaned back comfortably on the couch, and she noted how the head of his Elmo costume was resting on the small table in front of him. The front of the onesie was unzipped for the top half, his arms still through the sleeves, revealing the tight white tank top he wore underneath.

She felt her stomach twist before she frowned at herself. She definitely shouldn’t be finding the sight of him halfway in an Elmo costume attractive.

As if feeling her gaze on him, Calum’s eyes shifted until they met Reese’s, and she felt herself freeze in her seat before instinctively looking away, tuning back into her conversation with Raj. Her grip was tight on her cold glass, free hand holding the straw between her fingers as she took a long sip of the drink. She hoped talking with Raj and focusing on the ice cold alcoholic drink running down her throat would distract her from the weight of Calum’s gaze she could still feel.

So when Kat bounded over with the request for Reese to take some shots with her, she was completely compliant. Anything to feel numb to Calum’s eyes on her body, no matter how inviting the sensation was.

                                                      *****

“I’m surprised you’re still here.”

Reese blamed the alcohol running through her veins, blamed the fact that she wasn’t entirely sober as the words fell past her mouth when she came up to stand beside Calum at the bar. He turned to face her, raising his eyebrows, his own eyes slightly glassy from the drinks he’d downed. It was about two in the morning and they were still at the bar; a few of their friends had already left, though many were still around enjoying the drinks and the loud music, and, yeah—Reese was surprised that Calum was still here.

He blinked, leaning against the bar on his left elbow, right hand gripping the beer bottle. He’d switched from hard liquor to beer about an hour ago, not needing anymore vodka or tequila in his system. “Why is that a surprise?” Calum asked, his words somewhat slow and slurred.

A smirk lifted Reese’s lips, head tilting as she tapped her nails on the bar top. They stood in the glow of orange and red lights, the bar adopting those colors for Halloween, and Reese didn’t think she’d ever get used to viewing Calum in pretty colors. With a raise of her eyebrows, she told him, “Because you’d normally be home by now with some chick and yet here you are.”

She was traveling down a risky path, she was well aware, but Reese was kind of drunk and she didn’t entirely have a filter in this moment, so she couldn’t bring herself to care. There was a gentle lightheadedness she was experiencing, eyes blinking slowly and lazy smiles upturning her lips, and from the second she stepped up to Calum, Reese was going to use the excuse of being inebriated for whatever the hell was about to come next. Because God knows she needed that excuse planted in her head already.

A wry scoff escaped Calum at her words, tilting his own head pointedly with a raise of his eyebrows. With his free hand, Calum gestured to himself up and down, unimpressed with himself. “D’you really think any girl would wanna go home with this?” he asked, his somewhat self deprecating question ending with a laugh.

“I would.”

Her eyes met Calum’s just as she truthfully answered his question, looking up at him from beneath her lashes as a coy, knowing smile dangled from the corner of her lips. Reese knew she was toeing the line, the imaginary don’t-do-it-with-your-roommate line they both had established, but God she didn’t care. Not tonight. Not with the alcohol warming her body and giving her the push she desperately craved, using it as both her reasoning and her excuse. From this moment on, she could give a damn about the consequences. Those were tomorrow’s problems.

Upon hearing her two word reply, Calum’s eyes seemed to be glued on hers, the surprise flashing behind the glazed over look he had. The music playing in the bar, as well as the busy hum of people around them, melted into background noise, and all Calum could focus on was the woman in front of him. The beautiful, attractive woman who was wearing his shirt and who Calum couldn’t look away from the entire night, no matter how hard he tried. How could he, with the way her legs looked and the bralette that peeked out from beneath the undone buttons of his shirt? His shirt, his shirt, his shirt.

She was a sight Calum hadn’t been able to ignore all night, and he could feel the desperation in his body aching to reach out and touch her. And suddenly, with Reese’s answer, it seemed so plausible, so doable, it was almost frightening.

Calum didn’t wanna ruin it. He was kind of drunk, just like her, and he didn’t wanna fucking ruin this. “Yeah?” he carefully asked, taking a microstep towards Reese, who kept her steady gaze on him. Fuck, the way she was looking at him. . . The green of her eyes seemed almost gold against the lights of the bar, undeniably alluring. “You would?”

They were drawing closer to one another without much thought, moving at their own pace in ignorance of the beat of the music playing throughout the bar, their only focus on one another. It was like she was pulling him closer like a magnet, and Calum had no intention of denying her that pull. Especially when he caught the way her gaze lowered to his mouth, her own pink lips parting with a ghost of a smirk as she murmured, “Yeah; I’d take one for the team.”

Her words had a breathless, short chuckle escaping Calum, heart jumping into his throat when his front began pressing against Reese’s, the feel of her informing him of just how close they were getting. His beer was forgotten on the bar, arm resting on top of it and itching to wrap around Reese’s waist. Calum’s head remained bowed to look down at her, lips brushing against her nose, sending a shockwave of electricity down his spine at the touch, as he rasped, “Don’t kid yourself, doll. We both know it’d be for selfish purposes.”

Calum lived for the way her eyes fluttered when his lips brushed against her nose, smirking when he felt a gentle shudder pass through her body at their proximity. It felt good, satisfying, to know he had an effect on her just as she did on him.

God, this was dangerous. They were about to cross a line they couldn’t come back from.

But Reese didn’t seem to care. So neither did Calum.

Reese tilted her head up a bit, the movement causing their lips to brush briefly, the soft skin against soft skin tightening the pit of Calum’s stomach deliciously, and he gripped the edge of the bar as a way of anchoring himself. Already he could feel himself yearn to get lost in Reese, in the way her warmth seeped into him and her floral scent mixed with his own thanks to the shirt she was wearing. It excited Calum, being this close to her, the promise of more coming right there.

He kept his gaze down at her through a hooded gaze, watching the smirk pull at her lips when Calum caught her lower one gently between his teeth for a brief moment. The action had Reese’s hand gripping the front of his tank top, her own eyes on their mouths, so close together, as she murmured, “No—I’m just doing you a favor. But yeah, going home with you is a lot easier than taking back some random guy to fuck.”

Calum let go of the bar, his hand coming to grip Reese’s hip through the material of her—his—cotton shirt. They stood close together, the distance between them nonexistent, as her words sparked a fire in Calum’s chest. Fuck, he didn’t care they were at a bar, surrounded by people and friends. His only focus was on Reese, was on hanging off every word she uttered, the music deafened by her voice and the sound of his own thundering heart.

Tilting his head ever so slightly, Calum brushed his lips along Reese’s cheek, his stubble scratching her delciously, as he told her quietly, “’M not some random guy to fuck, Reese.”

He felt her cheek lift under his lips with that damning coy smile, felt her hand let go of his tank top only to slowly slide up his front with purpose. “No,” she agreed in a controlled whisper, turning her head towards his mouth. “But you’re still lucky I’m taking you home.”  

Oh, fuck it.

Calum met her searching lips with his own, capturing Reese in a fierce, fiery kiss that jolted a shock through his body. He finally gave in to her, gave into a fight he’d struggled against the second he’d laid eyes on her, as he felt her lips move with his to return the kiss just as earnestly. Calum felt her hand rest at the back of his neck, keeping him close as his tongue pried open her compliant lips, licking into her mouth, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

There was so much going on, Calum had no idea what to focus on other than the heated sensation of his lips against Reese’s. The thundering in his chest never ceased, the knots in his stomach loosening to carry an explosion of flurries that tickled him in the best fucking way as Reese pressed herself against him. Shit, he didn’t ever want to stop kissing her, didn’t ever want to go without feeling the softness of her lips and the way her tongue danced with his. He didn’t even care that he was half wearing a fucking Elmo costume; not when Reese was kissing him with the kind of desperation he had thought only existed on his end.

Fuck. He needed her to take him back to their place.

As if reading his thoughts, Reese pulled away, though only slightly. Only enough so they weren’t kissing but their foreheads were pressed together and heavy breaths could be felt on the other’s mouths as she asked him breathlessly, “Think you can wait until we get home?”

Calum fucking loved the desire in her voice. He squeezed her hip, pressing a kiss to her lips as he said, low and hoarse, “Been waiting since the moment I met you.” Letting go of her hip, he grasped her hand, easily intertwining their fingers as his brown eyes locked with her green. “Let’s go.”

To say the next fifteen minutes were a blur would be an understatement. Neither could quite recall Reese retrieving her coat and Calum finding his Elmo head, or drunkenly stumbling into the Uber to start the ten minute drive home. Everything outside of the car melted away, and Calum was only vaguely aware of the driver as his lips placed quiet open mouthed kisses along her jaw. She sat to his left, her right hand reaching up to grasp the back of Calum’s neck, her grip tightening every time Calum purposefully dragged his stubble across her skin.

Thankfully the driver had music on, Spanish music playing through the speakers, and Reese let out a quiet breath as she murmured to Calum, “Thought you said you could wait until we got home?”

Calum smirked, lazy and boyish and drunk, as his hand gave the inside of her thigh a squeeze. She couldn’t have possibly expected him to not have his hands on her under her coat, especially while only wearing his shirt and a pair of shorts that could be mistaken for underwear. Calum was well aware of his touch raising goosebumps on Reese’s skin, the knowledge of his power over her only thrilling him more, as he promised lowly, “This is me waiting.”

A few more minutes of Calum teasing Reese passed until the driver pulled up in front of their building, and the two of them thanked him—Calum was pretty sure that was the first time he’d heard Reese giggle—as he kept his hand locked with hers to keep her upright as they both stumbled towards the building.

He felt like a damn teenager, the way they giggled their way up the elevator, standing close and holding hands while his free one still gripped the damn head of his Elmo suit. He’d kept the front unzipped, despite the cold outside whenever he was getting in and out of the car, though being so close to Reese provided him a kind of warmth he found himself craving once again.

But as soon as they tripped their way into their apartment, all bets were off.

The door clicked shut and Reese’s back was pressed against it, her lips captured once again with Calum’s in a heated, dizzying kiss that had her instinctively moaning against him. The Elmo head was somewhere on the floor, neither of them paying it any mind as Reese’s hands reached up to cup Calum’s cheeks, the line of his jaw pressing against her palms and feeling its movements as his lips worked against hers.

 He could hear the sounds of their heavy breathing, of their lips sucking at one another’s until Calum’s hands reached to the back of Reese’s thighs, giving them a squeeze and she got the message as she jumped up and locked her legs around Calum’s hips. He kept her pressed against the door as he grunted against her mouth, “You gonna show me just how lucky I am?” Calum reveled in the moan she let out, the sound sinful and music to his ears, as he bit her lower lip. He snuck a peek at her, at her furrowed eyebrows and closed eyes and kiss swollen lips, feeling himself harden at the sight of her. “Lucky to come home with you?”

Reese scratched at his back, at the desperate urge to take off his tank top as he kissed her fervently once more. “Yeah,” she gasped against him, nails of her other hand scratching at the back of his head, causing Calum to break their kiss just to tilt his head back further into her touch. They were close, but Reese needed for them to be closer. “Bedroom. Now.”

Calum already was pulling them away from the door, carrying Reese easily with his hands gripping her thighs and lips finding hers once more, knowing the layout of the apartment like the back of his hand. As he moved, he asked, “Yours or mine?”

“Duke sleeps in yours.”

He stepped them into Reese’s room, kicking the door shut behind them as he led them towards the bed. Calum sat down on the edge of the bed, Reese straddling him as he felt her hands leave him, though her lips never did as he gripped her hips. From the way she shifted, Calum could tell she was unbuttoning her shirt, both of them pulling away in need of air as Calum’s heart pounded wildly in his chest. The room was dark, save for the sliver of moonlight peeking through the curtains, and his gaze dropped to the way the button down now fell open.

Calum’s lips were parted as he tried to catch his breath, drinking in the sight of her lace bralette cupping her deliciously, adoring the image of her in his shirt. Her lips, swollen and pink, curled into a smirk as Calum nosed gently at her septum ring like he’d been wanting to do. God. He’d been wanting to do all of this since the moment he met Reese, and now he was. And Calum refused to think of how bad of an idea this was, to sleep with his roommate, but fuck it if he cared in this moment. He didn’t want to think with his brain tonight. He just wanted to fucking give in.

There was no way this wasn’t going to happen. Calum had felt it from the start. It was only a matter of time until they both threw caution out the window, and he was determined to enjoy every second of it. Not that he would have to try.

As his hands ran up her bare sides, the shirt still on yet not keeping him from touching her skin, Reese’s smirk remained as she told him, “The rest of Elmo’s gotta go.”

Her words prompted a raspy chuckle from Calum. He couldn’t agree more. So he shifted them, earning a surprised, girlish and adorable yelp from Reese as Calum used his grip on her hips to turn them so she fell onto her back on the mattress while he stood up. His own boyish smirk tilted at his lips, glazed eyes taking in the way Reese pushed herself up on her elbows, left leg bent at the knee as the shirt fell over one shoulder, and he had to suppress his appreciative groan as she watched him, with a grin, push down his damn onesie the rest of the way, kicking it off his feet with his shoes as soon as he could.

All Calum was left wearing was his boxers and tank top, and he watched as Reese immediately got up, sitting on her knees as she brought him closer by tugging at the hem of his tank top, only to use both her hands to push it up Calum’s body. He couldn’t help but smirk at her eagerness as he reached to pull the material off his body all the way, feeling a shudder rush through him at the way Reese’s hands ran down his lean body, the occasional scrape of her nails only making the tent in his boxers more prominent.

He kissed her again, because he could, as his hands found her hips once more before his fingers worked on the button and zipper of her shorts, pulling them down immediately. Reese broke the kiss with a breathless gasp, settling down on the bed to pull the shorts off completely, smirking as Calum’s gaze immediately drifted to her flimsily covered center as she crawled further up on the bed. The sight before him had Calum’s throat drying and mouth watering all at the same time; looking at Reese, in nothing but her underwear and his shirt, only had Calum cursing himself for not doing any of this sooner.

His restraint was all but snapping.

Crawling onto the bed on his knees, Calum adored the way her knowing smirk widened, the way she sucked in her lower lip as she did so, and a low groan escaped him as he settled his knees on either side of her right leg, almost hovering over her as he grunted, “C’mere,” before his right hand cupped her cheek and he pulled her in for yet another kiss.

He craved the taste of her lips, the feel of them, because now that Calum knew what it was like to kiss Reese, he didn’t ever want to fucking stop. Her back was against the pillows as they kissed, and Calum’s hand left her cheek before slowly making its way down, pausing by her neck to run his thumb down the column of her throat briefly before continuing downwards.

Calum skimmed his hand down the valley of her breasts, feeling the lace against his skin, before continuing down her torso and stomach. He felt her body react to his touch, wondered if a fire was ignited in her the way it was in him, teasingly bit her lower lip when she moaned against him at the feel of his hand approaching where she needed him most, lifting her hips so he could quickly get rid of her underwear.

Reese lightly gasped against his mouth at the feel of his finger just barely graze her folds, his movements slow and teasing until they weren’t, until he felt just how wet she was for him and pushed in a finger. Reese’s eyes remained shut at the sensation of his finger, then two, working her open, lips rolling into her mouth only to be kissed back into place by Calum.

He groaned at feeling her like this, at the way her breathing was picking up, and Calum couldn’t help but tease raspily, “Didn’t think Elmo could get you this wet.”

His unexpected comment had Reese’s chest sinking with a sharp exhale of a breath, eyes finding his as her right hand lifted to grasp at Calum’s chin. He was smirking, especially at the pretty flush in her cheeks, and Reese kept him close as her lips brushed against his when she spoke, “Bring Elmo into this again and you’re going to bed with some blue fucking balls.”

Calum let out a laugh, his fingers never ceasing their movements, gaze drifting to watch them disappear inside of her each time. Returning his attention back to Reese and the way her lower lip was caught between her teeth, Calum wolfishly smirked, lips dragging along her jaw. “Just teasing, doll,” he murmured, letting his stubble scratch along her skin as his lips moved to her neck. Calum kissed the sensitive skin, working his lips and teeth in time with his fingers, determined to mark her up the way he had wanted. He felt her suck in a breath as his teeth teased her skin, tongue and lips joining in before he continued knowingly, “You and I both know only I can get you feelin’ like this.”

His fingers had picked up their pace, working her open and pulling her to her first orgasm, and Calum heard her let out a breath as he continued his playing on her neck. Her hand was on the back of his head, and for a moment Calum wished he hadn’t shaved his head, wished he still had the curls for her to bury her fingers into and pull at. Reese’s voice adopted an alluring rasp of its own as she replied, “Think you’re giving yourself too much credit.”

In response, Calum curled his fingers, hitting that spot and using his thumb to rub at her clit that had Reese’s body clenching and a gasp falling past her lips before she could stop it, grip on the back of Calum’s neck tightening, and Calum grinned boyishly as he lifted his head to look down at her. She returned his gaze, fiery eyes narrowed and lips sucked in, letting out an exasperated breath when he cocked his head innocently, “Am I?”

He kissed her slowly, purposefully, fingers working to bring her closer and closer to the edge as a challenge, feeling it as Reese’s hand gripped his bicep tightly, nails deliciously sinking into his skin as she felt that familiar knot in her stomach beginning to come undone. Calum’s lips dragged against hers, Reese’s mouth dropping open as she fell apart around his fingers, head tilting back into the pillows and eyes squeezing shut. Calum watched her, felt her around his digits, memorized the image of her head back and marked neck and shuddering breath passing through her with a breathless, swearing moan.

Pulling his fingers out, Calum gathered her release on his digits before bringing his hand up, eyes meeting Reese’s glazed over ones as he lifted his hand sucked her taste off. She never stopped watching him, never stopped admiring the way he reveled in her taste and groaned appreciatively while she tried to catch her breath. Calum felt his heart thunder continuously against his chest, compeltely in awe of her fucking pretty she was with kiss swollen lips and flushed cheeks—the fact that it was all because of him only made Calum more desperate for her.

“Taste so fuckin’ good, sweetheart,” Calum told her once releasing his own fingers, smirking when Reese pulled him down to press her lips against his. He groaned into her mouth as she got a taste of herself, her hands working to take off her bra. “Need to feel you. All of you.”

Reese sighed into his mouth as they both sat up, working together and in time, so she could shrug off the shirt and pull down the straps of the bra. They quickened their movements, the urge and need to feel each other only growing their desperation, and as Calum stood to take off his boxers, eyes remaining on a gorgeous, naked Reese and taking in her marked up neck and bare breasts he wanted his hands and mouth on, he smirked with a raise of his eyebrows. “You gonna put the shirt back on for me?”

Letting out an unsurprised, knowing chuckle, Reese put his button down back on, leaving it open in the front and meeting his appreciative gaze with a coy, teasing one of her own. She was on her knees, gripping the front of the shirt she wore as she raised her eyebrows, watching him in the somewhat dark room, the moonlight providing a pretty glow. “Me in your shirt gets you going, huh?” Reese asked playfully, the smile on her face faltering ever so slightly when Calum took off his boxers, her gaze dropping to eye him completely.

His gaze remained on her, cool and even, as her eyes finally met his when he got back onto the bed. Calum’s arms slid around her waist, hands cheekily kneading her ass as her front pressed against his, her hands on his shoulders as Calum told her truthfully, “No. Just you.”

They moved purposefully once again, Reese pulling out a condom from her bedside drawer as Calum pushed her until she was laying on her back. This was how he wanted to take her, so he could kiss her and feel her body against him and see her face when she fell apart around him for the second time. She looked fucking ethereal, dark hair fanned out beneath her and long lashes fluttering as she watched him, wearing nothing but his shirt and the marks he’d left her.

Calum’s heart drummed and his stomach twisted in anticipation, effectively silencing the voice in the back of his head that whispered what a bad idea this was. But he ignored it like he had the second things started heading in this direction at the bar, because Calum didn’t fucking care. He wanted to be selfish, wanted to give in to what he found himself being so desperate for and think of the consequences of sleeping with his roommate some other time. The only thing he wanted to think of right now was of Reese and making her forget any other guy she’d brought back to this room. He wanted her to only think of him, the way all he could focus on was her. She’d become a constant in his mind the second he met her, and he’d kept pushing the thought of her away up until this moment.

Calum liked her. He knew he did. But for now, it was physical. For now, it was about making her feel good and giving into each other. Feelings would come later. If  they would.

They worked together, almost frantically, as Calum rolled on the condom before his hands found the back of Reese’s knees, prompting her to lay back down with a bounce. She let out a breath as Calum’s body slid over hers, his lips finding hers in a heated kiss as they adjusted their legs so he could fit himself between hers. Calum reveled in the feel of her breasts against his chest as he savored the feel of her lips, in the way her hand rested at the back of his neck as her nails scratched at his scalp.

“Come on, Cal,” Reese breathed against him, arching into him to push him further, to get more of him. “Please.”

Nothing more needed to be said.

He slid into her, the room filled with the sounds of their moans that escaped through their broken kiss. Calum felt a shuddering breath escape him, head dropping to the crook of Reese’s neck as he bottomed out, lips dragging against Reese’s skin as her hands slid to Calum’s back, nails digging into his skin. He pulled out after she breathlessly begged for him to move, pushing himself back in and setting a pace that had Reese holding him close, breathless moans and satisfied sounds falling past her lips.

It was dizzying. Overwhelming. Everything either of them thought it would be and so much fucking more. Reese’s appreciative moans mixed with Calum’s guttural praises as hands memorized the other’s body and the sound of skin slapping against skin was almost in tune with the thundering of their hearts.

The line was crossed the way it was meant to be since the second the two of them met. Where they went from there. . . That was a problem for tomorrow.

                                                      *****

“Dude, you’ve developed such a habit of running away from Calum, I’m not even surprised you fucked someone else.”

An affronted, protesting sound escaped Reese as she drove into her family’s neighborhood, wishing Kat was actually next to her to receive her glare rather than just a voice on her phone. “That makes me sound like a slut,” Reese responded with a huff.

“Be proud of your sexual endeavors,” Kat told her with a snicker before sobering up. “But seriously, Reese. You and Calum hooked up and you said things were fine, so why’re you so pressed about sleeping with someone else?”

Reese pulled her car into the driveway of her parents’ home, killing the engine and leaning back in her seat with a huff. “Because it still feels like I’m running away. Like I’m using other people to forget about Calum.”

“Are you?”

“Well, shit, obviously, Kat!” Reese exclaimed, the frustration in her tone tipping over the edge as a distressed frown took over her face. She exhaled deeply, absently staring at the front door of the house, shaking her head. “But I can’t forget about him because he’s my roommate and sleeping with him was probably the stupidest thing I could’ve done.”

“I mean, you said you both were drunk, right? People do all kinds of stupid shit when they’re drunk,” Kat tried to reason, trying her best to calm down her spiraling best friend. Reese appreciated her for that.

She let out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair. “I made him think I was a lot more drunk than I was when we woke up the next morning. He said the same thing but, like, I don’t know if he said it because it’s true or because I said it in the first place.”

“Reese, you like Calum. Why don’t you just tell him that? Who knows—maybe he feels the same way about you.”

Kat made it sound so simple but, God, it wasn’t that easy. Reese wasn’t afraid of telling Calum how she felt, nor was she afraid of the aftermath going either way. She just didn’t know if it was a good idea. Because they were roommates, and there was a reason why most normal couples decided to live together after they’d been dating for a while. Reese genuinely had no idea what to do in this situation, had been stupid to think that things would be normal after her and Calum slept together. Fuck—she was a logical person. But right now, nothing was making sense to her.

Almost a week had passed since her and Calum crossed the line of being just roommates, and for the most part, things were. . . Okay. Neither of them talked about it; the morning after when they woke in a mess of limbs in her bed and awkwardly got breakfast—neither was entirely sure how to act when the person they hooked up with the night before wasn’t someone they could kick out—the two of them mutually established that they’d been way too drunk the night before.

Not by outright saying it; no, they both put on a show of being extremely hungover, more than either of them were, to hint to the other that copious amounts of alcohol had been consumed the night before. If only they knew the other was acting on their expense. Fucking tragic.

But how could they live together like they did before, now that they’d seen each other naked? Had felt the other’s lips on theirs? Had been tangled together so intimately and desperately that every time they caught a glimpse of the other, their night together played like a movie in their heads? What the fuck was normal after having the best sex of their damned lives with the person they’re living with and trying not to fucking jump whenever they came into view?

It was exhausting, and when Reese’s parents asked her to come home for the weekend because they missed her, she jumped at the opportunity. Anything to get away from Calum and his kissable lips. Hooking up with some guy named Jackson at a party her cousins took her to hadn’t been the plan, and it hadn’t even done what Reese hoped it would. She left the party fucked and still thinking about Calum.

The conversation with Kat ended soon after that, after Reese complained that telling Calum how she felt would throw her into another crisis she was too exhausted to deal with, and trudged into the house. Her mom was watching TV, some Turkish drama she’d recently gotten obsessed with, but one look at her daughter’s distressed frown had her pausing the TV and sitting up. “Alright—you’ve been frowning all weekend long. What’s going on?”

Reese stopped, dropping her overnight bag she’d taken to her cousin’s place on the floor as she blew a raspberry. “I hate boys.”

Her mom held her hand out, urging Reese to take it before pulling her daughter around the couch and getting her to sit down next to her. Reese plopped down with a huff, leaning her head back as she heard her mom ask, “Does this have something to do with Calum? You know—cute roommate you’ve been obsessing over.”

Reese straightened her head, giving her mother an affronted look. Seriously—why was everyone calling her out for her feelings for Calum? If this was what happened if she indulged her feelings to her mother and Kat, she wasn’t going to tell them anything anymore. “First of all, I haven’t been obsessing,” Reese said, earning a chuckle from her mom. “And second of all—yes. We crossed a line and now things are awkward and I don’t know what to do.”    

Her mom offered an understanding, sympathetic smile as she rubbed her hand up and down the back of Reese’s head, patting her hair down comfortingly. “Call me crazy, but I think talking to him may help. Don’t ignore the problem and hope for it to go away, sweetie.”

“What do I even say to him, Mom?” Reese asked, the exasperation seeping back into her tone as she looked at her mother. “Where do we go from here?”

“That’s something you two have to figure out,” her mom unhelpfully told her, and Reese huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, lips turned downwards. “You either decide that whatever happened never happens again and you move on from there, or you figure out if both of you actually want something to come out of it. Either way, hiding out at your parents’ place isn’t gonna help.”

Reese shot her a look, narrowing her eyes as she nudged at her mom’s side. “Uh, you’re the one who told me to come over for the weekend.” With a scoff and a small smile, she added, “If anything, you’re aiding and abetting.”

Her mom laughed, the sound widening Reese’s smile just a bit, not entirely feeling relieved but somewhat lighter. “You’re adults, Reese. I’m sure you two can figure it out. It’s not the end of the world.”

A wry grin tilted Reese’s lips, before she sighed, tilting her head back once more to look up at the ceiling. Her mom had a point, she knew, but the uneasy knot in her stomach remained tight. “Everything’s the end of the world for my generation.

                                                      *****

Calum couldn’t stop looking towards the bleachers.

He knew his attention and focus should be on the pre-game drills, getting ready to play against their school’s rival team because no doubt it would be a game worth watching. Yet, as Calum dribbled a ball back and forth with one of his team mates, he kept looking past Ian’s shoulder to where the bleachers were on the other side of the field, eyes narrowing in hopes of catching sight of who he was looking for, hoping she was sitting with Luke, Ashton and Michael. But no such luck, and it only had him kicking the ball back to Ian harder than intended each time.

“You good, Cap?” Ian asked with raise of his eyebrows, in possession of the ball as he stood with one foot on it. “Or are you just worried about the game?”

Calum’s eyes flashed back to Ian, a ghost of a smirk lifting at his lips. “I’m never worried about the game,” he responded, every ounce of confidence available in his words. “We’re gonna kick Milltown’s ass.”

Ian grinned, satisfied with that answer, as he kicked the ball back to Calum. As they continued, Calum’s eyes once again drifted, though this time instead of to the bleachers, he looked towards the other side of the field where the Milltown team was warming up. His eyes landed on number 11, the captain of their team, and a guy who always got on Calum’s nerves whenever they were on the field together. The guy was a good player, no doubt, but he had his head so far up his own ass. Hell, Calum was a cocky son of a bitch too, especially when it came to his skills on the soccer field, but Jackson Demarks’ holier-than-thou attitude really warranted a punch to his face.

When the game was seconds away from beginning, Calum chanced a glance towards the bleachers once more, the disappointment settling heavily in the pit of his stomach when there was no sign of Reese watching on. He’d, perhaps stupidly, left his spare jersey on her bed before he’d left, asking her to come to the game and maybe wear it, too. Now, all he could do was clench his jaw and reprimand himself on that stupid decision.

Why should he have expected her to comply? Things between the two of them. . . Calum’s stomach twisted when he thought of the state of their relationship. . . Friendship. . . Whatever the fuck it was. They’d fucked, over a week ago, and save for the morning after consisting of an awkward breakfast with little to no eye contact, they didn’t talk about that night again. Despite the fact that all Calum wanted to do was talk about it, because, shit, he was confused. For the first time, he felt like what some of the girls he kicked out the next day probably felt like; wondering if more would come of this, wondering if it meant more to him than it did Reese.

When she’d told him she was a lot drunker the night before than she thought she was, Calum understood, with heavy dismay, that it was all probably one sided. So he didn’t push, didn’t bring it up, even if it ate away at him. Because being with Reese for one night had trumped being with anyone else, and he wasn’t entirely sure how to move forward from that. She’d ruined him, effortlessly, and Calum didn’t know how to pull himself together.

Fuck. Maybe leaving the jersey for her had been too forward.

He clenched his eyes shut briefly, trying to refocus on the game that was about to start. He had never been one to let a girl fuck him up so bad. Of course it would be the girl he’s living with to be the one to do so.

“Ready to get your ass kicked, Hood?”

Calum’s eyes flashed to meet the light brown ones of Jackson Demarks, the smirk curling at his lips before he could help it. “Not even in your dreams, Demarks.”

The game started, and Calum took every bit of his frustration, exasperation, and confusion and channeled it into determination and drive to win this game. He was losing himself to Reese, but he would be damned if he lost to Jackson Demarks and his team.

By the time half time rolled around, Calum was in better spirits. They went into the fifteen minute interval with the game being scored 1-0, in their favor, and the scowl on Jackson’s face did wonders to uplift Calum’s mood. He clapped some of his team mates on the back as they jogged over to the bench where the other players and their coach were, and Calum felt the sweat clinging to his skin as he grabbed a water bottle. As he downed it, the cold beverage doing wonders in cooling him down, Calum’s eyes drifted towards the bleachers right behind the bench, hand raising and lips curling into a smile at the mouth of the bottle when his three best friends waved at him as if he was some kind of superstar.

But as Calum lowered the bottle, his eyes caught sight of the two new faces sitting with the boys, and it was instinctive how his gaze zeroed in on Reese sitting between Kat and Michael. Calum felt a sense of surprise wash over him at the sight of her, sitting in a hoodie unzipped to show his jersey adorning her body. He froze where he stood, opening and unapologetically staring at and her wavy dark hair and the small hint of a smile that upturned her lips as she raised a hand to offer a single wave.

Shit. She was there. In his jersey, with the cutest fucking smile on her face that had Calum’s heart threatening to stupidly leap out of his chest. Her hands rested between her thighs, the smile on her lips widening just a bit more when she noted the way he kept staring at her, and Calum watched as Reese raised her eyebrows pointedly before jutting her chin forward, silently telling him to get his head back in the game.

Okay. She was there. Her presence immediately had Calum hoping, maybe wistfully and pathetically, that this meant whatever it was between them, wasn’t as one sided as Calum had thought.

After Coach Hugh gave them their usual half-time talk, Calum found himself walking around the bench and towards the bleachers, eyes on Reese and giving her a nod, silently asking for her to come down. She raised her eyebrow, saying something to Kat, which Calum noted was be right back, before standing up and carefully making her way down, muttering excuse me’s to those she moved past.

Calum folded his arms on top of the fence separating the field and bleachers, only just reaching below his chest, unable to keep the smile from dancing on the corners of his lips as Reese approached him, aware of their friends’ gazes on them but not entirely caring. When she was right in front of him, Calum mused, “I didn’t think you’d come.”

Reese raised her eyebrows, a small smile of her own gracing her lips, looping her fingers through the fence. She looked up at him, a teasing glint melting into her eyes as she said, “I can always leave.”

“Hell no,” Calum instantly said, letting one hand drop so he could poke his fingers through the holes of the fence to lightly grip the material of the jersey she wore. His jersey. Yeah, he definitely had a thing for her in his clothes. “I’m just—” Calum stopped, gaze lifting to meet Reese’s again. With a breath, Calum repeated more quietly, softly, “I didn’t think you’d come.”

Reese licked her lips, understanding what Calum meant, her gaze dropping with a blink as he noted the way a gentle furrow drew together her eyebrows. “I didn’t either,” she told him truthfully. Her eyes lifted only slightly to Calum’s lips, and he noticed the troubled look she was battling in his eyes, fighting with something Calum wanted to help her with. Whatever it was, he knew it had to do with the way neither of them really handled the aftermath of hooking up. He knew because it was something he didn’t know how to work around, either. Reese twisted her lips to the side, an apologetic glaze over her brilliant green eyes. “But I figured I’d stop running from you for once.”

Calum’s heart thundered, inhaling a quiet breath as his eyes searched hers. He saw nothing but honesty and hope and guilt, and he understood. He’d been in the same state of bewilderment since the moment they’d kissed. Calum was no stranger to hiding from his problems, he’d done it countless of times before, but it was new with Reese, with how he wanted to chase after her rather than turn in the other direction. Except he’d kind of sucked at it because he’d chosen to let her be, not wanting to push.

But apparently giving Reese her space seemed to be exactly the right thing to be done.

“Yeah?” he smiled, boyish and giddy, adoring that she was mirroring the grin that showed the lightness in his chest. Calum ducked his head, pressing his forehead to hers, her eyes fluttering at the proximity. Her floral shampoo tickled his nose. “You think we can figure this out?”

Reese let out a low chuckle, her fingers shifting so she could tease the jersey he wore just as he was doing with hers. “Now that I’ve stopped being a dumbass—probably.”

Calum clicked his tongue, not appreciating her putting herself down in any way. “You’re not a dumbass,” he told her, brushing his nose against hers, uncaring of the people around them and the game that was about to resume. “You just had things to figure out.”

Reese let out a breathless laugh, leaning her head back as she smiled up at Calum. There was a certain softness in her features Calum hadn’t seen before, the sight of her widening his smile. “You’re being too nice. I ran from you.”

Calum rolled his eyes, vaguely hearing his name being called. The fifteen minutes were almost up. “But you’re here now,” he told her confidently. He grinned, wide and toothy, gripping the top of the fence and leaning back with his feet planted on the ground, looking up at Reese. He felt ridiculously giddy, feeling as though things were finally going the way he wanted them to with Reese. With a cocky smirk, Calum told her, “I’m gonna kick this team and their captain’s ass and then we’ll talk, yeah?”

Reese laughed, adoring his confidence, watching as he stood straight while a breeze blew some locks of her dark hair into her face. Giving a shake of her head to move her hair, she said, “Sounds good,” before jutting her chin. “Who’s the captain?”

Calum scoffed at the mere thought of Jackson, glancing over his shoulder and allowing his gaze to sweep over the field before he nodded. “Number eleven. Jackson Demarks.”

Just then, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the interval, and Calum tapped the fence with both hands as he looked back at Reese. But Calum was too hyped, about her and the game, to notice the way Reese’s green eyes had widened, glued to the field, lips parting like she was about to say something as her eyes quickly flashed back to the man in front of her. “Calum—” Reese began, taking a step forward and huffing as the fence proved to be a hindrance.

However, Calum had to go, his boyish excitement leaving him blind to Reese’s newfound panic or the way the fence gently rattled and clanged when her grip on it tightened, giving it a tug as if it would give away. “I’ll see you after the game, yeah?” Calum smiled, throwing her a wink before pushing away.

Reese exhaled sharply, muscles tightening as her green eyes darted between him and the field, watching as he walked backwards and away from the fence. “Wait, Calum—”

But he was already gone, jogging back to the field after Coach Hugh clapped his back, leaving Reese standing on the other side of the fence and cursing herself for her stupid decision she’d made days ago that was now sending her into a bit of a panic. The palms of her hands and fingers began hurting from how tightly she gripped the fence, forced to let go to return to her seat.

Calum reached the center of the field where one of the referees, the ball, and Jackson were already waiting. They stood, waiting for kick off, and Calum let out a preparing breath as he bounced on the heels of his feet. Jackson looked off to the side, in the direction of the bleachers, and let out a scoff with a shake of his head. His voice was sarcastic, a derogatory dig, as he said snidely, “Man, can’t believe we fucked and she’s out there wearing your jersey. A blow to the ego.”

Calum stopped shifting on his feet, Jackson’s words cutting right through his excited anticipation, feeling every part of himself freeze as the words sank into his head. He looked at Jackson, took in the mocking shake of his head and the way he shrugged in a jeering what can you do? kind of way. His eyes locked with Calum’s, uncaring of the fire he was igniting, as Jackson sneered, “You should keep your bitches in check, Hood.”

There was a heat spreading through Calum’s body like a ferocious wild fire, unable to be controlled and only growing as the seconds passed. He looked at Jackson, took in the careless shrug of his shoulders and challenging look in his light eyes, because he didn’t care that Reese was on the bleachers in Calum’s jersey just days after he hooked up with her. No. He just wanted Calum to be aware of it.

He didn’t want to believe Jackson, wanted to believe that the son of a bitch was just trying to get under Calum’s skin. But as Calum’s fingers curled into his palms, he looked towards the bleachers, gaze on Reese, and he felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. He saw the look on her face, took in the way her eyebrows were drawn together worriedly and the way she had her lower lip pulled into her mouth, somehow knowing exactly what Calum and Jackson were talking about. He saw the regret, the guilt, the apology, and he was sick of seeing it on her face.

The anger bubbled in Calum, teeth beginning to ache from how tightly he was clenching his jaw, and the way his heart was now thundering in his chest was a lot fiercer, a lot angrier, than it had been when he was talking to Reese. Calum looked back at Jackson, wanted to wipe the fucking smirk off his face as he taunted, “But I gotta say, man—the girl’s pretty damn good on her knees.”

The referee blew the whistle, and as Jackson went to kick the ball, Calum fist flew right into his jaw.

There was an audible gasp of shock emitting from the bleachers while protesting yells sounded from those on the field, but fuck it if Calum cared. He was seeing red, vision washed by the fury in his veins he felt towards Jackson and his demoralizing comments towards Reese. Fuck, Calum knew starting a fight during a game wasn’t at all a good idea, knew that it would get him a suspension from the game, but he didn’t care in that moment. Jackson wanted to drop comments like that, and he was going to fucking pay for it.

Jackson fell to the ground upon hit, not expecting Calum’s punch, but he was quick to get up and launch himself at Calum, who was ready for the attack. He was deaf to the referees blowing his whistles, deaf to his coach and teammates yelling as they ran over. All his focus was on getting as many hits on Jackson as he could before he was pulled away, focused on getting his anger towards the bastard out before he couldn’t anymore.

“Try fuckin’ talkin’ about her like that again,” Calum growled, the sound low and almost animalistic, as he lifted a knee into Jackson’s stomach before another right hook buried itself in his jaw. His own body was hot, seething with anger and sweat, heart thundering as he watched Jackson fall to the ground once more, expression screwed up painfully that only satisfied Calum. Jackson was a fucking idiot to think he could get away with talking about Reese the way he did.

Jackson’s teammates were around him, protecting him, a couple moving to shove Calum away while his own teammates grabbed at his arms to pull him back. But Calum’s anger, though still bubbling, found a moment of lull as he let his teammates yank him back and away from Jackson, who was bleeding from his mouth at this point. Good.

He ignored his teammates’ clamoring voices, ignored the fact that he was going to get an earful from the coach for not only starting an unnecessary fight but starting one as the captain of the team. But it wasn’t unnecessary. In fact, it was very much needed. Jackson’s pained groans only served to satisfy Calum, even as he approached the bench and felt the startled, bewildered eyes of everyone watching him.

Right before he settled on the bench, Calum’s eyes met Reese’s—wide and shocked and guilty, and Calum tightened his jaw once more. Yeah. They had a lot to talk about.

                                                       *****

Reese counted every single guy that walked out of the locker room, both watching out for Calum and, if he didn’t come out, getting ready to barge in if he was the last one inside. And it didn’t surprise her that all of the guys from the team walked out, clamoring and excited over their win despite the massive disruption in the middle of the game—a disruption Reese just knew she was the cause of. So when the last of the guys walked out of the locker room, still no sign of Calum, she took a sharp breath before storming inside, her nerves and worry eating her alive.

She looked down the aisles of red lockers on either side of her, trying to find the man she was looking for, trying to hear his whereabouts as she walked further into the seemingly deserted locker room. Her heart had been in her throat during the entire second half of the game, unable to focus on the action on the field because her eyes were glued to the back of Calum’s head, sitting on the bench because he was penalized for the rest of the game. She could hear everyone on the bleachers whispering and murmuring about what the hell happened on the field, what provoked Calum to just punch out the captain of the other team, and Reese sat on the answer like a bomb waiting to go off.

Other than Reese, Kat was the only other person to know what happened because she had immediately, frantically, whispered in her best friend’s ear that the captain of the opposing team was the same guy Reese had hooked up with at the party she’d gone to with her cousins. Next to her, Michael, Ashton, and Luke were just as bewildered as everyone else as to why their best friend suddenly began punching out Jackson, but Reese also heard them figure that it probably had something to do with Calum’s rivalry with him. It only made Reese feel worse. Of fucking course she fucked the guy Calum hated.

She was just fucking things up left and right, wasn’t she?

When she turned the corner and her eyes landed on Calum, sitting on the bench between the two rows of lockers in just a pair of black track pants, holding an ice pack to his right hand, Reese suddenly felt like a different person. A person riddled with nerves and guilt and even a little bit of self loathing as she began to ramble while approaching him hastily.

“I’m so sorry,” she started, effectively catching Calum’s attention as his head turned in her direction. She noted the confused furrow in his eyebrows, dark eyes on her approaching figure. “I had no idea Jackson was from your rival team. I-I had no idea who he even was, I just—I met him at some party a couple of days ago and I only hooked up with him as a way of trying to forget about you which was so stupid and not even a valid excuse because obviously I can’t just forget about you and it wasn’t—it was a stupid thing for me to do in the first place and he wasn’t even good and I’m sorry I’m an idiot.”

There was a flush in her cheeks that only warmed as she finished her unprecedented rant, her heart drumming wildly in her chest as Reese tried to maintain her breath after running out of air. She stood in front of Calum, nervously wringing her fingers, waiting for his reaction and kind of dreading it, too. Because she had made such an idiotic mistake—a mistake that was doubly stupid in regards of her hooking up with someone as a way of moving on from Calum and hooking up with the guy that was Calum’s soccer rival. God, what had she been thinking? Suddenly the guilt she had felt the morning after hooking up with Jackson came back in full swing, especially when her gaze dropped to Calum’s hand that he was icing. This was all her fault.

She watched Calum look up at her, tried to decipher what his expression was saying, her nerves only intensifying when she couldn’t get a read on him. All Reese could pick up on was the calculating look in his eyes as he looked at her, took in her distressed state, vastly different than what he was used to. Reese couldn’t help but think she probably looked like a freak with how she barged in there, and he probably thought she was a mess he didn’t need to waste time cleaning up because of her stupid actions.

God. She needed him to say something before she drove herself crazy with the worse case scenarios.

Calum’s dark eyes were sharp on her, face intimidatingly blank of all expressions as he drank in the sight of her with wild dark hair and his jersey tucked into her jeans, and he finally stood up, dropping the ice pack on the bench as he did so. Reese watched him with wondering green eyes, feeling herself involuntarily swallow as his body towered over hers when he took a step towards her. He cocked his eyebrow, subtle and challenging. “No?” he mused, his cool, even tone taking Reese by surprise as he slowly stalked towards her. Calum looked down at her, eyebrows raised not so innocently, and Reese couldn’t help but take a step back as he neared her. His gaze searched her face purposefully. “He wasn’t good to you? Couldn’t please you?”

Reese’s heart jumped in her chest, immediately picking up on where this was going as Calum slowly backed her into the row of lockers behind her, feeling her nerves slowly dissipate into excitement. She found her voice once more, the usual confident edge only just creeping into her tone as she answered him truthfully, green eyes locked with brown, “No.”

The heat of his body melted into her deliciously, a feeling Reese had been craving for days, pressed against the lockers as she kept her head tilted just a bit to keep her gaze locked with Calum’s. His brown eyes watched her knowingly, hands raising to place them against the lockers on either side of Reese’s head, uncaring of the mild ache in the knuckles of his right hand. Reese’s throat was dry as the distance between them lessened by the second, gaze dropping to Calum’s lips as he brushed his nose against her pierced one.

“Couldn’t kiss you like me.” His murmured words came out as more of a knowing statement than a question—because he knew, and it only had a shuddering breath threatening to escape Reese, hands itching to reach out to him. She was overwhelmed by him in the best way; in the closeness of his body, the rasp of his voice, the familiar smell of him. Calum’s left hand left the locker to come up to her throat, fingers wrapping around it with the slightest amount of pressure, reveling in the way Reese’s lips parted at the action and eyes flashed up to meet his. Calum smirked, devilish and knowing, as he dragged his lips against hers. The brush of a touch was enough to spark a new kind of fire in him. “Couldn’t touch you like me.”

Reese’s eyes fluttered closed, feeling a flurry in her stomach as her first instinct was to give into Calum once again, to melt into him. Her body was being pulled into his, a pleasant warmth spreading over her at his words. But they needed to get this right. The logical part of her pushed past the delirious, overwhelmed part of her mind, and with closed eyes, Reese forced herself to start, “Calum,” as she shifted her head, their noses touching as she willed herself to not give into kissing him just yet. “We’ve still got things to figure out—”

“We will,” he promised, thumb gently rubbing the side of her neck soothingly, reassuringly.

Opening her eyes, Reese met his gaze as she leaned her head against the locker, licking her lips briefly. He looked completely enamored with her, the sight of him watching her so carefully eliciting a storm in the pit of her stomach. God, she just wanted to kiss him again. “You’re not mad at me?”

She felt small when she asked that, the question tumbling out before she could stop it, but she needed to know. Sleeping with Jackson had been a mistake, but it resulted in Calum getting into a fight and having to sit out on a game. Reese felt guilty, and she hated being the cause of his bruised knuckles and whatever other kind of pain she potentially brought him. She remembered the ache disguising itself as jealousy she felt whenever Calum slept with someone else when she acknowledged her attraction to him; Reese could only imagine how he felt knowing she slept with someone he genuinely didn’t like.

Calum paused upon hearing her question, the alluring playfulness faltering from his expression as his hand fell from around her throat, and for a moment Reese feared the worst. But Calum leaned against the locker on his right side, barely any space between them, as he looked down at her while feeling the cool lockers against his bare skin. “I was for a minute,” he told her, and Reese watched as a ghost of a smile tilted at his lips. “But I’ve made my fair share of stupid mistakes. And wanting to be with you—” His hand reached up once again, this time to cup her cheek and turn her head towards him, adoring the brilliant green of her eyes as she looked at him. “—is not one of them.”

“So you—” Reese paused, clearing her throat as his thumb swiped against her lower lip, trying to control the excitement that once again was stirring in her stomach. With a raise of her eyebrows, she asked, “You wanna give this a try? For real?”

Calum smirked, pulling her closer, feeling her front press up against him. He’d missed that. “Sweetheart, you and I both knew this was coming,” he told her cockily, the arrogance Reese kind of actually adored seeping back into his tone as his brown eyes glimmered. “There’s no way it wasn’t gonna go there.”

A mildly surprised, amused laugh escaped Reese as she allowed herself to finally wrap her arms around Calum’s bare waist, looking up at him with a raise of her eyebrows. “You sound really confident about that.”

Calum leaned forward, capturing her pink lips in a slow, sucking kiss, feeling her melt into him almost immediately as she returned the kiss. He pulled away too soon, his eyes opening before Reese’s, loving the way she briefly chased after his lips. When her eyes did flutter open, starry eyed and dazed in the best ways, Calum smirked, brushing his knuckles against her cheek. “It’s ’cause you had me from the start, doll.” With a small chuckle, he added, “I’m just good at keeping it to myself.”

Reese let out a breath, sounding a bit frustrated with herself as she told him, “Same here.” Then, with a smile, she pushed herself into him and hummed, “Guess we can work on that together, huh?”

He let out his own hum to signal his agreement, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Just because he could. “How about over dinner at home?”

Reese smiled, absolutely loving the sound of that, even though the notion of it had at first riddled her with nerves. It was a bit backwards, wasn’t it, already living with the person you wanted to be with? But it worked for her and Calum; they worked backwards, mostly because of their habit of keeping their feelings a secret from one another until they couldn’t anymore. And now they knew. They gave into what was meant to happen from the moment they met each other.

They’d figure it out. They’d work on it the way they were meant to—together.

And as Reese waited for Calum to put on his clothes and gather his things, his uninjured hand reaching out to interlace his fingers with hers as they made their way out of the locker room to head home, there was a mutual understanding that home wasn’t just reduced to their apartment.

Home meant each other, and being able to acknowledge that felt like a much needed breath of fresh air.

--

tags: @irwinkitten @glitterprincelu @sweetcherrymike @meetashthere @valentinelrh @softforcal @astroashtonio @hereforlukescruff @novacanecalum @captain-what-is-going-on @angelbbycal @singt0mecalum @hopelessxcynic @lfwallscouldtalk @bodhi-black @findingliam-o @softlrh @calntynes @calumsmermaid @erikamarie41 @quintodosuniversos @longlastingdaydream @babylon-corgis @lukehemmingsunflower @spideyseavey @imfuckin10plybud @pastelpapermoons @malumharmonies @conquerwhatliesahead92 @rotten-kandy @metangi @neigcthood @ohhmuke @old-zeppelin-shirt @5sos-and-hessa @trustmeimawhalebiologist @vxlentinecal @pettybassists @vaporshawn @lu-my-golden-boi @buggy-blogs @visualm3nte @isabella-mae13 @dontjinx-it @lifeakaharry @neonweeknds @antisocialbandmate @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave @calpalbby @grreatgooglymoogly @sunnysideblog @cocktail-calum @miahelizaaabeth @madelynerin @dramallamawithsparkles @aulxna @mermaiden004 @theagenderwhocriedwolf @kaytiebug14 @hoodskillerqueen @bitchinbabylon @empathycth @xhaileyreneex @inlovehoodx @calistheloml @aestheticrelated @bloodlinecal @sublimehood @madbomb @raabiac​ @britnicole11​ @outofmylimitcal​ @fluffsshawn​ @gorgeouslygrace​ 

[sunflowerhazzavol6]

Man After Midnight

Y/N is out for the night on a quest to find someone to sleep with and forget about the next day. The last thing she expects is to run into someone and find herself feeling like she's known them forever. 4k words of fluff, partying, drinking, and cursing (will most likely end up being a series). Enjoy!

Y/n was always up to go out.

It was fun, to get drunk, to party with her friends. It was fun to go to bars all dressed up, flirt with guys that she had absolutely no intentions of committing to. She supposed that was the case for most people her age; making decisions based on the theory that they were invincible. That there was no way they could get hurt when there was nothing and no one they were responsible for.

Tonight was no different than any other. San Francisco was bustling with its usual nightlife, twenty-something year olds stumbling into the entrance of the next bar they were going into. Y/n and her friends had just left one of their favorite places, beginning to head to the next destination for the night.

“Can you believe that guy?” Lydia, one of her friends, frustratedly wipes at her jacket with an old receipt from her purse. “Clumsily grinding on someone and then spilling your drink all over them is not a one way ticket inside their pants.”

“God, it was like watching a train wreck!” Her other friend Veronica skips around them holding a flask. “So bad you want to look away and yet you can’t help but watch.”

Y/n laughs, plucking the flask from her hand. “I kind of feel bad for the guy. He clearly had no clue what he was doing.” She takes a swig, coughing and handing it off to Penelope.

“Fuck that. He was definitely just drunk, not inexperienced.” Penelope says, rolling her eyes.

“Fuck him and fuck these hills. A bitch wants to be able to wear heels out without breaking an ankle.” Lydia groans.

“Cheers to that.” Y/n takes another sip and the girls pass it around, laughing.

Y/n never really got time with her girl friends like this. She was currently working at a coffee shop part time while she got her degree in digital marketing, which meant that between studying and work, she had no time to herself.

“You know, I think this is the one.” Y/n says at a pause in the conversation.

“The one?” Veronica laughs, narrowly avoiding a very drunk couple sloppily making out against a storefront. “You said the last one was ‘the one’.”

“I feel it this time.” Y/n turns to walk backwards to face her friends, entering the bar. “Mama is gonna get her p- Oh!” She falls against someone, laughing.”Fuck, I’m sorry, I should have-”

“Not been walking backwards?” The person interrupts her with a thick British accent, laughing heartily. She turns around, biting her lip when she sees the victim of her drunkenness.

“Well shit, of all the people to fall into...” Lydia says under her breath. Penelope elbows her in the side to shut her up.

Lydia was right. He was hot. Tattoos were littered around his tan arms, the sleeves of his white button up pushed past his elbows. A handful of the top buttons were undone, tattoos of sparrows just below his collar bones peeking out from underneath the fabric. Beautiful pale green eyes looked at her through long, thick eyelashes. His hair was a curly mop on top of his head, slick with sweat from dancing. The worst of it all was his smile. Blindingly white, crooked, dimples. That smile could make an honest woman out of her and she wouldn't mind one bit.

“Fuck- I mean, I’m sorry. You’re right, I probably shouldn’t be walking backwards, let alone walking backwards while drunk.” She laughs, holding out her hand. “No harm no foul?”

“None at all.” He shakes it firmly, his skin rough and calloused. Musician hands. She could feel them on the pads of his fingers.

“Well, we’ll be on our way then.” She says, nodding toward the inside of the club.

“Good luck to you, don’t back into anyone else.” He flashes his crooked grin at her again before his blonde-haired friend slaps him on the back and leads him out.

“What the fuck, y/n!” Lydia says, smacking her friend’s shoulder with her clutch. “He was the one! That was fate!”

“There's no way I’m going to talk it up with a guy that I quite literally ran into.” Y/n leads the group to the bar, ordering herself a drink.

“The sex gods not only sent you a bedtime buddy, they sent you one of their fucking own. Did you even see that man? Are you blind? Does your insurance cover eye care?”

“Forget about it.” She laughs. “They're probably long gone by now anyways.”

“I think Lydia is right. Anyone after looking at him is going to be mediocre at best.” Penelope says, sitting on the stool beside her.

“Whatever, I’ll find someone else.” Y/n says, trying to play it off. Maybe she had been to quick to brush him off. Usually she was the type to be forward and flirtatious, not the type to be nervous. “So, shots?”

As usual, their lucky bar had been a total success. Lydia had already left with a tall guy that said he was an engineer. (“Smart guys have the best dick, trust me.” She had said before she left. “They bottle up all that sexuality in high school and then release the beast when they go out into the real world.”) Veronica had met a guy and was currently pulling him off the dance floor to y/n and Penelope at the bar.

“Derek here says that there's this great spot just a block over with a bar downstairs and a DJ on the roof. Wanna go?”

“Sure.” Y/n shrugs. “Penny?”

“I think I’m going to head back home. I’ve got work in the morning. Should I wait up for you guys?”

“No, don’t worry about it, get some rest.” Y/n kisses her on the cheek, squeezing her arm. “Text me when you get there, alright?”

“Yeah, no problem. Be safe.”

“Always.” Veronica says, grabbing y/n’s arm. She barely has time to slap down money for the tab before she's pulled back out onto the street.

Veronica spends the walk clinging to Derek, leaving y/n to her thoughts. Maybe she was stupid for not talking to that guy more. He was really good-looking, and nice enough to not yell at her for tumbling into him. Not to mention that smile. God, she had never thought about a smile so goddamn much. She shakes her head to rid herself of those thoughts. He was long gone anyways, and if she wanted to get any tonight, this was the last stop.

Derek was right, this place was very cool. The bar was dimly lit and clearly busy, people ordering drinks and laughing with their friends. Even from down here she could hear the vibrations of the bass coming from the rooftop.

“Wanna dance?” Veronica yells over the noise.

“Sure! Drinks?”

“I’ve got them. You guys head upstairs.” Derek says, waving them off. Veronica shrugs with a laugh and grabs y/n’s hand to pull her upstairs.

If y/n was impressed by the bar portion, she was blown away by the rooftop. Tables were spread around the edge of a large dance floor brimming with bodies, lights strung up back and forth overhead of them. The DJ had his own light set up as well, colorful lasers darting back and forth to the beat of the music. The sky was clear above them to top it all off, no token San Francisco haze to block their view of the stars. Y/n was suddenly grateful for the rain she had complained about in the morning.

“Fuck, this song is my shit!” Veronica exclaims as ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’ by ABBA comes on.

“Ronnie it's our girl group song!” She laughs, grabbing her friends hands.

“Hell yeah it is.” She takes two shots from the mini-bar adjacent to the dance floor, handing one to y/n and holding her own up. “To getting a man after midnight.”

“To getting a man after midnight.” Y/n grins, tapping their glasses together and downing the amber liquid. She coughs slightly before setting the glass back down and making her way to the dance floor.

Song after song plays, y/n somehow making her way to the center of the crowd of people. It was too tight for anyone to really dance, so she was just jumping around laughing and having fun. This was what it was about. What all the stress and hard work came back to. This. Letting go, having fun, dancing next to strangers who were equally as drunk and stressed and tired. A mass of twenty-somethings tossing away every bad part of their life. Y/n closes her eyes to soak it all in, tipping her head towards the sky.

“Fancy seeing you here. Run into anyone else yet?” A British accent yells over the music next to her. She opens her eyes.

“Not way.” She laughs, pushing her hair out of her face. “Hey!”

“You didn’t answer my question.” He grins, looking up at the DJ when the song changes.

“Not so far. The night is still young, though.”

“Right, of course. Silly me to think one would only step on a single person in a night.”

“I didn’t step on you!”

He looks down at his shoes, which were scuffed up at the point.

“Shit, my bad. I’ll pay for a shining?”

“Don’t worry about it. Pay me back with a drink?”

Y/n smiles. “I’d love to.”

The man takes her hand and weaves through the crowd of people back down to the bar. By now most of the crowd had either left or were upstairs, leaving the bar quiet besides a handful of people and the muffled noises from upstairs.

“What do you drink?” She asks, sitting on a stool.

“I’ll have a scotch, please.” He says, sitting beside her.

“A martini for me, and a scotch for...”

“Harry.” He finishes. “Thanks.” He says to the bartender.

“Y/n.” She says to him. “Nice to officially introduce myself in a way other than fucking up your shoe.”

“Indeed.” He laughs. “Well, y/n, where are you from?”

“Really? We’re starting with that question?”

“Is that a bad question to start with?” The corner of his mouth turns up, amused.

“A terrible one. People always ask that when they’re trying to get to know you, but I’ve found that where someone is from is the least telling information there is.”

“And why is that.” He grabs his scotch when it's set in front of him, nodding his head to the bartender in thanks.

“Well, there's a reason people left wherever they’re from. A reason why they wanted to get out of that place as soon as they could. So, therefore, they are likely the opposite of wherever they’re from and that information is irrelevant.”

“Thats contradictory. If they’re the opposite of wherever they’re from, doesn’t that tell you what they’re like anyways? Perhaps not so plainly, but it still does all the same.”

Y/n pauses and then laughs. “You got me there.”

“So then, where are you from?” He tries again.

“A small town outside of Chicago.”

“Aha. A midwesterner.”

“See, these are the exact kind of assumptions I wanted to avoid.” She takes a sip of her martini.

“You don’t want people to assume you’re nice?”

“I don’t want people to assume I’m a pushover.” She corrects.

“Darling, I have no assumptions whatsoever.” He turns in his seat to face her. “I’m from Cheshire, England. A little place called Holmes Chapel.”

“Little place? You’re from a small town?”

“Population 5,000.” He shrugs.

“I just assume every English person I meet is from London.”

“That's very American of you.” He laughs. “But I suppose I can’t judge you for that, I assume everyone is from LA or New York.”

“Is there anything about me that screams LA?” She raises an eyebrow.

“Nothing. As soon as your large midwesterner feet landed on my posh English shoes I knew exactly the type you were.”

“Did not!” She smacks his shoulder jokingly.

“’Did not’ indeed. That would have been cool, though.”

Y/n laughs, finishing her drink. Usually by this time she would have been in between the sheets with this stranger, and definitely wouldn’t know where he was from (or maybe even his name). Something was different about Harry. Maybe it was his teasing, or maybe she just wasn’t drunk enough. Or maybe it was because she felt like she had already known him for forever, which seemed crazy even to her.

“Hey.” Harry clears his throat, setting his empty glass down. “What do you say we get out of here?”

“And go where?” She bites her lower lip, running a hand through her hair. Maybe she had spoken too soon and this was just foreplay after all.

“It's a really clear night for San Francisco, right? My friend told me about this place where you can see the Golden and the entire bay. We could pick up a drink on the way, if you’re interested.”

“I am interested. Let me just let my friend know I’m leaving and we’ll meet back on the street?”

“Absolutely.” He grins lopsidedly, standing up and then helping her out of her chair.

“I’ll be right back, I promise.” She sets down money for the tab and then walks back up the stairs, finding Veronica.

“You found who?” She yells over the music, grinning. “No fucking way!”

“Yes fucking way.” Y/n grins. “So I’m leaving with him right now, if you’re good with Derek.”

“Absolutely I am. Go get that dick, baby!” She says, high-fiving her. “I guess you were right about that bar being ‘the one’, huh?”

Y/n rolls her eyes, squeezing her friend’s arm before making her way back down to the street. Harry is standing just outside of a taxi, leaning against it. He immediately smiles when he sees her, standing up and opening the door. “Ready?”

“To leave with a man I violently assaulted and just met? I guess.” She jokes, sliding into the car. He slides in next to her, leaning towards the driver, saying something she couldn’t hear.

“Alright, what other get to know you question can I bore you with?” He asks, sitting back.

“What brings you here?”

“What brings you here?” He repeats, looking at her.

“No, I’m asking you.” Y/n laughs, crossing her legs. “No offense, but your accent puts you heavily out of place.”

“Is that so? I hadn’t noticed.” He twists a ring around his middle finger. “I’m here on business. I work for a record label seeking new talent.”

“I would expect you to be a musician.”

“Now who’s assuming?” He teases, running his tongue along his lower lip. “I mean, I am one. A musician, I mean. I write stuff for people sometimes, and just for myself, but I prefer being on the sidelines for the time being.” He shrugs.

“So you sing?”

“I do.”

“That's cool. I wish I had a talent like that.”

“Tell me what you’re good at then.”

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of humility?”

“A bit, but you don’t strike me as someone shy.” He glances out the window when they stop at a 7/11, smiling. “Press pause on that, looks like we’re stopped at the epitome of class winery. Thanks for the ride, mate.” He hands the driver some cash, opening the door and helping y/n out.

“7/11? Really?” She laughs.

“Can you think of anywhere else open at nearly three in the morning that sells wine?”

“So we’re drinking wine? That’s very classy of you.”

“I’m trying to impress you, what can I say?” He shrugs. The door chimes when he opens it for her, following behind her and waving to the bored clerk. She walks to the wine section, Harry standing behind her with his hands stuffed in his pockets. “This isn’t your first midnight 7/11 wine run, I’m assuming.”

“What makes you say that?” She bites her lower lip, looking back at him.

He looks at her mouth and then back up at her eyes. “No reason. You just went straight for the wine section without so much as a glance at any of the directory signs.”

“So what if I have?” She turns back to the shelf, surveying the selection. “Are you a white or red wine type of guy?”

“I feel like that's a trick question, seeing as how you’re obviously an expert on 7/11 wine.” He grins when she looks back at him, glaring. “Are you going to judge me?”

“Would I ever?”

He snorts. “White. Chardonnay especially.”

“I would never have pegged you for a white wine bitch.”

“Hey! What happened to no judgement?”

“That was before you revealed you were a basic white wine bitch.” She grabs a bottle, pressing it to his chest. She can feel the warmth of his skin radiating through his shirt to the back of her hand, and it gives her the chills. “It’s okay. Chardonnay is one of my favorites too.”

“Is it?” He pulls his lower lip into his mouth, suppressing a smile at her touch. He wraps his hand around the neck of the bottle, covering hers. “Guess we’ll have to settle on that then, shall we?”

“We shall.” She lets go of the bottle, casually walking to the aisle full of snacks and grabbing a bag of Doritos.

“Wine and Doritos?” Harry quirked up an eyebrow.

“Wine and cheese is considered fancy and socially appropriate. Why not wine and… nacho cheese?”

“Right, of course,” He laughs, reaching over her to grab oreos. His arm was positioned beside her head like a boy leaning against his girlfriends locker in every high school rom com, and she wasn’t sure if the heat in her cheeks was from the alcohol or from his proximity.  “And we can’t forget the chocolate.”

“It would be an absolute crime to consume wine without chocolate.” She laughs.

“Precisely.” He takes the bag or Doritos from her hand, walking to the clerk and paying for their haul.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Y/n says, following him out the door. “Pay for everything. I could have pitched in.”

“Don’t worry yourself with it. I’m the one that asked you out, remember?”

“Asked me out? Is this a date?”

He shrugs, smiling slyly. “It’s whatever you want it to be. Come on, the spot is a short walk from here.”

Y/n looks down at her heels with a small sigh before wrinkling her nose and shrugging. “Are you going to be thoroughly disgusted if I take off my shoes?” She asks.

Harry snorts. “I wouldn’t want to wear them. Go ahead.”

She puts her hand on his shoulder to stabilize herself, stepping out of her heels. Harry bites his lip at the contact, placing his hand in between her shoulder blades to assist. “Better?”

“Much.”

He shakes his head with a slight laugh before continuing on again. He leads her up the street and then turns down an alleyway, checking behind him every once in awhile to see if she was keeping up. Y/n trudges behind him with her heels and Doritos in hand, glaring at him when he looks back at her for the fifth or sixth time. “I’m perfectly capable of keeping up.”

“I don’t doubt your abilities.” He falls into step beside her, taking the Doritos. She doesn’t say anything, but smiles to herself. Harry grins wider when they get to a steep hill, blocking their view of what's ahead.

“Are you serious? A hill?” She groans, watching him bound up easily with his long male legs.

“Because a hill is the worst thing you’ve encountered in your life?” He calls behind him. She raises her middle finger in the air. He laughs.

She stomps up the hill, mumbling to herself about being a sucker for tattoos and dimples.

“For fucks sake, y/n. You’re almost there. I promise it's worth it.”

“You don’t live here, of course you think it's-” She cuts herself off, looking out over the view. The Golden Gate bridge was as twinkling in the night, lit up from end to end just to the right of them. Sometimes you couldn't see the other end of it, but tonight you could see the whole city, lit up and peaceful as sleep fell over it. She could taste the salt in the air here, feel the slight humidity on her skin. She could feel the grass between her toes too, this hidden little hill having not been trampled by the feet of locals and tourists alike. He was right. “...worth it.”

“Right?” Harry grins, placing his hands on his hips pridefully. “Not bad for a non-local.”

“Not bad at all.” She approaches him finally, biting her lower lip. “So…”

“So…” He smiles lopsidedly, holding up the wine in one hand and their snacks in the other.

“So.” She grins, taking the wine from his hands and screwing the cap off. Classic, convenient cheap wine. No cork to get in the way. She raises it up in the air, smiling to herself. “To getting a man after midnight.” She says before taking a swig.

Harry snorts, taking the bottle from her and tipping it in her direction. “To getting a man after midnight.” Y/n giggles when he sputters slightly after taking a sip. “Oh. This is cheap cheap.”

“Hey, you’re the one that took us to 7/11.”

“Sure, blame the foreigner.” He grins, sitting on the top of a lone picnic table, his feet on the bench. Y/n drunkenly hoists herself up to sit beside him, their sides pressed together as they pass the bottle back and forth.

“You know, I’ve never done this.” Y/n says, looking out at the water.

“Never done what?” Harry asks, looking at her profile.

“Hung out with a guy after meeting him at a bar. Or even wanting to hang out with a guy after meeting him at a bar.” She shakes her head with a laugh. “I was kicking myself for not talking to you, and then there you were showing me your shoes. I am sorry about that, by the way.”

“Don’t be.” He smiles, putting his hand over hers when she starts to pass him the bottle so that they’re both holding it when he leans in. She meets his eyes, biting her lower lip. “I like them better scuffed up. It reminds me of you.”

She had never had a kiss like this one.

One like the movies, the kind where you move slowly and bump noses before you kiss. The kind where your teeth knock together because you’re both smiling, where the kiss turns for a serious note when he holds your face in his hands and kisses you so hard it makes you breathless. He was kissing her like that now, setting the bottle to the side before immediately pulling her closer. There was no hand traveling up her thigh, no nudging her hands to certain places. He was completely invested in her, not her body.

She moves her hand to his forearm, pulling herself closer to him until she's on her knees on the table. Her hand slides up his arm and to his neck, tipping his jaw to fit his mouth to hers like two pieces to a puzzle. He takes this as a que to pull her into his lap, resting a hand on her hip and another in her hair. “Harry…” She breathes.

He pulls away slightly, biting his lip to keep from smiling embarrassingly big. His hand moves from her hair down to her hip. “We kind of forgot about the snacks.” He says quietly.

Y/n laughs, rubbing her thumbs along his jaw and putting her forehead on his chest to catch her breath. He rubs her back, resting his chin on top of her head. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but that was not a hook-up type of kiss.”

“That was not a hook-up type of kiss.” Y/n confirms, sitting back onto his thighs. “Whatsoever.”

“Well, in that case, what are you doing tomorrow?”

[justasparkwritings]

Codename Cupid: Chapter 13

Previous: Codename The Mochi of it All 

Pairing: Lee Euna X Min Yoongi, Lee Euna X Kim Seokjin, Jeon Jungkook X OFC

Genre: Angst, Secret AgentAU, AgentAU, Government Agent AU

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2.2k 

Warnings: Swearing 

Summary: Lee Euna returns to identify a mystery man and put another name on the list. 

Justifying Jimin 

Present Day

          The light is a speckled mess as it attempts to stream through the stained-glass windows arched above the rattling glass below. The warping wood welcomes the reprieve from winter, early spring seeping in through the pollen in the air. I’ve been working with Lee Euna since around Christmas and she continues to pay far more than is necessary. I’m not complaining, upgraded computer, new camera, better security, I can now afford HBO Max and Hulu and Netflix at once. It’s wonderful, no scraping by. My savings account has even been growing, something I didn’t think would happen until I at least solved my first murder. Catching cheating spouses is lucrative, but not enough that I can afford rent in two places.

         The point being, bless Lee Euna and her money. I sleep just fine with it in my bank account. Though I’ve yet to determine if I’m sleeping fine because Jungkook’s holding me, pulling me into his orbit, securely protecting me from my deepest fears, or because I’m no longer stressed about making ends meet. Having him around… it’s stupid. It’s, I’m trying to work on valuing my feelings, all of them, and while I find romance stupid, it’s so comforting sleeping next to someone you care about. The way his lips slightly part, the soft curl of his breath, his hair cascading over his cheek, an arm always wrapped around me, or his hand holding mine.

         I don’t know what I thought it would be like, having someone consistently in my bed, looking out for me, caring when I let the cucumber turn to mush inside my refrigerator, asking if I’ve drunk all my water for a day or encouraging me to go to bed before 11PM. It’s an odd thing, falling in love with someone. I am, falling, I think, not that I’ve said as much. There’s a certain amount of pride, in keeping your growing feelings of adoration to yourself, of sorting them before sharing them, nurturing them in silence. I do hate how integral he’s become in my life… It hasn’t been long, but in the pit of my stomach, all I can feel is a growing blossom of hope, waiting to bloom.

         It’s an odd thing, knowing Jungkook is lying to me about something, and not being able to confront him about it. Sitting in my office, patiently waiting for Lee Euna, I’m staring at a list of facts I’ve written down.

         Taehyung and the mystery man know Jungkook, now I don’t know how they know him, or why, or if they’re old school friends or poker acquaintances. Jungkook doesn’t play poker, so maybe basketball buddies. Or lost friends from childhood, bonding over their heritage and shared experiences of hating their 4th grade teacher. The important fact is that they recognized him by name. The look they exchanged, the way their bodies shifted, it would be wild to have behaved that way and not know of Jungkook. There’s no possible way they could’ve been thinking of a different Jeon Jungkook.

         All these ‘facts’, lead me to a central question that I don’t know how I feel about, or what I’m going to do about, but it still remains: who is Jungkook?

         “Ms. Y/N, good afternoon,” Euna says walking through the door of my office. I glance at her and smile.

         “Good afternoon, can I get you anything to drink?”

         “Mm, do you still have that water I like?” She sits down, crossing her ankle behind the other and waits.

         “Yes, I do, Pellegrino, lemon or regular?” I offer.

         “Lemon please,” She responds, she only ever drinks lemon.

         “Here,” I hand her the bottle and watch as she patiently opens it, letting the few bubbles escape before placing her lips to the top. “I have good news, and bad news.”

         “Oh? Let’s start with the bad,” She’s curious, her brow lightly furrowing, concern in her eyes as they move across my desk looking for a sign of what’s to come.

         “I’ve found a few men who seems to know Taehyung. The problem, is that I don’t know who they are.” I tell her plainly.

         “Oh, that is a problem,” She sits back in her chair, brows creasing deeper.

         “I have photos and am trying to run it through the system,” I tell her, “But,          I don’t know if I’ll find anything. It was almost impossible to track down Seokjin, and I had to call in a favor just to get any intel.”

         “Can I see them?” Euna sets her drink down on the end table and leans forward. “Maybe it’s someone I know? That will make less work for you, right?”  

         “Well, that leads me to my next bit of news,” I inform her.

         “The good news?” She isn’t hopeful, I can tell from her tone. She should be hopeful, I mean, I’ve done a decent job in not a lot of time.

         “Yes, I found Seokjin and Taehyung,” I turn on the extra monitor and the photos appear for her to look at, hoping she can make sense of the mystery men. I prefer to use digital photos instead of the standard print, less chance of blackmail on the part of the perpetrator. It also provides additional income when someone comes back a year, or a few months later to get prints for their lawyers.

         In this moment, however, Euna isn’t nodding in contentment at my amazing photography skills, she’s in shock, mouth open, eyes wide.

         “Jimin,” She whispers.

         “Yeah! Is he the Jimin on your list?” I ask, confused.

         “He’s my brother’s fiancé,” She whispers, eyes scanning the photos of Taehyung and Jimin.

         “Is or was?” I push.

         “How do they know each other?” She asks instead.

         “I don’t know,” I tell her, lying in this business gets you nowhere, fast.

         Picking up another photo to compare, “How much will it cost to find out?”

         “I don’t know, it’ll take more time for sure, maybe another month or two. I’m still putting out feelers for Min Yoongi,” I inform her. “Then there’s the question of how all of them are connected, if they are. I have a slight lead on Jung Hoseok, he’s been out with Taehyung once or twice, and I guess, until today, not much on Park Jimin. There’s one other man that Taehyung goes to dinner with, but I don’t know who he is.”

         “Yoongi will be easy to find, though, right?” She asks me.

         “I would assume so, but I had to call in a favor to find Seokjin,” I reiterate.

         “Jimin was with Tae?”

         “What happened between your brother and Jimin?” I redirect.

         “He, they, fuck,” She swears, slamming her hand on her the table before turning her back to me and pacing the width of my office. “They were engaged and on the night of their engagement party, Jimin disappeared. No note, no call, nothing. Changed his cell number too. Wiped his social media. Jun-Seo couldn’t find him at his job, couldn’t locate him through his parents. Their friends didn’t know where he was.” Euna sits, taking a long swig from her Pellegrino. “It was as if he never really existed, Seo felt like he’d been in some dream that he’d magically woken up from to realize his life was a nightmare. He didn’t sleep for weeks, went on benders, became Dae’s henchman.”

         “Wasn’t he already?” I question.

         “Yes, but he was at his beck and call, for, what, six months or something? He’s started returning to his old self, but he’s never going to get over Jimin.” Euna takes another sip, hiccupping gently before screwing the cap back on.

         “Does Seo want revenge?” I ask.

         “Is it your job to know?” Euna snaps.

         “No, I guess not,” I shrug.

         “Jimin’s in town? For good?” She’s calculating, pupils contracting, irises moving from picture to picture.

         Tilting my head, I tell her, “I don’t know about that.”  

         She glances up at me, looking me dead on, “Will you find out?”

         “Sure, but it’ll cost. Your list keeps growing,” I pull out the handwritten list she’d made me for our first meeting.

         “Who’s on it again?”

         “Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung,” I recite, pretty names for prettier men.

         “And that other guy Taehyung hangs out with, I want him too,” Euna absentmindedly flings her hand in the general direction of her original list.

         “Okay,” I say, moving the note to jot a few words down on another piece of paper.

         “I’ll add an extra, what, two grand to your weekly? Can that move this along?” She’s refitting her sunglasses over her eyes, but I catch the glimmer of tears coating them.

         “Yes, it can. I’m going to have to work my –

         “Do whatever you have to,” Euna stands, grabbing her purse and pauses to look at the photos again. “When someone breaks your heart, destroys your world, well, wouldn’t you want revenge too?”

           Lee Euna leaves, a comment about her returning in two weeks for an update that I acknowledge with an “okay!” to hide how overwhelmed I am. The list is supposed to be getting shorter, not longer, and yet I’m sitting here, a few months in, with more people to find. Granted She just added more money to my fee, real money, tangible, squirrel away for when I’m back to hunting cheaters and abusers, money. But how am I going to find men who clearly and aggressively don’t want to be found? Not to mention the notes in my car, the connection to Jungkook and the very real chance that Euna’s revenge could very well be dangerous.

           I pick up my phone and dial the third number I have memorized, though Jungkook’s is slowly becoming #4.

           “You’ve ran out of favors, Y/N,” C says, tutting her teeth.

           “I’m not calling about a favor, I’m calling because I need advice.” I correct her.

           “What?” She’s curious, I can hear it in the lilt she uses for emphasis. Sisterhood allows you to notice those things, a life lived together means she can tell how frustrated I am.

           “It’s taking forever to run these pictures through the system. I’ve searched social media, I’ve combed local yearbooks and university graduation lists, and I cannot find these men. Either they’re –

           “Either they’re hiding and have scrubbed their existence from the web, or they are using fake names.” C answers, she hates when I call on her lunch break to talk shop, but she always answers.

           “How would I know?” I let out a frustrated growl that she chuckles at.

           “Isn’t that part of your job?” She snorts.

           “No, I know. I ran their names against Lee Enterprises rosters, and a few came back with different last names. Enterprises doesn’t post company photos so all I have to match them with are the names and photos Euna has given me. Which is minimally helpful. Seokjin wasn’t lying, his name was the same, but Taehyung’s isn’t Kim Taehyung at the library, but it’s him,” I explain.

           “Someone’s lying, either the men or Euna,” C deduces.

           “Could this be bigger than what Euna is asking for?” I ask the question that’s been stuck in my mind for days.

           “As in a larger group?”

           “Yes, as in a larger play in the works, a government agency, Interpol, Mafia, someone who’s out of my jurisdiction,” I clarify.

           “Lol, Interpol is the British Mafia. That’s funny. Truly, it could be, but how would you know?” She inquires.

           “We’ve had this conversation before,” I remind her.

           “True, but you process best when you speak through your problems,”

           “Also true.”

           “You’re on the right track, trust yourself, Y/N. Did you figure out if that Jimin was the same-

           “It is,” I interrupt.

         “What’s his deal?” C inquires.

         “Broke her brother’s heart,” I confirm.

           “Dae-Seong is gay?” She’s shocked, I roll my eyes.

           “Other brother,” I correct her.

           She hums. “Oh, he seems fluid? Is that the correct phrasing?”

           I snort, “Yeah, we’re all fluid technically,”

           “Mmm, speaking of-

           “Speaking of, if this was part of something larger, and you knew, would you tell me?” My voice is soft, C doesn’t know about the notes in my car, and she doesn’t need to.

           “If I could, if I had any information or anything, I would,” She promises.

           “Thank you. Love you, mean it,” I say.

           “Love you, mean it,” She answers.

           Finding Jimin was just a fluke, a one off, a bit of luck. He was with Taehyung in a genuine friendly engagement. They weren’t expecting me, I wasn’t expecting them. But the rest of these men? Jung Hoseok shows up here and there, nothing recent, no phone number or Facebook page with activity after 2015. Min Yoongi, well, Park Yoongi, shows up on the database, but when I look at the one photo of him, he is not the same man that Euna swears he is. The cherry on top of that is the last man to appear occasionally with Taehyung.

           Altogether, that’s six men. I’ve found three, which I guess should make me a glass half full kind of optimist. However, one was pure luck. The other was secrets from my sister and dumb luck, and the third? Child’s play. So, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, and Mystery Man, who are you, and what have you done to Lee Euna?

Next: Codename Love Reimagined 

[valwrite]

strawberry yogurt; sam wilson

masterlist.

summary: sam wilson uses his friendship with one captain america for his own personal gain.

warnings: fluff(kinda?).

fic type: drabble.

word count: 633.

author’s note: sam wilson deserves more love and respect, and not just as some background character gdi. yes, this is completely inspired by something sam said in CA:TWS.

Sam Wilson had always prided himself on being observant. 

There wasn’t much that could pass by him unnoticed. For example, he’d very easily caught on to the habit Steve Rogers had of cracking his knuckles whenever he had something to say that his manners would stop him from doing. Or how he’d witnessed Natasha Romanoff had the routine of sneaking out every morning to feed the stray cats that circulated the avengers compound.

He had the watchful eyes of a hawk, despite being The Falcon. And, it was with those same eyes he’d first spotted Y/N L/N, a few months into being the leader of his support group. He’d heard talk of a new girl manning the front desk, whispers about her raw beauty and magnetic personality, but none of it had prepared him for the day they first properly met: her, with an accusatory tone to her voice, and him, with his spoon deep in a tub of strawberry yogurt he’d found abandoned in the staff fridge. 

He’d very quickly picked up on her routine, and that could be because he had a tendency to watch her any given chance. He’d realized how each Monday she brought in some fresh fruit fro the staff room; she always had chipped nail polish, she liked her coffees with three pumps pf creamer; and, most of all, every month on the 20th day, she brought her nephew into work.

Given the fact that Sam had more or less dropped everything in agreement to help Captain America and his Russian spy friend take down some group evil old white dudes who just so happened to be holding his other Russian spy friend hostage since the second world war, the man figured it was time he asked for his own little favor from Steve Rogers. And, really, helping a dude out by putting on some spandex wasn't exactly asking for much.

“Sam!” Y/N’s pure excitement as he walked through the doors, the way she'd called out to him whilst rising from her desk chair, filled his insides with something fuzzy. “It's been a few weeks since you were last here, I was getting a little worried.”

“Worried? About old me? You're too sweet, doll.” Sam rested his hip against the edge of the front desk and peered behind him, smiling in triumph when he saw the familiar little boy sat with his console in hand. “Hey, Milo, buddy, I got someone here who's been meaning to meet you.”

Right on queue, Captain America walked through the building doors, dressed in full gear and with his shield in hand. Both Y/N and Milo let out a gasp before the little boy was running out from behind the desk, heading right at a grinning Steve, who'd already bent down to be at height with his enthusiastic fan.

Y/N watched in awe as her nephew met his hero and Sam watched her in awe of the radiant smile she wore. Now to see just how well his whole impressing plan had worked.

“Y'know, you should probably gimme your number.” He relished in the way he could still catch her attention with the super soldier only a few steps away. “Could arrange for Milo to meet the rest of the Avengers.”

“Hmm,” Her head tilted to the side, her eyes ran over the details of his face. “you sure that's all you want my number for?”

“Well, that depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether you want me to want your number for something more.” Maybe the two hadn't noticed how they'd inched a little closer but Steve Rogers had certainly noticed.

“Tell you what,” She picked up a pen, writing down a few digits and ripped off the corner of paper. “you stop eating my yogurt and I'll give you my number, for you to do whatever you want with.”

[transformers-extrication]

Seaspray’s anniversary

Words: 3,129 It’s a special day for Seaspray! Many cheerful memories to be had!... Many... memories...

The Ark’s internal chronometer, adapted to the Earth's cycle, alerted it’s crew to the dawn steadily encroaching their world. A sound beyond human hearing thrummed away in the rooms of those who had not been on any sort of night-guard, rousing their sleeping systems up from a well-earned rest. If you listened carefully you could probably hear the creaks and groans of stiff metal and fibre stretching as various bots got up from their rest and eased their systems into motion. A loud thud echoed from one room as a body hit the floor with unnecessary force. Seaspray was too excited to care that he’d flopped out of bed so unceremoniously, forgetting to put his arms out to cushion the fall. It was a brilliant day for him, as it was every other time this date rolled around. In a quick dive-like motion forward Seaspray flattened his body and pushed with his arms, sending him into a controlled slide across the smooth metal, the automatic door opening for him and letting him out to the Ark’s hallways. Using his arms and short legs Seaspray avoided a head-on collision with any walls and slipped between his fellow Autobots as carefully as possible, disgruntled growls from Ironhide were easily shrugged off. Jazz had organised a schedule for various mechs and Seaspray had already had a lengthy chat with the relaxed senior officer who had been more than fine with allowing the aquatic mech some time off, at least enough to cover the day, something Seaspray always tried to do for this day with varied success (usually depending on who he spoke to, of course). Regardless, he still put aside some time for it no matter his schedule. Getting to the Arks entrance was easy, getting outside wasn’t so. Earth’s surface was so varied and changed on a dime or was a mishmash of textures and bumps. It wasn’t as if Seaspray couldn’t get about on Earth it was just that it felt odd and was often a bit jarring if he was just zooming out the Ark without a care in the universe. Regardless, pushing up with his flat, spread legs along with his arms he moved quicker across Earth's surface in an ungainly looking waddle.

---------------- “Hey! You lookin’ a bit nervous there!” Seaspray jumped with the sudden sound and jerked his head around to the beach. The time was far, far in the distant past, Cybertron was still… alive and bustling. The sun was high in it’s peak of the current solar cycle, and on the beach a very young charcoal-coloured mech lay, optics staring at Seaspray. Equally as young as the tiny figure gazing at him with the type of curiosity only younglings had Seaspray sunk into the water a little bit before mumbling. “N… nothing...” “M’ names Coldseep! I live near here!” The other child seemed somewhat oblivious to Seaspray’s shyness, “Haven’t seen you around before is all!” they chirped. ‘Oh’ Seaspray thought, this was one of those moments his parental units told him about, one where he should really speak up. “I’m Seaspray… I, uh, we just moved here… recently…” He barely emerged from the water anymore, just a pair of optics above its surface. Coldseep immediately burst into excited squeals and thrashed his way into the water, coming to a halt s short distance away from Seaspray, arms in the air. “YAY! New friend! We can see each other every day!” Coldseep practically bobbed up and down in his excitement. Seaspray, however, wasn’t quite at his level of excitement. “I… I dunno” He muttered back, rising out the water a little more, “I live on the water-side… I’m more of a sea-mech” “Oh! Tha’s okay! I’m a submaran! Marin! Dangit!” Coldseep fumbled over his words with a frown deepening on his face plates. “A… A submarine? You’re a Submarine?” Seaspray rose up a bit more, daring to get closer to examine him with a curious optic. “YEAH! Tha’s it! I always mess up the end bit!” Coldseep’s grin could’ve split his face apart. -------------- In the present Seaspray had slowed down to a very slow amble only pausing slightly to watch his own hand press into some sand and sink down. Feeling the loose grains softly envelop his digits before slowly pulling it away and looking fondly at the imprint he left behind. --------------- A much smaller imprint was left in the sands of a newly local shore. Since meeting him Coldseep had come to see Seaspray every day, he was indeed a submarine and joyfully accompanied Seaspray on several swimming excursions. Coldseep would always claim he could make a bubble-ring simply by swimming in a circle fast enough. He never did and would just throw off his balance, even underwater, it was fun though Seaspray often giggled at this antic and promised he’d swim rings inside the bubble when he made it!. Seaspray would point out various local sea life and promised to one day help Coldseep find and see a Warwhale! The two spent so much of their time swimming that it was like a cold slap to the face when Coldseep bounded onto the beach after a dive and ran around, somehow still having the energy to after all their underwater antics. Seaspray came out of the water, but only halfway. “Hey!” Coldseep snapped him out of his moment of silence, “You should come to my place! I can show you some cool shells I found!” “Uh” Seaspray retreated back an inch becoming worried. “Eh? Wha’s wrong? D… don’t you wanna come over?” Coldseep caught his nervous tone and promptly deflated. “No! No! I do!” Seaspray panicked, he didn’t want to upset his first friend of his ‘new life’, or at least that’s what his parental units called it, “I just… I just can’t get out the water…” “Whaaaaaaaaat! Of course you can silly!” Coldseep’s manner flipped like a switch and he returned to grinning. “It’s true! Well, I can barely move when out the water… I hate it… and… and I have to go to the education centre here when it’s b-back open” Seaspray started to sniffle, “An I, I gotta go an… and it’s on land… I don’t” Seaspray flopped to the ground and covered his face, “I’m gonna be a freak! Everyone will laugh!” A long silence ensued between the two children. Seaspray couldn’t bring himself to uncover his face, it only became harder when a weight suddenly pressed upon him. “You’re forgettin’ I go there too! I’ll fight anyone who says meanie-aft things about you! They know I will! It’s how I got sent to the nurse with a bent rotor once!” Coldseep announced with a loud pride that made Seaspray uncurl a little, mostly out of shock at his volume. “Th… thank you” Was all Seaspray could whisper through the tail end of his sniffles. There was a brief silence again. Only this time it got broken by a scream as Coldseep gripped Seaspray’s sides and yanked him out of the water and onto land. Coldseep bellowed with laughter as Seaspray flopped about in a panic trying to get a footing but only wiggling his rear fruitlessly. It took a few more astroseconds of laughter before Coldseep got up and grabbed onto Seaspray. “Hold on buddy, hold on!” Seaspray responded to his words by wrapping his arms around Coldseep’s, “There, not so bad now!”. Seaspray whimpered only just opening his optics to peer around him. “I bet I can help you walk on land just fine! I also totally bet an awesome tub of Energon ice cream that I could even get you running on land too!” Coldseep announced. ---------------- Just like him, brash and loud. Never stood down when he knew he could push on. Seaspray sighed as he clambered over some rocks, nearing the Ocean. He could distinctly remember Coldseep holding his middle and helping him work on his locomotion above water. It still wasn’t graceful but he was able to move on-land with little issue, Seaspray chuckled to himself remembering when the weather turned colder. The ground had gone icy and more compact in various areas, Coldseep had hidden away behind a rock, only to rush him and push him, causing him to slide along the ground. Seaspray allowed himself to let out an actual chuckle, remembering how they had spent entire days sliding around on ice, reaching high speeds, Coldseep often riding on Seasprays back as they whizzed up and down. Tactics he still used to this day, they never failed him. ---------------- The learning room hushed as the one designated to oversee their communal learning held an arm out, presenting another youngster that was to be added to their sector. “This” they announced, “Is Depth Charge. I want you all to welcome them here and make them comfortable”. Depth Charge had blues and purples across his frame and gold accents, yet his red optics scoured the class with cold anger, many of the others in the class avoided their gaze. Coldseep looked over at Seaspray with a cocked optical ridge. “What a nerd” He whispered. “Wha! What do you mean?” Seaspray kept his head ducked down glancing at Coldseep and back to the rest of the room, “He’s scary!” “Nope!” Coldseep grinned, “Watch” The teaching section of the day went quietly, no one really wanted to interact with the angry-looking new kid, but it came to the ‘free’ section of the day. Building bonds with your fellow mech was always a promoted activity, so a good amount of free time to talk and strengthen your social connections even at such a young age was encouraged. Cybertronians are quite social afterall. Coldseep nearly had to drag Seaspray with him to the corner of the yard where Depth Charge sat glaring at everything, but mostly his own pedes. With one last drag Coldseep dropped Seaspray, letting him scuttle behind him to put some distance between himself and the new guy. “Whas’sup nerd?” Coldseep had his hands on his hips and another one of his big grins on his face. “What do you want?” Depth Charge snapped back his optics darting away from the pair so quick they probably should’ve fallen out. “Seaspray here says he’s gonna show me a Warwhale one day!” Coldseep made a slight move to show off the nervously shuffling mech behind him. Depth Charge slowly turned his head around to look at the pair giving a look up and down between the two. “That’s dumb” he grunted, “They don’t live remotely near our waters” “HAH! KNEW IT!” Coldseep suddenly jumped, pointing a triumphant finger at Depth Charge. In response Depth Charge shuffled back and tensed up. “You don’t know anything!” He snapped back. “You’re a neeeeerd” Coldseep lilted, “One of us!” He changed to a chant, “One of us! One of us!” Depth Charge continued to shrink back optics snapping in different directions as if searching for a way out. Seaspray finally managed to pull himself from behind his friend, realising the motion of distress. Closer to him Seaspray had a better view of the panels that spread from Depth Charge’s back. “You’re an aquatic mech too” He uttered. “SO!?” Depth Charge finally snapped his optics down, “Just what my family unit are!” He hissed. “Uh, duh!” Coldseep stopped cheering to roll his optics “So are we! Dum-dum!” A silence fell over their corner and Depth Charge finally seemed to look up and truly take in the pair that stood before him. “Our lot know a lot about sea-stuff! You just have a grumpy face! Plus this is a coastal place!” Coldseep beamed, “Seaspray moved here too! Better suited for us!” Depth Charge seemed to soften up a little bit, which was good because if he got any tenser he looked like he might’ve snapped a few muscle fibres. “Y-yeah” He stammered, “Better than Vos...” “WHOA! You came here all the way from Vos!?” Coldseep immediately glued himself to Depth Charge’s side sitting obnoxiously close to him, “Fliers live there! What was it like? Why’d you move? Isn’t that place super cool!?” Seaspray also moved in, but slower, hoping to appear more normal and less in-your-face than Coldseep who had clearly startled Depth Charge. ------------------------ Seaspray remained perched on a rock looking out at the section of the beach, taking in the salty wind that washed over him. So different from Cybertron, yet, it made him feel more at home. The memories that washed over him with an equally constant flow, his circuits tingled with surges of nostalgia. Depth Charge had moved from Vos due to an altercation at his other learning facility. Apparently he got into frequent trouble with a trio of Seekerlings that also attended that place, he didn’t know their names merely referred to them by colour. The blue one was the oldest, and thought it was funny that he couldn’t fly, only ‘fly’ in water, the red one was the worst, often making snide comments yet able to twist situations to cover his own back, probably, Depth Charge had claimed, to ‘cover’ for how short he was. The purple one was an idiot but tagged along anyway. He’d spotted them teasing another student and tried to defend them, but it didn’t work out and Depth Charge was kicked out for his behaviour. He always lamented not being able to help or protect the other student. “Hmph” Seaspray mused, that was just like Depth Charge. Depth Charge who stood up for them when someone mocked Coldseep’s lively attitude, or Seasprays own awkward gait. The trio almost never left each others side, they were as the humans say ‘thick as thieves’ despite no thievery taking place. It was even Coldseeps idea… he was the one who named them the ‘Sea Seekers’ a trine of the best sea-fairing mechs Cybertron will ever see, or so he’d claim. They were all into it, Depth Charge in his awkward manner had decided to take this as a cue to announce how he’d protect them with his life. Guess that was his way of showing how thankful he was to have them. Protecting others… Seaspray allowed himself a sad flop onto the sand below. Depth Charge always took it personally when he couldn’t defend others… Probably why he was given charge of a peaceful sector that’d refused to take part in the war. Then Rampage came along… The Decepticons unleashed that… thing upon all of Cybertron. It had slaughtered anything in his path… Seaspray curled in slightly, remembering the look on Depth Charge’s face… how hollow he’d become, a hollowness that became filled with hate. He was like a different mech, he scared Seaspray now. Yet, Seaspray refused to leave him they were a trine! Despite Coldseep… they weren’t going to lose each other. They already lost Coldseep, he followed the Decepticons lead. It was odd, Coldseep almost seemed to change into a different mech more and more each time he snuck out to meet them. He’d begged Seaspray and Depth Charge to join him. That Megatron promised to make Cybertron equal for everyone!. It was like Coldseep couldn’t see how Megatron was just taking everything for himself, and merely lived in a fantasy world where all of Megatron's lies were true. It almost broke him when he finally agreed that Megatron wasn’t acting right, he said he was going to leave… he said… It didn’t matter now… Seaspray dragged himself upright and slowly to the Ocean’s edge, the light glittering off it’s surface turning bitter in his mind, churning up bad memories. He tried, oh how he tried, he tried keeping up with Depth Charge after the ‘incident’ but he couldn’t. Depth Charge went to ridiculous lengths to fulfil his desire to fight Rampage. He punched Seaspray when the latter suggested he stop hunting him. Seaspray sucked it up, Depth Charge wouldn’t abandon him if he was in his place! He’d wait until the time was right, until they were ready to accept the help then stand by them all the way! He was all Seaspray had left… his last friend. Then they found Rampage, his trail of destruction easier to follow than initially believed. The fight lasted for barely a few astroseconds, Rampage was too strong for a battalion let alone these two mechs. Depth Charge said he had a plan. Depth Charge told Seaspray to get a head start and he’d join him. Depth Charge lied. Seaspray looked into his reflection in the Ocean, his optics were getting as watery as it’s surface. It was too late. Seaspray didn’t know. Depth Charge had stolen the Energon Destroyer, made by the late scientist Rhinox. He’d taken it and charged Rampage with it. Seaspray didn’t have a chance to react as a Autobot team grabbed him and rushed him away, having discovered the weapon was missing they took Seaspray and fled from the blast. It was like an explosion, but in reverse. The ground broke off in chunks, rising into the air as it crumbled. It was as beautiful as it was vile, the aim of that weapon… horrid. It did its job. Rampage was gone. So was Depth Charge. All that remained was a crater. Tainted by the blast, no life would EVER return to it after such an action. And like that… Seaspray was alone… The water made a quiet sound and Seaspray broke from his minor trance, tears streaking down his face and dropping into the sea. “I miss you guys” he sniffled, lying down and letting the water lap over him and around him. If he pretended hard enough it was as if the two were there, beside him. On the anniversary of them becoming a Trine. --------- Several miles down the beach, a dark and stealthy shape prowled along, looking to the water with a deep longing, yet painful apprehension. Ravage was a Decepticon and never allowed himself to be taken by emotion. Megatron wouldn’t allow that, be it by words, fist or the end of his cannon he would not allow it. Ravage had to be far away from his leader for this… curious emotion to thrum through his damaged Spark with no repercussion. Looking across the landscape he spotted a yellow figure, also at the water's edge. The enemy. THE ENEMY!. Ravage cringed hard, his face plates bunching up as he forced down the raging senseless anger that arose everytime an Autobot neared him. That one. That one was okay. Ravage didn’t know why, but that yellow one was okay. Ravage also had no idea why he felt the compulsion to be here today. Just that for him it held some sort of significance. Settling down to rest Ravage nosed the water, and ignoring the tear that rolled down his face.

[harleyquinnbluemoonlove]

Welcoming the new Social Movement/Platform/Political Party in the World

Official Name:  Blue Dog Bite Mafia 888 *BETA*

Owner/CEO/Founder/Dealer/Player/Delivery BAD B: 

Current Name:  Monica Gill   FUTURE Name: Mercedes Lynnette Giovanni

Email:  fairytalesexist2020@gmail.com

Current Financial Status:  $0.00     ---- You may DONATE by using CASH APP Cash Tag #$bluedogbitemafia888

***MY CYBER FAMILY MUST ENSURE THAT DONATIONS ARE NOT HIGHJACKED/STOLEN****

BASIC IDEA/PLAN OF ATTACK/EXECUTION OR POSITIVE WORDS LIKE “LAUNCH”.  We can issue an ATTACK or a LAUNCH CODE.

I will dumb it down a little bit. I am taking advantage of my position of power, now that I am a Celebrity in the World. Its the greatest feeling in the world, feels better than good sex and that is a hard thing for me to admit because I love some good, hot, sweaty sex and I’ve been going without for several weeks. I almost fell like a Nun because I cannot even pleasure myself because I was molested as a child by Lovie Price’s boyfriend “Frank Parker” a gasoline man from an early. I told Connie Price about it when I was 15 and her name at the time was Connie Dunford. It was the same day Brandie Ann Thompson said Curtis Triplett tried to rape her in the bathroom at the house In Frayser, Memphis TN. Brandie Ann in her hayday, resembled a youthful Cameron Diaz. Cameron Diaz dated Justin Timberlake once upon a time. She played in the move “The mask” and the mask was green. At the end of the movie, the dog put on the mask. You all know, when you wear that mask---you become a Shape Shifter, transforming into anything/anyone you think will grab the Hot or Not Rated #10 Woman’s ATTENTION/HEART/LOVE and will do anything, I mean anything to get it. The secret to my success is a compilation of everything good, bad, dirty, evil and let’s call it “The Struggle” or the “Human Experience”. 

Old School (OS) Operating System (OS) Back to Basics (B2B) Brandie Thompson (BT) Barry Thompson (BT) Blue Tooth (BT) Brandie Smith (BS) Bull Shit (BS) Rent A Center (RAC) Roger Adren Crawford (RAC) $1K (RAK) Rags to Riches Richard Abernathy (RA) **secret boyfriend shh!!** Douche Bag (DB) or Douglas Belknap (DB) Thomas Jones (TJ) County Road (CR) Danny Thomas (DT)  Deanna Thomas (DT) ... Trying to show you how I think period dot. In ya’ll are slow, period dot also equal two dots. You must have two dots to play connect the dots and draw the lines to illustrate inspiration into a masterpiece. The best pieces of Art are very old, have a solid reputation, and is properly curated to ensure it maintains its value for infinity times three.

Basically, you can get with my program, drink my Kool Aid, swallow your pride, do the right thing, if you have done something wrong, you really need to return to your basic religious beliefs what they may be, get right with yourself, because what you have done will come to light, exposed, we are moving on from there. We are, as a society going to change and deliver the children and the children’s children: a brighter future with more options, a limited amount of privacy, give them the world and see what they can accomplish with living in a world of positive vibes, beautiful colors, great music, entrepreneurship, dreams, and now, the little girls if we get married will truly believe in fairytales. This right here is whats up because we have an opportunity, once in a lifetime opportunity, to fix society, establish unity and peace, competition is good but everyone needs a chance to win sometimes to boost their confidence and pride. When there is monopoly or kingdom, it fosters the seven deadly sins, seven capital sins, and the seven cardinal sins, which is systemic to original sin. 

Genesis clearly explains that certain things were created on certain days and back time was measured. You cannot just create a man or a woman. First, you need the Universe. Then, you need the Galaxy which creates Space. In Space, you have the moon, stars, sun, planets, black holes, asteroids, comets, shooting stars, orbit, gravitational pull. Here we are on planet Earth with 7 continents and 7 oceans. I like the number 8 because it represent a number, a symbol, and no limitations--infinity. My son was born on 3-8-03 weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces and 19.5 inches long, color: BLUE, life: No sign of it. It took 10 minutes and PLEADING WITH THE LORD AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS SCREAMING PRAYING TO PLEASE GIVE HIM LIFE, I DON’T WANT TO HAVE GONE THROUGH 35.5 HOURS OF LABOR AND 7 HOURS OF HARD PUSHING WITH NO PAIN MEDICINE, NO EPIDURAL, GAVE BIRTH TO A STILL BORN BABY NATURALLY AND THE GOOD LORD ANSWERED MY PRAYERS AND THAT BOY CRIED AND WENT TO THE NICU AT BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND. ITS ALSO REFERRED TO AS “THE PRESIDENTS HOSPITAL”.

He is 17 years old, already a MASTERMIND and a Professional Gamer. He is so smart like me, that he had to design/build/code his own computer because there is not a computer on the planet that can keep up with his level of gaming. I saw a photo of it. Its a desktop computer with the case taken off the side--lit up with blue LED lights

It’s Confession Time and Holy Communion Time that means confess your sin, wrongdoing, break bread, eat bread, drink wine, not whine. No days off, no excuse, no immunity, no setups, no blame game, no liars, no stealing, checks and balances, no absolute power because absolute power fosters absolute corruption, which is why were in this position right now with COVID-19, Corona Virus.

I think one person needs a pardon because he has stayed on the job, even though he was originally lied to by the Feds. He deserves a pardon, record expunged, and an opportunity. I see great potential, just needs an opportunity, believe in himself, and have the courage to escape his own prison of gold diggers, groupies, fans, and whores.

In this triad, it is a rags to riches story times three. There is only 1 TRUE VERSION of ME, and its right here in Memphis TN, age: 41(Birth Cert).

To succeed in any sports game, you must be fit, educated, content with yourself to include your pros/cons/demons and knowledgeable & intelligent enough to know that I am certified True OG, I got your back no matter what because to me money ain’t a thing, fame fades just like stars, but loyal dogs do not turn on their master unless they are abused or hungry. I am a Blue AKC Royal Bloodline Pitbull, Staffordshire Terrier. Pitbull is the image you need to have in your mind when you think of ME.

#donations #loyalty #888 #TRUMP2020 #IG #WHISTEBLOWER ACT #RULES #ESPNSPORTS #RAPGODS #GREEKGODS #GOD #CLASHOFTITANS #THEGAME #THEROCK #GLUE #DOCTORS   #LAWYERS #COWBOYS #DANCE #L.I.F.E. #LOVE #SM #EM 

#NEED SOME COM[ANY AND VITAMIN D

BLUE, COME ON UNLESS YOU ARE “CHICKEN” “SCARED”

I PROMISE I WILL NOT BITE. BUT, I AM STARVING, LONELY, NEED MONEY TO CREATE AND LAUNCH MY DREAMS TO POSITIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY CHANGE THE WORLD WHICH WILL PLACE ME AND PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THE HISTORY BOOKDS. AND THE HISTORY BOOKS ARE GOING TO BECOME FACTBOOKS, AND HISTORY CLASSES WILL BE MANDATORY THROUGHOUT LIFE REGARDLESS OF AGE, POSITION, JOB, FINANCIAL STATUS BECAUSE THE BEST EDUCATION IS A “CONTINUOUS EDUCATION”. IF YOU DO NOT CONTINUE LEARNING, YOU BECOME RUSTY AND THEN, YOU CANNOT KEEP UP THE FAST PACED CHANGES OF ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY IN THE REAL WORLD AND IN THE REAL GAME OF LIFE.

RECOMMENDATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1.  DONATE MONEY TO MY CAUSE ON CASH APP 

$BLUEDOGBITEMAFIA888 

DO NOT HACK MY PHONE OR MY LAPTOP, DO NOT HACK ANYTHING OR ANYBODY BC YOU CANNOT DO IT BETTER THAN U.S. BC U.S. CREATED THE INTERNET IN WASHINGTON DC AT THE PENTAGON CALLED “DARPANET” IN 1974. THE FIRST COMPUTER WAS AN APPLE, SECOND COMPUTER WAS MICROSOFT. A GOOD BRAND IS A HP WITH MS WINDOWS. I HAVE A BLUE HP LAPTOP STREAM, I HAVE A BLACK APPLE IPHONE 7. I AM ON A WIFI WITH A VPN THAT KEEPS GETTING DISABLED. THE SOUND ON MY PHONE DOES NOT WORK. I AM BACKING UP BOTH DEVICES AND GOING TO RESET TO FACTORY SETTINGS SO I CAN GURANTEE EFFECTIVE DIGITAL SECURITY.

2. I NEED COMPANY TO SIT WITH ME, DRINK WITH ME. I WOULD LOVE SOME JACK AND COKE OR A BUD LIGHT. I WOULD ALSO LOVE SOME FOOD THAT CONTAINS RED MEAT TO ASSIST ME WITH MY BLOOD PROBLEMS. BUDDY OR BLUE OR YO -- FIGURE IT AND SEND ME SOMEONE I KNOW. I AM TOO PRETTY AND TOO COOL TO BE CHILLING BY MYSELF WITH NO FOOD, NO ALCOHOL, NO MONEY, NO WEED, ETC. 

3.  SELF EVALUATE OR DO A PEER REVIEW/. SELF EVALUATION IS LOOKING AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR AND THINKING ABOUT YOUR LIFE. I LIKE TO WRITE THINGS DOWN, IF HELPS ME. IT WILL BRING ABOUT A SENSE OF UNDERSTANDING WHO, WHAT, WHY YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE, HOW YOU BECAME PERSON, AND DESIGN YOUR OWN ROADMAP TO BEING A BETTER PERSON AND OPENING YOUR HEART TO REALIZATION THAT THE CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE, RIGHT WE ARE THE WORLD, WE CAN ACHIEVE GREATNESS, A NEW TYPE OF MAGIC “UTOPIA”.

WHAT ARE YOU ABOUT? WHAT DO YOU WANT OUT OF LIFE? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOURSELF? CAN YOU FREE YOUR MIND? CAN YOU OPEN YOUR HEARTS? CAN YOU COMMIT? DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO WALK AWAY? WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN? DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE? ARE YOU IN YOUR OWN PRISON--YOUR MIND, YOUR FEELINGS, YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUS?

WISDOM COMES WITH TIME, EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, HARD WORK, SERVICE, LOYALTY, PURPOSE, AND TRAVELING.

At the end of the day, who do you want to be with? 

Woman - Wise can deliver the world or drop the world, age 41 -- looks better than 20 & 30 year old GIRLS. Does not care about money, fame, status, power because the game was scheduled and unfortunately, unaware of the OP -- she walked, ran, sprinted STOLE the Flag, and won the game. 

Everyone wants to still run their mouths, try to control a man, and those hos, have no power, position, fame, etc. They are with or around you because of who you are, what you have done, and what you can give them---in my opinion that is abuse of power and targeting someone to manipulating them to do what you want them to do.

I like structure, things to be done a certain way because I like cleanliness, organization, faith, love, hope, trust, and loyalty. 

I would not cop an attitude with everyone, if  I did not feel like the world was against me. Hint, hint -- I don’t trust authority figures because I was molested, abused, targeted, almost died several times, lied to, cheated on, setups, smear campaigns, gossiped about, bullied, beat on, yelled at, called names, jealous women everywhere so dumb they forget I have a hunger against Human  Trafficking. People are on this RACISM BULL SHIT. 

Its 2020, Racism = IGNORANCE AND IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS ANYMORE, IGNORANCE IS DEADLY. 

Basic belief system of Karma, it is a metaphysical/paranormal reality that is mixed with real, artificial, and soon-to-be virtual reality. It is what it is. 

What you set your mind, what you do and the thoughts and actions you put into the world will either grant you your dreams or come back times three by the of karma, what goes around, comes around.

I want/will do good and be a good role model for everyone. I am going to teach, help you, do what I want, when I want, how I want because I know my worth, my value, and what I can GURANTEE/DELIVER.

Greed, jealousy, laziness, and all the ugly things that are in the world

                                                  WILL

 get you no where but hungry, lonely but free, penniless, candy-less, eliminate sports.

                                        COMMIT OR QUIT

MY MISSION WILL ENDURE AND CARRY ON UNTIL I FEEL MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. I DO NOT HAVE A FAILURE TO THRIVE AND I DO NOT LACK A WILL TO LIVE. 

MY ISNT OVER, YET;

[darkjanet2]

Drusilla's Soul Chapter 11 Part 1

Odaiba, Japan

A young boy woke up in the morning. TK was now 11 and it was his first day of school. He got up and yawned as he stretched his body. He had a good night's sleep. He glanced at his clock. It was 7:00 AM. before going to school. He got off the bed and looked at the calendar that marked a circle on schedule.

‘So today is the first day of school, and everything is normal.’ TK thought.

He looked outside the window, it was a normal day. People were busy and the vehicles passing by.

‘It’s been 3 years we've defeated Apocalymon.’ TK thought went to the bathroom to take a shower. He turned on a shower knob when the water was running. He undressed his pajama and threw into the laundry bin, and got into a nice, hot shower to wet his ivory skin. TK sighed blissfully as he grabbed a bar soap and loofah sponge rubbed together as it became suds and washed his body. He grabbed a 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner and poured onto his head and washed it.

After he finished showering, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, and got out of the shower, and he began brushing his teeth. When he was done brushing his teeth for 5 minutes, he went to his bedroom to change clothes. He picked out his underwear, shorts, and socks from the dresser. He put on his underwear under a towel, then disrobed the towel. He then put on shorts and socks. He went to the closet and grabbed a yellow, long-sleeved and green torso shirt and put it on. TK brushed his blond hair to make it perfect.

TK went to the kitchen to make breakfast. He opened the cupboard and grabbed his favorite cereal was Honey Comb, then he grabbed a bowl and poured a cereal into a bowl, and then he opened a fridge to grab a milk, poured into the bowl, put the milk back in the fridge. And he started eating his breakfast.

After he finished his cereal, he was ready to go to school.

“I’m done, Mom. I’m leaving.” TK called his mother in her room.

“"I'm sorry that I can't go with you on your first day of school. I have to finish the article today." apologized Nancy, typing the keyboard.

“It’s okay, I can go by myself.” said TK, carrying a backpack while putting on a bucket hat, slipping into his green boots.

“See you later!” He bidded farewell to his mother.

He exited his home and went on his way to the elevator. He met two neighbors inside the elevator. There was a girl with long lavender hair that ran down her waist, a blue bandana that tied over her head, round glasses, wearing a dark pink dress under a light pink blouse, wearing dark purple tights that matched socks, and she had pink shoes.

And the small boy with brown hair in a short bowl cut, wearing a purple shirt, gray pants and brown shoes.

"How's it going?" The boy greeted them causally.

"Fine, thank you." The girl nodded her head at him and replied politely.

"Great!" The blonde boy smiled. "My name's TK, and my mom and I just moved into the building. I'm in fifth grade, class A, nice to meet you."

The girl brightened instantly. "Oh hi! My name is Yolei. Would you like to walk to school with us? We can talk as we walk, so we'll be able to get to know each other better. It'll be fun." Yolei gestured to the boy next to her. "Oh, and this is Cody."

Cody bowed politely, “Welcome to the building. Now come on, we don’t want to be late on our first day.” he smiled at the older boy.

"Let's do it." TK nodded at the both of them, and the lift closed behind him and carried on down towards the ground floor of the building.

"Hey Yolei, can you come over after school and fix my computer again?" Cody asked the lavender haired girl as they neared the school gates.

"Only if I get some of your mom's brownies, you know how much I love them!" Yolei bartered, always ready to jump on a chance for some of his mom's delicious brownies.

"Sure, she always makes extra anyway." Cody grinned. She didn't really, but he'd already asked her to make some for Yolei, having guessed what his friend would want in exchange for her services.

As the trio walked through the gate, they heard the sounds of a football game being played. TK glanced at the players briefly, but stopped dead when he saw sunlight glittering on a player's forehead - more specifically, on a player's goggles.

‘Tai?” TK thought.

Wild, messy dark brown hair, goggles nestled within it, and bright and warm amber eyes, blue t-shirt, brown shorts playing in the soccer field.

‘Am I seeing things?’ TK thought as he blinked his eyes. It morphed into a different boy who had frizzy burgundy hair, and dark brown eyes. He wears a dark blue short-sleeved hoodie, brown shorts, and socks and orange boots.

‘Besides, he’s in high school now. I’m seeing things.’ TK thought.

The player kicked the ball to the googled boy, but the player’s aim went flying straight to the blond boy, and he caught it.

"Thanks. Great catch." Davis walked up to TK, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"You look familiar." TK smiled, and tossed the ball to the football player. "Must be the goggles."

“Huh?” The burgundy haired boy had a puzzled look on his face.

“Hey! What are you doing? Bring the ball here!” The player shouted.

He snapped out of it, and booted the ball again.

TK walked away laughing softly to himself, shaking his head thinking to himself 'How could I ever have mistaken that kid for Tai? Tai's in high school now'.

Just as the bell was ringing for the first class of the day, Davis walked into his classroom. He sighed with relief when he saw his crush was still in the same class as him.

"What luck, you're in my class again Kari!" He called out to her as he went to sit down on the desk to her right. His crush stood and turned to face him. She hadn't changed much over the holiday, still wearing pink shirts, pink long fingerless gloves and yellow shorts, and still wearing the camera around her neck.

Kari smiled at him. "I wouldn't call that luck." And she sat down at her desk, eager to start the lesson for some reason.

"Hey, the weirdest thing just happened. This new kid said I reminded him of someone. Probably thinks I'm a movie star." Davis grinned at the brown haired girl in front of him, but she just cocked her head and made a "huh" noise.

A few minutes later

"I'm Mr. Hamisaki, I'll be your teacher." said Mr. Hamisaki.

Davis slumped in his desk as the teacher droned on. ‘Why did he have to be in the class with the BORING teacher?’ Davis thought as he glanced at Kari.

‘Well, at least I’m in Kari’s class’ He consoled himself.

"And I'd like you all to welcome a new student." He said, smiling.

‘Wait, what?’ Davis was suddenly at attention, staring at the blonde boy who thought he had looked familiar earlier.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm TK." The blonde boy introduced himself, smiling at the class.

"Please take a seat next to the girl with the camera around her neck." As the teacher directed TK, Davis looked around rapidly and groaned. Just his luck, blondie would have to sit next to Kari.

Kari turned and smiled at TK as he sat next to her. That was normal for Kari, she smiled at everyone. The surprise came for Davis when the boy opened his mouth and talked to Kari.

"Together again, huh, Kari?" As he greeted her.

“Just like old times.” Kari smiled.

‘ He’s trying to make a move on with my girl!’ Davis thought in jealousy.

And the teacher began to lecture about the algebra, TK and Kari talked quietly and energetically.

“Our teacher looks like... Ogremon.” joked TK.

Kari couldn’t help but laugh at the joke.

At Lockers Room

"So TK, how does your mom like the new apartment?" Kari asked her best friend as she put her bag into her locker.

"She hasn't seen it yet, she's been on the computer the whole time." TK laughed, doing the same thing. Before they could delve any further into idle chit chat, Davis turned the corner of the hallway, panting incredibly hard.

"Hey buddy!" Davis glared angrily right at the hat wearing boy. Kari and TK stared at him, confused as to why he was so angry with TK.

“His name is not ‘Buddy’, it’s TK.” said Kari, annoyed.

"Alright TJ or JB, or whatever it is. How do you know Kari!?” Davis glared angrily at TK.

TK looked confused. “Huh? How do I know her?” He tilted his head and laughed. “ Oh, I get it! You're jealous of me”

"I'm not jealous of anybody!" yelled Davis.

Davis looked ready to throw a punch, but was stopped by the sound of footsteps behind him. A purple-haired girl holding a folded sheet of paper turned the corner Davis had turned not a long time ago and yelled "HEY!"

TK recognized her instantly. "Oh, hi Yolei."

"You're Kari Kamiya, aren't you?" Yolei asked as she walked up to Kari.

"That's right. Why do you ask?" Kari replied, looking puzzled as to why she was being asked who she was by a girl TK knew.

"Well," Yolei started, then opened the piece of paper. "Are you related to Tai? He sent this to my computer." Kari and TK stared in shock for a moment at the text on the page.

“My brother needs us!” said Kari.

The four of them run down the hallway and along the way they run into none other than the computer genius and bearer of the Crest of Knowledge, Izzy Izumi wearing his uniform and walking up the stairs.

“Izzy!” exclaimed Yolei.

“Hey Yolei, I'm glad I found you. I need to use the computer room right away!” said Izzy.

Yolei clasped her hand in excitement. “You mean the legendary former computer club president is actually looking for me, I'm honoured!”

“What's up Izzy?” asked TK.

Kari quickly showed Izzy the email. “Tai sent us an urgent email!”

Izzy nodded, “Yeah, I know; I got one too! I was just about to send Tai an answer when the battery ran out on my D-terminal. I knew I should've recharged it after I played Trigonometry Privy on the internet last night. Oh, boy, talk about fun. I got him!” said Izzy, sending a message to Tai.

Yolei was intrigued by the Digital World.

“What's the Digital World? Is that a new amusement park? I bet they have some great rides.” said Yolei.

TK and Kari tried to come up with something, not sure how to respond and Davis realized he had heard "Digital World" somewhere before.

“I've heard about it from Tai once, he said there were a lot of Digimon there, whatever they are.” said Davis.

“You know Tai?” asked TK.

“They play on the same soccer team.” said Kari.

“Hey guys, I've got an idea, how 'bout we all go to the Digital World?” asked Yolei.

Luckily, they are saved by the untimely arrival of Cody.

“Yolei, weren't you coming over? Remember you were gonna fix my computer.” inquired Cody.

“Oh…sorry I forgot!” Yolei apologized and went to Cody to fix his computer.

“If Tai's there, the gate to the Digital World's open!” Izzy said. “We’re going back to the Digital World! Prodigious!”

Davis said, “I'm going with you!” He wanted to come to the Digital World, as long as Izzy, TK, and Kari have their Digivices out and they can’t do anything to help Davis right now.

“That's impossible. Not just anybody can go, y'know. You need a Digivice.” said TK.

Davis began to argue. “Listen, TC, if you can go, so can I.”

Suddenly, the screen flashed and 3 beams of light flew out of the screen. The blue light stopped right in Davis' hand and the red and yellow flew out of the hallway into Yolei and Cody's hands.

Davis showed what he just received and it was a Digivice but it was much different. This Digivice was mostly the shape of an oval with a bigger antenna. There were more buttons and blue highlights on both sides.

“Whoa! What’s this?!” Davis exclaimed, holding out a blue Digivice.

“A Digivice!” surprised TK.

“It's a different model than the ones we have.” said Kari, glanced at her original digivice.

Izzy looked at the gate. “We'd better go now while the gate to the Digital World is still open.”

“Yeah, but how long will it stay open for?” asked TK.

“I don't care. I'm going to help my brother.” said Kari.

“Hey, can I get Donkey Madness on this thing?” Davis asked.

Izzy shook his head. “It's not a game; if the Digital World sends you a Digivice then there's a reason and you should take it seriously.”

Kari sighed. “ I'm not waiting any longer!” Kari aimed her Digivice at the screen and it shone with a brilliant blast of light that sucked her in.

“I'm with you!” TK aimed his Digivice as well and got sucked in too.

Davis had his mouth open in absolute shock.

“It's your turn, unless you're scared.” said Izzy.

Davis shrugged it off and aimed his Digivice too.He got sucked into the computer as well and the flash of light can be seen in the hallway. Izzy prepared to go with them until Yolei and Cody rushed in after seeing the light.

“Whoa! What's going on in here?!” exclaimed Yolei.

Izzy almost dropped his Digivice in shock and hid it behind his back with a funny and innocent expression.

“Nothing! Heh, heh!” Izzy laughed nervously.

Yolei and Cody walked up to him in confusion.

Yolei put her hands on her hips. “Izzy, what was that light!?” she asked that she knew Izzy was lying.

Izzy scratched the back of head nervously. “Uh…the computer must need a new screen saver.” He continued nervously laughing, hoping to fool them.

Meanwhile at the Digital World

Kari, TK, and Davis flew through the streams of data in the Digital Gate. Once they arrived and Davis was in awe.

“Whoa, my first time being downloaded, pretty cool. So, this is the Digital World, huh?” Davis said, he took a look around his new surroundings before exclaiming in surprise at the new clothes he was wearing. Davis wears a dark blue bomber jacket with a red and yellow flame pattern at the bottom and over a light green shirt. He also wears dark olive green shorts, dark blue socks, and orange and white boots.

“Whoa! This place comes with a new wardrobe!” Davis liked his style.

Unbeknownst to them, the Digimon Emperor had spotted them and was watching over them.

He had spiky, blue hair in varying shades of blue and light blue, he wore yellow sunglasses with purple lenses, a blue, gray and white jumpsuit, black shoes, cuffs on his wrists and ankles, a dark gray belt with a yellow buckle on it, and also a blue cape with a yellow lining that looked very much like insect wings, with golden-yellow shoulder pads.

Digimon Emperor grinned on screen. “Looks like we have some visitors in my garden and they weren't even on the guest list.”

Kari looked at her Digivice and it was showing 1 Digivice signal that was orange.

“He’s over this way.” said Kari.

“This place doesn't seem so scary; the way Tai put it there are monsters everywhere.” said Davis, he stopped as he spotted a vending machine. “Hey guys, check it out, there's a vending machine. I am a little thirsty.”

[turning-dreams-into-chaos]

The Badass

*Not My Gif*

Post Date: 7-26-19

Paring: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Word Count: 3.2K

A/N: I have never written a Daryl Dixon fic before but it’s my best friend Elodie’s birthday today and she is the only one who really knows I write so she asked me to write her a Daryl fic and so who am I to refuse. 😂 Happy Birthday El. Tell me what you guys think and I might write him more if this gets good feedback... I don’t know how it turned out. Also, why are accents so hard to write?

~Master List~

~Prompt List~

Requests are closed

The dead were walking and you were running away. It’s been so long since you’ve seen another person that has a functioning brain that you honestly thought for a while you might’ve been the last one in the state. You had a couple different groups since the world died but when that turned to shit it was just you, your bow and arrows and the knife you managed to grab before your camp was destroyed. You hated this life, you hated the dead not dying and but your friends did. You hated all the people that begged you to put an arrow in their head because they got bit or the large number of people dead at your hand because they were a danger. At this point you were in double digits and even though you weren’t dead, it killed you. You were done with killing the creepers (as your last group had called them) and ready to give up.

You found an abandoned grocery store still stocked with a few necessities as you pushed the old sliding doors open, tapping your bow against the wall to draw the creepers out. There were only 3 and you managed to take them down with ease. You checked around the store a little more for stragglers, not seeing any as you began to look around for things you needed. Canned foods seemed to be your go to as you filled one of your bags with them, tossing one over your shoulder as you heard voices.

“Guess Glenn was right. This place looks useful.” A man said as you quickly ducked, grabbing your bow off your shoulder as well as some arrows, you never know what you’d need. You cursed under your breath as you took a look around the corner, trying to get a look at the people. You could only see two, one sporting a sheriff uniform with a gun and another looking more rough around the edges with long hair, wearing a sleeveless vest with wings on the back and a crossbow. They began to check the shelves, grabbing some items you couldn’t see as you grabbed your duffle, trying to slip out as four more people came in. They obviously weren’t with the first two as their guns were aimed at their heads. Everything in you as screaming at you to run and get out of there before they find you but another part didn’t let you. You found yourself watching with narrow eyes behind a checkout as the second group disarmed the two men, getting them on their knees as they pointed guns to their heads. They exchanged worried looks at each other as the four men dumped out their bags, digging through as they found anything useful. The long haired man had mumbled something you couldn’t hear earning him a punch in the face. Your fingers found your arrow as you put it in place on your bow, ready to take action if needed. Apparently the man who was currently spitting blood onto the ground didn’t know when to shut up because he spoke again, receiving another punch as one of the men who you deemed the leader just groaned.

“Stop playing with your food and just shoot ‘em!” He yelled as the men aiming guns smirked. If you were going to act, it was gonna have to happen, now. You pulled your bow up, aiming at the man holding the gun to angel wings before letting go, hitting the man right in the head and loading another arrow and shooting at the other man before he even hit the ground. The leader and his buddy turned around as they fell, exchanging worried looks before putting they pulled out their guns, one aimed at the kneeling men and the leader’s out, looking around for you.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are! Or we’ll shoot your friends!” He yelled as you sat back against the wall. You grabbed another arrow, listening for the mans footsteps as he got closer to you. You sucked in a breath, pulling back the bow string as you got onto your knees, aiming the bow at his head before he could even see you. The bow went into his head and he fell. You grabbed your last few arrows, getting out of your spot without being seen as you heard a thud. You stood up fast, arrow loaded and pulled back as you took in the scene. The two men had either knocked out or killed the last man and got their gun and crossbow back, which is now aimed at you as you aimed at them. No one said anything as you looked at each other.

“You took out the other men?” The shorter haired man asked way too surprised. You scoffed as you nodded your head, not dropping your bow or gaze. But he dropped his gun, well lowered it as he looked you over. He took in your appearance, an old red and white flannel ridden with holes atop a black tank and jean shorts. Your H/C hair was pulled into an unruly side pony. You didn’t look intimidating until you reach your bow, taut as you eyes bored into theirs. He nudged the other man, trying to tell him to lower his weapon a little. He did but you didn’t.

“She gonna lower hers?” The second asked, pointing one of his arrows at you. You didn’t say anything only shifted your bow from the sheriff to him.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t put an arrow through your head.” You threatened as they looked at each other. You took this time to look at them and their things, not having seen before. Your eyes stopped on the basket they were filling earlier, finally seeing the contents as your bow dropped.

“Shit.” You mumbled as they followed your gaze. The basket was packed with kid supplies, diapers, bottles, little clothes, you name it and it was in the basket. You wasted no time retreating to the checkout stand. Grabbing your bag before recovering your arrows from the dead men. You hadn’t realized the men were watching you until you grabbed a few final things front the shelves, walking towards the exit.

“Hold up.” One yelled, probably not the sheriff by the sound of his voice, as you increased your walking. Footsteps increased as you took off running through the town, hoping you lost them. When you turned around and didn’t see them you sighed in relief, fixing your bags on your shoulders. The town was practically torn apart. Some buildings collapsed as others held up.

Lucky was on your side as you approached one of the buildings that hadn’t collapsed, looking in as you realized it was a bar.

“Thank god.” You smiled as you pulled up the door, broken glass crunching under your feet as you checked for creepers. None. For the first time since the damn apocalypse you landed in a bar with no creepers. It looked to be ransacked a few times over but there were still bottles. You fell onto one the broken bar stools, ignoring the uncomfortably weak seats and threw your bow onto the counter as you grabbed the most unbroken glass and poured yourself a drink. The glass hit your lips as the door swung open, revealing your two fans as you grabbed your bow. You glared at them as they aimed at you. They wouldn’t aim at you if you were walking out of here, wouldn’t they.

“Don’t shoot.” The sheriff said as he put his hands in the air, the gun going with it. He looked nice, but looks could be deceiving, just look at you. You didn’t look like a killer, yet here we are. Mr. Angel Wings, as you had begun to call him in your head, made no move once again as he continued to aim at you. You rolled your eyes and held back a smirk, knowing if you were in his situation you would act the same way.

“What about him?” You nodded toward him as the sheriff made him lower it. You threw caution to the wind and put your weapon down. You didn’t care what happened now, let them kill you, you’d die eventually anyway. You turned back in your stool, leaning over the counter as you grabbed two more glasses. “Want some?”

Scuffling of feet was heard behind you before Mr. Angel Wings took the stool next to you, pouring his own glass as he watched you out of the corner of your eye. You stopped holding back your smirk as you downed your drink. You noticed the other man hadn’t sat down yet and furrowed your brows, turning around to see him watching you. Reluctantly he took a seat, taking a drink as well. No one said anything, choosing to stay in silence until the bottle ran out. The groans of the creepers caught your attention as pressed your head into the counter, trying to ignore them.

“What’s your name?” Sheriff said as you spit out a laugh. God if there was one thing you hated more than the dead it was small talk.

“Y/N. Names Y/N.”

“I’m Rick. That’s Daryl.” Rick mumbled as he finally turned to look at you. You avoided his eyes, seeing how much more put together they looked. Probably meaning they had a camp. You wanted more than anything for the conversation to stop, people were messy. You get to know them then they died and you couldn’t stand that anymore. People were messy.

“How many walkers ya kill?” Mr. Angel Wings, Daryl, asked as you gave him an are-you-serious look. Walkers, so that’s what they call them.

You turned in your stool to face them, “Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine. Is that even a question you can ask these days? Ya think I count each and every one I kill? That’s dumb.” You saw Daryl’s lips turn up a little at your words, finding you amusing. You looked for another bottle, pouring it into your glass.

You were just about to enjoy it before freezing at Ricks words. “How many people you kill?”

They noticed your pause, Rick leaning onto the counter in front of him and Daryl staring into the side of your head. Realization struck you as you finally downed your drink.

“I’m not joining your group.” They didn’t say anything as you stood up, grabbing your things and another bottle, shoving it into your bag as you headed towards the door.

“You didn’t shoot us.” You stopped, unsure of where to go with that. “You saw the baby stuff and you put your weapon down.” Rick carried on as you stared at the door. You wanted to leave but that same feeling from earlier stopping you. “We’re good people and you don’t seem to be part of a group, otherwise you wouldn’t be carrying everything you owned on your back.

He was right. You were alone and they seemed like good people, just one problem. “What if I’m not good people?” Rick didn’t say anything as Daryl scoffed, not even looking at you as he took another drink.

“If ya weren’t then ya would’ve shot us. Yer good people whether ya wanna be or ya don’t.” You finally turned around as Daryl did, locking onto his eyes as you thought.

“I’m not answering your question. I can’t give you an answer.” Your voice was quiet as Rick put his hands on his hips, looking between you and the ground as he rubbed his face.

“You got a guess?” He offered, hoping you could give them a glimpse. You shook your head, honestly having no idea. Daryl stood up, crossbow in hand as he got closer to you, stopping in front of you as he looked you over. You tried not to cower meeting his eyes as his jaw locked. You didn’t know what was going through his head until he stuck his hand out, offering you an arrow you assume you left at the bar. You nodded your head, trying to lose the red tint in your cheeks as took it.

“You’re good people.” Rick said as you snapped your attention away from Daryl.

“Where’s this camp?” You sighed giving in to their offer. Maybe a camp wouldn’t be so bad, they made it this far, right. Daryl smirked at you and you caught it before it disappeared but you didn’t care, something about him intrigued you, and little did you know you intrigued him as well.

They led you outside and you started to follow behind them down the street a little ways to their car. You weren’t sure if you should completely trust them, but you pushed past it, throwing your duffle and bow into the trunk. “You’re not gonna kill me, right?” You joked, shooting them a smile that was returned with another smirk from the brooding Daryl and a more relaxed smile from Rick. You planted yourself in the front seat of the car, throwing your legs up onto the dash and leaning your head back as Daryl opened your door.

“Yer in the back.” He grumbled, nodding his head to the backseat as you smirked up to him.

“But I’m comfy.”

“Get comfy in the back.”

You let out a groan as you pushed yourself up and out of the car, falling into the back seat as Rick and Daryl took theirs.

“I don’t understand why the badass wannabe got the front seat, I was there first.” You fake pouted as Daryl raised his brows at you, Rick held back a snicker as Daryl pushed him slightly.

“What? She’s funny.” He defended himself as you laughed a little. He started the car up as you took off, sitting toward in your seat to put yourself between the two men. Daryl kept his eye on you through the rear view mirror and once you noticed you sent him a wink. He quickly looked away as you turned toward him.

“Hey, that crossbow, how much harder is it to use than a gun?” You questioned as he put a hand in front of his face, gently biting on his nail.

“Ya ever shot a gun?”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “You ain’t the only badass in the car.”

“Yeah, Rick’s here.” He joked as Ricks eyes widened, giving you the impression he doesn’t joke much with new people or he doesn’t joke much at all.

“I know you know I meant me. My bow ain’t the only thing I know how to shoot. I’ve used guns before, Mr. Angel Wings.” He nodded his head at you before smirking at your nickname, you not realizing you used it until Rick pointed it out.

“Mr. Angel Wings?”

You bit your lip as you blushed a little. “Yeah, didn’t know your names at first and he had angel wings on his back. You were sheriff.”

Daryl let out a laugh as Rick shook his head. Maybe these really were good people.

You felt your jaw drop as you pulled up to a wall, Rick told someone to open it, revealing houses, neighborhoods, kids and families. Things you never thought you’d be able to see again. You knew you were staring with shock when you got out of the car and Daryl nudged you with his shoulder. You looked up at him as he smiled and you wanted nothing more than to see that again. A smile found its way onto your face before voices pulled your attention away. Rick began introducing you to people, to many people. You weren’t used to this many people, none of your groups had exceeded 15 people but here you are meeting more people than you ever had since the world turned to shit. Your eyes darted around as you subconsciously wrapped your arms around your self, plastering a fake smile on as people just kept coming. Daryl quickly noticed your pullback, trying to tell people to meet you another time. The sky turned dark quick as you found yourself calming down a little. Rick had brought you to a house, there were a few women in it you met earlier but couldn’t remember to save your life. As the night carried on you found yourself curled up on the porch, sitting on a patio swing as you watched the new community turn out for the night. It was quieter than you were used to, creepers typically interrupting your sleep but not here. Your eyes squinted as a figure approached you, taking a seat next to you as you realized it was Daryl. You didn’t say anything as you passed him the beer you had been nursing that night. He took it almost immediately as you let out a little giggle. He couldn’t help but love that noise.

“You’re different.” He mumbled as you turned to look at him. He took in the confused look on your face which only added to your charm. “Most girls don’t seem as ‘badass’ as you, then you go and be all bubbly.”

You huffed a laugh as he talked. “I’m badass and bubbly? Well, if I had to be anything at least I’m badass.”

“Nah, it’s a good thing. Means the world hadn’t wreaked ya.” His voice was quiet as your smile dropped. That wasn’t all true, before this you hadn’t killed anyone. Sure you went hunting with your dad and learnt how to shoot a gun and defend yourself but you only ever shot animals. It got quiet as you took the bottle back, finishing it off.

“Why are you out here?” You asked as Daryl shrugged.

“Couldn’t sleep. Saw the light and figured you couldn’t either. Thought you could use some company on yer first night.” You gave him a warm smile as you nodded. The candle next to you casted a glow onto your faces, outlining the way your face relaxed at his words and his at yours. The night went on like this, you and Daryl talking about the group and random things. The conversation wasn’t always happy. He told you about his brother and you told him about your past groups, friends you had gotten close to only to lose. You told him about your dad teaching you to shoot and he told you about finding the group. You weren’t sure how long you were out there for but the bleeding sun across the horizon told you it was early in the morning. Your conversations quieted as you watched the sunrise, sitting much closer than you were a few hours ago. You rested your head on Daryl’s shoulder and felt him tense under you, only to relax a second later.

Rick walked about Alexandria later that morning, looking for Daryl to finish up their run from yesterday. When he came across the scene in front of him he couldn’t help but smile. Daryl, the man who was distant with people he didn’t trust and who hardly ever shown affection like this was sitting next to you on your porch, his head leaning on yours on top of his shoulder, hands clasped together while you both slept. He knew that you were going to be good for his best friend, he knew the moment you made him laugh 5 minutes after you met. He also knew that Daryl would be good for you, someone to trust in a new environment. Good people, that’s what you were and that’s what they were. Who ever said people were messy?

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Permanent: @literal-fand0m-trash @just4muggles @saturn-aka-six @nathaliabakes @whyamihere-bro @colored-confetti @wiseeggspickleslime

[prince-claremont-diaz]

Whatever We Become  (Final Chapter)

Summary: In Lucas’ final year of high school before he has to face the real world, he comes across the new identical twins, Eliott and Leo. Needless to say, Lucas falls head over heels for both of them. 

Or The twin au absolutely no one asked for

Word count: 3.2k

Warnings: none

Ao3 version

Chapter Twenty-One: All the minutes in the world

After break, Lucas had maths with Leo, who was already there at the table when Lucas arrived, typing something on his phone. He looked up as Lucas wandered over, grinning and sliding his phone into his back pocket.

"Hey, Lu, how are you?" he greeted, fist bumping Lucas as he sat down.

"Uhh, I'm good. I saw you talking to Eliott earlier," he replied, dropping his bag on the desk and opening it up.

"Yeah, just checking in after the last few days," he said, "How are things going with you guys now?" He leaned his elbow on the table between them, using his hand as a chin rest.

Lucas shrugged, slipping his bag onto the floor at his feet. "Pretty good. We had a bit of an argument yesterday, but we talked it over last night," he explained. "He's still pretty tired from his episode, I think, but we're taking it step by step, you know?"

"I'm glad you guys have had the chance to talk about it. He doesn't find that stuff easy." Leo put his hand on Licas' shoulder, squeezing lightly. "You guys will be okay. It's not always easy, but it's already obvious you're both willing to put all the effort into it and I think it shows how good you are for each other."

A pink flush crept up Lucas' face and he knocked their shoulders together. "Look at you getting cheesy about your brother again. How sweet," he teased, just barely dodging out of the way of Leo's elbow. Their laughter fizzled away as the teacher entered the room and Lucas dropped his voice, growing serious. "But really, thanks."

"Right back at you, buddy," Leo joked, plastering on a bright, cheesy smile. Lucas rolled his eyes, pulling the lid off of his pen to start writing

A few minutes later, while supposed to be going over their homework, a sudden memory floated into Lucas' head, gnawing at his thoughts and keeping him from concentrating on anything else. He put his pen down on the desk and turned back to Leo again. "I just thought of something…" he began, getting Leo's attention, "Remember a few weeks ago when you got in a fight? What was that about?"

Leo put his pencil down as well, chewing on his lower lip. "Charles was coming home with Eliott and I and we ran into some guys from our old school," he explained, voice low, "They knew about Eliott being bipolar and were making fun of him and I couldn't help it. I just punched one of them in the face. Charles got hit in the face by one of them when he tried to help me, but Eliott stormed away and refused to speak to me for hours."

"Why?"

Leo shrugged, glancing up to see if their teacher was watching. "I think he was embarrassed. He said he doesn't need me fighting people for him."

"Oh." Lucas cleared his throat. "I probably would have done similar." He lifted his hand, which was only just starting to heal, still badly scuffed and bruised.

"I guess we're both just idiots when it comes to Eliott. Or too protective for our own good."

"Probably."

They fell into silence after that, shushed by another classmate. They exchanged one last grin before turning to work for the rest of the lesson.

◇

Pale light flooded in through the half open curtains, the early morning sun glaring into the bedroom like a watching eye. Lucas scrunched his face up, turning his face away from the window and pressing his face into his pillow. He felt Eliott's stubbly chin rubbing against his bare shoulder blade, breath hot against his skin. One of Eliott's fingers was tracing small, intricate patterns into his back, giving Lucas goosebumps.

"You're awake," Lucas grunted, turning his head to the side so he could peer back at Eliott over his shoulder. A yawn escaped his mouth and he reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Eliott lifted his chin from digging into Lucas' back, scooting to kiss him on the cheek. "I am," he whispered back, gently manhandling Lucas and rolling him around to face him. His hand gripped Lucas' waist and he kissed Lucas properly, tongue and all, pulling him tight against his chest. "Morning, darling," he breathed into Lucas' mouth, hold tightening on his waist.

Lucas huffed, pulling out of the kiss, cheeks bright scarlet. "Don't call me that," he whined, muffled as he stuck his face in the crook of Eliott's neck. "Why not?" Eliott asked, kissing his nose, his cheeks, his forehead. "Is it too weird for you?" He raised his eyebrows teasingly.

"It's cheesy and it makes me feel all tingly. I can't spend the rest of my life blushing."

Eliott cupped his face, kissing the tip of his nose again. "The rest of your life, huh?" he teased, smirking devilishly.

Lucas slapped his shoulder, sputtering, cheeks sweltering hot. "You know what I mean," he grumbled, pouting.

"I think you were right the first time." He grinned, kissing Lucas intently, teeth clashing and tongues touching.

They melted easily into each other, hands grabbing here and fingers dragging there, a tangle of skin on skin. The covers were stifling and the light was blinding but they simply fueled the fire. It was give and take, soft and nurturing and careful. Lucas was alighted from inside out, head spinning from the smoke and Eliott was a match and a fuse. Lucas kissed along Eliott's chest and Eliott tugged his hair and he crawled back up to meet his lips once more.

Eliott was now half sitting up in bed while Lucas rested his head on his chest, head rising and falling with his breath and listening to the soft thrum of his heartbeat in his ears. He watched Eliott toying with his hand, running his fingers along the rough skin of his knuckles and lightly prodding the yellowy-brown blotches over his fingers, an obscene fireworks display over skin. Lucas glanced up and Eliott's eyebrows were knitted together, lip between his teeth. He blinked, allowing Eliott to lift his hand, kissing every individual digit, achingly gentle and soft.

"What are you doing?"

"Doing what I should have done sooner."

"Do what? Kiss my fingers?"

Eliott shook his head, eyes intense and burning with something. "No. Taken care of you." He kissed Lucas' hand again and then bent his head, brushing his hair aside and kissing his forehead.

"It's okay."

"No it isn't. I wasn't there for you," he said bitterly, voice pulled high and taut, "I was too busy feeling sorry for myself in a hospital." His eyes turned to glass, a faint pink tinge in the whites of his eyes.

Lucas sat up, resting on one of his elbows. He shook his head and scooted up so he could hover over Eliott. "Do you know why it's okay?" he asked. Eliott shook his head. "It's okay because we have plenty of time to take care of each other. We have all the minutes in the world for that, yeah?" Eliott dove up for another kiss, pushing his shoulder onto the bed, digging into the mattress.

Lucas tugged him close by the small of his back, leaning his head up to meet his lips. Eliott pulled back from the kiss, searching all over his face, blue eyes twinkling. "Fuck, I love you so much," he blurted, hands clutching Lucas' cheeks.

Heart leaping, Lucas inhaled sharply, eyes bulging. "W-what did you say?" he clarified, stunned into the mattress.

When he replied, Eliott's voice was barely above a whisper. "I said I love you," he repeated, "And I know I'm probably moving too fast, but it's true. I can't and I won't take it back, but you don't have to say anything back." Eliott didn't expect anything from Lucas. A declaration, that was all it was. An announcement. He didn't need anything in return but for Lucas to know.

"I love you, too," Lucas breathed, blinking back tears. Eliott released a sigh of relief, eyes crinkling in the corners, kissing him again and again.

If they were a little late that morning because Lucas refused to get up after his alarm, well, no one was to know.

◇

As per usual now, Lucas and Eliott entered the schoolyard hand in hand, walking over to Yann and Arthur. Arthur was talking excitedly about something, hands flailing and eyes bright. They stopped next to Arthur, Lucas giving him a curious look.  "Arthur's just excited because there's a party on Friday," Yann explained, leaning in towards Lucas and Eliott.

"And I got invited by Marie. You know her, she's the hot girl we had Chemistry with last year," Arthur added, grinning with pride. Upon Lucas' confused look, he gasped. "Come on, you must remember her! She had the long blonde hair and always had a low cut shirt."

Lucas tried wracking his brains for a semblance of a memory of said girl, but he couldn't think of anything. The only girls he knew in his Chemistry last year were Alexia and Imane.

Eliott wrapped his arm around Lucas' shoulders. "I don't think Lucas will remember her, to be honest," he joked, turning to Lucas, "Not exactly your type, is she?" Lucas rolled his eyes and Eliott giggled, kissing Lucas' temple.

"Yeah, I think she has one too many X chromosomes for me to notice her," Lucas replied, making the other three laugh.

Basile arrived not 30 seconds later, immediately launching into a story about a Facetime call with Daphné the night before. Needless to say, Lucas zoned out of that conversation pretty quickly, instead turning to Eliott to ask, "What do you think? Up for a party this weekend?"

Eliott shrugged, taking a few steps from the rest of the group to talk more privately. "I don't know, to be honest. I'm still getting over last week, so I might not be up for a huge party," he said, frowning, "I was thinking of going home for a few days actually. My dad is supposed to be home and I didn't really see him much in hospital."

"That should be good seeing your dad," Lucas replied, "How's your mum doing?"

"The same, I think. I messaged her last night and she said she felt a bit better yesterday, but this morning she was sick," he explained, eyes falling to the floor in what Lucas now knew meant he felt particularly emotional. Lucas slipped his hand into Eliott's, squeezing. "How's your mum, by the way? Have you spoken to her lately?"

"Yeah. I, uh, I actually was out to dinner for her birthday the other day when… you know."

Eliott's face fell. "Seriously?" Lucas nodded, biting his lip. "And you still came? Even though it was her birthday and you hadn't seen her in months?"

"Of course. I can make it up to her," Lucas insisted, squeezing Eliott's hand again, "But if I had lost you that night, I don't—I don't know what I would have done with myself." He looked at his feet idly, feeling he had shared too much.

Eliott considered his words for a moment, sighing heavily. "I'm not going anywhere, Lucas. You're not alone either." He leaned over to kiss him shortly, only pulling away when the school bell rang. "Shit, I've got class on the other side of the building!" He exclaimed, letting go of Lucas finally.

"You better hurry then," Arthur commented.

"I'll see you at lunch." He kissed Lucas quickly again. "I love you," he added, winking and pecking him another time.

"Love you too," Lucas murmured, still stunned by those words.

Once Eliott was jogging away, the other boys turned on Lucas. "Was that the L word I just heard there?" Arthur asked, eyes wide, starting towards the school.

"Yeah?"

Yann slapped him on the back as Basile and Arthur shrieked. "Well, we're happy for you, man. You guys are really getting serious," Yann said, elbowing him in the side.

"Alright alright, I get it. I was sad and annoying and now I'm not."

"No, now you're just annoying," Arthur teased. Lucas scoffed, punching Arthur in the crotch and sprinting away towards class. "See what I mean?!" Arthur shouted, hobbling after him.

Lucas rolled his eyes, flipping Arthur off over his shoulder and joining the crowded hallway. He couldn't help but hope things stayed like that forever.

◇

Lucas was standing alone in the girl Marie's house, staring out of the window overlooking the back garden and holding loosely onto a bottle of beer. He could see Yann and the first year girl he liked sitting together on a bench swing, laughing and talking with their heads close together. Meanwhile, Basile and Daphné were making out feverishly against a tree and Arthur was nowhere to be seen. Lucas smiled, taking a sip of beer as he continued watching his friends socialise. Even a few weeks ago, he would have felt suffocated by the isolation, standing alone in the hallway with only the heavy thrum of the speakers downstairs to keep him company. But now he embraced it, allowing himself a moment of relative peace.

As he started to bring his glass up to his lips for another gulp of room temperature beer, he felt a hand falling onto his shoulder. Lucas startled, turning towards the source and making eye contact with a pair of grey-green eyes. A smile peeled over his face. "Hey, Leo. What's up?"

Leo grinned, slinging his arm over Lucas' shoulders. "Just coming to say hello. How are you?" he replied nonchalantly. "I'm good. I just wish Eliott could be here as well, but I get him not wanting to come to a party so soon."

Leo nodded, swallowing down a vibrant blue drink Lucas didn't recognise. "You know, you're really great. Seriously." He ruffled Lucas' hair. "Eliott has dated a fair few people before, but never quite as amazing as you. You give him the space he needs without question and I can see how you're trying. I appreciate how happy you make him."

Lucas' face flushed and he glanced at the carpet. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, man. He's never spoken about someone like he does with you. You've got my brother wrapped around your tiny finger."

Lucas scoffed, shoving Leo away, pouting. "I am not tiny," he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

Leo snorted. "Yeah and I'm the next Pope," Leo teased, earning yet another shove from his friend. "You're tiny, Lucas, just accept it."

They fell into amicable silence after that, drinking their respective drinks and people watching out the window. Imane was talking to the boy Lucas recognised from a few weeks ago, Sofiane, fidgeting nervously with her grey hijab and smiling up at the curly-haired boy. (Lucas made a mental note to tease her about it later.) Basile and Daphné were gone now, though Yann continued to chat with the first year. The yard was lit dimly by multicoloured fairy lights, luminating the dark green grass and the stone patio in a blur of faint hues.

"This might sound weird, but I used to have a crush on you," Lucas admitted, eyes still glued to the garden. His cheeks were painted a faint rosey pink.

"Oh? Before you liked Eliott?" Leo asked, raising his eyebrows and smirking in amused interest.

Lucas shook his head. "Nope. I actually had a crush on both of you. It was a disaster."

Leo spat his drink everywhere as he burst out laughing, spraying blue liquid onto the window, carpet and their clothes. "So you're one of those types then? A twin kink, as one may say."

Lucas gasped, slapping Leo's chest. "Oh fuck off. I got over you pretty easily, thank you very much," he insisted, rolling his eyes. He took a drink of his beer, flipping Leo off.

"I can't blame you. You guys are much better together."

Lucas' phone vibrated in his back pocket and he swiftly pulled it out, muttering an apology under his breath. It was a message from Eliott. Lucas unlocked his phone and opened up his messages to find another drawing. For a moment, his heart thudded with the vivid memory of the last time he received one of them. However, the drawing was just a simple one. A raccoon stood with his back to Lucas, facing towards a grinning hedgehog.

Beneath that, Eliott had written Turn around.

Lucas spun around, another grin filling his face when he found Eliott standing in front of him wearing a bright smile and an olive green turtle neck under a leather jacket. Lucas threw his arms around Eliott, dragging him into a kiss of bumping teeth and alcohol. When they pulled apart, Lucas whispered, "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming."

Eliott kissed him quickly and chastely, still beaming. "I thought I owed you some more minutes. I missed you," he replied, wrapping his arms around Lucas' neck.

"Hello to you too, by the way," Leo teased, scowling and feigning annoyance. Lucas stepped away, allowing the two brothers to hug each other. "So glad I'm important to you."

Eliott shook his head, a faint laugh falling from his mouth as he stepped away from his brother and hugged Lucas from behind. Lucas smiled, leaning back against him and holding onto his hands. Eliott rested his chin on top of his brown hair, squeezing him tight. "Of course, brother dearest, how could I forget you," Eliott said, rocking side to side as he held Lucas in his arms. "You trying to steal my boyfriend?" he added, plucking the bottle of beer from Lucas and taking a swig.

"Of course not. I wouldn't dream of it," Leo replied. Lucas took back his drink. "Unlike you and your boyfriend's beer."

"Fuck off, I'm thirsty," Eliott whined.

Their banter was interrupted a moment later by the arrival of a tall black guy who was smiling sheepishly at Leo. The other boy's face lit up as he saw him, turning away from Lucas and Eliott. "Hey, Andre. Here to save me from these two?" he gestured to the still hugging couple. Andre shrugged, winking. "See you love birds later." And with that, Leo took Andre's hand and dragged him away down the hallway.

"Well that was unexpected," Lucas joked, stepping out of Eliott's embrace to turn around and face him. He slung his arms over his shoulders, nuzzling their noses together. "So what was it you were saying about owing me some minutes?" he asked in a breath, "Any idea how to repay me?"

Eliott arched his eyebrows, smirking. "I've definitely got a few you might like…" he insinuated, beginning to walk backwards, eyes alight with passion.

"Whatever you decide, I'm down for it."

And as Lucas followed Eliott down the street towards the bus stop, fingers laced together and shoes slapping the pavement and dead leaves, Lucas knew it was true. He knew that whatever Eliott wanted, whatever he did, Lucas would follow him to the end of the earth without question. Whatever became of them was written in the stars twinkling overhead, falling rain and flickering streetlamps. Whatever became of them, Lucas knew it was together.

So that’s the end of Whatever We Become... I had so much fun writing it and I hope you guys enjoyed it as well I guess? But don’t worry, that’s not the end of me and my fics as I have a few others already in the making so look out for those in the next decade ;). 

[katedoesfics]

StrangerVille | Chapter 2

Jayson didn’t see Siobhan or Morgan the rest of the night. He stepped out of the bar into the cool, dry air, the streets quiet and desolate with the exception of a handful of bar patrons having a smoke. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away from the bar, walking the few blocks to his home beside the trailer park.

It wasn’t unusual for the residents of the park to be out late, gathered around a fire drinking and laughing, and they often waved to Jayson when he walked by, now familiar with his presence. On this night, however, the trailer park was quiet, though not empty. In the light of the moon, he could see a figure standing alone, a dark shadow erect in the center of the park, unmoving.

Jayson slowed, studying the figure for a moment. An inexplicable chill ran up his spine and his heart quickened nervously, though he hesitated. His gaze narrowed, trying to figure out who the figure was, and why they were standing so still. After a moment of staring, the figure’s head turned to Jayson, and he took an uneasy step back as their eyes met. The figure’s head cocked to the side, then the rest of the body turned to face him. An arm lifted, but not in warm greeting. It moved to a ninety degree angle to the ground and hung for a moment, swaying lightly.

The figure took a stiff step forward and twitched, then took another step forward, legs never bending.

“What in the fuck…”

A smile split the man’s face as it stepped out of the shadows, still moving stiffly toward Jayson. But Jayson had had quite enough of the odd interaction, and he quickly turned and sprinted the rest of the way to his house. His fingers fumbled to unlock the door, and once inside, he slammed it and locked it tightly behind him.

He leaned against the door, his heart racing, and he waited for his breathing to slow. Then, his cheeks warmed as a realization came to him. Those bastards were fucking with him! Hazing the new guy - of course! His shoulders slumped and he muttered to himself. He would get them back; he would get them back good.

*****

Milk dropped from his spoon, splattering onto the newspaper spread open on the table. Like every morning, Jayson was having a bowl of cereal, perusing the job listings. On this morning, however, his mind was not focused on the wanted ads, but instead deep in thought, scheming a way to get back at the residents of the trailer park next door. It was all in good fun, of course, but whatever he came up with had to be better than the prank they pulled on him.

He was at a disadvantage, though. There were several of them that could come together, pretending to be zombies, chasing him down the street. He was just one man, which meant he would need something really good to top that. Of course, he couldn’t take their zombie idea. But every idea he came up with would have been impossible without the help of some insane magical abilities or an experimental potion gone wrong. Giant spiders to flood the park, twitching vines that wrapped around their legs, quick sand that would swallow them whole.

His imagination was running wild, and with a sigh, he leaned back in his chair to think more realistically. His financial situation was not one that would allow him elaborate pranks, and it seemed there was nothing more he could do than coat their trailers in glitter and cause only a minor annoyance. Still, he was determined to get back at them in some way, so he folded up the news paper, placed his empty bowl in the sink, and stepped out into the warm sun to make the walk towards the corner store in hopes of getting some ideas as he perused the aisles. 

He was just turning the corner to the store when two familiar young women stepped out, the door ringing as it closed behind him, and he came face to face with the grinning teenager Morgan.

“Look! It’s conspiracy theorist Jayson!”

“Let’s not make that a thing,” Jayson muttered. “Solve the mysteries of the world, yet?”

“Dude!” Morgan exclaimed. “I would have if someone,” she paused to sneer at her sister, “didn’t fuck up all my plans!”

“She covered herself in twigs and leaves and tried to pretend to be a bush.”

“It’s called being incognito!”

“It’s called getting your ass thrown in jail!”

“Anyway,” Morgan started, disregarding her sister’s concerns. “So, did you get those digits, lover boy?”

“Lover boy?” But before he could come back with anything more, Morgan was reaching toward him in an attempt to shove her hands in his pockets to find his phone. Jayson jumped back and batted her hands away. “Woah! Personal space, man!”

“Gimme your phone!”

“No!”

“I would like to remind you that I have no control over the weird things she does,” Siobhan said in an exasperated tone. “Please accept my sincerest apologies since my sister does not know how to act normal.”

“You guys are the weird ones! Fucking give him your number already!”

“You realize we live like, three hours away, right?”

“Two!” She continued to chase Jayson in circles. “Phone!”

“Oh for the love of -” Jayson started. He stretched an arm out, promptly stopping Morgan in her tracks, his palm against her head. She whined and flailed her arms, but he was just out of her reach. He grinned down at her. “Nice try, kid. I don’t need a matchmaker.”

Morgan huffed in exasperation and dropped her arms. “Well, that’s just rude and insulting. My sister is a catch! How dare you think you’re too good for her!”

“Oh, contraire,” Jayson started. “In fact, she is far too good for the likes of me.”

“Aw,” Morgan said, immediately melting. “That’s so fucking sweet it’s disgusting.”

“Don’t you have a lab to break into?”

Morgan straightened excitedly. “Oh, right! I’m meeting a guy who said he’s got some keycard I can use to get in!”

“That doesn’t sound sketchy at all,” Jayson said.

“Totally sketchy,” Morgan confirmed. “We’ll need a strong, brave guy to protect us.”

Jayson put his hands on his hips and looked around. “Too bad there isn’t someone like that around.”

“Come on, loser,” Morgan said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down the street.

“I did not sign up for this crazy train,” Jayson said over his shoulder to Siobhan.

“Like I said,” Siobhan said, following behind. “I have no control over her.”

“You’d be far better off finding someone else to protect you,�� Jayson warned.

“Eh,” Morgan said with a shrug. “I got a good feeling about you.”

“A terrible decision, really.” He allowed Morgan to pull him down the street, and she babbled on about the guy she met when she was snooping around the lab. They walked for several blocks, turning this way and that until they reached the outer edges of the small town and walked along the dusty, deserted highway; the only road leading out of the nobody town. 

In the distance, a figure stood beside the highway, a hood pulled over his head and his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, and Jayson stiffened uneasily. This was it; this was where he would die. His body would be disposed of in the middle of the desert, and no one would ever know what happened to him.

And all because he let a dumb teenage girl and her beautiful sister drag him out into the desert. A trap - it was a damned trap.

But Sibohan bumped into him, suddenly close at his side, keeping just behind him and practically stepping on his heels.

“I knew it,” she muttered, gripping his upper arm. “I knew my sister would be the death of me, I fucking knew it.”

Jayson stopped walking all together, but Morgan only skipped forward to meet the mysterious man. Jayson reached forward and shouted at her, but she turned to him with her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.

“Stop being such a baby,” she groaned. “It’s just Erwin!”

The hooded man stepped forward to meet Morgan, and he sneered at her.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “You brought a bodyguard?”

“Can’t be too careful, Erwin, right?”

Erwin pulled his hood back, revealing small eyes pulled at the corners angrily behind thick glasses. Freckles dotted his pale skin, and it seemed to Jayson the hoodie was more to protect him from the harmful rays of the sun than anything else. Jayson relaxed slightly, recognizing the young man to be one of the conspiracy theorists in town, and as soon as he relaxed, Siobhan did, too, her grip loosening until she let go of his arm completely.

“Look,” Erwin started. “I’m the first one to admit you should have some reasonable defense. This world is a fucked up place. Hell, I want a bodyguard.” He paused and turned to Jayson. “Are you services available to anyone?”

“Just cute girls and their annoying sisters.”

Erwin considered this for a moment, then turned back to Morgan. “Anyway. This information is top secret. Strictly classified. I can’t have it being passed around to just anyone.”

“Come on, Ers, Buddy. They’re with me! Who are they gonna tell?”

Erwin eyed Jayson carefully. “He’s a military guy.”

Jayson snorted. “Erwin, is it? They picked me up in a bar.”

“That’s where they all hang out!”

“No, no,” Morgan started. “He’s just a depressive alcoholic.”

“Well, wait, I’m not an alcoholic.”

“Just drowning his problems.”

“You and me both,” Erwin said. “I’d hang out there, too, but some of those guys don’t really like me much.”

“Right,” Morgan said. “Like you’re cool enough to hang at a bar.”

“I could be! You don’t know me!”

“I want that keycard!”

“Well, I don’t have it, so go away.”

“You lied?”

“No,” Erwin said, leaning over her. “I said I had it. You assumed -”

“You said you had it!”

“Had! Past tense!”

“Where’s the keycard, Erwin?! Don’t make me sick my bodyguard on you!”

Erwin glanced at Jayson and took a hesitant step back. He put his hands out before him defensively. “Alright, alright. Listen. I don’t have it. Because it was stolen.”

“By who?”

His arms dropped and he rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think if I knew that I’d get it back?”

Morgan grinned. “Yeah? How would you do that?”

Erwin hesitated. “Uh, you know, track ‘em down and… ask for it back?”

Morgan scoffed and turned away from him. “You’re wasting my time, Ers!”

“Alright,” Erwin barked. “I nabbed it from one of those scientists a couple weeks back,” he explained. “He was passed out at the bar, still in his fancy white lab coat, and I fished around in his pockets and found it. But those military guys saw me and tackled me and threw me out. So I ran home, but they must have been following me, and they must have broken in when I was sleeping, because in the morning, it wasn’t on the counter where I left it.”

Morgan groaned loudly and threw her arms in the air, exasperated with him.

Erwin waved his hands at her quickly. “No, no, no, wait,” he said. “Look. I’ve been sneaking around town, listening in to their conversations. I can help you get one of those keycards back. I know some of those military guys have ‘em, and those scientists, too. I know a few names, and I know where they are. If they’re not hanging out at the bar, they can also be found hanging around that old library.” He fished in his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to Morgan. “This is all the information I have, alright? All the keycards will give you access into the lab. I think the ones with the black dots are better, though. Probably can get you into other places that the regular cards can’t. So get one with a black dot.”

“Are we done here?” Siobhan muttered.

Morgan waved the piece of paper at Erwin. “I guess you’re good for something,” she said. “I’ll let you know what I find.”

Erwin nodded and pulled his hood back over his head. “May The Watcher guide you,” he said in an even tone.

Morgan rolled her eyes and turned away from him, walking back down the highway and into town.

Jayson glanced one last time at Erwin, then quickly caught up to Siobhan, following behind Morgan as she babbled on excitedly.

“You’re not stealing a keycard from anyone,” Siobhan hissed to her sister. “And we’re only here for another day, so stop fucking around with your conspiracy theories, alright?”

“They’re not conspiracy theories,” Morgan snapped at her sister. “You make fun of people like Erwin, but they’ve seen what’s really been going on here. They’re not making this stuff up.”

“There’s nothing going on here,” Siobhan said. “Everything is completely normal.”

“Erwin said that some of the people have been acting funny,” Morgan explained. “Like, they’ve been all spacey and twitchy and when you try to talk to them, it’s like they’re speaking another language or something.”

“Spacey and twitchy?” Jayson echoed curiously.

Morgan shrugged. “And he said there have been a lot of weird, black vans and these serious looking agents with sunglasses. He swears he saw them take one of the people acting weirdly and he doesn’t know what happened to them.”

Siobhan rolled her eyes. “If there was something going on, don’t you think the cops would be involved?”

“They all know about it,” Morgan said, growing excited. “And they’re all keeping it quiet!”

When Morgan stopped walking, they were in front of the old library.

“I’m gonna see what if I can dig up any information,” Morgan said. “And maybe steal a keycard.” But before her sister could argue, she was running up the old steps and disappeared inside. 

Siobhan turned helplessly to Jayson, then offered him a smile. “Well, thanks for going with us,” she said. “I thought for sure we were going to be murdered.”

Jayson forced a laugh, though he was still turning over what Morgan said.

“So, I was thinking,” Jayson started. “You really got your hands full with that sister of yours. You might still need a bodyguard or something.”

Siobhan grinned and nodded. “Yeah, probably.”

“Well, if you do, you could always just give me a call or something.”

“Do you have a business card? Or a company number I can call?”

“You know, I can just give you my direct cell number. That way you don’t have to deal with reception or something.”

Siobhan laughed. “That’s really sweet. Morgan would appreciate that.” She took her phone out of her pocket and they exchanged phones, each entering their number in the other’s.

“I put it under bodyguard,” Jayson said as he handed her phone back.

“I put mine under damsel in distress.” She winked at him and waved a hand as she turned to head into the library. “See ya later, Conspiracy Theorist Jayson.”